Fortune's Proposal by Allison Leigh Page A

Jose and Maria’s restaurant and then the one at your barn.”
    Lily was nodding.
    â€œBut Lloyd Fredericks is dead, Lyndsey Pollack is locked safely away in a psychiatric facility and her mother’s still rotting in jail,” Nick pointed out. His tone was reasonable, but Deanna—feeling more lost than ever—could see that his expression, too, had taken on a new worry.
    â€œWell, if it is a kidnapping,” Bethany said, “then someone ought to be at the Double Crown in case they try contacting Lily, right?” She grimaced. “One thing I’ve learned from having a father who owns the largest private oil company in Texas is what to expect in situations like his. My father was always fearful that my brother and sister and I would end up being targets for people like that.”
    â€œBethany is right.” Lily pushed to her feet. She was still pale, but at least she looked steadier. And resolved. “I want to go back to the ranch no matter what.”
    â€œWe’ll drive you,” J.R. immediately offered.
    â€œThank you, dear.”
    Isabella stood, too, and smoothed down her dress. “I’ll speak with the reverend first and meet you out front.”
    Lily nodded and took J.R.’s arm when he offered it and they all began recessing out of the church. But it was as far as it could get from the recessional they’d all expected when they’d started out that day.
    The air had taken on a strong chill when they left through the front doors, gray clouds gathering where only hours ago there had been pretty white puffs of clouds and sunshine.
    It was horribly fitting and Deanna shivered.
    â€œHere.” Drew slid his suit coat over the thin wrap around her shoulders.
    â€œThanks.” She clutched it around herself. The scent of him that clung to the fabric was even more comforting than the warmth. Then Isabella joined them and everyone silently aimed across the grass for the parking lot.
    It looked desolate, compared to how crowded it had been earlier that day.
    No one noticed the person standing in the lengthening shadow cast by the church, a large push broom in hand, watching them climb into their trucks and cars and slowly drive away from the church.
    When they were gone, the groundskeeper turned and eyed the pile of flower petals and other bits of debris that the broom had collected from the back of the church. Only one of the Fortunes would have thought to decoratethe rear door of the church that was only ever used by staff.
    But it really wasn’t the pile of trash that had the groundskeeper’s full attention.
    It was the tiny infant swaddled in a car seat.
    The groundskeeper had found the baby sitting next to the rear door more than two hours ago, but even when the guests started streaming out of the church after the wedding that wasn’t, nobody came back to claim the kid, even though it had been crying its head off. Eventually, the baby had stopped its thin wails and gone to sleep.
    And still no one came to get the baby.
    Everyone inside the church was too concerned about the old Fortune guy to bother looking around for a baby who evidently shouldn’t have been there in the first place.
    Now, the worker crouched down and touched the gold medallion that hung from a thin chain around the baby and blanket. It wasn’t a large medallion but against the baby it sure looked that way. It also looked valuable.
    â€œWho do you belong to?”
    But the baby just continued sleeping, its little mouth sucking its own lip.
    The groundskeeper straightened and finished sweeping up, moving faster because fat raindrops had begun to fall, making the task even more of a pain.
    Cleaning up after other people had never really been part of the plan…
    Then, after putting the cleaning gear away, the worker returned to pick up the car seat and the baby.
    Nobody noticed…or cared…when they disappeared into the evening.
    Â 
    Drew and Deanna