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seven that he’d shown up in her life again? A few hours ago she’d been planning to accept Kent’s proposal.
    Forcing herself forward, she went down the hall and stood in the doorway to the gathering spaces. An old western starring John Wayne played on the television. The scent of popcorn teased her nose, and she saw Clay in the recliner with his boots off. A bowl was in his lap and a big glass of iced tea was on the table beside him. She knew without sipping it that there would be enough sugar in it to eat the spoon away.
    He must have sensed her gaze on him because he jerked his head toward where she stood. Kernels bounced from his lap as he sprang to his feet. “Hey.”
    “The girls are asleep.”
    He held up the bowl. “Want some popcorn?”
    The smell tantalized her, but the thought of cozying up to him on the couch to share the treat made her shake her head. She chose the chair the farthest away from him.
    “Tea?” A grin tugged his lips as he held up his glass.
    “I still have a gag reflex.”
    He took a gulp. “You’ll be happy to know I’ve cut down on the amount of sugar.”
    “To what? Half a cup?”
    His grin widened. “It’s what keeps me so sweet-natured.”
    She squelched the desire to smile. During their very short and tempestuous marriage, he’d always had a way of coaxing her out of a bad mood. Picking up the remote, she shut off the TV. “We need to talk.”
    “I’m all ears.”
    “There’s no way of knowing which of those girls is Brianna. We need that DNA test as soon as possible.”
    “I know.” He picked up a manila file folder beside him. “I’ve poured through their histories and even talked to Rick. Any one of them could be our daughter, except India.”
    She reached for the folder and flipped it open. Katie’s smiling face greeted her, and her gut clenched. “I think Katie is Brianna.”
    His gaze gentled. “She’s a little cutie. But don’t get your heart set on her. I’m betting Paige is our daughter.” He moved out of the recliner and knelt beside her chair. Flipping through the pages, he pointed out Paige’s stats. “Look here. She was left at Walmart by two men. Sounds like kidnappers to me.”
    The infant’s photo tugged at Eden’s heart. The baby’s somber gaze held a light. “No one knows her real name?”
    “Nope. But read the rest before you make a snap judgment.”
    She riffled through the other biographies, then finally closed the file. “You’re right. Brianna could be any one of the four. So we really are going to have to wait for the DNA. How long will it take?”
    His lips flattened. “Too long. Weeks after these kids leave here.”
    She desperately wanted to know which of these girls was their daughter. It had been all she could do while bathing them not to press her lips to their damp foreheads. She hadn’t wanted to frighten them, though, so she’d been warm but kept an appropriate distance.
    “I’ll get hair samples from them over the next couple of days,” she said. “Can you get them into a priority lab?”
    “I can try.”
    And she knew he would. He had connections. She mentally prepared for what she had to say next. How did she even broach the subject of sleeping arrangements?
    “Spill it, Eden,” he said.
    He grinned, and even though she wanted to glare at him, her lips twitched. She glanced away.
    “I already know what’s eating you, you know,” he said. “But that bed is a king. We’ll stuff pillows between us. I promise to stay on my side.”
    She let out a sigh. “I don’t like it, Clay. Our marriage was over a long time ago. It feels—weird.” Forcing her gaze up, she stared into his face. “It took me a long time to get over you.”
    “I never got over you,” he said, his voice soft.
    Heat flared in her cheeks. “See what I mean? This will never work if you remind me at every opportunity that we were once married.”
    His eyes narrowed. “We’re still married.”
    “So it appears.” She still