Before he could stop her, she jerked out of his arms, took a big step back. Held her arms out in a very clear don’t-touch-me move. “No.” She swallowed, looked from face to face with her brow drawn low, took another step away. “No, my name is Kate. Kate Alexander.”
Pain slashed through him. He tried to reach for her again, but Julia tugged hard on his arm, stopping him. “Dad, I told you it’s not her. It just looks like her. Dad, Daddy, listen to me. It’s not her.”
Not her? It had to be her. It had to be…
“Annie—”
She dodged his grip. And his heart felt like it shattered against the pavement at his feet. “I…I was hoping to ask you a few questions. I can see this isn’t a good time. I’ll just leave—”
“No!” Ryan and Mitch both said at the same time.
She jumped. Froze. Looked from face to face in bewilderment.
Holy God, it had to be her. It sounded like her. Ryan could never forget that voice. He didn’t know what the hell was going on but he didn’t want to scare her off. To keep from reaching for her, he scrubbed his hands over his face. Closed his eyes, shook his head, opened them again. She was still there. She wasn’t a figment of his imagination.
Why wasn’t she throwing herself into his arms? Why was she standing there looking at him as if he were a stranger?
“No,” Mitch said again, holding out his hands. “No, now’s fine.”
Her attention shifted his way. “Who are you?”
She didn’t know Mitch? She had to know her brother. She was Annie.
“Mitch Mathews. Ah, his brother-in-law.” Mitch nodded at Ryan. “Her…Annie’s…brother.”
Her brow wrinkled, then her green eyes grew wide. “Mitch Mathews. The geologist?”
A sly smile spread across Mitch’s mouth. “Yeah, same one.”
“Oh. Well.” A nervous look crossed her face. A face that Ryan now saw was different from what he remembered. Different but still familiar. “This is a little awkward. I, ah, I had no idea.” She ran a hand over her hair.
Ryan’s stomach tightened. It was the same unconscious gesture Annie always made when nervous.
“Me, either,” Mitch said. They studied one another for a minute. “I got your message.”
A rose tint stained her cheeks. “Well, you, ah, seemed a little fired up about the article. I guess I just responded…badly, I might say now, in light of the situation.”
Mitch grinned. Why the hell was he grinning?
“What are you two talking about?” Ryan asked, looking from one to the other. He felt like he was being hammered by prize-fighters from all sides, and they were acting like they knew each other. If Mitch had known Annie was so close and hadn’t told him—
“This is the editor, Ryan, the one I told you about. The one who wrote that article.”
Ryan looked back at her—at his Annie. At the woman who couldn’t be anything but his Annie. Why was she acting as if she didn’t know him? Why wasn’t she grabbing Julia, hugging her tight? Hugging him tight? Holding on to him like he needed to hold on to her?
As questions tumbled through his mind and he scanned her features again, he realized what looked different. Her nose was thinner, her cheekbones a little higher, and there was a scar near her temple he didn’t remember.
Editor. The one who wrote that article. Kate Alexander.
His chest pinched tight. Was it possible this woman wasn’t Annie?
His mind skipped to the conversation he’d had with Mitch in his office, and confusion replaced shock. “The nut-job?”
“Excuse me?” She shot a glare his way.
Mitch laughed. “No, no. It’s nothing. Just a joke. Ah, this is a little awkward. You…you look a lot like my sister. We’re all a little flustered, I think.”
What the hell was Mitch saying? She was his sister. Wasn’t she?
“Why don’t we go inside,” Mitch suggested. “You can tell us what this is about. Come on.” He motioned for the house. She eyed Ryan with suspicion, then stepped well out of his reach and up next to Mitch.
Ryan turned, stared after her as they headed for the house. Tried to clear his head. Was it possible someone else could look so much like his wife? Sound like her? If she wasn’t Annie, what was she doing here? Was this some kind of sick joke?
The sway of her step caught his attention. And his heart took a hard, sharp roll. She was built just like Annie, same strong legs and perfectly toned ass.