Isabella Trueblood made histor reuniting people torn apart by war and an epidemic. Now, generations later, Lily and Dylan Garrett carry on her work with their agency, Finders Keepers. Circumstances may have changed, but the goal remains the same.
Lost
Her reputation. P.I. Jennifer Rodriguez was pregnant. And no way could she tell her traditional family there was no daddy in sight for her child. But Jen herself wasnt born yesterday. She knew when to call in a favor.
Found
A phony fiancé. After Jennifer had successfully tracked down Ryan Madison, hed said to call if he could ever help her out. And now was the time. He just had to show up with her at her parents place and pretend they were about to be married. Then he could disappear. It was no big deal. Except to lovestruck Ryan.
Finders Keepers: bringing families together
Jennifer has a bun in her oven,
Teresa piped up, a gap-toothed smile splitting her eager face, her brown eyes sparkling.
Jennifers heart stopped and her jaw dropped. Orange juice, halfway down her throat, came back up with a cough and she pressed her napkin to her mouth, her eyes watering.
Niña, we all know Jennifer is not so good in the kitchen, Carmen said, ruffling her daughters hair.
No, she is, Teresa insisted. I think shes taking cooking lessons.
Teresa, shh! Jennifer hissed, watching as the rest of the guests began to turn their attention toward her youngest sister.
Ryan handed the little girl a sweet roll, waving it in front of her face. Have something to eat, Teresa. Arent you hungry?
Teresa took the roll. Jenny and Ryan were in the garden last night and she told him she had a bun in her oven. I was listening from my tree house.
Carmens eyes were wide. And what else did Jenny say?
She said shes knocked up, too. And shes going to have a baby.
Oh, God, Jennifer murmured.
Dear Reader,
Ive always welcomed the chance to add a little variety into my writing life, so when my editor at Harlequin asked me to contribute a book to the TRUEBLOOD, TEXAS series, I couldnt refuse. In the nearly thirty books Ive written for them, Ive never set a book in Texas. And the chance to learn more about Mexican-American culture was an added bonus!
A chance inquiry at my local library put me in touch with Cristina Capatillo-Fischer. She graciously agreed to help me get it right, and we spent many mornings at the library discussing Mexican wedding traditions, quinceañera celebrations and dinner menus. It wasnt long before this Wisconsin girl knew the proper time to serve corn tortillas versus flour.
I hope you enjoy the next installment of TRUEBLOOD, TEXAS. The story of Jennifer Rodriguez, Ryan Madison and the baby between them was so much fun to write. I hope its as much fun to read!
Happy reading,
Kate Hoffmann
Daddy Wanted
Kate Hoffman
www.millsandboon.co.uk
The Trueblood Legacy
THE YEAR WAS 1918, and the Great War in Europe still raged, but Esau Porter was heading home to Texas.
The young sergeant arrived at his parents ranch northwest of San Antonio on a Sunday night, only the celebration didnt go off as planned. Most of the townsfolk of Carmelita had come out to welcome Esau home, but when they saw the sorry condition of the boy, they gave their respects quickly and left.
The fever got so bad so fast that Mrs. Porter hardly knew what to do. By Monday night, before the doctor from San Antonio made it into town, Esau was dead.
The Porter family grieved. How could their son have survived the German peril, only to burn up and die in his own bed? It wasnt much of a surprise when Mrs. Porter took to her bed on Wednesday. But it was a hell of a shock when half the residents of Carmelita came down with the horrible illness. House after house was hit by death, and all the townspeople could do was pray for salvation.
None came. By the end of the year, over one hundred souls had perished. The influenza virus took those in the prime of life, leaving behind an unprece-
dented number of orphans. And the virus knew no boundaries. By the time the threat had passed, more than thirty-seven million people had succumbed worldwide.
But in one house, there was still hope.
Isabella Trueblood had come to Carmelita in the late 1800s with her father, blacksmith Saul Trueblood, and her mother, Teresa Collier Trueblood. The family had traveled from Indiana, leaving their Quaker roots behind.
Young Isabella grew up to be an intelligent woman who had a gift for healing and storytelling. Her dreams centered on the boy next door, Foster Carter, the son of Chester and Grace.
Just before the bad times came in 1918, Foster asked Isabella to be his wife, and the future of the Carter spread was secured. It was a happy union, and the future looked bright for the young couple.
Two years later, not one of their relatives was alive. How the young couple had survived was a miracle. And during the epidemic, Isabella and Foster had
taken in more than twenty-two orphaned children from all over the county. They fed them, clothed them, taught them as if they were blood kin.
Then Isabella became pregnant, but there were complications. Love for her handsome son, Josiah, born in 1920, wasnt enough to stop her from grow-ing weaker by the day. Knowing she couldnt leave her husband to tend to all the children if she died, she set out to find families for each one of her orphaned charges.
And so the Trueblood Foundation was born. Named in memory of Isabellas parents, it would become famous all over Texas. Some of the orphaned children went to strangers, but many were reunited with their families. After reading notices in newspapers and church bulletins, aunts, uncles, cousins and grand-parents rushed to Carmelita to find the young ones theyd given up for dead.
Toward the end of Isabellas life, shed brought together more than thirty families, and not just her orphans. Many others, old and young, made their way to her doorstep, and Isabella turned no one away.
At her death, the towns name was changed to Trueblood, in her honor. For years to come, her simple grave was adorned with flowers on the anniversary of her death, grateful tokens of appreciation from the families she had brought together.
Isabellas son, Josiah, grew into a fine rancher and married Rebecca Montgomery in 1938. They had a daughter, Elizabeth Trueblood Carter, in 1940. Elizabeth married her neighbor William Garrett in 1965, and gave birth to twins Lily and Dylan in 1971, and daughter Ashley a few years later. Home was the Double G ranch, about ten miles from Trueblood proper, and the Garrett children grew up listening to stories of their famous great-grandmother, Isabella. Because they were Truebloods, they knew that they, too, had a sacred duty to carry on the tradition passed down to them: finding lost souls and reuniting loved ones.
Kate Hoffmann is acknowledged
as the author of this work.
For Cristina, with thanks for your friendship
and all those mornings at Mead.
Contents
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
PROLOGUE
MR. MADISON? Are you all right?
Ryan Madison heard her words, even registered the concern in her voice, but the strange buzzing in his head made it impossible to form a reply.
Was he all right? This morning, when hed walked into the trailer at Number 59, he hadnt really bothered to consider the question. On the whole, his life was going pretty damn well. He was almost twenty-seven years old, considered a decent-looking guy without any major dental problems or personality disorders. He owned a very successful business in Midland, TexasMadison Drilling and Oiland made a good living. Theyd just opened their fifty-ninth well. And though he wasnt happily married with two point four children and a dog, he came from what he thought was a loving, supportive familyuntil now.
I know this must be startling news, she said, her voice lilting slightly with just a hint of a Spanish accent. And Im sure it will take some time to sink in.
His attention was fixed on her mouth and he watched her form each word, as if in slow motion. She had a beautiful mouth, a shapely upper lip, like a Cupids bow, complemented by a soft, full lower lip. Shed introduced herself when shed walked into the trailer, but suddenly, he couldnt remember her name. Jane? Janice? No, Jennifer. He drew a slow breath and focused his thoughts. That was it. Jennifer Rodriguez.
When his drilling foreman had shown her in, Ryans curiosity had been piqued. Beautiful women didnt wander into his trailer every day, or every month for that matter. Beautiful women were in short supply in the oil fields of the Permian Basin. And there was no arguing that Jennifer Rodriguez was beautiful. A breath of fresh air in the hot, dusty oil fields of West Texas.
When shed introduced herself as a private investigator, hed nearly laughed out loud. P.I.s were supposed to be balding, middle-aged men with potbellies, cigar-stained teeth and a world-weary attitude. Jennifer Rodriguez wore a pretty flowered dress that skimmed her slender figure. Her long dark hair tumbled in messy waves around her shoulders and her eyes were so brown they were nearly black. Her skin, kissed golden by the sun, looked so soft he was tempted to reach out and touch her face. Without thinking, he raised his hand and
Mr. Madison, perhaps it might be best if I leave you to think about everything I said. Ill just wait
No! Ryan replied. If she left hed be forced to face a reality he wasnt ready to acknowledge. As long as she was here, he could allow himself the safety of a fantasy or two when doubts overwhelmed his common sense. Reluctantly, he glanced down at the sheet of paper in his handa birth certificate. It didnt look anything like the document he had seen when he applied for his first passport. I dont understand. This isnt me. This baby was stillborn. Why would you think this is me?
Im working for a man named Ben Mulholland, she said. He was born on October 23, 1974, outside Austin. Thats the birth certificate of his twin brother.
I was born on October 23, 1974 in Austin, at a hospital, Ryan said numbly. And Im an only child.
Im sure if you look at your birth certificate, youll see the same doctors signature, nearly the same time of birth. We think youre Ben Mulhollands twin brother.
Ryan shook his head. Wait a minute. First, you tell me Im adopted, that my parents really arent my parents. And now you tell me I have a twin brother? This doesnt make any sense.
The doctor who delivered you was a baby broker. When he delivered you to your adoptive parents, he gave them a forged birth certificate. I think if you check closely, youll see that the doctor couldnt have been in two separate places delivering two different babies.
He raked his fingers through his dusty hair. II dont know Why do you think
Jennifer reached out and placed her fingers on his forearm. Mr. Madison, I realize this is
Madison? Ryan asked. He stared down at the spot on his skin where her fingers rested. They were warm and soft, delicately boned and oddly comforting. Youre telling me my name isnt Madison, its Mulholland. A soft chuckle slipped from Ryans throat. The sheer absurdity of the situation was more than he could take in. Youre wrong. Youre looking for someone else, some other guy born on October 23, 1974. Not me. He pushed the birth certificate back at her. He was the son of Jeffrey and Rhonda Madison.
She held out another item and he noticed it was a photograph of himselfor was it? He snatched it from her fingers and stared at the image, the face so like his, yet just a bit different.
Thats your brother, Ben. Your twin.
This is not my brother, Ryan insisted. I dont have a brother. But though he said the words, he wasnt certain they were true. The man in the photo looked remarkably like the man he saw every morning in the mirror as he shaved.
If thats true, we can clear this up very quickly. I need you to come to San Antonio with me. Theres a doctor there waiting to give you a blood test.
Ryan shook his head. If youre so sure of your proof, why do I need a blood test?
I havent told you everything, Jennifer said. Theres another reason we need to go to San Antonio.
Ryan raised his eyebrow, then stepped away from her, shoving his hands into the pockets of his faded jeans to keep from touching her. You mean, theres more? he asked, a sarcastic edge to his voice. He wandered over to his desk and idly began to flip through a stack of geological surveys. Let me guess. Theres probably a case of amnesia involved. Maybe some family insanity, a few underworld connections. Hell, according to you, my life has suddenly become a cheesy soap opera.
She grabbed his elbow and gently turned him until he faced her. This isnt some silly television show. This is real life. Ben Mulholland has a five-year-old daughter who has been diagnosed with leukemia. She needs a bone marrow transplant and the doctors havent been able to find a donor match through the network. Her father cant donate because of a bout with malaria. If worst comes to worst and the right donor cant be found soon, theyre hoping you might agree to help.
He stared at her for a long moment, saw the emotion in her eyes, the hopeful expression. Hed always known someday a woman would walk into his life and change him forever. But hed expected to fall madly in love and get married. He didnt expect her to turn his whole world upside down and make him question who and what he was!