invariably kicked off at the door. And since the children played primarily in the living room, there was hardly a time when everything was in its place.
She shifted nervously. "Excuse the mess. The children have been playing in here."
There was no separate nursery or play area. Cara's home was a compact, one-story bungalow that had been built sometime during the depression. Cara had immediately been attracted to its charm and craftsmanship so the size hadn't been an issue. But she supposed that her entire house could fit into the nursery area devoted to Ross's children.
"How long have you known?" His voice was low and gruff.
"Only since seeing your twins yesterday."
"Did Melba say something? Was she really ill?"
"Yes. I can assure you that my appearance as your sitter was purely by chance. I only fill in when there's an emergency. As for Melba, she's never seen my children so she would have no reason to think anything was wrong. Melba works out of her home for the most part, so I was alone during those few times we met face-to-face."
Again Ross stared at her children. Cara remained silent, knowing that he would need some time to absorb the truth of what he was seeing.
The twins ran to her side, sensing the tension in the air.
"What's wrong with him, Mama?" Zoe asked, tugging at Cara's skirt.
"Nothing, sweetie. He's just thinking, that's all."
Heidi sniffed, clearly unimpressed with the stranger. "He looks like he needs a nap. Make him go home. I don' like him. He's starin' an' we're not supposed t' stare."
"Shh," Cara said, offering both girls a quick kiss. "Go play with your toys for a little while. Mr. Gifford and I need to talk."
Zoe rose on tiptoe to whisper in Cara's ear. "Can we have a cookie?"
"One each. Take them off the plate. The cookies on the baking sheet are still hot."
Ross's presence was quickly forgotten as the little girls thundered into the kitchen, giggling and jabbering to each other.
"They're so..."
"Like your little girls?" Cara finished.
He nodded.
"I couldn't believe it myself last night. I thought it was a horrible joke."
He rubbed his hand over his mouth, staring at a point in midair. "How could this be?"
Cara shrugged. "As near as I've been able to piece together, the twins must have been switched at the hospital."
He was so obviously stunned, that Cara gave him a few moments of silence to think about that long-ago night when his children were born. Although she knew it would have been wiser to speak with her lawyer first, she couldn't deny that she was secretly relieved that the truth was out.
"I've been trying to figure out how to break the news to you," she said softly.
"And the lawyer you were seeing..."
"Last night I was so shocked, so flustered, that I asked the advice of some friends. They told me I should check with a lawyer before telling you anything."
She wasn't sure how he would respond to that, but the comment brought no immediate response, so she didn't think he was offended by the move.
"I still don't know how the hospital could have made such an error," he said, rubbing at a spot between his eyes.
Cara stood and retrieved a framed photo from the side table. In it, two infant children slept through their first hospital portrait.
"When they were first born, we thought they might be identical twins. They were bald with blue eyes..."
Sensing what she was trying to say, Ross removed his wallet and flipped it open to reveal the pictures of two more infant children.
"They look alike," Cara breathed. "They could be quadruplets if we went by these photographs."
Ross breathed deeply. "So they could have been switched at the hospital."
"Let's face it. Mistakes like that rarely happen, but they do happen."
He frowned, his thumb caressing the photograph. "Which leaves us with a dilemma." He looked at Cara, his eyes intent. "What do we do now that we've discovered the error?"
Chapter Five
Cara bit her lip and tried to read Ross's thoughts from the
She shifted nervously. "Excuse the mess. The children have been playing in here."
There was no separate nursery or play area. Cara's home was a compact, one-story bungalow that had been built sometime during the depression. Cara had immediately been attracted to its charm and craftsmanship so the size hadn't been an issue. But she supposed that her entire house could fit into the nursery area devoted to Ross's children.
"How long have you known?" His voice was low and gruff.
"Only since seeing your twins yesterday."
"Did Melba say something? Was she really ill?"
"Yes. I can assure you that my appearance as your sitter was purely by chance. I only fill in when there's an emergency. As for Melba, she's never seen my children so she would have no reason to think anything was wrong. Melba works out of her home for the most part, so I was alone during those few times we met face-to-face."
Again Ross stared at her children. Cara remained silent, knowing that he would need some time to absorb the truth of what he was seeing.
The twins ran to her side, sensing the tension in the air.
"What's wrong with him, Mama?" Zoe asked, tugging at Cara's skirt.
"Nothing, sweetie. He's just thinking, that's all."
Heidi sniffed, clearly unimpressed with the stranger. "He looks like he needs a nap. Make him go home. I don' like him. He's starin' an' we're not supposed t' stare."
"Shh," Cara said, offering both girls a quick kiss. "Go play with your toys for a little while. Mr. Gifford and I need to talk."
Zoe rose on tiptoe to whisper in Cara's ear. "Can we have a cookie?"
"One each. Take them off the plate. The cookies on the baking sheet are still hot."
Ross's presence was quickly forgotten as the little girls thundered into the kitchen, giggling and jabbering to each other.
"They're so..."
"Like your little girls?" Cara finished.
He nodded.
"I couldn't believe it myself last night. I thought it was a horrible joke."
He rubbed his hand over his mouth, staring at a point in midair. "How could this be?"
Cara shrugged. "As near as I've been able to piece together, the twins must have been switched at the hospital."
He was so obviously stunned, that Cara gave him a few moments of silence to think about that long-ago night when his children were born. Although she knew it would have been wiser to speak with her lawyer first, she couldn't deny that she was secretly relieved that the truth was out.
"I've been trying to figure out how to break the news to you," she said softly.
"And the lawyer you were seeing..."
"Last night I was so shocked, so flustered, that I asked the advice of some friends. They told me I should check with a lawyer before telling you anything."
She wasn't sure how he would respond to that, but the comment brought no immediate response, so she didn't think he was offended by the move.
"I still don't know how the hospital could have made such an error," he said, rubbing at a spot between his eyes.
Cara stood and retrieved a framed photo from the side table. In it, two infant children slept through their first hospital portrait.
"When they were first born, we thought they might be identical twins. They were bald with blue eyes..."
Sensing what she was trying to say, Ross removed his wallet and flipped it open to reveal the pictures of two more infant children.
"They look alike," Cara breathed. "They could be quadruplets if we went by these photographs."
Ross breathed deeply. "So they could have been switched at the hospital."
"Let's face it. Mistakes like that rarely happen, but they do happen."
He frowned, his thumb caressing the photograph. "Which leaves us with a dilemma." He looked at Cara, his eyes intent. "What do we do now that we've discovered the error?"
Chapter Five
Cara bit her lip and tried to read Ross's thoughts from the
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