But I can’t. Because I can see the pain in that picture. Hell, I can see the pain in your eyes right now.”
“That pain’s in your eyes, too.”
Dylan immediately looked away. “I won’t feel sorry for you and I won’t be attracted to you.”
Collena blinked, certain she’d misunderstood him. Mercy, had he noticed the way she’d looked at him earlier? With lust in her eyes?
Oh, this was not good.
She actually welcomed the knock on the door. They obviously needed some kind of interruption, because there was nothing that either of them should say about his attraction remark.
“It’s me,” a woman said from the other side of the door. Collena recognized the voice. It was Ruth Sayers, the nanny.
Dylan reached behind him and turned Collena’s photograph facedown. “Come in, Ruth.”
The woman opened the door, but she wasn’t alone. Her daughter, Millie, was with her, and the pair stood in the doorway.
Collena got a better look at Millie then. She was a younger version of her mom, with fiery red hair and piercing gray eyes. However, Millie had a calmness and serenity about her that Ruth lacked.
“The fire chief said I’m to tell you that he’d be in touch with you,” Ruth told Dylan. “Jonah’s still here though.” She pointed her finger at Collena. “Is he planning to arrest that woman for trespassing?”
Dylan pulled in a weary breath. “This is Collena Drake, and there’s a very good possibility that she’s Adam’s biological mother.”
Ruth frantically shook her head, but her daughter, Millie, had a different reaction. She merely stared at Collena. Examining her.
“Does she have any proof of what she’s saying?” Ruth snapped.
“Some,” Dylan confirmed. “It’ll take a couple of days to get the DNA results back. Or I might be able to get the results sooner if I can get the tests from the lab where she had Adam’s stem cells tested.”
“Adam has her mouth,” Millie whispered, nudging her mother with her elbow.
Collena was so relieved she couldn’t speak. Another person was confirming that there was a resemblance between her son and her.
“Her eyes, too,” Dylan added.
Just that bit of information nearly brought on the tears, but Collena blinked them back. However, it didn’t stop her longing to see her child. She’d gotten only the briefest glimpse before the doctor at Brighton had whisked Adam away.
Ruth shook her head. “I don’t see any resemblance. Lots of babies have blond hair and brown eyes.”
“Someone used the intercom earlier to listen in on the conversation I was having with Collena,” she heard Dylan say. He obviously wasn’t planning to address Ruth’s comments. “Any idea who would do that?”
So much had happened with the fire and Curtis’s visit that Collena had practically forgotten about that. But was it even important?
“Are you accusing me of eavesdropping?” Ruth asked. And she looked as if he’d slapped her.
“I’m merely asking a question.” Dylan’s tone certainly wasn’t accusatory, but he did sound adamant about getting to the bottom of the situation.
Unfortunately, the eavesdropping was nothing compared to other things that could be brewing. And Collena thought she knew who was behind them.
Rodney Harmon.
He was the most likely candidate for setting her car on fire. She couldn’t imagine Curtis traipsing around the woods in his pricey suit. Nor could she see either Millie or Ruth doing the same.
Eavesdropping, yes. Arson, no.
But now the question was—how had Rodney found her so quickly? She’d been in Greer for the past eighteen hours, and that would have put her already there in town right about the time that Rodney was escaping.
“I don’t know who listened in on the intercom,” Ruth finally answered. “Ina, maybe. She probably turned it on when she told you about the intruder and then forgot to turn it off.”
It seemed reasonable to Collena, but there was something in Dylan’s scrutinizing stare that
“That pain’s in your eyes, too.”
Dylan immediately looked away. “I won’t feel sorry for you and I won’t be attracted to you.”
Collena blinked, certain she’d misunderstood him. Mercy, had he noticed the way she’d looked at him earlier? With lust in her eyes?
Oh, this was not good.
She actually welcomed the knock on the door. They obviously needed some kind of interruption, because there was nothing that either of them should say about his attraction remark.
“It’s me,” a woman said from the other side of the door. Collena recognized the voice. It was Ruth Sayers, the nanny.
Dylan reached behind him and turned Collena’s photograph facedown. “Come in, Ruth.”
The woman opened the door, but she wasn’t alone. Her daughter, Millie, was with her, and the pair stood in the doorway.
Collena got a better look at Millie then. She was a younger version of her mom, with fiery red hair and piercing gray eyes. However, Millie had a calmness and serenity about her that Ruth lacked.
“The fire chief said I’m to tell you that he’d be in touch with you,” Ruth told Dylan. “Jonah’s still here though.” She pointed her finger at Collena. “Is he planning to arrest that woman for trespassing?”
Dylan pulled in a weary breath. “This is Collena Drake, and there’s a very good possibility that she’s Adam’s biological mother.”
Ruth frantically shook her head, but her daughter, Millie, had a different reaction. She merely stared at Collena. Examining her.
“Does she have any proof of what she’s saying?” Ruth snapped.
“Some,” Dylan confirmed. “It’ll take a couple of days to get the DNA results back. Or I might be able to get the results sooner if I can get the tests from the lab where she had Adam’s stem cells tested.”
“Adam has her mouth,” Millie whispered, nudging her mother with her elbow.
Collena was so relieved she couldn’t speak. Another person was confirming that there was a resemblance between her son and her.
“Her eyes, too,” Dylan added.
Just that bit of information nearly brought on the tears, but Collena blinked them back. However, it didn’t stop her longing to see her child. She’d gotten only the briefest glimpse before the doctor at Brighton had whisked Adam away.
Ruth shook her head. “I don’t see any resemblance. Lots of babies have blond hair and brown eyes.”
“Someone used the intercom earlier to listen in on the conversation I was having with Collena,” she heard Dylan say. He obviously wasn’t planning to address Ruth’s comments. “Any idea who would do that?”
So much had happened with the fire and Curtis’s visit that Collena had practically forgotten about that. But was it even important?
“Are you accusing me of eavesdropping?” Ruth asked. And she looked as if he’d slapped her.
“I’m merely asking a question.” Dylan’s tone certainly wasn’t accusatory, but he did sound adamant about getting to the bottom of the situation.
Unfortunately, the eavesdropping was nothing compared to other things that could be brewing. And Collena thought she knew who was behind them.
Rodney Harmon.
He was the most likely candidate for setting her car on fire. She couldn’t imagine Curtis traipsing around the woods in his pricey suit. Nor could she see either Millie or Ruth doing the same.
Eavesdropping, yes. Arson, no.
But now the question was—how had Rodney found her so quickly? She’d been in Greer for the past eighteen hours, and that would have put her already there in town right about the time that Rodney was escaping.
“I don’t know who listened in on the intercom,” Ruth finally answered. “Ina, maybe. She probably turned it on when she told you about the intruder and then forgot to turn it off.”
It seemed reasonable to Collena, but there was something in Dylan’s scrutinizing stare that
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