Page 102 of Winter Vows

“No. Just come, Dylan. Now.”

Something in her voice must have alerted him that she was in no mood for excuses, because he said quietly, “I’ll be right there.”

When he came in, she studied his face, trying to read the truth. What were his real motivations in taking this case? Had he already betrayed her? Had he deliberately let Paul slip away? Was he eager to see another dad succeed where he had failed?

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

She put it bluntly. “Are you really on my side or Paul’s?”

He looked wounded by the question. “Where did that come from?”

“Trish told me about your little boy.”

He went absolutely still, then stood up and began to pace.

“Well, was she lying?”

“No, of course not, but she had no right to tell you about that.”

Kelsey steeled herself against the pain in his eyes. “I’m glad she did. It was about time somebody filled me in. I had a right to know that you might have divided loyalties. Now answer me. Whose side are you on?”

He hesitated for no more than an instant, but it was long enough to infuriate her, long enough to condemn him in her eyes.

“You’re fired,” she told him. “I don’t want you working on this anymore.”

“Kelsey—”

She cut off the protest. “No. You’ve probably helped him get away.”

“Why would I do that?” he asked reasonably. “I’m working for you. My professional reputation wouldn’t be worth spit if I let my own feelings interfere in a case I’d accepted. Believe me, if I felt that strongly about your situation, I would never have taken the case in the first place.”

“You were under a lot of pressure to take it,” she pointed out. “Lizzy asked. Trish lives here in town. You probably felt you owed it to them.”

He ran his fingers through his hair. “Okay, yes. I did feel I owed them, but there was never a time when I couldn’t have called in another investigator if I’d thought it would be for the best.”

“But isn’t that just the point?” she demanded. “Best for whom? Me or Paul?” Even as she said it, she knew she was beyond reason. She’d been wanting somebody to blame for days now and Dylan was right here. He was an easier target than Paul.

“Okay, I’ll ask you again,” he said with exaggerated patience. “Why would I do that?”

His mild tone which suggested he was merely tolerating her outburst incensed her. She lashed out again. “Because your ex-wife has sole custody of your son and you haven’t forgiven her for it. You’re getting even with her through me.”

“She has sole custody because I made the decision that it was for the best.”

“So you say.”

Dylan flinched under the bitter assault, but he didn’t argue with her. He let it drop, accepting her judgment, obviously because she’d hit on the truth. Hewason Paul’s side. And for that, Kelsey was certain she would never be able to forgive him.

Later, when her temper had cooled and she could think back on the conversation rationally, she realized that at that moment, it looked as if a light in Dylan’s eyes had gone out. She ached for the unfair accusations she had hurled at him, but it was too late to take them back.

By then he was gone and she was all alone. Completely alone. The silence was deafening.

Only then did she hear the tiny, nagging voice in her head all but shouting that she had just made the worst mistake of her life.

Eight

Dylan dropped into a chair in Trish’s living room without even bothering to turn on the light. He was too exhausted to move, too drained to even drag himself off to bed. Kelsey’s charge that he’d let her down because of sympathy for her ex hadn’t been nearly as unfounded as he would have liked.

Oh, he had done his best to find Bobby. He’d left no stone unturned, no lead ignored, but he couldn’t honestly say he’d done it with enthusiasm. Not in the beginning. True, he had wanted Bobby reunited with his mother, a woman he’d come to care about more than he wanted to admit. But at the father’s expense? Even now, when he knew in his gut it was the right thing to do, the idea still brought up more bitter memories than he’d ever wanted to revisit. That was why he hadn’t been able to argue with the damning conclusions Kelsey had obviously jumped to.

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