Ruth Herne - Her Secret Daughter

“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!”