Birthright

couldn’t you have punched somebody?”
    It was, he supposed, as close to an acknowledgment as she could manage. “I don’t have to finish a fight on top, but I damn sure want to finish it in one piece.”
    “I love this car.”
    “I know.”
    She sighed, bumped a heel restlessly against the front tire. She frowned back at the pristine black paint on his Mercedes. “Why the hell didn’t they paint yours?”
    “Maybe they didn’t realize your wrath was mightier than mine.”
    “I hate when I get that mad. So mad I can’t think straight. I’m going to hate this, too.” She looked back at him. “You were right.”
    “Wait. I want to get my tape recorder out of the car.”
    “If you’re going to be a smart-ass, I won’t finish thanking you.”
    “I get a ‘you were right’ and a thank-you? I’m going to tear up in a second.”
    “I should’ve known you’d milk it.” She shoved off the hood. Looking down, she studied the cheerful rush of the creek over rocks.
    He’d come after her, she thought. And in her heart she knew he’d have mopped up the construction site with anyone who’d laid a hand on her.
    It made her feel just a little too warm and gooey inside.
    “I’m just saying I probably shouldn’t have gone after Dolan with a dozen of his men standing around and probably shouldn’t be blaming him for this in the first place. So I appreciate you hauling me off before I made it worse. I guess.”
    “You’re welcome. I guess. You want to call the law?”
    “Yeah.” She hissed out a breath. “Fuck it. I want coffee first.”
    “Me too. Follow me in.”
    “I don’t need to—”
    “You’re driving in the wrong direction.” He grinned as he walked back to his car.
    “Give me my keys.” She plucked them out of the air on his toss. “How’d you know where I was, anyway?”
    “Went by Dolan’s office, asked the still pale and trembling assistant if a woman with fire spurting out of her ears had been in. The rest was easy.”
    He got into his car. “And you’re buying the coffee.”
    W hen Lana pulled up to the site that afternoon, she had Tyler with her. She only hoped Callie had meant it when she’d invited the boy back. He’d been talking about it ever since.
    She’d closed the office early and had gone home to change into jeans, a casual shirt and her oldest tennis shoes. If she was going to be chasing her son around an excavation, she needed to be dressed for it.
    “If I find bones, can I keep them?”
    She went around to unstrap him from his safety seat. “No.”
    “Mom.”
    “Not only can’t you keep them from my point of view, pal of mine, but I can promise Dr. Dunbrook is going to say the same.” She kissed his sulky mouth, hauled him out. “And do you remember the other rules?”
    “I won’t run, I won’t go near the water and I won’t touch nothing.”
    “Anything.”
    “Either.”
    She laughed, boosted him on her hip and walked to the gate.
    “Mom? What does c-u-n-t spell?”
    Shock stopped her in her tracks, had her mouth hanging open as she whipped her head around to stare at his face. His eyes were squinted up as they were when he was trying to figure something out. She followed their direction, then stifled a gasp when she saw Callie’s Rover.
    “Ah, nothing. Nothing, sweetie. They . . .must’ve left some letters out.”
    “How come they wrote stuff on the truck? How come?”
    “I don’t know. I’ll have to ask.”
    “Well, what have we got here.” Leo wiped his hands on the legs of his khakis and walked over to greet them. “You look like a young archaeologist.”
    “I can dig. I brought my shovel.” Ty waved the red plastic shovel he’d insisted he’d need.
    “Well then. We’ll put you to work.”
    “This is Tyler.” Lana breathed easier as his attention was diverted from the obscenities. “Ty, this is Dr. Greenbaum. I hope it’s all right. Callie said I could bring him by sometime. He’s been dying to come back.”
    “Sure it is. Want to come along with me, Ty?”
    Without a moment’s hesitation, Ty reached out, leaning from his mother’s arms into Leo’s.
    “Well, I’ve been replaced.”
    “Grandparent pheromones,” Leo said with a wink. “He knows he’s got a sucker. We’ve got a nice collection of spear points and arrowheads over in the knapping area. Interested?”
    “Actually, I am. But I need to speak to Callie first.”
    “Just come on by when you’re done. Ty and I’ll keep busy.”
    “Can I have