Valentine's Day. Nicola Marsh

be long past.” He grimaced. “I’m glad my mother isn’t here to see this. I hope no one ever tells her about it.”

      They drove back to the city, taking the long way and enjoying the scenery. Max’s mobile chimed and he pulled over to take the call. He looked serious as he listened, but Cari was playing with Jamie and didn’t pay too much attention. When he’d hung up, he turned to her.

      “Bad news,” he said shortly. “Sheila won’t be coming back.” His gaze flickered over Jamie and he winced slightly. “They found her body in the river. Seems to be drug related.”

      “Oh, Max!”

      They both looked at the child who was happily playing with a ring of plastic keys, totally oblivious to the fate of his mother. Then they looked at each other and without a word, came together for a long embrace. This was a tragedy for a baby, but at least he was too young to understand what an earthshaking event had just contorted his life. Perhaps it was best that way.

      Back in town, Max made some calls and came up with more news.

      “The police haven’t been able to find any relatives for Sheila, and neither have any of my people.” He looked deeply into Cari’s eyes. “Everything is going to ride on the DNA results.”

      She laced her fingers under her chin as she considered that. “And if they come back negative?”

      He looked pained. “Cari, if that happens, it will be out of my hands. If I have no marriage or blood ties to Jamie, there is nothing I can do. I’ll have no right to keep him here.” He shook his head. “Even all those lawyers I pay so much money to won’t be able to fix that one.”

      She shrunk back. “So he would go into the county system.”

      “I imagine so.”

      If that happened…

      Oh, it couldn’t happen. Blindly, she turned and hurried back to the nursery. Jamie was sound asleep, but she had to hold him. Hadn’t there been a time she’d vowed not to fall in love? That time seemed very long ago.

       CHAPTER NINE

      “AS I UNDERSTAND it, tomorrow is Valentine’s Day.”

      Cari straightened as Max came into the nursery two days later. She gave him a mischievous smile.

      “You are correct, sir,” she replied.

      He stood gazing down at her, a twinkle in his eyes.

      “Is it true that this is a fairly important day to women in this country?” he asked.

      She frowned, wondering what the catch was going to be. “Well, it can be.”

      “Good.” He smiled like the proverbial cat. “I’ve made arrangements.”

      “Arrangements?” Did she really have to hear about the details? “Are you going to do something with C.J.?”

      His dark gaze was like velvet. “No. I’m going to do something with you.”

      “Me.” Her eyes widened. Why not C.J.? Wasn’t that the woman he was supposedly going to marry? Maybe not. She knew he’d been working on that for the past few days.

      “There’s got to be a way to convince her to sell that wreck of a ranch,” he’d fumed more than once. “I’m willing to pay her twice what it’s worth. And I want her to close on this as soon as possible. I want to begin renovating the place before my mother finds out what a mess it’s in.”

      “She claims she’ll never sell.”

      He’d stared at her with haunted eyes. “She has to sell,” he’d said. “She’ll do it. If I can just find the right approach.” But he didn’t sound very convincing.

      And now he was talking about taking her to a romantic dinner instead of C.J.

      “I can’t go anywhere,” she protested. “I’ve got to be here for Jamie.”

      He nodded. “We’re going to bring him along.”

      She gazed at him suspiciously. “Where are we going?”

      He raised an eyebrow. “Nowhere.”

      “What?”

      He grinned, chucking her under the chin. “It’s a surprise. You wait and see.”

      And then he was gone.

      She sighed, half laughing. Anyone watching the two of them over the past few days would swear they were lovers. And in truth, she felt like his lover. The only things missing were commitment and some honest-to-goodness lovemaking. But neither of those things could happen with C.J. lurking in the wings.

      And of course there was the constant awareness that this was a passing fancy, something meant to last for days, not years or a lifetime. But she was intrigued that he meant to celebrate Valentine’s Day with her and not with C.J. And just what would C.J. have to say about that, she wondered?

      The phone call came the next afternoon, just as Cari began getting ready for their Valentine’s dinner. The DNA test results were in. Max was asked to meet with a panel of lab technicians and legal representatives, and he left right away. Cari stayed behind and worried.

      They’d had a small memorial service for Sheila. C.J. and Randy had come. Cari had taken Jamie as well, just so someone could tell him in later years that he had been to a ceremony honoring his mother’s life, even if he had no idea what it was all about at the time.

      And now they were going to find out whether Jamie would be staying with Max, where Cari was completely sure he belonged, or not. It was nail-biting time. She went into the nursery and watched Jamie sleeping. If they had to give this adorable child up, surely she wouldn’t be able to stand it.

      She heard Max come in and she ran to the front room. One look at his face told her all she needed to know. The test had come in with a positive match. With a shriek of joy, she ran to him and he swung her up in the air, both of them laughing with happiness. Tears streamed down her face. It was the best moment she’d had in many years.

      They went into the nursery and Max looked down at the little child who carried his brother’s legacy. Finally he was free to let his heart fill with love for the boy without reservation. This was truly a special day.

      “The first thing I need to do is call my mother,” he noted.

      “Not now,” she protested. “The time difference.”

      He shook his head. “She won’t care. Not when she hears what I’m calling about.”

      “Does she have any idea that there is a baby?”

      “No. I didn’t want to get her hopes up so I never told her about Sheila’s claim.” He grinned, shaking his head. “This is just incredible, isn’t it? I can hardly believe it.”

      Cari nodded happily. She was bound and determined not to let herself think about the fact that this meant it was the beginning of the end for her and her connection to Max. She would think about that tomorrow. Tonight, they would just enjoy the news.

      “Now we really have something to celebrate,” Max said.

      Two hours later he was leading her, with Jamie in the stroller, to the elevator.

      “Did you talk to your mother?” she asked.

      “No. It turns out she is staying with a friend. But I left a message for her to call me as soon as she gets my message.”

      “Good. Now tell me. Where are we going?”

      He shook his head, eyeing her with thinly veiled affection. “My lips are sealed. I ought to put a blindfold on you. That way you might actually be surprised.”

      “No blindfolds,” she said. “I promise