The Maverick's Christmas Homecoming Read online

  The timing couldn’t be worse, just before Christmas, but there would never be a good time. This wasn’t something he wanted overheard and indiscriminately spread around town.

  Shane leaned back against the stainless-steel counter and took a long drink of beer. After drawing in a deep breath, he said, “D.J., there’s something I need to talk to you about.”

  “Gianna.” The other man nodded knowingly.

  “What?”

  “I saw the way you two looked at each other tonight.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “My wife is a teacher, as you know. She’s educating me in the touchy-feely stuff.” He took a drink from his bottle, then leaned back against the cold cook top across from Shane. “Don’t tell her I said this, but she’s right.”

  “About?”

  “If you watch body language, two people are having a conversation without words. Couple’s shorthand, Allaire calls it.”

  “But Gianna and I aren’t a couple.”

  “That’s what all the guys say before they are.”

  “In my case it’s true,” Shane protested.

  He thought about the sexy redhead constantly and she starred in his dreams. When he wasn’t with her, he felt hollow inside and that had never happened to him before. The night he’d spent in her bed was seared in his memory, but he was the son of the town villain. He was pretty sure that was a deal breaker.

  D.J. studied him. “Just so you know, I’m Gianna’s honorary big brother and I offered to beat you up.”

  The words were teasing, the sort of banter Shane and his own brother did. Under the circumstances, he hadn’t expected to smile, but he did. That only made him angrier about what he had to do.

  “Did she take you up on it?” he asked, putting it off just a little longer.

  “No. She said she could take care of herself.”

  “And there’s nothing to take care of because we’re not a couple.”

  Since coming to Thunder Canyon, Shane had been careful to not get involved, what with all the baggage he had. Gianna, with her sweetness and light, had made him forget just long enough to slip up. He’d only suggested dinner because it couldn’t go anywhere. They were both leaving. But she hadn’t been completely honest about going back to New York and he couldn’t be sorry. If she’d told him the complete truth, he might have passed up the chance to know her and what a loss that would have been.

  “Just don’t hurt her,” D.J. warned. “I’d really rather not have to hit you.”

  That was going to change. If only Shane could change who he was. He was doing his level best to keep his feelings in check so he wouldn’t have hurting Gianna on his conscience along with deceiving everyone in town who’d welcomed him.

  And it was time to quit stalling and say what he had to.

  “D.J., there’s something I need to tell you—”

  The other man’s eyes narrowed. “You’re looking pretty serious. Did someone die?”

  Not yet, but what he was going to say would be the death of something. “I came to Thunder Canyon for a reason—”

  “Old news. There was a job opening.”

  Shane figured the best way to break this was to connect the dots from the beginning. “You said to me last week that Thunder Canyon was lucky to have me, but it’s not about luck. I’d been researching this town. When I heard the executive chef position would be available, I contacted Grant Clifton to let him know I was interested. He jumped at the chance after a visit to my Seattle restaurant. Career-wise, coming here wasn’t the best move. For me it was about getting answers.”

  “What are the questions?” D.J. tensed.

  “As an infant I was given up for adoption. My adoptive family lives in Los Angeles. Mom and Dad are attorneys. Maggie and Ryan, my sister and brother are also adopted, and also lawyers.” He set his half-empty beer bottle on the counter beside him. “I always knew I was loved, but still felt different from them.”

  “So you’re looking for your birth parents.” D.J. skipped steps and cut to the chase. “But why Thunder Canyon? This is a small town and pretty far off the beaten path.”

  “About a year ago my mother gave me all the information she’d received from the social worker at the adoption agency in Montana. I hired a private investigator who narrowed the search parameters to this town.”

  “Montana is a long way to go for a baby.”

  “I guess they wanted me to be far removed from the past.” Shane shrugged. “My mother loves me enough to let me do what I need to do.”

  “And you needed to come here.”

  “I wanted to get some information on my own and the kind of questions I had wouldn’t get answers on a long weekend.”

  “So you took the job and positioned yourself to gain trust.” D.J. finished his beer and still looked anything but relaxed. “Did you find what you were looking for?”

  “I know who my father is, but it’s not what I was looking for.”

  “You wouldn’t have started this conversation if you didn’t want me to know, too.”

  “I’d rather no one knew but it’s not that simple.” Shane dragged his fingers through his hair. Again he remembered what Gianna had said. Be a Band-Aid. Do it quick. “The P.I. managed to get a DNA sample and tests were run proving that Arthur Swinton is my biological father.”

  D.J.’s mouth dropped open, but no words came out. It took several moments for the information to sink in before he finally said, “He’s in jail where he belongs.”

  “I understand why you feel that way.” Shane didn’t know what else to say except, “I’m sorry for what he did to you.”

  D.J. shook his head. “Not your apology to make. This is unexpected, I’ll admit. But you’re not responsible for his actions.”

  He figured D.J. continued to be in shock. That was the only reason he was still standing there and hadn’t abruptly walked out. What Shane had to say next would probably do the trick.

  “I found my mother, too. The name on my birth certificate says Grace S. I’m convinced the ‘S’ is for Smith.”

  “That’s my mother’s name, too.” D.J.’s dark eyes narrowed angrily. The information sank in too fast for his mind not to have been moving in that direction. “But what you’re implying can’t be true.”

  “It is.”

  “No way. That would mean my mother slept with Arthur Swinton and that’s impossible. She would never have been with a man like that.”

  “I’m not making this up. Remember what Allaire said about the resemblance between us?”

  “It’s bull.” D.J. slammed his empty beer bottle on the counter and glared. “What’s this really about? Money? Is this a shakedown? You want me to pay so you don’t spread dirty lies about my mother?”

  “I don’t need your money.” Shane understood the surprise, shock and resulting anger, that his nerves were strung too tight. But he was treading on thin ice, suggesting Shane was like Arthur Swinton. “My family is wealthy and I’ve made a fortune on my own. That’s not what this is about. We’re brothers—”

  “Get out.” D.J. took a step closer. “I don’t want to hear another word.”

  Shane started to argue, wanted to settle this, but he could see by the other man’s expression that he’d shut down. He wouldn’t listen to reason. Or anything else, for that matter.

  “You can throw me out, but it won’t change anything.” Shane met his gaze, then headed for the back exit.

  D.J. followed. “Don’t even th
ink about repeating this crap. I won’t have my mother’s memory and reputation ruined by a pack of lies.”

  “I don’t lie,” Shane said quietly. “And if I wanted everyone to know, I would have said something a couple of hours ago in the dining room when the whole town was there.”

  “I have no idea what sick game you’re playing, but I want no part of it.” D.J. opened the back door. “Now get out.”

  Shane nodded and stepped outside. The door shut instantly and he heard the dead bolt slam home. Cold and dark surrounded him.

  When this journey of self-discovery started, he’d believed the truth would enlighten him. The real truth was that he’d never felt colder or more in the dark.

  * * *

  As the saying went, one picture was worth a thousand words and the instant Gianna saw Shane’s face, she knew that was true. Things with D.J. hadn’t gone well.

  She’d been pacing in front of the spectacular windows looking out on the ski slope, snow-covered hills and lights but all she could think about was Shane, all alone while doing the hardest thing he’d ever done. As soon as she heard the condo door open, she rushed to meet him in the entryway. He looked tired, defeated. His mouth pulled tight and there was tension in his jaw.

  Gianna asked anyway, “How’d it go?”

  “Could have been better.”

  “He didn’t take it well.”

  “How would you interpret getting thrown out of the Rib Shack?”

  “Oh, Shane—”

  She moved close and put her arms around him. He resisted for half a second, as if he didn’t deserve her comfort, then pulled her tighter against him. He buried his face in her neck, breathed in the scent of her hair and held on as if he never wanted to let her go.

  “I don’t know, Gia—”

  He’d never called her that before. He’d always used her full name. Something about the nickname got to her, intimate in a way sharing the pleasure of their bodies hadn’t been. Her heart squeezed painfully in a way it never had before, and felt as if she’d stepped over the edge into feelings deeper and more profound than she’d ever known.

  But she couldn’t think about that now. She was simply grateful that he didn’t seem angry at her for convincing him to tell D.J. they were half brothers. She hoped that didn’t change.

  Gianna slipped her arm through his. “Let’s go sit in the living room.”

  He nodded and let her lead him over to the couch. On the coffee table there was a tumbler with two shots of Scotch in it waiting for him.

  He kissed her softly and said, “Thank you.”

  “Anytime.” And she sincerely meant that.

  With a weary sigh he took the glass and tossed back half the liquor, closing his eyes as it burned all the way to his belly. “I needed that.”

  Gianna sat on the couch and looked up at him. “What did he say?”

  “That it was a lie and I must be trying to shake the family down for money.”

  She shook her head. “He was just lashing out. This really came out of the blue for him. When it sinks in he’ll realize that you don’t need the money.”

  “That’s what I told him. More or less.” He drank the rest of the Scotch, then sat beside her, close enough that their arms touched and thighs brushed.

  “I wouldn’t hold it against him, Shane. Anyone would have reacted that way.”

  “Agreed. That wasn’t a surprise. I expected it.”

  “But you’re still upset.” It wasn’t a question. One look at his face had confirmed his inner turmoil.

  “Yeah, I’m upset.” He dragged his fingers through his hair. “The thing is... I like him, Gia. And Dax. The whole extended family. We could have been good friends. But now—” The look on his face was tormented. “I have a better chance of opening a restaurant on Mars.”

  He hadn’t expected to be this troubled, she realized. The Traubs hadn’t been in his life until a few months ago. But like the town of Thunder Canyon, he’d connected with the family in a way friendship didn’t completely explain.

  She cared deeply for this man and wished there was a simple, easy way to make his pain disappear. But the only weapon she had was words. Maybe talking it through would help. And she had to know...

  “Are you upset with me for pushing you to say something to D.J.?”

  “You didn’t push me. No one could if I wasn’t leaning in that direction in the first place. I’m stubborn that way.” He linked his fingers with hers. “And I don’t think I could ever be upset with you. I didn’t say it before, but I’m glad you’re here.”

  “There’s nowhere else I’d be.” She leaned her head on his shoulder.

  “But,” he said, “I can’t help thinking that it would be better if I’d just left things alone. Not disturbed the ghosts of the past.”

  “For what it’s worth, I don’t think the Traubs are the type to run away from a problem. Seems to me they face things head-on, in a proactive way. Like you did tonight.” She looked up at him, the strong profile, determined set of the jaw. “It occurs to me that besides the strong resemblance, that head-on thing is a trait you have in common with them.”

  “Did you just pay me a compliment?”

  “That was my intent, yes.” She rubbed her thumb over his. “The point is, and I do have one, regardless of the fallout from all of this, the truth is always best.”

  “I’m not so sure about that.” His voice was soft, sad, with a touch of self-loathing.

  She thought carefully about what to say next. “How about looking at this another way.”

  “I’ll take anything I can get.”

  “Okay, here goes. You already know Arthur is your father.”

  “Unfortunately, yes.”

  “This is where I argue that you need an attitude adjustment.”

  “Oh?”

  Gianna knew if she looked at him, one dark eyebrow would be lifted. “Think about it. Whatever combination of DNA made you the way you are is something I’m grateful for. You’re a good man. If not, the people of Thunder Canyon would not have embraced you so completely. They’re funny that way. And you’re awfully pretty to look at.”

  He laughed, the desired reaction, and hopefully that eased some of his tension. After several moments he sighed. “But the things my father did. He messed with people’s lives, stole money. Conspired to commit God knows what kind of felonies.”

  “All part of the public record. But—” She met his gaze. “You’re wondering about bad traits you might have inherited. If you had criminal tendencies, they’d probably have surfaced by now. Have you ever had a run-in with the law?”

  “Just a couple of speeding tickets.”

  “That’s so small-time,” she scoffed. “And proves my point. The tests confirmed that he’s your father. But the evidence is circumstantial that Grace Traub was your mother. Is it possible she’s not? That she and Arthur never had a relationship and he is crazy just like everyone thinks?”

  “Anything’s possible,” Shane admitted. “My parents told me everything they know and my mother turned over all the information she has. Grace died years ago. The only way to prove something like that would be a DNA test for Dax, D.J. and me. They’d never agree.”

  Gianna knew he was right. Grace was gone and couldn’t confirm or deny. Dax and D.J.’s father had died, too, so there was no way to even find out if he knew anything. Obviously their children were all in the dark about the past. There must be another way to get the
truth besides DNA testing. She just couldn’t stand the idea of Shane not being able to know for sure and put this to rest.

  If he was the type to let it drop, he never would have undertaken this journey in the first place. If it wasn’t so important for him to find the peace to settle down, his mother wouldn’t have given him her blessing for the journey that led him to where he was now. Gianna was afraid that not knowing for sure about his biological mother would cost him the piece of himself that he would need to have a life. And that gave her an idea.

  “There’s someone you haven’t talked to yet about this. He might have the answers you’re looking for.”

  Shane’s body tensed, the muscle in his arm flexed. “I’ve talked to everyone I can think of. Who could possibly be left?”

  “Your biological father.”

  “You’re joking.”

  “No. I’m completely serious. Think about it. He’s the only key player still alive. The only one who can tell you what really happened.”

  “But everyone says he’s crazy. Delusional. A nut case. And even if he wasn’t, there’s the whole issue of not being truthful and less than an upstanding citizen.”

  “He did some bad things,” she admitted. “But the Traubs are the most vocal about him being crazy. I think that’s about them not wanting to believe their mother could ever have hooked up with a man like Swinton. What if they’re wrong? You owe it to yourself to find out the truth.”

  “Even if I decided to go see him, what makes you think he’d tell me the truth? How could I know for sure whether or not to believe anything that comes out of his mouth?”

  “Face-to-face you’d probably get a sense of whether or not he’s delusional. The rest...” She shrugged. “I can’t see that you’ve got a choice, Shane. It’s the only thing left.”

  He thought about it for a long time. Finally he looked at her and said, “You’re right about me being the type to face problems head-on. Whether or not I find out anything, no one can say I didn’t at least try.”