Finding Her Christmas Family

by Ruth Logan Herne

  Her Christmas list has three new names...

  She’s the last living relative these girls have...

  But he’s the only family they’ve ever known.

  Just in time for Christmas, Sarah Brown has located her long-lost family: her late sister and orphaned triplet nieces. Now she intends to claim custody of the little girls. But one person stands in the way—their guardian, Detective Renzo Calloway. As the triplets draw them closer, building a family together might just bring Renzo and Sarah everything they ever wanted.

  USA TODAY Bestselling Author

  “Please say you like to bake.”

  Sarah lifted one worried eyebrow in Renzo’s direction.

  “I do, actually.”

  “But you don’t know how to bake anything? Like anything at all?” Kristi looked dumbfounded.

  “Not even brownies in a box?” asked Naomi, setting four packs of marshmallow snowmen on the counter.

  “I bet our mother could bake everything,” muttered Chloe, just high enough to be heard. “I bet she liked doing things like that all the time.”

  Would her words deflate Sarah?

  If they did, she didn’t let it show. “Well, I can learn,” Sarah assured her. “I’m pretty smart, and how hard can this be?”

  Then she smiled. First at them. Then him. And when she did, it wasn’t doom that wrought havoc in his chest.

  He looked away, not because he wanted to, but because he had to, and that was a different situation altogether.

  Multipublished bestselling author Ruth Logan Herne loves God, her country, her family, dogs, chocolate and coffee! Married to a very patient man, she lives in an old farmhouse in Upstate New York and thinks possums should leave the cat food alone and snakes should always live outside. There are no exceptions to either rule! Visit Ruth at ruthloganherne.com.

  Books by Ruth Logan Herne

  Love Inspired

  Golden Grove

  A Hopeful Harvest

  Learning to Trust

  Finding Her Christmas Family

  Shepherd’s Crossing

  Her Cowboy Reunion

  A Cowboy in Shepherd’s Crossing

  Healing the Cowboy’s Heart

  Grace Haven

  An Unexpected Groom

  Her Unexpected Family

  Their Surprise Daddy

  The Lawman’s Yuletide Baby

  Her Secret Daughter

  Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.

  FINDING HER CHRISTMAS FAMILY

  Ruth Logan Herne

  And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.

  —Exodus 2:10

  This story is lovingly dedicated to all in my family who have been on either side of adoption. Michael (Stevie)...Kelly... Tendai Patricia...Ruth...and our beloved Nathan. Throughout all time, you are loved. Thank you for being the blessings you are.

  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

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Epilogue

  Dear Reader

  Excerpt from Alaskan Christmas Redemption by Belle Calhoune

  Chapter One

  Heat climbed Detective Lorenzo Calloway’s collar as he approached the Golden Grove playground on a surprisingly gorgeous November day. He spotted his mother sitting on one of the many wooden benches surrounding the play area. Eyes down, her fingers flew, knitting something for the girls, most likely. And the triplets, three darlings his parents took in as newborns, were scrambling around the primary-color-schemed play area. Even Kristi, whose initial newborn prognosis had seemed dire, was now hale and hearty, thanks to modern medicine and his family’s tireless devotion to these girls. Three beautiful look-alikes who had come into their lives when their mother died unexpectedly.

  Suddenly—beyond the upper fence, on a slight incline—Lorenzo saw a woman, snapping pictures of them.

  Suspicion didn’t crawl up his spine. It raced. When families dealt with kids in foster care, a lot of things could go wrong, but the triplets’ case was clear. Their maternal grandmother had passed away over a decade before, and their grandfather was struggling with a degenerative nerve illness. Jenn Drew had taken all of that into consideration when she’d asked his family to take care of the girls if anything ever happened to her. No one expected that would be the case.

  And then it was.

  You’re overreacting. People take pictures of the girls all the time.

  They did. The sight of identical triplets made folks pause and sometimes even squeal in delight; a weird way for the girls to grow up, in his opinion. But they couldn’t isolate them, and it was a reaction they would probably deal with for a long time to come.

  But to take shots of someone else’s kids from a distance with what looked like a progressive lens wasn’t normal. And because he was over the moon in love with these three little ones, his reaction might be a little over the top, too.

  The tall, slim photographer hadn’t noticed him. Since he’d caught sight of her, she hadn’t taken her camera or her gaze off the girls, and that was enough to spike his protective instincts to a whole other level.

  Renzo looped around the curving sidewalk toward Park Road, and when he got closer, he turned and made a beeline for the woman, across the grass, wishing he was in uniform. He wasn’t, but he had no problem flashing his badge and letting her know that he didn’t appreciate people taking liberty with the sweet orphans that had been entrusted to their family. They wouldn’t be orphans for much longer, once his parents’ adoption application was approved.

  The grass muted his footfalls. He stopped directly behind her.

  Click! Click! Click!

  The auto-take on the pricey camera shot in rapid succession, and the camera never shifted when a couple of other kids raced onto the playground equipment. It stayed right there, aimed directly at Kristi, Chloe and Naomi. He folded his arms, braced his legs and cleared his throat loudly.

  That got her attention.

  She whirled around, surprised.

  And then he was the one surprised. Looking back at him from an absolutely lovely face was the image of Jenn Drew, the girls’ mother. Golden, wavy hair. Golden-brown eyes. Pale skin without a hint of freckle. Except Jenn had passed away over three years ago. He stared at her.

  She stared right back, then set the camera on a leather satchel, straightened and faced him. “Is there a problem?”

  Yes, there was a problem because there was no way the resemblance he saw could be coincidental. In fact, if he hadn’t known Jenn so well, he’d have mistaken this woman for her. And how could that be?

  Stop. Think like a cop.

  “You’re taking pictures of our girls. Without permission.” He watched her eyes widen at the term “our girls.” “Why?”

  “Your girls?” She frowned without really frowning, a neat trick, something Jenn had been able to do, too. “You’re their father?”

  A warning thrum climbed his spine. “You answered my question with a question. Clever, but it’
s not going to work. Why are you in the park taking pictures of them? It’s a simple enough request.”

  Simple, yes. But there was nothing simple about her response.

  “Because I am their Aunt Sarah.” She faced him full-on, calm and cool. “Dr. Sarah Brown from Seattle Children’s Hospital. Their mother, Jenn Drew, was my sister and I’ve come to claim what’s mine.”

  Renzo’s heart went tight. His palms grew damp, and he swiped them against the sides of his jeans. “Jenn had no sisters.”

  “No known sisters, I suppose.” The incredibly beautiful woman kept her gaze on his. She seemed calm while he was the opposite of calm because the thought of the girls being wrenched away from his family was preposterous. They were on the verge of having the adoption finalized. “And while this was as much a surprise to me as it is to you, I can assure you that DNA evidence doesn’t lie. At some point Jenn Drew submitted a DNA sample to a research company. This year, a group of my friends and I did the same thing. When I received my results, I discovered my closest relative, a full sister, was living two hours from me, and I never knew she existed.”

  “Why would your parents give away a child?” It made no sense to Renzo. Why give away one daughter and keep the other? Who would do something like that?

  Her response cleared up that question. “Our biological mother put us up for adoption thirty-four years ago. Because of the high demand for infants, the adoption agency split us up. Neither family was made aware of the other girl’s existence. I initiated an investigation as soon as I realized I had a sister, and soon found out that she was gone before I even had a chance to know her. To love her.” She hoisted the slim folder from her satchel. “But now my goal is to regain control of our lives and our destinies, Mr....?”

  He didn’t extend his hand. If this was someone else’s story, he’d be more compassionate, but it wasn’t. He and his parents had raised the girls from birth. He needed to think, and not pretend an empathy he didn’t have. “Detective Lorenzo Calloway. Grant County Sheriff’s Department.”

  “Well, Detective Calloway.” Her firm tone didn’t give an inch of deference to his position or title. “While I’m sorry to surprise you with all of this—”

  “Odd, you don’t sound sorry,” he mused purposely, watching for her reaction and when she gave it, she surprised him again.

  “But I am.” She kept her eyes on his, then indicated Kristi, Chloe and Naomi with a wave. “For thirty-four years Jenn and I had no knowledge of each other. It was a blessing that we both had good homes, but we didn’t have the one thing we truly deserved. A chance to know one another. We were separated like a litter of puppies.” She jutted her chin toward the girls. “I was robbed of the chance to know my sister. To love her. I intend to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

  Seeing this through her point of view didn’t just spur his compassion. It magnified it. “I don’t downplay the stupidity of an agency that did that. My family has provided foster care for over twenty years, and we’ve taken in several sibling groups. The thought of separating brothers and sisters is repugnant. Which is why Jenn’s daughters are on the ranch, because my parents would have never let them be separated. And Jenn loved us.”

  Her face relaxed.

  He didn’t let the change of expression fool him, though. Being a cop taught him to avoid overspeak. When talking potential lawsuits, less was more. He nodded toward the playground. “You need to meet my mother. My father. And the girls.”

  “You think that having me come and see what a happy little family your parents have provided will change my goal.” She aimed a pointed look at him. “I can assure you, it won’t.” She wasn’t tall now that he was up close, but not petite, either. Probably five foot six, and wearing heels and a classy outfit that made her stand out in their small town of Golden Grove in Central Washington. Jenn had been easygoing and casual. A physician’s assistant in nearby Wenatchee.

  Despite the physical resemblance with Jenn, this woman was neither easygoing nor casual, and that made her seem more formidable. “Look.” He folded his arms. She noted the gesture with one slightly arched brow “You’re understandably upset.”

  That statement got his first full-on reaction. She rolled her eyes, impatient. “I get that. And I get that you probably have decades of anger issues that you’d like to unload on me right about now.”

  “I am not angry. I am determined.”

  “Right.” He wasn’t going to fight with her. He knew the value of time in police work. A good interrogation was never hurried, and the suspect should be made comfortable.

  Initially, that is.

  And then maybe not so comfortable as time went on.

  He hoped that wouldn’t be necessary. If what she said was true, she and Jenn had been dealt a raw deal over three decades ago, but he’d learned one firm lesson dealing with life and police work: life wasn’t always fair. Sometimes the wrong things happened and you learned to live with it or let it pull you into the abyss.

  He’d learned to sidestep the abyss a long time ago. “Come to the ranch tonight. I’ll explain to my mother—”

  “That woman is your mother?” She indicated his mother on the bench.

  “Yes. And while she will welcome you because that’s the kind of woman she is, I will be more careful in my assessment, Dr. Brown, because that’s the kind of cop I am. And if you want to meet the girls, you’ll do it on my terms. Or wait your turn in court.”

  Lorenzo had grown up fishing the creeks, rivers and reservoirs of the Columbian Plateau. Reeling in a big catch wasn’t done quickly. It was teased in, bit by bit until the fish was too tired to resist. It was a ploy he used in police work on a regular basis.

  There was nothing regular about this new development, but he knew his mother. She’d want to meet Dr. Sarah Brown and befriend her. And no matter how much he might advise against that, his mother would brush off his concerns and welcome the girls’ newfound relative. Even if it meant she’d come to take the girls away.

  His mother was blessed with a gentle heart.

  Time and experience had hardened his, so when Sarah finally acquiesced with a slight nod, he began planning his next move: find out every detail he could about her. No one skated through life perfectly. Everyone had an Achilles’ heel. His job would be to find hers and use it as needed.

  He pulled out his phone. “Give me your number and I’ll call so you’ve got me in your contact list.”

  She hesitated for a fraction of a second, as if unsure of his intentions, but wasn’t this how everyone connected these days?

  She reeled off the number. He sent her a quick text with his parents’ address. “Six o’clock good?”

  She’d turned back toward the girls and her expression had gone soft. It morphed into full professional mode when she redirected her attention to him. “That’s fine.”

  “Then I’ll see you in about two hours.”

  A flash of uncertainty told him she wasn’t as invulnerable as she liked to appear.

  A weak spot.

  Good.

  He walked away. Yes, he was setting her up purposely and he was pretty sure she knew it. But it wasn’t what your opponent knew. It was how they defended their position. It was—

  He gave himself a mental smackdown.

  This wasn’t a case on his crime docket. This was family, three children who’d become part of the Calloways nearly four years before. Children they loved as their own, who could logistically be taken away with Sarah Brown’s surprise appearance. Given her story, how could he prevent that from happening?

  And worse...

  Should he?

  * * *

  A cop.

  And not just any cop. A detective. That meant he’d go full bore, checking her out.

  Let him check. Sarah had absolutely nothing to hide.

  She slipped her camera into the le
ather messenger pouch her parents had gifted her when she graduated from med school ten years ago. She hadn’t wanted a typical bag, and they’d laughed because they knew her. Loved her. And they still loved her, even with her current quest to find out more about her displaced family.

  They didn’t know about this new twist, though. Her long-lost sister and three nieces. She’d kept that to herself purposely. Her parents would be furious to discover she had a sister who had been placed elsewhere. They’d noted way back when that they’d been open to a sibling group.

  She’d tell them when she knew more. Right now she was on a fact-finding mission, the same kind of thing she did when figuring out the best way to handle the delicate interventions on premature babies. As a neonatologist, she faced joy and sorrow on a regular basis, but these days there were more successes in the NICU, and something about coaxing the tiniest babies into a state of wellness rejuvenated her.

  She’d taken long-unused vacation time to find out whatever she could and set her plan for the girls in motion. No matter what, those children should be raised by one of their own. Someone from their family. And she was the only one who could do that. Her DNA search had turned up several probable cousins in the heartland, but no one closer. That meant she was it. She had the education and the means to provide for them, and the love. And she was their aunt, their next of kin, only no one had known that at the time.

  They’d know it now.

  The cop had gone around the park. He was approaching his mother.

  Sarah didn’t want their first contact to be over the expanse of green grass. She tucked her satchel over her arm and crossed to her white SUV, but peeked back as she opened the door. From this distance the seated woman shouldn’t be able to see her.

  But the son could.

  She waved to him, a friendly gesture. Then climbed into her vehicle.

  Let him ponder that, she decided. She drove to a coffee shop and bakery in Wenatchee, ordered a latte with an extra shot of much-needed espresso, and a beautiful layer cake to bring to the Calloway house.