Kitabı oku: «Undercover Daddy»

“I suppose you’re here to arrest me for the illegal adoption?”

“That all depends.”

“On what?” Finally, there was a slip in her resolve. Her voice cracked.

“You.” Luke came to a stop in front of the house, turned off the engine and stared at her.

“This is my babysitter’s house. What are we doing here?”

He turned towards Elaina so he could see every nuance of her reaction. He ignored how beautiful, how vulnerable she looked. “Why do you think I’m here?”

“Oh, no. I can’t let you do this. You can’t arrest me. You don’t understand – he’s my son. I’m the only mother he’s ever known.”

“Believe me, I know that.”

“I won’t let you take him from me,” she insisted.

“You have no choice.”

“Then I need to talk to his father, make him understand how much Christopher means to me.”

“You’re already talking to him. Christopher is my son.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Imagine a family tree that includes Texas cowboys, Choctaw and Cherokee Indians, a Louisiana pirate and a Scottish rebel who battled side by side with William Wallace. With ancestors like that, it’s easy to understand why Texas author and former air force captain Delores Fossen feels as if she was genetically predisposed to writing romances. Along the way to fulfilling her DNA destiny, Delores married an air force top gun who just happens to be of Viking descent. With all those romantic bases covered she doesn’t have to look too far for inspiration.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Elaina McLemore – When someone tries to kill her, she moves with her adopted son to a small Texas town, changing her name and inventing a missing husband. Then Luke Buchanan shows up, claiming to be her long lost husband – and her baby’s father.

Special Agent Luke Buchanan – Robbed of the chance to raise his son when Elaina unknowingly participated in an illegal adoption, nothing will stop him from getting to know his child. But when an elusive criminal comes after them, Luke vows to protect his baby and the only mother his son has ever known.

Christopher – Luke’s one-year-old son. He’s too young to understand the danger. He only knows that he loves having his daddy around.

George Devereux – Once a successful businessman, now behind bars. Just how far would he go to get back at Luke for arresting him?

Carrie Saunders – Elaina’s shop assistant and friend. Carrie has been acting very odd, but she claims she has no idea who’s trying to kill Elaina and Luke.

Brenda McQueen – A newcomer to the sleepy Texas town where Elaina’s been hiding with Christopher.

Collena Drake – The troubled former cop who now devotes her life to finding illegally adopted babies.

Gary Simpson – Elaina’s potentially mentally unstable neighbour. Gary is also jealous of Luke.

Undercover Daddy

DELORES FOSSEN

www.millsandboon.co.uk

To Daphne Betterton. You’re the best.

Chapter One

Crystal Creek, Texas

“Elaina, your husband is…alive.”

The eight-by-ten piece of amber glass that Elaina Allen had been examining slipped from her hand and crashed onto her desk. It didn’t break but smashed right into a paper plate containing a half eaten slice of cherry pie. The red sugary filling spattered in every direction.

“Excuse me?” Elaina asked her assistant, Carrie. “What did you say?”

“Your husband is alive,” Carrie repeated, nodding frantically. She bobbled up and down on her tiptoes and gave an excited squeal. “He’s in Crystal Creek and on the way to the shop. He should be here any minute.”

Elaina’s heart dropped to her knees.

“There must be some mistake. Daniel’s missing in action in the Middle East,” Elaina lied. “If he’d been found, the air force would have told me.”

Carrie grinned. “Well, they obviously didn’t. A snafu maybe, or Daniel probably just wanted to surprise you. Anyway, he stopped by the gas station, and when he got ready to pay, the attendant, Jay, saw your picture in Daniel’s wallet. That’s when Jay figured out who he was. Jay said after Daniel filled up, he headed in this direction.” Carrie’s crystal blue eyes widened. “Oh, God. I blew the surprise by telling you, didn’t I?”

Elaina couldn’t answer. She could only shake her head. No. This couldn’t be happening. It just couldn’t be.

“Are you all right?” Carrie asked. “You look like you’re about to be sick.”

There was a reason for that. Elaina knew that the comfortable, safe life she’d created was over. Her house and her stained-glass shop were as good as gone. She’d have to go on the run again.

“You’re happy about this, right?” Carrie asked. “I mean, this is what you wanted—for Daniel to come home to Christopher and you. You’re always saying how much you miss him.”

She stared at her shop assistant. They were more than employer and employee. The eternally optimistic Carrie had become her friend. Well, as much of a friend as Elaina could have considering she’d lied to Carrie from day one.

Elaina wasn’t immune to the guilt she felt about that, either. She’d never quite come to terms with the pretense.

But she had a more pressing problem.

Daniel Allen was on the way to her shop.

Because that took her to the brink of panic, Elaina almost came clean about everything to Carrie. She almost explained all the lies. And, sweet heaven, there was a mound of lies. But she stopped her near confession and tried to make some sense of all of this.

“Jay said this man had my picture in his wallet?” Elaina clarified, praying for an out.

There had to be an out.

Carrie nodded, and the concern deepened in her eyes. “But he didn’t just have your picture. When Jay asked, he told him that he was Daniel Allen.”

Then, he was lying. No doubt about it.

Because there was no Daniel Allen.

He was the biggest lie of all.

Daniel Allen was an idea that Elaina had concocted to explain why she’d moved to the sleepy Texas town of Crystal Creek. An MIA husband. A grieving heart. The desire to start a new life while keeping hope that her husband might be alive and that he might return someday.

Elaine had purposely kept the personal details sketchy, because details could be examined too closely. So, she’d had no picture of her fake husband in case someone compared his looks to her son’s. Instead, she’d told everyone that all her photos had been destroyed in a house fire.

The façade had kept some nosey questions from being asked, had given her space and privacy and it had allowed her and her baby, Christopher, to be accepted in a town where newcomers were often treated as outsiders.

That acceptance wouldn’t continue once the townsfolk had learned that she was a liar. And this man, this imposter claiming to be Daniel Allen, would expose her.

But why?

Better yet—who was this imposter, and what the heck did he want?

Unfortunately, an answer immediately came to mind. A really bad answer. He might be linked to her late fiancé—the slimy, cheating con man who’d nearly gotten Christopher and Elaina killed.

“Well, don’t just sit there,” Carrie insisted. She latched on to Elaina’s arm to lift her from the chair. “You haven’t seen Daniel in over a year. Comb your hair. Put on some makeup. You have to do something to get ready for him.”

The full impact of that hit her like a heavyweight’s fist. Elaina got to her feet somehow. She had to do something all right.

She had to get out of there.

Fast.

She’d have to pick up Christopher from the sitter and drive out of town. There probably wouldn’t be time to pack or stop for cash. She’d literally have to leave everything behind.

However, before she could even shake off Carrie’s grip, Elaina heard the cheerful jingle of the brass and crystal bells that she’d installed over the front door of her shop. It caused her pulse to pound out of control.

Because it no doubt signaled her fake husband’s arrival.

This was her own personal version of judgment day.

“Since you don’t seem too steady on your feet, I’ll bring him in here,” Carrie volunteered.

“No!” Elaina caught on to her as she turned to leave.

What remained of Carrie’s gleeful expression melted away. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Elaina assured her. Yet another lie. “I just need a minute to compose myself. I thought he was dead.” Elaina didn’t have to fake an overwhelmed expression. She was sure it was there all over her overwhelmed face.

“I’ll be right there,” Carrie called out to their visitor. It was something she would have done for any ordinary customer, but this time there was excitement and anticipation in her voice.

Elaina nodded her thanks for the brief reprieve, and she went to the door that separated her office from the stained-glass shop. With Carrie right behind her, she opened the door just a fraction and peeked out.

His back was to her, and he appeared to be examining a Victorian window panel that Elaina had restored just days earlier.

Whoever he was, he was tall. Six-three at least. Not lanky, either. Solid and formidable. He wore jeans and a brown leather bomber jacket that was nearly the same color as his short, efficiently cut hair.

He turned to the side, and Elaina got a good look of him in profile. That good look was more than enough for her to realize that he was a complete stranger. If he was somehow connected to her late fiancé, Kevin, then she’d never seen him before.

That didn’t mean she was safe.

She still had to leave with Christopher and find a new hiding place. Because if this man had found her, they could find her.

Elaina blinked back the hot tears that instantly sprang into her eyes, and she silently cursed. Kevin had been dead for over a year, and he was still casting shadows over her life.

“Well?” Carrie prompted in an anxious whisper when Elaina shut the door. “Daniel’s here. Aren’t you going to run out there, jump into his arms and haul him off to bed?”

Not a chance. The only thing Elaina planned to do was avoid him. “I need you to do me a favor, Carrie. Stall him.”

Carrie shook her head. “W-hat? This is the extremely hot husband that you haven’t seen in months and months, and you want me to stall him?”

Good point. The next lie came easily. “I need some time to make myself look presentable. I don’t want him to see me with pie filling all over me and without a stitch of makeup. I’ll only be a minute.”

Carrie nodded, eventually, but judging from her bunched up forehead, she didn’t understand.

How could she?

And better yet, how would Christopher?

If she remembered the truth by then.

Her son was barely three months past his first birthday. He wouldn’t know why his mommy was dragging him away from the only home, bed and toys he’d ever known. One day, she’d have to tell him the truth.

Elaina had lived with the lies for so long that she had to wonder what exactly the truth was. Unfortunately, she might never know.

“Don’t keep Daniel waiting too long,” Carrie insisted. “And by the way—he is hot, just like I figured he’d be.” She gave Elaina a wink and then headed back into the shop.

Elaina didn’t waste a second. She locked the door behind Carrie and grabbed her purse from beneath her desk. She also took the picture of her son from the top of the filing cabinet. It was her favorite, taken on his first birthday. She stuffed it in her purse, and while she fumbled around the bottom of the shoulder bag for her car keys, she headed to the back exit that led directly to the parking lot.

She estimated that it would take her ten minutes to get to Christopher. She’d call on the way to tell Theresa, the sitter, that Christopher had an appointment with the pediatrician in nearby Luling. An appointment that had slipped her mind until the last minute. Though it would be a first for her to forget something like that, she hoped it’d be a believable lie. She didn’t have time for questions.

Elaina located her keys and threw open the exit door. She heard someone trying to get into her office. Carrie maybe. Or maybe the imposter. Elaina ignored the frantic knocks and raced out of the shop.

The winter air was a little more brisk than she’d figured, and a chilly gust temporarily robbed her of her breath. Goose bumps rifled over her arms. The cotton shirt she wore wasn’t much of a barrier. It didn’t stop her. She ducked her head against the wind and made a beeline toward her car.

“Going somewhere?” she heard someone ask.

It was a man’s voice.

Oh, mercy.

His voice, no doubt.

She didn’t freeze, though she had to fight her instincts to prevent that from happening. Instead, Elaina began to run toward her car. Even though her heart was pounding and her shoes were slapping on the concrete, she could still hear his footsteps behind her.

Elaina made it all the way to her car before she felt the beefy hand clamp around her arm. She struggled against the grip and slammed her purse into the man’s chest.

It didn’t help.

As if she weighed nothing, he caught on to her, whirled her around to face him, and he pinned her against the hood of her car.

She screamed. Or rather tried to do that, but he pressed his hand over her mouth.

No profile view of him this time. She caught the full brunt of those lethal looking granite-gray eyes. In fact, lethal described every part of him from his hard body to the expression on his face.

Because he used his body to restrain her, she had no trouble determining that he was strong. No extra body fat on this guy. She also had no trouble spotting the shoulder holster and gun that was only partially concealed beneath his leather jacket.

Still, it didn’t matter that she was outsized, out-maneuvered and outgunned. She wouldn’t give up without a fight. Especially since this man might go after Christopher. Thankfully, the Crystal Creek police station was just up the block from the shop. She’d yell for help and deal with the inevitable questions later.

First though, she had to get free.

She managed to grab on to his wrist, and she ripped his grip from her mouth. “What do you want?” she snarled.

“Elaina Allen, I presume?” He didn’t wait for her to confirm or deny it. “Let me introduce myself. I’m your long-lost husband, Captain Daniel Allen.”

Oh, there was some cockiness in that voice tinged with a hint of a Texas drawl, but there were also questions. And accusations.

She forced herself to meet him eye to eye. “You’re lying, and you know it.”

“Yeah. I guess I do know it. But the way I see it, both of us have told some big fish stories, and both of us have some explaining to do. You start first.”

Elaina was about to tell him that she owed him no such explanation and that he’d better let go of her at once or she’d scream, but then she heard Carrie. She peered over the man’s shoulder and spotted Carrie in the doorway of the exit.

Elaina cursed under her breath.

So did the man.

She met his gaze to try to figure out what he was about to do. It was entirely possible he might try to kill Carrie so there wouldn’t be any witnesses to Elaina’s own murder. If that’s what he had planned.

Elaina didn’t have to wait long to find out.

Much to her shock, the imposter lowered his head and kissed her.

Chapter Two

Luke Buchanan had to keep reminding himself that the woman he was kissing was a liar. Maybe even worse. But just the fact he had to remind himself of that riled him to the core.

Why?

Because he didn’t need a reminder that she tasted almost as good as she looked. And she did look good, far better than she had from the other end of long range surveillance equipment.

“Play along,” Luke warned her, pulling back only slightly.

His warning earned him a nasty little glare. Those ice-blue eyes tapered to slits, and he could have sworn she hissed at him. But maybe that was the brutal November wind that was assaulting them.

“Oh, good,” the skinny blond sales clerk said from behind them. “You found each other.”

Luke didn’t look back at her. He kept his gaze staked to the liar he’d just kissed.

The liar who tasted remarkably like cherry pie.

“Who are you?” the liar demanded.

“Your husband,” he lied back. “Trust me, you’ll want to go along with that for now. It’s in your best interest.”

Since his body was still against hers, he felt her go board stiff. She no doubt would have questioned him, or slugged him so she could escape, if the sales clerk hadn’t stopped right next to them.

“This is so exciting,” the clerk declared. She walked closer and grinned from ear to ear. “I’m a sucker for happy endings.”

Well, this wasn’t one of them.

Luke knew the clerk was Carrie Saunders. Age twenty-four. Born and raised in Crystal Creek. He was reasonably sure that Ms. Saunders didn’t have a clue that she was working for a woman who’d fabricated an entire life. So, in a sense Carrie Saunders was a nonplayer. Or at least she would be once Luke got away from her. He definitely didn’t want her or the local police to get suspicious, and he needed to get his wife alone so they could have a little chat.

“You wouldn’t mind if Elaina left for the day, would you?” Luke asked the other woman. He kept his tone playful and needy, as if he truly were the long-lost husband who’d returned to his loving family.

“Take as much time as you want,” Carrie insisted. She wagged her finger at Elaina. “I don’t want to see you anywhere near this shop for at least a week. Oh, and if you need someone to babysit Christopher, just give me a call.”

Luke assured her that they would, and he slid his arm around Elaina’s waist to get her moving. She had that deer-caught-in-the-headlights look, and for a second, he wondered if she was going to try to run away.

“Don’t even think about it,” Luke mumbled. “You’re leaving with me.”

He took her keys from her trembling hand and practically pushed her inside her economy-size car. To keep the loving couple façade intact, he pressed a kiss on Elaina’s gaping cherry-scented mouth, gave a friendly wave to Carrie and then drove away.

But he didn’t breathe any easier now that the first part of his plan had worked. Because there were a lot of steps to this particular plan, and there were pitfalls with every one of them.

“Who are you and what do you want?” she demanded the second they were out of the parking lot.

Since this would no doubt be the beginning of many questions, Luke decided to give her the ground rules. “Here’s how things are going to work. I’ll ask the questions, and you’ll provide the truthful answers. We’ll start with why you’re living this lie.”

Her chin came up. “That’s none of your business.”

“I beg to differ.”

It wasn’t just his business.

It was his life.

“Why the lies?” he pressed.

She stayed a quiet a moment though she continued to stare at him. What she didn’t do was answer him. “Are you here because of Kevin?”

Luke figured that name would come up soon enough. “Kevin Ameson, your late fiancé. I never met the man. And that’s the only information you’re going to get until you start talking. Oh, and remember that part about being truthful. I figure that’ll be difficult for you, so try very hard.”

No more deer-in-the-headlight look. She aimed her index finger at him. “Let’s get something straight. I knew nothing about Kevin’s illegal activities. Nothing. And I’ve already paid enough for his stupidity and deception.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.”

She frowned and angled her body back slightly. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“That’s another question and still no answer to mine. You’re not good at following the rules, so let me clarify the information you’re going to tell me. Why all the lies? And why are you in hiding?”

“I have my reasons, and you probably know what they are as well I do.” She paused only long enough to draw breath. “I covered my tracks. I haven’t used any of the money from Kevin’s and my bank accounts or investments. And I haven’t contacted a single person that I knew in my former life. So, how in the name of heaven did you find me?”

Luke huffed. Yet another question. This was turning into an annoying interrogation, and his intimidating scowl wasn’t working.

Odd.

It usually did.

“Okay. A modification of the rules. Tit for tat, we’ll call it. I’ll give you a little info, and you’ll do the same. I found you through your glass,” he informed her.

That gave a moment of hesitation. “You what?”

“When I realized I was looking for Laina McLemore and that you’d disappeared, I started digging for clues. You were a successful stained- glass artist when you lived in San Antonio. I figured that’s the line of work you’d fall back on, so I studied your designs, and I started scouring shops and Internet sites until I finally found pieces that I could attribute to your artistic style. People always leave trails when they try to hide.” He glanced at her. “Your turn. Start answering my questions.”

“Oh, God.” But she didn’t just say it once. She strung them together and plowed her hands through the sides of her short, spiky, honey-brown hair. “Is that why you’re here? Are you one of those men, or did they send you?”

Luke had already geared up to remind her that it was her turn to provide information, but that stopped him cold. “What men?”

“The ones who followed me after Kevin was murdered.” Anger fired through her eyes. “Well, if you’re one of them, you’ve wasted your time.”

Luke ignored her outburst. “Back up—who are these men?”

“They didn’t exactly introduce themselves to me, but they did try to run me off the road.” Her voice was clipped with anger, and the words came at him like bullets. “There were two of them. Both probably in their early thirties. One had very pale blond hair, and the other had a deep scar on the left side of his face. He wore an eye patch.”

Luke wasn’t sure what to make of that. Just retelling the event seemed to shake her, but then, this was a woman who was very good at telling believable lies. Still…

“What did these guys want?” he asked.

“I don’t know. But I think it had something to do with some computer software that Kevin was modifying for someone he only ever referred to as T. Maybe those men were associated with this T, or maybe they thought I had the modifications or Kevin’s research notes. I didn’t.” She snagged his gaze. “I really don’t know anything about my late fiancé’s criminal activity, okay? But I’ve paid for it. I’ve paid dearly by losing my home, my friends and by having to recreate a life among strangers.”

Luke wasn’t unaffected by the weariness and pain he heard in her voice, but he pushed aside any sympathy he was feeling by reminding himself of what this woman had done.

She’d robbed him of his life.

“What about the illegal adoption?” he asked. Not easily. It was almost impossible to keep the emotion out of it. “Have you paid for that, too?”

She blinked and pulled in her breath. “How did you know about the adoption?”

“I know a lot about you, Laina Marie McLemore. You’re twenty-eight. Born in Bulverde, Texas. A rancher’s daughter, though both your parents are dead. I can tell you the name of your third-grade teacher and what you had for dinner last night. What I’m trying to figure out if you were the mastermind behind Arneson’s illegal ventures, or were you just along for the very lucrative ride?”

“I knew nothing about Kevin’s business dealings or the legality of the adoption.” And she was adamant about it, too.

Luke continued to push. “But you went along with it?”

“Unknowingly went along with it,” she corrected.

When she didn’t say more, he made a circular motion with his hand for her to continue.

She started with a huff. “Kevin was sterile, we wanted a baby, and he didn’t want me to use donor sperm to get pregnant. He’s the one who arranged for the adoption through an attorney in San Antonio. I didn’t know it was illegal, not until months after Kevin was murdered, when I read about the illegal adoption ring in the paper. Even then, I didn’t know that’s how Kevin had gotten Christopher.”

“But you suspected it,” he accused her.

“No, I didn’t. Not until I saw the name of the attorney who’d been arrested. By then, it was too late. I was already in hiding. I’d already established a life here in Crystal Creek. And I knew if I didn’t stay hidden, those men would come after me—”

“Ah, the men again,” he mocked. “They’re getting a lot of playtime in this fantasy world of yours. And it’s because of these men that you fled San Antonio and went into hiding.”

“Yes.” She paused. “You don’t believe me?”

“No, but that’s not important. The important thing is that after a year of digging, I found you.”

“Lucky me,” she grumbled. She turned in the seat so she was facing him. Her loose, well-worn jeans and dark red cotton shirt whispered against the vinyl seat. Her breath whispered, too. There was more weariness in it, but Luke could see her fighting it off. “Now, it’s your turn to answer some questions. Who are you and what do you want?”

“I’m Luke Buchanan.” Since the truth would no doubt speed this along, he added, “I’m a federal agent with the Department of Justice.”

She put her hand over her heart as if to steady it. “Prove it.”

The crisp demand had him doing a double take. For a weary lying woman, she certainly had a lot of resolve left. “Prove what?”

“Show me a badge or some kind of ID.”

Jeez. Why couldn’t she just confess all?

Irked, Luke reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his badge. She took it, stared it and even scraped her thumbnail over the picture. Not just once. But twice.

“It’s real,” he assured her.

She must have agreed because she thrust it back at him. What he wouldn’t tell her, yet, was that while the badge was real, this wasn’t official Justice Department business.

No.

This was as personal as personal could get.

“I suppose you’re here to arrest me for the illegal adoption?” she asked.

“That all depends.”

“On what?” Finally, there was slip in her resolve. Her voice cracked.

“You.” He came to stop in front of the house, turned off the engine and stared at her.

Probably because she hadn’t taken her eyes off him, she hadn’t realized where he’d taken her. She glanced out the window for a second before she snapped her head back in his direction. “This is my babysitter’s house. What are we doing here?”

He turned toward her so he could see every nuance of her reaction. “Why do you think I’m here?”

“Oh, no.” She began to shake her head. “I can’t let you do this. You can’t arrest me. You don’t understand— he’s my son. I’ve raised him since he was three days old. I’m the only mother he’s ever known.”

“Believe me, I know that.”

And that was the only reason he hadn’t had Laina McLemore arrested.

“I won’t let you take him from me,” she insisted.

“You have no choice.” And he was just as adamant.

“But you do.” Her bottom lip began to tremble, and she gripped the sides of his leather jacket. “You can walk away from this. You can pretend you never found me.”

Luke had thought he would be immune to a reaction like that, but he wasn’t. “I can’t do that.”

The grip she had on his jacket melted away, and she touched her fingers to her mouth. Tears sprang to her eyes. “Oh, God. The birth parents know about Christopher, and they want him back.”

“His birth mother is dead.” Luke had to take a deep breath after saying that. And another deep breath before he could continue. “But his birth father does indeed want him back.”

Twin tears spilled down her cheeks. “Then, I need to talk to him. I need to make him understand how much Christopher means to me.”

“You’re already talking to him, and there’s nothing you can say or do to make me change my mind. Christopher is my son.”