LITMIR.BIZ

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a whit to Mitch Ellery. Though he’d started out with her quietly and sternly, once she’d said all that, his deep voice had lowered to a growl and the scorn on his rugged face had cut her to the quick.

      He’d told her bluntly that he thought she was lying, not only about her friend arranging the meeting, but about even suggesting that she could truly be Doris Ellery’s daughter. He’d hinted that it was her own stability that was in question before he’d declared her an inept opportunist using a cruel claim to extort money from a wealthy family. On his way out of her tiny apartment, he’d threatened to inform the police if any of them ever heard from her again.

      She’d been devastated by that, devastated by the notion that her mother had apparently lied about having an out-of-wedlock child that she’d given up years ago, and mortified to be thought a liar herself.

      Not that Lorna was unsympathetic to the plight of her mother. Doris Jackson Ellery was barely forty by now, so she must have given birth to Lorna when she was only sixteen years old. No doubt the circumstances of her out-of-wedlock pregnancy and the act of giving up her child for adoption had been troubling enough for Doris to go through.

      Lorna completely understood that her mother must have surely meant to put that time in her life behind her and to possibly forget it had ever happened. Which was an indication to Lorna that her birth and the circumstances surrounding it must have been traumatic.

      Though Doris had married Kendra’s father two years after she’d given up her first child and had many years later married the much older Jake Ellery, the respectable upscale lifestyle she lived now no doubt made her leery of the scandal that might be associated with giving up an out-of-wedlock child, should it become public knowledge. Not everyone had a liberal outlook on such things. And since Doris had obviously kept it a secret from the Ellerys, they might all have considered a belated revelation of the truth a betrayal of trust.

      The Ellery family was an old one in the oil and ranching community, and their sterling reputation was no doubt paramount. Kendra herself had been a member of that family for years, and if there was ever a proper young lady, it was Kendra, who clearly had been brought up with strict traditional morals and taught to behave in a respectable manner.

      Lorna was acutely aware of how important respectability was. She’d worked hard for her own respectability and the value of having a sterling reputation with no hint of moral failure attached to it was worth everything to her.

      But it would all come crashing down now, her respectability would be sullied and her wonderful job humiliatingly snatched away. How else could Mitch Ellery take this situation that she’d allowed to go on because she’d wanted to keep her job and couldn’t bring herself to hurt Kendra’s feelings?

      One look at Lorna and he’d know that the Miss Farrell he’d surely heard about was Miss Lorna Farrell. That Lorna Farrell. The Lorna Farrell he’d thought an unstable opportunist and a liar, the Lorna Farrell he’d threatened to turn in to the police.

      Just then, Kendra turned her head and Lorna glanced away. The elevator whispered to a halt and Lorna gripped the strap of her handbag in preparation for the doors opening.

      As they stepped out, Kendra’s sweet voice sent a fresh jolt of alarm across her ragged nerves.

      “Why, Lorna…you’re shaking!” The younger woman touched her arm and they both halted as the elevator door closed behind them. “Are you all right?”

      Lorna gave her a smile she hoped didn’t tremble. “I’m fine. I skipped lunch.”

      “Why didn’t you say something?” Kendra went on, and her genuine concern gave Lorna’s heart a poignant nudge. “We could have grabbed something to eat while we were out.”

      “I wasn’t hungry, and I’m still not.” Lorna made herself smile gently at her sister. “You’ve had days like that lately, haven’t you? When you’re too excited about the wedding and too busy with plans to think about food, so you forget to eat until you get shaky?”

      Kendra, despite her carefree manner, was slow to lose her concern. And that touched Lorna again.

      “If you’re sure? You’ve been working hard lately, and I’ve been running you all over San Antonio. Maybe you should take a couple days off. You’ve more than earned the time.”

      Lorna shook her head. “I love to work and I love the challenge. I’ll have all weekend to rest up and recharge, but—” she paused as they started to walk along the hallway to the open office doors “—I really need to get back to work. Your fiancé gave me a raft of correspondence this morning that I need to finish by five o’clock. I’ve got an apple at my desk to tide me over.”

      Kendra’s expression lightened to uncertainty as they walked along and she searched Lorna’s tense features. Then she smiled. “All right. Thanks for all your help, but don’t work too hard.”

      “Hard work is good for the soul,” she said as they walked past the wide doorway into the office.

      As she said it, Lorna touched her sister’s arm. Not only was it a silent thanks for her concern and meant as a reassurance to the younger woman, but it was also a heartfelt need to indulge what might be her last opportunity to do so.

      If she could think of an excuse for a business errand that would take her to another floor of the building, perhaps she could delay the inevitable. Perhaps it was still possible to contact Mr. Ellery privately, confess what she’d done, and explain her dilemma. Perhaps he’d take more kindly to that than an out-of-the-blue surprise.

      Why hadn’t she done that months ago? Why hadn’t she been more sensible before things had gone so far?

      She’d just glanced forward as they walked deeper into the large outer office when she noticed the big man who slowly rose from one of the wide sofas across from her desk.

      Kendra saw him then too, because she called out, “Mitch! You’re early! I’m so sorry you had to wait.”

      And then Kendra was walking to her stepbrother, outpacing Lorna who’d suddenly faltered at the sight of the tall, rugged man whose dark gaze lanced into hers and now cut over her like sharp blades.

      Terror gripped her, but she tried mightily to glance away from him and walk calmly to her desk. She’d hoped she could somehow avoid a formal introduction, but she’d known from the moment Kendra had announced ten minutes ago that Mitch Ellery was picking her up that her chances were nil. The best she could do was to wrap herself in the aloof composure that few people other than Kendra and a handful of friends had managed to breach.

      Lorna had no more than put her handbag into her desk drawer and casually reached over to press the button on her computer screen when Kendra got her attention.

      “Lorna?”

      Lorna made herself glance Kendra’s way and forced a faint smile as her sister approached the desk with Mitch Ellery at her side. Ever the proper, accommodating employee, Lorna stepped around the desk for the dreaded introduction.

      “This is my stepbrother, Mitch Ellery,” Kendra began, and Lorna shifted her gaze to meet the fiery darkness in his eyes. “Mitch, this is Lorna Farrell.”

      Lorna’s heart shot to her throat and pounded painfully. Three hard beats and she jerkily extended her icy hand. Three more hard beats as she waited for disaster.

      The dizzying thought—that putting out a hand to Mitch Ellery was no less risky than putting her hand into the mouth of a ferocious beast—threatened her waning courage.

      But then his hand came up and took hers. The callused strength in his fingers could have crushed hers with one casual flex, but his firm grip was as gentle as his skin was hot and work-hardened.

      As he’d been that day years ago, he was dressed in a black suit, and his boots carried a muted shine. The suit was in keeping with his millionaire taste, but his callused hand, black boots and the pearl-gray Stetson he’d left on the sofa were proof that beneath his millionaire oilman look, he was a rancher.

      And

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