He highly doubted that Kaylee wasSofiaâs birth daughter, but somebodywas. And he had to admitKaylee looked the part.
âIf youâre really Constanzia, youâll be able to prove it.â
âI never claimed I was Constanzia. All I said is I thought I might be.â
âThen get me your birth certificate and adoption papers.â
A wariness settled over her like a second skin. âMy birth certificateâs at my fatherâs house in Houston.â
âLet me guess. Your adoption papers are there, too.â
She hesitated, but when she spoke her voice was strong. âI guess Sofia didnât tell you?â
âTell me what?â
âI donât have any papers because my parents never admitted I was adopted.â
He let out a short, harsh laugh. âLady, you are a piece of work.â
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
While working as a newspaper sportswriter, Darlene Gardner realised sheâd rather make up quotes than rely on an athlete to say something interesting. So she quit her job and concentrated on a fiction career that landed her at Mills & Boon, where sheâs written for Temptation and Intimate Moments before finding a home at Superromance.
Please visit Darlene on the web at www. darlene gardner.com.
Dear Reader,
Where do we belong? With the people who gave us life or those who happen into our lives? That was the question running through my mind when I wrote Ordinary Girl, Millionaire Tycoon, about a woman who believes sheâs finally found her place in the world.
But when that place is populated by a lottery winner who may or may not be her birth mother and the womanâs over-protective step-son, matters arenât black and white. Especially when love is thrown into the mix.
Although Iâm not new to Mills & Boon, I am new to Superromance. It was a pleasure to explore a deeper, richer story in what has always been one of my favourite lines. I hope you enjoy this story.
All my best,
Darlene
PS You can visit me on the web at
www.darlenegardner.com.
CHAPTER ONE
UNTIL KAYLEE CARTER sat on the television remote and accidentally switched the channel from a Seinfeld rerun to the late-night news, sheâd thought her mother was dead.
She picked up the remote to change the channel back, but her finger paused on the flash button when the camera panned over lush, rolling countryside that seemed to stretch for miles.
The pink-and-white blooms of apple orchards made the deep green of the grass and the azure, cloud-dotted sky even more lovely. The blossoms caused the gentle hillsides to come alive with color and touched something inside Kaylee that the city never reached, something that ached with longing.
Her modest little duplex in Fort Lauderdale off U.S. 1, which was far too close to a high-crime area where muggings and break-ins were common, seemed to fade into the background.
McIntosh, Ohio, the caption read. Named, if Kaylee wasnât mistaken, for a popular variety of red apple. The warm feelings suddenly made a bit more sense. Kaylee had been born in Ohio, although her parents had returned to their native Texas when she was only a few weeks old and sheâd since moved to Florida.
The compelling face of a dark-haired, dark-eyed woman took the place of the orchard. Although Kaylee was positive sheâd never seen the woman before, she seemed familiar.
The woman had a timeless quality that made it hard to guess her age. Early forties, perhaps? Her wide-set eyes and shoulder-length hair were as dark as Kayleeâs own, her nose as distinctive, her olive complexion nearly as unlined except around the mouth and eyes.
The reason for those lines became evident when the woman smiled, which she obviously did often. An inner glow seemed to light the smile and radiate from her.
Kaylee leaned toward the nineteen-inch television screen, wishing she could have splurged on a bigger set. Another caption identified the woman as Sofia Donatelli, a former cook at Nunzioâs Restaurant in McIntosh whoâd won ten million dollars in the Ohio lottery.
âI need luck like that,â Kaylee murmured.
She scrambled off the worn sofa sheâd bought at a garage sale, sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the TV and turned up the sound.
An impossibly handsome reporter with a square jaw, blindingly white teeth and gilded highlights in his brown hair revealed that Sofia had become known in the Ohio Valley for her generosity since winning the prize six weeks ago.
He interviewed a young mother who told how Sofia paid for experimental surgery to help control her daughterâs Touretteâs syndrome and a businessman whoâd gotten seed money from her to open an ice-cream parlor. The camera then switched back to a shot of Sofia and the good-looking reporter.
âYouâre probably asking yourself whatâs in this lottery bonanza for the woman who won the prize. So tell us, Sofia, what will you splurge on? A mansion in L.A.? A yacht that will take you around the world? A garage full of expensive cars?â