Page 11 of Deadly Evidence
She stared at him in disbelief. “Anything else?”
“You and your dad apparently had a falling out, because you didn’t come home for Christmas that year.”
She stared at him. How did he knowthat?
His gaze drifted toward the sky as he thought. “Ethan must have gone home for the holidays without you, because you weren’t there when he had a little too much crack at a party and died.”
Her heart clenched at the memory.
“People around here believe you two had actually eloped before then,” he continued. “And that you kept your own last name. There’s no legal record of a marriage, though.”
So casually recited, yet those months had been the hardest she’d ever faced.
Just before Christmas she’d found herself pregnant, and Ethan—a junior—had been horrified.
She’d been so naïve, so in love with him, that even then she’d clung to the hope that they could work things out, marry, and become a family.
Dad had tried to convince her to come home for Christmas. She’d refused, hoping she could save her future with Ethan.
She’d been so blind.
“You finished most of your freshman year, though,” Brady continued. “Until your dad was accidentally shot out in one of the pastures.”
“Anaccident?I don’t think so.”
“That’s what the report says.”
“When I got home he was in a coma, and he died two days later. He hadn’t known about the baby, and I never had a chance to tell him.”
A familiar wave of sadness washed through her. “But worst of all, he was never able to tell anyone what happened the nighthe was shot. I’ll go to my grave believing that someone got away with murder.”
“Since then, you’ve run this ranch on your own with minimal help from two old men, and now Dante.” Brady’s voice took on a hint of admiration. “Close enough?”
So close that it made her skin crawl. “Just how much time did you spend snooping into my past?”
“Not me—several other special agents worked on it. We needed to know who we were dealing with.”
“And were you satisfied?” she snapped. “Do you know what I read? What I eat for breakfast?”
“I don’t know everything. I don’t, for instance, know why you’re not in contact with Ethan’s parents. Does Lacey ever ask about them?”
Anna flinched. “That’s not your business, Coleman. If you had to verify whether or not I was a good risk for your investigation, fine. Beyond that, I want my privacy.”
He had the grace to look uncomfortable, even though he’d probably spent an entire career poking into other people’s histories without a second thought.
Chagrined, she added softly, “I thought Ethan was the love of my life. Did your research tell you how he broke my heart? How suave and persuasive he was? How scared I was—and how I never dared tell my dad I was pregnant? Lacey was born four months after he passed away.”
“I’m sorry.” Brady regarded her with somber eyes, then reached out to take her hand.
His thumb massaged the tender inner flesh of her wrist—meant to comfort, surely, but instead the contact of his skin against hers sent a spark of awareness flying through her like miniature fireworks.
Something totally wrong, given the situation.
Embarrassed, hoping he hadn’t noticed her reaction, she pulled her hand away.
“Ethan told his parents I was pregnant and apparently asked them to deal with it. They were sure thoughtful—they sent a ten thousand dollar cashier’s check for an abortion plus a nice little payoff.”
Brady winced.
