Sisters Found by Joan Johnston

Author:Joan Johnston
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HQN Books
Published: 2013-11-15T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

CHARITY

CHARITY WAS SHOCKED BY THE similarity between herself and the other two women. Amanda Carter hadn’t been exaggerating. They were the same height. Their eyes were equally dark, and their complexions equally creamy. Even more startling was the fact that they wore their hair the same way, shoulder length, with bangs and a part in the center. And they were all wearing gold hoop earrings and bright pink lipstick. It felt as if she was looking into a mirror—no, two mirrors.

Charity started down the back steps of the house, compelled to get closer, to see whether her eyes might have deceived her. Maybe they weren’t the same. Maybe the similarities were all on the surface. She crossed to the woman closest to her and stood facing her. The woman was her spitting image, down to the mole at the base of her right ear.

“What is this?” the woman said irritably. “Who are you? Where did you come from?”

“My name is Charity Burnette,” Charity said. She realized her hands were trembling and crossed her arms and lifted her chin. It was eerie to see her behavior mirrored by the other woman, whose eyes narrowed when she realized they’d both done the same thing.

“What are you doing here? Why do you look like us?” the woman demanded.

“I’m here to attend a wedding with Kane Longstreet,” Charity replied. “I have no idea why I look like you.”

By then, the other girl had joined her sister and Charity realized the second girl didn’t have a left hand. Charity wasn’t aware she was staring until the first woman said belligerently, “You can stare all you want, but Faith isn’t going to grow a hand.”

“Faith?” Her own name was Charity. Was it possible the third girl was named— “I suppose your name’s Hope,” Charity said, fighting a rising hysteria.

“Yes, it is.”

“Holy shit.”

Charity saw the moment the other girls realized they were part of a triumvirate, Faith, Hope and Charity.

“Holy shit is right,” the girl named Hope said in a shocked voice. “Who are you?” she repeated. “How is this possible?”

“I have no idea,” Charity said. Then she realized that, of course, there was an explanation for the impossible. “I’m adopted,” she said. “I suppose...I guess...I suppose your mother...our mother,” she corrected, “gave me away.”

“Mom and Dad would never do such a thing!” Faith protested.

“Your parents are together? They’re married?” Charity questioned. When she’d thought about why her mother might have given her up for adoption, she’d always imagined an unwed and pregnant teenage girl who’d made a mistake and wanted to be shed of it. Never, in her wildest dreams, had she imagined that her married parents might have put her up for adoption.

What was even more difficult to grasp was the fact that her parents had obviously kept two of their triplets, yet given her away. She couldn’t imagine how or why they would do such a thing.

She stared at the other two girls, jealous of what they’d had. Real parents. Parents who’d wanted them.

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