Mommy Wanted
A MOTHER’S HOPEThree years ago, Kate Wydell made a big mistake: she ran away, leaving her baby daughter behind. Now Kate’s back in the small Alabama town, desperate to make amends. But she’s afraid to reveal who she is. Especially since her new boss, a widowed father of young girls, is the kind of parent, the kind of person, Kate hopes to be. Mitch Gillespie sings lullabies and teaches his daughters how to be their best. With every passing day, Kate falls harder for him. But once Mitch knows her secret, will she lose him—and her deepest wish—forever?
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A Mother’s Hope
Three years ago, Kate Wydell made a big mistake: she ran away, leaving her baby daughter behind. Now Kate’s back in the small Alabama town, desperate to make amends. But she’s afraid to reveal who she is. Especially since her new boss, a widowed father of young girls, is the kind of parent, the kind of person, Kate hopes to be. Mitch Gillespie sings lullabies and teaches his daughters how to be their best. With every passing day, Kate falls harder for him. But once Mitch knows her secret, will she lose him—and her deepest wish—forever?
“You just met me three days ago,” Mitch said. “How could you be ‘captivated’ by me?”
Kate blinked back tears. “Because you’ve done it all right. You accepted responsibility and you found the courage to give your girls every bit of your life and your love. You’re a real parent. And that’s what I so wish I could be.”
“You want to be a mother,” he said softly, as though he understood.
But he didn’t. “I had a daughter,” she said, “nearly four years ago. She’s—” she blinked through more tears “—the same age as Dee.”
“You had a daughter?” he asked, his voice tender with emotion. “What happened, Kate?”
“I gave her up.” Her chin trembled, and a sucking gasp escaped.
Her sobs tore through the stillness of the night, but they were soon smothered against the broad planes of Mitch’s chest, because he pulled her close, holding her through the pain, through the tears, and whispering the words he must’ve thought she wanted to hear.
“I’m so sorry, Kate.”
But he had no idea who she really was.
RENEE ANDREWS
spends a lot of time in the gym. No, she isn’t working out. Her husband, a former all-American gymnast, co-owns ACE Cheer Company, an all-star cheerleading company. She is thankful the talented kids at the gym don’t have a problem when she brings her laptop and writes while they sweat. When she isn’t writing, she’s typically traveling with her husband, bragging about their two sons or spoiling their bulldog.
Renee is a kidney donor and actively supports organ donation. She welcomes prayer requests and loves to hear from readers. Write to her at [email protected], visit her website at www.reneeandrews.com or check her out on Facebook or Twitter.
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
—Ephesians 4:32
This novel is dedicated to Clair Zeringue,
my amazing mother-in-law. I love you, Mom Z!
Contents
Chapter One
Kate Wydell’s nervous fingertips rattled the pages of The Claremont News, the sound echoing through her car and magnifying her jitters. The Help Wanted section encompassed less than a column, the short list ending with the sole position for which she was qualified. Gillespie Insurance Agency needed an office assistant, no previous insurance experience required. Good people skills, a knowledge of word processing and an ability to remain calm in a crisis were the only criteria for the job.
She had all of those office skills and then some, and over the past year she’d perfected the ability to remain calm during a crisis. Her own personal crisis had led her back to this tiny North Alabama town, a place she’d left behind three years ago without a care in the world...and without regard for her baby girl.
Two blinks and a thick swallow warred against the tears that sought freedom. She would not allow herself to cry. Mascara streaks would only showcase the paleness of her face and the cheekbones that seemed much more prominent with the loss of fifteen pounds.
She’d stopped at Hydrangea Park while she gathered her courage and searched the classifieds. Flipping the visor, she checked her makeup in the tiny mirror. She was healthy now; the doctor said so. But did she look sick? Had she used too much blush to compensate for her pallor? Those questions ricocheted through her head, but the biggest and most pressing question now was...
Would Mitch Gillespie recognize her?
She tugged at a rogue black curl dangling precariously near her right eye. The inky corkscrew locks only drew more attention to her ridiculously fair skin. The last time she’d been in Claremont she’d had her trademark tan, an athletic build and blond wavy hair. And the last time she’d been in Claremont, she’d been married to one of Mitch’s best friends.
Another look in the mirror. Even her family hadn’t recognized her when she’d visited. Why would Mitch?
She took a deep breath, huffed it out. This would be so much easier if Chad were in town. Then she could tell her ex what she wanted in person and then deal with the consequences of a town that probably still hated her for hurting their golden boy. She hadn’t considered that mid-May meant the end of the school year and his break from teaching at the college, when he’d naturally head out of town on vacation. But maybe this was better. She’d get settled in while he was away and have time to prepare for the fireworks when he returned and learned she was back.
