Marriage by Mistake

"Guess he didn't believe you."
    "Who?" Kelly had the temerity to ask yet again. "Who is missing?"
    "Robby," Troy said. "Didn't Dean warn you about his little demon?"
    "Yours?" Kelly's eyes widened as she turned to Dean. "You have a son?" Not even her Dean had told her that!
    Dean's gaze flicked to Kelly. "Not my son. My brother. Half-brother, actually."
    "Oh." But her Dean hadn't told her that , either. "How old is he?"
    "Nine." Dean pressed his lips together.
    "Nine." Kelly knew her eyes were widening again. "And you're how—?"
    "Credit a very active, very healthy sire," Dean said dryly. "Too active and too healthy, in fact, to come home and deal with his troublesome progeny." Turning back to Troy, Dean sighed. "If you've already tried all the usual places, then we'll have to try some unusual ones."
    Troy set down his highball. "Whatever you say. I'm ready to call the cops."
    "I doubt that will be necessary." As Dean spoke, he went toward a set of French doors and opened them wide. A lot of trees were revealed. "Robby never goes all that far."
    Kelly wasn't officially invited on the expedition that then charged into the woods, but she went anyway. A nine-year-old boy was missing. And besides, she was curious about Dean, watching him as they tramped over the pine carpet floor of the forest that grew behind his house.
    Just exactly who was he? For all they'd shared during their two-day courtship, he'd not told her anything substantial about his life. She hadn't heard about the building with his name on it, the huge house, his trouble-making cousin—and certainly not a word about a nine-year-old half-brother. It all seemed to confirm her hypothesis. This was not the man she'd married.
    But at the same time...he was no longer the block of stone she'd been sitting next to on the airplane. He stalked through the forest with his brows drawn in real concern. There was an outside chance he might be human.
    Sunlight filtered through the branches overhead and rustling noises sounded in the undergrowth. Kelly heard the gentle burbling of a brook. "Some backyard," she muttered. Huge, like everything else about the place, though she had to admit the hugeness of the outdoors was beautiful, a tamed slice of nature.
    They'd gone quite a ways before Kelly saw the tree house. A platform of plywood supported scrappy two-by-fours. A dingy canvas stretched above this collection as a roof.
    "What the—?" Troy stuttered. "Where did that come from?"
    "Robby made it last summer," Dean replied. "He thinks no one knows about it."
    But Dean had known, Kelly thought, and glanced toward him.
    Dean came to a stop at the foot of the tree. "Robby! If you're up there, come out!"
    The canvas roof flapped in a passing breeze. Dean's gaze concentrated on the makeshift structure. Kelly's gaze concentrated on Dean. He was looking more and more human with each passing minute; concerned and frustrated. He shrugged out of one sleeve of his suit jacket. "I'm going up to take a look."
    Troy's mouth twisted. "Of course you are."
    Dean peeled out of the rest of his jacket and tossed it to Troy, who caught it with a sigh. Loosening his tie, Dean stalked toward the pegged-in ladder nailed to the tree trunk.
    Kelly bit her lower lip. Mr. Chill and Correct had taken off his jacket. He was going to climb a tree . Who was he?
    With spare efficiency, Dean climbed the ladder. At the platform, he lifted the dingy canvas and crawled in.
    Down beside Kelly, Troy released another sigh. "Trumped again."
    Kelly switched her gaze to Troy. "Excuse me?"
    Troy nodded toward the tree house. "I've been looking for Robby for hours, but it took Dean to find him. Yup, saving failed corporations, finding lost kids. Whatever the task, old Dean-o can do it."
    Kelly frowned. "But we don't even know if Robby is up there."
    "He is. Dean never makes mistakes. Ah—" Troy glanced at her. "Present company excepted."
    Kelly blinked. "Present comp— But I'm your mistake."
    "Mine?" Troy looked genuinely baffled.
    Kelly was getting baffled, herself. "Yes, you were the one who gave Dean the 'amusing suggestions.'"
    Troy regarded her through narrowing eyes. His mouth opened, but before he could say a word, the flap of the canvas lifted. Dean emerged, looking disgusted.
    "He's not there," Kelly guessed.
    "Oh, he's here." Dean dusted his hands, then reached for the tree-trunk ladder. "But he won't come down."
    Kelly's lips parted. Troy had been right. Dean had known where to find Robby.
    "Oh, come