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couldn’t believe her attorney hadn’t made sure everything was final. She struggled to remember how things had happened five years ago. She’d rushed away when Brianna died, and her lawyer had said he’d take care of the details. Something had obviously fallen through the cracks.
    But not for long .
    “Why did you leave?” he asked. He looked down at his popcorn bowl. “You took off without a word.”
    She went cold. Admitting she left because his reason for marrying her was gone would only serve to show the chasm between them. But honesty was all that would do now. They had too much at stake to play games.
    She held her head high. “Clay, you know perfectly well you only married me because I was pregnant. We barely knew each other. You were gone more than you were home. Once Brianna was gone, there was nothing to hold us together. I needed a clean break.”
    And she’d barely cauterized the wound. Or was it still oozing blood?

5
    S HE COULDN ’ T STAY IN THE BATHROOM FOREVER . E DEN EYED THE PEACH - COLORED TEDDY SHE wore and shuddered. Why hadn’t she checked her suitcase before rushing off on this search? What seemed fine in the privacy of her apartment was indecent here.
    She let out a groan and leaned onto the sink. Surely there had to be another way to get to the truth. Why not just tell the Baileys that they thought Brianna was here? They had children. Any parent would be sympathetic to their cause.
    But not if it impacted their business. Their mission .
    How could she ask them to get involved? The Baileys had been entrusted with the children’s welfare. Rick and Allie didn’t know her and Clay. The Baileys might toss them out for fear they might kidnap one of the girls. She lifted her head and stared into her own frightened eyes.
    She had to open that door and go into the bedroom. This wasn’t some stranger she was sharing a room with. This was Clay. He wouldn’t hurt her. The problem was, she didn’t know how she felt about him. While he’d been absent, she could almost forget their marriage had ever happened. She could push aside the memories of a tiny body cuddled to her breast and the scent of her newborn baby.
    The muscles in her throat worked at the memories that surged. Her eyes burned. She would not think about that day. Could not. Straightening, she twisted the doorknob and stepped into the hall and to the bedroom door.
    The covers were turned back on the big bed. She focused on the picture above the bed of a tranquil mountain stream. Anything to calm the way her pulse jumped when Clay turned to look at her. His chest was bare and he wore blue pajama bottoms, a concession to her she was sure. In the old days he didn’t wear—She cut off the mental image before it could form.
    He let out a low whistle. “I assume Kent was to be the recipient of that getup.”
    She dived for the bed and covered herself with the sheet. “Our relationship was pure, and I’m in no mood for your tone.”
    He grinned and climbed into the bed beside her. “Want pillows between us?”
    “If you promise to keep your distance, you can have the space.”
    He shrugged. “All I want is to find our daughter.”
    His words stung more than she’d expected. Not that she wanted him to be making a pass at her. “Why didn’t you call?” she asked abruptly. “Rather than just show up. And how did you find me anyway?”
    He put his hands behind his head and leaned back on the pillow. “I knew you’d never believe me without seeing the photograph. I’ve always known where you were. It’s not hard to track someone.”
    He grinned and shrugged. “I tried to get up the nerve to call you when I got the divorce papers, but you’d made your wishes pretty clear.”
    “Why did you want to reach me then?”
    “I wanted to talk you out of it.”
    She held his gaze. “Why? We were two dumb kids who got caught by our own foolishness. We didn’t even know each other very well.” They’d had passion between them but