mother had suffered in the minutes before death had taken her ; whether or not she'd given any thought to the tiny daughter she had rel i nquished twenty-six years earlier.
They were questions that would never be answered now that her birth mother was dead . Addison would have to accept this twist of fate and go on, knowing this final chapter would put an end to her search forever . .
When the shaking subsided, Addison put the car in gear and pulled into the street. Though she wasn't sure at first exactly where she was going, she found herself heading west toward the cemetery. The only one in town, Jewel Harshbarger had told her, past the bridge on the left.
Twin Oaks Cemetery was located several miles out of town, nestled between a clapboard Methodist church and a cornfield. The grounds were well kept, surrounded by a wrought-iron fence and manicured shrubbery. The skeletons of maples and oaks and a variety of evergreens dotted the property within.
The gate stood open. Addison turned the car onto the smooth asphalt drive and passed through the entrance. Even if she didn't find Agnes Beckett's grave, this trip to the cemetery was something she needed to do. It was a step she needed to take, one that would help her grieve, to accept, and to go on. Though she hadn't known, or had the chance to love Agnes Beckett, she had over the last months of searching for her developed a sort of bond with her. She knew there was a part of herself that was mourning.
To her surprise, among the dozens of graves she had no trouble spotting the mound of freshly turned earth. Her throat constricted at the sight of it, and Addison knew that in a town the size of Siloam Springs, burials were probably infrequent.
Leaving the warmth of the car, she slowly made her way toward the plot. Around her the wind had calmed, but the air possessed a sharpness that cut to the bone. Sleet continued to fall, mostly snow now, filling the silence with the high-pitched tinkle of ice particles striking the frozen earth.
A single spray of plastic flowers lay against a small granite headstone. Addison faced the monument, wondering who had left the flowers. As she read the simple inscription, a sense of loss pierced her. The familiar sadness began to flow.
Before she realized it, before she could make herself stop, she felt tears on her cheeks. She cried for the birth mother she had lost. She cried for the parents fate had stolen from her earlier in the year. For the first time in months, she allowed the sadness to complete l y overwhelm her, to take her to a place she didn't often go, and she let her emotions run free. She dropped to her knees and cried openly, her sobs lost among the graves of strangers, the naked trees, and the dry, brittle corn.
Chapter 5
Randall parked in front of The Coffee Cup and sat there for five minutes trying to get his courage up. For the life of him he couldn't figure out why the hell he felt so damn compelled to go inside and apologize. Apologizing wasn't his usual modus operandi, particularly when it came to women. But in light of the fact that he'd made a complete ass of himself, he was going to bite the bullet and make amends. It didn't matter that she'd lodged a formal complaint with the Better Business Bureau against Talbot Investigations. It didn't matter that his brother's professional reputation was on the line and that Jack had, in no uncertain terms, threatened to put him out on the street if he didn't make things right.
It didn't matter that for the better part of the past month, Randall hadn't been able to get Addison Fox off his mind.
An array of colorful Christmas lights flashed in the front window as he approached, reminding him that it was the holiday season. A fact he could just as well live without since he couldn't remember the last time he'd bothered celebrating. The first couple of years he'd lived in D.C . he'd socialized with his
They were questions that would never be answered now that her birth mother was dead . Addison would have to accept this twist of fate and go on, knowing this final chapter would put an end to her search forever . .
When the shaking subsided, Addison put the car in gear and pulled into the street. Though she wasn't sure at first exactly where she was going, she found herself heading west toward the cemetery. The only one in town, Jewel Harshbarger had told her, past the bridge on the left.
Twin Oaks Cemetery was located several miles out of town, nestled between a clapboard Methodist church and a cornfield. The grounds were well kept, surrounded by a wrought-iron fence and manicured shrubbery. The skeletons of maples and oaks and a variety of evergreens dotted the property within.
The gate stood open. Addison turned the car onto the smooth asphalt drive and passed through the entrance. Even if she didn't find Agnes Beckett's grave, this trip to the cemetery was something she needed to do. It was a step she needed to take, one that would help her grieve, to accept, and to go on. Though she hadn't known, or had the chance to love Agnes Beckett, she had over the last months of searching for her developed a sort of bond with her. She knew there was a part of herself that was mourning.
To her surprise, among the dozens of graves she had no trouble spotting the mound of freshly turned earth. Her throat constricted at the sight of it, and Addison knew that in a town the size of Siloam Springs, burials were probably infrequent.
Leaving the warmth of the car, she slowly made her way toward the plot. Around her the wind had calmed, but the air possessed a sharpness that cut to the bone. Sleet continued to fall, mostly snow now, filling the silence with the high-pitched tinkle of ice particles striking the frozen earth.
A single spray of plastic flowers lay against a small granite headstone. Addison faced the monument, wondering who had left the flowers. As she read the simple inscription, a sense of loss pierced her. The familiar sadness began to flow.
Before she realized it, before she could make herself stop, she felt tears on her cheeks. She cried for the birth mother she had lost. She cried for the parents fate had stolen from her earlier in the year. For the first time in months, she allowed the sadness to complete l y overwhelm her, to take her to a place she didn't often go, and she let her emotions run free. She dropped to her knees and cried openly, her sobs lost among the graves of strangers, the naked trees, and the dry, brittle corn.
Chapter 5
Randall parked in front of The Coffee Cup and sat there for five minutes trying to get his courage up. For the life of him he couldn't figure out why the hell he felt so damn compelled to go inside and apologize. Apologizing wasn't his usual modus operandi, particularly when it came to women. But in light of the fact that he'd made a complete ass of himself, he was going to bite the bullet and make amends. It didn't matter that she'd lodged a formal complaint with the Better Business Bureau against Talbot Investigations. It didn't matter that his brother's professional reputation was on the line and that Jack had, in no uncertain terms, threatened to put him out on the street if he didn't make things right.
It didn't matter that for the better part of the past month, Randall hadn't been able to get Addison Fox off his mind.
An array of colorful Christmas lights flashed in the front window as he approached, reminding him that it was the holiday season. A fact he could just as well live without since he couldn't remember the last time he'd bothered celebrating. The first couple of years he'd lived in D.C . he'd socialized with his
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