Will he follow his orders...or his heart?
To prove her innocence,
he must reveal his own secrets.
In town under false pretenses, Alexander Bennett must convince Janie Roberts to sign a nondisclosure agreement for his boss. But as Janie quickly makes him feel at home, he can’t believe the single mother is guilty of blackmail. Can he find the truth without losing the woman he’s falling for—or the little boy who longs for a father?
“I just wanted to say—”
Janie hesitated, like she was treading on uncertain ground.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” he said.
“You don’t even know what I was going to say.”
The hurt in her voice twisted in his stomach. They had to be missing something. He couldn’t believe that Janie was guilty.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I know I said I’d do better about accepting praise for my work, but I’m tired and it’s been a long day.”
She reached over and touched his arm. “I understand. But that’s not entirely what I wanted to talk about. I mean yes, what you’ve been doing here is a big deal. But I feel bad that you came here for one purpose, and you spent so little time with your family. It must be frustrating for you not to get to know them because you’re spending all your time helping me.”
Except that he was fulfilling his purpose. That’s the part she missed. The part he couldn’t tell her.
Danica Favorite loves the adventure of living a creative life. She loves to explore the depths of human nature and follow people on the journey to happily-ever-after. Though the journey is often bumpy, those bumps refine imperfect characters as they live the life God created them for. Oops, that just spoiled the ending of Danica’s stories. Then again, getting there is all the fun. Find her at danicafavorite.com.
Books by Danica Favorite
Love Inspired
Double R Legacy
The Cowboy’s Sacrifice
His True Purpose
Three Sisters Ranch
Her Cowboy Inheritance
The Cowboy’s Faith
His Christmas Redemption
Love Inspired Historical
Rocky Mountain Dreams
The Lawman’s Redemption
Shotgun Marriage
The Nanny’s Little Matchmakers
For the Sake of the Children
An Unlikely Mother
Mistletoe Mommy
Honor-Bound Lawman
Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.
HIS TRUE PURPOSE
Danica Favorite
But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
—Genesis 50:20
For the real Shelley and the real bunco group. You have all taught me so much about friendship and what it means to be there for one another through thick and thin. Thank you, ladies, for sharing your lives with me.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Epilogue
Dear Reader
Excerpt from A Home for Her Daughter by Jill Weatherholt
Chapter One
The same white car passed the church for the third time, driving at a snail’s pace. Janie Roberts didn’t recognize the car, so as it inched past, she took a look at the license plate. The red-and-white colors meant it was likely a rental.
Her mother’s funeral service had concluded over an hour ago, and the receiving line had just wrapped up. Anyone who intended to be at the funeral should be inside already, but Janie supposed that a latecomer from out of town could be just arriving. But why would they be circling the building rather than finding a place to park and going inside?
The sheriff had warned them that criminals sometimes rob a recently deceased person’s house during the funeral. But they had people watching both her father’s house and Janie’s.
So why did she feel so uneasy?
Janie took a deep breath. Probably because of that creepy investigator who’d come by her house a couple of weeks ago, asking her questions about her son, Sam, then demanding she sign a nondisclosure agreement, promising to never reveal the identity of Sam’s father and her relationship with him. He’d offered her money, but it had felt wrong, considering she hadn’t ever told anyone about Sam’s father. He’d never given Janie a dime, and though she had been initially resentful of his absence, it had become a source of pride that she’d been able to do it all on her own.
Plus, Janie had known her mother’s end was near, and she didn’t want to dredge up the past she’d so firmly buried.
The man had finally left, but ever since then, Janie had felt an uneasy feeling, like someone was watching them.
Was he back?
The car turned the corner again, leaving Janie to her solitude.
The prayer garden at the Columbine Springs Community Church was a welcome respite from the activity going on in the building. She should have been inside, listening to all the well-wishers tell her how sorry they were for the loss of her mother. But she didn’t want any of the sympathy.
Janie knew all these things, but talking about it wasn’t going to make it better, or bring her mother back.
What she wanted was to do something useful. To feel normal.
She’d been trying, but Allison McNabb had literally taken the coffeepot out of her hands when Janie was refilling it. Yes, Janie knew this was her mother’s funeral and she was supposed to be the one being comforted. But why couldn’t people understand that for her, the act of brewing a pot of coffee, something she did countless times a day, was comforting.
Janie looked around the garden and took a deep breath. The roses had lost their buds and leaves weeks ago, and the thorny branches were a stark reminder of her loss. Maybe Mother Nature knew that Janie would be losing her own mother, and the bleak garden mourned the loss of the woman who had tenderly planted every single rosebush.
She glanced over at the church. She should probably go back in, but she couldn’t stomach the idea of being told by anyone else how she should feel. Why couldn’t people let her grieve her mother in her way? Janie was certain that if one more person tried to shove a plate of food into her hands and tell her to eat, she just might throw up. Food wasn’t what Janie wanted.
She wanted the comfort of her mother’s arms, and more importantly, she needed to hear her mother’s wisdom.
Janie might have been caring for her dying mother, but the school had just sent her a letter saying that her request for reading therapy for her son, Sam, had been denied. Sam was at the top of the bottom when it came to reading scores, and, therefore, he didn’t qualify for any extra help. Janie had looked into hiring a private reading specialist to help him, but it was so expensive, she didn’t know how she would afford it. It wasn’t that she was going to ask her mother for the money—her parents had already done so much for her and Sam.
But she knew her mother would have some advice on what steps to take next.
They said bad news came in threes, and in Janie’s case, that was certainly true. Two days before Janie’s mother died, the community resource center where she worked part-time had r
eceived notification from one of its biggest donors that they would be unable to continue paying for the grant that had been helping support the center since its opening. The center had a month’s worth of funding, and then they were going to have to significantly reduce hours and services for a community that so desperately needed it.
Yes, the part-time job gave Janie some extra money, but it wasn’t just about Janie’s finances. She still had her full-time job at the elementary school as a teacher’s aide, and it covered their basic needs. But for all the extras? She’d find something. Hopefully, a big something, since she’d have to replace that income plus find extra to help her son.
Maybe Janie should’ve taken that creepy investigator’s offer. The amount of money had seemed like an awful lot, and when she hesitated, he’d asked her to name her number.
Another part of her thought it wasn’t fair to Sam. At seven, he was obsessed with the idea of knowing who his dad was and having his own. Especially since his friend Katie had recently gotten a dad. Before that, his friend Ryan had gotten a new dad. Finding one for Sam now meant that Janie would have to get out there and date, and she wasn’t willing to risk getting her heart broken again.
When Sam was old enough, he deserved to know who his father was and do what he wanted with that information, whether it be to find him or to write him off the way he’d been written off his whole life. Even now, feeling the financial pressure, she didn’t think she could feel good about herself, looking her son in the eye and telling him she’d signed away his right to know for a bunch of lousy money.
She would give just about anything to hear what her mother had to say on the matter.
Tears rolled down her cheeks as Janie sat in her mother’s favorite place in the whole world, feeling completely disconnected from the woman who’d always been there for her.
Yes, Janie had friends, but right now, she just wanted her mom.
Her mother was gone before Janie could ask all the questions she wanted, say all the things she needed, and while her mother had done an excellent job of preparing them all for this end, making her wishes known, the advice she hadn’t given Janie was how to live without her.
If she asked her mother, she’d probably tell Janie to pray about it, but Janie didn’t know what to pray for. A pastor’s daughter, she’d been going to church her whole life, and she had no idea what to say to Him right now.
Janie glanced over at the small statue of Jesus at the corner of the garden, inviting people to give their burdens to Him.
She knew that He knew what she needed, and all things would work out for the glory of God, but right now, she wasn’t sure how. She couldn’t imagine it would come in the form of poorly brewed coffee and feeling utterly helpless.
The same car she’d been observing slowed in front of the church again.
Whoever it was was obviously lost, or maybe felt some uncertainty about coming late to her mother’s funeral. Also, there didn’t look to be any available parking for several blocks.
At least this was an area where she could finally be useful. Janie took a deep breath and walked over to the car.
As she approached, the driver slowed to a stop and rolled down the window.
“Hi,” Janie said. “Are you here for the funeral?”
The man shook his head. Something about him called to her, though she couldn’t say why. He had an air about him that spoke of deep sadness. Maybe he was some long-lost relative or friend that Janie didn’t know about.
“I needed to talk to a pastor,” he said. “But I’m not going to interrupt a funeral. I’m just trying to figure out what to do in the meantime. I passed the café coming to town, but it looks closed.”
That explained why the man called to her. He needed help, and she always seemed to find herself pulled toward people who needed her.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you,” she said. “But you’re going to find that everything in town is closed today. Everyone is at the funeral.”
He looked skeptical. “Everyone? What about people’s businesses? Surely they have someone staying behind.”
Janie shook her head. “We’re a small town. When one of our own passes, we all mourn.”
He gave her a funny look, like he couldn’t comprehend the entire town caring about someone enough to close everything to say goodbye.
“What about you? Why aren’t you in there?” he asked.
Janie shrugged. “The funeral is over. Everyone is gathering in the fellowship hall, and I needed some air.”
And something to do so she didn’t feel useless. This was why she had to believe that perhaps God had sent this man her way because He understood how desperately Janie needed to feel useful and do something, rather than letting everyone else wait on her hand and foot.
“You could join us,” Janie offered. “I’m sure there’s plenty of food, because everyone overcooks, trying to outdo one another. It’s as if they think their sorrow can be measured in the number of ham sandwiches and potato casseroles they make.”
The man looked taken aback. “I wouldn’t want to intrude. I don’t know anyone here.”
Her mother would insist he join them. And if he refused, she’d bring him a plate of food and encourage him to share his troubles.
“Yes, but the woman who died believed in showing kindness to strangers. She would have been the first to invite you in.”
“I could use a cup of coffee,” the man said slowly. “But I wouldn’t feel right going in there.”
Janie looked over at where her car was parked in the overflow lot, then turned back to him. “See that blue car? That’s mine. If you park behind me, the only person you’re blocking in is me, and I’m not leaving anytime soon. Park there, and meet me back here. I’ll get us some coffee.”
For a moment, she thought the man was going to say no. But then he nodded slowly. “All right.”
She shouldn’t have felt such satisfaction at his agreement, but as she walked back to the church, watching as the man drove to the spot she’d indicated, Janie couldn’t help feeling like God had answered her prayer. And maybe, just maybe, she could find a sense of normalcy without her mother.
* * *
Crashing an old lady’s funeral wasn’t part of Alexander Bennett’s job description. In his defense, he hadn’t known a funeral would be going on when he’d planned this trip.
Worse, the woman whose life was being celebrated wasn’t just a random woman. She was the mother of the woman he was searching for.
Bad timing, but it couldn’t be helped.
He had a job to do: find Janie Roberts, discover her sentiment toward State Senator James Blackwell, and then get her to sign a nondisclosure agreement regarding her relationship with the Blackwell family. Once the senator’s candidacy for United States Senate became known, people would come crawling out of the woodwork, telling stories about future United States Senator James Blackwell.
If Janie went to the press, it could ruin everything Senator Blackwell had worked for.
As an aide to the senator’s campaign, Alexander had to make sure that didn’t happen. If he succeeded, the senator promised him a spot in his office in Washington, DC, when he was elected.
When Alexander first realized Janie’s mother’s funeral was going on, he’d figured he’d cool his heels in the local café with a cup of coffee until he could check in to his cabin at the Double R Ranch and come up with a plan for meeting Janie and getting to know her.
It seemed almost too good to be true that the person who came to talk to him while he was pulled over, looking at his phone to find a place to go, was the very person he’d hoped to find.
Part of him felt like a total jerk, approaching her at her mother’s funeral. But Janie had come to him. Had insisted he stay. Besides, Janie wasn’t an innocent pastor’s daughter. She’d been blackmailing the senator for years over the fact that his
son, Bucky, had gotten her pregnant in college. The senator had been sending her money, justifying it as child support. But her financial demands had gotten worse lately, and she was threatening to go to the press with her lies.
What would she do if she knew about the senator’s higher ambitions?
The only way to stop her was to give her a final payoff and get her to sign a nondisclosure agreement. The senator had sent an investigator to do it, but Janie had thrown him out. It was up to Alexander to befriend her, earn her trust and figure out another way to get the job done.
And Alexander had the perfect story that would allow him to get close to her.
Only it wasn’t a story. It was the truth.
That was one of the reasons Alexander had been chosen for this task. His mother was fascinated with tracing the family heritage for both herself and his father. For her birthday, he and his brother, William, bought everyone a DNA test kit, thinking what a great gift it would be to trace more of their family tree—well, some gift. Alexander and William had found out that their mother had been lying to them all for years about who their father was.
Their father, William Bennett, Senior, wasn’t their father. No, that honor belonged to some rodeo cowboy their mom had met while she and their dad were fighting, and apparently, they had a one-night stand, leaving their mother pregnant. Alexander still couldn’t wrap his head around the whole thing.
The cowboy, Cinco, died long ago in a bull-riding accident, but his father, Ricky Ruiz, was still alive and wanted to get to know Alexander and his brother. Something about righting the wrongs of the past, or some such nonsense.
While he figured out how to get to know Janie so he could have her sign the necessary paperwork, he would be here under the guise of meeting his long-lost family.
His mother hadn’t given a second thought to the man she’d spent a night with. That’s all that came to mind when he thought of the man who was supposedly their father. Their father had raised them, cared for them, been there through everything.
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