Colton Family Showdown. Regan Black
depending on your viewpoint, no one in the area has reported a missing baby.”
“I’m surprised they didn’t take him off your hands.”
“They tried.” Goose bumps rose on his arms and he rode out the chill that followed. “Sheriff Colton—he’s a cousin—told me they’d call in child services to take care of him. But it felt wrong.” He couldn’t meet her gaze, unwilling to bare his soul completely. “Someone left him here, on the Crooked C. Everyone knows this is Colton property. I couldn’t turn around and hand him over to strangers.”
“I’m not judging you,” she said so low he thought he’d imagined it. “I expect the sheriff was confident you could handle it.”
Fox laughed. “Feel free to call and tell him the truth.”
Her smile radiated equal parts amusement and acceptance. He hadn’t seen that kind of look aimed his way since he was a kid.
“It’s not considered news anymore, but my sister and I were adopted by Russ and Mara Colton when my parents died. Mara was my mom’s older sister. She and Russ took us in rather than let us go into foster care.”
“I’m sorry for your loss. The change must have been a relief as well as a challenge.”
“Exactly both. They kept us with family and raised us as if we were theirs from the start.” There were inevitable differences between his parents and Mara and Russ, but he’d always felt awkward and ungrateful when he dwelled on them.
“And you wanted the same for Baby John.”
“Family is important...” His voice trailed off as a wealth of painful old memories and newfound worries assailed him. His dad hadn’t been the best example of patience and kindness. Fox couldn’t help wondering if and when he might snap and do the wrong thing. “If he’s a Colton we need to know. I’ll start asking my brothers tomorrow.”
“Asking is a good start, but why not run the DNA?” she queried.
“I should’ve thought of that.” Proving he wasn’t the father might light a fire under Trey to launch an investigation into the baby’s real parents.
“Hard to see clearly when you’re up to your eyeballs in a problem,” Kelsey said.
“True.” He smoothed a hand over his beard. “I’ll get the ball rolling on the DNA testing first thing tomorrow.” He’d have to call in a favor with the lab he used, but that wasn’t much of a hurdle. “Unless one of my brothers owns up to this, I can strong-arm all three of them for a cheek swab.”
“And a finger-stick,” she said. “The blood test could rule someone out right away.” Color stained her cheeks. “Not to imply your brothers would lie about the baby.”
“No offense taken.” He stood, pacing over to bank the fire for the night. “Going solely off his note-free arrival on my doorstep, it’s a good guess the mother didn’t tell the biological father about the baby.”
Deputy Bloom’s theory echoed in his head again. There was a murderer on the loose in Roaring Springs. What if the mother had in fact been taken by the Avalanche Killer? Unnerving to think a killer might have been at his door. Then again, why would a cold-blooded murderer bother to spare a child?
He felt Kelsey’s gaze on him as he moved about the room, but she didn’t say a word. The quiet was such a relief. For Baby John as much as for him.
“I do like kids,” he blurted.
“Good to know.”
“I’m just better with them, more comfortable, when the parents are around.”
“I understand that,” she said with a soft chuckle. “Babies are demanding, even if the list is a short one.”
“Thanks for giving me a pass.” He wasn’t sure he deserved it. But he didn’t want her to think poorly of him, especially since he was going to be her boss.
“Thanks for giving me a job,” she replied. “Two, really, along with great accommodations.”
Her smile lit up the room, easing the exhaustion and burden of not knowing how to help the small human now resting peacefully in the hay-bin cradle in the other room.
“I know it’s not what you came for,” Fox began, “but would you help me unravel the DNA trail and find his father?”
“You want my help on that, too?”
He was asking too much. “It was your idea,” he reminded her. “Not as fast as blood tests, but far more conclusive. Please?” he added. “With a certified nanny on board, the sheriff will give me more time before forcing the foster care issue.” If Trey knew about his dad’s lousy habits with kids, he’d be watching for Fox to screw up.
“Your lab downstairs can handle that kind of sampling?” she queried, her eyes bright with excitement.
“We can run preliminary tests at the office, but a full DNA panel would need to be sent out for a confident result.”
“I see.” The sparkle in her hazel eyes dimmed just a bit.
He felt ridiculous pressure to bring it back. “I’ll get the samples and the blood tests of course.” He’d need to talk with each of his brothers privately. “It’s outside the scope of what brought you here—”
“Working alongside you is what brought me here, Fox. If finding the father is where you need my help in the lab, I’m game.”
What star had he wished on to have this beautiful woman, so eager and assured, show up on his doorstep exactly when he needed an ally?
“We might be able to get help from the FBI lab,” he said, thinking out loud. “I don’t have any proof that the baby is tied to a major case, but they can’t prove he’s not.”
“You don’t mean the Avalanche Killer?” She curled into the corner of the couch, wrapping her arm around her legs.
“You’ve heard about the case?”
“Hard to avoid it,” she said. “It’s national news.”
“And you walked around alone out here anyway?”
“I’m small but mighty.” She raised an arm and flexed her biceps. The effect wasn’t as impressive since any muscle on her trim frame was hidden by the chunky sweater she wore.
“Have to take your word for it,” he said gruffly.
“You’ll see. We didn’t go over this yet, but will I be helping you with the horses directly?” she inquired.
What kind of a boss did she think he was? “Managing the baby and getting up to speed on the breeding program should keep you busy enough to start,” he said. “We can take a full tour of the office and barns in the morning.”
“I’m up for anything.”
He could tell she meant it. If only he could promise her that anything didn’t include looming family drama as they tracked down an unsuspecting father.
Careful not to break out into a happy dance, Kelsey took her glass to the kitchen. What a difference twenty-four hours made. Her feet and legs were achy from the long walk and she was running on fumes, but nothing could dim her bright inner glow as she prepared a bottle for the baby’s next feeding.
She floated through the kitchen, moving baby laundry from the washer to the dryer on a cloud of accomplishment and pride. The great Fox Colton wanted her—unknown geneticist Kelsey Lauder—to assist his famous breeding program. This sort of collaboration would define her career.
Actually being hired was better than any of the positive-outcome scenarios she’d envisioned time and again on the long,