Somebody's Daughter

by Rebecca Winters

  “Did you climb Mount Baldy?”

  Cord was irritated by his questions, but nodded. “Now I’m headed for the city.”

  “Oh, heck. We were hoping we could camp out with you for a couple of days.”

  “I’m afraid not this time, Brock.”

  “How come?”

  Why didn’t Ben intervene? He knew the hell Cord was going through.

  “You guys are welcome to use any of my gear.”

  Ben smiled. “Thanks. Don’t mind if we do.”

  “I’ll just get a few things out of the tent.”

  Since his brother had come home from Switzerland, he was so laid-back the change in him astounded Cord.

  He backed away from them and parted the tent flaps. But when he stepped inside and saw who was standing there, his stomach did a flip.

  “Kit.”

  “Hi.”

  When she answered in that small, vulnerable voice, it meant strong feelings had overwhelmed her. He recognized the symptoms because his own emotions were on the verge of exploding.

  His hands formed fists at his sides. “Obviously your reason for being here is important or you wouldn’t have enlisted Ben’s help to track me down.”

  She nodded.

  “I didn’t think we could have the results of the tests this soon.”

  “This doesn’t have to do with any tests.”

  He gritted his teeth. “Then I don’t understand why you’re here.”

  “Ask me where I was last night.”

  “I don’t think I want to know. I’m not up to this right now.”

  “I promise you’ll like the answer,” she insisted.

  He had no defense against those imploring blue eyes.

  “Kit…”

  “I met a couple from Claremont, California. They asked me to dinner at their house. Dr. Lawrence Talbot is a fifty-four-year-old biologist on the faculty at Pomona College. His wife, Annette, says he’s an expert in plant physiology. He studies the function of photosynthetic membranes and plant responses to environmental stresses.

  “She’s a fifty-three-year-old musician. Besides being director of the junior and senior chorale groups, she teaches jazz band at the local high school.

  “They met when they both happened to sit by each other at a performance of the Los Angeles Philharmonic featuring Vladimir Ashkenazy. Four months later they married. They have two sons.

  “David’s twenty-three. He’s married to Chris. Both of them are attending Scripps to become marine biologists. Steve’s twenty-five. He graduated from Pomona in philosophy, and will be starting his last year of law school this fall.”

  Cord folded his arms. Kit would never put him through this without a reason, but he wished she would end the torture and tell him what she was doing here in his tent!

  “They had another child. A little girl, seven pounds, one ounce, with a dusting of brown hair. She was their first baby, born on March fourth twenty-six years ago. Talk about being doted on! I saw the photo albums of before and after. She was the joy of their life.”

  Kit kept on talking, but she’d started to speak in the past tense about a baby girl. One who’d been born twenty-six years ago. The pulse at his temples began throbbing.

  His body charged with electricity. “Before and after what? How did you meet these people?” he blurted.

  “Agent Kelly introduced us at the L.A. police station yesterday. He gave me this.”

  She handed him a photocopy of a news clipping.

  Halfway through he lifted his head. “What does this mean, Kit?”

  She moved toward him. “Frankie went for the plea bargain. But it turns out I’m not your sister Kathryn. I’m Melissa Aldrich Talbot.”

  His body quickened. “Say that again?” he whispered in a ragged voice.

  “It’s true. You and I are not related.”

  The paper fell from his hand. “The Talbots are your birth parents? There’s no mistake?”

  “Not possibly.”

  He ran a trembling hand through his hair. “But your mother said you were—”

  “I know. That part is a huge mystery. Whatever Frankie knows about your sister’s kidnapping, he’s still not talking.”

  “My sister’s kidnapping…” He mouthed the words. “But you’re not that sister….”

  “No.”

  By the time it all sank in, she’d closed the distance between them. He felt her hands cup his face. “I know this will come as a great blow to your parents. After being with mine, I understand a lot more about their pain. But I love you so much, there’s no room in my heart right now to feel anything but happiness.”

  Cord took her hands and kissed the palms, still trying to comprehend the wonder of it all.

  “Yesterday morning it wasn’t possible to stand here like this with you, let alone touch you.” Her voice trembled. “I should have been overjoyed that your parents were my parents. But so help me, all I could think was I had to get away from you. Far away. Never come back.”

  He slid his arms to her shoulders. This was no dream. Soft, warm flesh pulsed beneath his fingers. “I was planning to leave for South America in the morning.”

  She flashed him her captivating smile. “That’s the difference between us. You have the resources to get a lot farther away. I was thinking Carmel or Monterey.”

  “Is that where you want to live?” he whispered, burying his face in her hair. Their bodies had found their way to each other. Nothing was going to separate them now.

  “My fantasy is to live with you in the cottage and tend my own garden. It’s a place of enchantment. You made me feel like a princess the first moment we met on the grounds. It’s my turn to make you feel like a prince. I want to love you in all the ways there are to love a man.”

  “Show me,” he begged. “Help me believe I’m not dreaming I have you in my arms at last.”

  “I want to, but…what about Ben and Brock?”

  “By now they’re identifying more trees on their way back to my house,” he murmured against her sweet neck.

  “They’re wonderful….” Her voice trailed away. Suddenly he felt her lips rove over his jaw and chin. She nestled against him, all warmth and curves. He’d never known a woman so feminine.

  Needing her lips like he needed air to breathe, he closed his mouth over hers, igniting their passion. He crushed her against his body, wanting, needing to absorb her very essence.

  The thrill of being together like this would consume them both if they didn’t go more slowly. But when it came to Kit, slow wasn’t a word in his vocabulary. Their instant attraction had erased all the normal rules.

  “Sweetheart?” He pulled her down on top of the sleeping bag with him. “I want to make love with you.”

  “I want that, too,” she whispered against his lips. “You’ll have to show me how. I mean, I know the mechanics. But I always planned to be married when it happened for the first time, so you’ll have to help.”

  “You’ve never made love?”

  “No. Does that disappoint you very much?” she asked in a troubled voice.

  “Oh, Kit…” He looked down at her. With his index finger he traced the curve of one eyebrow, loving every appealing feature of her face. “Don’t you know what a gift that is? How could you ask me such a question?”

  “Probably because I know so little about men. I was raised in a women’s household of two. Mom always sent me to church. When she was sober, she went with me. If there was one lesson she drove home, it was to hold out for marriage before I got pregnant. I’m sure she sensed that if she kept drinking, she would die early. It always worried her what would happen to me when she was gone.

  “It had been difficult enough to raise me on her salary. She didn’t want me to undergo the same experience without a husband. Frankie’s desertion did a lot of damage.”

  Cord stared down at her. “He did one thing right. He ended the agony for your birth parents and brought us together sooner. As for Rena, I wish I could ha
ve met her.”

  “She would have loved you.”

  “For someone who was an orphan, who had no help, no advantages, she did a miraculous job of raising you. That’s why we’re going to get married before I take you to bed.”

  Kit lifted her hand to his cheek. A haunting smile curved her lips. “Is that a proposal?”

  He pressed his forehead to hers. “You know it is. Do you accept?”

  “Oh, yes, darling,” she cried.

  “That’s all I needed to hear.” He found her mouth. They gave and took one sensuous kiss after another. There was no hurry. They had all the time in the world now.

  “Do you know the night I brought you back from the film, I wanted you for my wife? It killed me that I couldn’t go in the cottage with you and stay there for good.”

  She chuckled softly. “If I’d thought I could get away with it, I would have locked you in. I kept waiting for you to put your arm around me during the movie. You never did.”

  “Now you know why. I didn’t dare touch you, or we’d have both gone up in flames.”

  She hugged him tighter. “I’m so happy, I’m in pain. But it’s a different kind than anything I’ve felt before.”

  “I know. It’s called euphoria.” Feverish with longing, he kissed her hot cheek. “I have a confession to make.”

  “What is it?” she asked breathlessly.

  “I saw you get on the bus with Arza, so I followed you downtown. When you came out of the depot, I wanted to help you with your suitcase, but I didn’t dare offer for fear you’d think I was stalking you.”

  She sat up. It was her turn to look down at him. “I thought it was amazing how you suddenly showed up at the corner like that. In fact, you did so many surprising things, I should have caught on you were a lot more than a security guard.”

  “I couldn’t stay away from you.”

  “I didn’t want you to,” she admitted. “Brock’s unexpected visit should have been the giveaway. He made himself comfortable while he waited for you, like he had the run of the place. All I could think was that Richard McFarland must be a terrific boss to work for.”

  Now that he held the love of his life in his arms, he could laugh about his sin of omission.

  “I must admit I prefer Cord to Richard, but I’ll be thrilled to answer to Mrs. Richard McFarland anytime.”

  “Mrs. Richard Cordell McFarland,” he amended playfully.

  “Ah—so that’s where you got your name.”

  “Yes. Grandma Cordell. The one Maggie and I thought you bore a faint resemblance to.”

  Kit sobered. “There’s all the difference in the world between ‘faint’ and ‘identical.’ I found that out when my parents walked in the room at the police station. When you meet my mother, you’ll know what I’m going to look like in middle age. My brother, Steve, could be my identical twin.”

  Cord clasped her to him. “I want to meet them.”

  “I’ve told them all about you. I promised I’d bring you back to California right away.”

  “We’ll get Maggie to fly us down tomorrow so I can get acquainted with them. Then we’ll fly back to be here for Mom and Dad.”

  “The poor darlings. I can’t bear for them to be disappointed because I’m not their precious Kathryn, after all.” She broke down weeping.

  Cord loved Kit for her many outstanding qualities, especially her sensitivity. But he prized her compassionate, empathetic heart most of all.

  She was right. It was going to be a blow to his parents.

  He covered her wet face with kisses. “They’ll be gaining a beautiful daughter-in-law instead. To see me married to the right woman is something they’ve wanted for a very long time. It will help ease the pain, I promise you.”

  She locked her arms around his neck. “I love you, Cord. You’re my life! I swear I’m going to do everything in my power to make you happy.”

  He took a deep breath. “You did that the day you crashed my shelter.”

  “I did, didn’t I.”

  “Yes, and I’ll have you know I’ve never been the same since. It will require years and years for you to make it up to me. You can start right now by letting me hold you all night like this.”

  “I kind of figured that was a given.”

  He kissed her once more. “Tomorrow morning we’ll hike down to the house and eat breakfast before we leave for the city.”

  “Your house—oh, Cord. Ben and Brock gave me a tour. It’s fabulous. I can see why you built it here. The Albion Basin is so spectacular. The wildflowers…” Her voice caught. “It’s sheer heaven.”

  “It is now that I finally have someone to share it with me.”

  She sat up again. “I want to share everything with you. If I did my student teaching through the University of Utah, I’d be certified to teach in the state. What would you think if I helped homeschool the children at the shelter? It’s just an idea.”

  “It’s inspirational.” He pulled her back down, needing to feel her heart pounding against his.

  “After we’re married, do you think my family could come up and stay with us sometimes?”

  “What a question, Kit. Our house will always be open to them. I expect we’ll all travel back and forth on a regular basis. That’s what families do.”

  “They’ll love it up here!”

  “I want to marry you soon, sweetheart.”

  “My parents hinted like mad that if a wedding was in the future, they wanted to see me married in their church, and give me a big reception. What do you think?”

  “I think it all sounds perfect. Afterward, we’ll come back here for a big reception Mom and Dad will insist on giving. What I want to know is, where would you like to go for a honeymoon? Name any place in the world.”

  Joyful laughter escaped her lips. “You’re the one person I know who can say that and mean it.”

  He kissed her neck. “You’re the only person I know who appreciates every little thing anyone does for you. After the hardships in your life, I would give you the world if I could.”

  “All I want is you, and maybe a trip to New York, London and Paris?” His face must have reflected surprise because she rushed to say, “I know what that must sound like. But you have to understand that for quite a while I’ve been living with the idea that I could be a McFarland.

  “Ever since I read about the Copper King John McFarland on the Internet, and believed he might be my great-great-great-grandfather, I’ve wanted to see all those other mansions he had built for his wife.”

  Cord burst into laughter. There was no one in the world like Kit. He had to be the luckiest man alive.

  He ran his hand up her back into her curls. “I’ve got an idea. Ben already knows the truth of everything. I’m sure he’s called Julie and Maggie by now. Under the circumstances, let’s go to my folks’ in the morning. We’ll tell them everything. Then it won’t matter when they hear the results. If we get them thinking about a reception for us, it’ll help mitigate their pain.”

  “I’m glad you said that. To be honest, I didn’t want them to have to wait any longer than necessary. But it’s going to raise a whole new set of questions. I’ve still got so many where Mother and Frankie are concerned.”

  “Put it away for now, sweetheart. I don’t want anything to mar the beauty of this night.”

  “Do you know you’re a beautiful man?”

  “Is that so.”

  “Yes. I can hardly breathe when I see you coming.” She smiled. “I know. I have to breathe to live.”

  Chuckling, Cord rolled her over so he was half lying on her. “If I get started telling you about how gorgeous you are, I’ll never stop.”

  “I don’t want you to stop. I’m ready to hear anything and everything you have to say. Forever.”

  CORD’S MOTHER CRIED Kit’s name in surprise when she saw her at the front door. “How wonderful you’re here! Ben and Julie just came over with the children. I didn’t think we’d see you until tomorrow.”

&
nbsp; She gave Kit a loving hug. “Maggie? Your father’s out in the back yard, weeding. Tell him to come in the study quick!”

  Kit flashed Cord a signal of distress. His mom was too happy over their impromptu visit. He squeezed her waist in response.

  While they’d been eating breakfast at the house in Alta, Cord had made a conference call to his brother and sister. Everyone agreed to meet at their parents’ house at noon. Kit and Cord had picked up Maggie on the way.

  “Kit!” Mr. McFarland beamed when he saw her. “You’re back!” He crossed the room to give her a loving hug. “This is what life’s all about. The whole family together.”

  The excitement in his voice caused Kit to avert her eyes.

  Cord kneaded her shoulder for a minute before he said, “Mom and Dad? I asked everyone to meet here because I have something of vital importance to tell you. Why don’t you all sit down.”

  In the periphery Kit saw the look of concern his parents exchanged.

  “Day before yesterday, the FBI contacted Kit. She’ll tell you all the details in a minute. What you need to know is that Frankie Burke cooperated with the authorities and gave them information about Kit’s kidnapping.

  “Yesterday she was united with her biological parents, Dr. and Mrs. Talbot, who live in Claremont, California.”

  “You’re not Kathryn?” his mother cried.

  Cord’s father grabbed his wife’s hand. His eyes looked so sad, Kit wanted to sob her heart out.

  “I know this comes as a shock, but the FBI won’t let Frankie off the hook. He has knowledge of Kathryn’s abduction, otherwise Kit’s mother wouldn’t have begged her to come to Salt Lake to find you. I spoke with Pat Simpson this morning. She has assured me the authorities are making Kathryn’s case their top priority. Like you, the Talbots have prayed for a miracle. Yesterday it happened.

  “Their daughter who was taken from them twenty-six years ago was restored to them, alive and well. I have to believe the same thing will happen to our family one day soon.”

  Kit’s heart ached for the two dazed people so full of pain they could only hold on to each other.

  “I know it hurts, but I have other news that I’m positive is going to make you happy.”

  To their credit, his parents had the strength to give him their attention in spite of their pain.