Anything for Her Family

by Sharon De Vita

  His gaze shifted to the end of the table, where Jesse should have sat, and the empty hole in his heart began to ache as it always did when he thought of his youngest grandson.

  He’d never stopped worrying, or wondering what had happened to him. Never would.

  And he needed to know before he left to meet his maker. He knew he’d never find peace if he didn’t.

  “We continue,” Tommy said firmly, his glance encompassing the entire group. “Jesse is kin, and we need to know what happened to him. We need to bring him home once and for all.” The old man’s glance was fierce with pride as he looked at his grandsons. “Are we agreed?”

  Jake, Jared and Josh glanced at each other, then Jake spoke for all of them. “Yep. We’re agreed, Tommy.” He smiled at Rebecca, giving her hand a squeeze under the table. “I thought that’s what you’d say, so Rebecca and I have booked a flight back to Houston early tomorrow morning. We’ve got another lead and I’d like to move while the trail’s still warm.”

  “Good. Good.” Tommy held up his coffee cup for Natalie to refill it. Her hands were trembling, he noted, glancing up at her with some concern. She’d been bustling in and out of the kitchen, clearing the table, keeping herself busy.

  “So, if you don’t mind, since we’re leaving so early, we’re going to stay at the hotel in town. It’s closer to the airport.” Jake glanced at Josh. “Can we hitch a ride back to town with you?”

  Josh flashed a cocky grin. “Yeah, but it’ll cost you.” He winked at Rebecca. “I get to sit next to your beautiful wife. You can have the back seat.”

  “Fine, but touch my wife and you’re mincemeat, bro,” Jake said with a laugh. “Your reputation with women is known far and wide, and I’m not taking any chances. Get your own woman.”

  “Would anyone like more coffee?” Natalie asked, holding up a fresh pot she’d retrieved from the kitchen. “Or more dessert?”

  Jared groaned, then rubbed his stomach. “If I eat another bite I’ll explode.” He grinned up at her, sliding his arm around her and pulling her close. “That was a fabulous meal, Nat.” The low timbre of his voice caused Jake and Josh to exchange curious glances that said more than words.

  Natalie flushed, wiggling out of Jared’s embrace. She felt so uncomfortable, so nervous, that she couldn’t wait for dinner to be over so she could talk to Jared alone.

  “Well, boys,” Tommy said, getting up from the table. “It’s time for the Ryan family tradition.” He grinned at Rebecca, then Natalie. “Every holiday, the men of the clan meet in my study to share a brandy and a cigar, but I’m a modern man, and you’re welcome to join us if you’ve a mind.”

  Rebecca shook her head, then stood up. “Thanks, Tommy, but the mere thought of being around all that cigar smoke is enough to give me morning sickness—again,” she added with a groan, laying a hand on her still-flat tummy. She was almost four months pregnant, and the morning sickness that had been plaguing her hadn’t stopped. In fact, it had recently spread to both mornings and afternoons.

  Jake was on his feet in an instant. “Becca, are you all right?” His worried gaze searched her face and he took her arm, holding it as if she were as fragile as an egg. “Do you need to lie down? Put your feet up?”

  Rebecca laughed, laying a hand to his cheek. “I’m pregnant, sweetheart, not handicapped.” She laughed again. He’d been impossible since he learned she was expecting. “But I think I would like to lie down for a while.” She glanced at Tommy. “If you don’t mind?”

  “Course not, lass.”

  “Then I think I’ll just go on back to our house. I haven’t even been inside since we got home this morning.” She and Jake lived in a small coach house behind the main ranch house. It was the house she had lived in when her mother had been the Ryan boys’ nanny.

  “I’ll take you,” Jake said.

  “Jake.” She sighed. “I’m perfectly capable of walking a few hundred feet by myself.”

  “Tough. I’m going with you—just to be sure.” He took her arm. “I’ll be back in a few minutes, Tommy.”

  “Fine. Fine.” Tommy beamed at them. “We’ll be in my study.”

  Jared stood, too. “Natalie, would you like some help in the kitchen? I don’t need a cigar.”

  She shook her head, shooing him toward the doorway. “No, I’ll do better by myself.” She forced a smile. “You go enjoy spending time with your brothers.” She wanted—needed—some time to herself. She hadn’t been alone for one moment, not since Raymond’s call this morning, and she had to figure out what she was going to say to Jared. She couldn’t do that with all these people around.

  “Let me just take the last of the dessert plates in at least.” Jared scooped them up with his large hands even as she began protesting. With a weary sigh, she followed him into the kitchen.

  “Jared?”

  The tone of her voice had him turning to her. “What, Nat?” He looked at her carefully. “Is something wrong?”

  “I…I need to talk to you.” She couldn’t bear to look into those beautiful eyes. “Privately.”

  Concerned, he laid a hand to her cheek. “Sure, Nat, sure.” His gaze grew worried. “Does this have something to do with what we talked about last night?”

  Last night? She looked at him blankly for a moment, then remembered that last night he had told her he wanted her to think about making their arrangement more personal.

  Was it just last night? It seemed like an eternity ago. Now the only thing on her mind was Raymond’s phone call and protecting the boys.

  “In a way,” she hedged, knowing she couldn’t tell him that the possibility of them having any kind of personal relationship was nonexistent now. “I…I just need to talk to you.” Her voice wavered, and he stepped closer, resting a hand on her shoulder as he saw the worry in her eyes.

  “All right, Nat. Jake and Josh will be leaving soon. Once you put the boys to bed, we’ll talk—is that all right?”

  Her throat burned with unshed tears, and she nodded, glancing at the clock over the sink. Time seemed to be standing still today. “That’s fine.”

  “Nat?” He lifted her chin so she was forced to look at him. It nearly broke her heart.

  “Y-yes?”

  “Whatever it is, don’t worry, I’m sure we can handle it.” He smiled, then bent and brushed his lips against hers, making her heart ache. “Together.” He kissed her again, and it took supreme control not to throw her arms around him and hold on, to let it all come pouring out of her. But she couldn’t—not now. Not yet.

  Natalie glanced at the clock again, vividly aware of every ticking second, knowing that she’d run out of time. No matter what the consequences of her deception, no matter the cost to herself, she had to protect the boys, and Jared was the only one who could help her do that.

  Chapter Eight

  Nerves strung as tight as a bowstring, Natalie paced the length of the living room, ignoring the sparks and flames of the fire burning brightly in the hearth. Josh had driven Jake and Rebecca back to the hotel in town, Tommy had gone off to visit friends and Jared was tucking the boys in.

  She was absolutely certain it was going to take all night, she decided, casting a quick glance toward the darkened doorway. The boys had been particularly wound up tonight. With the excitement of the holiday, the parade and their uncles’ visit, it was to be expected. She just wished her own patience wasn’t at an end.

  Natalie pressed a hand to her forehead, where a throbbing had started this morning when she’d answered the phone and heard Raymond’s voice. The pain had continued all through the day, getting worse and worse by the minute.

  “Nat?”

  She jumped, whirling to face Jared, who stood in the doorway looking rumpled, tired and more handsome than she’d ever seen him.

  “Jared, please, I really need to talk to you. Now.” She glanced at him and something in her voice, her eyes, set his nerves on edge. “It’s important.”

  “All right,” he said hesitantly, moving
forward to take her hand. “Come sit down with me.”

  She drew her hand away, longing for his touch but knowing she didn’t deserve it, couldn’t have it—not ever. “No, I can’t.” She shook her head. She’d held herself together all day, but right now she knew she was on the edge of falling apart, and she couldn’t touch him, not until this was over. “I’d rather stand, Jared.”

  “Fine.” Taking a seat in the soft leather chair that had sat in the corner opposite the fireplace for as long as he could remember, Jared simply watched her. “Obviously this must be important.”

  He had a feeling he knew what this was about—his asking her to think about making their arrangement more personal. He feared he’d spooked her. Judging from the way she’d been acting all day, he was pretty sure of it. He wished he could regret asking her, but he couldn’t—didn’t. But he wasn’t certain he was ready to hear her rejection, either.

  “Go ahead, Nat, I’m all ears,” he said quietly.

  She paced for a moment, twisting her hands together, searching for the right words, the right phrase, trying not to let tears start. They clogged her throat as she finally turned to face him.

  “Jared, I don’t know how else to say this, but…” She hesitated, swallowed hard, then blinked away the tears she knew she couldn’t shed. Not yet. “Jared, I’m afraid that, because of me, the boys are in danger. Serious danger.”

  His natural protective instincts immediately on alert, Jared leaned forward, fists clenched, fear slowly pouring through his veins like molten lava. He narrowed his gaze on her. “What the hell are you talking about, Natalie?”

  “It’s a long story.”

  “Make it short,” he ordered, causing her to sigh. She should have expected this.

  “Jared, do you remember when you told me you and Kathryn adopted the twins?” Taking a deep breath, Natalie continued pacing, trying to remember that her feelings didn’t matter, all that mattered was keeping the boys safe.

  “Yeah,” he said slowly, trying to figure out what she was getting at. “What about it?”

  “Remember you told me the boys’ mother had died and their father couldn’t take care of them, so he put them up for adoption?”

  Impatient, he curled his fingers, then uncurled them. “I remember all of this, but what does it have to do with the boys being in—”

  She turned to face him, knowing she couldn’t do it any other way. He deserved that much. “Jared, the boys’ mother didn’t die. She’s not dead.”

  Totally confused, Jared shook his head. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “I’m Timmy and Terry’s mother.” She forced herself to stop and just stand there. “Their natural mother.”

  Staggered, Jared merely stared at her, totally speechless. He blinked, shifted his gaze, not seeing anything, only hearing her words echoing over and over in his mind.

  Natalie was the boys’ natural mother.

  Something akin to rage leaped into his eyes, but he was a man of discipline and banked it down—barely. “I don’t believe you.” The words were strained with an effort at control.

  “Why on earth would I lie about something like this?” Her eyes flashed and she recited information that had been committed to memory. “I gave birth to twin boys five years ago, at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois. Timmy was born first and he weighed four pounds seven ounces. He had an umbilical hernia when he was born that was surgically corrected when he was six weeks old. If you look very closely, you can see the tiny scar.” She took a breath, plunged on, ignoring the dangerous light flickering in the depths of Jared’s eyes. “Terry was born next and weighed in at four pound, three ounces. He has a birthmark on the top of his skull—you can’t see it now because of his hair, but it’s in the shape of a crescent moon and cherry-red. The boys stayed in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit for almost two weeks because they were born almost a month premature. Terry also has a scar on the bottom of his left foot, right near his heel. It’s about half an inch long and looks like a squiggly worm. He stepped on a piece of glass right after his second birthday and it required five stitches. All of their medical records, and their hand-and footprints, are on record at the hospital if you want to verify what I’m telling you.”

  Jared merely stared at her, trying to take it all in.

  Natalie was the twins’ mother.

  Their real mother.

  The implications simply wouldn’t sink in. If she was the boys’ mother, where had she been all of these years? And what was she doing here now? Why hadn’t she told him the truth? Why had she hid it? Lied to him? Deceived him?

  Cold fear slid over Jared, settling like a low, aching ball in his gut, causing his skin to chill as his temper flared.

  Natalie had deliberately lied to him and deceived him.

  Why?

  That was all he kept asking himself. The question echoed over and over in his mind as he looked at her, wondering how this could be the same woman he’d fallen in love with.

  Why would she lie to him?

  He shook his head, trying to concentrate on what she’d told him. Terry’s scar. She’d said something about Terry’s scar. And Timmy’s birthmark. Jared frowned, struggling to put his thoughts in order. During the summer months, he always had the boys’ hair cut short because of the heat. But Natalie had arrived in September. The boys’ hair had grown out by then, so how could she have known about the scar on the top of Timmy’s head?

  And Jared had always wondered about the scar on the bottom of Terry’s foot. When he’d adopted the boys, Terry already had the scar. Jared had noticed it the first night, when he’d brought the boys home, because like all new fathers, he’d inspected his kids from head to toe.

  Realization hit him like a demolition ball, spreading fear, anger and panic through him. His fists clenched and he surged to his feet, not certain what to believe, only knowing his heart had begun to ache in a way he no longer thought possible.

  “Natalie,” he roared, eyes flashing dangerously, his heart aching with betrayal. “I don’t know what the hell kind of a con you think you’re pulling—”

  “Jared!” Nearly frantic, Natalie grabbed his arm, then shook it, tears swimming in her eyes. “Listen to me!” She tightened her hand on his arm until he looked at her. His gaze was so cold, so angry that she almost recoiled. “Jared, please?” Her voice broke, but he appeared unmoved, and it only hurt more. “This isn’t a game or a con, honest. I wouldn’t lie to you about something like this.” Tears slipped down her cheeks.

  “Why not?” he snapped, shaking free of her, trying desperately to ignore the pain slicing through him, ripping him in two. She’d lied to him. Deceived him. Deliberately. Knowingly. Willingly. He’d trusted her, thought he could trust her. Now he knew differently. And dammit, it hurt. “Apparently you’ve lied to me about everything else. Why wouldn’t you lie to me about this?”

  The venom in his voice cut her to the quick. Her heart ached so much she pressed her fist to her chest, trying to ease the pain. With a shudder, she took a deep breath.

  “Yes, Jared, I have lied to you—”

  Bitter bile rose in his throat and he swallowed hard, praying the pain inside would simply go away. He knew better. He’d been down this road before with another woman who’d deliberately lied to him and betrayed him, been down this road and sworn he’d never do it again.

  He’d been wrong.

  So wrong.

  About her.

  She was no different than Kathryn. She was worse, in fact, because her actions had been deliberately deceitful.

  What a fool he must seem to her, he thought, letting his rage and shame take hold. How the hell had he let another woman make a fool of him? Another woman whom he trusted?

  “You’ve been lying to me since the first day you came to this house, haven’t you?”

  “Yes,” she whispered, trying unsuccessfully to hold back the tears. Taking a deep breath, Natalie tried to remember her feelings
didn’t matter, all that mattered was keeping the boys safe. “I had no choice.”

  “Please, spare me,” he snapped, venom dripping from his voice. “You deliberately deceived me, the boys and even Tommy, didn’t you?” The statement was filled with disgust, but underneath it was a deep layer of pain. She could hear it and was staggered by the depth of hurt she knew she’d inflicted on him.

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  “Why?” he demanded, needing to know why she’d deliberately hurt them. He was an adult; he would be able to lick his wounds and get over his broken heart—eventually, he hoped. But the boys were innocent victims and would be unbearably hurt when they learned the truth of her deception. That angered Jared even further, until the anger was like a white-hot rage boiling inside him. “Why did you deliberately deceive us, Natalie. Why?” His gaze bored into hers, and she knew she couldn’t hold back the tears much longer.

  She’d hurt him. Had known she would, but hadn’t quite been prepared for this, for seeing the light go out of his eyes and pain settle in like it belonged there. Once, he’d looked at her with desire and trust in those beautiful eyes now he looked at her with venom and suspicion, and she wasn’t certain she could handle it. Lifting a hand, she swiped at her tears.

  “I couldn’t tell you the truth, Jared,” she whispered, unable to look at him simply because it hurt too much. “I just couldn’t.” She took a long, shuddering breath, prepared to tell him everything. “About three and a half years ago, my husband—ex-husband,” she correctly quickly, aware that Jared’s body had tensed, his gaze had cooled, his face had hardened. “My ex-husband was discovered embezzling over two million dollars from my father’s firm.” She stared at the floor, concentrating on what she was saying. “I didn’t know it, of course. Raymond had me fooled as well as everyone else, including my father. When my dad learned about the missing funds, he gave Raymond a chance to repay it without pressing charges. Raymond refused, and basically just laughed in my father’s face, taunting him, saying my dad would never put his grandchildren’s father in jail.” Natalie took a deep breath, then continued, glancing briefly at Jared.