Ruth Logan - Her Secret Daughter

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?