Second Chance Mom. Mary Kate Holder

      

      Annie knew the time had come to tell Jared about her past.

      “Adoption saves so many children from never knowing love,” she said, and began gathering the courage that had allowed her to contemplate marrying him. “You’re adopted. You know how well it can work. You’ll be able to help the three children through any transitions they have to make.”

      She opened her mouth to tell him the secret only two other people had known, but the dark expression on his face, and the narrowing of his blue eyes, stopped her.

      “My life turned out better than I could have hoped when I came to live with the Campbells,” he said, an odd note of emotion gone before she could identify it.

      “But I will never understand how a mother—any mother—can give up her child.”

      MARY KATE HOLDER

      is a transplanted Aussie now living in sunny Florida. She married her husband four years ago after meeting him online in a karaoke chat room. They live with their dog and three cats who laze around the sunroom all day and think the Florida climate is so much better than rural Australia’s temperatures. When she’s not writing, Mary Kate likes to putter around in her garden or go fishing and is slowly learning to do home improvements—but it’s not quite as easy as it looks. She also is now a full-fledged karaoke fiend.

      Second Chance Mom

      Mary Kate Holder

      MILLS & BOON

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      He gives the childless woman a family,

       making her a happy mother.

      —Psalms 113:9

      To my husband, Tom with love—

      thank you for asking me.

      This book is dedicated to Pamela Hodder,

       Mary Holder and Patricia Dick,

       three incredibly strong and loving women

       who inspire me every day. They are,

       I’m proud to say, the mothers I have

       been blessed with in my life.

      Thanks to my dear friend Ada, whose kind

       and gentle heart is an example to us all.

      Contents

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      Chapter Eight

      Chapter Nine

      Chapter Ten

      Chapter Eleven

      Epilogue

      Letter to Reader

      Chapter One

      Annie Dawson sat alone in the crowded restaurant Today could very well change her whole life and bring her back into her little boy’s life. Toby…a child she’d thought she had given up forever.

      What was he doing today? She looked out one of the large windows at the glorious sunlight, and blue sky in the distance. Was he outside right now playing with his brother and sister?

      There wasn’t anything more pretty, more filled with possibility, than the lazy days of an Australian spring.

      “Annie?”

      Startled from her thoughts, she looked up at the sound of her name. Deep blue eyes, narrowed and questioning, surveyed her.

      “It’s been a long time.” She shook the hand he held out to her. He pulled out a chair and sat down.

      Jared Campbell hadn’t changed a lot over the years. His face still wore that serious look. Even as a boy he had seemed far too somber.

      The dark suit was perfectly tailored. The shirt seemed even whiter against the bronze of his skin and the dark green tie was a conservative splash of color. From the top of his dark head to the tips of his shined shoes—about six foot four if she didn’t miss her guess—he exuded the confidence of a man in total control of his world.

      Clean-shaven, yet there was just a hint of five-o’clock shadow on his lightly tanned face. His hair, a deep brown with gold flecks scattered through it, was cut short on his neck.

      She felt helplessly casual in her knee-length khaki skirt and plain white cotton blouse that buttoned down the front.

      “I apologize for being late. There was an accident on the motorway and traffic was stopped for miles.”

      He filled her water glass and then his own from the crystal carafe on the table. He picked up his menu. “Would you like to order now?”

      Annie nodded, ravenous despite the apprehension that twisted and tightened her stomach. In a few minutes their waiter arrived, scribbling down their order before hurrying off.

      “I’ll admit right now I’m a little nervous,” she said.

      “There isn’t anything to be nervous about,” he replied calmly. “Just tell me about yourself.”

      She bit her bottom lip, wondering how it was that he didn’t already know everything there was to know about her.

      “You’ve lived in Guthrie all your life, Jared. I know how well the local grapevine works. You probably know all there is to know.”

      Being reminded of the life she had tried so hard to leave behind made her sad and angry. The sadness was a natural emotion. The anger was something altogether different. She struggled with it many times, calling on the Lord to help her let it go.

      “Do you have any contact with your mother?”

      “I haven’t seen her in almost a year.”

      He frowned. “She doesn’t visit you?”

      “My mother spent years trying to forget I existed. Why would she be interested in me now that she isn’t legally required to be?”

      “She still drinks?”

      “She did the last time I saw her,” she said truthfully. “It has ruled her life for as long as I can remember.” Alcohol was the only friend and companion she could ever recall her mother wanting.

      “I’d like to know why you agreed to do this. I’m not offering money and I know for certain what I’m getting out of the deal. But Lewis wouldn’t reveal anything about your reasons for agreeing to marry me.”

      Annie smiled at the mention of their mutual friend, the lawyer who knew more about her than anyone alive.

      “You know what my childhood was like. Just about everybody in the town knew. Do you remember all those times you’d come home from football practice and