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“I understand that.” Jeremy glanced at the neat, organized desk, itching to get his hands on today’s layout, longing to read over the editorials, to check the feature stories. Tim had everything lined up, ready to go. “I just don’t know what position I need to be in right now, Tim.” He drummed his fingers on the leather-covered arm of his chair. “You seem born to this. I’d hate to just up and take that away.”

The silent message hummed between them. Tim had been born to this. Jeremy had stumbled into it because of a deep, dark secret and his birth order. How could he take up where he’d left off?

“I do like it,” Tim finally admitted. At Jeremy’s questioning look, he added, “Okay, that was probably an understatement. I love it. But there are days—”

“I remember those days,” Jeremy replied, relaxing back into the chair. “I never realized that I probably needed some time off. I just never dreamed I’d be forced out in such a jolting way.”

“Nobody forced you,” Tim reminded him. “You quit.”

Jeremy kept drumming his fingers. No need to relive the vivid details. “So I did.”

Tim leaned back, then pressed his hands behind his head, his fingers entwined. “There is something you could do, Jeremy, for all of us. I could use some help trying to figure out who’s behind all these scandals.”

Jeremy nodded, glad to have something, anything, to focus on. “I’ve gone back and studied all the leaks. It’s obvious someone is deliberately giving juicy tidbits about our family to the Observer. That part is a no-brainer. Whoever it is, they’re very much aware that the Observer is our rival. But what do they hope to gain by all of this?”

“They want to see us fall, or bring us down a peg or two,” Tim replied, bringing his hands back to his desk with a slap. “This all started with you—or, at least, you finding out about your birth father.”

Jeremy tried not to take that comment personally, but it was very personal. “So you think it might be someone close to me, or someone who knows all the inside information that only our family should know?”

Tim shrugged. “That makes sense, doesn’t it?”

It did, but Jeremy rankled at that suggestion. “Yes, but that could apply to any one of us, Tim. It could be someone wanting to get back at Chris, maybe someone he arrested or testified against. Maybe someone wanting to sabotage Nashville Living just to bring down our subscriber base. Maybe it’s someone at the Observer, trying to win points with the boss.”

“All possibilities,” Tim said, his tone guarded. “It might even be someone who works for us, hoping to get a better offer over at the Observer. We all know competition is fierce in this business.” Then he shook his head. “Whoever this is—they want to embarrass our family by leaking personal details. And so far, they’ve succeeded. I still think it has something to do with our parents hiding the truth about your paternity. It’s gone downhill from there.”

Was his brother still trying to pin the blame for all their woes on Jeremy? He pushed that thought aside. “I don’t think all of this is just coincidence, so you might be right. But as far as I know, none of us has any enemies in this town.” Then he let out a sigh. “Unless someone is upset that I know who my birth father is now. Who would have anything to lose or gain from that though? He’s dead and my grandparents live far away. It can’t be that.”

Tim looked as frustrated as Jeremy felt. “Whoever it is has his ear to the ground, that’s for sure. They seem to find out personal things about us before we even know ourselves. I’d sure like to put an end to this, especially since Dad will be coming home soon. He doesn’t need this kind of stress right now.”

Jeremy didn’t respond to that. He was still furious with his father. He wanted Wallace to beat the leukemia, but Jeremy wasn’t ready to get all touchy-feely with Wallace.

“Are you ever going to forgive him?” Tim asked, just as the phone rang. He grabbed the receiver, then said into the phone, “Hold on a minute.” Looking back at Jeremy, he waited with a hand over the phone.

“I’m working on it,” Jeremy said. “And I’m leaving now. You’re way too busy to keep me company.”

“I don’t mind,” Tim said, but he was already waving Jeremy out the door as he gave brisk answers to the person on the other end of the line. “Okay, kill the city council update until we have a confirmation, and go with the proposal for the new factory near the river. And I want details—environmental and economical impact, the works.”

Jeremy emerged from the privacy of his brother’s office to find himself in limbo, standing in the middle of the long hallway just outside Dawn’s office area. Dawn wasn’t at her desk, so chatting with her wasn’t an option.

When did I become so needy for company? he wondered.

Then he heard the elevator swishing open, his mind going toward escape. Hurrying to catch the door, he ran right smack into the person coming out. Instinctively, Jeremy reached his hands up to keep from colliding with the petite woman.

And looked down to find Gabi Valencia in his arms.

“Oh, oh, I’m so sorry,” Gabi said, gazing up into Jeremy Hamilton’s intense blue eyes. She couldn’t move. He held her there, frozen in her tracks. “It’s you again.”

“Me again,” he said, stepping back, his hands dropping to his side, his expression full of surprise and maybe, approval. “I seem to see you everywhere I go these days.”

“It’s a small town,” she said, glancing beyond him as she willed her heartbeat to a calm, workable level. “I’m meeting Dawn for lunch. Have you seen her?”

He looked bemused, then disappointed. “You’re sure in a hurry to get away from me, aren’t you?”

Gabi felt the heat of a blush coloring her skin. “No. I’m just…running a little late.” She waved her hands in the air. “It was crazy at the hospital today.”

“You work at Community General?”

“Yes. In administration. Behind the scenes.”

“That must keep you busy.”

“Yes. And it pays the bills.”

She looked past him again. If Dawn didn’t show up soon, she’d have to get something to eat without her in order to make it back to work on time. She really didn’t need to be standing here making small talk with Jeremy Hamilton, either.

Trying to be polite, she said, “I’m sorry, I’ve got to find Dawn and scoot.”

“Okay.” His skeptical look told her she hadn’t fooled him one bit. “I was just leaving anyway. And I’m not sure where Dawn is right now.”

“Here I am,” came the breathless reply.

Gabi breathed a sigh of relief as she saw Dawn rushing toward them. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Dawn said through a long sigh. “Sorry. Last-minute orders from the Typhoon.”

They both giggled, then Gabi shot a look toward Jeremy.

Dawn shrugged. “Jeremy knows how Tim can be, right, Jeremy?”

Gabi saw a slight smile fighting to break through on Jeremy’s handsome face. “Is my hyper brother causing woe around here?”

“Always,” Dawn replied, taking Gabi by the arm. “Let’s get out of here before he barks something else at me.”

When she grabbed Jeremy with her other arm, both he and Gabi stopped to stare at each other.

“What?” Dawn asked, all coy and innocent. “Jeremy, don’t you need to eat? We’re going over to Betty’s Bake Shoppe. Might as well come with us, since my date is too busy to eat.” She lifted her head toward Tim’s office. “I’ll have to bring him takeout again.” Then she turned to Gabi. “You don’t mind, do you, Gabi?”

What could Gabi say to her friend? Yes, she did mind? Yes, she’d love to have lunch with Jeremy Hamilton? No, she couldn’t possibly have lunch with this man? Well, she couldn’t be rude, could she?

Both Jeremy and Dawn were waiting for her answer. One with a knowing smile, and the other one—well, his perfectly blank expression gave nothing away. But his eyes held a hint of hope. And challenge.

Remembering Dawn’s suggestion that Jeremy could use a friend, Gabi shot him a wan smile, while she poked Dawn in the ribs. “Of course not. It’s just lunch. And we’re wasting precious minutes, standing here.”

Dawn pushed the elevator button. “Good. I’m starving.”

Gabi got in behind Dawn, hoping she’d be able to eat. It might be hard, with a Hamilton man sitting across the table. Jeremy stood there, staring at them.

“Jeremy, are you coming with us?” Dawn asked, grinning.

Jeremy looked directly at Gabi. “I don’t want to intrude.”

Dawn, for once, stayed quiet. But she quirked a brow toward Gabi.

“You’re not intruding,” Gabi finally said, sure she’d regret this later. “Please, join us.”

He stepped into the elevator and silently pushed the button to the lobby, his gaze moving over Dawn’s smiling face before his eyes settled on Gabi. Then he gave her that hesitant little half smile she was beginning to recognize. “Lunch with two lovely women. I think my day just got a whole lot better.”

Chapter Four

Jeremy’s good mood changed the minute they entered Betty’s Bake Shoppe and Bookstore. The crowded dining area went still as everyone in town, it seemed, glanced up and right at him. The silence that followed only added to his humiliation. He wanted to turn around and leave, but one glance at Gabi and he knew he couldn’t do that.

She sent him a challenging look, followed by a soft smile. “You’re a Hamilton, remember? Act like one.”

Surprised at the spunk behind that whispered statement, he actually managed to smile back. “But they all know the truth,” he said through gritted teeth. “Maybe I should just—”

“Don’t you dare,” Dawn said, giving him her own determined look.

Gabi stood on one side and Dawn on the other, closing ranks around him. Dawn leaned close. “The truth is that you will always be Jeremy Hamilton. Are you gonna let the gossips win?”

Jeremy mulled that over, his head coming up, his gaze scanning the crowd. He might be confused and disillusioned, but he’d never been a coward. Nodding, he lifted his head even higher and met the compassionate gaze of Betty Owens herself.

“Jeremy Hamilton,” Betty said, a nervous lilt to her greeting. “C’mon on in here and let me get you something to eat.”

Jeremy breathed a sigh of relief. Betty had never been chummy with him, but she’d always been polite at least. “Thanks, Betty. It’s good to see you.”

“Good to have you back.” Betty fidgeted with the menus, her head down. “Y’all can have a table near the window. I’ll send Justine over to take your order in just a jiffy.”

Jeremy had always admired Betty’s work ethic. She was a fixture here at the Bake Shoppe, greeting customers, smiling and comparing good stories with the many book buyers. She also loved to tell juicy stories too, mostly gossip. Betty always knew anything around town before anyone else did. Maybe he should have a long talk with her. She might know who’d been leaking all these scandals to the Observer.

Then a thought occurred to him. Could it be Betty? No, that wasn’t possible. She might like to gossip, but Betty Owens would never deliberately hurt another human being with malicious intent. In fact, she’d always been a bit close-mouthed and standoffish regarding the Hamiltons.

Which made Jeremy even more curious, now that he thought about it. He appreciated her business sense as well as her book smarts. But he’d never figured out why she always seemed so distant and nervous around him, as if she couldn’t open up with him the way she did with most of her customers. Today, she looked tired. Drained was a better word. Maybe she just needed a break. He could certainly understand that concept.

Glancing around after Betty walked away, Jeremy ignored the stares and whispers, concentrating instead on the few friends who took the time to wave and smile at him.

His brother Chris’s partner on the police force, Jason Welsh, called out from the next table. “Jeremy, you old hound dog. Chris said you were home. Good to see you.”

“Thanks, Jason,” Jeremy said, waving a hand. “Where’s my brother today, anyway?”

Jason’s smile lit up his face. “He’s with Felicity. Those two are an item, don’t you know?”

“I do know,” Jeremy replied, happy for his baby brother. His half brother, he reminded himself.

He turned back to find Gabi staring at him, a pleased expression on her pretty face.

“See, it’s not so bad,” she said, her dark eyes watching him with an intensity that almost made him feel even more uncomfortable. Except that he saw no hint of pity in her eyes. More like admiration and pride.

She shrugged it off. “We’ve all been the center of gossip at one time or another.”

“It’s not easy,” he admitted, wondering when in her life she’d been in this kind of situation.

“No one is going to mess with you,” Dawn said, her tone indicating she wouldn’t allow that.

Jeremy sighed, then pretended to read over the menu.

“You two make a formidable team, but I can handle this.” He dropped the menu, his gaze moving over Gabi. “Thank you.”

Gabi sent him a warm, shy smile. “I owe you, remember?”

“You do?”

“Yes. You single-handedly painted the church daycare and nursery, didn’t you?”

He chuckled. “Yeah, and most of the floor and myself, too.”

“You did a great job, Jeremy,” Dawn said, nodding her approval. “But don’t get too comfortable. Your work at church is not done yet.”

He groaned. “Is that why you insisted on bringing me to lunch? So you could bribe me into more hard labor?”

“Maybe,” Dawn said, grinning. “Hmmm. I think I’ll have a chicken salad sandwich. How about you, Gabi?”

Jeremy waited, watching Gabi’s face as she studied the menu. “My usual, probably. A vegetable plate.”

“She thinks she has to watch her weight,” Dawn pointed out to Jeremy.

Jeremy gave Gabi another once-over. Her long dark hair fell around her shoulders in gentle waves. Her blue button-up sweater was a nice contrast to her crisp white blouse. Her clothes were nothing fancy, not like the designer outfits his sisters and his mother wore in various forms and fashions, but she looked dainty and feminine just the same.

“You look fine to me,” he said, then quickly averted his eyes to glance out the window. He hadn’t meant that to slip out.

Gabi looked down at her menu, clearly embarrassed. “My mother is an excellent cook, and I rarely have time to exercise. I have to be careful.”

Dawn shook her head. “You get plenty of exercise, running after those two girls.” Then she waved a hand in the air toward Jeremy. “Oh, you should try Mrs. Marquez’s tamales, Jeremy. They are so good.” Lifting her brow, she turned to Gabi. “Think your mom would feed this poor man?”

Jeremy gave Gabi a mock-pathetic look, just to see if he could make her blush again. “I do love tamales.”

“You’d have to get in line,” Gabi said, very pragmatically. “I have four brothers and a sister. We know the boardinghouse reach very well at my parents’ table.”

“I know that same reach, even if I was only allowed to do that whenever my mother wasn’t looking,” Jeremy said, then he looked down at the table. “Although it’s been a while since I’ve been to a Hamilton family dinner.”

“All the more reason to try dinner somewhere else for a change,” Dawn suggested, shrugging. “You don’t have to mind your manners so much at the Marquez house.”

“We have manners,” Gabi said, grinning. Then she looked from him to Dawn, clearly confused at her friend’s suggestion. “My mother will feed anyone who wants a good meal, though.”

Jeremy laughed again. “Such a nice way of saying c’mon by anytime, right? I think I get the picture. Maybe I’d better stick to my own family dinners, even though they can be a bit stuffy at times.”

Gabi was about to answer when Betty’s daughter, Justine, came over to take their orders. “Hi,” she said, her tone low. “What can I get y’all today?”

Jeremy let the women order first, then said, “I’ll have the Betty Burger, with the works.”

Justine smiled down at him, her eyes holding his for a minute, some unreadable emotion there in their depths. “Glad you’re home, Jeremy.”

Jeremy thanked her, then turned to Gabi and Dawn after Justine walked away. “Is it just me, or are the Owens women acting a bit odd today?”

Gabi shrugged. “You know how Betty likes to gossip. Maybe she’s just trying to keep her thoughts to herself for once. So you won’t feel awkward.”

“Regarding my paternity?” he asked, comfortable enough to be honest with these two at least.

“That and all the other rumors about the Hamiltons,” Dawn replied. “I guess you’ve heard the latest one, right?”

Jeremy glanced around then lowered his voice. “You mean, about my father possibly having an illegitimate child out there somewhere? Yes, I’ve heard and if I get my hands on the person spreading this stuff—”

He looked up to find Justine standing there with a tray full of tea glasses, her eyes centered on him. The look she gave him this time was full of doubt and anxiety.

Jeremy had to wonder if maybe Betty and Justine knew something he didn’t know, after all. But then, that was nothing new around here, he thought with a bitter resolve. He’d promised Tim he’d try to look into this mess. Maybe he should start right here at Betty’s Bake Shoppe.

He waited for Justine to put down their drinks, then glanced over at Gabi. “Maybe coming here was a bad idea.”

“No, it wasn’t,” she said. She leaned close enough for him to get a faint whiff of her exotic perfume. “You have nothing to be ashamed about, Jeremy. Nothing at all.”

Her words held a conviction Jeremy couldn’t feel. “I’m not used to being the center of gossip,” he said. “This has all been very difficult—for my entire family.” He thought of his mother and how she’d held her head high throughout his father’s illness, through all the rumors and embarrassing gossip. Then he thought of Wallace, a shard of piercing guilt hitting his heart. He pushed that guilt away, not ready to examine it just yet. “People don’t stop to think how this is hurting my mother. She’s done nothing to deserve this kind of pain.”

“I know how that feels,” Gabi replied. Then she looked away, her hands fluttering in the air. “I mean, nobody likes to be talked about. Especially when half the people talking don’t know the truth.”

Jeremy didn’t ask her how she knew this. Firsthand experience, maybe? Her words only added to her mystique and allure. He wondered again about that trace of sadness he’d seen now and then in her dark eyes. She was probably still mourning her husband.

He looked over at Dawn, and saw an encouraging expression on her face. Then Dawn said, “Let’s change the subject. Let’s talk about Melissa and Richard’s wedding. Gabi, are you coming?”

“I hadn’t thought about it,” Gabi said. “I thought it was only for family, considering the circumstances.”

“Yet another family scandal to overcome,” Jeremy retorted.

“Oh, I didn’t mean it that way,” Gabi quickly replied. “I—I just wouldn’t want to interfere. I’m sorry, Jeremy, but I don’t know your family very well.”

Jeremy wanted to tell her he’d like to remedy that, but he didn’t. Instead he said, “You just know of us. I hope you won’t hold that against us. We’re actually quite normal.”

Gabi shook her head. “No family is completely normal. Mine is no exception. My poor parents have spent many sleepless nights worrying about all of us.” Her eyes went dark again, as if she was remembering bad times.

Jeremy wanted to know more, but he didn’t push the issue. “Well, this wedding is certainly not traditional. My sister is pregnant and marrying a man eleven years older than her. Our family lawyer, no less! Talk about gossip and scandal.” Then he shrugged. “As for me, I’m so glad Melissa has found a good man who can love her in spite of her past mistakes.”

As he said that, he couldn’t help but think of his own mother and Wallace. Wallace was a good man and he loved Nora. Jeremy couldn’t ask for more than that. Except…he wanted more. He had to work on that want, he decided. His parents had done what they believed to be right at the time, and he’d had a good life because of their love for each other. Maybe it was time for him to get over his hurt and get on with being part of the family again.

“She’s invited, right, Jeremy?” Dawn asked, her expression telling him to back her up.

Gabi held up a hand. “To the wedding? No, really, I don’t expect—”

“Of course,” Jeremy said. “We’d love to have you there.”

He didn’t add that he’d be happy to escort Gabi himself. He wasn’t that bold yet. And he wasn’t so sure he’d even be at the wedding. But he had a feeling if sassy Dawn Leroux had her way, however, both Gabi and he would be attending.

Together.

Behind the counter, Betty exchanged a worried look with Justine. “Do you think he might suspect?”

“I don’t know,” Justine said, her voice low and quiet. “And besides, I told you it doesn’t matter to me.”

“But it might matter to the other Hamilton children,” Betty said. “Especially if they find out the whole truth.”

“They won’t,” Justine assured her. “Everything is going to be all right, Mama. I’m sure of it.”

Betty smiled at her daughter, doubt coloring her expression. “We have to trust in God, honey. That’s all we can do now.”

The man sitting near them at the counter only smiled and continued to read his paper. He’d learned how to blend in so well, people forgot he was even around. A man could learn a lot of information that way, simply by staying still and quiet. He couldn’t help but overhear some of Betty and Justine’s conversation—just enough to make him put two and two together. And he couldn’t help the gloating feeling that came over him as he watched Jeremy Hamilton leave the restaurant. This sure made up for the fact that Hamilton hadn’t even recognized or acknowledged him when he’d come strutting into Betty’s with those two good-looking women. But then, the mighty Hamiltons would have a lot to make up for before this was over. He’d see to that.

“Could you be any more obvious?” Gabi whispered to Dawn after they parted ways with Jeremy on the street corner. After thanking them for lunch, he’d told them he planned on spending some time with his mother this afternoon.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Dawn said, her expression all innocence.

“Oh, yes, you do,” Gabi said, watching as Jeremy drove away in a sleek gray Mercedes. He flashed them a big smile, then waved. “You practically asked the man to take me to that wedding.”

“I merely suggested you were invited,” Dawn replied. “You don’t have to go.”

“I’m sure I won’t,” Gabi said, relaxing a little now that Jeremy was gone. But she had to admit she’d enjoyed their lunch together, even if she did get funny feelings inside her stomach every time she was around him. “I mean, I’ve got shopping to do before Christmas. We’ve got the play at church and both my girls have parts in that. I’ve got cookies to bake, gifts to find and wrap. I don’t see how I can find the time—”

“You like him, don’t you?” Dawn asked, grinning.

“Of course I like the man. He’s polite and well-mannered and, well, he’s just lonely. Yes, I like him. But I don’t know him well enough to…consider going to his sister’s wedding with him.” She shifted on her boot heels. “Besides, since when did a working-class girl from across the tracks even consider hanging with a Hamilton man, Dawn?”

“I’m doing it,” Dawn replied smartly.

Gabi nudged her with an elbow. “Well, that certainly doesn’t mean I have to follow suit.”

“But—”

“But, nothing. It’s not even within the realm of possibility. Me and Jeremy Hamilton, yeah, right.”

And yet, Gabi felt that warm sensation deep inside her stomach, that sensation that told her meeting Jeremy Hamilton was going to be significant to her life.

Why did the man make her so nervous and jittery? Maybe because he was good-looking and…just a tad tormented? No, she wouldn’t let that happen to her again. She’d had to deal with one man’s torment, leaving her feeling helpless. And when she’d realized the extent of Octavio’s depression, it was too late. Much too late.

But Jeremy’s not like your husband, she reminded herself. He’s just a friend. So far.

As if sensing her distress, Dawn touched a hand to her arm. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I just thought—”

“I know you had good intentions,” Gabi said, patting Dawn’s hand. “And I know since you are head-over-heels in love with Tim, naturally, you want the same for me. It’s awfully sweet, but I’m a big girl. I can find my own way.”

“I hope so,” Dawn said. “I know so. But I’ll try to stay out of your love life from now on.”

“Thank you,” Gabi said. “You have enough to keep you busy with Tim Hamilton.”

“Speaking of,” Dawn said, looking at her watch, “I’d better get back to work before he sends out an all-points bulletin for his brother Chris to go look for me.”

They both giggled at that. “Me, too,” Gabi said, giving her friend a quick hug. “I’ll see you later.”

A tall, well-dressed man came out the door then, smiling at them with a wolfish set of blue eyes. “Ladies.”

Dawn frowned, but didn’t remark. Gabi didn’t recognize the man, but she didn’t like the way he’d looked at her either. “That was strange.”

Dawn’s cell phone rang. “Oh, got to go. The master calls.” She laughed and shook her head. “If he wasn’t so adorable—”

Gabi waved her away, then headed to her car, her mind on the many things she had to do before she went to bed that night. They were having dinner with her family at her sister Yolanda’s house, so at least she wouldn’t have to go home and cook. There was so much to keep her busy, so much to keep her occupied. She should be happy she had such a rich, full life in spite of being a widow and single mother.

She was content, and she loved her girls so much. She wanted to make Christmas special for them, just to keep herself from going into a depression of her own. She’d learned to accept that life and death were just part of God’s plan. But it was times like this that she missed her husband so much. She missed having someone to hold her close, to hear her joys and her fears. She missed having a soul mate, a helpmate, a partner. And her well-meaning friends only made things worse by trying to “help” her find someone else.

She thought of Jeremy Hamilton, and wondered if he’d ever had any serious relationships. Wondered if he felt lonely and out of sorts at times, too. Surely he did now, coming home to face so much pain and scandal.

“And surely, it’s none of your business, Gabriela,” she said to herself. Then she gave herself a good talking-to in rapid Spanish, just as her mother used to whenever she thought Gabi was being ridiculous.

And she was being ridiculous, Gabi told herself. She had to put this…connection she felt to the rich and powerful Jeremy Hamilton out of her mind.

Somehow.