"I'm beginning to think you prefer Boston to New York. Maybe we should just think about picking up and moving the business there."

Keely knew her mother was simply being sarcastic. But the idea wasn't a bad one. Boston was only three hours away with decent traffic. She'd have to buy a refrigerated truck and they'd have to make arrangements to deliver the cakes on Friday night rather than Saturday morning, and she would have to travel back into the city once or-

She drew her thoughts to a halt. This was crazy! She promised herself she wouldn't fall into this trap, of fantasizing about a life with a man she could never have. If she lived in Boston, in all practicality her business in New York would be seriously affected. She'd have to build a whole new clientele in a whole new town, where people might not be inclined to spend thousands of dollars on a silly cake.

"When are you planning to tell them?"

Keely grabbed a damp towel and wiped a bit of icing from her hand. "With everything that's going on with Seamus, it didn't seem to be the right time. Just more confusion on top of what they already have. I just wish there was something I could do to help. It would make telling them so much easier."

"Lee Franklin," Fiona murmured as she continued piping.

"What?"

"Lee Franklin. He was a crew member on that run. He saw the whole thing. His wife and I were good friends and she told me what he said about the incident. Your father wasn't responsible for that man's death, Keely."

"Where is this Franklin guy?"

"I have no idea. I don't know if he's alive still." She stopped what she was doing and grabbed a pad and pencil from the table. After she'd scribbled something on the paper, she ripped the sheet off and handed it to Keely. "That's his social security number. I suppose you could track him through that."

"How could you possibly know his social security number?"

"I used to do the books for the Mighty Quinn," Fiona explained. "I made up little tricks to remember the numbers of the crewmen so I wouldn't have to look them up all the time. Lee Franklin's began with Conor's birthday and ended with our house number. His was the easiest to remember."

Keely couldn't believe what she'd been given. She jumped off the stool and threw her arms around her mother's neck, giving her a fierce hug. "Thank you, Ma. You don't know what this means to me."

"But I know what it means to me. You're going back to Boston now and you don't know when you'll be back."

"I'm going to give this to my brothers," Keely said, "and then I'm going to tell them who I am." She rushed out of the workroom then turned around and hurried back in to give her mother a kiss on each cheek. "I'll be home in a few days."

As she grabbed her jacket and tugged it on, Keely couldn't contain her excitement. With this proof, she could make a real contribution to Seamus's defense. If she helped to clear her father of a murder charge, her family would have to accept her. They'd probably welcome her with open arms.

But as she walked to her car, another thought occurred to her. If the truth was known, then Rafe would be forced to give up his vendetta against her father. And once he accepted the truth, then there would be nothing standing in their way. She could love him and he could love her.

Keely glanced down at the paper clutched in her hand, then said a silent prayer that Lee Franklin was still alive and well and living somewhere easy to find. Though she had more than a few issues riding on this, she'd deal with them one at a time. And Seamus Quinn was first up.

"I'M SURE YOU CAN see that this will be the most efficient use of this property and it will provide badly needed office space in this section of Boston. We expect that by the time it's built, we'll have eighty-five percent of the space rented and one-hundred percent occupancy within the year." Rafe pointed to the architectural drawings that were set up around the conference room on easels. "We have most of our financing in place, but we're looking for a few people willing to invest capital with an excellent return on that investment."

The conference room door slowly opened and Sylvie Arnold stepped inside. She nodded to Rafe in unspoken communication and Rafe quickly wrapped up his presentation. As the investors chatted among themselves, Rafe joined Sylvie at the door.

"It's her," Sylvie whispered.

"Who's her?"

"Her. At least I think it's her. It has to be."

"Who?"

"She says her name is Keely McClain."

Rafe tried to hide his surprise, but he knew it was evident on his face by the satisfied smile on Sylvie's.

"I knew it," she said. "I knew it had to be her. Well, I just have to say that she seems very nice."

"You know nothing," Rafe said coolly. He'd wondered if this moment would come. He also wondered how he'd react. Over the past few days, he'd resigned himself to the fact that, though he and Keely had shared an incredibly intense and passionate affair, it was now over. She'd made her choice and it hadn't been him. "Tell her that I'll have to call her back."

"I can't. She's not on the phone. She's waiting in your office. And she looks a little nervous."

"You put her in my office?"

"She said she needed to see you. And you didn't put her on the list. If you don't want to talk to or see one of your women, you're supposed to put her on the list."

"Goddamn it, Sylvie, I-"

"Ten dollars," she said, holding out her hand.

Rafe hauled out his wallet and slapped a fifty into her hand. "Keep the change. I'll need the credit for the little talk you and I are going to have later."

He walked out of the conference room and strode down the hall, straightening his tie as he walked. In truth, he really didn't want to see her. After what he'd said to her that night in front of the fire, he felt like a fool. He'd risked his heart and his pride by telling her he loved her. And now she was here to remind him of the mistake he'd made.

He couldn't put all the blame on Keely. He had never considered himself capable of love so he had hardened his heart to any emotion long ago. But in the days that he knew Keely, she'd gradually made him see that those emotions weren't gone for good, they were simply asleep. Well, after their time at the cabin, he'd decided to put them away for good. Rafe Kendrick wasn't made for love.

When he reached his office, he grabbed the doorknob, then paused. He ought to have Sylvie say that he was too busy to see her. That would be the easiest way to handle the situation. But Rafe knew how stubborn his assistant could be, especially when it meant involving herself in his personal life. She always claimed to know what was best for him and he had a sneaking suspicion that Sylvie thought Keely fell into that category. Drawing a deep breath, he pushed the doors open.

Keely stood as soon as he stepped inside. Their gazes met across his office and held, and for a moment, he forgot to breathe. Why was he always taken aback by her beauty? There was something about her that drew his eyes to her face, something that he found irresistible. "Keely."

"Hi, Rafe."

Though it had only been a few days since they'd seen each other, Rafe was stunned by his physical reaction. All the old desire came rushing back and he fought the urge to cross the office, pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless. His mind flashed images of their last night together, so vivid that he could barely think. "Please, sit down." Rafe walked past her and took a spot behind his desk, standing with his hands resting on the back of his leather chair. "How have you been?"

"Good. Busy. But good." She hadn't taken a seat. "I told your secretary my name was McClain. I thought it might be better than…well, I wasn't sure how much she knows." She stood next to the chair, shifting uneasily from foot to foot.

"What have you been up to?"

"I went back to New York for a few days to deal with some business at the bakery. Running a business from out of town has been difficult."

Rafe had almost forgotten that, under normal circumstances, Keely Quinn lived in New York and he lived in Boston. That barrier hadn't even come up in conversation, but now that he'd thought of it, it was simply one more reason why he and Keely never would have made it.

"I'm really anxious to tell my family so that my life can get back to normal," she continued.

"You haven't told them yet?"

"No," she replied with a defensive edge. "That's why I've come back. I'm going to tell them tonight."

"Everything's getting back to normal for me, too," Rafe said, changing the subject to soothe her mood.

"Good. You got back to Boston all right, I see."

"I had a cell phone in my coat pocket. I called for a car."

Keely blinked in surprise, her mouth falling open. At first, he was sure she'd react angrily. After all, the lack of a phone had been the major reason they'd spent an extra night at the cabin. But if she was upset over his deception, she didn't show it. "Good. I'm glad. And you found your car?"

"My doorman gave me the keys." Jeez, this small talk was driving him crazy. It was as if they'd just met, fumbling to think of something to say to each other. No one would have guessed that, just a few days ago, they'd been on very intimate terms, whispering wicked things to each other in the midst of passion. "Is that all you came for? To find out if I got back all right?"

"No. I wanted to give you this." She held a small piece of paper out over his desk.

Rafe took it from her, his hand brushing hers, causing a current to race up his arm. "What's this?"

"It's the name and social security number for one of the men on the crew of my father's fishing boat. His name is Lee Franklin. According to my mother, he was there when your father died. And my mother says that he knows everything that happened. She also says that my father didn't have anything to do with your father's death." Keely shrugged. "That's all I came for. I'm going to give the information to Conor so he can give it to the authorities, but I thought you should know that there's going to be someone backing up Seamus's story. You said you wanted the truth and I hope that we'll find Lee Franklin and he'll tell us what really happened." She paused. "And you'll be satisfied."