The next morning, Renee walked down the stairs and headed to the kitchen. She’d slept later than usual. Everything seemed to hit her at once after she’d gone to the guest room, and she’d finally managed to block out the events of the past couple of days. For the first time in a long time, sleep hadn’t evaded her. Instead, she’d gotten the best night’s sleep in ages.
She followed the scent of bacon and coffee into the kitchen. After working in the coffee shop in Portland, she’d found herself craving that first morning jolt of caffeine. The quick shot of energy each morning helped her face each long day, and kept her on her toes. Well, that and the constant adrenaline rushing through her bloodstream at every sound.
“Good morning, Renee.” Ms. Patti stood by the big farm sink, her hands encased in bright yellow rubber gloves, with soap bubbles glistening in the sunlight. Her welcoming smile reached her eyes, and Renee felt the older woman’s warmth and acceptance filling her. Giving herself an internal shake, she refused to dwell on the bad stuff this morning. Today, she’d simply enjoy spending time with Lucas and his family, getting to know the people who insisted she was part of their family. Their clan, as Shiloh called them. She loved that word. It was old-fashioned but had a depth of connection that spoke to her.
“Morning, Ms. Patti. Something smells wonderful.”
“Coffee’s over there.” She pointed to the pot and extra mugs sitting on the far counter. “I kept a plate hot for you in the oven. Help yourself, hon.”
“You didn’t need to do that, but thank you. I’m starving this morning. Must be all the fresh air.”
“It’s no trouble. I like cooking. Don’t get to do nearly enough anymore, since all the boys are grown and have moved out of the house. I miss it, but don’t tell them I said so, or they’ll be showing up at all hours, wanting me to feed them.”
Renee finished pouring her coffee, making it just the way she liked it, and grabbed the covered plate out of the oven. Heaped high with scrambled eggs, bacon, home fries, and a couple of biscuits, her stomach growled. The heavenly scents made her mouth water.
“I can’t imagine cooking for so many people at once. I pretty much get takeout or pop a frozen meal in the microwave.”
Putting the last dish in the dish drainer, Ms. Patti whipped off the rubber gloves and turned, leaning a hip against the countertop. “I can’t imagine being alone all the time. I loved having a passel of kids around the house, always getting into something. Usually trouble.” She grinned at her teasing remark. “I’ve always worked, running the real estate office and raising the boys, which was a full-time job in and of itself. And I loved every minute of it.”
Renee took a bite of the scrambled eggs, almost moaning as the taste exploded in her mouth. She quickly bit into a piece of bacon, and closed her eyes, enjoying the first home-cooked meal she’d had in years.
“This is wonderful.”
Ms. Patti merely shrugged and moved across the kitchen to sit across from Renee. Dressed in black slacks and a pale pink blouse with an apron covering the front, she appeared a typical housewife at first glance. Renee studied the petite woman, quickly determining the Boudreau matriarch was more than meets the eye. Especially after her display of frustration and anger the day before, when she confronted her son about keeping secrets from the family. Reminded her of a momma wolf protecting her cubs from danger, ready to attack any and all who posed a threat. She’d quickly realized the diminutive older woman’s anger wasn’t directed at her son, but at the people who’d tried to hurt him by taking his job away. There wasn’t a shadow of doubt in Renee’s mind whoever was behind the political petition would be answering to the Boudreau clan before long, and there would be a reckoning due.
“I’m glad we’ve got a couple of minutes to talk. Douglas took Lucas and Shiloh with him to the job site. He wanted a chance to talk with them, and give you a chance to catch a breath without them underfoot. I know this has been a lot for you to take in, upending your life and coming halfway across the country for a bunch of strangers. We also thought you might want to talk—and I’m a rather good listener.”
“It’s been more than I expected, but you’ve all been wonderful.”
Ms. Patti gave an inelegant snort. “Girl, admit it, we’ve been a pain in your backside, everybody clamoring to meet you, talk to you. Wanting to make sure you realize you’re part of the family. I’ve gotta say, you’ve handled things well. I’d have run screaming for the hills five minutes after I got here.” She smoothed her hand across the apron then met Renee’s eyes. “I’m betting you’ve got questions.
Renee laid down her fork, her appetite suddenly gone. It felt like she was on a runaway train headed straight for a mountain, and the only way off was to jump. Swirling emotions threatened to crush her, nerves assailing her until her every instinct screamed to run. But she couldn’t, wouldn’t do that. She’d made up her mind somewhere between Portland and Shiloh Springs. If she wanted any chance at a normal life, she needed to take a stand. What better place to do that than the place it all started?
“Can you tell me about Lucas? How he ended up placed with your family?”
“That’s a bit of a story. By the time Lucas came to live with us, we already had some of the boys living here. Rafe was our first. Then Antonio and Brody. Each one had their own circumstances and reasons for ending up in our home, and they weren’t happy events for the most part. Douglas and I talked when we first took in Rafe. He came out of an abusive situation, and seeing how much understanding and compassion that young boy needed, we decided to find the boys who needed the most love and affection. A connection to home and family.”
Ms. Patti stood and got herself a cup of coffee, then rejoined Renee at the table. Renee got the impression she’d needed a moment to compose herself, so she didn’t ask another question, simply waited for the Boudreau matriarch to continue when she was ready.
“I’m not sure how much you remember about the time you and Lucas went into the system. I know you were really young.”
She nodded. “I can’t tell you much about the circumstances or what our lives were like. I only remember Lucas. He took care of me, watched over me. I think I’d just turned four when the state got us.”
“Do you remember your Aunt Hattie?”
Renee tried thinking back to when she was a child. She remembered being scared. Remembered Lucas taking care of her. Remembered screams and shouting and anger.
“I really don’t remember her.”
Ms. Patti huffed a sigh. “Probably a good thing. Your mother had a hard life. I’m not going to demean or disparage who she was or her life choices. If you’ve got questions, you can ask Lucas. What I will say is the welfare system felt that your Aunt Hattie, your mother’s sister, would be a good guardian to take care of you and Lucas. She was an alcoholic, a mean and nasty drunk who gave you little more than a roof over your heads. All she was concerned about was the money coming from the state every month, and couldn’t have cared less what happened to you or your brother.”
“How do I not remember her?
“Probably best you don’t. Anyway, Douglas didn’t hear about Lucas until after you’d been separated. He was having a horrible time adjusting. Fighting all the time. Refusing to stay with his foster family. Running away. Nobody knew why because they weren’t told that he had a sister he’d been separated from. Might have made things a whole lot easier if they’d been upfront and honest about it from the get-go.”
“Do you know why they separated us? I thought the state usually tried to keep siblings together.”
“That’s one of the things we’ve never been able to figure out. You should have been kept together, especially at your age. We, Douglas and I, didn’t know about Lucas having a sister. When we found out, we immediately petitioned child welfare to have you moved into our home, only nobody could find any records of you even being in the system. Nothing. It was as it you’d never been through intake. When we kept pushing, we found out there was a fire and all the records were destroyed. You and Lucas used to live in this tiny town, only had about seven hundred people. They’d only just started inputting the records into computer databases. The fire was ruled suspicious, but nothing ever came of the investigation.”
“That explains why I couldn’t find anything on Lucas when I searched.”
Ms. Patti shook her head. “Lucas has paperwork through Child Protective Services. Everything was in order, and he was assigned a case worker. That’s how he ended up with us. We tend to get the difficult ones, the kids who have loads of potential but need a little extra attention. We’ve got a special connection with a case worker, who notified us about your brother. That’s how he ended up with us. You on the other hand? There’s not one shred of evidence you ever existed.”
“What about a birth certificate? There must have been one.”
Ms. Patti shook her head. “Nothing we could find. You’d think in this day and age, with all the paperless trails, a good computer expert could find something. But there was no evidence Renee Louisa O’Malley ever existed.”
She pushed her plate away, hunger gone. Why would someone have erased her very existence? It didn’t make sense. Although thinking about her childhood, maybe it did. She’d been shunted around from family to family, not staying any place for long. Of course, a lot of that stemmed from her own stubbornness and acting out. She’d been a holy terror to anybody and everybody in her path.
“I’m glad Lucas ended up here. He seems like he’s grounded and has his own purpose in life. He says he’s happy, and I believe him.”
“Well, I can tell you he’s been loved every single day since he came to live here. All my boys know they are loved and wanted. Not a day went by I didn’t tell them that. They are my sons. My family. I don’t care they don’t carry my blood. They carry my heart. That’s all that matters.”
Tears pricked Renee’s eyes, and she blinked them back. “He’s lucky. All your sons are. Can I ask, why did you only foster boys?”
Ms. Patti leaned back in her chair, a wistful expression crossing her face. “It wasn’t intentional, not at first. Rafe came to us first, after a car accident. Taking him in wasn’t planned, and we scrambled around like crazy folks, trying to make sure we got everything done so he could come straight from the hospital into our house. Then Antonio and Brody came, and with three boys, we discussed maybe taking in a girl. We were willing, but every time Mrs. A contacted us, it was for a troubled adolescent male.” She smiled. “Mrs. A is the person who’d call us when she found one of her ‘special boys’ who needed us. Douglas and I were told we couldn’t have children, and my husband has so much love to give, we’d take on the troubled ones.”
“Nica’s adopted, too?”
“My little troublemaker? No, she’s our miracle. With a houseful of rambunctious, rowdy preteens and teenagers, I had my hands full. Against all odds, I ended up pregnant. Talk about a shock. The doctors still haven’t come up with a good explanation, but we ended up with our blessing.” She leaned forward and whispered, “First and only time I’ve ever seen my husband pass out. That man is stronger than a mountain, but two little blue lines in a piece of plastic knocked his knees out from under him.”
Renee laughed, trying to picture the larger-than-life man she’d met the day before being flummoxed by anything. After seeing the way he looked at Ms. Patti, the gentle way he held her hand, or put his arm around her, she believed it.
“Anyway, we’re getting off topic. Lucas barely spoke to us when he first came here. Cussed up a storm, sure, because anger was all he understood. Anger and grief. He fought with the other boys. Poor child had so many bloody noses and black eyes, you’d have thought we were the ones abusing him. He finally broke down and told Douglas why he was rebelling, not wanting to be here. Every instinct that child had was to find his sister. You.”
“I looked for him too. I’ll admit, I was a horrible child. You’d have probably kicked me to the curb too, the way I acted.”
“Never!” Ms. Patti reached across the table and squeezed Renee’s balled up fist. “We don’t give up on someone because they’re hurting. Sometimes the pain isn’t on the outside, it’s all bottled up on the inside, and the only way to express it is by exploding. Verbal, physical, same difference. We’d have loved you the same way we love your brother.”
Renee couldn’t stop the tears this time. It felt like a dam breaking, the cracks in its façade going far deeper than superficial. All her life, she’d wanted to find Lucas so she’d have a place to belong. A sense of family she’d been missing, unknowingly searching for. A home to finally settle and call her own. A place like the Boudreaus.
Ms. Patti clamored from her chair, came around the table, and wrapped her arms around Renee’s shoulders. “You are a part of this family now. I get it, we’ve done nothing but pile stuff on you from the moment Shiloh crossed your path in Portland, but we’re so happy we found you. I know you’ve got to be dealing with sensory overload, and you take all the time you need. I swear I won’t let anybody pressure you into doing or saying anything you don’t want. I simply want you to know, you have a place here. A family who will support you and love you no matter what.”
“I don’t know what to say.” She drew in a ragged breath, wiping away the last few tears. Ms. Patti was right; she felt like she was drowning, going under for the third time with everything she’d experienced. Her entire life seemed like one endless loop of lies and mistrust, secrets and fear. Mostly fear.
“You don’t have to say anything. Well, that’s not exactly true. You will eventually have to tell us who or what’s got you on the run. Doesn’t matter what it is, we’ll help.” Ms. Patti chuckled. “I’ve got boys with their fingers into so many things, one of them is bound to be able to help, no matter what your problem is. Sheriff, FBI, district attorney, security expert, private investigator. Douglas and I also have friends we can call on who have connections you wouldn’t believe. We’ll straighten things out, don’t you fret.”
“You don’t even know me. I could be a serial killer.”
“Honey, I’m a good judge of people. You’ve got a good heart. Now, finish your breakfast, because I’m pretty sure Lucas and Shiloh will be coming back soon.”
Renee looked down at her plate, her appetite returning. “Thank you, Ms. Patti. For everything.”
Eileen drew a brush through her long hair, then leaned forward, staring into the large trifold mirror of her dressing table. Was that a gray hair? She barely refrained from throwing the brush at the mirror, reining in her temper at the last second. Guess another trip to her personal stylist had to happen sooner than later. Appearance was everything in her world. Cultivating the beauty she’d been gifted with at birth took a lot of hard work and an even bigger amount of money. People expected her to be a beautiful airhead, a trophy gracing her husband’s arm. Little did they realize who the real brain behind their expanding empire was, and that suited her fine. Let them think she was a plastic Barbie doll without a thought in her head except shopping and meeting her girlfriends for cocktails.
Smoothing a hand down her dressing gown, she smirked. She’d deliberately bought the sheer covering because it hinted at more than it revealed. Looking like something worn by a starlet out of a 50s movie, it belted tightly at the waist and had long billowing sleeves edged with feathers. The black complimented her coloring and emphasized her curves. Too bad Darius had a meeting this morning. He would have enjoyed the sight of her; glamor and glitz always made him smile.
Sliding her feet into matching mules, she stepped away from the vanity. Before she’d taken more than a couple steps, her phone rang. Her brow furrowed when she noted the name on the caller ID. At least he hadn’t made the mistake of calling Darius first this time.
“What have you found out?”
“Good morning to you, too. Get up on the wrong side of the bed, darling?”
Gritting her teeth, she bit back the retort on the tip of her tongue. He was getting far too cavalier with their relationship, reading more into it than actually existed. Too bad she couldn’t pull the plug and have him taken out of the picture. Not yet. He was too important in her quest to find Elizabeth.
“She abandoned the apartment. I saw the super opening her door. Pretended I was visiting somebody else, and wondered if the unit had become available. Guy didn’t even hesitate to let me know the previous tenant skipped out. Broke the lease with a phone call. Told him to toss all her belongings because she wasn’t coming back.”
Eileen took a deep breath and counted to five, reining in her temper. No sense killing the messenger. “Any idea where she’s headed?”
“Actually…” He drawled out the word, holding it like a tantalizing morsel of information. “I went to the coffee shop where she used to work. As always, my timing was impeccable. I heard one of the baristas mention to the owner Elizabeth was headed to Texas.”
“Where precisely in Texas?”
“That’s where things get a little dicey. The little brunette didn’t mention specifics. I’m planning on following the pretty little bird back to her nest and spending a little personal time with her. Maybe some one-on-one conversation might persuade her to share Elizabeth’s destination.”
Eileen was smart enough to put two-and-two together. When she’d been looking for someone who could follow orders and get the job done, without questions, he’d fit the bill. Throughout their lucrative relationship, he’d proven adept at facilitating her needs and obtaining information through sometimes unorthodox means. Not that she cared how he managed to obtain the information. She simply demanded results, and Bruce complied—by whatever means necessary.
“Make it happen. I need to know where my lovely daughter is by whatever means necessary.”