Family Wanted

A Place to Call Home

Isabella Gray has always longed for a small town to call home. Newly arrived in Claremont, Alabama, she might finally have the chance to find that—and more. Handsome Titus Jameson and his daughter, Savannah, immediately capture Isabella’s attention. The motherless child reminds Isabella of herself growing up, and she’s determined to help bring the little girl out of her shell. But Isabella has been keeping a secret from the man she’s fallen for—and she’s torn. She knows telling him the real reason she came to Claremont is the right thing to do—but revealing the truth could break everyone’s hearts.

“Isn’t this great, Daddy?”

“Yes,” he said, “it is.” And he made a mental note not to get too used to it. Isabella had brought Savannah home and then stayed to help watch her so he could work, something that probably most of his friends in Claremont would’ve done. He didn’t need to think anything more of it than that, and he shouldn’t feel guilty about enjoying this time with her so soon after Nan’s death. She was a friend, helping them out by cooking a meal. That was it.

Isabella motioned toward the three place settings. “I kind of invited myself to have dinner with y’all,” she said. “Is that okay?”

He pushed Savannah’s chair in so she could reach the table better and then took a step toward Isabella. Titus assumed his emotions had been obvious, if she’d have even considered that he might not want her to stay. After everything she’d done for him, everything she’d done for Savannah, he wouldn’t ask her to leave.

Plus, he wasn’t ready for her to go.

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. Renee is a kidney donor and actively supports organ donation. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys traveling with her husband and bragging about their sons, daughter-in-law and grandsons. For more info on her books or on living donors, visit her website at reneeandrews.com.

Family Wanted

Renee Andrews

www.millsandboon.co.uk

The Lord is my light and my salvation.

Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

—Psalms 27:1

For Brother Wayne Dunaway, my preacher and the inspiration for Brother Henry in all of the Claremont books. I appreciate your love for the Lord and your willingness to share your vast knowledge, particularly with young and upcoming preachers. We have been blessed that our sons have had the privilege of studying with you.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

About the Author

Title Page

Bible Verse

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

Epilogue

Dear Reader

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

Dear Titus, hurting you was the last thing I ever intended to do.

Isabella Gray drove beneath the wooded canopy leading to the future home of Willow’s Haven, trepidation shimmying down her spine. An orphanage. The man she’d promised to see had to be building an orphanage. Oh, they might call it something different, a “child home,” but Isabella wasn’t fooled by the tender name.

She pushed aside memories of the past—dark rooms and muffled cries, a hungry stomach and filthy sheets—and focused on what she planned to do. She’d talk to Titus Jameson. Once that was done, she’d never set foot near another orphanage—or child home—again. Then she’d leave Claremont, Alabama, and go...

Isabella had no idea where to go. Certainly not back to Atlanta. But after she talked to this man, she’d start her new life. New location. She’d dreamed about living in a small town, a place where everyone knew everyone’s name and cared about each other. She’d read about those tiny towns, but Richard hadn’t thought them worthy of a visit. Throughout their ten years of marriage, Isabella asked repeatedly if they could take a trip to one, but Richard never understood her desire or the point. What would his colleagues think if he vacationed in some Podunk hole-in-the-wall town? He had an image to maintain, and he wouldn’t taint it trying to satisfy her whimsical idealization of small-town America.

But now that he had a new wife to help him preserve his image, Isabella could finally do those things she dreamed of. She’d get a job. She had a degree, after all. Surely she could find some form of employment, even if she’d never worked a day in her life.

The thickness of the woods shrouding the long, gravel driveway gave the impression that the trees were closing in, and the unwanted yet familiar trickle of claustrophobia seeped through Isabella’s veins.

The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

She breathed in, absorbed each word of the verse that had seen her through the scariest years of her childhood and continued down the darkened driveway. Ten minutes ago, she’d admired the brilliant sunshine of the June afternoon, the expanses of cotton, soy and corn fields bordering the road leading to Claremont like a patchwork quilt welcoming her in her quest to do the right thing. But now, as the trees closed in, she didn’t feel welcomed. She felt warned. And she considered turning the car around and leaving without sharing information with a man she’d never met.