Her Secret Child

Josie Gallagher has plenty of reasons to be wary of Jacob Weatherly—considering he’s working for the hotel chain that’s forcing her restaurant to close. But when he shows up there with a little girl by his side—her little girl—she’s dismayed. How has this bachelor wound up with custody of the baby Josie placed with a married couple six years ago? The handsome hotel executive has no idea that Addie is Josie’s biological child, and Josie can’t afford to tell him. As he helps save her business, Josie and Jacob unexpectedly grow closer. But will her secret stand in the way of their happily-ever-after?

Multipublished bestselling author RUTH LOGAN HERNE loves God, her country, her family, dogs, chocolate and coffee! Married to a very patient man, she lives in an old farmhouse in upstate New York and thinks possums should leave the cat food alone and snakes should always live outside. There are no exceptions to either rule! Visit Ruth at ruthloganherne.com.

Also By Ruth Logan Herne

Grace Haven

An Unexpected Groom

Her Unexpected Family

Their Surprise Daddy

The Lawman’s Yuletide Baby

Her Secret Daughter

Kirkwood Lake

The Lawman’s Second Chance

Falling for the Lawman

The Lawman’s Holiday Wish

Loving the Lawman

Her Holiday Family

Men of Allegany County

Mended Hearts

Yuletide Hearts

His Mistletoe Family

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

Her Secret Daughter

Ruth Logan Herne

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-08031-6

HER SECRET DAUGHTER

© 2018 Ruth M. Blodgett

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

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“I’m ready. This is ready.”

He indicated the beautiful resort with a thrust of his head.

“But I’m not ready for what comes later. The leaving part. And I’m not sure what to do about that, Josie.”

“Resign yourself, because time has a way of marching on.” She kept it light on purpose, he was sure, but not before he spotted that now-familiar flash of regret. She moved back slightly.

“You’re right. And for now I’ve got to get Addie home to bed. Tomorrow’s going to come early. Mom and Dad are taking over with Addie for the next two weeks while we get things ironed out here. And then—”

“Another chapter unfolds.” Josie leaned down and waved to Addie in the back seat. “See you later, sweet thing! Thanks for letting me tag along today!”

“Bye, Josie!”

She didn’t turn back his way. She didn’t pause to flirt. True to her word, Josie kept a distance he wished he could broach, but unless he was willing to take a whole new turn in life, she was right to walk away.

Dear Reader,

Life isn’t always fair. Sometimes bad things happen to good people, and we could spend a lot of time questioning God’s will and arguing why, but in the end we still have choices. To put bad and evil behind us and move on with our lives...or to wallow in anger.

Josie Gallagher doesn’t wallow. She took charge of a bad situation, trying to act in the best interests of her daughter, but when she realizes her intentions were thwarted by another’s deceit, she has no choice but to check things out. In the end, she stays true to her King Solomon beliefs: A true mother will never pull her child apart.

Jacob Weatherly became a father by default, but he’s a good, God-fearing man, determined to tip his daughter’s life in happy, normal directions. His fear at losing her is palpable and understandable, and it isn’t until Josie and Jacob embrace the sacrificial nature of being a true parent that they realize God’s timing.

Have you ever faced cruel decisions, only to find out later things worked out for the best? God’s timing isn’t always clear to us...but as long as it’s clear to Him, we’re okay!

I love to hear from readers! Email me at loganherne@gmail.com or visit my website ruthloganherne.com, friend me on Facebook/Ruth Logan Herne or find me cooking at the Yankee Belle Café (www.yankeebellecafe.blogspot.com) with several other Love Inspired authors who love to share their joy of cooking, baking, God and romance with readers!

Thank you for taking the time to read Josie and Jacob’s beautiful story, and may God bless you!

Ruthy

For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

—Genesis 18:19

Jon Jamison...this one’s for you. A book about a wonderful father who truly loves his children and doesn’t scold too much when their grandmother gives them copious amounts of chocolate milk and treats. I love you, Jon!

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

Dear Reader

Bible Verse

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Epilogue

Extract

Chapter One

Josie Gallagher gripped the letter from the county manager’s office with tight hands.

She already knew the contents. Cruz Maldonado, her cousin Rory’s husband and a lawyer, had called with a heads-up the night before. She’d lost her battle against the hotel giant erecting a five-star resort just south of her popular lakeside barbecue joint. Her little place stood in the way of progress, which meant she’d have to relocate the Bayou Barbecue. She tore open the envelope, and her gaze landed on four distinct words. “Eminent domain petition granted.”

Gone.

Just like that. Her hard work, dedication and years of working with some of the best chefs in New Orleans had dissipated like a whiff of hickory smoke because the boat-launch site on her land was a better match for the major hotelier. Her lake access was about to become the property of Carrington Hotels & Inns for a tidy sum to help her launch a new spot, but new spots weren’t exactly a given along the waterfront, and real estate had gone sky-high in Grace Haven, New York.

“Bad news?” Her cousin Kimberly came in through the side door of Josie’s tiny apartment. The three-room living quarters was attached to the Southern-style eatery she’d spent years building, which meant she wasn’t only out of a job. She was also out of a home. “Is that from the county?”

Josie fought back a wealth of angry words she’d like to say. Clutching the stupid paper, she nodded. “Yup.”

“Oh, Josie.” Kimberly hugged her, and it felt good to be hugged. “I’m so sorry. Are you sure we can’t continue to fight? Take it further?”

They’d already gone the legal route Cruz had recommended, but he’d been honest from the beginning. If the county saw a need for this strip of land to provide the proper spacing for a major player, it’d have Carrington pay fair market value and take the land. End of story. “It’s done.”

“How long have you got to vacate?”

“Thirty days.”

“Thirty days?” Anger darkened Kimberly’s gaze. She was nearly nine months pregnant with her second child, and Josie didn’t want to tip her into labor, but at least a new baby would be a happy end to an otherwise wretched day. “They can’t possibly expect you to take care of moving everything from your home and business and find a new place in thirty days. Can they? That’s preposterous, Josie, even for Southerners.”

A deep and distinctly Southern drawl interrupted them from the screened door. “It would seem less preposterous had you taken the initial offer six months ago.”

The women turned. A man stood at the door, midthirties. Crazy good-looking. He had an official-looking folder in his left hand, which meant he was most likely another Carrington Hotels henchman. Kimberly must have sensed the same thing because she folded her arms above the baby bump in total defensive Gallagher posture.

Josie Gallagher moved forward, determined to save Kimberly from herself. “This is a private meeting, and I’m pretty sure you weren’t invited, sir.”

The man pointed south. “Carrington Hotels has been nothing but courteous about this whole thing. We approached you personally, and you laughed at our representative, and from what I’ve heard, possibly also shut the door in his face.”

She’d done exactly that, and she would have done it again if they had reapproached with that number. They’d lowballed the initial offering, hoping she was stupid. She wasn’t. “The original offer was deserving of that, I believe.”

“It was too low, and I apologize for that,” the man said. He looked honest, but Josie had found out the hard way that honesty should never be taken at face value, and despite this guy’s classic good looks—tall, broad-shouldered, curly light brown hair and blue eyes—she wasn’t going to be fooled this time, either. Or ever again.

“I wasn’t in on the initial negotiations,” he continued. “If I had been, the offer would have been quite different. But fighting over this corner property has made for costly delays...”

“And has negatively affected your client’s bottom line.” Josie pretended to yawn. “I’ve read the briefs and you’ve gotten the county to side with you, so why is Carrington sending another lawyer to my door? You won. I have to dismantle my business and move, and while that’s nothing to bigwigs like you, it’s a huge deal to small-town businesspeople like me. Take your celebration elsewhere. We’re closed.”

The man withdrew a card from the pocket of his suit. “I’m not a lawyer. I’m Jacob Weatherly, the project manager for Carrington Hotels.” He turned as a car door clicked shut from the parking area, and then he smiled. When he did, he looked almost human, which meant Josie was less likely to kick him in the shins for being on the winning team.

And then her heart stopped.

It didn’t pause. It didn’t skip. It came to a full-on stop as a strawberry blonde little girl came around the corner.

Adeline.

She stared at the girl, certain she must be seeing things. It had been three years, after all. Surely this child couldn’t be—

“Come here, Addie-cakes.” The man, Jacob Weatherly, put out a hand. “Was it getting warm in the car?”

The child shook her head. “I mostly wanted to see the big cow,” she answered softly. She aimed a cautious look at Josie and had no idea what that look did to Josie’s heart. “Why do you have such a big cow on your building? It’s kind of funny, isn’t it?”

Josie stared, unable to speak. Kimberly jumped in to help. “They serve barbecue here. Barbecued beef and pork and chicken.”

The girl nodded, but it was clear that she didn’t get the correlation, and that was probably a good thing. How does one explain meat eating to an impressionable child? Josie had no idea.

“So you like cows?” The child sounded excited by the thought of Josie liking cows, and seeing her delight, Josie was sure she could make herself like cows. “I do, too! Daddy said we’d get a cow someday, when we settle someplace, but I don’t really think that’s going to happen. Is it, Daddy?” She peered up at Jacob Weatherly before reaching up to grasp his hand. “Because his job moves him around all the time.”

Daddy?

Josie’s brain whipped through what she knew about her biological daughter’s adoptive parents. She’d kept the original information minimal on purpose, because she understood herself quite well. She wasn’t the “open adoption” kind of mother. If she knew where Adeline was, she’d have been watching from a distance all this time. As it was, when Josie was needed to save the child’s life, Addie’s adoptive mother had found her.

But then Josie had purposely slipped into the shadows again, moving back north to Grace Haven, avoiding the South on purpose. Only now, the South had come to her.

She swallowed hard. Brought a hand to her throat. It was no use. Words escaped her, which was probably a good thing because no one knew what had happened in Louisiana...and if Josie Gallagher had her way, no one ever would.

“Ms. Gallagher.”

“Yes?” She pulled her attention from the beautiful child and faced Jacob Weatherly with more than real estate consternation in her stance.

Who was this man? How did he get Adeline? And how did he end up here, virtually next door to her seized property?

Questions raced through her brain, questions with no answers, but once she was alone she’d hunt for information. While the county might have the right to seize her business, her land and her lakefront footage without her permission...no one had the right to pass a child around in similar fashion.

“I know this isn’t my place, but since development is my specialty, I looked around the lake at possible new venues for your restaurant.”

Talk about salt in the wound. She flinched because here was a stranger with her child, trying to exert influence over her business life after his firm emerged victoriously from her lawsuit. Her pulse spiked. So did her blood pressure. And still, she couldn’t speak. Or maybe she didn’t dare speak.

“We don’t want hard feelings, Ms. Gallagher.” He held out his card again. “That’s not how I do business. It’s not how I ever do business. Please believe that.”

Sincerity marked his gaze. He seemed to be totally up-front and earnest, but she’d fallen for that once, nearly seven years ago, and she’d vowed to never fall for it again.

Believe him?

Her gut quivered. Her fingers went cold, then hot, then cold again. Her palms became damp, but she ignored all of that and accepted the card because it would be her first step in finding out who Jacob Weatherly was and why Adeline was with him... And why did she call him “Daddy” when her adoptive father and mother were Ginger and Adam O’Neill from Georgia?

The only reason she knew that much was because when Addie needed a liver transplant at Emory, Josie’d flown up from New Orleans and donated the life-saving tissue to her beautiful child. She clasped the card, then slipped it into the back pocket of her jeans as if it wasn’t the least bit important. “I appreciate the olive branch, Mr. Weatherly.” She should have stopped there.

She couldn’t.

She looked down into the sweetest sea green eyes she’d ever seen. The tone had grown richer with time, giving Addie beautiful eyes, pale skin and hair that shone like a brand-new penny, much like her grandmother’s. She looked so much like Cissy Gallagher that Josie was surprised Kimberly didn’t notice. Maybe all freckled redheads looked alike?

But they didn’t, and Addie was special. She’d known that from the beginning, reason enough right there to give the child a clean start at life. Twice. “Nice to meet you, Addie.”

The girl offered a simple smile, the kind you’d offer a stranger. Josie’s heart broke more, because in a perfect world, her daughter would recognize her birth mother and come running.

But in a world rife with adult problems, it was better for children to be protected and beloved, and as soon as everyone left her alone, she was going to find out why the project manager from Carrington Hotels had her daughter in his care.

* * *

Jacob Weatherly faced the frustrated restaurant owner in front of him and wished he’d been on hand when Carrington presented its first purchase offer. They’d misjudged this woman, and it was a foolish mistake made by people who thought they were better than the small business owners making up a huge percentage of America’s workforce. They were wrong on that. Making enemies of the locals was a stupid thing to do.

She brought her gaze up from Addie and tried to hide the intensity of her emotions.

Atypical beauty.

The realization caught him off guard because he hadn’t had time to notice women in a while. Being a single dad had changed his personal landscape. It had been a pretty big surprise, but the bigger surprise was how much he loved this child who’d already been through so much.

No more, though. He’d see to it that Addie’s life was fairy-tale sweet from this point forward, although he wasn’t sure how he could manage the cow she seemed determined to get.

“If you need me, my number and email are on the card. It’s my cell phone.” He tapped his jacket pocket. “So you don’t have to go through automated prompts. I’d be happy to share the information I found at your convenience, Ms. Gallagher.”

“I’m pretty sure you understand that nothing about this whole deal has been convenient.” She faced him straight on, shoulders back, chin up. High cheekbones said there might be Native American blood mixed with her Celtic name. “But I think I’d like to hear what you have to say, Mr. Weatherly.”

She didn’t want to hear him out. He saw that instantly, but she’d conceded. Why?

He had no idea, but if she thought she might be able to talk him out of taking over the land, she was wrong, and she seemed too smart to haggle over a done deal. “I’ll wait for your call.”

She gave him a curt nod, then glanced down at Addie.

Her gaze softened. She smiled at the six-year-old and squatted slightly. “A pleasure to meet you, Addie.”

“Thank you.” Addie pressed into his leg slightly, a touch shy, but only a touch, and she proved that right then by leaning forward, toward Josie Gallagher. “I think you might like my daddy a very lot, actually.”

Josie’s brows lifted quickly. “You think so?” She sounded more astounded than simply surprised.

“He’s very nice.” Addie pressed forward a little more, as if sharing a secret. “And he likes to go out with pretty ladies.”

“Does he, now?” The striking woman pierced him with a sharp gaze, and he leaped to his own defense, then wondered why he felt compelled to do so.

“I don’t. Addie Rose Weatherly, you’re going to get me into trouble one of these days.”

The girl giggled and grabbed him around the leg. “Well, silly, how are we going to find you a wife if you never ask pretty ladies to come see us? I don’t think that’s how it works, Dad.”

“I’ll find my own dates, thank you.” He kept his tone dry, but when Addie burst out laughing, he had no choice. He reached down, picked her up, and marveled at how beautifully strong and healthy she was after such a rocky beginning. “Now say goodbye to these nice ladies. I’ve got a meeting at three, and I can’t be late.”

“Goodbye.” She flashed the ladies a grin while she hugged him, and if he didn’t know any better, he was pretty sure he’d been blessed beyond belief the day this little lady came into his life. She was the bright light in a sea of mourning. She made every day fuller and happier. He’d never thought about settling down and having children, and when his sister’s marriage fell apart, he was pretty sure he’d made the right choice. Now, as he held the niece who was now his adopted daughter in his arms, Jacob was 100 percent certain he’d never have it any other way.

He settled Addie into the back seat of the SUV, watched while she adjusted her shoulder strap, and when she snapped it to show him she’d tightened it correctly, he high-fived her. He’d just climbed into his seat when she surprised him from her perch. “Why was that lady mad at you?”

He could pretend that Josie Gallagher wasn’t mad, but he’d be lying, and he never lied. “My company is buying her land and she has to move and she didn’t want to move.”

“You’re making her move?” Surprise hiked Addie’s gaze to his.

“Well...” He backed up, turned the car around and aimed for the two-lane road. “I’m not. But she has to move, yes.”

“But you’re building the new big place,” she said reasonably. “So it’s like you’re making her move.”

It was kind of like that, so he nodded, but wasn’t happy to do it.

“And I get to go to big-kid school soon!”

Not much fazed Addie, and he loved that about her. They’d moved twice as he followed huge projects up the East Coast, and Addie seemed to find happiness wherever they landed, although now it was different. She was different. She was older and in need of schooling, and he was pushed to make some hard decisions about life and career. She needed roots, and after running projects on the fly for a dozen years, he might need some, too.

A boat horn sounded across the water as the Canandaigua Lady completed a lunchtime cruise. Bits of color tipped the trees, hinting new leaves. Daffodils and tulips brightened the landscapes surrounding the water, and the grass had gone from dull sage to kelly green in the past week. Spring was surging, and he had three months left on the Eastern Shore Inn project. By mid-July the project would be complete, and then what?

He wasn’t tired of building. He loved putting jobs together, and he loved being a dad, two things he’d have never predicted as a younger man.

But since Addie came to him, he’d grown tired of pulling up stakes every few seasons.

He turned onto the road, and glanced back at the two women.

The taller one had moved forward and put an arm around Josie Gallagher, but Josie Gallagher wasn’t looking at her friend.

She was watching him pull away, and the sorrowed look on her face made him want to pause. Turn back. Find out what was really wrong, what put that deepened sadness in her gaze.

He did no such thing. He had a business to run for the next few months, and she was facing changes she didn’t want or need, but they weren’t his fault.

“She looks sad, doesn’t she, Daddy?”

Right now he wished his beautiful daughter wasn’t so intuitive. “Everybody gets sad sometimes, Addie-cakes.”

“A little sad,” she agreed, but when he glanced back, his daughter’s troubled gaze was on the beautiful woman standing outside her soon-to-be-demolished restaurant. “But I think she’s not just a little sad, Daddy. I think her heart hurts, like mine does sometimes.”

What could he say to that? To have a father walk out because parenthood dragged him down, and then lose a mother to a tragic accident within months of Addie being declared cancer-free?

Addie had known heartache, and when foolish people reassured him she was too young to remember those early life tragedies, he bit his tongue to keep from lashing out.

He’d seen the grief in her little face and the naked sadness in her eyes. Time had eased much of that, but if Addie thought the Gallagher woman had a sore heart, he was inclined to believe it, because Addie had had way more experience with sadness than any six-year-old should ever have to face. No matter what he did, or what choices he made, from this point on he was totally invested in making sure her life was as trouble-free as it could be. She’d been dumped by a drug-using birth mother, abandoned by an adoptive father, fought cancer and won, only to lose her mother in a commuter train crash.

Now she had him. And he had her. And with God on their side, they’d make everything work out. Despite Addie’s funny attempts to gain him a wife, they were doing okay. And that was all right by him.

Chapter Two

“Josie.”

Josie didn’t want to make eye contact with Kimberly, but her cousin’s proximity left her little choice. “Yes?”

“What’s going on?”

Josie moved toward the restaurant side of the building. “Change is in the air, it seems. I need to make a list.”

Kimberly’s hand on her arm made her pause, but not because she wanted to. With Kimberly’s due date so close, she didn’t want to be a jerk, but seeing Addie had rattled her entire being.

Her restaurant gone, her beautiful daughter climbing out of a strange man’s car and the secret she’d buried seven long years ago yawning widely... “It’s just a lot to handle, Kimberly. I was hoping we’d win, that it wouldn’t come to this.” She splayed her hands in the direction of the barbecue joint. “And yet it did.”

Kimberly studied her. She started to say something, then stopped herself. “We’ve been friends and cousins since we were born, Josie.”

Josie nodded. They’d grown up hand in hand, then lost touch for a while, and now here they were, back in Grace Haven. Kimberly had found the love of her life. She had a great job, a lovely new home and a second baby on the way.

Josie had nothing, and that reality didn’t sit well.

“Whatever it is, it might be easier to talk about it.”

“There’s nothing, Kimberly. Except losing all these years of work and effort, watching it get the wrecking ball and bury my hopes and dreams with it. Other than that, it’s nothing much at all.”

She wanted Kimberly to buy that story and let things go, but Kimberly arched one brow and then made a little face of regret. “I’ll be here when you’re ready.”

Josie waved her off deliberately.

She had no intention of being ready, ever. She’d shoved that horrible night and the ensuing time into a deep, dark closet of her consciousness, and she kept it there, locked up tight. She’d moved through life making decisions in Addie’s best interests...

But were those decisions still in her daughter’s best interests? Because seeing her with a stranger and calling him “Dad” sparked too many mental red flags. She couldn’t research any of this with Kimberly around, so she kept her emotions at bay and her hands steady. “I just need time, Kimberly. That’s all. Time to get used to this.”

Unconvinced, Kimberly moved to her car. Josie followed, and when Kimberly turned and hugged her goodbye, Josie longed to spill her guts, but didn’t. She’d kept the secret for so long already. What use would revealing it do? But could she keep it to herself with Addie living so close?

The thought of her daughter nearby sobered her more.

What would that mean? Would she have to move away from the family and friends who’d helped build her business and her self-esteem over the years she’d spent here? How long would the Weatherly man be in Grace Haven?

The host of questions with no answers would hound her until she had time to do more research, and as Kimberly released her, a big part of Josie wanted to tell her everything.

But she’d promised herself and her baby daughter that no one would ever know about the crime associated with Addie’s conception. What child should ever have to grow up knowing that?

None.

She waited for Kimberly to pull away, and moved back to the apartment. She retrieved her laptop from a dusty shelf, opened it, typed in her password and then began a search. One way or another she was going to find out what had happened to her beautiful child in the past few years, and Josie Gallagher was pretty sure she wasn’t going to like any of it.

* * *

Josie stared at the Peachtree City obituary for Ginger O’Neill and fought the rise of emotion. Addie’s adoptive mother had died in an accident involving a commuter train. That was tragic enough, but there was no husband listed in the obituary, and no father for Addie. Ginger was survived by her parents and one brother, Jacob Weatherly.

Addie was being raised by her adoptive uncle.

Where was the father who signed all the paperwork to legally adopt her? Where was Adam O’Neill? And how could Josie find out without looking like a stalker? Regret grabbed hold and wouldn’t let go.

When she’d arrived in Georgia to be a living donor transplant for Addie, she’d seen Ginger. Not Adam. Was he already out of the picture at that time? When Ginger said Adam was too emotional to meet with Josie, she’d believed her. But maybe that wasn’t the truth?

She lifted her phone and dialed Drew Slade, Kimberly’s husband and the chief of police for Grace Haven. He answered quickly and she dived right in. “I need advice, Drew.”

“Mine to give,” he answered. “What’s up?”

“I can’t talk over the phone. Can I come by? Or can you stop out here?”

“I’m heading home around four, so how about I swing over there first?”

“Yes. Thank you. And, Drew...” He waited at the other end until she continued. “I can’t talk about this to anyone else right now. It’s got to be private. Okay?”

“Meaning don’t tell Kimberly because you know she’ll go ballistic?”

The thought of her family knowing how stupid she’d been...after she’d vowed to never be stupid again...

Her heart ached at the thought of disappointing people she loved, but worse, how could she mess up the innocence of a child who’d already gone through so much? “I’ll explain in person, but I might need your help looking into someone, making sure he’s a good person.”

“I’ll be there at four. And Josie?”

“Yes?”

“Whatever is bothering you, we’ll make it right. I promise. Okay?”

He had no idea what he was saying because as good and strong as Drew was, no one could ever make this okay, and she’d known that from the beginning. “See you later.”

She hung up the phone, grabbed her keys and drove a quarter mile south. The construction road leading to the new waterfront hotel was blocked. Jacob Weatherly had mentioned a three o’clock meeting. It was two thirty-five right now. She crossed through the construction tape, ignored the shouts of a couple of guys in hard hats and circled the newly finished concrete sidewalk rimming the stately hotel base. She pulled out her cell phone to call Jacob Weatherly, then nearly ran into him as she rounded the corner of the hotel.

“Hi!” Addie jumped up on the sculpted concrete edge of a raised garden and waved. “You came to find us!”

Addie looked excited to see Josie. Jacob Weatherly’s expression was more guarded. “Did you just walk through a hard hat area without permission?”

“I needed to see you.” She held his gaze, almost daring him to read more into the situation. “You said you had ideas on my relocation. I’d like to hear more about them, and I’m right up the beach, as you know.” She glanced north to emphasize the proximity. “But the beach is blocked off and the only way into this complex right now is by the road.”

“And permission.” He assessed her with a thoughtful look. “You had my number.”

She held up her phone. “I was just about to call you.”

“I see.” He breathed deeply, as if thinking, then took Addie’s hand. “I’ve got a meeting in a few minutes, so I can’t discuss this now, but if you’d like, I can come by tomorrow morning. How does nine o’clock sound?”

“Like breakfast time, and I make a marvelous French toast with fresh fruit and whipped cream.” She smiled down at Addie when she said it, and should have felt ashamed for enticing the girl, but she didn’t. Not even a little bit. Seeing Addie well and healthy after fighting cancer gave Josie a lift to her spirits, but deepened her concerns.

Had the O’Neills lied in their adoption application? What happened to Adam? Her preliminary internet search turned up nothing, so wherever he was, and whatever he was doing, it wasn’t out there for public viewing.

“We can have breakfast before we come over.” The project manager lifted his watch to show his diminishing time frame.

“But I love strawberries and French toast so much, Dad.” Addie tipped back her head and implored him with a beseeching look while thick copper curls spilled across the shoulders of her long-sleeved T-shirt. “And I’ll be so good!”

“There is a reason why my restaurant was voted number one in Southern fare and barbecue for two years running,” Josie noted. “And I’ve got a few supplies I need to use up before the move.” She left the offer sensible. If she pushed too hard, he might get suspicious. Clearly he had no idea about her relationship to the child clutching his hand. For now, she’d keep it that way.

“She does love French toast.”

Addie wrung his hand, grinning.

“All right, nine o’clock for breakfast. Although...” He turned her way again with a questioning expression. “I’m surprised, Miss Gallagher. And surprises raise questions in my head. I’m sure you can understand that, especially when your relationship with my employer has been adversarial.” He held her gaze, and Josie refused to blink or quiver. “But let’s see what tomorrow brings.”

“Perfect.” She turned to go, and he caught her hand.

Instant panic set in.

Her heart rate soared. Her hands went cold and her feet refused to move.

He didn’t seem to notice as he directed her to the small parking area alongside the finished portion of the hotel. “Let me drive you to your car so the outdoor crew doesn’t go ballistic on you. They’d catch the boss’s fury if he thought you were walking in dangerous areas without proper gear. You might not like too much about Carrington Hotels right now, but there’s a reason they’ve been voted one of the top ten construction companies in the country, and that’s because they care about quality and safety. That’s part of the reason I’ve been with them for a dozen years,” he added. He released her hand to open both doors on the passenger side. “Quality and safety are top on my radar, too.”

She shelved the bits of information he was giving her. She’d give them to Drew when he came by, but as she climbed into the front seat of Jacob Weatherly’s car, their hands touched again, briefly.

This touch spurred no panic. Was that because she read the gentleness in his gaze? The humor he slanted back, toward Addie, as she made a big show about getting her seat belt buckled? Or was it the honesty she discerned in his face?

You’ve been fooled before. Don’t let it happen again.

She took the mental warning to heart because she’d made a grievous mistake once. She’d fallen for the winning smile and trusted the wrong man.

Right now, with Addie living there in her neighborhood, she couldn’t afford to make a mistake again. She’d entrusted two people with her most precious possession, her newborn child. What happened after that was anyone’s guess, but she was determined to get to the bottom of it, because Addie deserved what Josie had promised her: a nice, normal life, unblemished by scandal. Josie had every intention of making sure her daughter got exactly that.

* * *

Strong, yet scared. Or maybe scarred was a better word, Jacob mused as he pulled up next to Josie’s aging SUV a few moments later. He’d noticed the two catering trucks in her side parking lot, brilliantly bright and absolutely clean. Her restaurant had a similar appearance, while rugged enough to be a classic dive. She’d captured the retro look outside. Tomorrow morning would give him a look inside the Bayou Barbecue. The legal battle had kept him from stopping by before now. Carrington lawyers didn’t want anything muddying the waters of eminent domain. Now he’d get to see the internal workings of the east shore go-to spot for great food.

Josie swung her door open and got out of the car quickly. “Thanks for the ride.” The look she gave him was pleasant but probably insincere. Understandable after his company had seized her land.

Then she looked toward Addie, and it was nothing but pure warmth and joy. “I’m going to go get the berries right now, so we’re all ready for tomorrow morning. Okay?”

Addie clasped her hands together. “Okay!”

She stepped back and shut the door. Jacob pulled away and headed for the work trailer offices behind the chain-link fencing. He glanced back, through the rearview mirror.

Josie had gotten into her car and was backing out of the space. He found that reassuring for some reason. Her surprise arrival concerned him. She’d shown up, out of the blue. She’d crossed a construction zone. She—he paused and his thoughts took a different route, a more personal one.

She was downright beautiful, and clearly worried. Who wouldn’t be in her situation?

As he pulled up to the double-wide work trailer, Addie leaped out of her seat and waved toward the road.

Josie Gallagher was driving by. She spotted the girl and gave a quick wave back, nothing over the top, but it seemed to make Addie happy. “I like her, Daddy!”

She clutched his hand and skipped alongside as he approached the work trailer. “You do?”

“Mmm-hmm.” She bobbed her head and her curls bounced. “She has really pretty hair.”

He couldn’t fault her six-year-old reasoning because he’d noticed Josie’s hair, too. Dark brown, with copper-red highlights, but not enough to be called auburn. And those smoke-toned eyes with a hint of green. He’d noticed their odd shade as she turned the corner of the concrete walk and their eyes met.

“I would love a dolly with hair like that,” Addie confessed. “All of my dolls have hair like mine.” She sighed as if hair made a difference. It didn’t, of course. “I might be really, really tired of yellow hair.”

“Strawberry blond,” he reminded her and laid a hand over her head. “Really pretty strawberry blond hair, and I think you’re exactly the way God wanted you to be, Addie-cakes.”

“Well, I don’t think he’d mind if I had a brown-haired dolly.” The logic of her reasoning wasn’t lost on him. “I think he’d be okay with that, actually.”

He’d never really noticed that her dolls were all light-haired. A couple were from her early years, and several were more recent gifts, but she was right. Every one of them was pale and blond- or copper-haired. Clearly he and his parents thought alike, but that was shortsighted. Her playthings should have diversity, shouldn’t they? To reflect the real world?

He set up Addie with a juice box and crackers in the front room, then arranged for the conference call in the adjacent office. He made a note to check out the doll situation when he had time, then refocused his attention on dock-building bids. For the moment, Addie would have to get by with what she had with her, and she was such an easygoing child, he was sure that would be just fine.

* * *

“You never told anyone about the attack?” She’d surprised Drew Slade, Josie realized less than two hours later, and a man who used to be top security for the current president of the United States didn’t surprise easily. “Josie, why not? They could have helped you. They still could,” he added firmly.

Fear and shame had held her tongue seven years ago. She clenched her hands in her lap and wondered how all of her careful reasoning had come to this. “I wasn’t on the best terms with my family when I went to Louisiana.”

“How so?”

“Kimberly never told you?” That made her feel better, somehow. Not that she wanted Kimberly to keep secrets from Drew, but she was glad her stupid mistakes hadn’t become gossip fodder.

Drew shook his head.

“I messed up in college. Big-time. I cut loose, and partied with all the wrong people after my Dad died. I flunked out midway through my sophomore year and became a bitter disappointment to the Gallagher clan.”

“We all make mistakes,” Drew replied. “I’m a card-carrying member of Alcoholics Anonymous myself, so I hear you. But I don’t get what one has to do with the other.”

“I embarrassed my family, and they worked hard to help me get straightened out,” she told him. “Counseling, rehab and a job. They stuck by me despite what I did. When I decided I wanted to work the barbecue circuit in the Deep South, my mother and aunts tried to talk me out of it because there’s plenty of temptation in New Orleans. For a barbecue cook, though, it is the place to be if you want to learn all the aspects of good Southern cooking.”

“You moved down there anyway.”

She sighed. “Even though they asked me not to. New Orleans is too wild, they said. My mother begged me to stay home, or to go to some other Southern city, but anyone who is anyone in the barbecue business does a stint in New Orleans. And I was stubborn.”

Drew’s grunt indicated he understood that part well enough. Of course, he was married to a Gallagher, so he had firsthand experience.

“I was there for over two years with no problems, and learning all kinds of things. I got a chance to work with Big Bobby and Tuck Fletcher and Cajun Mary, so I learned from the best. And then this guy shows up—he starts flirting with me and it’s all in fun.” She frowned and gripped her knees tighter. “He seemed so normal, and I’d let my radar down because I’d been on the straight-and-narrow path for a long time. I’d forgotten how slick some guys can be. He was going to meet me for dinner, but then he called and said his car stalled near the parking lot of my apartment complex and it would be a while for them to tow it. Could he come up and wait? I said sure.” She bit her lip, remembering. “He slipped something into my glass of tea. When I woke up the next morning, he was gone.”

Drew didn’t just look mad. He looked furious. “Why didn’t you call it in? The guy’s a criminal.”

If Josie could have tucked her chin any deeper into her shirt, she would have, but it was impossible. “I couldn’t face those inquiries. And if they caught him and brought him to trial, then I’d have to face how stupid I was in college. They bring up everything, you know. They’d have brought up my past, and made it public knowledge. They shouldn’t, but they do.” She raised her eyes and faced Drew candidly. “I couldn’t go through all that again. I’d come so far. I just wanted to put it behind me. For the whole stupid thing to be over.”

“But it wasn’t.”

A tear slipped down her cheek. She dashed it away, but not before another one joined the first. “Three weeks later, I discovered I was pregnant.”

Drew had been jotting things down. He stopped.

“I had a little girl no one knows about. Her name is Addie. Adeline,” she added. “I worked with a very nice agency down there. I was determined that my child would have the best possible chance at life. I wanted her to grow up untarnished by the circumstances surrounding her creation. No child deserves to have that kind of baggage weighing them down, do they?”

“No. Of course not. The agency arranged everything?”

She nodded. “I wanted a closed adoption so I wouldn’t be tempted to check up on things, but I said I could be contacted for life-and-death situations. Two and a half years later, I was contacted by the adoptive mother, Ginger O’Neill. Addie had tumors on her liver. She needed a transplant and they couldn’t find a good match. They tested me and I was a match. I pretended I was taking a winter vacation from the restaurant. I flew to Emory, had the procedure done and saved Addie’s life.”

“All with no one knowing what was going on. That must have been incredibly difficult to go through alone.” Drew sat back. “You’re an amazing woman, Josie.”

She held up her hands, palms out, to stop him from saying more. “I did what any mother would do. But here’s the problem, Drew. The project manager for the Carrington Hotel going up next door? He has my daughter with him.”

“Here?”

Josie nodded, grimly “He came over here today to offer advice, and Addie climbed out of his car.”

“A lot of kids look alike, Josie.”

She handed over her phone with the obituary page highlighted. “Her mother died. Her adoptive father is out of the picture, but I don’t know how or why. This uncle, Jacob Weatherly, has my daughter with him and I need to know what’s going on because a child isn’t like a piece of real estate. They’re not a commodity to be bargained with or handed around. They’re people, and the deal I struck with the adoption agency and the O’Neills has been broken.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, here.”

She stuck out her chin, stubborn as ever.

“Once an adoption is finalized, it’s done. So if something happened to the parents, then they have the right to assign a guardian in their absence. Are you worried that this is a bad guy? Did he hurt her? Or seem mean?”

“Just the opposite, but that’s not the point, Drew.”

His expression said it might be the point, even if she didn’t agree with it.

“She was mine first.”

“Yes. But the legal agreement between you and the agency—”

“Is binding,” she interrupted. “But what if the adoptive father misrepresented himself? I checked all over the internet and couldn’t find a thing about him, except a divorce record filed two months after the adoption was finalized.”

Drew sat back. “You think he never intended to stay married while they were adopting Addie?”

“That’s exactly what I think. And I think his wife knew that, because she lied about him when I came to Emory. She made excuses for why he wasn’t there, why she was taking care of everything. I didn’t put it together at the time, but looking back I see the pattern. I know I signed away my rights to my daughter, and I did that willingly, to give her a fresh start. But if the O’Neills were acting out a role so that Ginger could have a child, even though she knew her husband wasn’t interested in having a child, that’s fraud.”

“It could be. But this isn’t exactly my expertise, Josie. Cruz is more schooled in law than I am, and he’d know who to contact.”

“I agree. But what I need from you is more immediate while I check out the legal sides of all of this. I need you to check up on Jacob Weatherly. I know his sister lied to me. He seems nice on the surface, and he was sweet to Addie, but I’m done taking chances, Drew. I’ve been living a lie for seven years, trying to protect her—”

“And yourself, maybe?”

She couldn’t deny it. “That, too, but mostly I wanted a solid life for her. I did all the right things, Drew, and it still came out all wrong. Now we need to fix it.” She didn’t have to read his expression to know it wasn’t that easy. “I don’t know how we can make this right, but the first thing we need to do is to run a check on this new adoptive father. Can you do that for me?”

“I’ve got a few connections.” Drew stood. “I’ll take care of it. But Josie, when are you going to tell the family what happened? When will you open up to them?”

“I don’t know.” She bit her lower lip and shook her head. “I guess I’ll have to, won’t I?”

“Yes.”

“I need time.” She spoke softly. “I’ve spent all these years keeping this secret, a little more time can’t hurt. But I can’t rest easy until I know she’s in good hands for the time being.”

“Consider it done. And then?”

And then...she had no idea, but the thought that a married couple would pretend to be happy to gain a child, and then split up once they had her...

She felt deceived, and she was pretty sure they’d deceived the adoption agency, too, which meant the agency had a stake in this convoluted situation. But Addie came first. She walked Drew to the door. “I don’t know what will happen next. I can’t leave it like this, with all these loose ends. I wanted Addie’s childhood to be wonderful. If I’d known that Ginger would be raising her alone, I’d have picked another couple. The agency had a whole book of them. It’s not because I’m controlling, but it was the most important decision I’ve ever had to make. If they misrepresented their marriage, that’s a huge thing.”

He hugged her.

The embrace felt good. She was relieved to have finally told someone the truth. When he released her, he stepped back and pointed north, toward the village of Grace Haven. “You need to tell them. All of them. I won’t say a word, but once Cruz gets someone to check out the legal end of things, word could spread, and you don’t want your mother or the rest of the family finding out accidentally. Gossip spreads fast in small towns.”

It did. “I’ll figure it out. And I won’t wait too long. I have to get used to the idea first. You probably think I was pretty stupid back then. Don’t you?”

He shook his head instantly. “You did nothing wrong. You feel stupid because you trusted the wrong person, but that doesn’t make you stupid, Josie. It makes him a criminal.” His quick rebuttal and strong voice lent strength to his reply. “I’d like to get my hands on him and let him know that defending a woman’s honor hasn’t gone out of style.”

His words bolstered her. Tears smarted her eyes again, because the thought of someone sticking up for her seemed wonderful, but shamed her, too. Her family probably would have reacted like this. Just like this. And she hadn’t given them the chance. If she had—

“Stop second-guessing yourself, and I’ll let you know what I find,” he ordered. “And get hold of Cruz quickly. We need to know where we stand legally. He’ll know who to contact about that. If the original adoption was fraudulent, that could negate any subsequent court rulings because they rested on the assumption that the initial adoption was legitimate.”

She hated the thought of Addie being bound up in legal proceedings, but she couldn’t think only of that. She had to think of what had happened in the past, and how that had affected a child’s life. “I’ll talk to him tomorrow.” She started to step back, but Drew put his hands on her shoulders and held her attention.

“I’m glad you finally told someone. There’s a reason the Bible says the truth shall set you free. Because it’s true.”

The Bible spoke of truth often. The good book was a champion of honesty and integrity and sacrifice, all the reasons she’d sought a solid, happy couple to raise her child because she didn’t want Addie fettered with a dark beginning. From what she could see now, the adoption had thrust Addie into a different dark beginning, and that wasn’t fair to the child or the birth mother. One way or another, she needed to fix it.

Chapter Three

Jacob pulled into the parking lot adjacent to the Bayou Barbecue and thought hard before going in. Neutral ground would have been a smarter choice, considering Carrington’s winning stance. Agreeing to this breakfast meeting might have been a mistake. He could easily take Addie into the Grace Haven Diner for French toast, forget about breakfast with Josie Gallagher and reschedule their meeting. He was about to do that when she stepped outside the restaurant door.

“Hi!” Addie yelled the greeting with bright enthusiasm before he made good on his escape plan. She set her picture book aside and unlatched her shoulder strap quickly. In a flash she was out the door. “I’m so glad we’re here, I love French toast with syrup, and with powdery sugar, and with fruit and with, oh...” She beamed up at the woman with shining eyes, as if she’d just spotted a long-lost friend. “I like your pretty brown hair.”

Josie Gallagher bent low and smiled right at Addie, the way someone did when they were good with kids. “You want the truth?”

Addie nodded, still excited. “Yes!”

“I always wanted coppery hair, just like yours.”

“No!” Addie put her hands on her hips and offered the Gallagher woman a look of total surprise. “Are you kidding me?”

Josie shook her head, smiling. “Not even a little bit.”

“Because I was just telling my dad that I wanted a dolly or maybe even two dollies with dark hair like yours. All my dolls have this color.” She pulled a strand of hair to the right and sighed. “I want some dolls with different hair. Like yours. Or maybe Dad’s hair.”

“Brown with gray accents?” He laughed as he drew closer. “That would be a strange mix for a baby doll, wouldn’t it?”

“Not the gray, silly, and I think your hair is perfect, Dad. Just like you.”

His heart melted. He could be tough as needed, and if he thought she was simply buttering him up for a new toy or adventure, he wasn’t afraid to say no. He’d learned by watching his overly indulged sister that life should be lived with some limits, even if the requests were affordable. But Addie wasn’t pulling a con job on him. She loved him, and that had to be the best feeling of all. “Well, thank you. I think you’re pretty spectacular too, kid.” He lifted a small binder into the air. “I brought some ideas, Miss Gallagher.”

“Josie, please.”

He hesitated and briefly wasn’t sure why, but then it clicked. She’d been ready to give him the heave-ho yesterday, less than twenty-four hours ago. Had she undergone a change of heart? Or was there another reason behind her friendlier gestures? And if so, what was it?

He wasn’t sure, but he didn’t want to be rude. “And I’m Jacob.” He reached out a hand. “Maybe it would be good if we started all over again. What do you say?”

She took his hand and looked right at him. “I think that’s a good idea. Nice to meet you, Jacob.”

“You guys are silly!” Addie planted her hands on her hips again, a newly acquired habit from one of her favorite TV shows. “You already met yesterday. Me, too!”

“So we did.” Jacob ruffled her hair with his hand. “But sometimes grown-ups need a do-over. Just like kids do.”

“Like me and Cayden at school. Except he’s not very nice, and I might not give him any more do-overs. Because he should be nice, shouldn’t he, Dad?”

“Yes. But it is good to give people another chance,” he added. “Although I’m not sure how many is too many in preschool.”

“I’m in kindergarten, Dad. Kindergarten is not preschool!”

He grimaced. “My bad.” He faced Josie. “She’s been going to the Lakeside Academy, where they move from preschool to kindergarten before they go to public school. It seemed smart with my job.”

“Except this year, I get to go to regular school and we just have to figure out where.” Addie turned earnest eyes his way. “And get a cow.”

“We’re not getting a cow, Addie-cakes. It won’t fit in the car. Or the apartment.” He grinned to show her he was kidding, but Addie had grown very serious about two things: school and settling down with a cow.

“When we get a big yard, a cow will fit.” She didn’t sass him. She didn’t act petulant. She uttered the sentence with a quiet common sense far beyond her years, and then she grabbed his hand. At that moment, her stomach gurgled and she laughed. “My tummy is so hungry now! Miss Josie, can I see your restaurant? How come there aren’t any people here? Did they all go home?”

Her innocent question made Jacob’s stomach lurch. He and Carrington Hotels were the reason her place was closed. He waited for her to throw him under the bus, but Josie surprised him.

“We’re moving my restaurant to another spot, and I need a little time to pack things up. It’s hard to cook and pack at the same time, right?”

“Oh, that’s right.” Addie lifted an empathetic look to Josie. “My dad is making you move.”

He started to protest, but Josie beat him to it. She bent low. “Well, he works for a company that needs more space. So the company is taking my space, and giving me money to move somewhere new. That’s why your dad is here, because he’s got some ideas about how to help me.” The quiet and up-front way she handled Addie was somewhat unexpected and allowed him to breathe easier.

“We can eat and talk.” Addie grasped his hand with hers. “Dad always says we should help other people, all the time. I mostly do that, but I don’t like helping Cayden when he’s mean.”

“Well, school’s almost over for the year,” Jacob said. “That will solve our Cayden problems.”

“I’m glad,” Addie said.

“I think some of this French toast will take our minds off snippy boys.” Josie led the way inside. “Give me five minutes in the kitchen, okay? Or you can follow me in there, but you have to sit on the bar stools.”

“You don’t mind?” Jacob asked, and when she lifted her eyes to his, he got a little lost in the depths, as if he and Josie Gallagher were connected in some way he didn’t understand.

The odd mix of colors seemed more gold today than green, but the shadow of gray rimming the pupil seemed lighter than it had yesterday. And when she smiled, the gray thinned even more. “I don’t mind a bit. I like for kids to see what goes on in a kitchen, although if it was still a working kitchen, we couldn’t do this often. It got crazy here on a regular basis.”

“I’ve heard that. And I hope you don’t mind, but I fact-checked your numbers, Josie.”

She accepted that as she heated the broad, flat griddle in the kitchen. “I figured Carrington did that before they drew up an offer, and it only makes sense for you to know the facts if we’re talking location. The thing is...”

She dipped thick slices of cinnamon swirl bread into a custardy mix and set them sizzling onto the hot griddle before checking a warming kettle of strawberry topping. “There are few available locations on the water, and most are unaffordable. I fell into this location because the former owner let things go and needed help. We worked out a deal and it ended up being a success for both of us, but as you’ve seen—”

She paused as she turned a pan of flat, deliciously scented sausage patties with a flick of her wrist, a neat trick. “There’s almost nothing available. I’m not sure what you’ve found, Jacob, but even with the Carrington money, it’s probably unaffordable. And that was reason enough for me to dread this whole thing because it’s not the starting over that concerns me.” She moved the sausage to a platter, then nestled fresh, hot French toast onto three warm plates. “I’ve got the clientele and the reputation. Folks will follow me. But if I can’t afford a lakeside place to own or rent, then it’s all been for nothing. And that’s what bites.” She crossed to where Addie was perched, avidly watching the action. And when she slipped a platter of mouthwatering food in front of his daughter, Addie’s eyes went wide.

“You’ve won her over.” He made the comment casually as she brought the third plate over, but when Josie looked his way, she wasn’t casual anymore. She looked intent. As if his words meant more than they did.

And then she sat down across from Addie and gave her an easy smile. “Well, that wasn’t too hard.”

Addie laughed and picked up a knife and fork. “Can I cut this by myself?”

Jacob nodded. “I expect, but if you need help, just let me know.”

“Okay! And I think we should pray about this nice food, shouldn’t we, Dad?” Addie leaned in and sniffed, then raised a brilliant smile his way. “We always pray at supper time, but why don’t people just pray all the time? Like breakfast, lunch and supper? Doesn’t that make the most sense of all?”

She reached out a hand to him on one side and Josie on the other. He did the same.

Soft hands, but not as smooth as someone who didn’t do physical work, or plunge their hands into dish soap all day.

But soft, still. Strong. And beautiful. Like the woman sitting next to him. “Father, we thank you for this food. We ask your blessings on it and on us, Lord, as we go through our days. Amen.”

“Amen.”

“See?” Addie beamed his way, then shared the grin with Josie. “That wasn’t even hard, was it? And now we made God’s heart happy, because we remembered to pray.”

“I won’t forget again,” he promised. He released her hand and Josie’s, but when he looked at the woman beside him, her gaze was locked on Addie.

She smiled, yes, but tears brightened her eyes, as if seeing his daughter and hearing her delightfully colloquial speech touched her deeply.

Addie had sensed her pain. As he lifted his napkin into his lap, Jacob sensed the same thing again. But when she turned his way, she’d erased the look of angst. She smiled, glanced at Addie and said, “I expect she keeps you on your toes, Jacob.”

“And then some.” He watched as Addie attacked her French toast, and when she cut it sufficiently to eat, he turned back toward Josie. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way. She’s made my life the best it’s ever been, and we’ve got a good thing going. At least until the whole issue of a cow came up.” He made a face at Addie and she laughed.

“This is the best French toast I ever had, Miss Josie! And we’ve got time to get the cow, Dad. It’s not even summer yet!”

Josie laughed. “She’s tenacious.”

“I’d go straight to stubborn, but tenacious sounds better. Inside those china-doll good looks is an independent spirit with a heart of gold. Although I’m not sure how the whole cow thing started.”

“With so many baby cows on the hills, Dad.” Addie paused chewing and pointed across the lake. “Not by the grape things, but with the farmers. And one farmer has a ton of little black cows. They’re the cutest things!”

“My cousin.” Josie followed the direction of Addie’s hand and met Jacob’s gaze. “Bryan Gallagher has a combination crop-and-animal farm at the south end of the lake. Angus cows and a big, busy farm stand near the road. We could go visit sometime if she’d like to see the cows up close.”

“Oh, can we, Dad? Can we? For real?”

Something made him long to say no, but how could he when Josie was making such a kind offer? Visiting cows wasn’t exactly a bad thing. “Josie and I will check our calendars. But I don’t see why we shouldn’t go visit the cows. And then maybe you can kind of adopt one and pretend it’s yours. What do you think, Josie?” He turned back to her. “Is your cousin open to bovine adoption?”

She winced, then tried to cover it with a smile. “Brian’s got three kids of his own, so he probably understands this stuff way better than most. I’m sure he’d be fine with it, but I’d advise you to pick a female.” She raised a brow to him, and after a few seconds, he got her gist.

“Easy enough because Addie already has a name picked out.”

“You do?”

As Josie slanted her gaze to Addie, Jacob realized she hadn’t really eaten with them. She’d only taken a bite or two while Addie had plowed through a piece of the thick, delicious toast, a bowl of warm berries and two sausage patties. She might be small but she had a trucker’s appetite, and he couldn’t fault her because the meal was delicious.

Addie started to grin, then realized she was chewing. “Polly,” she told her once she’d swallowed and washed down the food with chilled orange juice. “Polly the cow. I think it’s a good name for one, don’t you?”

“It’s a marvelous name. So.” She swiveled on the stool back toward him. “I know you’re busy, and I don’t mean to take up too much time. If you have ideas, Jacob, I’d like to hear them.”

“I do.” He spoke cautiously, still wondering if he was doing the right thing, but then scolded himself. Offering her a spot couldn’t be a bad idea, not with the reviews he’d read on the internet and the glowing reports from customers. Those were backed up by mighty impressive figures because new restaurants rarely succeeded. Hers had not only succeeded, but flourished in an area surrounded by busy chain restaurants in nearby plazas. And yet the Bayou Barbecue stood tall. “You were right about the lack of available waterfront.”

She grimaced.

“But what would you say to a cooperative effort?”

The grimace turned to a quick frown.

“Carrington has given me the go-ahead to offer you premier restaurant space on the ground floor of the hotel, facing the north-end beach. It would have outdoor seating and gathering spots during the warm months, and indoor seating during the rest of the year, and a take-out shack.”

She stared at him, then Addie, then him again. She swallowed hard, then brought a hand to her throat. “I could put the Bayou Barbecue there? In the hotel?”

“It makes sense to us for multiple reasons. First.” He held up one finger. “We’re taking your space, and this could be in your best interests because then you’re virtually in the same location. A matter of beach frontage would be the only difference.”

She held his gaze, listening.

“Second, you’ve got a successful business you’ve worked hard to develop, and the hotel would love a beach-themed restaurant on the ground level. Why not yours? Why go outside the area for a chain when we’ve got top quality right here? And before you ask how I know that, your reviews and numbers have been checked thoroughly. You’re not even a gamble for us, Josie. The Bayou Barbecue is the real deal, and we’d be stupid not to extend this offer.”

“To put the restaurant in the hotel?” She made a face of consternation. “What about the locals? Could they access it? Where would they park? I don’t want them to feel like they have to get dressed up to come get food.”

“Casual, beachwear, flip-flops, totally dive-friendly. We’ll even do the decor to reflect what you’ve got here, and if you’d throw your smokers into the deal, we’ll move everything under your supervision and design the kitchen to your specifications with a July 1 opening date. The take-out shack would make it easy for folks to do drive-through like they do here, and we could have that staffed twelve months of the year if it’s heated.”

* * *

She should say no.

She should say no because to oversee the restaurant at the hotel, with Addie right there... How could she do this, then watch her leave in a few months? How could she put herself through that?

But then she looked over at her daughter’s happy face, a face bearing her grandmother’s sea green eyes and pale, Celtic skin. The narrow dusting of powdered sugar around sweet pink lips cemented her answer, because looking at Addie, there really wasn’t a choice. “I’d like that, Jacob. I’d like it a lot. How soon can you have the paperwork ready for me to run by my lawyer?”

He handed her the folder. “We were hoping you’d consider the idea.”

Her heart went tight. Stark reality said she needed to hand back his folder and quietly walk away because of the deal she’d struck with the agency over six years before. But now—

Things were different now, and not by her doing. Something had gone wrong shortly after the adoption papers were filed, and if Ginger and Adam O’Neill had done that intentionally, they’d accepted Addie under fraudulent terms.

Josie wasn’t sure how to set things right. She needed more information, and taking this rental contract to Cruz would give her the excuse to put him on the trail. But one way or another, the thought of working in the same area with her beloved daughter was too good a chance to pass up. “I like a company that plans ahead. I’ll run these by my lawyer’s office this afternoon and get back to you.”

“By five o’clock Thursday?”

She nodded, stood and slipped the folder onto a stainless steel countertop. “Absolutely.”

“Then we should go.” He stood, too, and when Addie sighed, he angled his head. “Really? I brought you over for the best breakfast we’ve had in a long time, kid. Don’t push it.”

Addie didn’t whine. She didn’t pout. She slid down off the stool, then grabbed Josie in a hug—a hug she’d dreamed about for six long years. A hug that made her realize she would never want to let the girl go again...

“Thank you, Miss Josie! It was great!”

“You’re welcome, Addie.”

“And I’ll look forward to hearing from you, Josie. If your lawyer offers approval before Thursday, just call me. I’ll get a crew right over to dismantle everything and bring it up the beach.”

Two months with Addie.

Two months watching the child she’d given away as she laughed, skipped and hopped her way through life.

She didn’t need Cruz’s approval for that. No matter the terms, she’d grab this contract because it offered her something she never thought she’d have, time with her daughter. And that was a dream come true, no matter what the terms.

Chapter Four

“Josie.” Cruz Maldonado set the contract down on the upscale desktop. He bridged his hands, thoughtful. “This deal with Carrington looks fine. I’ve got a few tweaks to make, nothing they should balk at. But then we come to the other situation, your little girl...”

His words made her swallow hard.

No one ever talked about “her little girl,” even when she was donating a life-giving organ. Everyone treated her as a kindly benefactor, while Ginger had gotten all the sweet mother references. Josie had swallowed it like a bitter pill then, determined to save Addie’s life, but hearing Cruz speak the phrase made it real.

She had a little girl. A precious child. Here. Now.

“I’ve got a friend in New York who specializes in adoptions. I’m going to send the facts to her, and she’ll have a team sort through it and find out what went wrong. She’s got resources I can’t access, and she’s good. Rory and I used her to ensure everything went fine with Lily and Javi.”

Lily and Javi were his cousin’s orphaned children, two beautiful youngsters he and Rory had adopted months before.

“Life can be weird.” When she frowned, Cruz raised a hand of caution. “Sometimes coincidental timing messes things up. But on first look, I have to agree with you. The timing sounds contrived, and while it’s unfortunate, it’s nothing that hasn’t been done before, according to my friend. She described it as an upscale bargaining point in pricey marriage breakups.”

Josie wanted to hit someone. Or something. The very thought of using a child as a bartering chip made her stomach rise up toward her throat. “That’s despicable.”

“A lot of folks think that fathers or the whole two-parent idea is overrated, and they’ll cite successful single parents to make their case. But if true, to deliberately lie to an agency with a marriage requirement for this particular adoption is fraud. We just don’t know for sure that’s what they did.”

“How expensive is the inquiry?” She hated to ask, and she’d pay whatever was required, but it wasn’t like she was made of money. Far from it.

“Pro bono,” he told her.

She scoffed. “Cruz, I can pay my own way. I have to. This is my deal, not yours, and don’t think you can slip this woman money behind my back and take care of things. I can handle this.”

“Good to know, but I mean it,” he told her. “Cait had me organize her parents’ retirement funds last year, and I was able to get them out of a serious logjam of events before their funds tumbled into nothingness. She’s happy to return the favor now. No cost, Josie. Although if you make me barbecue now and again, I’ll consider that my tip.”

No cost. She’d been fully prepared to hand over a large chunk of her resettlement money from Carrington. Now she wouldn’t have to. “And you’ll call me as soon as she knows anything?”

“Yes. Or I’ll stop by and see you.” He indicated The Square, the upscale shopping and gathering spot in the town’s center, with a glance toward the window. “This town hears everything, even with windows closed and doors locked.”

Josie knew the truth in that, another reason she’d kept her silence. She’d embarrassed her family by being the talk of the town once. She’d done her best to avoid it since. “Like any small town, I suppose.” She stood up and shook his hand. “Thank you, Cruz. And remember—”

“My lips are sealed.” He tapped the Carrington contract. “Let me tweak this and I’ll send it on to them and you for approval. Oh, and Josie?”

He was going to tell her this was a stupid idea, to accept the Carrington offer and work right there, with Jacob and Addie close by. And he’d be right. She knew that.

Cruz said nothing of the kind. He reached out and took her hands in his. “This is a gutsy move on your part.”

Gutsy or foolish? She waited for him to continue.

“And I want to tell you that any mother who can do what you’ve done, to put the best interests of her child first, both when you gave her up and when you risked your life to save hers...” He gripped her hands. “That ranks you pretty high up on my list. Sacrificial love is a wonderful thing.”

The praise came from the lips of a man who’d had an egocentric mother. If anyone appreciated good parenting, it was Cruz Maldonado. “Thank you, Cruz.”

“I’ll be in touch.”

She walked back to her car in the municipal lot, conflicted.

She didn’t want to risk having Addie in the middle of grown-up drama. But how else was she to ascertain the O’Neills’ history, and Addie’s placement with Jacob? What could go wrong besides absolutely everything?

If Jacob discovered her true identity, what would stop him from leaving with Addie? A talented man who’d overseen major projects could work anywhere. He could leave at a moment’s notice, and then where would she be?

But she couldn’t stand by, inactive. She couldn’t assume things were all right for Addie, when so much had gone wrong in her early life. If nothing else, she needed the truth. Yes, she’d stayed silent of her own volition. She’d had her reasons, and she’d trusted the systems in place.

If what she suspected was true, the systems hadn’t let her down. Two lying, scheming adults, putting their own agendas first, had done that. A slow burn started somewhere along her midspine and rose upward.

Nobody was allowed to mess with the sweet sanctity of a child for selfish desires. Not on her watch. And while Ginger O’Neill had seemed devoted to Addie, if she’d begun the process based on a lie, then she’d voided at least the moral part of the contract. And that was enough to thrust Josie forward.

* * *

“You’re here. Good.” Jacob rose from his desk in the work trailer as Josie came up the metal steps the next afternoon. He crossed the narrow space and opened the door. “I’ve just printed up the signature copies of the amended agreement. Carrington agreed on all points except one.”

“A deal breaker?” She lifted her right brow and gave him the same look his daughter offered on a regular basis. Part scoffing, part teasing.

“I hope not. They want a long-term contract. They want to know they’ve got you on board for at least five years. They’d prefer ten for longevity’s sake, but I talked them down to five. The two-year option your lawyer cited is off the table because if you walk after two years, we lose a whole lot of work and momentum. Are you all right with that?”

“Five it is.”

“Good.” He handed her the pen, relieved. He’d been surprised to see the twenty-four-month amendment, and not surprised when Carrington officials balked. No new enterprise wanted to risk a major schedule upset two years in. She bent to sign the contract. When she did, her long rust-brown hair tumbled over her shoulder, obscuring her face from his angle.

The warm smell of cinnamon wafted to him. And nutmeg? Maybe. With something else, a pungent, woodsy scent. She smelled of fall in the spring, and why did he find that singularly attractive?

She finished signing and flipped her hair back over her shoulder as she straightened.

The scent hit him again, hints of warm spices on a vibrant May afternoon. And for some reason, on her, it fit. “Is it all right if I send a crew over first thing in the morning to gather the equipment and supplies?”

“Tomorrow is fine. And if it makes things easier, I can have all of my stuff out of the restaurant and apartment by Friday.”

Easier? The delay caused by her argument over eminent domain had pushed the lakeshore part of the project into crisis mode. A lakeside hotel with no docking facilities wasn’t conducive to a successful grand opening. “You don’t need the full thirty days?”

“Not if your crew is doing the big stuff. I travel light.”

“We’d appreciate it, Josie.”

“All right.” She tucked her purse strap a little farther up her shoulder. “I’ll head out. Is Addie at school?”

“For the next four weeks. Followed by summer vacation and a two-week spot with no child care.”

“How does that happen?”

He made a face. “I didn’t realize that the school calendar up north differed from the South. I assumed, and it got me into trouble.”

“What will you do with Addie?”

He shrugged. “I’m not sure yet. It’s the worst possible timing. I even checked with your cousin, the one who runs the other preschool everyone talks about.”

“Rory.”

“Yes, but she’s closed for those two weeks, too.”

“It’s kind of a thing here, for the schools to close down and reopen after the Independence Day weekend. I didn’t realize that was unique.”

“I suppose every area has their scheduling quirks.”

“Climate and agriculturally inspired. Or folks just need a little time to regroup. If you need help, let me know.”

Let her know?

“We’ve got several nice college kids who come back in May to work summer jobs,” she explained. “A lot of them might be spoken for already, but it’s a possibility. Or I could watch her. I’m going to be staying in my aunt’s apartment over her garage. It’s right in the village, just behind The Square. There would be kids in and out all the time, the whole Gallagher crew. And I’m not working until you have a kitchen in place over here, so it could work. Just a thought.”

“I’ll think about it, sure.” He wouldn’t think about it. He didn’t know her. He didn’t know the college kids she talked about, either.

Did you know the teacher at the day school before you signed Addie up? No.

That was different. It was a registered school.

His internal voice sighed. Because of course nothing bad could ever happen at a registered school.

“I expect you’re busy now, but I’d like to go over the kitchen layout before everything’s put in place. Placement of the gas lines is pretty clutch in an operation like mine.”

“I’ll have the kitchen designer set up a time with you.”

“Perfect.” She didn’t push about Addie.

Good.

The thought of leaving Addie with anyone bothered him, which meant he needed to look into a nanny wherever they decided to settle. And that meant a house. A yard. Serious commitments for a man who had been married to his work for a long time.

A firm in Texas had contacted him about overseeing a major project bordering Waco. And a major Arizona development corporation had sent out feelers through their chief operating officer because they were contemplating a three-stage, multiyear all-inclusive adult living community with recreational built-ins.

Carrington was slated to begin a new Outer Banks project. That one would win the choice if his parents hadn’t sold their Georgia home and moved to lower Florida. His mother had proclaimed she was ready to be done with winter, but maybe that wasn’t the whole story. Maybe being in the town where she’d raised two children and lost one was just too much.

He walked to his car, wondering what his mother would think of the long, cold winter he’d just experienced here.

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