For years she’d kept the name of her child’s father a secret. Only she and her mother knew the truth. Even her twin half-brothers, Nathan and Trevor, who had known Dave in high school, had been spared the bitter fact that one of their friends had done a love-’em-and-leave-’em number on their half-sister. Her hands felt suddenly clammy, her heart as cold as the bottom of the ocean.

“Josh is gonna be all right,” Luke said as she passed by him for the thirtieth time. He gestured toward her anxious pacing. “You know, if you’re not careful you’re gonna wear a patch right through the floor.”

He smiled, but it seemed guarded somehow and she wondered about him. From the minute he’d blown into town he’d been a mystery, a man without a past—a tall, lanky Texan with a sexy drawl and, seemingly, no ties. She’d fantasized that he’d held some deep, dark secret that she, as the local reporter with her ear to the ground, would uncover. Instead, he’d dropped a bomb that threw her life into unexpected and unwanted turmoil.

Luke studied her over the top of his magazine. “Can I get you something? A cup of coffee?”

“The last thing I need is caffeine.”

“Decaf, then.”

“Or maybe a tranquillizer.” She knew she was overreacting, but she was a jumble of nerves today.

His grin widened a bit and the crow’s feet around his eyes deepened. “This is probably the place to get one.”

“I was kidding.”

“I know.” He slapped his magazine closed. “I think we should call a tow company for your car.”

“Oh . . . good idea, but I need to be here.”

“As soon as Josh is released.” He snapped his magazine open again and turned his attention back to the article he’d been perusing. Katie sat down, but couldn’t endure the inactivity. Seconds later she was pacing again, her brain pounding with the problem of how she was going to tell Josh that his father was dead. She wanted to ask Luke what had happened to Dave, but thought she had better wait until they were alone, and she felt more in control.

Within twenty minutes Josh was wheeled back into the room. He was wearing a brace on his leg and a woman doctor with short brown hair, wide eyes and round glasses approached. “Are you Josh’s mom?”

“Yes. Katie. Katie Kinkaid.”