A relentless northeast wind howled across the Chesapeake, driving angry whitecaps one on top of the other to pound against an ever vulnerable shoreline. Ancient oaks and locusts groaned under the weight of ice laden limbs. Smaller, more delicate branches resembled slender glass fingers that filled the air with a low, eerie peal, as they tapped together like mournful chimes.

Blake Morrison stood motionless, his tall frame filling the opening of the back door to the house he’d grown up in. He stared in silence at the driving snow accumulating across the landscape.

“There’s no doubt in your mind he’s yours?” his brother Justin asked from behind him.

“No.” Blake pushed a hand through thick black hair that tended to curl at the ends when it needed a trim, as it did now. “And that birth certificate you got proves it.”

“All it proves is Connie Kingsley had a child. She listed the father as unknown. The kid could be anyone’s.”

“Cheryl had no reason to lie. And if you count back, the boy’s date of birth works out with the time Connie and I were together.”

Blake glanced back outside. The sailing skiff he’d left tied to the dock for the winter wrestled against its spring lines. They’d made it to March with no major storms. Now, as if to flaunt her power, Mother Nature had decided to sock them good.

He turned from the tempest and walked across the kitchen to join Justin at the table.

His twin eyed him. “Most women don’t tell you they love you then walk out on the relationship without a trace—especially if they’re pregnant. Maybe you weren’t the only guy she was seeing at the time. Maybe the kid belongs to someone else.”

“She wasn’t seeing anyone else. Benjamin’s my son.”

“You can always get a paternity test,” Justin suggested.

“If I can find them I might have to. Obviously, Connie didn’t want me to know anything about the kid.” Blake cleared his throat and glanced at the birth certificate on the table, still struggling to come to grips with his newfound fatherhood.

He'd met Connie and her coworker, Cheryl, when they were on a four month assignment in Annapolis a few years ago. The women had been staying at his buddy Chad’s house because Cheryl and Chad’s wife were sisters.

Blake had fallen in lust with Connie, and they’d quickly become lovers in what had been a mutually enjoyable relationship. She’d even told him she was falling in love with him. He’d thought given some time he might be able to fall in love with her too.  But she’d stunned him by taking off without a goodbye. He’d felt pretty foolish to discover he hadn’t meant that much to her after all.

“I can’t believe I might have never known about Ben if I hadn’t stopped by Chad’s last week to pick up my power washer. Cheryl said she’s only been back twice since she and Connie were here a few years ago.” He shook his head at the chance irony. “She thought I knew. When she asked if I ever saw Ben…she thought I knew.”

“She wasn’t able to give you any idea where Connie is now? Is it possible she just didn’t want to tell you out of old loyalties?”

“I don’t think so.” Blake dropped onto one of the antique wooden chairs that had been his grandmother’s, his frustration mounting. “She seemed genuinely shocked I didn’t know. And all she could tell me was that Connie left Florida with Ben about two months ago. Cheryl said she’d wondered if Connie might have come back here. Apparently she left without giving her boss notice, or telling anyone she was leaving.”

Justin downed the last of his coffee. “Sounds like a pattern.”

“Yeah, but Cheryl did say Connie might have been running from a bad relationship. She said she’d been living with some guy who’d started to spook her.”

“What? Like being abusive, threatening her?” Justin’s words held the same concern Blake felt.

“I don’t know. Cheryl wasn’t sure, but it doesn’t make me feel very good about my son’s welfare.”

Justin leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin.

“What?” Blake asked.

Justin frowned. “Nothing.”

“Nothing, hell, something’s bothering you. I know that look, Jus.”

“It’s just that I don’t understand why Connie would leave and not tell you about the baby. Is there a chance she was…I don’t know…using you to get pregnant?”

Blake stared at him. “Now what the hell kind of sense does that make? Why would she intentionally get pregnant, then leave and have a kid by herself? I think she knew me well enough to know I wouldn’t have deserted her.”

“I only raised it as a possibility. Blame it on the lawyer in me. It may not have been malicious. Maybe she figured what you didn’t know couldn’t hurt you.” Justin got up and refilled his coffee cup.

“Think about it, Blake.” He leaned his hip against the countertop. “Some women don’t want a husband. Doesn’t mean they don’t want a kid. If she did get pregnant on purpose because she wanted a child, then hopefully it means she loves the kid. Maybe she took off this last time because she was worried her loser boyfriend might hurt Ben.”

Blake didn’t like Justin’s suggestion. He wasn’t a damn stud service to be used and forgotten with no choice in the matter. “Even if what you’re saying is true, it doesn’t change anything. I’m still the kid’s father. I should have some rights.”

“Since paternity law isn’t my specialty, I’m not sure exactly what they are. But if you can prove you’re Ben’s father, you should be able to get visitation.”

Memories of their father taking him and Justin fishing, teaching them to sail, and wrestling with them in the back yard flashed through Blake’s mind. It would have been like that with him and his son. He would have taught him stuff the way fathers were supposed to. Connie had denied him that…Benjamin too.

“What if I want shared custody? Occasional visits can’t make up for lost time, but if I find out where they are, I’m going to want some kind of arrangement that gives me more than an afternoon here and there. Maybe he could be with me during the summers and a weekend or two a month.”

Justin rubbed the back of his neck. “You have a right to be upset. But why don’t you try to take one thing at a time. You don’t even know where Connie and the boy are. Before you start thinking about custody arrangements maybe you should just focus on seeing if you can find them.”

Blake closed his eyes and blew out a sigh. “I know you’re right. But I’ve got a son I don’t know a damn thing about. My son, Justin, mine. What do you expect me to do?”

“So you’ve made up your mind?”

Blake met his brother’s questioning gaze. Eyes identical to his own stared back, the same signature amber eyes they had inherited from their father.

“Yes. Did you honestly think I’d let anyone keep me from my own child?”

“No, no more than I would.” Justin reached out and laid a hand on Blake’s shoulder. “I know a pretty decent private investigator if you’re interested.”

“Thanks. I’ve got a feeling I might need one to find them.” But he would…and if he didn’t like what he found, Connie would damn well have a fight on her hands.