by Rita Herron
“I was divorced,” she said. “I...lost my son.”
He muttered a low curse. “How?”
“A car accident.” In spite of her resolve to control her emotions, tears choked her voice.
His posture stiffened, anger and frustration twisting his expression, and he lifted his body from hers.
She reached for him again. “Cash, please.”
He cleared his throat. “I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of in my day, BJ.” He lowered his mouth and dropped a tender kiss on her forehead. “But I don’t want making love to you to be one of them.”
Without another word, he walked toward the door. When it closed behind him, the tears she’d been fighting spilled over.
Chapter Nineteen
BJ wanted to run after Cash.
But his words echoed in her head. He didn’t want to regret making love to her. Which meant he would regret it.
So would she.
At least he’d had the good sense to put a stop to their frenzied behavior.
She picked up her son’s photo, stared at his sweet little face and then hugged it to her chest.
Making love with Cash might have temporarily assuaged the anguish, but it would always be there.
She couldn’t allow herself to feel anything for Cash. Loving someone meant agony when they were gone. Cash wasn’t even a free man. He was a cowboy struggling to find his place and clear his name.
Worse, he was her client.
She swiped at her tears, walked to the bathroom and washed her face, then slipped into pajamas. Exhausted, she crawled into bed and tried to banish the memory of Cash’s hands touching her.
But when she closed her eyes, she felt his arms wrap around her. She savored that comforting feeling.
For one moment in time, she’d felt wanted. Almost loved, as if she deserved it, when for the last two years she’d known she didn’t. That she was broken after her son died, and she’d never be whole again.
But the sound of the wind beating a tree branch against the windowpane made her jerk her eyes open and face reality.
She glanced at the window to make sure the shooter hadn’t found her.
Then she reminded herself that Cash was next door, plus Maddox had security on the ranch. Sondra’s murderer and Tyler’s kidnapper would have to be pretty ballsy to come after her or Cash on the sheriff’s property.
She was safe here tonight. But she was alone.
And she worried she always would be.
* * *
PERSPIRATION BEADED CASH’S neck as he climbed the steps to the porch of his cabin. Before he entered, he stared at the sprawling ranch land. Horseshoe Creek.
He’d never imagined staying here, much less being a part of it and the family it belonged to.
The light in BJ’s cabin went out, and he realized she was probably going to bed.
Dammit, it had taken every ounce of his strength to walk away from her. He wanted her more than he’d ever wanted any woman in his life.
The anguish in her eyes tore him up inside. She’d had a child.
A little boy. But she’d lost him.
He wanted to know the story, yet he’d left before she could explain because...because why?
He didn’t want to know. Didn’t want to hear the despair in her voice or her sad story. Didn’t want to get close to her or care.
You already do, fool.
All the more reason to keep his distance—at least emotionally. Which meant he wouldn’t touch her again.
Hopefully, they’d find Tyler and end this case soon. Then she’d go back to her life. Her father was a well-known attorney, prestigious.
She was completely out of Cash’s league.
He didn’t fit here on Horseshoe Creek, and he sure as hell didn’t fit with BJ Alexander.
The wind rustled the trees, the dark clouds hovering. Exhausted, but too antsy to sleep, he stepped inside the cabin and turned on the television. A news segment was airing.
Tyler’s picture appeared on the screen, with a plea for anyone who had information regarding his disappearance to call the tip line at the sheriff’s department. NCMEC, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, had been looped in and a nationwide Amber Alert issued.
Elmore had agreed to pay the ransom.
He had made the drop. But it had been a setup. The kidnapper had never intended to return Tyler.
It made sense that Diane might want the little boy, but whoever had him now might hurt him or get rid of him.
Cash studied the photograph of Tyler with a pang in his chest. That afternoon, he’d taught Tyler how to play T-ball in the yard, while Sondra went riding with a friend. Tyler’s laugh still echoed in his ears, then his shout of joy when he’d hit the ball.
The picture of BJ’s son flashed in his mind’s eye. He didn’t know how old he would have been if he’d lived, but in the picture she kept on the end table, he looked to be about three. Tyler’s age.
No wonder it had hit her so hard when she’d seen that car fly into the river.
Cash flipped off the television, found a beer in the fridge and popped the top. One sip and he stretched out on the sofa with his phone in his hand. He needed sleep, but he needed answers worse.
And he needed to know BJ was safe.
With one ear cocked for sounds of trouble, he closed his eyes. “I’m going to bring you home, Tyler,” he promised.
BJ’s sweet scent lingered on his skin, tormenting him.
But he would keep his hands off BJ.
* * *
THE SOUND OF her phone buzzing with a text woke BJ. She’d tossed and turned and dreamed about her son most of the night.
Her heart ached this morning.
She had had the same dream over and over. She and Aaron were playing or singing or hiking, then she tucked him in bed, only to wake up the next morning and find he was gone. That his little bed would never hold him again, and she would never see his little smile again or hear his precious voice.
She brushed at more tears, then her phone buzzed with a text.
DNA tests on the toothbrush found at Diane’s matches Cash’s. We need to talk.
BJ bolted out of bed. Cash had said he’d met Diane, but he hadn’t mentioned they were involved.
Had he lied about their relationship?
He’d seemed shocked to find out she was driving that car and that she was involved in the kidnapping.
Because he’d slept with her?
* * *
A SECOND TEXT came in seconds later. Also from Maddox.
Get Cash and meet me at the house for breakfast. Will drive to the lab from there. The analyst has more information on DNA and Tyler’s father. She wants to deliver the news face-to-face.
BJ texted Okay, then texted Cash to be ready in half an hour to meet Maddox. Then she jumped in the shower. She needed to be fresh and alert when she saw Cash. Needed to wipe the scent of his kisses off her.
And forget that she’d almost made love with him.
Had he played her for a fool so she wouldn’t see his playboy side?
Irritated that she’d lost her objectivity, she rinsed and dried off, then pulled her hair back into a low bun at the nape of her neck.
A minute later, a knock sounded. She hurried to answer and found Cash standing on the porch. In spite of her resolve to remain detached, her breath caught as his big masculine body filled the doorway.
His gaze raked over her, then he set his jaw with a scowl. He must regret the night before as much as she did. “Maddox has something?” he asked in a deep voice.
“DNA results. We’re having breakfast at the house, then going to the lab. The analyst wants to talk to us.”
Cash climbed in his truck and drove
to the farmhouse. As they entered, the homey scents of maple syrup, pancakes and bacon filled the air, making BJ’s stomach growl.
Mama Mary greeted them with hot coffee and ushered them to the dining room, where she’d set out the food buffet-style.
Cash hung back, obviously still uncomfortable with the McCullens.
“Help yourself,” Maddox said. “Rose is feeding the baby or she’d be down.”
She took a plate and filled it, then Maddox and Cash did the same. An awkward quiet settled over the room.
“What’s the news?” Cash asked.
“The analyst has DNA results that she needs to talk to us about.” Maddox stabbed a piece of bacon and munched on it.
“What’s wrong?” Cash asked. “I saw that look between you two. Do you know something you’re not telling me?”
Maddox worked his mouth from side to side. “DNA on the toothbrush we found at Diane’s belongs to you, Cash.”
Cash dropped his fork with a clatter. “What?”
“I thought you weren’t involved with Diane,” BJ said.
Cash straightened in the chair. “I wasn’t. I mean, I met her a couple of times when she was with Sondra, but we never spent any time together.”
Maddox pinned him with a questioning stare. “Then how do you explain your DNA on a toothbrush in her bathroom?”
* * *
CASH FORCED HIMSELF not to react, when he wanted to punch a wall.
He had no explanation for the toothbrush. “I have no idea. Someone must have placed it there to frame me.”
“Just like they put you in that motel with Sondra’s body?” Maddox asked.
Cash ground his teeth at the doubt in BJ’s eyes. That hurt the most. He thought he’d finally convinced her of his innocence. “I know it sounds crazy, but until we went there, I’d never been in Diane’s condo, much less her bathroom.”
BJ set her coffee cup on the table. “Setting you up like that took planning.”
Cash scraped a hand through his hair in frustration. “Damn right it did. And I want to know who did it.”
“Let’s find out what Devon has to say. She’s our lead analyst.” Maddox polished off his coffee, then stood.
Cash pushed aside his plate. “Then what are we waiting for?”
Mama Mary popped her head in. “Y’all want seconds?”
“No, thanks, we have to go,” Maddox said.
“Thanks for breakfast,” Cash said with a tentative smile.
BJ wiped her mouth, then placed the gingham napkin on the table. “It was delicious. We appreciate the meal.”
Mama Mary gushed, “Anytime! I love cooking for my boys.”
Cash swallowed hard. She meant Maddox, Brett and Ray. Or was she including him?
Sun slanted through the trees as they veered onto the highway. The memory of the night before tormented Cash.
Whatever trust he’d gained with BJ had evaporated.
“I’m sorry about your son,” he said, remembering the anguish in her eyes when he’d found that photo. “What happened, BJ?”
Her sharp intake of breath vibrated with raw grief. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Cash had a dozen questions about her and the man she’d married and lost, and about her child, but her statement made him clamp his mouth shut. She had her right to privacy. After all, she was his lawyer, not his friend.
Or...lover.
He had to remember it.
Although seeing her in those tight jeans and cowboy boots stirred his hunger for her.
He parked next to Maddox, and the three of them entered the county lab together. Maddox led them down a corridor to a small office with windows that overlooked one of the labs.
An attractive brunette named Devon Squires introduced herself.
“You have news?” Maddox asked, cutting to the chase.
Devon tapped a set of papers on her desk, then nodded. “First of all, I told you the DNA on the toothbrush belongs to Mr. Koker.”
“Yes,” Maddox said.
The need to defend himself hit Cash. He opened his mouth to argue, but Devon held up a warning finger. “Let me finish. There’s more.”
“Were there fingerprints?” Maddox asked.
Devon consulted another file. “Actually, we found Diane’s prints and a partial print but it didn’t belong to Mr. Koker.”
“Whose were they?” Maddox asked.
“I haven’t identified them yet, but if we find a suspect, I can compare.”
Cash knotted his hands in his lap. Not finding his prints was a good sign.
“You sounded excited, as if you had a lead,” Maddox said.
“I do,” Devon said. “After analyzing Mr. Koker’s DNA, I determined he is not Tyler Elmore’s father.”
“I told you I wasn’t,” Cash said.
“There’s something else,” Devon said. “We ran Tyler’s DNA in search of his father, and got a hit.”
Cash’s pulse jumped. “You know who his father is?”
“No, the hit wasn’t for the father.”
“I don’t understand,” Maddox said.
“That’s the kicker,” Devon replied. “Tyler’s DNA was a familial match to another child in the system.”
“That’s impossible,” Cash said. “Sondra only had one child.”
“That’s true. The match didn’t belong to Sondra,” Devon said. “Actually, the common genetic markers point to the fact that both children share the same father. I looked at an electronic version of the child’s birth certificate and, just like Tyler’s, you’re listed as this child’s father.”
“You have a child?” BJ asked, her voice cracking.
Cash shook his head in confusion. “No. That’s a mistake.”
“Yes, it is,” Devon said. “Neither Tyler nor this child shares your DNA, Mr. Koker.”
“Then someone is framing Cash,” Maddox said.
Devon smiled. “It certainly appears that way.”
“Where is this child?” BJ asked. “Why was his or her DNA in the system?”
A frown tugged at Devon’s eyes. “It’s a little boy. He’s five years old,” she said. “His DNA is in the system because he’s on a list for a kidney transplant.”
Cash took a deep breath. “The child’s condition must be serious.”
“It is,” Devon said. “He needs a donor match ASAP. A family member would be best.”
“But Tyler’s too little,” BJ said.
“What about the little boy’s mother?” Maddox asked.
Devon breathed deeply. “His mother was murdered.”
Shock waves rolled through Cash. Tyler and the boy were half brothers. Both boys’ mothers were murdered.
Were the two cases connected?
Chapter Twenty
BJ’s mind spun with questions.
When she’d first heard the boy’s birth certificate listed Cash as his father, doubt had filled her.
But DNA didn’t lie. Cash wasn’t Tyler’s father or this other child’s. But someone had intentionally listed his name on the other child’s birth certificate.
Who? And why lie?
To set up Cash and protect the boy’s real father.
“Who was the little boy’s mother?” Maddox asked.
Devon read from the file. “A woman named Frannie Cooper. She used to live in Cheyenne and worked as a hairstylist. She died when her son, Drew, was two. She had no family, so Drew went into the foster system.”
“God,” Cash said. “Poor kid.”
Just like Cash had. Only he had family—he just hadn’t known it. Tyler didn’t know about Drew, either.
“He was never adopted?” BJ asked.
“No.” D
evon shook her head. “He got sick about a year ago. He needs that kidney transplant.”
“What about his foster family?” Cash asked.
“They turned him back into the system, said they couldn’t take care of an ill child, not with a handful of others in their house. So far they haven’t found a match,” Devon answered.
“Did the police arrest anyone for Frannie’s murder?” Maddox asked.
Devon shook her head. “No.”
“That was three years ago,” BJ said. “Do you think her murder is connected to Sondra’s?”
“It seems coincidental that both boys’ mothers were murdered.” Cash drummed his fingers on his thigh. “Maybe Drew’s father didn’t want his name revealed, just like he didn’t want it disclosed that Tyler was his son.”
“We have to consider the possibility that Drew’s father may not even know about him,” Devon said.
“True,” BJ said. “But I don’t buy it. It makes more sense that he’s the one who put Cash’s name on the birth certificate.”
Maddox snapped his fingers. “Devon, get an official copy of Drew’s birth certificate and analyze it to make sure it wasn’t altered.”
“I’m on it,” Devon agreed. “If the father does know about Drew and he knows Drew is sick, maybe he thought he could use the ransom money to pay for the treatment, maybe even pay to get Drew bumped up on the transplant list.”
“Let’s go to the hospital,” BJ said. “If the father has visited or made inquiries about the transplant, one of the nurses or a staff member might be able to ID him.”
“Why don’t you and Cash pursue that angle,” Maddox suggested. “I’ll consult with the sheriff who investigated Frannie’s death.”
Devon nodded. “Meanwhile I’ll get hold of that birth certificate and tackle Sondra’s computer.”
Maddox stood. “Keep me posted.”
BJ made to follow Cash out to the truck. She was anxious to talk to the nurses at the hospital and meet this little boy, Drew.
The poor little guy was sick and must feel all alone.
* * *
“THERE’S ONE MORE THING,” Devon said before everyone could leave.
Cash frowned, bracing himself for more bad news.
Maddox shifted, his expression solemn. “What?”