It was late afternoon by the time I returned to the house. I put away the groceries and headed for the living room, expecting to see Bree conked out on the sofa.

Contrary to what she believed, I knew she hadn’t slept well last night.

I felt every fidget, every toss, every barely restrained sigh.

I was just better at pretending than she was.

“Bree?” I called out when the living room was empty, her magazine tossed aside.

The silence in the house spiked a sense of unease as I quickly checked the room, ending with the bathroom.

I jerked open the door and found Bree in the bathtub.

Underwater.

Holy fuck!

I didn’t stop to think, just reacted.

I pulled her from the water and immediately started CPR, followed by mouth-to-mouth.

I must’ve had luck on my side.

Within seconds, she sputtered to life, coughing up water.

“Good girl,” I encouraged her softly as she cleared her lungs, sucking for air. After a good five minutes of hacking and coughing, she seemed able to breathe without choking.

Now that I knew she was safe I wanted to shake her head off her shoulders.

“What the hell happened?” I asked, carrying her to the bedroom in spite of her weak protests. “Are you trying to kill yourself?”

She shook her wet head. “I fell asleep,” she said, her voice raspy. “I’m must’ve been more tired than I realized. I never knew you could actually drown in a tub as an adult.”

The urge to laugh at her ridiculous statement warred with my need to hold her close and tight.

“You’re an idiot,” I said, brushing a kiss across the top of her head. “Yes, you can drown in a bucket of water, much less a full tub. If you were that tired, you shouldn’t have gotten in the bath.”

She had the wherewithal to scowl, which I took as a good sign. “Thank you, Captain Obvious. I think I’ve figured that part out now.”

I chuckled and went to grab her a towel.

“I was thinking that I might want a tub like that someday but now, I’m rethinking that decision,” Bree said, smiling between residual coughing fits. “Ugh, did I drown? I mean, like seriously?”

“Luck was on our side. You must’ve just went under when I got back. Another minute or so...I don’t think I would’ve been able to revive you. As it is, you might have lung damage. I think we should chance a trip to the ER.”

“The hospital? No, I’m fine,” she protested, shaking her head. “I’m not going to take the risk that someone might find us again over a paper trail. No, I’m good. Just give me a minute to dry out.”

I smiled at Bree’s plucky spirit. She was stronger than she looked but I wasn’t about to take chances. “If you’re still coughing like that in a few minutes, I’m taking you in.”

Bree was too sapped to argue — point in my favor — but she looked like an adorably wet cat.

A naked wet cat, I might add.

My gaze went unerringly to that sweet thatch of dark hair that called me to like a siren.

I jerked my attention away, trying to stay focused.

Bree caught the trajectory of my gaze in spite of my attempt to cover.

“Can you hand me my clothes?” she asked.

I scooped up her discarded clothing and thrust it at her, not trusting my ability to simply hand it to her or help her.

“I bought you some of that organic stuff you like,” I said, looking away while she dressed.

“Thank you,” she said. “I got desperate and ate a granola bar that may have been left over from the 1800s. I nearly broke a tooth.” A moment later she announced, “You can turn around now. I’m decent.”

I tried to hide my disappointment. I much preferred her naked.

But we had business to talk about. I wasn’t looking forward to dropping this bomb on her but bad news didn’t get any better the longer you waited to share it so I just laid it out there.

“My contact gave me a lead.”

“Yeah?” She perked up. “What is it?”

I steeled myself for tears or disbelief. “Your real name.”

She blinked. “Which is?”

Very little reaction. I didn’t know if I should be worried or relieved. “Your name was Caroline Burke before it was changed to Breezy Grace.”

She wrinkled her nose, much the same as I had. “I don’t look like a Caroline.”

“That’s what I said,” I admitted. “As kooky as it sounds, I think you look like a Bree to me.”

“Well, I’m not changing my name back to Caroline,” she decided with a frown. “I always wished for a different name but now that I have one...I don’t like it. I think I’ll stick with Breezy.”

“You don’t have to change your name. Legally, you are Breezy Grace. But the bigger question is...why did your mom change your names?”

“If she had our names changed, won’t there be a court record somewhere?” she asked.

I nodded. “But we’d need access to a government level database if we don’t know which state and county recorded the change.”

“Do you have friends who might be able to hack into a database of that sort?”

A slow smile formed on my lips. “I like the way you think. And yeah, I think I know someone who might be able to hack in.”

Bree answered with a smile of her own. “Then get to making those calls. I want to know what the hell is going on.”

“How about food first?” I suggested, taking note that she seemed fine after her ordeal but I was still wavering on whether or not to take her to the hospital.

“I could eat,” Bree said, moving slowly off the bed, rubbing her chest with a wince. “Man, I’m going to be sore tomorrow, aren’t I?”

“Probably. Chest compressions are a bitch.”

“Speaking from experience?”

I grinned but left the answer a mystery.