The New Baby by Brenda Mott

Author:Brenda Mott
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2004-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

“UNBELIEVABLE.” Papaw stared at the ring Ian had placed in his palm, and shook his head. “Lord works in funny ways, doesn’t He, son?” His blue eyes studied Ian’s.

“I’d say so. But I’m still not sure the ring really means anything.”

“Only one way to find out. You’ve gotta find the boy—see who he is. What he has to say about this.” He shook his closed fist as if getting ready to roll a set of dice. Holding his hand out, he dropped the ring into Ian’s palm.

“Papaw, do you remember Lily Crenshaw?”

“Sure do. She’s here, you know. Came in a couple of days ago.”

“Amanda said she heard Lily call Jolene by a different last name than Bradford—Kennedy is what she said.”

Papaw’s toothless smile stretched his features until he looked like a jack-o’-lantern. “You know, she and I were an item once, before I met your grandma. Me and Lily, I mean.” He gestured with one hand. “She’s still a pretty woman, too, with her long blond hair.”

“I’d guess it’s more like white, isn’t it?” Ian said, feeling obliged to tease Papaw, even though he didn’t feel much like being funny at the moment.

“Platinum, son, platinum. Like Marilyn Monroe. Now there was a woman. Mm-mmm!” He smacked his lips. “When she walked, it looked like a pair of bobcats was scufflin’ ’round in a burlap bag.”

Ian chuckled. It was hard to stay in a dark mood in Papaw’s presence. “So Lily was your Marilyn Monroe, is that it?”

“Naw.” Zeb waved both hands in dismissal. “She was just a bit of a sidetrack before I found Opal. But anyway, I hadn’t seen Lily in a while. She’d moved away from Boone’s Crossing…oh…I’d say along about 1989, ’90, something like that. Moved back a short while ago after her husband died. I’d pert near forgot she was Jolene’s great aunt until you mentioned her.”

Hope darted through Ian all over again. “Amanda said Lily told her she was Jolene’s kin.”

Zeb grew serious. “Son, I told you to sign over your baby boy because I thought it was the best thing at the time. And I still think it was. But if you want to find him, then do it. I’ll help if I can. I can talk to Lily, see what she knows.”

“I appreciate that, Papaw.” Ian patted his hand, always glad to find a way to make his grandpa feel useful. “Listen, I’m going to go home and try looking on the Internet.”

“Might find something there,” Zeb agreed. “They say the Web’s a big place.”

Ian hid a smile. “That they do, Papaw. I’ll bring you some doughnuts tomorrow, how’s that?”

“Chocolate?”

“You bet.”

“You’ve got a deal.” Zeb reached up and hugged him. “Take care of yourself, son. Don’t let the past cloud your future.”

“I won’t.” Ian returned the hug and left.

But Papaw’s words haunted him as he drove homeward. Was he letting the past get in the way of what was in the here and now?

Amanda’s face came clearly to mind. The woman sure could kiss.

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