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She hesitated a second, and she watched his gaze narrow. Feeling challenged for some odd reason, Catherine stiffened her spine and plastered on a smile. Taking his hand in her own, she gave it a firm shake before replying, “It’s nice to meet you too. Gracie has told me a lot about you.”
He didn’t release her right away, and Catherine couldn’t understand why her body began to riot out of control. She took the initiative and tugged. A slow, sexy smile changed his entire demeanor. For an instant Catherine couldn’t look away. It wasn’t until he let go of her that she was able to pull her attention back to Gracie and Wade.
She was stunned to realize Gracie had said something. Unfortunately, the only thing Catherine had heard was the sound of her own heart galloping. “I’m sorry?” She glanced over at Dean and saw the knowing smirk on his face. She itched to smack it off.
“I was saying that Jonas and Deanna will be along shortly. For now, I thought I could put on a pot of coffee and we could talk?”
“Sounds wonderful. The flight seemed extra long. Maybe that’s because I haven’t had a decent cup of coffee since leaving Georgia.”
Gracie went behind the counter and started rinsing the carafe. “I wish you would’ve let Wade and me pick you up at the airport. We really didn’t mind.”
“I know, but it’s fine. Plus, I managed to rent a very pretty red coupe. I love the little thing already.” She didn’t say it, but she’d needed the time alone to shore up her nerve. As sweet as Gracie had been in the many phone calls and in the e-mails they’d shared, Catherine had still worried that she’d change her mind about wanting to meet her.
As if sensing the train of Catherine’s thoughts, Gracie turned and said, “Well, just so you know, I’m really glad you came. I’m glad you got in contact with me. And I’m really glad that I have a sister.”
“Me too,” she said, her eyes stinging a little. Sister, wow. There it was again. She’d never get used to it. Then she remembered the letters tucked into her purse. “Oh! I nearly forgot about the letters.”
Gracie held up a hand. “No rush. We can get to them later. We have plenty of time.”
“Yeah, we’ll get to those later,” Dean added. When she looked over at him, she saw the truth written all over his face. He didn’t believe her. Didn’t trust her. For some odd reason the knowledge hurt.
4
Dean didn’t want to be attracted to Catherine, but damn if that wasn’t exactly what was going on. Her Southern accent was sexy as hell, but she had a slightly snooty attitude, as if he didn’t deserve to breathe the same air as her. The thought pissed him off. If anyone should be grateful, it should be her. He didn’t trust her. Didn’t believe for a second that she was only here to visit her long-lost sister. There was more to it, and he intended to find out what it was.
The instant he’d seen her picture on Gracie’s computer he’d been intrigued by her. She had an innocent look to her. As if she’d been sheltered from life’s dirtier side. But Dean knew that looks could be deceiving. He’d expressed his concern to Wade, but his brother wouldn’t listen to reason. As far as he was concerned, Catherine was who she claimed to be, Gracie’s sister and nothing more. Jonas had even done a search on her. Nothing had come back save for an article about Catherine’s prizewinning roses. She had no criminal record. She lived with her parents in Atlanta, Georgia, until her parents had died in a car accident. That’s when she’d found the letters about her biological mother. It was only then that she’d learned she had a sister living in Ohio. All of it sounded great. But Dean still felt there was something Catherine wasn’t telling. He knew too well that a woman could put on a facade to get what she wanted. The question was, what did Catherine want?
When Catherine brought up the subject of her adoption, Dean spoke up. “Speaking of your parents, you told Gracie that your parents never revealed to you that you were adopted, is that right?”
She swallowed several times before answering. “Yes. I think Mama was going to tell me, but she never found the right time. I’m still trying to deal with that.”
“You learned the news through a friend?” he prompted her. Dean could see it was a sore spot for Catherine, but there were too many questions and not enough answers.
She nodded. “Our family doctor. He was a friend of my parents for years.”
“A very good friend if your parents trusted him with such a big secret.”
“No, like me, he was never told the truth. He was Mama’s doctor, so he knew she’d never given birth to a child. He’d examined her, you see.”
Dean frowned. “And that sort of thing can’t be misjudged? He’s absolutely sure she never gave birth?”
“Dean, enough with the questions,” Wade growled.
Catherine held up a hand. “No, please, it’s fine. Keeping these things in the dark is what caused all this to begin with. Gracie and I missed out on a lifetime of memories because of this secret. It’s high time it’s brought to the light.”
“But we’re going to make up for that,” Gracie said, adding her weight to Team Catherine.
She smiled at Gracie. “Exactly.” Catherine turned her attention back to him, the smile disappearing in an instant, and said, “Even if Doctor Cabel had made a mistake, the letters from Gracie and my biological mother are proof, don’t you think?”
“And why didn’t Gracie’s father know about you?”
Gracie glared at Dean. “I told you about that, Dean. Catherine explained that the letters indicate we have different fathers. It’s not so unusual for a woman to have children with two different men.”
“Of course not, but—”
“No buts, Dean,” Wade said, his voice brooking no argument. “Enough with the interrogation. There will be plenty of time to go over all the facts later. For now, let Gracie and Catherine have some time to visit.”
Dean looked over at Gracie and saw the worry on her face. He felt like an ass. “Sorry, Gracie. Sometimes my mouth gets ahead of my brain.”
