The Marriage Profile Page 7

  “All right. But I have a couple of questions—”

  “Read the file first, then we’ll talk. I’ve got to go,” he insisted, and headed for the door. And it wasn’t until he reached his truck and got behind the wheel that he realized his hands were shaking.

  Four

  “Thank you for allowing me to take these,” Angela told Josie Carson, indicating the baby blanket and little stuffed lamb that the other woman had given her following her request for something belonging to Lena. “I promise I’ll take good care of them and return them to you soon.”

  “Keep them as long as you like. Just find Lena for us,” Josie pleaded, her green eyes bright with the threat of tears.

  “I… We’ll do our best,” Angela amended, eager to take her leave of the Carsons before Josie’s fear and distress overwhelmed her completely. Although Angela had tried to shield herself, she hadn’t been able to block out the woman’s emotions. It was always one of the drawbacks of being psychic—this hypersensitivity to the people she was trying to help. While she’d become better at controlling it in recent years, for some reason she hadn’t been able to do so with Josie. As a result, the woman’s pain was now her own.

  “Thanks again, Flynt, Josie,” Justin said with a nod of his head, then he followed Angela outside.

  Flynt Carson stood on the porch beside his petite wife, placed his arm around her shoulders. “I know Lena is Callaghan’s daughter, but we’d appreciate it if you’d keep us informed,” Flynt told Justin.

  “Consider it done,” Justin replied, then guided Angela toward his truck.

  As Angela walked beside him in silence, she tried to make her mind go blank, to draw the emotions ricocheting through her into the imaginary box where she could store them away and deal with them later.

  When they reached his truck, Justin opened the passenger door and assisted her inside. “You all right?” he asked.

  Not trusting herself to speak yet, Angela nodded.

  For a moment she thought he would call her on the fib. And she was relieved when he simply shut her door, walked around and climbed into his side of the truck and drove away from the Carsons’ house.

  But her relief was short-lived when a few miles after they’d exited the Carson Ranch, Justin pulled the truck into a cluster of trees at the side of the road and cut off the engine. He turned to face her. “You want to tell me why you look like someone just ran over your dog?”

  “I…” Angela brought her hand to her throat, wondered how to explain to a man who didn’t believe in things he couldn’t explain logically that she’d been struck by the emotions coursing through Josie Carson.

  He tipped up her chin, forced her to look at him. Despite his somber expression, there was no mistaking the concern in those deep green eyes. “Did Josie Carson say something to upset you when the two of you were alone in the baby’s room?”

  “No,” Angela managed to say.

  “Then what’s wrong?”

  “I… Nothing.”

  “It’s not nothing if it has you this upset. You can trust me, Angela. Talk to me. Tell me what’s wrong.”

  The husky note in his voice and the way he was looking at her made her want to crawl into his lap and let him comfort her. But to do so would only complicate things. And the situation between them was already rife with complications. “It wasn’t anything she said. It’s what she was feeling. When she picked up the stuffed lamb, she was remembering how much Lena loved it, remembering the way the baby’s face lit up the first time she saw it. The empty nursery is a constant reminder that Lena’s gone.”

  “She tell you that?” Justin asked.

  “No,” Angela told him, and braced herself for his skepticism.

  Instead Justin simply said, “That baby might not be their flesh and blood, but I suspect they love her all the same. Besides being worried about her, I imagine they’re carrying around a lot of guilt, too.”

  “They are. Especially Josie.”

  “It makes sense. Seeing as how the baby was kidnapped while she was in their care, Josie probably blames herself.”

  “She does. And the guilt’s eating away at her,” Angela said.

  “I’ll talk to Flynt, make sure he’s aware of how Josie’s feeling, suggest he keep her away from the nursery.”

  Evidently he read her surprise in her expression because he said, “What?”

  “I didn’t think you would believe me, that you’d understand.”

  “Why not?”

  “No reason. I just know how you feel about my psychic ability.”

  Justin made a face. “Sorry to disappoint you, but there’s nothing psychic going on here that I can see. It’s simply a matter of observation. That, and doing what you suggested—putting myself in somebody else’s shoes.”

  For a moment Angela had actually thought that Justin might at last be willing to acknowledge that her abilities weren’t based in anything tangible, that he could accept that she was different. That he hadn’t shouldn’t have disappointed her, but it did.

  “If you’re not feeling well and want to hold off on going to see Luke Callaghan,” he began, breaking into her thoughts, “I can give him a call and arrange for us to go to his place another time.”

  “No. I’m okay. And I’d really like to talk to him today.”

  “All right,” Justin told her, and started up the truck. “I should warn you, though, Luke is different than you might remember him.”

  “Different how?”

  “He’s blind,” Justin advised her as he pulled the truck back out onto the road.

  “Blind?” The good-looking millionaire had always struck her as invincible. “What happened?”

  “Some kind of accident while he was out of the country.”

  Angela realized at once that it must have happened during the hush-hush military mission Ricky had told her about. She also realized that Justin remained unaware of Luke’s governmental activities. “Is it permanent?” she asked.

  “I don’t think Luke or the doctors know.”

  “It must be very difficult for him,” Angela mused aloud. “I can only imagine how he must feel—losing his sight and having his daughter kidnapped.”

  “Yeah. Just keep in mind that it’s only recently that he even learned that he has a daughter. I don’t think you should bank on him being much help.”

  “As I’ve told Justin, I doubt that I can be of much help,” Luke Callaghan told her a short time later.

  Seated outside on the picturesque patio of the Callaghan estate, Angela studied Luke. Ever since Ricky had confided in her about the secret military mission for which Luke had been the leader, she found herself viewing Luke through different eyes. Knowing of his military activities, she noticed minor things now—like the way he had positioned himself so that his back faced the wall. And while he appeared relaxed, there was an air of alertness, a readiness about him. Though this demeanor could be attributed to his blindness, Angela didn’t think that was the cause. During her marriage to Justin, she had crossed paths with Luke at the Lone Star Country Club a number of times. More often than not, she’d pick up a serious, almost secretive vibe about the man that, at the time, had seemed at odds with his playboy image. Now, at least, she knew why.

  He waited until the houseman had finishing pouring them coffee, and not until they were alone once again did he continue. “As Justin’s probably told you, I’ve been out of the country for the last few months on business. It’s only since I got back that I even learned I have a child.”

  “I’m aware of that,” Angela told him. “What I’m hoping is that you might be able to tell me something about your daughter’s mother.”

  Luke’s mouth hardened, and despite the fact that she knew those blue eyes pinning her like lasers from behind the dark glasses were sightless, Angela had to stop herself from shrinking away. “As I’m sure Justin’s told you, I don’t know who the woman is.”

  “I understand.”

  “Do you? Because I su
re as hell don’t.” He shoved a hand through his dark hair. “Despite my reputation, I’m not casual about sex. I certainly don’t make a habit of going to bed with a woman I don’t even know and bringing an innocent child into the world. But obviously, that’s exactly what I did.”

  Justin clamped his hand down on the other man’s shoulder. “No point in beating yourself up over this, Luke. It’s done.”

  “He’s right,” Angela told Luke. “The important thing now is for us to find your little girl. So if there’s anything, anything at all, you can remember about the woman, even something that might seem insignificant, it could help us to identify her and possibly find your daughter.”

  Luke sighed, seemed to stared off into the distance. “She was a blond, but not the typical pale-eyed, fair-skinned girl-next-door type. She had olive skin and the most exotic-looking dark eyes—sad, lonely eyes, that seemed to look right into a man’s soul.”

  Angela didn’t have to be psychic to know that Luke had felt something for this woman and that she continued to haunt his thoughts. “Do you have any idea of how old she was?”

  “She could have been in her late twenties, but I suspect she was closer to my age. Thirty-four.”

  “What about her height? Weight?”

  “She was about five foot six, slender but not skinny, curves in all the right places,” he said.

  “Is there anything else you can remember about her?” Angela asked. “Maybe an accent or something she said that might indicate where she was from?”

  “We didn’t do a great deal of talking,” Luke informed her, his mouth going flat. “She had an English accent or did a pretty good job of using one when we first hooked up, but as the night wore on, I picked up a hint of a Southern drawl.”

  “You never mentioned that to me,” Justin told Luke.

  “I didn’t think about it until now.”

  “Any idea what part of the South?” Angela asked. “Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi?”

  “Texas would be my guess,” Luke replied.

  Angela couldn’t help but notice Justin’s frown. Haley Mercado had been from Texas. Could Ricky be right? That his sister really was alive, and that the child might be hers? But surely Luke would have recognized the woman if she’d been Haley—even with a different hair color. From what Ricky had told her, Luke had been very close to Ricky and his sister before the boating accident that had claimed Haley’s life and ended the two men’s friendship.

  “You would think that a man my age would have had the decency to at least make sure he knew the name of a woman he goes to bed with,” Luke said, his voice filled with self-loathing.

  “We’re here to find your daughter, Luke, not to judge you,” Angela said softly, wanting to ease his torment.

  “You don’t have to judge me. I’ve already done that myself. And I can tell you that I don’t measure up very well,” Luke informed her. “There’s no excuse for my actions. Because of me, because of my own selfishness, there’s a little girl out there somewhere at the mercy of God knows what kind of people.”

  “Cut yourself some slack, Callaghan,” Justin told him. “It doesn’t sound like the woman needed much coaxing.”

  Luke’s hands balled into fists. His eyes grew stormy. “She wasn’t some cheap floozy.”

  “I never thought for a minute she was,” Justin assured him. “I may not know her, Callaghan, but I do know you. You’d never fall for a floozy.”

  Seemingly mollified by Justin’s response, Luke flexed his fingers. His spine lost some of its stiffness. “She and I… The sparks were just there. The minute I saw her come into the bar, I wanted her. It was as though… I can’t explain it,” he said.

  “You don’t have to. I know what you mean.”

  Something in Justin’s voice caught Angela’s attention, and she looked over at him. Her pulse quickened when she found his green eyes trained on her with such intensity. But just as quickly he averted his gaze.

  “Since there’s still been no ransom demand,” Justin began, “there’s a good chance that whoever took Lena doesn’t realize she’s your daughter.”

  “And what happens when they find out? What do you think the odds are that we’ll get her back alive even if I do fork over money? I have enemies,” he spit out. “And I’m not talking about the kind you meet over a boardroom table or at the Lone Star Country Club. If they were to find out—” Removing his glasses, he scrubbed a hand down his face, and when he looked up at them out of eyes that Angela knew could not see, he said, “You’ve got to find her before anyone discovers that I’m her father.”

  “Not many people know about the connection,” Justin assured him. “Anyone who asks is being told that Angela was brought in at the request of the Carsons.”

  “There is one other person who knows Luke is the father,” Angela corrected him, and both men looked at her. “Lena’s mother,” she explained. “I understand she left the baby on the golf course, with a note saying that one of your golfing foursome was the father and asking you to take care of the baby until she came back for her. So she obviously knew who you were, Luke.”

  “She’s right,” Justin added. “Unfortunately, we don’t know who she is. What I still haven’t been able to figure out is if the woman knew who you were, why she didn’t just come right out and tell you about the baby from the get-go? Why go through the pregnancy and have the baby without saying anything to you, only to leave her on the golf course for you to find her?”

  “Maybe she didn’t feel she had any other choice,” Angela said.

  “What do you mean?” Luke asked.

  “From what Josie and Flynt Carson told me, the little girl had been well cared for, loved. It doesn’t sound to me like she was unwanted. So maybe the mother never intended to tell you about the baby.”

  “Only something happened and she couldn’t keep her a secret anymore,” Justin added.

  “Exactly. And whatever it was that forced her to leave Lena, she apparently felt it prevented her from contacting you directly for help. So she left the baby on the golf course where she thought you would find her. She wouldn’t have had any way of knowing that the sprinkler system would kick on and your name would be obliterated on the note. As far as she knew, you would find the note and the baby.”

  “Only I wasn’t there to find her,” Luke said, his expression once again filled with self-reproach.

  “From all accounts, your little girl was in very good hands with the Carsons,” Angela offered.

  “I’m her father. I should have been there. Maybe if I had—”

  “Don’t,” Angela cautioned. She reached across the table, touched his hand. Choosing her words carefully, she said, “The night you met Lena’s mother, you said that your actions were out of character for you.”

  “That’s right,” he replied, and removing his hand from her touch, he slipped the dark glasses back on. “I don’t usually sleep with a woman I’ve just met.”

  “Speaking as a woman, I have a feeling that the same thing would hold true for your mystery woman. Most women aren’t casual about sex, either.”

  “What’s your point?” Justin asked.

  “That maybe Luke and this woman weren’t strangers,” Angela told him, toying with the possibility that if the woman had been Haley Mercado and she’d changed her appearance somehow, Luke might not have recognized her, but she would have recognized him.

  “He’s already said he didn’t know her,” Justin pointed out.

  Luke spoke up. “Hang on a second. Maybe Angela’s on to something. I mean, there was something familiar about her. She—she reminded me of someone I used to know, a girl I’d once been close to.”

  “Could it have been the same woman?” Angela asked.

  Luke’s expression grew even more somber. He seemed to gaze off into the distance, his thoughts evidently locked somewhere in the past. Then he shook his head as though shaking off some memory. “No. No, that would be impossible. It couldn’t have been her.”


  “We’ve taken up enough of your time,” Justin said, and shot her a warning look. He stood. “Angela needs to get busy working up that profile, and I need to get back to the office.”

  Following Justin’s lead, Angela came to her feet, all the while aware of Justin monitoring her. “It was good seeing you again, Luke. I’m sorry it couldn’t have been under happier circumstances.”

  “Angela, thank you for coming to Mission Creek, for agreeing to help,” Luke told her, and extended his hand.

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Obviously I’m of no use in any kind of search,” Luke told her, his voice filled with disgust at the reference to his blindness. “But if there is anything you need, anything at all, you need only to tell me. All my resources—money, manpower, anything—they’re at your disposal. Just find my baby for me. Please.”

  “Justin and I will do everything we can to locate her,” she assured him.

  “Thank you,” he said, and released her hand. “Both of you.”

  “You hang in there. I’ll be in touch,” Justin told him, and after shaking Luke’s hand, he ushered her away.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” Justin told Angela, breaking the silence that had hung between them since leaving the Callaghan estate. Although she’d said nothing for several miles now, he could almost see the wheels turning in her head.

  “Well, that’s certainly a switch. Usually I’m the one who’s accused of reading people’s minds.”

  Justin slanted a glance across the truck seat, noting the hint of a smile on her lips. “That’s the first time I’ve ever heard you joke about it.”

  “It?”

  “You know, the psychic thing. Usually you just clam up,” he said cautiously. The way she had in his office only a few days ago.

  Angela shrugged, and the trace of a smile died. “Reflex, I guess. I’ve spent so much of my life being afraid that if people knew I was different, they wouldn’t accept me. I wanted to fit in, to belong. And I learned that the best way to do that was not to say anything, to just keep my thoughts and feelings to myself.”