In the sacred room, West knew without a doubt the woman wasn’t Elaine. The scared-rabbit look in her eyes gave her away. A true daughter would be joyous, ecstatic. Discovering her family possessed the wealth of the McKendricks would have a paraplegic spontaneously healing.
This woman barely even batted an eye. West could see the fear deep in her eyes, but she held her head up as she braved McKendrick’s scrutiny. He had to give her kudos for that. The older man could be downright intimidating. When she’d handed over the photo album, McKendrick seemed shaken. West wished he’d been able to see the pictures.
McKendrick led the way out of the alcove, one hand under Mattie’s elbow. They were going to his office to go over the next step in the process of verifying her identity. West hung back, lost in thought. Em came back into the alcove. A troubled expression put a little wrinkle between her eyes.
“Those pictures,” she said quietly. “West, those were pictures of Elaine.”
“She can’t be Elaine, Em.”
“You didn’t see the pictures.”
She wasn’t Elaine, but she fit into this family somehow, someway. Whether it was a legitimate blood tie or one of Ruth Ellen’s complicated schemes, he couldn’t figure out.
The imposter stared at the enormous portrait. West hated her for that moment. No one had been happier to learn their Elaine was coming back to them than he. The little girl lost had fueled his every day for the last twenty years—until Emeline had become his life’s breath.
The minute he saw her in that terminal, he’d known. There was no way this woman was a child of James McKendrick’s.
Her eyes were too warm—damn the similar shape—her cheeks too rosy. She lacked their stature, and had far too many curves.
What would her hips feel like under my hands?
His brain took him to some crazy place where he was kissing her and she was biting his earlobe, begging him to sing to her. He shook his head to dispell the thoughts and hoped Em wouldn’t notice the beginnings of his erection. He adjusted his pants and followed Emeline to McKendrick’s office.