It was the right thing to say, and she believed him. The Rylands might not like her, but they were good lawmen and would do their jobs. Still, that didn’t mean the worst couldn’t happen, and besides, the visit could all be for nothing. Caitlyn was past the point of having second thoughts about this and had moved on to fourth and fifth thoughts and doubts. That didn’t just apply to Melanie.
But to Jeremy.
She listened as Drury got a phone update on the man, and apparently Jeremy had wandered into San Antonio PD with a story about escaping from his kidnappers. Whether that was true or not remained to be seen, but at least now that the cops knew where he was, maybe they could keep an eye on him to make sure he wasn’t planning another attack.
“Was Jeremy hurt?” she asked when Drury finished his call.
“Not a scratch on him, but his clothes were disheveled.”
Which he could have easily done himself. “How did he escape?”
Drury shook his head. “SAPD’s questioning him now, and after they’re done, they’ll send us a copy of the report. In the meantime, we’ll deal with Melanie and then head back to the ranch.”
That couldn’t come soon enough for her. “I’m not even sure why Melanie wants to see me,” she said. “If she’s really got something dirty on Helen, why wouldn’t she just give it to Grayson?”
It was a question she’d already asked herself a dozen times, and she still didn’t have an answer.
“Maybe Melanie wants to bargain with you about something,” Drury suggested.
She shook her head, not able to imagine what that would be.
“If the baby is Grant’s,” Drury continued, “maybe she thinks she can convince you to turn the child over to her.”
Caitlyn hadn’t intended to curse, but the profanity just came out. “No way would I give that woman a baby, any baby.”
He lifted his shoulder, continued to glance around as they approached the front of the sheriff’s office. “Melanie probably doesn’t think too highly of you so she might think she can buy the baby from you.”
“She doesn’t think much of me, and the feeling’s mutual.” Caitlyn huffed. “But it does sound like Melanie believes I’d do something that despicable.”
The deputy pulled to a stop directly in front of the door to the sheriff’s office, and Drury quickly got her inside. He didn’t stay at the front with her but rather headed past reception and straight to Grayson’s office. Grayson was there, seated at his desk, and he tipped his head to the room across the hall.
“Melanie’s in there. Brace yourself,” Grayson warned them. “She’s a piece of work.”
Caitlyn had firsthand knowledge of that, and she tried to look a lot more confident about this meeting than she felt. She wanted only to finish it so she could get back to the baby and complete the plans for a safe house and bodyguards.
When Drury and she walked in, Melanie was seated, her attention on her phone screen, and she barely spared them a glance before continuing to read a text.
“You took your time,” Melanie grumbled.
The other times she’d crossed paths with Melanie, the woman had been wearing some high-end outfit suitable for the runway, but today she was wearing skintight jeans and a red top. The heels of her stilettos were no thicker than pencils.
“What did you have to say to me?” Caitlyn asked, and she didn’t bother to sound friendly. “I understand you have something on Helen?”
Melanie glanced at her again. A disapproving glance, and as if she had all the time in the world, she got to her feet. With those heels and her height, she towered over Caitlyn and could practically meet Drury eye to eye.
“This is how this will work,” Melanie said. “I’ll give you some information, and in exchange you’ll give me what I want.”
Drury’s hands went on his hips. “And what exactly is it you want?”
“To do a DNA test on the baby that Caitlyn believes is Grant’s and hers.”
So, this was about the baby. But Caitlyn certainly hadn’t expected Melanie to demand a DNA test.
“What’s this about?” Caitlyn pressed.
“It’s about giving me a DNA test.” She spoke slowly as if Caitlyn were mentally deficient.
Caitlyn had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. “Why don’t you explain what you mean?” she asked at the same moment Drury had his own question.
“How did you know about the baby?”
Judging from Melanie’s hesitation, that wasn’t something she wanted to answer, but she must have felt she couldn’t sidestep it. Not with Drury glaring at her like that.
“Helen,” Melanie finally said. “She told me. But it doesn’t matter how I found out. This is about what went on at Conceptions.” Again, the tone was an attempt to make Caitlyn feel like an idiot. She didn’t feel like one, but she was confused. “Helen went to Conceptions to stop Grant and you from having a baby.”
“Old news.” Caitlyn hoped her own tone made Melanie feel like an idiot. “Helen already admitted that.”
Judging from the brief widening of Melanie’s eyes, she hadn’t expected that. “Did she also tell you that she succeeded, that she did stop it?”
“I stopped it,” Caitlyn clarified. “When I filed for a divorce.”
“But you think someone else started it again.” Melanie wasn’t smiling exactly, but it was close. The expression of a woman who had a secret. “Well, you’re wrong. No one started it the way you think.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Drury snarled.
With that sly half smile on her face, Melanie sank down onto the chair. “I went to Conceptions, too. Not to stop Caitlyn and Grant’s procedure. Grant had already promised me that he would put a stop to that.”
Drury glanced at Caitlyn, no doubt to see if that was true, but she had to shrug. It possibly was. Near the end of their marriage, things hadn’t been exactly rosy between Grant and her. Of course, Grant could have lied to his mistress, too.
“I didn’t go to Conceptions until after Grant died,” Melanie continued. “And I went there to have my eggs harvested. I paid them to use Grant’s semen.”
“That’s illegal,” Caitlyn pointed out, but just as quickly, she waved it off. It wouldn’t have mattered to Melanie if it was illegal or not. Heck, judging from everything that’d happened at Conceptions, it wouldn’t have mattered to them, either.
“I wanted Grant’s baby,” Melanie said as if that justified everything. “Not yours and his baby. Mine and his.”
It took a moment for Caitlyn to find the breath to speak. “Are you saying you think the baby I rescued is yours?”
“Absolutely,” Melanie answered without hesitation. “I paid Conceptions to implant mine and Grant’s embryo into a surrogate. That’s why I’m demanding a DNA test.”
Caitlyn felt Drury slip his arm around her waist, and only then did she realize that she wasn’t too steady on her feet. “Melanie could be lying,” Drury reminded her.
Yes, she could be, but Melanie’s smile made Caitlyn think otherwise.
“Why would you use a surrogate?” Drury asked the woman. “Why not just do artificial insemination and carry the baby yourself?”
“Because I have female problems. Not that it’s any of your business. Besides, I don’t handle pain very well and didn’t want to go through childbirth.”
And she probably didn’t want to risk stretch marks and such on her model-thin figure. In that moment, Caitlyn hated Grant for bringing Melanie into their lives. Hated even more that all of this could be true.
“What’s the name of the surrogate?” Drury snapped.
“I don’t know. I don’t,” Melanie repeated when that intensified Drury’s glare. “The person at Conceptions told me that had to be kept confidential.”
That didn’
t surprise Caitlyn. Some surrogates would have wanted to keep their identities a secret.
“Even if you paid Conceptions to do the procedure,” Drury said, “there are no guarantees that they carried through on it. They were into all sorts of illegal activities and could have just taken your money.”
“But there’s a baby,” Melanie argued.
“A baby that could just as easily be Caitlyn’s. After all, the kidnappers contacted her for a ransom. Why wouldn’t they have gone to you?”
The smile faded, and Melanie glanced away. “Probably because I’m not loaded like Caitlyn. She’s the one who inherited all Grant’s money. I didn’t get a penny of it.”
Yes, and Melanie was just as bitter about that as Helen was. “Did you use your own child to get ransom money from me?” Caitlyn came out and asked.
“No,” Melanie practically shouted. But the volume and emotion did nothing to convince Caitlyn that it was true.
God, it could be true.
The baby might not be hers after all. Her stomach knotted and twisted until she felt as if she might throw up.
Drury stared at Melanie. “Let me guess. You think if you have Grant’s child that Helen will pony up lots of cash to get shared custody. Or maybe you plan to charge her for visitation rights?”
“That’s none of your business. I have my DNA on file at several labs in San Antonio,” Melanie went on. “But I don’t trust you to tell me the truth. That’s why I want you to bring the baby here so I can watch someone do the test.”
“The baby is in protective custody because someone’s trying to take her,” Drury snapped. “A real mother wouldn’t want to put the child in danger by demanding that she be brought here.”
That caused Melanie’s shoulders to snap back, and she opened her mouth, no doubt ready to argue. But she must have realized just how that would make her look—like the cold, calculating person she was. Plus, if Drury was right about Melanie using the baby to get money from Helen, she wouldn’t want to risk her investment being harmed.
“My lawyer will be in touch to schedule that DNA test,” Melanie said. “With witnesses. I don’t want Caitlyn or any of your cowboy cops trying to pull a fast one on me.”
With that accusation, Melanie waltzed out.
Drury kept his arm around her waist, and Caitlyn was thankful for it. Thankful, too, that he’d refused to bring in the baby for testing. Of course, he might not be able to refuse for long. If Melanie had any proof whatsoever that she was the child’s mother, then she might be able to get a court order.
“I’ll give you two a minute,” Grayson said, stepping out and closing the door.
Caitlyn thought she might need more than a minute.
“You okay?” Drury asked her. “Dumb question, I know, but I’m in that gray area where anything I say could make it worse.”
She could only shake her head. “Until the kidnapper called me with a ransom demand, it’d been a long time since I’d thought about having a baby. Now, it crushes me to think that I might lose her.”
“Yeah.” Without taking his arm from her, he stepped in front of her, reached out and touched her cheek. Except he was wiping away a tear. Caitlyn hadn’t even realized she was crying until he’d done that.
“Just know that everything Melanie said could be a lie,” he continued. “Her story doesn’t make sense. She claims she doesn’t have money, but she would have needed plenty of cash to bribe someone at Conceptions, plus pay for a surrogate. It’s more likely that she tried to get Conceptions to go along with her stupid plan but didn’t have the money to put the plan into action.”
Caitlyn latched onto that like a lifeline. “Thanks for that.”
He nodded but didn’t move. Drury stayed put right in front of her. Too close. Well, too close for him anyway, but she wished he would pull her into his arms.
And that’s what he did.
Caitlyn stiffened for just a moment from the surprise, but then she felt herself melting right into him. He seemed to do the same against her, and just like that, the memories returned. Good memories, and she had so few of those in her life that it was almost impossible to push them away.
She certainly didn’t push Drury away.
Nor did he do any pushing.
He lifted his head a little, their gazes connecting. He was so close to her that she could see the swirls of blue and gray in his eyes. Could see the muscles stirring in his jaw. Drury seemed to be having a fierce debate with himself about something, but Caitlyn didn’t know what exactly.
Not until he kissed her, that is.
It barely qualified as a kiss. His mouth just brushed over hers, but his warm breath certainly made her feel as if she’d been kissed.
Now, he stepped back. Cursed. And shook his head. “I just complicated the hell out of this.”
“It was already complicated,” she assured him.
She figured that wouldn’t get any better, either. Drury and she would always have this attraction between them, and because of the past, they would always feel the need to fight it.
“We should get back to the ranch.” He didn’t wait. Drury headed into the hall but then came to a dead stop.
That’s when Caitlyn heard a too-familiar voice.
Jeremy.
He was in the reception area where one of the deputies was frisking him, and the moment she stepped into the squad room, her former brother-in-law spotted her.
“I figured you’d be here,” Jeremy snapped. He pointed his finger at Caitlyn. “You want to explain to me why you had me kidnapped?”
Chapter Eight
Drury did not want to have to deal with this now, and he was pretty sure that Caitlyn felt the same way. However, it was clear they were going to have to at least address the stupid accusation Jeremy had just thrown at her.
First, though, Drury had his own issue to address. “Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be at San Antonio PD?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but I walked out.”
Grayson groaned and took out his phone. No doubt to call his brother Nate, who worked at SAPD, to find out what was going on.
Jeremy flung another pointed finger at Caitlyn. “Now, why did you have me kidnapped?”
“I didn’t,” Caitlyn answered. “And what makes you think I did?”
Jeremy gave her an annoyed look. “Because one of the kidnappers said you’d hired them.”
Caitlyn gave him the look right back. “I didn’t hire them, and why would you believe them? They’re kidnappers.”
“Well, someone kidnapped me, and since whatever’s happening seems to be centered on you, that made it easier to believe. That and you hate my guts.”
Caitlyn certainly didn’t deny the hate part, but she looked at Drury, gave a weary sigh. “Can we leave now?”
Drury nodded and looked at Gage. “Could you bring the car around to the back?” That way, they wouldn’t have to go past Jeremy.
Gage returned the nod and headed out of the building. It wouldn’t be a fast process, though, because Gage would have to check and make sure no one had planted any kind of tracking device on the vehicle.
“You’re not leaving,” Jeremy said to Caitlyn. “Not until you tell me who came after me and why.”
Caitlyn gave another sigh. “I don’t know. The man who tried to kill Drury and me escaped or maybe was taken from the hospital, so I don’t have any more answers than you do.”
Jeremy disputed that with some ripe profanity. “Then why was that idiot Melanie just here?”
“To be interviewed,” Drury stated. He didn’t give Jeremy any more info, something that caused his eyes to narrow.
“Did Melanie have me kidnapped?” Jeremy snarled.
“Maybe. With your personality, I’m surprised half the stat
e doesn’t want to kidnap you. Or just shut you up. Now, why would you think Caitlin is involved?” Drury demanded. “And if you’re going to make any accusation, I’d like some facts and proof to go along with it.”
“She’s a gold digger. What more proof do you need?”
“Something that’ll hold up in court,” Drury flatly answered.
“Something like phone records,” Grayson added the moment he ended his call. Drury hadn’t heard Grayson’s conversation, but apparently he’d learned something. Judging from Jeremy’s expression, it wasn’t anything good, either.
Grayson turned to Drury. “SAPD examined Jeremy’s phone records and discovered four calls from our missing kidnapper, Ronnie.”
Yeah, definitely not good for Jeremy. “Want to explain those calls?” Drury demanded.
“I didn’t know who he was, all right?” The volume of Jeremy’s voice went up a notch. “He said he was interested in investing in one of my business ventures. I had no idea he was into anything illegal.”
Maybe, but Drury wasn’t going to take the man’s word for it. “Did SAPD get anything else?” Drury asked Grayson.
“Only that Jeremy was uncooperative and unable to give any details whatsoever about the people he claimed kidnapped him.”
“They wore ski masks!” Not only did his voice get louder, the muscles in his face had turned to iron.
Obviously, Jeremy had a temper, and he wasn’t saying or doing a thing to convince Drury that he hadn’t been the one to orchestrate this plan to ransom the baby and attack Caitlyn and him. Of course, Melanie and Helen were still on his suspect list, too, and the three were going to stay there until the person responsible was caught.
“Did you have anything to do with what went on at Conceptions Clinic?” Caitlyn asked Jeremy.
Jeremy threw his hands up in the air. “So, now you’re accusing me of that, too?”
“Did you?” she pressed.
“Of course not.” He spat out some more profanity. “From what I’ve heard, Grant could have a kid out there because of the mess at Conceptions. You really think I’d have any part in creating an heir?”
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