LITMIR.BIZ

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I didn’t. I had a warrant.”

      She hadn’t thought it possible, but her heart pounded even faster. Elaina frantically searched for holes in his case and found one. “If you have this proof,” she said picking up the DNA test, “then, why pretend to be my long-lost husband?”

      “Because there’s something I need from you.”

      He let that hang between them for several moments before he scooped up all the papers and put them back into the envelope. “Here’s what’s going to happen—we’ll go inside and you’ll make introductions. To the sitter and especially to my son. For the next few days, I’ll pretend to be the husband that you’ve so cleverly created.”

      But once they were inside, he could take Christopher. “And if I don’t agree?”

      He lifted his shoulder and slipped the envelope back into his jacket. “Then, I call the FBI, and have you arrested for participating in an illegal adoption. Then, I take Christopher from Crystal Creek, and you’ll never see him again.”

      Mercy, he was indeed holding all the cards. “And if I cooperate?” She held her breath, praying for some good news in all of this.

      “I’ll still take Christopher, eventually. After he’s gotten to know me.” More of that calm reserve slipped away. He scrubbed his hand over his face. “Look, I know you’ve been a good mother to my son, but he’s mine, and I have no intentions of giving him up. We might even be able to work out visitation rights for you—if you can ever convince me that you didn’t do anything illegal to get him.”

      Elaina was about to ask how she could ever prove that, but she caught some movement out of the corner of her eye. She looked out the window. Theresa, the sitter, was making her way across the yard toward the car.

      Elaina groaned. She didn’t need this visit. Not now. She still somehow had to convince Luke Buchanan to leave and never come back.

      A smiling Theresa tapped on the window, and Elaina reluctantly lowered it. The elderly woman had sugar-white hair and smelled of ginger cookies. Christopher’s favorite. Theresa had no doubt been baking them for him.

      Theresa’s attention went straight to Luke Buchanan. “Daniel, it’s so good to meet you,” Theresa said before Elaina could offer any explanation. “I’m Theresa Gafford. I babysit your precious son.”

      Luke nodded and even flashed a smile. The facial gesture seemed stiff as if it’d been a while since he’d done that. “Good to meet you, too, Theresa.”

      There were tears in Theresa’s eyes and a smile on her face. “Thank goodness you’re home. You’re the answer to so many prayers.”

      More like the answer to a nightmare. “Carrie called you to tell you that Daniel was here,” Elaina said to Theresa.

      “Yes. And Jay from the gas station, too,” Theresa verified. “It’s impossible to keep secrets around here.”

      It was a comment that caused Elaina to cough.

      Theresa motioned toward the house. “Christopher’s taking a nap, but I can wake him. I suspect you’re anxious to see him.” She smiled. “Or maybe you two should just head home and I can bring him after he’s awake.”

      “No.” Elaina quickly vetoed that. She wanted to spend no more time alone with this man. Of course, she didn’t want him around Christopher, either. “We’ll come back later.”

      Much later.

      “Darling,” Luke said. The term of endearment seemed as foreign as his smile. “If you don’t mind, I’d love to see my son. Now.”

      Those stormy eyes warned her to defy him.

      Elaina cast him her own warning, but she knew his carried far more weight. He could have her arrested. He could legally remove Christopher from her life.

      Because she had no choice, Elaina reached for the door handle. She would cooperate, for now. But there was no way she could let him take Christopher.

      Luke got out of the car at the same time she did, and he quickly went to her and slid his arm around her waist. Since Theresa was ahead of them and couldn’t see, Elaina tossed him a scowl and pushed her elbow against his ribs to keep some distance between them.

      “Daniel, the three of you will have to come for dinner once you’re settled,” Theresa said.

      “Thank you,” Luke answered. “I’d like that.”

      Elaina mumbled the same fake gratitude under her breath, knowing that there’d be no dinner. If she couldn’t talk Luke into leaving, she’d have to consult an attorney about what her rights were.

      If she even had rights.

      It was entirely possible that she didn’t.

      “Oh, I nearly forgot,” Theresa said, stopping on the top porch step. The wind rifled through her hair when she turned around to face Elaina. “About two hours ago I went over to your house to get Christopher his bunny. You forgot to bring it this morning. Anyway, while I was there, two men drove up in a black car and asked to speak to you.”

      Elaina stopped, too, and stared up at the woman. “Who were they?”

      “Census takers, they said.” Theresa’s forehead bunched up. “I thought it was a little early for that, but they said they needed to ask you some questions. I told them you might be at your shop and let them know that it was easy to find since it was on Main Street just up from the police station.”

      Elaina was more than a little concerned. In the entire year she’d been in Crystal Creek, no one had come looking for her. It seemed too much of a coincidence that she’d have three visitors in the same day.

      “Did these men show you any ID?” Luke wanted to know.

      Theresa shook her head. “No. I didn’t ask for it. Oh, dear. Should I have?”

      “No,” he assured her. “It’s just they might have been from the air force, to give Elaina official notification that I was coming home.”

      “They definitely said they were census takers.” Theresa paused. “But to be honest with you, they made me a little uncomfortable. Especially the one with the eye patch.”

      “Eye patch?” Elaina repeated, her voice barely making a sound.

      Theresa nodded. “You just don’t see many eye patches these days, and this guy had a scar to go with it. Anyway, he didn’t talk much, but the tall blond man with him said they’d come back later to discuss things with you.”

      Elaina looked at Luke, and would have given him an I-told-you-so glare if she hadn’t been so terrified.

      Luke reacted. And his reaction terrified her even more.

      He shoved his hand inside his jacket so he could grip his weapon, and his gaze fired around them.

      “Get inside,” he ordered. “Now.”

      Chapter Four

      “What’s wrong?” Theresa, asked. “What’s happening?”

      Luke didn’t answer her. Instead, he hooked his arms around both women, hurried them inside and locked the door. He did a quick visual scan of the interior of the place. It was clean and homey with the smell of freshly made cookies. But the main thing he wanted to establish was that there were no gunmen inside.

      There weren’t any signs of them. Hopefully, it would stay that way.

      “Are the other doors locked?” he asked Theresa.

      Her eyes widened. “Yes. I did that before I drove over to Elaina’s. I haven’t been out back since then, so I’m sure they’re still locked.”

      Good.

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