A Match Made in Wilde [Wilde, Nevada Beginnings 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)
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Wilde, Nevada Beginnings 2
A Match Made in Wilde
When Maude Kincaid learns her sister has apparently lost her mind and is planning on marrying three men in Wilde, Nevada—a town where love knows no boundaries—she drops everything to go to her. Unable to talk any sense into her sister, Maude gets sidetracked by a lost little boy. Her heart melts when she reunites the toddler with his dads Grant and Greg Strong, who have their hands full with three other little ones.
Grant and Greg, though natives of Wilde, ended up marrying different women, who they lost in a tragic accident. With four young boys to care for they gave up on ever finding love again. But meeting Maude, they realize she’s the one they’ve been searching for, she’s the one who they want to share for the rest of their lives.
Maude is falling for the two Strong cowboys, but what will they think of her when they find out her dark secret?
Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Western/Cowboys
Length: 32,087 words
A MATCH MADE IN WILDE
Wilde, Nevada Beginnings 2
Chloe Lang
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
A MATCH MADE IN WILDE
Copyright © 2014 by Chloe Lang
E-book ISBN: 978-1-63258-574-5
First E-book Publication: October 2014
Cover design by Les Byerley
All art and logo copyright © 2014 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
Dear Readers,
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Regarding E-book Piracy
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This is Chloe Lang’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Chloe Lang’s right to earn a living from her work.
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www.SirenPublishing.com
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DEDICATION
To Liz Berry. Thank you for always being in my corner.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
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
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
About the Author
A MATCH MADE IN WILDE
Wilde, Nevada Beginnings 2
CHLOE LANG
Copyright © 2014
Chapter One
1972 – St. Louis, Missouri
Another labor pain rolled through Maude Kincaid. She gritted her teeth and fisted the sheets of the hospital bed, trying to ride out the extreme pain. Her entire body seemed about to explode.
“Push,” the doctor said.
Staring up at the fluorescent lights above them, she took a deep breath and pushed as hard as she could. “Ohhh.”
“Good, Maude,” he said. “I can see the head. I need for you to do that again. Push.”
She’d never felt such pain in her life before.
“Almost there. Just one more, young lady. Push as hard as you can. And we should have a brand-new baby.”
She pushed with all the strength that was left inside her. The pain was overwhelming, and then all her suffering seemed to vanish. Drenched in sweat, the next thing she heard was crying.
Totally exhausted, she lifted her head off the pillow. “Is the baby okay?”
“They’re supposed to cry,” the doctor said. “This is a healthy baby girl.”
“Thank God.” She closed her eyes and felt tears stream down her face. Her whole life had been turned upside down since that awful night the child had been conceived. The resentment she’d felt for the baby seemed to be fading quickly. She didn’t understand why, but thought it might be because of how drained she was from being in labor for ten hours.
As the doctor and nurses continued working around her to make sure she and her baby were cared for, Maude leaned her head back on the pillow. Tomorrow she would be going home with her parents. She couldn’t wait to see her sister, Mary. God, how she’d missed her through this entire nightmare.
“When may I hold the baby?” She knew it was a strange request, especially since she had already agreed to give the baby up for adoption. But deep inside her, she needed to touch the one person who had been with her, night and day, for the past nine months. Her daughter had been the only constant in her life. Now, she had to see her, to hold her—to say good-bye.
“As soon as I get her cleaned up,” the nurse answered.
“Please hurry. I want to see her.” Thinking about the papers her parents had given her that she’d signed earlier, she shuddered. At least I have three days to change my mind.
When the nurse laid her daughter in her arms, Maude wept.
Smiling, the nurse said, “She’s twenty inches long. Seven pounds, two ounces. And very, very healthy.”
The little girl was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. She counted all her fingers and toes. Ten each, thank God. So tiny.
I can never give her up. Not now. Not ever.
“Okay, Maude,” the nurse said. “I need to take the baby to the nursery and get you to your room for some much-needed rest.”
“When will I get to see her again?”
“We like to observe our new arrivals for a while, but you’ll be sure to get to see her today.”
After one of the nurses took her daughter away, an orderly rolled Maude in the bed to her hospital room. Moments later, her parents arrived.
“How are you feeling?” her father asked.
“Have you seen the baby?” She smiled. “She’s so beautiful.”
“Of course we haven’t seen the baby, Maude,” her mother said flatly. “Since she will not be a part of our lives, there is no need.”
Her parents were wealthy and used to getting their way. Keeping up appearances was crucial in their minds. They’d shipped her off to a home for unwed mothers to avoid the shame of her pregnancy. It was clear to Maude that their law firm was the most important thing to them, not her and Mary, their two daughters.
I have to convince them to let me keep my daughter. I must. “I cannot give her up, Mother. She’s mine.”
Her mother shook her head. “Don’t be ridiculous. We’ve been over this time and again. You’re too young. You do not want to ruin your life and hers. Besides, you don’t want to be reminded of what happened to you every time you look at that baby.”
She closed her eyes, trying to push away the memory of that horrific night.
“Maude, you’ve already signed the papers that your dad and I prepared. It’s done.”
“I did, but I also read the part where I have three days to change my mind. I want to keep my parental rights. Period.”
“Don’t you dare give us an ultimatum, young lady. We’ve bent over backward for you. The adoption agency is one of the best in the country. They will make sure the baby is placed in a home with two parents who can care for her. And quite frankly, your father and I are not old enough to be grandparents.” Her mother’s pride never waned. “We’ve done our best to keep this embarrassment from ruining your life.”
“By sending me away when you learned I was pregnant? By not even telling my own sister what was really going on? By making me give up my daughter?”
“She’s not your daughter, Maude,” her father leaned forward. “This is for the best. For you and for the baby.”
“I think you mean for you and mother. I don’t care what you say. I’m keeping her.”
He frowned. “You’re too young to raise a child. You’re only sixteen. You’re still a child yourself. Where will you get the money to take care of this baby?”
“I’ll get a job.”
“Doing what?” he asked. “You haven’t finished high school yet, let alone college.”
“I can wait tables or work as a secretary. It may be hard, but my daughter is worth it.” She looked at the door, praying the nurse would bring her baby to her. “I’ll do what I have to do, but I won’t give her up.”
“Who is supposed to take care of the infant while you’re working? I’m certainly not.” Her mother’s unblinking eyes made her tremble. “You are our daughter and you will do as we say. That’s final.”
She felt the tears roll down her cheeks. How could she take care of her daughter without their help? She needed them to understand how important this baby was.
“Please don’t make me give her up. They are going to bring her to me later. Stay and see your granddaughter. I’m sure that once you get a good look at her you’ll have a change of heart. I know you will.” The panic inside her shook her to her core. “Please. Please. I beg you. I held her in my arms. Once you do the same you won’t be able to let her go either.”
“You held the baby?” Her father’s eyes widened. “That wasn’t supposed to happen.” He turned to her mother. “We spent a lot of money for her to be here. They need to follow our instructions to the letter.”
Her mother nodded. “I agree.”
Her father grabbed Maude’s hand and squeezed it. “No wonder you’re confused, child. I’ll take care of this. There is no sense in putting you through any more pain than you’ve already had.”
He walked out of the room.
“What’s he going to do, Mother?”
“He’s going to make sure you don’t have to see that baby again.”
She sat up. “But I want to see her. She’s mine.”
“No, Maude. This nightmare is finally over. Get some rest. We’ll be leaving for home soon. Your sister is going to be so excited to see you.”
“Please, Mother. Don’t do this.”
Without another word, her mother walked out, leaving her alone.
So defeated, she grabbed the note pad and pen by the phone and wrote a good-bye letter to her baby girl.
My dear precious angel,
I’m your mommy, and I love you so much. I fell in love with you the minute the nurse put you in my arms. I want to keep you, but my parents refuse to help me and have forced me to sign adoption papers. With all my heart I wish I had a way to give you and I a home. But I am only sixteen. I haven’t finished high school. I have no job and no money. I promise you that I will find a way to give you a home some day. Until then, my prayer is that you will be given to a wonderful couple who will love you as much as I do and provide for your every need.
And even though we can’t be together right now, my love will continue to grow for you.
Please forgive me, my sweet angel.
Love,
Your mom
She put down the pen. Would the kind nurse pass on her letter? Would the adoption agency make sure the new parents received it? She wasn’t certain but prayed her baby would someday get the letter.
Exhausted and overwhelmed, she sobbed, drenching her pillow in tears.
Chapter Two
1980—Springfield, Missouri
Sitting in her one-bedroom apartment, Maude placed the phone’s receiver on the cradle. She still couldn’t believe what her sister had just told her about Wilde, Nevada—a town where one woman could be married to multiple men at the same time. And even worse, Mary was falling for three brothers who she’d met there.
Glancing over at the photo of Mary and Paul, she felt her gut tighten. How had she been so blind not to realize that Mary’s fiancé—now ex-fiancé—was such a son of a bitch? He’d fooled everyone. How long had he been abusing Mary? If I could just get my hands on that asshole, he would be sorry.
Mary had always been the one their parents seemed the most proud of. She had always been more compliant with their parents than Maude, never pushing back and always seeking their approval. Acts of futility. But when Mary had moved in with Paul before heading down the aisle, they let their displeasure be known. Even her sister’s small disappointment didn’t change the fact that her parents viewed Maude as the black sheep.
She sat down on her bed as the too-familiar rush of loss swept over her again. Every dime she had pulled together for the private investigator so far had resulted in nothing but dead ends. She was no closer to finding her daughter than when she’d started the search the day she’d moved out of her parents’ home. She couldn’t have taken care of the baby by herself at sixteen, but she would never understand how her parents had all the money in the world to help her but had refused. It was painfully clear that their status in the community meant more to them than their own grandchild—or their daughters.
She’d moved out at eighteen, despite her parents’ attempt to run her life. The only regret she’d had was leaving Mary, who was only sixteen at the time.
Now that all the dots were connected about how Paul had been treating her sister, she knew why Mary had left Springfield without so much as a word. No wonder her sister was so confused.
Maude wasn’t about to let three Romeo cowboys make things worse for Mary.
She pulled out her suitcase from her closet and placed it on the bed. Mary had asked her to come to Wilde, so that
was exactly where she would be going.
Her phone rang.
Could her sister have had a change of heart after their conversation? Maybe Mary had decided to come home.
After answering the phone and hearing Paul’s voice on the line, Maude stiffened. She didn’t want to tip him off, so she tried to sound casual. “What’s up, Paul?”
“Do you know where your sister is?” His tone had an edge she’d never heard from him before.
“I haven’t talked to her all day. Is something wrong?” She wanted to scream at him, but knew it was best to keep her cool. For Mary’s sake.
“You’re damn right something is wrong. I came back from work yesterday and she wasn’t here. She never came home.”
“And you didn’t call me until now?” Double asshole.
“I called your parents to see if she was there, but they haven’t talked to Mary in over a week.”
“I’m not surprised, and you shouldn’t be either. You know how strained it is with them since you two moved in together. I’m sure she’ll be back. There must be some miscommunication, Paul.”
“I don’t think so, Maude. Not a single stitch of her clothing is left. She took everything.”
Hoping to sound sincere, she asked, “Did you have an argument?”
There was a lengthy pause before he finally answered. “Yeah, but it wasn’t anything big. She shouldn’t have left.”
“Okay, I’m sure she’ll be back. Whenever Mary got like this when we were kids, she just needed time to cool off.”
Another pause.