the truth out of her, but aloud she only said stubbornly, “If Nick is his child, he's entitled to his share of the family possessions.”
“Ah, there is that word, if, again. As I mentioned, his claim to a relationship is based solely on his say-so.”
“What about DNA?” Shelly hesitated. Her knowledge of DNA was scant, but she knew enough to be aware that while
her
DNA could prove that she and Nick were related, it could
not
prove that Josh had been his father. In fact as she thought about it, she remembered vaguely having read a newspaper article a couple years ago about the Thomas Jefferson/Sally Hemmings controversy. There'd been something in the article about that, while it could be proven via DNA that the Hemmings' descendants had been fathered by someone in the Jefferson family, conclusive proof that they were in fact
Thomas
Jefferson's descendants could not be proven because Thomas Jefferson had left no male offspring. Shelly's eyes widened. “That's why he insisted upon being cremated.” And then she said something she'd never thought to say about her brother, “Why that sneaky bastard!”
“Don't you think that you're overreacting?” Mike asked sharply. “You're jumping to conclusions. And, remember, Josh always intended to be cremated; it wasn't something that he just recently decided upon. Right now, you have only Nick's claim that there is any relationship. Are you going to put aside everything you ever knew about your brother simply because of something a young man you don't know very well says?”
Shelly glanced from one tense face to the other. Five minutes ago she had believed that Nick was Josh's child. Had it simply been because she
wanted
him to be? That she wanted some physical reminder of Josh still in this world? Was it possible that Nick was playing upon her vulnerability with an eye to gaining access to a fortune? She'd been away for seventeen years and she'd only been eighteen when she'd left. What did she really know about Nick—or his mother for that matter?
Shelly's head suddenly started to ache, and her throat felt tight. Jesus! She didn't want to deal with this right now.
Maybe Mike was right. Maybe she was jumping to conclusions. She looked at Nick again. OK, so he had green eyes, and she thought she saw a family resemblance. Maybe she was wrong. Nick wouldn't be the first person to turn greedy at the thought of a lot of money.
She stepped away, and, not meeting anyone's eyes, said softly, “Right now, I don't know if I ever even knew my brother.”
Alone in her room, Shelly lay down on the bed, trying not to think about the ugly ending of the day. She didn't want to think that Nick was claiming a relationship in order to cut himself in for a piece of the pie that Josh's estate represented. She wanted, she admitted, for Nick to have spoken the truth. She wanted in a way that astounded her for Nick to be her brother's child, her relative, but she couldn't discount Sawyer's words either. Nor could she reconcile the man who Nick said was his father with the open, generous, loving brother she had known all her life. If Nick were his child, why wouldn't he have told her? Oh, not when she was a child, but surely once she had grown up, what reason was there for him to keep it secret? Because he was ashamed and didn't want her to think badly of him? Well, yeah, maybe.
What bothered her most was the notion that if Nick had indeed been Josh's, he had never acknowledged that fact. Illegitimate or not, at some point, wouldn't love or pride have moved him to reveal his relationship? She sighed, trying to make what she knew of her brother fit with Nick's claim. If she understood the meager facts she had at hand, Josh had always maintained a distance, had always acted as if he were nothing more than Maria's kind, caring employer. He had never admitted the truth, if Nick's statement was true, to anyone, not even his lawyer. And Sawyer was right, damn him! The leased cows and land could be
“Ah, there is that word, if, again. As I mentioned, his claim to a relationship is based solely on his say-so.”
“What about DNA?” Shelly hesitated. Her knowledge of DNA was scant, but she knew enough to be aware that while
her
DNA could prove that she and Nick were related, it could
not
prove that Josh had been his father. In fact as she thought about it, she remembered vaguely having read a newspaper article a couple years ago about the Thomas Jefferson/Sally Hemmings controversy. There'd been something in the article about that, while it could be proven via DNA that the Hemmings' descendants had been fathered by someone in the Jefferson family, conclusive proof that they were in fact
Thomas
Jefferson's descendants could not be proven because Thomas Jefferson had left no male offspring. Shelly's eyes widened. “That's why he insisted upon being cremated.” And then she said something she'd never thought to say about her brother, “Why that sneaky bastard!”
“Don't you think that you're overreacting?” Mike asked sharply. “You're jumping to conclusions. And, remember, Josh always intended to be cremated; it wasn't something that he just recently decided upon. Right now, you have only Nick's claim that there is any relationship. Are you going to put aside everything you ever knew about your brother simply because of something a young man you don't know very well says?”
Shelly glanced from one tense face to the other. Five minutes ago she had believed that Nick was Josh's child. Had it simply been because she
wanted
him to be? That she wanted some physical reminder of Josh still in this world? Was it possible that Nick was playing upon her vulnerability with an eye to gaining access to a fortune? She'd been away for seventeen years and she'd only been eighteen when she'd left. What did she really know about Nick—or his mother for that matter?
Shelly's head suddenly started to ache, and her throat felt tight. Jesus! She didn't want to deal with this right now.
Maybe Mike was right. Maybe she was jumping to conclusions. She looked at Nick again. OK, so he had green eyes, and she thought she saw a family resemblance. Maybe she was wrong. Nick wouldn't be the first person to turn greedy at the thought of a lot of money.
She stepped away, and, not meeting anyone's eyes, said softly, “Right now, I don't know if I ever even knew my brother.”
Alone in her room, Shelly lay down on the bed, trying not to think about the ugly ending of the day. She didn't want to think that Nick was claiming a relationship in order to cut himself in for a piece of the pie that Josh's estate represented. She wanted, she admitted, for Nick to have spoken the truth. She wanted in a way that astounded her for Nick to be her brother's child, her relative, but she couldn't discount Sawyer's words either. Nor could she reconcile the man who Nick said was his father with the open, generous, loving brother she had known all her life. If Nick were his child, why wouldn't he have told her? Oh, not when she was a child, but surely once she had grown up, what reason was there for him to keep it secret? Because he was ashamed and didn't want her to think badly of him? Well, yeah, maybe.
What bothered her most was the notion that if Nick had indeed been Josh's, he had never acknowledged that fact. Illegitimate or not, at some point, wouldn't love or pride have moved him to reveal his relationship? She sighed, trying to make what she knew of her brother fit with Nick's claim. If she understood the meager facts she had at hand, Josh had always maintained a distance, had always acted as if he were nothing more than Maria's kind, caring employer. He had never admitted the truth, if Nick's statement was true, to anyone, not even his lawyer. And Sawyer was right, damn him! The leased cows and land could be
Similar Books
