A Texas Family Reunion (2 page)

“I don’t think so,” David said, turning away.

“Is your birthday August twentieth?” Jim asked.

“No! I have to go.”

“Yes, it is, David!” Alexandra exclaimed. “Why are you lying to Jim?”

“I’m not lying!” David snapped. “I…all right, my birthday is August twentieth. But I’m sure there are a million other people born on that date.”

“Yes, but how many of them are named David Buford?” Jim asked.

“Probably no more than three or four,” David muttered, staring at the floor.

“Oh, David, coincidences don’t happen
that
often,” Alexandra exclaimed.

“Why not? We’ve already had one coincidence, haven’t we?”

When Jim would’ve spoken, Carrie touched his arm. Then she said, “David, you’re the last of the long-lost six Barlow children. Did you know that?”

He looked up first at Carrie and then at Jim. “You’ve found everyone but me?” he asked.

“Wally died overseas as a marine,” Jim said softly. “Our sisters—Rebecca and Rachel, the twins, and Vanessa—have all reconnected. Vanessa was adopted by Vivian and Herbert Shaw. After Herbert died, Vivian hired Will Greenfield to find her daughter’s siblings. Rebecca was living in Arkansas. Rachel was here in Dallas. Now she lives in West Texas.”

David looked up at Jim and then quickly turned away, blinking rapidly as if trying to stop the tears. “I see. Perhaps I am David Barlow, your long-lost brother. I knew my name was Barlow but I didn’t think anyone was looking for me.”

“Is that why you denied being David Barlow?” Jim asked, frowning.

“Partly. I certainly don’t want my mother upset. I owe her and Dad a great deal for rescuing me.”

“And you think it would upset her for you to be reunited with your biological brother and sisters?” Carrie asked.

“Yes, I do. She’s dependent on me for her income and well-being. My sisters depend on me, too.”

“Yes,” Alexandra said, shaking her head. “Your mother raised you to be the big brother her daughters didn’t have. You were always taught to take care of everything for them. Too much, in
my
opinion.”

“You’re exaggerating, Alex! Mother doesn’t make that many demands.”

“You know I’m right,” Alexandra insisted.

“Look,” Jim said with amusement, “I don’t want to cut short your argument, but, David, I’d like to arrange a meeting between you and our sisters. Would you object to that?”

“If we can do it quietly. I don’t want Mom to know.” David shrugged. “I know that sounds strange, but I really do owe her, the whole family, in fact, everything.”

“Of course. I understand,” Jim said. “If you’ll give me your number, I’ll call you when I’ve got something set up.”

David reached in his suit jacket and pulled out a business card. “Here’s my number at work. Give me a call there, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course not. Are you usually free on weekends?”

“Better if it’s a workday night. I spend a lot of weekends at my mother’s.”

“I’m sure we can arrange something,” Jim said. He reached out his hand. “I’m glad to see you again, David.”

David stared at Jim’s hand. After a minute he took it in his and let his gaze meet Jim’s. “I’m glad to see you again, too.”

Jim pulled David into an awkward embrace. Then David broke free and hurried out of the office.

Alexandra shook her head sadly. “I can’t believe he did that!”

“What?” Carrie asked.

“Denied he was Jim’s brother until he was forced to admit it. Then he asked Jim not to let his mother know about his other family.”

“Would she be upset?” Jim asked.

“Oh, yes! She’ll probably throw a fit. Ever since her husband died, she’s clung to David, and she wouldn’t want anyone coming between them. But he knew, when he heard your name. And he denied it!” Alexandra exclaimed.

“Don’t be too hard on him,” Jim said softly. “He might not have made it if your aunt hadn’t adopted him when she did. David was the youngest of the boys and therefore the most vulnerable.”

“How old were you?”

“We were five and eight,” Jim admitted.

“Wow…you were very young too,” Alexandra said.

“I guess.” Jim grinned wryly.

“Jim’s a big brother to the world,” Carrie said as she slid an arm around her husband’s waist.

“Well, I think David’s lucky, he just doesn’t know it yet,” Alexandra said.

Alexandra couldn’t get the scene out of her mind, of Jim confronting David and trying to get him to admit his kinship. She’d worried about David for some time now. Because he had assumed both his father’s and his uncle’s responsibilities she feared he might be overloaded.

Not that David listened to her. He’d been raised to think a woman couldn’t take care of herself or think for herself. His mother played the role of the southern belle to the nth degree. Her own mother was that way, too, but Alexandra had always been determined not to follow the same path.

Which explained her career choice; law enforcement was not for hothouse flowers.

“Do you want us to call you Alexandra or Alex?” Carrie asked as she carried over some supplies to Alexandra’s new desk.

“It doesn’t matter. I answer to both,” she said with a smile.

“I noticed David calls you Alex,” Carrie said.

“Yes. I was five when I first met him. He thought that because I was a girl, I would be easily dismissed, but I was determined to show him otherwise. I was in my tomboy phase. Maybe I still am.”

“And he hasn’t noticed you’re a beautiful woman now?” Carrie asked, raising her brows.

Alexandra felt her cheeks flush. “I’m not beautiful, Carrie. But I do have a boyfriend.”

“Well, I think you’re very attractive, and I’m glad someone appreciates you. Is he a policeman?”

“Yes, he is. That was another reason I left my job as a cop. They frown on fraternizing.”

“So you’ve made plans to marry?”

“Not yet, but I think… I hope my leaving will make things better.” Alexandra smiled, thinking of her boyfriend. Neil had been one of her instructors at the police academy. After she’d finished the course and been assigned nights, he’d asked her out to dinner. They’d begun seeing each other when they could, but her schedule didn’t fit well with his.

She was seeing him tonight. As far as she knew, he didn’t know about her change of job. It had happened quickly while Neil was on vacation. He’d gone to Tennessee to see his family.

“You’ll have to invite him to visit us. I’d love to meet him,” Carrie said.

“I haven’t even introduced him to my family yet. My
cousins are gorgeous,” Alexandra said. “I don’t want him to be…distracted.”

Carrie chuckled. “Well, I can’t wait to introduce you to Vanessa, Will’s stepdaughter and Jim’s sister. Also the twins, Rebecca and Rachel. They’re all beauties, and you kind of have their look.”

“Well, if it helps me do my job, that’s all I care about.”

Carrie perched on top of Alexandra’s new desk. “I think it
will
help you. Men normally are not suspicious of pretty women.” She grinned. “Anyway, I’m glad you’re joining us. Will and Jim can be a little protective, but they do let you do your job.”

“Will said you’re pregnant. Are you going to keep working after your baby is born?”

“Yes. I’ll take a couple of months off and then come back gradually. We have enough work now to keep
four
of us busy, so it may get a little rushed when I’m out of the office.”

“That’s okay. Will said we work as a team here, and that’s one of the things that attracted me to this job. I work well on my own, too.”

“You come with high recommendations from your sergeant.”

Alexandra actually blushed. “He’s an old friend of my father’s.”

“Whatever the reason, he sure thinks the world of you,” Carrie said with a laugh. She pushed herself off Alexandra’s desk. “If you need anything else, let me know.”

“Thank you, Carrie. I appreciate your friendliness.”

“We’re like a family, Alexandra. I think you’ll enjoy it here.”

Alexandra watched the pretty blonde walk back to her own desk. Carrie and her husband seemed to have a loving relationship. Alexandra hoped that was true. They were such nice people.

She’d been impressed with Will, too, and had looked forward to starting her new job. Of course, she should’ve known David wouldn’t believe she knew what she was doing.

From the moment her cousins had moved to Plano and settled just a few blocks away, she’d fought David for control. Since he was three years older, it wasn’t exactly a fair fight. And her girl cousins had followed David around, doing whatever he told them to do. She’d tried to free the girls from his will, persuade them that he wasn’t their boss, until the oldest cousin, Janet, had asked why they would want to do the opposite of what David said. He only had their best interests at heart. Their mother had said so.

Alexandra had immediately asked her own mother why they would want David to tell them what to do. Her mother had explained that some women preferred that men guide their decisions.

Alexandra was repulsed by such an idea. Her father always called her his little radical, even at five. She abandoned the effort on her cousins’ behalf, but she refused to allow David to control her life.

“Alexandra,” Jim said from his desk, “I’ve talked to my sisters, Vanessa and Rebecca, who live in Dallas. They’re very anxious to meet David, but I’ve talked them into waiting until next Monday night. That way Rebecca’s twin, Rachel, who lives in West Texas, will have time to get here.”

Alexandra nodded. “Sounds good, but I’m not sure David will continue to associate with you and your sisters.”

“Why not?”

“You heard David talk about his mother. He always tries to do whatever she wants. She only has to say she might like something and David finds a way to get it for her. He made a deathbed promise to his father to take care of his mother and sisters.”

“You can’t fault him for that,” Jim said, frowning.

Carrie joined the conversation. “I agree with Alexandra. Being protective is one thing, but taking away choices stifles a person’s development.”

“But David just tries to grant his mother’s wishes,” Jim protested.

“But how can she appreciate what she gets if she never has to lift a finger to get it?” Carrie argued.

“Maybe his mother is too old to learn new tricks, sweetheart. Anyway, it’s not our business. So we’re all agreed next Monday night would be a good time to have my sisters and David meet?” Jim asked.

“Yes,” Alexandra confirmed.

W
HEN
D
AVID GOT BACK
to his office, he found one of his best employees waiting for him.

“Hi, Pete. What’s up?” he asked as he took off his jacket and settled behind his desk.

Pete Dansky shut the office door and moved closer to David’s desk. “We’ve got problems.”

David’s head snapped up. “What are you talking about?”

“Our government contact just called me. He said we must have a spy, because someone else submitted a bid very close to ours in design.”

“That can happen,” David said slowly. “Did it have—”

“It had everything ours had except for the last bit of work you and I did. I described it to Williams and he told me it wasn’t there.”

“Then we still have a chance?” David asked.

“Yes, as long as the last bit doesn’t get passed on.”

“Are those papers in your office?”

“They’re in my safe!”

“Good. But we can’t let anyone work on them but you and me, and that’s going to slow things down. Can we meet the deadline?”

“I don’t think so. Even if you and I work day and night, I doubt we can finish.”

“So we have to find who betrayed us and fast.” David leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes.

A long minute passed. At last Pete said, “David? Are you napping or thinking?”

“I’m thinking. I need to make a phone call to some people who can help us.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes. It’s a detective agency that my cousin works for. I’ll see if they can take our case and how soon.”

“And you think they’ll be able to find the spy?”

“Yeah, I do. What I need you to do, Pete, is list all the employees who had access to the files.”

“Okay. I’ll be back with a list in ten minutes.”

“Good.”

Once Pete had left his office, David got the number of Greenfield and Associates and dialed it. When a woman answered who wasn’t his cousin, he assumed it was Carrie.

“This is David Buford. I need to know if your firm does personnel reviews.”

“Yes, David, we do. What have you got in mind?”

He explained the situation.

“I see. Let me pass you to Jim. Hang on.”

It was a couple of minutes before Jim picked up the line. “David, Carrie explained your situation and what you want. I think we can do the job, assuming we have complete access to your employee files and are allowed to interview anyone we want. I’ve got a few things I can put off. We can start tomorrow morning. Does that work for you?”

David told him it did, and they hung up. He felt satisfied. He might not’ve seen Jim for twenty-three years, but he sensed that Jim hadn’t changed. He’d been honest as a boy, and he still was. David could trust his older brother.

T
HE NEXT MORNING
Jim was sitting in David’s reception area when he arrived. Which was good. What wasn’t good was that Alex was sitting next to him.

“What’s she doing here?” he demanded when he saw his cousin.

Jim raised one eyebrow. “She works with us now, remember?”

“Of course, but yesterday was her first day. Isn’t she kind of green?”

Jim rose to his feet. “Suppose the three of us go into your office, David,” Jim suggested. “We can discuss things there.” Alexandra stood up, too, her face flushed with anger.

David led the way into his office. After they followed him in, he closed the door. “Well?”

“Look,” Jim said, “we didn’t hire Alexandra to train from scratch. We hired her because she’s already been trained in most things. She’s quite able to do an interview and assess the data in the files. If you have a problem with that, you’ll have to hire another firm.”

Alexandra protested. “No, I don’t want you to lose—”

Jim stopped her. “This is not your decision, Alexandra. The four of us discussed it yesterday and decided this would be our approach. It’s up to David to decide whether or not to accept what we’re offering.” He stared at David.

“Of course. I just thought…” David said. “Your wife seemed….”

“Carrie is the one who suggested Alexandra come. Alexandra has done a lot more interviews than Carrie.”

“You have?” David asked, frowning at his cousin.

“Of course I have, David. That’s a big part of a cop’s job, talking to people, either as victims or criminals.”

“Oh, yeah. Well, that’s fine. I didn’t mean to make a fuss. It just took me by surprise.”

“So you’re satisfied?” Jim asked.

“Yes, of course. We thought you could work in the conference room next door, unless you need separate rooms?”

“No, we’re going to work together. We’ll look over the files and then start pulling people in to interview.”

“Okay, sure. And I’ll take you both to lunch.”

“It would be better if you ordered in food for the three of us and anyone else you trust so we can discuss any questions we have.”

“Oh, right. Yeah, Pete Dansky. We’ll bring in lunch.”

“Great. Then we’ll see you in three hours,” Jim said with a smile and moved to the door, Alexandra following.

E
ARLIER
, J
IM AND
A
LEXANDRA
had discussed how they would handle the interviews. Jim had suggested they take turns being the lead, and Alexandra had said she felt comfortable with that. Once they were in the conference room, they each took two files and read them.

“Anything in either of yours?” Jim asked.

“No, they look fairly straightforward.”

“Okay, let’s interview these four, one after the other. You be the lead on your files and I’ll be the lead on mine.”

The four interviews were completed in only half an hour. Jim and Alexandra put those files aside and moved on to another four. When they had questions about something in a file, they called Carrie. She found the information online and reported back.

By noon, they had cleared twenty-four employees. When the last interview ended, David and another man came into the room, loaded down with packages of food.

“How’d the morning go?” David asked.

“So far, so good,” Jim said. “You have some great people working for you.”

“We only have a couple of questions,” Alexandra said. “One person had actually worked for the company who made the duplicate bid. She hadn’t listed it on her previous employments. Her name is Judith Green.”

Both men stared at Alexandra.

“She did?” David asked. “And she told you that?”

“Alex noticed the time gap in her list of previous em
ployers. Apparently, whoever interviewed her didn’t ask the right questions.”

“Maybe whoever it was was distracted by a pretty face,” Alexandra challenged, staring at her cousin.

“It wasn’t me!” David declared.

“It was me,” the other man said. “I remember because I did notice the time gap in her résumé. I asked her and she said her mother had been sick and she took time off work to nurse her back to health.”

Alex made some notes on her pad. “We’ll check that out, Mr.—” She broke off since she hadn’t been introduced to him.

“Oh, sorry,” David said. “This is my right-hand man and best friend, Pete Dansky.”

“Hello. I’m Alexandra Buford, and this is Jim Barlow.”

Pete shook both their hands, but his gaze returned to Alexandra. “You have the same last name as David?”

“Yes, he’s my cousin.”

“That’s right. He said his cousin worked for your company, but I thought—”

“Give them a chance to eat their lunch, Pete,” David said hurriedly.

“Right. We brought in some cheeseburgers and fries.” Pete began pulling out neatly wrapped packages. Soon they were all eating.

Jim asked, after taking a bite of his hamburger, “What does Miss Green do for the company?”

“She tests our new programs to be sure they work.”

Jim exchanged a look with Alex. “I think we should get Carrie to do a check on her mother and that illness she had. She can do it while we continue our interviews.” He pulled out a cell phone and hit a button, then proceeded to tell Carrie the details.

When he disconnected, he said, “My wife will check it out and let us know as soon as she can. Will can go out and get her some food. We’re expecting our first child, and I trust him to take good care of her.”