“Confession? I didn’t want to. I almost chickened out.”

“Then why put yourself through it? You can see by looking at that house that it’s not worth anything. Any value is in the land.”

“I wasn’t appraising the place,” she said, looking into his warm, open, handsome face. “It’s hard to explain.”

He seemed to settle into his chair as if he had all night.

There was something about him, a peacefulness, a strength, an old-fashioned integrity and honesty that garnered her trust.

“As I told you, I inherited the property. Where the problem comes in is that my elderly parents, in the years before they both died, insisted I know everything about their estate. They had wanted to make it as painless for me as possible by gifting me as much as they could over the years.”

“They sound like very loving, responsible parents.”

“Exactly. So imagine my surprise when this piece of Montana property comes at me from out of left field.”

“You like baseball?”

She blinked.

“The baseball analogy? I thought you might be a Cubs fan.”

She had to chuckle. “I am. My father took me to many of their games.” She could see by Russell’s smile that he liked her a little better. Being a fellow Cubs fan was all it took?

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt your story.”

“That’s just it. There isn’t much more to tell. I inherited the property, apparently from Laura Beaumont, via my parents. I’d never heard of her. Then I find out she was murdered and that she had a daughter. It brought up the obvious questions. Why hadn’t the daughter inherited the property unless she was deceased—or...”

“Or you were the daughter?”

She nodded, glad he was tracking her thoughts.

“Is that possible?” he asked.

“Apparently not, since little Angel Beaumont was found drowned in the creek after she went missing following her mother’s death. So how did I inherit property at the age of four from a woman I’ve never heard of? And why didn’t my parents ever mention it? All I can figure is that there is a connection between me and Laura Beaumont. But what is it and why would my parents keep this from me?”

He shook his head and waited as if he knew there was more.

Dulcie drew out the photograph and handed it across to him. “To make things worse, I found this in the house today. I looked just like the girl in the photo at that age.”

He studied the photo, then her and handed it back. “Is it possible this girl is related to you?”