“I was fortunate to have supportive parents,” she explained. “They never pressured me one way or the other when it came to deciding my baby’s future. Mom and Dad backed me one hundred percent.”
The doorbell chimed. “That’s Gloria. We were planning to go shopping at the mall.”
“I’ll get it,” Roy said. He was closest to the front door.
Gloria’s eyes widened when Roy let her into the apartment. “I believe we’ve met,” he said, extending his hand. “I’m Linnette’s father—and yours.” He heard the gasp behind him as his family took in what he’d just said.
Gloria gave him a slow smile. “I wondered when you’d figure it out.”
Roy hugged her, nearly choking on emotion. Then he turned to face his family, one arm around Gloria’s waist. “Corrie, this is our daughter.”
Corrie rushed forward, tears flowing down her face, and threw her arms around Gloria. “Oh, baby,” she murmured. “My baby.”
“Gloria,” Linnette said in a shocked voice. “You? It’s you?”
Gloria, who was weeping now, nodded. “You can’t imagine how excited I was when I discovered you were my new neighbor. It seemed like fate when you moved in practically next door.”
“I felt a bond with you from the beginning,” Linnette told her.
Gloria wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Now you know why.”
“How did you find us?” Corrie asked.
“Through my grandmother. Apparently she knew your mother and, when Gran heard Corrie was pregnant, she approached your mother on behalf of her daughter and son-in-law. It was a private adoption.”
“I should’ve known that,” Corrie whispered, “but I was so lost in my own pain I didn’t pay much attention.”
Roy reached for her hand and gripped it hard.
“My mother never said a word,” Corrie said, frowning, “not even in her journals. Perhaps she was afraid I’d read them one day—which I did.”
“What made you come and look for us?” Mack wanted to know.
Gloria looked at him, then stared out the window, unseeing. “My parents were killed five years ago in a small-plane accident. Dad loved to fly, and the three of us had scheduled a day trip to Fresno, where Dad was hoping to buy property. I had to cancel at the last minute, not knowing I’d never see my family again.” Fresh tears gleamed in her eyes. “My grandmother, who was my only surviving relative, helped me bury them.” She swallowed hard and waited before continuing her story. “Losing her daughter devastated Gran. When she knew she was dying, she told me I had another family and that I should look them up. She couldn’t bear the thought of me being alone.” There was another pause. “She died a week after telling me.”
“So you were able to track us down easily enough. But why did you address the postcards to me?” Roy asked.
Gloria glanced down. “I was hurt and angry. I saw my original birth certificate and realized you hadn’t signed off on the adoption. My grandmother said you weren’t in the picture. I felt you’d abandoned my mother, so I wanted you to wonder—and worry.” She paused, swallowing hard. “I don’t feel that way anymore.” Her gaze slid to Corrie. “You love her and—your children. I see that now. I know I should’ve gone about this differently. But once I started mailing the postcards and everything, I didn’t feel I could stop until you found me. Do you understand what I mean?” At Roy’s silent nod, she said, “It was wrong and I apologize for that.”
Linnette stood and walked over to Gloria, placing both arms around her. “Right or wrong, I’m so grateful you found us,” she breathed. “You can’t imagine how much I’ve always wanted a sister. Do you remember, Mom?”
“Yes,” Corrie whispered, still fighting her emotions.
“At first I wasn’t going to do it,” Gloria said, facing Corrie. “I figured you hadn’t wanted me, so I didn’t want you—which wasn’t true. However, I wasn’t planning to intrude on your life. But then I learned you’d married my father and that I had two full siblings.”
“It took me a while to work it all out,” Roy said. “Still, I—”
“Just a minute,” Mack interrupted. “Aren’t you in police work? Just the way Dad used to be?”
Gloria nodded.
“Hey, Dad,” Mack said. “You finally got your wish. One of us followed in your footsteps.”
Roy smiled. He had his family with him. His whole family.
Forty-Six
Grace stopped at the house on Rosewood Lane on her way home from the library. It was the Monday following Easter. Little by little, she’d moved most of her possessions to Cliff’s house—clothes, books, important papers. Saturday morning, Cliff had brought his truck and they’d packed up the last of her things, except for the larger pieces of furniture. He wanted her completely moved into his home. However, Cliff had suggested she not leave the house vacant much longer, fearing it would invite vandalism. Grace thought that was unlikely, since there wasn’t much crime in Cedar Cove—but then she remembered that incident of arson in the park.
Her husband—she wondered if she’d ever grow accustomed to thinking of Cliff as her husband—was right. It was time to reach a decision, hard though that would be. The small house on Rosewood had been her home for more than thirty years, and she found placing it on the market a painful and difficult prospect. But Grace was afraid that renting it out would be too much extra work for her and Cliff, and she didn’t want that.