Free Close To Home (Westen Series) by Suzanne Ferrell

once?”
    Shaking her head, she bit her lip to stop her anger before it could intensify. All this was water under the bridge, even if she hadn’t told another soul any of it before. “His lawyer got a court order for a paternity suit. It shocked me, because I knew I would be vindicated. My lawyer demanded it be the new DNA testing. His lawyer didn’t protest it.”
    He leaned in closer. “Why? He had to know he’d lose.”
    Emma snorted. “Doc, you’re as naive as I was. The DNA tests came back unmatched.”
    “How?”
    His incredulous tone pleased her sense of outrage. He sounded exactly as she had that day in court when her world fell apart. Then the dawning light of understanding filled his face.
    “He rigged the results.”
    “Exactly.” Emma nodded. “Only by this time I was out of money. I couldn’t afford to fight him and raise my sons. So I came home to Weston worse than just a divorced single mother.”
    “What do you mean? Your life, future and livelihood had been stolen from you. What could have been worse than that?”
    She swallowed hard then stared straight into his eyes when she answered. “I came home labeled an adulterer.”

Chapter Six

    “ A n adulterer. He has the affair and you come away with the bad reputation?”
    Such pain crossed her beautiful features at his words that it tore at his gut. It wasn’t right for her to feel so badly. He suddenly wanted to hit something, preferably her ex-husband’s face. With great determination he reined in his temper. “So he got everything out of the divorce. No alimony, no child support.”
    “He didn’t get everything.”
    Something in her voice caught his attention. Hope? No. Satisfaction. “What didn’t he get?”
    “He didn’t get my boys.” Her lips lifted in a victorious smile. “So in the end, I won what truly mattered.”
    Clint reached out, laying his hand on hers. The heat between them surprised him. “Yes, you did. They’re great kids.”
    She studied him for a moment. “Then why are you trying to take them away from me?”
    “I’m not trying to take them away from you, Emma. I just want to be sure they’re safe.” He knew she couldn’t understand how much he needed her boys to grow up safe and happy. Or how he woke up in the middle of the night sweaty with panic from the nightmare of losing Johnny Wilson over and over again.
    “They’re safe, Clint. I promise you that.”
    He stroked his thumb gently across the top of her knuckles, feeling the tender skin from where she washed her hands so frequently. “Tell me about the town watch. Why did my uncle set it up for you? Why not just take the boys to a day care?”
    As if she suddenly realized they were holding hands, she tugged her hand from beneath his then laced the fingers of both her hands together.
    There wasn’t any hesitancy in her words, no sign he should doubt her story.
    “The Watch has actually been in action for five months since my father died. We didn’t expect his heart to give out so suddenly. He hadn’t complained of chest pain or anything.”
    “If he’d had chest pain, he might’ve been hiding it from you. Especially if he’d known how much stress you were already under.”
    She nodded and gave him a small smile. “That’s what Doc Ray said. Daddy knew how much we all depended on his strength that he was in denial about his own health.”
    “So that’s when my uncle came up with this plan?” He nudged her back to his original question.
    “Yes. Mama was too devastated at the time to really care for the boys, who’d just lost the only man in their lives. So Doc Ray and Caroline stepped into the void.”
    He nodded, remembering all the things he learned at his uncle’s side throughout the years. “They never had kids of their own, but they loved helping anyone with kids who needed it. Just like they did for my mom with all of us when we were small.”
    “Exactly. I think they got as much from the boys as we did from them.” She pulled