Family Found

“And have,” Laura admitted. “But that’s not the point.”

“I wasn’t sure what I thought about him at first.” Blunt by nature, Rhoda seldom minced words. “He seemed awfully sure of himself. But I remember once liking that in a man. Mitch Tucker could be a keeper.”

Laura rolled her eyes. “I’m worried about saving Alex, not snagging a man.”

“I’m not suggesting anything less, dear. But you don’t have to blind yourself to the obvious.”

“Dare I ask what that might be?”

“A handsome, confident man who knows his own mind.”

“Right now I need to be sure of my own mind first. What if I’ve done the wrong thing in hiring him? Suppose I’m wasting time? Time we don’t have to waste. Maybe I should meet with the attorney, at least talk to him—”

“Laura.” Rhoda placed one hand atop hers. “You can’t go off scatterbrained in a dozen different directions.”

“But—”

“I know you want to do everything within your power, but going crazy won’t help Alex. You’ll be dividing your energies in so many ways, you’ll exhaust yourself. Laura, trust your instincts. And allow yourself enough time to see if this will work.”

“But we don’t have time!” Laura reiterated. She heard the despair in her voice and lowered her head.

“Laura, don’t give up on Alex.”

“I’m not!”

“You have to trust that he can hang in there as long as it takes.”

For a brief moment Laura considered her own denial and the quiet understanding in her aunt’s expression. “You’re right. I guess I just sort of panicked. I keep thinking that Alex’s fate rests in my hands. If I don’t make the right choices, he’s the one who’ll suffer.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Laura. His fate is in larger hands than yours. You’ll just have to trust in that.”

“I do. But I’ve always felt I had to be the strong one, in charge, sure of what I was doing.”

“It doesn’t hurt to lean. You just haven’t had anyone strong enough to lean on. Maybe that will change.”

Shocked, Laura drew back. “Surely you don’t mean Mitch Tucker.”

“It may be premature, but I’d like you to drop your defensive shields and be open to possibilities.”

“That hasn’t worked too well for me in the past.”

“And this is today, Laura.” Rhoda shrugged, but her hands moved nervously as her gaze appeared to settle on something far beyond Laura. “It’s wise to learn from your mistakes, not to wallow in them.”

Laura winced. “That was candid—and I appreciate the concern. But I can’t allow myself to become involved with another ladies’ man.”

“Isn’t that a rather quick conclusion?”

Laura’s smile was tinged with wise regret. “I guess experience makes me a quick learner. But right now I don’t need to worry about romance. I need answers.”

“Then believe in yourself. The rest will follow.”

Laura wanted to accept her aunt’s words, yet she couldn’t miss the betraying nervousness of Rhoda’s manner, the subtle but skittish movements she tried to disguise. It seemed neither of them was all that assured. And that sent the fear spiraling.

MITCH INHALED the ripe smell of incoming rain. It would be another drencher. Houston didn’t bother with gentle rain. Instead the skies opened, dumping water over the landscape, much like upturned buckets. The uninitiated were often shocked by the deluges. But the natives took it in stride. And Mitch was native to the skin.

Crossing the parking lot, he heard the squeal of an approaching car. Briefly closing his eyes, he emitted a groan. He could guarantee without looking who was driving the car. And it was too late for a clean getaway.

“Tucker!” Laura called out as she pivoted sharply into an adjoining parking stall. In seconds, she scrambled from the vehicle, then slammed the door and headed toward him.

Mitch had dealt with difficult clients in the past, but he’d never had one who had become glue. He wouldn’t be surprised if she welded the bumper of her car to his so she wouldn’t miss a move.

“Tucker!” she repeated as she reached him. “I almost missed you!”

“And that would be a tragedy,” he replied, pulling keys from his pocket.

“What?”

He sighed. “Nothing. I’m on my way out, so if you don’t need anything urgent—”

“Good! I was afraid I wouldn’t catch you.” She pulled open the passenger door of his car. “Where are we going?”

He withheld an additional sigh. It would be easier to rid himself of his own skin. “To hospitals.”

She frowned. “What are we hoping to find?”

“First, how many females were born in each one on the same day you were. Once we learn that, we find out which doctors and nurses were on duty the same day.”

“Ones who might know something about my birth mother?” Laura questioned. But her voice began to cloud. “How can they possibly remember something that happened so long ago?”

“We won’t know until we try. And we need to explore the possibilities until we receive your birth certificate.”

“What if we can’t get my actual certificate, only the adopted one?”

“Even more reason to do this now. Because our next stop will be contacting each of your relatives to see what he or she might know.”

She slumped in her seat. “The more I learn about this, the more overwhelming it seems.”

Seeing her pain, Mitch ignored his usual reserve and covered her hand. “That’s why I suggested you let me do this on my own. I realize you want to do everything in your power to speed things up, but for someone who’s not familiar with the search process, it can be pretty overwhelming, especially when it’s this personal.”

He could see her struggle, then her face softened subtly. “I suppose so.” She turned in the seat, leaning toward him, her body, face and voice all earnest. “But I can’t just sit by. Can you understand that?”

“Too well. But you’ll have to trust me to direct the investigation.”

“Funny.”

Starting the car, he glanced over at her. “What is?”

“That’s the second time today someone told me to trust.”