by Barb Han
Ella shot a look at Ed Staples and he returned an I-told-you-so expression.
Two men walked into the room, their boots shuffling on the tiles. They looked almost identical. Tall, probably six feet four inches if she had to guess, and what most would describe as incredibly good-looking, with sandy-blond hair and blue eyes. Madelyn didn’t feel a stir of attraction for either one even though she appreciated their good looks. Was it the possibility that they could be related? Did she somehow know they were related?
The first one introduced himself as Dalton and the second as Dade. They were polite, if cautious, as both studied her features. She figured they were looking for any signs of family resemblance. She was, too. And she saw the evidence plainly. All of their hair color was similar and they each had different versions of the same nose. The men had a masculine version, slightly more pronounced. But it was the same nose. A picture on the wall, of Mike Butler surrounded by his children, confirmed they’d gotten the nose from him.
Madelyn absently fingered the dragonfly around her neck with her right hand. Her left searched under the table for Hudson’s. She pushed aside the relief she felt when their hands linked, deciding he was the only thing familiar to her in a room full of strangers. Family? It was an odd notion at best.
“I’ll just get the sandwiches. I’m sure everyone’s hungry and we have quite a bit to discuss after we eat,” Ella said, but there was something different about her posture now and Madelyn assumed that it had to do with her revelation.
“I can help,” Madelyn offered, standing.
“Oh, okay,” Ella said, apparently caught off guard. She was probably used to being in charge and doing things on her own terms, Madelyn guessed.
Madelyn followed her into the expansive kitchen. The place had an old-world-farmhouse vibe, with an oversize single sink, white cabinets and granite countertops. There was a wooden table in the kitchen that looked hand-carved and stretched almost end to end. One side of the massive table looked like it was used for food prep and the rest for eating, with bar stools tucked underneath. Platters loaded with finger sandwiches and fresh fruit were set out on top.
“I think we got off on the wrong foot earlier,” Ella said as she picked up a tray. “You want to take that one?”
“Sure.” Madelyn had whiplash from the change in her demeanor. “Why are you suddenly being so nice?”
“Ed’s an old friend of my father’s. He’s part of a different generation. One that doesn’t talk much. He didn’t tell me the whole story about you, and I was concerned about your intentions before I realized you don’t seem to want this any more than we do.” Ella flashed her eyes. “I didn’t mean anything personal by that. You seem really nice. Since my father died, we’ve had people coming out of the woodwork claiming to be one of us, and you seem offended by the idea.”
“And that’s what you think I am. Basically, a termite coming to eat your house from the inside out,” Madelyn stated a little coolly.
“I didn’t know what you were. You look like one of us. That’s obvious. But the expression on your face before and what you said...you don’t want it to be true any more than we do.”
“So you win the big prize. You’re right. What next?” Madelyn felt a sting from the zinger.
“You’re twisting my words, taking them the wrong way,” Ella said, balancing the tray on her shoulder. “I just realized that this is as hard on you as it is on us. That’s all. And I can sympathize. Don’t confuse that for me welcoming you into the family with open arms.”
Madelyn took a minute to think about what Ella was saying rather than react.
“I can see your side of the story and how much your life has been turned upside down. I couldn’t see beyond my own nose before when Ed said he had a surprise announcement. The news caught us all off guard. I mean, Dad was no saint, but cheating on our mother? I guess I always blamed my mother for abandoning us, disappearing without any contact. And, yes, he earned his reputation over the years, but I didn’t realize he was philandering while he was still married to her,” she said. “I’m not ready to forgive her but I’m also realizing how complicated family dynamics can be. Now I’m thinking that maybe she had good reason to leave and not look back.” Ella shot a compassionate look.
“I can’t argue that families are complex.” Madelyn still hadn’t figured out what to say to her own father. She picked up the heavy tray, balanced it on her shoulder and walked into the other room behind Ella.
* * *
THE LUNCH PLATES were cleared and Madelyn hadn’t said two words since going into the kitchen with Ella earlier. Hudson had hoped they’d come to some kind of truce in there but Madelyn returned looking even more stressed. Coffee was served and he took a sip. One look at Madelyn said it was time to wrap this up.
Hudson made a move to stand but Ed Staples waved at him. “Please. Wait. I know it took a great deal of courage for Madelyn to come here today and I also know she has something to ask of the family.”
The twins got that “here goes” look on their faces at exactly the same moment.
“I’d like a DNA test for clarification,” Madelyn said, wasting no time.
Hudson took another sip of coffee, needing the caffeine boost. Since Madelyn had come to stay with him, things were stirring inside him. Common sense dictated that should make him want her to leave. He didn’t.
The twin who’d identified himself as Dalton chuckled and Madelyn shot him a severe look. It looked a helluva lot like the one Ella fired at him and Hudson tried not to read too much into it. He glanced at the picture on the wall of Mike Butler. There was a resemblance.
Dalton held up both hands in the sign of surrender. “Hey. Don’t get angry with me. I’m just laughing that you think the old man would make something like this up.”
“I didn’t know your father, so I have no idea what he would do and why,” Madelyn defended.
“Then allow me to apologize. Suffice it to say that my...our...old man wouldn’t take a claim like this lightly,” Dalton clarified. “If he says you’re one of us then I’d be shocked if a DNA test proved otherwise.”
“That may be true, but I’d still like to know for sure,” she said. “I don’t want your money or the ranch. I just want to know.”
The other twin, who had been quiet up until now, leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “No offense but once it’s established that you’re a Butler—and my brother is right, by the way, our father wouldn’t utter those words if they weren’t true—you’ll have every right to his money and the ranch. And none of us would stand in the way of his wishes.”
Dalton was rocking his head in agreement.
The twins were stand-up men. Ella seemed a little put off that Madelyn rejected her heritage so easily.
“Which one of us do you want to swab?” Ella asked. “Or would you like one from all three to be absolutely certain?”
“One should suffice,” Madelyn said. “But how do we proceed? I mean, I want to make sure the results aren’t tampered with and I haven’t exactly had time to figure all this out.”
That comment netted a few angry looks.
“We aren’t going to sabotage your test,” Dalton said. “But you should learn to trust us. We aren’t the self-absorbed jerks the media makes us out to be.”
Madelyn tensed. “Not all of us in the media are like the people out there. Some of us expose truths that should be known, that help others.”
“Hold on a damn second,” Dalton said. “You’re one of them?”
“I believe I just said that I wasn’t, but, yes, I’m an investigative reporter.”
He pushed his chair back and stood. “I’m done here. And, for the record, everything we just said is unofficial. If I see one word of this in print—”
Hudson didn’t like where this was going, so he pushed to his feet. If a table wasn’t separating the
m, he and Dalton would be nose to nose, given they were almost equal height. “She’s not here for that reason and we all know it, so cool it.”
All the warmth in the room disappeared and all three of the Butler children tensed as though ready for a fight. He could give one thing to them: they stuck together.
“She wants something everyone deserves, and that’s to know who her father is. Before Ed Staples called and turned her life upside down, she believed it was the man she’d grown up with. Her mother is gone, so she can’t ask her,” he stated. “So, you guys hold the key.”
Ella stood. Her expression was calm but he suspected it was like the surface of water on the stove just before the boiling point was reached. “Ed can arrange everything. You can work with him on the details. We’ll comply. In the meantime, I can have a room set up for you here at the ranch. As a Butler, you’ll have a right to stay anytime you want.”
Why did that offer twist Hudson’s gut?
“Do you want to stay here?”
Chapter Thirteen
“My car’s at your place,” Madelyn responded to Hudson. She couldn’t read his expression. Did he want her to stay with the Butlers? He’d been the one pushing her to come and find answers—answers she wanted but also threatened to shake her foundation to the core.
“It’s your call.” She searched his face and found nothing to give away his thoughts. His grip was pretty tight on his mug.
“I could stay if it’s easier on you,” she said, knowing full well it wasn’t safe for her to go to a motel in town. But then, a Butler could be targeting her. Sure, they seemed sincere and just as surprised as she had been to learn the news of her possible heritage. On the other hand, she didn’t know Ella, Dade or Dalton personally. Any one of them could be putting on a show. Yes, they were convincing and seemed welcoming under the circumstances. Didn’t mean they weren’t plotting behind her back to get rid of her.
“We still haven’t spoken to Kelsey or located Trent. I’d like to hear what they have to say and then there’s the vandalism with your car we still haven’t reported,” Hudson said after a long pause. He was curious about the investigation? “Might be easier to stay put at my place since all your things are already there.”
Her heart leaped.
“What’s been going on?” Ella asked, a frown of worry apparent on her face. After what she’d been through, it made sense that she’d be concerned.
Madelyn flashed her eyes at Ed. She hadn’t told the lawyer. “When did you tell everyone about me?”
“Last night. Why?” Ella cut in.
“Someone tried to stop me from coming here after Ed called,” Madelyn said, her attention on Ella now.
Ella drew back and gasped. “Are you all right?” She waved her hands in the air. “Never mind that. I can see you’re not physically hurt.”
Madelyn relayed the details of the incident on the road and the threat on the mirror.
“Is that why you checked out of Red Rope?” Ed said.
Madelyn’s brow shot up and he quickly reassured her.
“I was simply trying to locate you and you weren’t answering your cell. I called the front desk, asking to be connected to your room, and they said you weren’t staying with them,” he clarified.
“Don’t look at us,” Dade said. “We’ve been here on lockdown. Ella throws a fit every time one of us so much as tries to leave the ranch.”
“We have to take this seriously,” Ella said, lines of anxiety etched in her forehead. “I’d like you to stay here where we can be sure you’re safe.”
“With all due respect, your father was killed on this property,” Hudson reminded her.
“Not in the main house. And we’ve tightened security since then,” Ella said. Her demeanor changed the second she’d learned of the threat. “This might not mean much coming from me right now, but I’d like to know that you’re safe. No matter what the DNA test reveals—and my money’s on the fact that it’ll prove what you don’t want to hear—I feel like we’re responsible.”
“How so?” Madelyn asked.
“You said this whole thing started after the call from Ed,” Ella said. “If his call triggered this, someone might be listening to our calls.” She looked at her brothers. “Is that even possible?”
“Anything goes with technology these days if someone’s savvy enough,” Dade said. “I’ll let Ray Canton know.” He looked to Madelyn and said, “He heads up security here at Hereford. He’ll be able to tell us if the signal can be unscrambled.”
“If someone picked up on Ed’s call, they must know what’s going on,” Ella said.
Hudson reached for her hand, found it. Madelyn wound their fingers together.
“I didn’t tell her over the phone,” Ed admitted. “Your father had an envelope in a safe in his office. She’s the only one who knew the contents once she opened it.”
“You already knew,” Madelyn countered.
“I had my suspicions. Mike Butler and I go way back. I knew your mother,” he said with an apologetic look to Ella and the twins.
But Madelyn had locked onto that last bit...
“How well did you know my mother?” she asked.
“Well enough to know that she isn’t from Houston. Your father moved there after she passed away.” He seemed to choose his next words carefully. “The minute I saw you, my suspicions were confirmed. You looked exactly how I picture a child of theirs would.”
Madelyn wasn’t sure if that was a compliment, and she was grateful for the link with Hudson. Their connected hands were the only thing keeping her balanced. “Did you see proof?”
“No. Just what my eyes knew.”
“So, it’s possible that I’m not his daughter,” Madelyn said. At this point, she wasn’t sure what she wanted to be true. If she was Butler’s illegitimate child then her father’s actions were understandable. It would make sense that he’d kept her at a distance her entire life. Otherwise, she had to consider the possibility—the one she’d wholeheartedly feared before this revelation—that her own father didn’t love her.
Was that true?
She stood and glanced around the room. It seemed to shrink, the walls closing in. “I need fresh air.”
Not one to wait for permission, she darted toward the door and burst outside. The August sun on her face warmed her skin. The blast of heat made it harder to breathe, though. She heard a pair of boots shuffling behind her and was comforted by the fact that Hudson had followed her.
“We don’t have to stick around,” he said. “We’ll get the swab and go.”
Madelyn tried to speak but her mouth snapped shut. There was so much she wanted to say, so much that had been bottled up inside ever since she’d heard the news—news that still seemed too crazy to be true. “All my life I’ve been told my mother was this...saint...and I held her up here.” She lifted her flat palm as far as she could above her head. “I had this image of her being an angel and looking over me.”
“Kids have a way of idolizing a parent who has passed away,” he said, and his voice was low. He was standing right behind her. She felt his strong hands on her shoulders and her body responded.
“You can say that again,” she said on a sharp sigh. “Anytime I had a bad day—and there were plenty of those, especially in high school when a girl needs her mother—I’d curl up under the covers and envision her holding me. I literally envisioned her with wings, for crying out loud. Now I guess I’m the fool. Not only was my mother no saint but she had an affair with one married man and tricked another guy into marrying her.”
“How can you be so sure that your father didn’t know?” he asked.
“Because if he knew that explains why he’d been so cold to me all my life. Why he let me cry it out in my room instead of comforting me when I was upset.” Her pulse pounded, part anger and part awareness of the strong han
ds gripping her shoulders. “It explains why he only calls once a month instead of every day. And it explains why he doesn’t love me.”
Those last few words were daggers to the heart.
Hudson spun her around to face him and she couldn’t look into his eyes. She didn’t want to see her reflection there—because in his eyes she felt beautiful and loved. More of what she wanted to see instead of reality.
“I haven’t met the man, so I’ll reserve judgment until I do. But if he turned his back on you or didn’t love you it’s his loss, not yours.” His words were a warm blanket on a frigid night. “You’re smart and determined. You have a sense of humor on top of heart-stopping beauty.”
Did he just say she was beautiful? Her heart gave a little flip as she struggled against the hot tears burning the backs of her eyes.
“If he really is my father, what does it say about me that he doesn’t love me?” The words spoken aloud ripped a hole in her chest.
“Impossible.” He ran his thumb along her jawline and sensual shivers rocked her body.
“Maybe not.” She dared to look up and his gaze seemed to look right through her.
“We agreed not to do this again, but I’d like permission to kiss you.” His brown eyes darkened with need.
Madelyn pushed up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his in answer. This wasn’t the time for words.
Hudson deepened the kiss, his tongue delving inside, tasting her, and he groaned. He brought his hands up to cup her face and need pulsed through her.
As if realizing they were standing on the Butlers’ front lawn in full view of the family, he pulled back. “I won’t say it.”
“You don’t have to. We both know it’s true but I want to enjoy this moment anyway,” she said.
His quick nod affirmed they were on the same page. They stood there, knowing this couldn’t go further, and yet unwilling to let the moment end. He was so close that she could smell the coffee on his breath and remembered the taste of it a few seconds ago. He pressed his forehead to hers and took in a deep breath. “If I could go there with anyone... I would. I hope you know that. There’s too much back there and I can’t shake it.”