Mercenary's Woman ; Outlawed! Read online

  EPILOGUE

  “I AM SO not a party person.” Fern taped the end of the last crepe-paper decoration into place and surveyed it, frowning. It looked crooked.

  “It’s for a good cause,” Carlo said as he dumped a load of firewood into the holder beside the fire.

  She smiled at her husband, taking her time to enjoy the view of his muscular arms emerging from rolled-up flannel shirtsleeves. “Two good causes. And it’s my favorite kind of party—small.”

  She looked around the room with satisfaction. They’d bought this little farmhouse only two months ago to accommodate their growing family, and it was absolutely gorgeous. Fern had brought all her favorite things from her little cottage, and they’d hustled to get the decorating done in time for the holidays.

  Right at the edge of town, the place perfectly accommodated her need for both social and quiet time.

  Mercedes called from the living room, “Sissy and me are gonna go build a snowman to meet everybody, ’kay?”

  Fern met Carlo’s eyes. “Could you help them?”

  “I’d love to.”

  And it was true, Fern thought as she watched him usher the two little girls outside. Carlo was a natural father. To Mercedes, of course, but he was the one who’d heard about Paula in his new job reaching out to migrant groups.

  Adoption. It came naturally to Fern anyway, with her background and with the way she’d come to love Mercedes. There were so many children who needed homes. And Paula was exactly Mercedes’s age. They’d had her for six months, and of course there were issues, but the two girls were already inseparable.

  Carlo helped Paula form a snowball and then roll it into a snowman. The little girl’s dark eyes shone as she emulated Mercedes and stared up adoringly at Carlo.

  Smiling, Fern hurried back into the kitchen to stir the tortilla soup she’d prepared for this double celebration—housewarming and adoption. It was comfort food for Paula. And then she returned to watch her family out the window, sketch pad in hand.

  She’d gotten the go-ahead on a new picture book, and she’d deliberately chosen to work with snowy landscapes and with a family much like her own. Far from halting her creativity, being a wife and mother only added to it.

  Time was an issue, but with Carlo’s encouragement, she’d gone down to half-time at the library. That way, she had some time to paint while the girls were in school, and time to nurture them when school was over.

  Pretty near perfect.

  The gates to their front yard opened and Susan and Daisy came in. Angelica and Troy were right behind them, carrying presents, with Xavier running ahead to meet the girls. They’d also invited Lou Ann Miller, Gramps and Miss Minnie Falcon, but the older generation had a birthday party to attend at the Senior Towers and they were coming later.

  Fern put down her sketch pad and went out onto the porch. Carlo came to stand beside her as the girls ran ahead to greet the new arrivals.

  Fern looked up at her husband and shut her eyes for a two-second prayer of thanks. Carlo squeezed her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. “See, a party isn’t so bad,” he teased.

  “Not when it’s all the people you love.” Fern slid an arm around his waist, and together, they went to bring their friends and family into their new home.

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  ISBN-13: 9781488034985

  Mercenary’s Woman

  Copyright © 2019 by Harlequin Books S.A.

  The publisher acknowledges the copyright holders of the individual works as follows:

  Mercenary’s Woman

  Copyright © 2000 by Diana Palmer

  His Secret Child

  Copyright © 2016 by Lee Tobin McClain

  Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan.

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

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