The Mommy Mystery

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Authors: Delores Fossen
Tags: Fiction, General, Romance
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She had her attention fastened to Lucas. “I was about to turn thirty-three—but I wasn’t in a relationship. I hadn’t been in one for a long time. Plus, I figured it might take years for me to get pregnant.” She kissed the top of Lucas’s head. “It didn’t. It worked on the first try.”
    If it hadn’t—if Gabrielle had used anotherembryo—then they wouldn’t be here together in this room. Lucas wouldn’t exist.
    Hell.
    It was hard for Houston to stay furious with his father when he was looking at his son’s face. But he couldn’t let Mack get away scot-free, either. This was past mere interference in Houston’s life. His father should have told them what was going on long before Lucas was born.
    Lucas let out a loud burp, causing both Gabrielle and Houston to chuckle. Again, the moment seemed intimate. And right.
    He couldn’t take his eyes off Lucas, and the baby was staring at him now. He’d been right about the eye color. They were blue.
    “I’d like to hold him now,” Houston said, gently.
    Her chin didn’t stay defiant and steely. She got a panicked look in her eyes.
    “I just want to hold him,” he assured her.
    Of course, coming from him, that was no assurance at all. Still, Houston went closer and held out his hands. The moments passed slowly, before she finally surrendered and placed the baby in his arms.
    The punch was instant. The overwhelming feeling of love. The need to protect. All of that was rolled into one gigantic wallop that made it hard for him to breathe. Man.
    He was a goner.
    Too bad he didn’t get to feel that miracle for very long.
    His phone rang, and Houston shifted the baby in his arms so he could glance at the caller ID.
    “It’s Dale,” he told Gabrielle, “I need to answer it.”
    She immediately took the baby from him, and Houston mentally cursed. This call could be important, critical to their safety, but at the moment, nothing seemed more critical than holding his child.
    “The black car finally stopped,” Dale said, the moment Houston answered.
    Finally, some good news. Well, maybe. “Where?”
    “At an apartment on the south side of town. Two men got out of the vehicle and knocked on one of the doors. When they didn’t get an answer, they got back into the vehicle and continued driving around.”
    “You know who the men are?” Houston asked.
    “Not yet. But one of the ranch hands used his phone to get a picture, and he sent it to your security specialist friend, Jordan Taylor. Jordan’s running the photo through all the databases now.”
    Good.
    That meant Houston would soon know the names of the morons, and he would go after them. This wouldn’t be a case of showing mercy, either. They would pay and pay hard.
    “Your friend also ran the address of the apartment where the two men knocked,” Dale continued. “He was able to identify the occupant through utility records.”
    “And?” Houston prompted when Dale didn’t continue. “Who lives there?”
    Dale hesitated again. “Gabrielle’s brother, Jay Markham.”

Chapter Six
    “My father’s already left,” Houston told Gabrielle, as he led her through the estate house at the Blue Springs ranch.
    “Are you sure? He could be lying about that.” Gabrielle wanted to be sure, because Mack had given her a huge reason to distrust him.
    “I’m sure. He’s taking a little vacation to our place on Padre Island.”
    A little vacation.
    Gabrielle was too tired to smile, but it was humorous in a sick, twisted way. She’d heard the phone conversation Houston had had with his father, and Houston had demanded that Mack leave immediately and not return until all of this was settled. It hadn’t been a request, and Houston had made it clear that he was beyond furious with the man’s actions. Hardly a little vacation.
    Maybe, just maybe, Mack would do as he was told.
    Gabrielle was actually thankful for the bone-weary fatigue, because that and Lucas were probably the reasons she hadn’t come

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