“Miranda left here pretty upset.” An understatement. “She’s afraid she could lose custody of Daniel and I’m going to do everything I can to make sure she doesn’t.”
Another pause. “Um, no offense, Andrew, but you aren’t exactly experienced to handle this kind of situation.”
Andrew smiled grimly. “That isn’t exactly true.”
“What do you mean?” Andrew could practically hear the phrase delusions of grandeur bouncing around in Ross’s head.
Andrew had encouraged Miranda to trust people and yet he hadn’t been willing to do the same. He’d always told himself it was for their protection but maybe he’d felt better when he was in control of a situation. Not so different from Miranda. Maybe it was time to practice what he preached.
“Are you familiar with the Guardian?”
“I’ve heard the name. Everyone in law enforcement has. But I doubt he’ll get involved. He specializes in finding missing children. I wouldn’t even know how to find the guy. He’s kept his identity a secret for years—”
“Yeah, I know. Probably living the life of the idle rich or something.” Three, two, one…
Ross’s sudden burst of laughter told Andrew the guy was quick. For a gumshoe.
“Okay, talk to me. What have you got in mind?”
“If you work on the adoption records, I’ll call in some favors. Starting now.”
“Starting now,” Ross repeated the words wearily.
“Look at it as practice for those late-night strolls around the house with a fussy newborn.”
“Thanks for the visual,” Ross said wryly. “I’ll put on a pot of coffee.” Ross paused, choosing his next words carefully. “If Miranda is really Daniel’s adoptive mother and everything was legal, why all the secrecy? What is she hiding?”
Andrew wondered the same thing but he wasn’t ready yet to confide his suspicions to Ross. That Miranda wasn’t hiding something—she was hiding from someone.
By tomorrow morning, he’d be able to write a book about Miranda Jones. And he planned to do everything he could to make sure she and Daniel got a happy ending.
Miranda was frightened enough to repack those suitcases and disappear into the night. He prayed that the changes he’d seen in her recently would be stronger than her fear.
By six o’clock in the morning, the only things keeping Andrew awake were the caffeine pumping through his blood and the growing list of details in the notebook at his elbow.
Miranda was thirty-four years old. And she’d never been married. That bit of information canceled out the bitter-divorce theory. She’d told Sandra the truth about working at a bank but had failed to mention graduating at the top of her class from the University of Georgia with a degree in finance.
A friend who worked for one of the major newspapers in Atlanta had searched the archives and confirmed the deaths of Lorraine and Tom Ferris on New Year’s Eve. The accident had drawn major media coverage not only because the Ferrises were young parents, but because it involved a man whose license had been revoked due to three prior drunk-driving convictions. The obituary briefly mentioned survivors, including a son, Daniel, and a sister, Miranda, and noted the names of Lorraine’s parents. Andrew read between the lines. The different last names and places of residence hinted the family wasn’t close—physically or emotionally. If he had to guess, Daniel was the only real family Miranda had.
When the computer downloaded a photo of Lorraine and Tom, Andrew felt as if someone kicked him in the teeth. No one could doubt the two women were related. Lorraine’s short, stylish haircut differed from Miranda’s but they shared the same bone structure and winsome smile.
Miranda had lost so much. As he fit the pieces of her life together, a picture was forming of a young woman grieving the death of her only sibling while taking on the care and responsibility of an active toddler. Raising him as her own.
His respect for Miranda grew.
The phone chirped and Andrew swiped it up, hoping Ross had good news. “Hello?”
“You owe me, buddy,” a voice rasped in his ear.
Tobias, a.k.a. “Toby” Rudley. A crusty ex-con who’d left the dark side to start a security business. Now he made a living hacking into corporate computers on a regular basis. Just to pinpoint the weak areas. So he said. Andrew had a hunch it was more for entertainment. Like watching HBO.
Andrew tapped his pen against the notebook. “I’ll let you borrow my yacht for two weeks. What did you find out?”
“I worked with those dates you gave me and checked out the bank where she worked. Miranda Jones was promoted in January and fired in May.”
Andrew frowned. Knowing Miranda’s loyalty to Sandra and the diner, the promotion made sense. Getting fired didn’t. “Why?”
“I’m getting there. Just for future reference, people get cranky when you wake them up before they’ve had their first cup of coffee.”
“Couldn’t help it.” Andrew tried to rein in his impatience. “Details, Tobe.”
“Sorry. I tracked down a lady who worked with Miranda. According to her, Miranda dated a lawyer. She couldn’t remember his name but thought he was a junior partner with one of the larger firms in the city. Anyway, the guy turned out to be a wacko with a capital W. Started dropping in at the bank a few times a day to check on Miranda. Called her a lot. One day he got a little hostile when Miranda’s supervisor asked him to leave. Made a scene. That’s when they fired her. Security escorted her out the door and no one saw her after that.”
Andrew’s breath hissed between his teeth. She had been hiding from someone. Not an ex-husband but a boyfriend. The fact he’d been right didn’t make him feel better. “She had a stalker boyfriend and no one checked on her?”
“Whoa. Is this my fault? According to my source, no one really knew her. Your girl didn’t socialize with the other employees.”
Because she put Daniel first. As she did now.
“Did you find out the name of the lawyer?”
“How many weeks do I get the boat? Three?”
Andrew thought he’d mentioned two but he wasn’t in the mood to negotiate. Long-term relationships with district attorneys had taught Toby how to deal. Andrew would give him the boat if it meant he got answers. “That’s what I said.”
“Yup. I have his name,” Toby said cheerfully. “Hal Stevens. Resides at 404B Oceanview Terrace. Atlanta, Georgia. Never married. Quit the law firm a couple years back to start his own practice. He’s padding his bank account defending nightclub owners now. The kind that get in trouble for adding an addendum to the job descriptions of the waitresses and dancers. You know what I’m saying?”
Toby always had an interesting way of describing things. So Stevens worked for the creatures sticking to the bottom of the food chain. It fit. What didn’t make sense was why Miranda had fallen for a guy like that in the first place. The woman he knew and loved was smart and capable. But it might explain why she didn’t trust herself when it came to men. He intended to prove to her she could trust him.
“You’ve been a big help, Toby.” Andrew jotted the name Hal Stevens in the notebook.
“Does this mean you’re going to stock the yacht with my favorite cigars?”
“You’ll have to pound those nails in your own coffin, my friend. I want you around awhile.”
“Aw, cut it out, Guardian, you’re making me all weepy.”
Andrew’s lips twisted. “Take it easy on the coast guard this time. Your photo is still pinned to their bulletin board.”
“They probably got it from the feds. Those guys have a scrapbook dedicated to me.” Toby chuckled. “Just don’t forget to invite me to the wedding. Miranda Jones is a looker. Not your usual type, though. Definitely the kind of girl you take home to meet Mama. The two of you made a cute couple.”
Dread curled in his belly like the flick of a flame against paper. “What do you mean…we make a cute couple?”
“Fourth of July picnic…a picture of the two of you taken in a park in t
he quaint little burb you’re living in. Ringing any bells?”
“Where did you see the photo?” Dread changed to fear in roughly the same amount of time it took his Porsche to go from zero to sixty.
“I saw it in some gossip rag at the gas station. Not that I make a habit of reading those things but I—”
“I’ll talk to you later, Toby.” Andrew flipped the phone shut and closed his eyes, sending up a plea for God to clean up a mess that might have just gotten messier. The photographer who’d snapped their picture at Winchester Park had been a freelancer for a tabloid with national distribution.
Great.
A relationship with Hal Stevens had put Miranda on the run. Best case scenario, the guy had had control issues. Worst case scenario, he’d been physically and emotionally abusive. But, in her love for Daniel, Miranda had found the courage and strength to break free.
I remember the scary place.
Daniel’s soft-spoken words had wrung out Andrew’s emotions and hung them up to dry.
He’d dealt with men like Stevens in the past. Obsessive. Controlling. They burned with the need to be in charge. To a guy like that, letting Miranda slip out of his grasp would equal failure. And failure wasn’t acceptable.
Was Stevens still searching for her?
The suitcases and Miranda’s reluctance to trust people told Andrew she believed he was. The barren apartment was a heart-wrenching testimony to Miranda’s belief Hal would eventually catch up to her, forcing them to leave again. No wonder Miranda had resisted forming ties with Chestnut Grove and people like Sandra.
A verse filtered through Andrew’s mind and settled in his heart.
He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
The world had shrunk since the discovery of cyberspace. Finding people wasn’t so difficult anymore. Andrew’s heart missed a beat, struck by the truth. Only God’s grace and mercy had kept Miranda and Daniel safely hidden over the past four years.
Please, God. Let Miranda realize it, too. Let her know You’ve always been there for her. That You haven’t forgotten her.
Miranda watched the sun come up while Daniel slept in the next room. Now she found herself wishing she hadn’t pulled down the drapes. She felt vulnerable. Exposed. Even though she’d turned the lights off and set her phone on mute.
Her churning thoughts matched the churning in her stomach. The suitcases waited in the closet. Empty. It would take fifteen minutes to fill them.
If they left.
What had prevented her from taking Daniel and leaving after Darcy had brought him home from the movie? The promise she’d made to Daniel that Chestnut Grove was home? Her blossoming friendship with Leah Cavanaugh? Her loyalty to Sandra and Isaac?
Andrew’s plea to trust him?
She couldn’t think about Andrew. She’d half expected him to follow her home. Or to call. But why would he? She’d told him she didn’t want to have anything to do with him anymore. And he thought her capable of stealing a child….
“Mom?” Daniel’s sleepy voice came from the doorway of his bedroom. “Are you taking me to Olivia’s pretty soon?”
Miranda opened her arms and Daniel burrowed into them.
One more day wouldn’t matter. If they left, she had to close out her savings account and give Mrs. Enderby notice. Sandra and Isaac had been good to her, so she couldn’t just leave without a word. She’d have to say goodbye to Darcy…and thank Leah for offering to watch Daniel. All proof she’d stayed in Chestnut Grove too long. When she’d left Atlanta, pain hadn’t shredded her heart. Not like now.
“Mom’s not going to work today.” Or maybe tomorrow, either.
“Why not?”
“I don’t feel well,” Miranda said in a husky voice, hoping Daniel wouldn’t realize she’d been up all night. “But you can still play at Olivia’s.”
“Are you going to take a nap?” Daniel’s voice thinned with worry and Miranda forced a smile.
“I think so. You get dressed and I’ll make scrambled eggs.”
“Okay.” Daniel bounced off the couch and disappeared into the bedroom.
Miranda called the diner and left a message with Nina, one of the other waitresses, that she wouldn’t be coming to work and scraped up enough energy to get off the couch and shuffle into the kitchen.
Mistake. The muted wild-rose walls reminded her of Sunday morning, when Andrew had shown up at the door with a paintbrush in his pocket.
The day he’d kissed her. The day she’d realized she was falling in love with him.
She couldn’t separate the strands of pain that knotted her insides. Leaving Chestnut Grove. Daniel’s adoption records being found. Andrew believing the worst of her. All of it made her steps as heavy as her heart.
She dropped Daniel off at the Cavanaughs’ and saw Leah standing on the step with Joseph. Waiting for her. With a sinking heart, Miranda knew Leah planned to invite her to stay for coffee again. In the rearview mirror, she saw Leah’s smile fade as she drove away.
The apartment was quiet when she let herself back in. She walked into Daniel’s room and the tears started all over again. She scrubbed them away impatiently. She didn’t have a choice.
She sat down on Daniel’s bed and unearthed Lily from beneath the covers.
“I’m sorry, Daniel,” she murmured as she unzipped the suitcase. Everything inside her rebelled against the task but she picked up Lily and put her inside.
Her fingers trailed over the soft leather of the baseball glove Andrew had given Daniel and then moved to the plaster handprint he’d made at Sonshine Camp. Her son, bless his organized little soul, had carefully propped up the card with the accompanying Bible verse next to it.
I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.
The words had been written so long ago, they couldn’t be meant for her.
There was a time you believed they were.
That was before Lorraine and Tom had died. Before Hal…
What if Daniel was hurt? One of the conversations she’d had with Sandra echoed in her mind. Wouldn’t you want him to run to you if he was in pain?
What if she took a step of faith and believed the promise? Would she experience the same kind of peace Sandra and Leah had? The kind that came from knowing no matter what happened, God was there?
Chapter Nineteen
“Bingo.” Ross waved a piece of paper in the air. “This is what we’ve been looking for.”
Andrew crossed the room in two strides. He’d decided to stop by Tiny Blessings to compare notes with Ross before going to see Miranda. He hadn’t expected to find Eric Pellegrino, Pilar Fletcher and Kelly tirelessly working side by side with Ross, elbow deep in old files. Ross had filled them in on Miranda’s situation and Andrew’s fear that she’d leave town. Eric and Pilar had immediately rearranged their schedules to help out.
“What?” Twenty-four hours without sleep had roughened Andrew’s voice but hadn’t affected his determination.
“Daniel’s original documents. We’ll match them against the copies I found to see if Harcourt doctored them up.”
Kelly and Pilar crowded in so close, their bellies bumped together. Pilar’s giggle eased the tension in the room.
“Back up the bumper cars, ladies,” Ross said, a hint of a smile playing at the corner of his mouth.
Andrew resisted the urge to snatch the paper from Ross’s hand. He’d been going crazy wondering if Miranda had taken Daniel and left town. Maybe they’d found the reason to make her stay.
“I don’t believe it.” Ross slapped the papers down on the desk.
Andrew’s heart stopped. “They’re not the same.”
“They’re identical. That’s what I can’t believe,” he corrected, a weary grin spreading across his face. “I have no idea why Harcourt stashed Daniel’s records in the mansion but from what I can see here, these documents are legit. Daniel Thomas Jones’s original adoption was perfectl
y legal.”
Andrew stared down at the documents until Eric gave him a friendly shove to wake him up.
Kelly smiled and gave Andrew a knowing look. “Andrew, why don’t you tell Miranda the good news? Ross is going home to take a nap.”
“A nap—” Ross stifled a yawn “—sounds good.”
Exhaustion had sucked the energy from Andrew’s bones but sleep was the last thing on his mind. He picked up the documents.
“Can I borrow these?”
Ross nodded. “Be my guest.”
Andrew had almost made it the door when Kelly’s cell phone rang.
Darcy had grabbed Daniel’s hand seconds after he and Miranda had walked into the diner.
“Hey, Miranda, do you mind if I take my favorite rug rat to the park for a while?”
Which meant Miranda looked as awful as she felt.
She didn’t miss the look Darcy and Sandra exchanged, either. The words tag team came to mind but she forced a smile, grateful for the chance to talk to Sandra alone for a few minutes.
“Don’t be gone too long. It’s getting dark.”
“Gotcha.” Darcy grinned and herded Daniel out the door.
“She’s not very subtle, is she?” Sandra smiled and untied her apron.
“No.” Miranda watched them dash across the street, hand in hand. If she didn’t get this over with, she’d lose her nerve completely.
Sandra pulled a chair away from the table and motioned for Miranda to sit down. “Are you feeling better? You look a little tattered around the edges, sugar.”
Miranda choked back a laugh. “I feel a little tattered around the edges.”
“Daniel’s adoption records.”
“You know?” Miranda stared at her, stunned, until she made the connection. Of course. Ross had found Daniel’s records. He would have told Kelly, who would have confided in Sandra.
“Don’t blame Kelly,” Sandra said quickly, as if she’d read Miranda’s mind. “Ross called me. He’s concerned about you.”
“And he told Andrew.” Bitterness leaked into Miranda’s voice.
“Only because I asked him to.”
For Her Son's Love Page 17