The Baby Truth

by Stella Bagwell

  Bella gave her shoulder a reassuring pat. “Don’t beat yourself up, Sassy. So much has been going on since you got here that your head has to be in a mixed-up whirl. And now Jett tells me that Bart has been hospitalized and you’re feeling somewhat guilty about it.”

  “Feeling guilty is putting it mildly,” Sassy admitted.

  “That’s hogwash. You’ve done nothing to the man. So don’t fret about it.” She nudged Sassy toward the door. “Come on. Let’s eat and then I thought we’d drive into town and do some shopping.”

  Sassy shot her a blank look. “Shopping?”

  Bella chuckled. “Yes, shopping. I need to pick up a few things before I go to work tomorrow. I thought you might like to look around and see what Carson City has to offer. You don’t need maternity clothes yet, but you will pretty soon. You might find something on sale. Besides, I want to be the first one to buy the baby a gift.”

  “You’re too nice, Bella. And yes, it would be fun. Thanks for asking.”

  Spending the day with Bella, shopping for the baby and seeing Carson City would be far better than moping around here, fretting about Bart and dreading the time she would have to board a plane that would take her back to New Mexico and away from Jett Sundell.

  You came here searching for your family. But I think you want to leave because of me.

  As she and Bella walked to the kitchen, Jett’s words continued to drift through her mind. He had it wrong, she thought dismally. She didn’t want to leave. She wanted to stay here and enjoy his company, to let herself believe that something real and strong could develop between them.

  But that would be like letting herself believe in fairy tales. And even fairy tales had to come to an end. Didn’t they?

  Chapter Six

  The next morning Jett was walking back from the barn when the sound of a vehicle caught his attention. Pausing on the hard-packed earth, he glanced around to see a pickup truck rising over the crest in the road. From the dark blue color, he knew it was a Silver Horn ranch truck, so he waited for it to pull alongside him.

  When the driver’s-side window slid down, Finn Calhoun appeared behind the wheel. He was dressed in cowboy work gear, including a dark burgundy scarf wrapped around his neck and secured tightly with a band of braided rawhide. In spite of looking unusually tired, there was a friendly smile on his face.

  “Morning, Jett. You headed toward the house or the barn?”

  “The house. With the snow starting to fall again, I thought I’d get my feeding chores done early. What brings you out?”

  “If you’ve got the time to spare I have something to show you and Sassy. She’s still here, isn’t she?”

  “She is.” But for how long, Jett didn’t know. She’d spent the whole day with Bella yesterday, and last night she’d purposely avoided being alone with him. She’d not mentioned anything about her plans to book a flight, and each time he’d even tried to head the conversation in the direction of her plans, Bella had jumped in and steered it to another track.

  “Go park,” Jett told him. “We’ll go through the back door.”

  Moments later, the two men walked across the ranch yard to the house until they reached a small, screened-in back porch. The dogs followed them and quickly ducked into a doghouse sitting a few steps away from the door.

  “Damn, but I don’t like this cold,” Finn said as he stomped his boots and brushed at the snow that had collected on his oiled duster.

  “Better get used to it,” he said. “Winter isn’t half over yet.” Jett made an attempt to rid himself of the white stuff, then opened the door and motioned Finn into the house.

  Inside the kitchen, the two men deposited their hats and jackets on a coatrack, then Jett gestured toward a small breakfast bar that created an L shape at the end of the cabinets. “Have a seat, Finn, and I’ll get us some coffee. I’m not sure if Sassy is up yet. Maybe she’ll show in a few minutes.”

  Finn made himself comfortable on one of the wooden barstools while Jett went to work preparing the coffee.

  “Any news about your grandfather?” Jett asked. “I’ve not heard anything else from your father.”

  “He’s doing a bit better, I think. After I leave here, I plan to drive to the hospital and check on him.”

  “That’s encouraging news. Maybe he’ll get to go home soon.”

  Finn grimaced. “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea. When he’s on the ranch, you can’t slow him down. He wants to oversee everything. As far as he’s concerned, I’ve still not learned what to do with a horse. Even though I manage the ranch’s remuda and broodmare production,” he added sardonically.

  “Bart is just Bart,” Jett reasoned as he carried two steaming mugs of coffee over to the bar. “But I’ll be honest with you, Finn, that behavior of his the other night was bizarre.”

  Grimacing, Finn stirred a dollop of cream into his coffee. “Yeah, he embarrassed the hell out of all of us with that outburst.”

  “He also hurt Sassy. That’s what I hated about it.”

  Finn glanced ruefully at him. “We’re all sorry about that, Jett. If we’d had any idea he was going to pull such a stunt we would have warned you.”

  “No matter. It’s done. I expect Sassy to be leaving soon. Maybe even tomorrow.” And the idea of never seeing her, touching her again was eating a hole right through him. From the very first day he’d met Sassy, he’d been telling himself over and over not to get involved. But with each passing day she continued to surprise and enchant him. It was too soon to give her up. Way too soon.

  “No!” Finn blurted, the cup pausing halfway to his lips. “She can’t do that!”

  Jett’s eyes narrowed on the younger man. “Why?”

  “Because I— We—”

  Finn’s words broke off abruptly as he lifted his gaze to a point above Jett’s shoulder. Following the other man’s gaze, Jett looked around to see Sassy entering the room. To his relief, she wasn’t wearing her bedclothes as she had been yesterday morning. Instead, she was dressed in a pair of black corduroys and a red sweater that draped low against her chest. The color of the fabric made her thick hair look like a copper blaze and her skin a smooth shell pink.

  The moment she spotted Jett and Finn at the bar, she stopped in her tracks and stared fearfully at them.

  “What’s wrong? Is Mr. Calhoun worse?” she asked in a rush.

  “No. He’s doing better,” Jett quickly reassured her. “Come have coffee. Finn has something he wants to show us.”

  * * *

  While Sassy prepared herself a cup of decaffeinated coffee and loaded it with cream and sugar, she tried not to let curiosity over Finn’s appearance lead to hope about finding her real parents. Especially since she’d been convincing herself that it was time to go home.

  With coffee in hand, she walked over to where the two men sat at the breakfast bar, and though everything inside of her wanted to sidle up to Jett, she forced herself to stand a respectable distance away from him.

  “Morning, Sassy,” Finn said with a warm smile. “You’re looking beautiful this morning—in spite of resembling me.”

  She laughed softly. “Thank you, Finn. It’s nice to see you again.”

  “Jett tells me you’re thinking about flying home soon. Is that true?”

  She darted a wary glance at Jett. After that kiss they’d shared yesterday morning, all sorts of emotions and questions had been pushing and shoving their way into her thoughts. And the only sure thing she’d been able to take from any of them was that Jett made her feel things she’d never experienced in her life. Special things that made her heart feel warm and full, her pulse beat with excitement. If she ran back to New Mexico now, she might never know if a real relationship could build between them. Losing that chance might even be worse than never finding her biological parents.

 
“I— To tell you the truth, Finn, I’ve not yet decided when to go home. My boss thinks I need a little vacation. She wants me to stay and visit Lake Tahoe, so I’m thinking I might do that before I head back to New Mexico.”

  Was that a look of relief she saw flicker across Jett’s face? She couldn’t be sure about him, but it was clear her reply had pleased Finn.

  “Great! That’s just great, because me and my brothers have been talking it over and we think there’s something going on with our grandfather. After you and Jett left the other night, Dad pressed him on the issue of you being related to the family and he, well, exploded. He cursed us for doubting his honesty and for being ungrateful—as though none of us have ever turned a hand to a day of work in our lives. He’s insulted us all. That’s what he’s done. Besides making himself look mighty suspicious.”

  “Finn, your grandfather probably assumed that I had plans to insert myself into his family,” Sassy said, “and he reacted defensively. That’s understandable.”

  “I’ve already had this argument with her,” Jett told Finn. “She’s hard to convince.”

  “Maybe this will help.” Reaching for his shirt pocket, Finn opened the flap and pulled out a small envelope. “Dad doesn’t know I took this from Mom’s things. And I don’t know whether he’d be mad about it or not. But that doesn’t matter. This is too important to me and my brothers.”

  Sassy instinctively moved closer to Jett’s side as Finn opened the envelope and placed a small photo on the bar top.

  “This was my sister, Darci. I think it was taken around the time she turned two. That would make it a few months before she died.”

  As Sassy studied the image captured on the glossy square of paper, goose bumps rushed over her skin. “Oh, my! I think both of you should see something. Wait just a minute.”

  She rushed to her bedroom, dug a pair of small snapshots from one of her suitcases, then hurried back to the kitchen.

  Placing the photos in front of the two men, she said, “I brought these with me, just in case someone might be interested. These were among a few things that survived the fire. I was about three years old when these were taken. A little older than Darci was in her photo, but we do resemble each other.”

  “It’s uncanny how much you look like her,” Jett murmured.

  “Oh, wow! Can I take one of these to show my brothers?” Finn asked her.

  “Certainly. I’m not sure what it could mean, but—”

  Finn interrupted, “It means we need to get the ball rolling.”

  “How do you expect to do that?” Jett asked. “You brothers are clueless and Bart isn’t talking.”

  Finn grimaced. “That’s why I—we brothers—think we need to do DNA testing.”

  Finn’s suggestion made Sassy’s queasy stomach take a crazy tumble. “Oh, Finn! Have you and your brothers thought about this? The damage it might cause with your grandfather!”

  Finn looked from her to Jett, then back to her. “We’ve talked it over and we’re willing to take the chance. We’re not little boys anymore. One way or the other, we have a right to know the truth.”

  Jett’s arm settled against the back of her waist. “What do you think about this, Sassy? Surely the idea has crossed your mind before now.”

  “Sure, I’ve considered the idea. DNA is the first thing people want to turn to whenever there are doubts about parentage, crimes and everything in between. It could prove whether I have some relationship to the Calhouns. But what good would that do if I didn’t know who was responsible for my birth or why I was given away?”

  “If you’re a close enough relative,” Finn argued, “that would be enough to force the truth to surface. Whatever it might be.”

  Without even realizing it, she reached for the comfort of Jett’s hand. When his fingers closed around hers, it prompted her gaze to connect with his.

  “You don’t like that word, ‘force,’ do you?” he asked gently.

  “Not one bit,” she said with a sigh, then looked at Finn. Could the handsome rancher and his brothers possibly be some part of her family? The idea was incredible and yet she was beginning to believe it might be possible. “Me doing a DNA test is only going to make your grandfather view me as a gold digger. And I can hardly blame him. Wouldn’t it be better if the truth was revealed by a member of the family, not by some data produced in a laboratory?”

  Frustrated with her cautious attitude, Finn swiped a hand over his face. “Of course, it would be much better. But Granddad has pushed the mute button, and the condition of his health right now makes it impossible for us to press him about the issue. As for Dad, we honestly don’t believe he’s deliberately keeping anything from us. He seems as baffled about this as we are.”

  “Wait just a minute, Finn,” Jett interrupted. “What I’d like to know is exactly why you brothers are so all-fired anxious to prove Sassy is a Calhoun. Do you honestly want her to be some relation? Or are you just using it as an excuse to challenge your high-handed grandfather?”

  Finn rolled his eyes toward the ceiling. “Hell, Jett, you sound just like a lawyer.”

  “He is a lawyer,” Sassy reminded him. “Your family’s lawyer. Did you forget?”

  The redheaded horseman gave Sassy a lopsided grin. “No. But sometimes it does momentarily slip my mind. I don’t know if Jett’s told you, but he pretty much grew up with us. He’s close to the same age as my oldest brother, Clancy. We all went to the same school and share many of the same friends. He’s Jett to me. Not just the person who handles our legal affairs.”

  “Well, friend or lawyer, Jett’s question is exactly what I’ve been wondering, too. Why are you and your brothers pushing this matter?” Sassy asked.

  His expression suddenly solemn, Finn touched a finger to the edge of Darci’s photo. “This has nothing to do with Grandfather. Sure, me and my brothers get angry as heck with him, but that doesn’t mean we’d ever want to exact some sort of revenge. This is about, well... We lost our only sister. You can’t replace her, Sassy, but having you in the family sure would be a nice second chance for us.”

  Tears misted Sassy’s eyes, and her voice came out low and hoarse. “Finn—I—I don’t know what to say. I never expected you or your brothers might feel this way.”

  The tightening of Jett’s hand around hers, pulled her gaze around to his face, and the tender light she saw in his brown eyes caused her heart to swell and the mist in her eyes to turn to all-out tears.

  “Just because someone gave you away twenty-four years ago doesn’t mean you’re not wanted now,” he said softly.

  She tried to smile but her quivering lips made it impossible. “Thank you for saying that, Jett.”

  The intimate connection between her and Jett stretched on and on until Finn finally cleared his throat and reminded them there was a third person in the room.

  Her cheeks flushed, Sassy turned away from Jett and looked to Finn. “Okay, I’ll do the DNA test,” she told him. “As long as everyone understands that this has nothing to do with property or inheritance or anything of that sort. I don’t want anything of monetary value. All I want is the truth about who I am. Understand?”

  A wide grin spread across Finn’s face. “Great, Sassy. We were all hoping you’d agree.” He looked at Jett. “Evan says we need a legal DNA test done—one that will stand up in court. So that means we can’t use a home do-it-yourself kit. We need to go to the health department in town. They have technicians who can take samples, and the lab they use is one of the best in the country. If you can have Sassy there on Monday morning, I’ll meet you two there.”

  “So, you’re going to be the donor for your family?” Jett asked him.

  Finn nodded. “I’m the one who got this whole thing started. I’ll do whatever is needed to see it through.”

  “Okay. I’ll have her there by nine. If
we can’t make it for some reason, I’ll call,” Jett assured him.

  “Good. Then I’ll see you two Monday.” Finn gave Jett a grateful slap on the shoulder, then turned to Sassy and reached for her hand. But rather than shake it, he used it to pull her close enough to place a quick kiss on her cheek.

  The unexpected show of affection took Sassy by complete surprise, and from the look on Jett’s face it had surprised him, too.

  “Hey, is that supposed to be a sisterly kiss?” Jett asked with annoyance.

  Chuckling, Finn started to the door. “What other kind would it be?”

  They watched him leave the house before Jett slowly turned to Sassy.

  “So Finn succeeded where I failed,” he said wryly.

  “What do you mean?”

  He slanted her a challenging glance. “He talked you into staying. I couldn’t seem to do it.”

  Sassy had no idea when Bella might walk into the kitchen, but for the moment she was acutely aware that she and Jett were completely alone. Slipping her arms around his waist would be so heavenly, she thought. But it would be a mistake to initiate an embrace with this man. Especially when she was smart enough to know that one kiss wouldn’t satisfy the desire growing deep inside her. No, she’d want more and more. As for Jett, she wasn’t yet sure of what he wanted from her. But she had a feeling he was soon going to show her.

  With a nervous lick of her lips, she said, “He gave me a specific reason to stay.”

  His green eyes locked on to hers. “I guess that means my reason wasn’t specific enough,” he murmured.

  “Jett,” she said ruefully, “if you’re still talking about that kiss, I— Well, just because I’ve agreed to stay on here in your house doesn’t mean I feel obligated to give in to your—urgings.”

  “Your being in my house has nothing to do with it. I never want you to feel obligated to me.” He wrapped his hands around her upper arms. “I’m talking about the tremble I felt on your lips—the hunger I tasted there. If you want to pretend that you didn’t feel anything when I had you in my arms, then go ahead. But I’m not going to lie to you or myself about it. I wanted to make love to you.”