by Cindy Kirk
“You have a visitor waiting for you in the parlor. I gave him a cup of coffee and a Danish.” Ruby’s brows pulled together in a troubled frown. “He was rather insistent on speaking with you.”
“Who is it?”
“Kyle Kendrick.”
Though he hadn’t given his calendar much thought in recent hours, Jeremy didn’t recall having a meeting scheduled with the contractor.
“I heard the shower and assumed you were ready for guests.” Chagrin crossed Ruby’s face. “I didn’t realize that you and Delphinium were still . . . occupied.”
“It’s okay, Gram.” Jeremy experienced a brief pang of regret at the thought of Fin, slick, wet, and waiting in the shower. “Tell him I’ll be out in a few minutes.”
He pushed the door shut and turned.
Fin stood two feet away, towel drying her hair. Naked. His body jumped to attention. Cat-green eyes met his. “Who is it you’re meeting?”
“Kyle Kendrick.” Casting one last longing glance at her, Jeremy moved to the closet and started pulling out clothes.
Instead of placing the towel around her body, Fin wrapped it around her hair, forming a turban. “What does he want?”
Fin sat on the bed in front of him, crossing one long leg over another.
His mouth went dry. He wanted her. Again.
In that moment, Jeremy knew he would never stop wanting her. Not just in his bed, but in his life.
“Did you blow off a meeting with him?”
“I don’t think so. I hope not.” But the question had him checking his phone’s calendar. He frowned. “Nothing scheduled. I’m not sure why he’s here. But Gram told him I’d meet with him, so—”
“No worries.” Fin rose. “While you talk business, I’ll get dressed and keep your grandmother company. I can’t wait to hear all about Gladys’s fondue party.”
“She’s not here.”
“Of course she’s here. She just interrupted our . . . shower.”
“This place is a pit stop for her. She’s off to cardiac rehab, where she’ll probably meet a friend and head off somewhere else.”
Fin’s lips curved. “I want to be Grandma Ruby when I grow up.”
“I like who you are just fine.” Jeremy closed the distance between them and found himself intoxicated by the fresh citrus scent of her shampoo. Drops of moisture clung to her smooth skin, and he wished he had time to kiss each one.
“Take your time dressing.” He slid his hands possessively up her sides, stopping just below her breasts. Out of time but unable to resist, he kissed her with a slow thoroughness that left her visibly trembling.
He started to step away when she grabbed his hand and pulled him back to her for a ferocious kiss.
He slid his arms around her. “Screw Kendrick.”
But when his body pressed hard against hers, Fin gave him a little shove.
“Go.” She laughed, but the desire in her eyes told a different story.
“Give me ten minutes.” His gaze returned to her body, lingering on the luscious curves. “Don’t rush getting dressed.”
“Aye, aye, sir.” The mock salute sent her large breasts swaying.
He blew out a breath. “You’re not making this easy.”
She shot him a cheeky smile. “What’s the fun in easy?”
Jeremy strode down the hall, cursing his bad luck. If his grandmother had left for the gym a few minutes earlier, he’d be with Fin now. He’d never have answered the door, even if he’d heard the bell.
He found Kyle in the parlor, staring out the window. The man turned at the sound of his footsteps.
Standing a little over six feet, Kyle Kendrick had the tough build of a man who worked with his hands. Yet Jeremy knew Kyle not only worked for the company, but ran the company.
Kendrick Construction Inc. had its tentacles in all sorts of large commercial projects across the United States. Although Kyle looked to be in his early to midthirties, from what Jeremy had read, the man had been sharing management responsibilities with his father for nearly a decade.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.” Jeremy crossed the room and held out his hand.
Jeremy noticed Kyle wore a suit. He wondered if a meeting had somehow missed making it onto his calendar. Until this moment, he’d never seen the contractor dressed in anything but jeans and work boots.
Kyle gripped Jeremy’s hand, his gaze steady. “I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.”
“Not at all.” Jeremy motioned for Kyle to take a seat, and when he did, Jeremy took the adjacent chair.
“Your admin said you’d taken the day off.”
Jeremy hid a smile. Trust Dee Ann to cover for him. “What you have to say must be important to bring you all the way out here.”
He didn’t know what to think when Kyle jumped to his feet and began to pace.
Jeremy narrowed his gaze. Something was off here. But darn if he could figure it out. He clicked through the possibilities. Problems with subcontractors? Cost overruns?
Since the Good Hope Living Center was a private project, none of those things should impact the mayor’s office.
Kyle gestured with one hand. “You have a nice place here.”
“Thank you.” Jeremy smiled, a sense of nostalgia mixing with pride. “Rakes Farm has been in my family for generations.”
“I understand that sense of continuity. We have a horse farm in Kentucky that’s been in our family for generations.” The intense emotion in Kyle’s voice left Jeremy puzzled. “Bloodlines mean a lot to the Kendricks.”
When Jeremy said nothing, Kyle gave a nervous-sounding laugh. “You’re probably wondering why I’m here.”
Jeremy simply smiled and waited.
Kyle wiped his palms on his pants and once again began to pace. “Your parents don’t live in Good Hope.”
“They moved to Naples, Florida, several years ago.” While Jeremy fervently hoped Kyle wouldn’t take long to get to the point, he understood the value of small talk before getting down to business.
Kyle dropped back down in the chair and blew out a ragged breath. “My mother knows your father.”
“Really?” Jeremy inclined his head. The conversation had just taken an interesting turn. “Did they go to college together?”
“Actually, they met in Fort Lauderdale during spring break between their junior and senior years in college.”
Ed Rakes was the kind of guy who’d never met a stranger. And he was a man rarely forgotten. Even now, years after his parents had retired to the sunny south, people often asked after Jeremy’s father.
“I’m sure you didn’t drive all the way out here to tell me about a decades-old connection between our families.” Jeremy tried to keep the impatience from his voice. It wasn’t Kyle’s fault he had Fin waiting—hopefully still naked—in the bedroom.
“I think you’re my brother.”
Jeremy jerked back. “Pardon?”
“We share the same father.”
“You’re mistaken.” Jeremy wasn’t sure what game Kyle Kendrick was playing, but he was shutting it down. “My parents have been married over thirty years. They’ve dated since they were freshmen in college.”
“Except for a month their junior year.” Kyle lifted his chin, his eyes clear and direct.
Jeremy went cold all over. “You’ve spoken with my father? He confirmed this?”
“No. Not yet.” A muscle in Kyle’s jaw jumped. “I wanted to speak with you first.”
Jeremy pushed up from the chair, unable to sit any longer. He took a few steps, then whirled. “Why are you here? Why talk to me? If you believe there is some biological connection, go to the source.”
“I’ve already confirmed my dad—ah, the father I grew up thinking was my dad—is not my biological father.” Kyle scrubbed his face with his hands, looking bleak.
Bloodlines matter.
The words Kyle had spoken only moments earlier rang in Jeremy’s ears.
“That still doesn’t explain why you�
��re telling me this instead of speaking with my father.” The words came out more tersely than Jeremy had intended. But heck, if what this man was saying was true, his father had cheated on his mom.
Granted, they hadn’t been married, or even engaged at that point, but they’d been a couple. Jeremy hadn’t heard anything about a one-month breakup their junior year.
Kyle turned, blue eyes meeting blue eyes. “I want you to take a DNA test.”
There was something about not only the color but the shape of the man’s eyes that gave Jeremy pause. But he shoved the niggling thought aside. There had to be millions of people with blue eyes.
“Your hair is dark,” Jeremy heard himself say. “Rakes have blond hair.”
It was a comment that anyone with even an elementary knowledge of genetics would find ridiculous. But those eyes . . . the sick feeling in the pit of Jeremy’s stomach told him this man could very well be his brother.
Growing up, Jeremy had wanted siblings. But after several miscarriages, his parents had quit trying. His mother laughingly insisted she’d gotten it right the first time.
Kyle reached down and lifted a manila envelope from his leather briefcase. “There’s a DNA kit inside. All you have to do is swab the inside of your cheek and send it in.”
Jeremy thought about that dark time in his parents’ marriage. Had his father known he’d had another son? Or, if he’d cheated once, had he cheated again?
When Jeremy didn’t reach out, Kyle lowered his hand.
“If it turns out we’re brothers, then what?” Jeremy asked, his voice a throaty rasp. He cleared his throat.
“I’d like for us to get to know each other better. Maybe I could learn something about the Rakes family.”
Jeremy clenched the top of an ornately carved throne chair. “What we possess?”
Kyle’s dark brows pulled together in confusion. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
Jeremy’s hand swept the room filled with antiques. “My family has resources.”
Anger flashed in Kyle’s eyes. “I didn’t come here looking for a handout. Kendricks have our own money.”
“You’re telling me you aren’t a Kendrick.” Jeremy spoke bluntly. “And bloodlines matter. I wonder, does your father still consider you his son? Now that he knows you don’t share his blood?”
A muscle in Kyle’s jaw jumped. He tossed the envelope at Jeremy, who let it fall untouched to the sofa.
“I can’t force you to take the damn test.” Kyle spoke through clenched teeth. “But I hope you’ll consider it. Is there anything worse than not knowing the truth?”
Chapter Twenty-Two
When ten minutes stretched into twenty, Fin finally dressed. She opened the door to the suite, intending to see what was keeping Jeremy, when she heard the sound of raised male voices.
Instead of heading to the parlor, she made a beeline for the kitchen.
Ravenous after a night—and morning—of lovemaking, she decided to toss together some breakfast. Even though it was past midday, she was in the mood for eggs. Jeremy strolled in just as she was plating the eggs and bacon.
“I heard the front door slam and concluded the business meeting had come to an end.” She frowned, taking in the tight set to his jaw and tense expression as she set the plates on the table. “What did Kyle want?”
Instead of answering, Jeremy dropped into a chair and took a long drink of the coffee she’d just poured. “God. I needed this.”
Trying not to show her worry, Fin picked up a slice of bacon and nibbled. Jeremy was clearly unsettled by the conversation with Kendrick. That said a lot, considering Jeremy Rakes was one of the most unflappable guys she knew. “What brought him out here?”
Jeremy’s fingers tightened around his cup. “He says he’s my brother.”
Fin dropped her bacon. “Seriously?”
“Actually, he’s not positive. He thinks I am. He wants me to take a DNA test.”
Fin forced herself to lift a fork and stab a bite of egg. If this guy was Jeremy’s age or younger, that meant his father had engaged in an affair. Or it could be his mother had had a baby before they’d married and given it up . . .
There were lots of questions she wanted to ask, but she settled for the most direct. “Are you going to do the test?”
“I don’t know.” Jeremy’s gaze dropped to his plate. “I wish he’d just talk to my father. Make him take the damn DNA test.”
So, Fin thought, it was his father. “That sounds like a logical next step.”
“It does.” Jeremy’s eyes were clouded. “But Kyle made it clear he wants to know for sure before he approaches my dad.”
“Did your father have an . . . affair?”
“A fling with his mother over spring break in college.” Jeremy blew out a breath. “Supposedly my parents were on a break from dating at the time.”
“And his mother never told your dad she was pregnant?”
Jeremy’s brows pulled together. “I guess I’m not sure what happened. I didn’t ask. I was caught off guard.”
“Did you ever . . . suspect . . . ?”
“That my father had cheated on my mom?” Jeremy blew out a breath. “No. But then again, I never suspected you were pregnant.”
Fin jerked back her hand, her cheeks turning hot.
“I’m sorry, Fin. That came out all wrong.” His tortured blue eyes met hers. “Forgive me.”
“There’s nothing to forgive.” Shame flooded her.
Jeremy was cursing himself for not knowing she was pregnant when he could just as easily be cursing her for not telling him.
No more secrets, she promised.
Fin glanced at the food, which no longer held any appeal. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Where do you want to go?”
“Come with me to the hospital. It’ll take your mind off it.” Fin reached over and curved her fingers around his hand. “We can get better acquainted with my new niece.”
Jeremy’s gaze searched hers. “It’s going to be difficult for both of us.”
Fin blinked.
“Seeing the baby.” He flipped their hands over and laced his fingers with hers. “We’ll look at her and think of our child.”
Our child.
For so long Fin had only thought of the baby she’d lost as hers. She hadn’t really considered that the baby had been as much his.
“If you’d rather not go . . .”
“I want to go.” His gaze met hers. “We’re in this together, Finley. You’re not alone anymore.”
Instead of pulling into the hospital parking lot, Jeremy stopped in front of the house on Market Street.
“I’m glad I called for the room number before we drove all the way to Sturgeon Bay.” Fin was out of the car before he had a chance to open her door. “I can’t believe they sent her home so early.”
“She and the baby must be doing well.” Jeremy caught up to Fin, climbing the steps to the massive front porch together. “I never heard of anyone going home in twenty-four hours.”
“I think that’s some new insurance thing.” The butterflies in Fin’s stomach rose as one when Jeremy reached around her to ring the bell.
Too late they noticed the “Baby Sleeping. Please Don’t Ring the Bell” sign.
“Oops.” Fin grimaced. “We’re starting off on a bad foot.”
But when Beck opened the door, a pink-wrapped bundle in his arms and smile on his face, Fin relaxed.
She gestured to the sign, held in place by a pink gingham ribbon over the doorknob. “Sorry about the bell.”
“No worries.” With his free hand, Beck motioned them inside.
Fin had gotten used to seeing her brother-in-law dressed in suits or business-casual attire. Today, his long legs were encased in faded jeans. And his forest-green henley had clearly seen better days.
“Looking a bit worse for wear, Cross.” Jeremy spoke in the mocking tone men reserved for close friends.
“I’ve been spit up on several
times this morning,” Beck said equitably. “Before the day is out, I’ll probably be in pajamas.”
“Where’s Ami?” Fin glanced around.
“Upstairs taking care of some lady stuff.” Beck gestured vaguely with one hand. “She’ll be down in a minute.”
Jeremy took her hand as they followed Beck into the parlor.
“Is that new?” Fin’s gaze had been immediately drawn to an antique rocker.
“New to us.” Beck gently jiggled the baby in his arms. “The piece actually dates back to the nineteenth century.”
“It’s lovely.” Fin ran her hand across the ornate scalloped top of the chair.
“Would you like to hold her?” Beck asked Fin.
“Ah, sure.” After exchanging a glance with Jeremy, Fin crossed to Beck and held out her arms.
Beck lifted his free hand, palm out, as if to keep her at bay. “You need to wash your hands.”
“Oh, of course.” That only made sense, Fin thought, as she stepped into the downstairs lavatory. When she returned to the parlor, she found the two men talking in low tones, the baby quiet in her father’s arms.
“Before I hand her over, why don’t you sit down.” Beck may have phrased it as a suggestion, but he kept a tight hold on the baby. “Sitting while holding her can be a bit tricky.”
Fin glanced at the rocker. “Should I sit there? Or—”
“I’d say the sofa,” Beck gestured. “Ami will probably commandeer the rocker when she comes down.”
Even as she sat, Fin’s heart began to pound. She glanced at Jeremy, who still stood, hands in his pockets, rocking back on his boot heels.
He must have seen the SOS in her eyes, because he joined her on the sofa.
Beck shot Jeremy a sharp glance. “No touching the baby without washing your hands.”
“You’re going to want to hold her,” Fin told him.
Without obvious reluctance, Jeremy rose. When he returned, Fin had Sarah Rose cradled in her arms.
“She’s so tiny.” Fin found herself mesmerized by the wisps of dark hair and rosebud mouth that moved even in sleep. She thought of the baby that had once grown inside her and knew, without a doubt, she’d have loved it.
