Detective Daddy

He cranked the car and drove to the mansion, bypassing it and heading straight for the guesthouse, where Natalie lived. On the way he called her and asked if she was decent.

Natalie had on a black T-shirt and drawstring pants with red chili peppers on them. She’d twisted up her long blond hair into a knot.

He kissed the top of her head as he stepped inside. “How’re you doing?” he asked.

She preceded him into her small living room and flopped onto her couch, her legs crossed beneath her. She was drinking something red.

“Cranberry juice,” she said. “Want some?”

He shook his head and sat in a chair next to the couch.

“I’m doing okay, Ash. Better than I thought I would be.”

He assessed her. “You sure, squirt? Because you look tired.”

“Thanks.” She laughed. “I didn’t sleep well last night. My brain wouldn’t stop whirling.”

“I know what you mean. Our brains were probably whirling in unison. Bad dreams?”

Natalie looked down at the glass in her hand. “No. Not really. Just couldn’t get to sleep.”

“Have you thought any more about seeing the company psychiatrist?”

Natalie’s pleasant expression darkened. “I really wish you’d drop that idea,” she said. “I am fine. If you just came over here to bully me, you can show yourself out.”

“Apparently this is the week for surprises. I got some weird news tonight.”

“Weird? What do you mean, weird?”

He took a deep breath, opened his mouth and closed it again.

Natalie watched him, a small frown wrinkling her forehead. “Okay, Ashton, spit it out,” she snapped—her version of encouraging and sympathetic.

He smiled wryly. “Rachel—Rachel Stevens—is pregnant.”

To his surprise, Natalie’s mouth didn’t drop open in shock. In fact, while her expression at first reflected surprise, it morphed quickly to thoughtfulness to what he could only describe as sheer joy.

“Wow!” she exclaimed. “My first niece—or nephew. Good job!” She leaned forward, her right hand in the air. Did she really think he felt like high-fiving her over this?

He closed his eyes and shook his head. “Nat—”

She pulled back her hand but her enthusiasm didn’t dampen. “This is the best news I’ve heard in a while. I’m going to be an aunt!”

He scowled at her.

“And look,” she said, gesturing at him. “Talk about irony. The Kendall playboy is the first to fall. Congrats! Have you told Dev or Aunt Angela?”

“Nat, stop it! This is not something I want to tell anybody. For sure not Aunt Angie. It is not a good thing. Be serious, would you?”

Natalie beamed at him. “I am being serious. This is seriously fabulous news. Are you getting married right away?”

“No!”

When he saw the shock on Natalie’s face, he realized how loud and sharp his answer had been. “I’m sorry, but I just found out not even an hour ago, and I’m not sure what I’m going to do about it.”

“Do about it? You think you’re going to do something about it? Unless by do something you mean ask Rachel to marry you and buy a house and get ready to be a husband and a father, I can tell you right now, there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Ash leaned forward, planting his elbows on his knees and running his fingers through his hair. He sat there, palms cradling his head. “Tell me about it. But, Nat, I have never been careless. Ever.”

Natalie frowned at him, her head cocked to one side. “Come on, Ash. Haven’t we had this conversation? Not even condoms are one-hundred-percent effective.”

He stared at her. “I know that, but—”

For a short moment, Natalie held his gaze. Then she stood. “But what? Do you think the baby’s not yours?”

He blew out a breath between his teeth. “Oh, I know it’s mine. Rachel wouldn’t lie. Plus, I know exactly when it happened.”

“Great. So when are you two—you three—getting married?” Natalie grinned at him.

Ash sat up, rubbed the spot on his chest where the hollow feeling resided. He clamped his jaw and forced his mind away from the confusing question of how he felt about Rachel.

“There’s another issue,” he muttered. He wiped his face and looked up at her. “Rachel’s the one who ran the DNA.”

Natalie looked puzzled. “The baby’s DNA?”

“No, no,” he said, leaning forward and again propping his elbows on his knees. “She’s the one who ran the samples from the murders against Campbell’s DNA.”

Natalie’s initial reaction was shock. The color drained from her face. She was quiet for a second, staring past him at nothing in particular. Then her gaze returned to his. “That’s her job, isn’t it? I mean, doesn’t she run all the DNA tests? Did she know whose it was?”

“She says no. She says the paperwork that came with the samples was redacted. But she should have known. It’s not like St. Louis has had that many double murders.”

“Well, that’s true. Wow.” Natalie was quiet for another moment. Then she leaned forward. “She didn’t say anything about the results, did she?”

“Nope. Not a word.” Ash studied his younger sister. “I’m sorry, Nat. I didn’t want to upset you, but I thought you should know. I know you like Rachel.”

“I do. Better than most of the women you’ve dated. She’s a really good person. All that and gorgeous, too. Your baby is going to be a knockout.”

Ash groaned.

Natalie drank the rest of her juice and headed toward the kitchen. At the door she turned around, frowning and rubbing her forehead. “What’s really bothering you, Ash? From what I know of Rachel, she’s honest and kind and good at her job. I don’t know a lot about DNA, but from what I understand, it’s pretty specific. Either the DNA is Rick Campbell’s or it isn’t.”

She set down her glass, propped her fists on her hips and cocked her head. “You have no idea what’s wrong with you, do you?”

Ash spread his hands. “With me? What are you talking about?”

She stalked over to stand directly in front of him. “Come on, Ashton. It’s so obvious. Ash Kendall—Ashanova—” she held up her hands as if displaying headlines “—finally hoisted by his own petard.”

He stood, shaking his head and digging his car keys from his pocket. “You’re not making any sense. I’d better go. I just wanted to see how you were doing.”