Free Wedlocked?! by Pamela Toth

“I’m always careful.”
    Was her voice a shade huskier than usual? He wasn’t sure. He just knew he’d better get out of Ryan’s office before he did something guaranteed to shatter the tentative truce they seemed to have forged. Opening the door, he stepped back to let her by. When she looked up, her expression had lost some of its hostility.
    â€œI’ll keep you posted,” she offered, and then she hurried away, leaving him to speculate as to whether it was possible that he bothered her anywhere near as much as she did him.
    He was still working on that puzzle when he joined his mother for breakfast in the small sunroom. The way her face lit up made him feel guiltyfor the resentment he was still struggling with. Why couldn’t he put his feelings aside? At the time she had done what she thought was best. He didn’t have to agree with her to accept her motives.
    â€œGood morning, darling,” she exclaimed. “How did you sleep?”
    What if, despite his best efforts, his mother was convicted? He shuddered to think of her in a prison cell. She was too vibrant for confinement, bubbling over with happiness now that she and Ryan had found each other again.
    If Cole’s efforts failed, he would always wonder if his personal feelings had held him back or clouded his judgment in some way. Dammit, he had to clear her!
    â€œI slept well. How about you?” He leaned down to kiss her cheek. When he straightened, she searched his face as if she was looking for an answer to some unspoken question.
    â€œWhat is it they say? I’m doing as well as can be expected, I guess.” Her smile was brave, but there were dark smudges beneath her eyes. “Have you talked to Annie?” she asked. “Is there any progress?”
    Cole pulled back the chair next to hers and sat down. “I just saw her. She was going to talk to one of Ryan’s employees.” He reached for the coffee carafe and topped off her cup before filling one for himself.
    â€œAnnie will find something,” his mother saidwith forced confidence. She speared a chunk of melon with her fork, but then she merely pushed it around her plate.
    â€œYou aren’t eating enough,” he admonished her. Was it his destiny to make sure the women in his life got fed?
    She laughed softly. “Have you been talking to Ryan?” she teased. “The two of you seem determined to fatten me up.” She glanced at the empty spot on the table in front of him. “What about you? Have some breakfast.”
    He shrugged. “Just coffee for me. I’ll get something later.” He would never tell her that grim image of her looking out from behind bars had destroyed his appetite. “Any news on the kidnapping?” he asked.
    Her smile faded, and he wished he’d kept his mouth shut. “No, nothing.” A note demanding several million dollars’ ransom had shown up on the one-year anniversary of Ryan’s grandson Bryan Fortune’s disappearance, but no one had tried to pick up the money. Shortly after the baby had been kidnapped, the FBI recovered another male baby bearing the unique Fortune birthmark, the same mark Cole himself wore. No one knew where this child had come from, but since they knew he was a Fortune, all the Fortune males were tested for paternity. The test proved Matthew was his father. Matthew had claimed he never cheated on his wife Claudia, saying the only way he could be the father was froma sperm bank donation years ago. Lately the Fortune family had had more than their share of devastating luck.
    â€œHow do you like working with Annie?” his mother asked, breaking into his grim thoughts.
    â€œShe’s competent enough,” he replied cautiously.
    Lily sipped her coffee. “She’s pretty.”
    â€œI hadn’t noticed.”
    For the first time in way too long, his mother laughed out loud. As Cole’s cheeks flamed, she patted his