Czytaj książkę: «Her Secret Daughter»

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.