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!”

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.”