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She set her wheelchair into motion.
    As it rolled down the ramp, Ricky started making fire-engine siren sounds.
    Peter turned to Marie and cocked a brow. “So she ran a check on me.”
    â€œYou had your security guard search my car and purse!”
    â€œTrue.” He couldn’t quell a grin at her outrage. “Are we even?”
    Marie shook her head adamantly. “Nothing, but nothing, is as bad as a purse search! Half of my life is in that bag!”
    â€œI see…” he mused. He chuckled and couldn’t resist. “I think you lied about your height on the driver’s license. You’re at least two inches—”
    She wheeled around. “I didn’t, but you looked!”
    â€œNope. Honest, I didn’t. I was tempted, but I didn’t. It was a stupid way of me trying to break the tension.” He forked his fingers through his hair. “This is all so unbelievable.”
    The fire in her eyes went out and compassion replaced it. Quietly, she asked, “Would you and Luke care for some juice? Water?”
    â€œJuice for him, please. Do you have any coffee?”
    â€œI’m out of it right now. Sorry.”
    â€œOkay. Juice will do.” He hefted Luke and ventured, “I’ll bet this little guy would rest if we laid him down. I gave him a decongestant so his ears would clear on the plane. It makes him sleepy, but he’s getting over another ear infection, so I didn’t have much of a choice.”
    â€œPoor guy. Let’s tuck him into Ricky’s bed.” They coaxed Luke out of the tool belt and laid him down. As they left the bedroom, Marie said, “I’ve heard ear infections are brutal.”
    â€œHe’s had them constantly since birth. Hasn’t Ricky?”
    She shook her head. “No, breastfed babies rarely get them.”
    It took every shred of discipline to keep from zeroing in on her T-shirt. “You nursed my son?”
    â€œMy son. Or at least I thought he was.” She folded her arms across her chest and her cheeks turned the same cherry-red as her shirt. “Didn’t your wife want to?”
    â€œMy wife died as a result of a car accident. The doctors at Melway General delivered our child as a last-ditch effort.”
    Marie gave him a startled look. “That’s why you were so adamant about not letting me go! I was pretty surprised.”
    He nodded. “Probably. Some wounds don’t heal very easily.” His gaze slid over her face. “Your reaction to the guns yesterday was probably magnified because of how your husband died.”
    â€œWe’ve both stumbled onto each other’s vulnerabilities, haven’t we?”
    â€œLet’s make allowances for that and try to start over.”
    She nodded hesitantly.
    â€œSo tell me why Ricky is crazy about firefighters when your husband was a cop.”
    â€œSandy mail-ordered a costume and the truck for Christmas. It’s grown into a full-blown fascination. I bought a bunch of patches that look like badges and added them to his shirts just to save my sanity.”
    They walked into the kitchen. Peter passed the round oak table and noted a dinky acrylic holder full of tiny,colorful paper strips. A pale blue one lay on the table. Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the earth. That Bible promise seemed particularly apropos. Ever since Marie’s revelation, he felt like he stood teetering on the edge of the safe, happy world he’d built for himself and his son. He needed to be reminded the Lord was with him—with them—in the midst of this earth-shattering mess.
    â€œYou mentioned consulting an attorney.” Marie took two green striped glasses from the cupboard. “So what happens next?”
    â€œSo far, we’re basing everything on simple blood type and deductive reasoning. We’ll undoubtedly have to have DNA testing done to confirm the boys were swapped. We could go the rapid