Andy paced behind the SUV. The tree was not so big. Anyone coming down the track would get a great view of Caris. Naked.

A slim arm reached up as she slipped on the dress. He’d watch the pile mount up beside her—the jeans and blouse, followed by some lacy numbers. He couldn’t see more, but he’d noticed the ones she’d pulled from her bag. Delicate pieces of nothing much. Damn if that didn’t play havoc with his senses.

Senses which had already been riled up when she’d stood in front of him with a soaking blouse turned see-through as had the bra beneath. Her nipples, pink and hard, had taunted him, begging his hands to warm them. She’d looked not so much a drowned rat as a water nymph, and the rest of him had wanted her more than he ever had.

With a jolt, he remembered his meeting, and the vision he’d replayed in his mind went out of focus. This was nothing more than a pleasant interlude in what had previously shaped up to be a nightmare of a day. He had to concentrate, and not on the beauty behind the tree. As tempting as she was, he had to devise a plan for sorting out the mess that was his past.

His mother was alive and living in Florida. A part of him wanted to rejoice in the knowledge. Another part was furious that his drunken father had told the worst lie of all and it had taken him this long to find out. Then again, shouldn’t he have known Doug Carlile was capable of doing that to his family? The man who’d rather take his kid away to a strange city than let him stay with a mother who loved him, and then tell the same kid his mother was dead, so he wouldn’t think to look for her.

Hating his father had been part of his life for so long, that he didn’t give it much thought these days. Now, he was wrestling with the idea that his mother was not only alive, but she’d left him with a man who had only one thing on his mind, and it hadn’t been a growing son. His love for the bottle was renown, but what had been her love? He’d understood she had to get away from her husband, but why had she left town and not tried to find her son?

Caris came back to the car looking pretty as a picture in a blue sundress, which highlighted the similar sky blue in her eyes. The white cardigan made her look like an angel. Which was the truth, as much as it wasn’t. He’d seen her angry, usually at him, and he’d seen her care for every sick animal in the district, and every person who needed it. She wasn’t only a doctor by name—it was who she was.

She squeezed some moisture from her sodden clothes then threw them into the trunk in disgust and closed it. “Where to now?”

“I’ve booked us into a motel out of town.”

She blushed. “And, then?”

As much as being in a hotel room with her had been playing on his mind, he had to pull a curtain over the thought of Caris’s naked body on a bed.

“Then I have to work.”

“Right. So, I’ll be left to my own devices, and we’re not even staying in town?”

“It’s better this way. I don’t want anyone to know I’m here.”

“You drive a car which sticks out in any town, and you think no one will notice?”

He saw her point immediately and could have kicked himself. “You’re right. I don’t know what I was thinking. You muddle me up.”

Caris snorted at his confession. “I think that’s an insult?”

“It’s the truth. Look I’ve got a lot on my mind right now. I haven’t got time to play games.”

She folded her arms and glared at him, the mood returned to chilly. “I wasn’t aware this was a game, but if that’s your take on it, fair enough.”

He hated to see her upset and angry, but the meeting had changed things. He shouldn’t have brought her and made her subject to the potential ugliness he might be about to uncover. They drove in silence until they arrived at the motel. It was middle-of-the-road in comfort and had a small bar out back which also served as the dining room.

Andy hefted her suitcase and his army duffel bag into the reception with a glum Caris beside him.

A freckle-faced woman greeted them with all the southern hospitality she could muster. “I’m Cathy-Lee, you must be Mr. Carlile and Ms. Knight?”

Andy took off his Stetson. “Yes, Ma’am.”

“Pleased to have you. You all look like you need a hot bath. Both rooms have their own bathroom,” she said, proudly. “There’s plenty of towels, and we’ve got some of those fancy smelling things to make it relaxing. You just throw them into the water.”

Caris wasn’t immune to the woman’s sunny nature, and she gave her back one of those smiles he lived for. “That sounds perfect. I have some clothes needing a wash. Do you have a laundry?”

“We sure do, but you hand them over to me, sweet thing, and I’ll have them back for you tomorrow.”

Caris hesitated, but the woman was so earnest that she handed over the sodden garments. “Thank you, that’s so kind.”

Cathy-Lee waved her appreciation away. “Anything you need; you give me a holler. We’re booked solid, but I’m never too busy for our guests.” She handed Caris the keys. “Once you sign the register, take those stairs to the first floor and your rooms are to the left, at the quiet end of the hotel.”

“Lovely. Thanks, again.”

An older gentleman came from the office behind the desk to take the bags.

“I’ve got them, thanks anyway.” His duffel bag had some items which weren’t regulation, and not particularly light, so he wouldn’t inflict it on anyone. Especially a man who was neither fit, nor in his prime.

Caris led the way and opened both doors of the rooms which were next to each other.

“Any preference?” Andy asked.

“None. Shall I take this one?”

“Go ahead.”

He followed her into the first room and put her case on the stand provided. “I’ve got a few things to do, so I’ll see you in a couple of hours in the bar for dinner?”

“Okay.”

She didn’t look too thrilled to be dumped but he had to sort this out. He put his suitcase in his room, noted the connecting door, and dismissed the idea of opening it. Although, he had to admit it wasn’t going to be easy.

He had a wash, made several phone calls, and was about to leave when Caris burst through the internal door he hadn’t thought to lock. Instantly he was on alert, every nerve in his body tuned in to protect her. “What’s happened?”

She sat on his bed and crossed her arms. “You tell me. I’ve had time to think about things, and I’m not leaving until you tell me what happened at the lawyers.”

“Mind your own business, kid.”

“Don’t try to fob me off, Cowboy. I’ll sit here until you find it within yourself to trust me.”

Exasperated, he grabbed his Stetson and picked at the braid. “It’s not that I don’t trust you.”

“Then what is it?” Her voice was less insistent but strangely more compelling.

“It’s personal.”

“What does that mean? You’ve been part of our family for so long, there can’t be any ghosts in the closet.”

“You’d be surprised.”

“So, go on. Surprise me.”

As much as he wanted to keep things close to his chest for a bit longer, she was wearing him down with her tenacious concern. She’d be with him for a few more days, and he couldn’t avoid the truth forever. As if speaking it could somehow make it any worse.

“My mother’s alive.”

Her mouth opened and closed, giving him some satisfaction. “Oh, my goodness. How? Why?”

“Exactly how I felt when the lawyer told me. Apparently, the lawyer looking after her affairs back then suffered from dementia. The rest of the company didn’t realize how bad he’d got. When he finally retired, they found the mess he’d left, and it’s taking them years to rectify all the problems he’d caused.”

“There are other people in your situation?”

“Probably not quite the same as me, but it blows my mind to think how many lives he’s ruined or made harder by his illness. I’ll think about what, if any, action I’ll take against the company when I find out exactly what this all means to me.”

Caris digested this, then softly asked, “And the lawyer? What will you do to him?”

“The poor bastard probably suffered enough, but as it happens he’s dead. This apparently was the key to them digging into things further.”

She whistled. “So, where is your mother now?”

“She was in a retirement village with her sister.”

“There must be more to her story then?”

“Oh, there’s more.” He began to pace. It had been hard to hear, but it was harder to say the words. “What was documented states she’d moved to her sister’s home in Florida because she was scared of my father. She wanted to take me, but he refused. Interesting, when you think he had no clue where I was or if I had enough to eat most of the time.”

She jumped to her feet. “It must be terribly upsetting, but isn’t it also incredible?”

He waved her away. If he was to continue telling this story it was best he wasn’t given too much sympathy. “When she couldn’t find me because Dad had taken me to San Francisco, she asked the lawyer to trace us. In the file, there were notes from his discussion with her. He said he’d hired a private detective and gave her updates, but there was no indication of any progress. After a few years, the notes stopped. I’ve contacted every number there was, but the last place won’t give me any information. I’m going to have to go down there once I’ve made a few more inquiries.”

“So, the lawyer didn’t do anything to find you?”

“I’m beginning to think that’s the case. Whether the updates were fudged, I’m not sure, but it doesn’t seem like he did all he should have. And he certainly didn’t do enough. Maybe the guy he hired was taking the money but not actually looking. We may have traveled at night, and maybe Dad was careful, but it’s not like we changed our names and I did eventually go to school.”

“Does it give any other details about your mom?”

“She mostly worked as a waitress. Then there’s nothing more about her. The senior partner tried to locate her, but he couldn’t get anywhere either.”

“Thank you for telling me.”

“I know you won’t say anything to anyone.”

“You’re not telling the family?”

He stopped pacing once he realized he’d almost worn a track in the carpet. “Not yet.”

“But…”

He shook his head. “Come on, Caris. You know how it will be. You of all people should understand since you omitted to tell them about us.”

She blushed. “Okay, no telling the family. For now. Why don’t we leave for Florida right away? You must be dying to see her?”

He walked to the window and pulled back the curtain, not sure what he hoped to see. An answer which made sense? “To be honest, I’m confused about what I hope to get out of this. I came here to sign papers, not to resurrect the past. After all this time, do I really want to? I don’t know. Did she do enough to find me? Why did she leave me behind?”

She came to stand beside him. “You don’t know the truth yet. You only know some of the facts, and it’s not like you to make up answers.”

Reluctantly, he nodded. She was right. He was jumping to conclusion and he usually didn’t deal in ‘what ifs’. “I need to find out more about the circumstances before I confront her.”

“Okay, but let me help this time. Please.”

“It’s not necessary.”

“Don’t be all macho about it. I’m here and not exactly doing a heck of a lot. Use me.”

He looked into those light blue eyes and had a vision of using her, and it wasn’t in any way she was thinking of. Although, she did have a wicked twinkle going on. Somehow, she always made him feel better. Caris was a package all right, and he wanted nothing more than to unwrap her. But, he wasn’t about to take advantage of her while he was in this current state of mind.

“Okay, you’re on. I’m going to talk to a few people around town. I’m sure they’ll be much more accommodating with a pretty girl on my arm.”

She grinned. “You sweet talker.”

“Quit that. Let’s get going.” He had to get out into the fresh air before her flirting took an even bigger hold of his senses.