Her Sister's Secret Son. Lisette Belisle

Dylan was born, Laurel was very unhappy. She needed to get away.”

      “So she left Dylan?”

      “She left him with me. She came to see him whenever she could.” She added a few details.

      Jared learned that Rachel’s aunt and uncle had been wonderful; they’d helped her finish college. She’d taken advantage of on-campus daycare while attending classes. Apparently she’d had no social life. Although Jared didn’t discover anything new about Dylan, he learned that Rachel had sacrificed her youth for the boy. She didn’t seem to realize how unusual that was.

      With each question, he watched her withdraw further and further. He felt like an interrogator…like an unfeeling brute pulling the wings off a fragile butterfly. And for what? So that he could take Dylan from her?

      Before making a move, Jared needed to get acquainted with the boy, to lessen the shock when it came—to know whether this odd tenuous bond he felt with this child was real, or all in his mind—or his heart.

      Jared glanced at his watch. “I should be going, I’ve still got other cases.” He pushed away from the table. He had to see Rachel again—for more than the obvious reasons. “Thanks for the coffee. Maybe we could do this again.”

      “Mmm,” was her noncommittal response. She collected the used mugs, then set them in the sink.

      As far as refusals went, hers left Jared with no room to argue. He’d heard Rachel use the same tone with Dylan, which didn’t do much for a man’s ego. Of course, his masculine ego wasn’t at stake here…was it?

      Over the next week or so, a green pickup truck could be seen parked in Rachel’s driveway with enough regularity to start tongues wagging. One day, when Mary Ellen wasn’t available to stay with Dylan, her mother volunteered to fill in. “Are you sure you don’t mind?” Rachel asked when she dropped him off in the morning.

      “Not at all,” Nora insisted. “Dylan’s a joy to have around.” She was a kind, warmhearted woman, naturally friendly and inquisitive when it came to her new neighbors. The entire O’Neil family had taken Rachel and Dylan under its protective wing—for which Rachel was grateful, except when it came to answering questions concerning her personal life.

      “Have you got time for a cup of tea?” Nora said.

      Hoping to avoid one of Nora’s “heart to heart” talks, Rachel refused politely. “I’m running late for work.”

      Nora just smiled. “Mary Ellen tells me Jared Carlisle’s been spending a lot of time at your house.”

      “Just to see the puppies.” Rachel eased her way from the kitchen, down the hall, to the front door.

      Nora followed. “That’s not what Mary Ellen said.”

      With one hand on the doorknob, Rachel stopped. “What did she say?”

      “Well, I don’t know about you, but it seems like Dylan’s got a huge crush on the man. He needs a father. Seems like he’s decided Jared’s a good candidate for the job.”

      Rachel closed her eyes. “Oh, God.”

      Smiling, Nora said gently, “Maybe I shouldn’t ask, but were you in love with Dylan’s father?”

      “He’s my sister’s child, but he’s always been with me.”

      “Is that why you never married?”

      “Not really. At first, Dylan and school took up every minute of the day,” she admitted. “Then, when I finally came up for air, I discovered all the suitable men in town were taken, and the rest were too old, too young or too married.”

      Nora laughed. “Well, you could do a lot worse than Jared. The Carlisles are good people. Ira’s a little testy at times, and there was all that trouble years ago with the mother, but Jessie and Jared turned out okay.”

      Rachel shook off the urge to ask for more details. “I really do have to go….” She made her escape.

      But she couldn’t escape Nora’s words—Dylan had decided Jared would make a good father.

      Thus, a few days later, when Jared stopped by with the casual invitation, “I thought we could go out for pizza, you, Dylan and I,” Rachel balked.

      She was thinking of Dylan when she said, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

      Jared raised an eyebrow. “Why isn’t it a good idea?”

      “This is difficult to put into words, but you may have noticed that Dylan is a very friendly little boy.”

      “He’s a great kid. You must be proud of him.”

      “Yes, well.” Rachel took a deep breath. “Of course, I’m proud of Dylan, but his openness often leads to his getting hurt. He puts his faith in people too easily.”

      “I’m not sure I follow you. Why don’t you spell it out?”

      “He likes you,” she said. “I don’t want him getting ideas.”

      “Let me get this straight. You’re turning down a date with me because I included Dylan in the invitation.”

      “Please understand, he’ll read more into it.” She sighed. “He has a habit of getting attached to people, then he doesn’t understand when they drop out of his life.”

      By “people” Jared guessed she meant men. Although he didn’t like it, he had to admit she had a point. He had no serious intentions toward Dylan’s lovely aunt—not honorable ones.

      Rachel was simply a means to get at the answers concerning Dylan. Wasn’t she?

      Considering himself well-warned, Jared said, “Are you protecting Dylan? Or yourself?”

      She stiffened. “It doesn’t really matter, does it?”

      Jared shrugged. “I suppose not. But just as a matter of interest…you did let Drew get close.”

      “That’s different. He’s Dylan’s father.”

      Jared caught the ring of conviction in her voice. It made him pause—she was so sure that Drew was Dylan’s father.