Nancy Holland - Found - One Secret Baby

A division of HarperCollins Publishers

www.harpercollins.co.uk

Harper Impulse an imprint of

HarperCollins Publishers

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published in Great Britain by Harper Impulse 2016

Copyright © Nancy Holland 2016

Cover images © Shutterstock.com

Cover layout design © HarperCollins Publishers 2016

Cover design by Michelle Andrews

Nancy Holland asserts the moral right to

be identified as the author of this work

A catalogue record for this book

is available from the British Library

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

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and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.

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No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted,

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Ebook Edition © July 2016 ISBN: 9780008127381

Version 2016-06-21

For my beloved, patient husband.

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page Found: One Secret Baby NANCY HOLLAND A division of HarperCollins Publishers www.harpercollins.co.uk

Copyright Harper Impulse an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF www.harpercollins.co.uk First published in Great Britain by Harper Impulse 2016 Copyright © Nancy Holland 2016 Cover images © Shutterstock.com Cover layout design © HarperCollins Publishers 2016 Cover design by Michelle Andrews Nancy Holland asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins. Ebook Edition © July 2016 ISBN: 9780008127381 Version 2016-06-21

Dedication For my beloved, patient husband.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Acknowledgements

Also by Nancy Holland

Nancy Holland

About HarperImpulse

About the Publisher

The usual flicker of nerves made Rosalie Walker stand up straighter as the receptionist opened the door to show her visitor in. The appointment had been made this morning and she’d been too busy to Google this new client. Would Morgan Danby be a man or a woman?

She looked up, far up, into blue eyes fringed with thick, black lashes.

Definitely a man. A man she could have sworn she’d dreamed about.

The spark of interest she saw in his eyes filled her mind with images of naked bodies intertwined on white sands along sun-sparkled seas. She allowed herself one second to feel like a woman before the lawyer took over.

She extended her hand. “Rosalie Walker.” An involuntary purr shadowed her words.

But the spark in his eyes had burned itself out. He engulfed her hand in his, his no-nonsense expression just a step short of downright cold. “Morgan Danby.”

His voice was deep, and as sexy as the rest of him, but like his face, it held no warmth. Only for that one moment had his eyes shown any sign of a flesh-and-blood man hidden behind the mask.

“Sit down, Mr. Danby.” She gestured to the chair across the desk and sat in hers.

What would bring a gorgeous man in a hand-tailored suit and diamond cufflinks to a family law practice miles from Los Angeles’ center of glamor and wealth?

“How can I help you?” The tell-tale purr lingered, but luckily he didn’t seem to hear it.

“I’m here to learn more about the late Maria Mendelev.”

The way he mispronounced Márya’s name froze Rosalie’s breath in her chest.

“What is your interest in the late Ms. Mendelev?” she managed in a neutral tone once her heart began to beat again.

He made a dismissive gesture with one aristocratic hand. “I’m not interested in her.”

Anger closed Rosalie’s throat, but she forced her lips to keep a smile of polite interest.

“I’m interested in the child she may have left behind.”

The world spun away, then fell back into place on a less stable axis.

Rosalie fought to keep her eyes fixed on Mr. Danby’s face without even a glance at the small photo stuck to the edge of her computer monitor.

“Wouldn’t it make more sense to talk to the man who would be this supposed child’s father?” Her voice sounded almost normal, but the rest of her body echoed with shock. “I understand he can be reached at San Quentin for the next thirty years or so.”

“I’ve talked to him, but he insists he never got Ms. Mendelev pregnant.”

It was hard to believe the man who murdered her friend would say the right thing for the right reason.

“Doesn’t that settle the matter?”

Mr. Danby shook his head. “I suspect he’s worried that if he admits he fathered a child, money will be taken out of his trust fund to support it.”

That sounded more like her friend’s killer.

“Why don’t you contact Child Welfare Services?” Contempt colored her voice. “They would be responsible for a child with a deceased mother and an incarcerated father.”

“It’s unclear which county would be responsible for the child, given the Mendelev woman’s wanderings in the last months before she died.”

The Mendelev woman. How could he talk about Márya like that?

Rosalie stood up. “I don’t think I can help you, Mr. Danby. I’m sure there are many other lawyers in Los Angeles who could find the information you want.”

He looked up at her, one eyebrow raised. “You’re the only lawyer who was a witness at the hearing on Ms. Mendelev’s order of protection against her alleged abuser.”

Rosalie closed her eyes against the mounting panic. Too much was at stake to let this man bait her into losing control. She put her hands on the desk and leaned into his personal space. The musky scent of his body distracted her for half an instant before she pushed it out of her mind.

“That ‘alleged’ abuser is the man who murdered her.”