“Mom was an alcoholic. She died about six weeks ago of a diseased liver. She was young—only forty-four years old. Before she fell into her last coma, she told me something so shocking, I believed she was having a hallucination.”
Kit took a deep breath before she repeated her mother’s last words.
After the stunning silence that followed, she heard gasps from Ben and Julie, but she concentrated on the people seated across from her.
They’d clasped hands, and were caught in the grip of such deep emotion, they couldn’t speak. Their eyes swept over her again and again, trying to see a part of themselves in her.
“I don’t know if I’m your daughter or not, so please don’t assume that I am. Not yet. A DNA test was done on Mom. It didn’t match mine. The FBI tracked down the man I’d always assumed was my father. A DNA test has been done on him. I’ll know the results in the morning, but I’m positive he’s not my biological father.”
“You don’t know that!” Cord declared. He’d left his chair to stand next to her.
Yes, I do, Cord.
She bit her lip. “Pat Simpson, an FBI agent in Salt Lake, has suggested the two of you get your DNA checked against mine.”
Cord’s father got up from the couch. “Of course. We’ll have the agent order it done as soon as you hear from her in the morning.” He smiled at Kit. “You remind me a little of some pictures of Ellen’s mother when she was young.”
Maggie chose that moment to intervene. “Cord and I saw the resemblance, too, so we got out the family photos. But the similarity is too superficial to draw a definite conclusion.”
Mrs. McFarland remained seated. “I agree, Maggie. I don’t see Mother in Kit.” Her eyes left Kit to stare at her son. “But she has your coloring, Cord. Don’t you think so, Ben?”
Kit had never fainted before, but for the first time she thought she might be on the verge.
Ben left Julie’s side to join the circle. He studied Kit, then his brother for an endless moment. “If you mean their hair, yes.”
“But they can’t be brother and sister!” Brock cried. He’d come to stand next to his grandmother.
She looked startled. “Why not, darling?”
In a lightning move, Cord grabbed Brock and gave him a bear hug. “Because Brock can’t believe anyone as beautiful as Kit could have a brother who looks like me. Isn’t that right, sport?”
“Put me down, Uncle Cord! I can’t breathe.”
“You have to breathe to live. Come on. I’ll race you to the pool. The first one to take the plunge has to buy the loser ice cream.”
“I want to come, too,” Katy cried.
“All right. Let’s go, you guys.”
Julie grabbed her daughter’s hand and they ran after Cord.
Relieved that he’d stopped Brock before it was too late, Kit exchanged an anxious glance with Maggie, who said, “Why don’t we all sit down again. There’s a lot we have to talk about.”
Ben pulled up a chair next to his parents. “Let me get this straight. If it turns out Kit’s father isn’t her blood relation, then—”
“Then we’ll see if her DNA matches Mom’s and Dad’s.”
“Of course it will!” Ellen cried excitedly.
Reed squeezed her hand. “Not necessarily, honey.”
“Dad’s right, Mom.”
“But Kit’s mother knew about the kidnapping, so—”
“So it still doesn’t mean Kit is Kathryn,” Maggie exclaimed.
Ben nodded. “What you’re saying is Kit could be someone else’s daughter.”
“Yes,” Kit concurred. “We’ve talked over every possible scenario. Maybe I was the baby of an old girlfriend. We just don’t know yet.”
Maggie reached out and put a comforting hand on her mother’s arm. “What we have learned is that Kit’s mother had knowledge of the kidnapping, and that she had a relationship with this man Frankie Burke. If no one’s DNA matches, we still know he has information about the abduction, otherwise Rena Harris wouldn’t have said anything to Kit before she died. The FBI won’t stop until they get answers. As a precaution, Frankie Burke has been put on a suicide watch.”
“What do you mean? Where is he?”
“He’s in Lompoc Penitentiary in California, serving a twenty-year sentence for armed robbery. I flew Kit, Cord and the FBI agent down in the plane yesterday.”
“He’s a convict?”
“Hard-core, Mom.”
Mrs. McFarland got up from the couch and walked around the table to give Kit a loving embrace. “You poor darling. No one should have to go through what you have.”
Her kindness reduced Kit to tears. “It’s nothing compared to what happened to you twenty-six years ago. I don’t know how you survived.”
“I had a loving husband and my other wonderful children. You have no one.” She sat down on the couch next to Kit. “Tell us about yourself. I want to know everything.”
Mrs. McFarland was wonderful herself. She would have to be to have raised such outstanding, loving, caring children.
For the next little while Kit found herself relating her life’s story. She ended by telling them all the steps she’d taken to remain anonymous once she’d learned she might be a McFarland.
“I hope you can forgive me for not coming to the foundation first. I could have asked a volunteer to put me in contact with you. It would have saved Cord and Maggie a lot of grief.”
Reed smiled at her. “The longer I live, the more I’m convinced everything happens for a reason. Ellen and I have never given up believing our daughter is alive and that one day she’ll come back to us.” His eyes became glazed with tears. “Whether you’re our Kathryn or not, this is a blessed night.”
“Thank you. I feel the same way.”
Maggie jumped up from the loveseat. “It’s getting late and we’ve had a long day. Come on, Kit. Let’s go home.”
“Don’t leave!” her mother cried. “Stay with us tonight.”
“She can’t, Mom. Her stuff’s at the penthouse.”
“Then come for breakfast in the morning. We’ll wait to hear the news together. Will you do that?”
Kit couldn’t turn Cord’s mother down. “I’ll look forward to it.”
“Good.”
“Ben?” Maggie nudged her brother. “How about a lift? We came in Cord’s car. When he gets through swimming, he’ll be going back to the cottage.”
“I’ll run you over right now.”
Everyone walked Kit and Maggie outside to the Blazer. Kit could hear shrieks of laughter and splashing coming from the pool. Before she got in the back, Mr. McFarland gave her a hug.
“There’s nothing I’d like more than to claim you for my daughter.”
“I feel the same way about you. Good night.”
All the way home, Kit cried so hard everything was a big blur. “Thanks for the ride, Ben,” she said in a croaky voice. He let them out in front of the elevator of the underground garage.
“It was my pleasure. In case you didn’t know, Brock thinks the world of you. Besides the campout and the ant farm, he’ll never forget how you supported him at his Little League game. I won’t forget it, either. See you in the morning.” He gave her a warm hug before letting her go.
On the way up to the penthouse, Kit stared at Maggie through drenched eyes. “If it weren’t for Cord, I’d give anything on earth to belong to your family.”
Maggie put her arms around Kit. “For yours and Cord’s sake, I hope to heaven you do belong to that miserable creature in Lompoc.”
CORD LEFT JULIE to take care of the kids while he dashed back to the study. He found Ben and his parents in conference.
“Where did everyone go?”
His brother peered over his shoulder at him. “I ran Maggie and Kit home. They both looked exhausted.”
“I’ve got to leave.”
“Cord—don’t leave yet, darling.”
“I have to, Mom. There’s shelter business I need to see about before I
go to bed.”
“Surely not tonight.”
“I was in California all day yesterday.”
“Let him go, honey,” his dad urged in his usual diplomatic fashion. “We’re having Kit over for breakfast in the morning. You’ll be here, won’t you, Son?”
“Of course. Good night.”
He took off on a run. Ben followed close behind. To Cord’s surprise his brother climbed in the passenger seat and shut the door.
“What’s going on, Ben?”
“For starters, Brock told me all about your new girlfriend. In his words she’s this foxy woman he found in your cottage last week. When you brought her to his baseball game, the two of you stared gooey-eyed at each other the whole time. And the day you took her to Brighton, you two got into one long, serious clinch at Lake Catherine. He said it was better than a movie.”
“Good grief.”
“Tonight you managed to put a headlock on him before I could. Let’s go for a ride. You’ve always been there for me. It’s time I was there for you. I’d like to help if I can.”
Cord rubbed his eyes. “There is no help if she’s our sister.”
“For what it’s worth, bro, I don’t think she is.”
“Thank God you said that.”
Once Cord had driven the car down to the street, they took off through Fort Douglas and headed up Emigration Canyon.
“What about Julie?”
“I’ll call her in a little while. She knows exactly what’s going on and will understand. A lot transpired while I was in Switzerland.”
“You can say that again. Between us, I’m happy about your decision, Ben.”
“Me, too. I’ve been the world’s worst excuse for a husband and father.”
“That’s not true.”
“Hey—it’s me you’re talking to. But all that’s changed. Julie’s my life.”
“I’m afraid Kit’s mine.”
“You’re that crazy about her, knowing her for a week?”
“I fell so hard, I knew by the end of the first day I wanted her forever.”
“You’re kidding!”
“No. I’ve never felt this way about a woman before. It’s so different from my feelings for Lisa, I can’t begin to tell you. I want it all now! Marriage, children, the works!”
“She feels the same?”
“Yes. What am I going to do?”
“Have you slept with her yet?”
“Maggie asked me the same question. The answer is no.”
“Cord—you’re an honorable man. You don’t need me to tell you how to handle this.”
“I was afraid you were going to say that.” He slowed down to make a U-turn. “I’ll take you back to the folks, then I’ll call Kit and tell her that I won’t be at Mom and Dad’s in the morning. If she phones to tell me she’s not Frankie Burke’s daughter, then I’ll tell her I’ll be out of town until we find out whether our parents’ DNA matches hers or not.”
“Where will you go?”
“I’ll stay up in Alta, do some hiking and fishing.”
“It’s a good plan. If I hadn’t just had an epiphany about my own life, I’d join you.”
“I know you would, but to be honest, I’d be rotten company.”
Ben nodded. “Tell you what. I’ll call you the second we know the DNA results on the folks and Kit. But it’s my unprofessional opinion she’s not our sister. I just don’t see it.”
“So help me, neither do I.”
“All right then. Hold that thought.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
AFTER TALKING TO JANENE, Kit hung up her cell phone and walked through the penthouse to the study, where she found Maggie. The two of them had changed into their pajamas and robes.
“Did you have a good talk with your friend?”
“Yes. She agrees with me that I should stay away from your family until I know whether we’re related. The thing is, I hate to disappoint your parents, but I think it’s for the best.”
“Don’t worry about it,” said Maggie. “I’ll go over to the house in the morning and wait with them until Pat phones with the news.”
“Do you think I’m horrible?”
“Of course not. You’re doing what you have to in order to survive.”
“I can’t face Cord.”
“You shouldn’t have to. It isn’t fair what’s happened to the two of you.”
Kit folded her arms tightly against her waist. “If I’m not Frankie’s daughter, I’m leaving for California.”
“I’ll fly you down.”
“I couldn’t take advantage of you like that.”
“You’ll be helping me. I do my best thinking when I’m in the cockpit at cruising altitude. What will you do when you get there? You’re still on vacation.”
“Janene said she’d take a few days off of work. We’ll drive up the coast—” She broke off talking when her cell phone rang. It might be Janene calling her back. Then again…
Reaching in her pocket, she clicked it on and said hello.
“Hi.”
Her heart picked up speed. “Cord…”
Maggie walked out of study to give her privacy.
“I’ve had some time to think, Kit.”
“So have I,” she said with a tremor in her voice. “I’m not going to your parents’ in the morning. Depending on what Pat has to tell us, I’m flying back to California.”
“I’ll be leaving town for a few days, too.”
Separation was the only answer for them right now, but knowing he was going away hurt so badly, she was desolate.
“Kit?”
“Yes?” she whispered.
“Call me as soon as you hear from Pat in the morning.”
She clutched the phone tighter. “I promise.”
“I’m in love with you. I have to say it.”
Hot tears trickled out of the corners of her eyes. “I’m in love with you, too. If one week is all we’ll ever have, I want you to know it’s been the most glorious time of my life. I know for a fact I’ll never feel this way about anyone else. There couldn’t be another you anywhere on this earth.”
“I still don’t believe you and I are related. Something tells me we’re going to be together. I won’t allow myself to think anything else.”
“I don’t want to think anything else,” she cried. “I’ll call you the second I have word.”
She clicked Off, afraid to talk to him any longer. “Maggie?”
“I’m in the kitchen.”
Kit found her fixing coffee. “Cord’s leaving town, too.”
“I’m not surprised.” She handed her a mug.
They stood against the counter while they drank the steaming liquid. Already Kit felt a camaraderie with Maggie she couldn’t explain.
“I used to have a good friend named Jenny,” Kit began. “She and her family moved from Venice Beach after we graduated from high school. One of the things I remember was how close she was to her brother, Kyle. They liked being together. They liked the same things, laughed at the same things. They preferred each other’s company to almost anyone else’s. If I’m related to your family, maybe it would explain why Cord and I felt such a bond from the very beginning. That’s what’s frightening me now.” She paused to take a sip of coffee.
“The thing is, our feelings were so intense. I’m not talking just about sensual, romantic feelings. It was like there was this magic glow that enveloped us. Did I tell you I was out in the garden behind the mansion looking at the flowers? Suddenly Cord appeared. This is going to sound crazy to you, Maggie, but I remember thinking it was like I was Alice who’d landed in Wonderland. But instead of meeting the Queen of Hearts, I met up with the prince.”
Maggie’s eyes were suspiciously bright. She put down her empty mug. “It’s not crazy at all. Even before Cord told me of your existence, I had a feeling he’d met a special woman. There was this light in his eyes. I sensed something profound had happened to him. When we walked into my conference room and
he saw you, his reaction verified all my suspicions. At that point my heart ached for both of you.”
Kit eyed her for a moment. “Have you ever been in love, Maggie?”
“Not like you and Cord.”
“Why is that?”
“I don’t like to get too close to any man.”
“That was my problem until I met your brother. Every guy with potential I pushed away because I was afraid they wouldn’t be able to accept my mom and her alcoholism. What’s your reason?”
Maggie gave her a rueful smile. “I could say I was afraid men wanted me because I’m a McFarland, but that’s not it. I guess I’m a coward at heart. I don’t want to lay myself open to pain in case a man decides his work is more important than I am.”
“You want a nine-to-five guy?”
“Yes.”
“Someone who can’t wait to come home to you at the end of the day?”
“Yes.”
“I want that, too.”
“Knowing my brother, I’d say if he were married to you, he’d drop in for a long lunch, as well. I know Cord. Once he’s committed, he’s the steady, constant kind any woman would kill for.”
“Oh, Maggie…”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s time for bed. There’s a radio on your nightstand. You’re probably going to have trouble getting to sleep, so turn it on to 570 AM. They run one of those all-night radio programs about UFOs and Bigfoot. That sort of thing.”
“I’ll probably end up listening to it all night.”
“Sometimes it helps. If you’re asleep in the morning, I won’t wake you. Be expecting a call around ten. Make yourself at home. Mi casa es su casa.”
Kit hugged her hard. “Thanks for everything.”
A few minutes later she got into bed, knowing she wouldn’t be able to sleep. Taking Maggie’s advice, she turned on the UFO program. Sure enough, the host was talking to someone who claimed to have been abducted by aliens. Any other time in her life she would have found it entertaining. Right now it simply provided noise.
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