Her Hidden Legacy Read online

  “Thank you for everything you’ve done,” Hunter said.

  “It means the world to me to have someone like you in my corner.”

  RaeLynn smiled at him. “I think often about my childhood, and how different things would have turned out for all of us had we just had some extra support.” Her expression changed, and a faraway look filled her face, wistful maybe, perhaps a little sad. He reached forward and brushed her cheek.

  “I’m sorry if this brings up painful memories.

  I wish there was more I could do for you.”

  The smile she gave him told him that she wanted the same thing, but it wasn’t possible. Maybe it was just wishful thinking on his part.

  “I hope you know what an amazing woman you are,” he said.

  “I think the same about you. I never knew a man could be so loyal and faithful and care so deeply for children, especially ones not his own.”

  He brushed her cheek again, and the look in her eyes brought a deep longing to his heart.

  Danica Favorite loves the adventure of living a creative life. She loves to explore the depths of human nature and follow people on the journey to happily-ever-after. Though the journey is often bumpy, those bumps refine imperfect characters as they live the life God created them for. Oops, that just spoiled the ending of Danica’s stories. Then again, getting there is all the fun. Find her at danicafavorite.com.

  Books by Danica Favorite

  Love Inspired

  Double R Legacy

  The Cowboy’s Sacrifice

  His True Purpose

  A True Cowboy

  Her Hidden Legacy

  Three Sisters Ranch

  Her Cowboy Inheritance

  The Cowboy’s Faith

  His Christmas Redemption

  Love Inspired Historical

  The Nanny’s Little Matchmakers

  For the Sake of the Children

  An Unlikely Mother

  Mistletoe Mommy

  Honor-Bound Lawman

  Visit the Author Profile page

  at Harlequin.com for more titles.

  HER HIDDEN LEGACY

  Danica Favorite

  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

  —John 13:34–35

  To my husband, who has given me so much support during a rough season of life and who gave me the tools I needed to follow my dreams. I could not have written this book without you.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Epilogue

  Dear Reader

  Excerpt from The Father He Deserves by Lisa Jordan

  Chapter One

  The foyer in the main lodge at the Double R Ranch looked warm and inviting, but as RaeLynn McCoy looked around the room, all she felt was a sense of foreboding. Why had she come here? She knew better. Had spent her whole life hearing about how she should never set foot in this place. RaeLynn had a personal connection to this ranch, one that she’d promised to never reveal. She was the long-lost granddaughter of Ricky Ruiz, the owner of the Double R. She’d never had any intention of meeting him, but here she was, looking for someone to check her in and wondering if it was too late to turn back. At least none of them knew who she was.

  If it weren’t for the fact that RaeLynn had a job to do, she’d turn around and walk away. No, she wouldn’t have even come to begin with. But the magazine she worked for, Mountain Lifestyles, had assigned her to do a story on the Double R Ranch, highlighting its contributions not only to the Colorado ranching community but also to the nearby town of Columbine Springs, which had recently suffered a devastating fire. Without the caring spirit of the Double R, the town wouldn’t have made it.

  Listen to me. Already writing the marketing copy. But RaeLynn knew better than anyone else about the dark side to the Double R Ranch and its owner, Ricky Ruiz.

  Not that that was the story she was after. No, she would write a feel-good piece that would wow Gerald Stein, the publisher, enough that rather than selling off to the conglomerate that was trying to buy their small magazine, he would let her take over and run it. A corporation would ruin the magazine and its small-town feel.

  Mountain Lifestyles served many Colorado communities, and more than that, the people who worked there were a family. They took care of each other, and their readers counted on them for good stories and uplifting news. She’d seen what the company that wanted to buy the magazine had turned other local publications into. Glorified ad circulars that cared more about making money than serving the people of the community. So if saving Mountain Lifestyles meant sucking it up and going to the one place she’d promised never to visit, RaeLynn would do it.

  She’d banged the bell on the front desk multiple times. With such glowing reviews, you’d think the ranch would have someone staffing the lobby.

  RaeLynn turned toward the hallway where the sign said Office, but as she did so, a small child came barreling past her, nearly knocking her over.

  “Hey! Be careful,” she said.

  The little girl stopped and stared at her. RaeLynn had probably spoken a bit too harshly to the kid, but she hadn’t expected to be run over.

  “I’m sorry I yelled at you,” RaeLynn said. “But you do need to be more careful.”

  “You gotta hide me,” the girl said.

  RaeLynn looked around. As far as she could tell, they were the only people in the building.

  “From what?”

  “He’s gonna kill me,” the child said. She couldn’t be more than about four years old, and RaeLynn couldn’t see anyone wanting to kill the tyke. It wasn’t like that child had literally lived in fear. RaeLynn knew the look of fear. Had lived that life. And she was glad that these children didn’t actually know what it meant to be that kind of scared.

  “Please,” the little girl said. “He’s gonna kill me.”

  The child darted around and then opened the closet door. “Don’t tell no one you saw me.”

  RaeLynn sighed. She’d barely set foot in the place, and already someone was trying to pull her into some kind of drama, and drama was something she was trying to escape in her life. It was almost like God Himself was saying Here, let Me give you a big fat plate of everything you hate in the world.

  That wasn’t fair. She knew God didn’t take that level of interest in people’s lives. She also knew He wasn’t sick and twisted and wouldn’t torment someone like that.

  A boy who looked to be a few years older than the little girl came running into the room. “Where did she go?”

  This must be who the girl was afraid of. Likely a sibling. None of this was her concern. What was her concern was getting checked in so she could go to her cabin and collect her thoughts.

  RaeLynn smiled at the boy. “If you’re talking about the lady at the front desk, I have no idea. Do you know any grown-ups who could check me in?”

  There. She was saving the little girl, but she also wasn’t lying. She still didn’t know exactly what was going on, and she’d prefer not to.

  “Sadie didn’t come to work today, and Hunter said that if she did it again, he’d fire her, so we’re all pretending like she’s here.”
The boy slapped his hand over his mouth. “You won’t tell him, will you?”

  Given that she was a paying guest waiting to be helped because this woman hadn’t shown up for work, RaeLynn would say there was probably a pretty good reason to fire this Sadie, especially since it sounded like this was a common thing.

  “I do need someone to check me in. I’ve been driving a long time, and I just want to get settled in my cabin.”

  The boy looked thoughtful for a moment. “I was supposed to tell my mom if I saw anybody come up the driveway. But Lynzee let my pet snake out of its cage, and now it’s gonna get eaten by a hawk or some other wild animal. My mom said I could only keep it if it didn’t get out. So even if I find it, my mom is going to make me get rid of it. Which means I’m going to kill Lynzee.”

  “That seems a bit extreme, don’t you think?” RaeLynn asked. “She’s just a little girl. Surely you don’t want her to die?”

  He let out a long, dramatic sigh. “No. I’m not really going to kill her.”

  She smiled at the him. “What’s your name?”

  “Sam Bennett.” A wide grin split the little boy’s face.

  Great. She knew exactly who he was. And while she knew she’d inevitably have to interview his parents as part of her article, she’d hoped to get her bearings before dealing with them. Not every member of the Double R family had a happy ending to their story.

  Ricky’s son, Cinco, had died tragically in a bull-riding accident nearly thirty years ago. Because Ricky and Cinco were estranged, Ricky never got to meet the grandchild Cinco’s wife had been carrying. Wanting to right the wrongs of his past, Ricky had gone in search of the grandchild. In his search, he’d found three other children Cinco had fathered as part of his extramarital affairs—Rachel, Alexander and William.

  But Ricky hadn’t found the child he’d been looking for. And that was because that child, RaeLynn, hadn’t wanted to be found.

  After everything RaeLynn’s mom had been through with Cinco and Ricky, RaeLynn wasn’t willing to risk getting hurt by her biological father’s family.

  As far as anyone here knew, RaeLynn was just a regular reporter with a story to write. And she planned on keeping it that way.

  RaeLynn smiled at Sam, hoping to convince him to get his mom. “Well, maybe if you explain to your mom that a little kid who didn’t know any better let your snake out, she’ll let you still keep it. Maybe, instead of trying to find the girl to hurt her, you should try to find your snake and get it back into its cage before it causes any trouble.”

  The boy looked thoughtful for a moment. “That’s a good idea,” he said. “You sound like you’d be a good mom. You got any kids? Especially one that’s about my age? I mean, I have my friends, but my best friend, Katie, is on a vacation with her mom and dad, and my other best friend, Ryan, has a new baby at his house, so he can never play. So if you have a kid I could play with, I wouldn’t have to play with Lynzee all the time.”

  RaeLynn tried not to laugh as she shook her head. “Afraid not. I don’t have any children, and I don’t want any.”

  The little boy gave her a funny look. “What do you mean you don’t want any? Everybody wants children. My poppa says that children are blessings from God.”

  This little kid was quite the character. She kind of liked him.

  RaeLynn shrugged. “I had a lot of brothers and sisters, and I had to practically raise them. I’m done with kids.”

  She didn’t know why she’d just told the boy that, since he probably didn’t understand. RaeLynn had helped raise her siblings and helped with their babies when they’d had them. It was a fluke that she’d earned a scholarship to college when no one in her family was pregnant or had a newborn.

  No, she wasn’t going to let having children stand in the way of her dreams. That meant being here, writing the story and getting back to Denver so she could convince her boss she was worthy of running the magazine.

  She smiled at Sam. “Listen, I’m sorry I don’t have a kid for you to play with. And I get that you’re trying to help this lady not lose her job, but do you think you could find someone to get me checked in so I can go to my cabin?”

  Sam shrugged. Then he turned, walked to the door and yelled, “Mom!”

  Finally. RaeLynn had to admit the kid was kind of cute and funny. She’d reluctantly agree that she liked her siblings and their children. She’d probably like them more if she hadn’t been obliged to raise them. RaeLynn had eventually realized the healthiest thing for her was to step away from them and create her own life.

  A woman came into the lodge, looking a bit frazzled. RaeLynn recognized her as being Janie Bennett, Sam’s mother. “Sam! You know better than to play in the lodge. You’re supposed to be at Ricky’s with Lynzee.”

  Sam looked sheepish. “The baby was taking a nap, and Grace said we had to be quiet. But we were bored, so I asked if we could go outside.”

  Janie gave him a stern look. “This doesn’t look like outside to me. And it’s definitely well outside the fence. You know you’re supposed to stay inside the fence.”

  “Yeah, but Lynzee ran out, so I had to come after her.”

  RaeLynn bit back a grin as she remembered what coming after her had actually looked like.

  “You should have gotten a grown-up, or at least told someone where you were going. Grace is worried sick.”

  Janie looked around. “And where is Lynzee?”

  RaeLynn gestured at the closet door. “I believe she’s hiding in there. She was afraid someone was going to kill her.”

  Janie looked at Sam. “We’ve talked about this. You go on back to the ranch house and let Grace know you and Lynzee are okay.”

  Janie walked toward the closet. “Lynzee, it’s safe to come out now.”

  She turned to RaeLynn, almost as if it were an afterthought. “I am so sorry. It’s usually not this disorganized here.”

  When Lynzee didn’t come out of the closet, Janie opened the door and gave a small chuckle. “Sound asleep. She’s just at that stage where she kind of needs a nap but won’t take one. It’s a weird age to manage. She was dropped off so early this morning that I’m sure she’s wiped out.”

  She picked up the sleeping child, held her in her arms for a moment and then gently laid her on one of the couches. “Like I said, it’s usually not like this. So tell me, what brings you to the Double R? We aren’t open to guests until next week.”

  Janie walked behind the registration desk and typed a few things in the computer. Then her face fell. “Oh no. You’re from that magazine, aren’t you? I am so sorry. We’ve already made a terrible first impression. I didn’t think you were getting here until tonight.”

  While RaeLynn did think this was a bad way to run a business, there was something about the distress on Janie’s face that made her sympathetic. Janie was trying to do the best she could, hoping to impress a reporter, and she thought she’d blown it.

  “It’s fine,” RaeLynn said. “I understand. Sometimes things happen. I recognize you from the background research I did. You run the local community resource center. It sounds like you’re doing great things with it.”

  Hopefully, this would ease Janie’s mind. Some people got so nervous around RaeLynn when she was working on a story. It was always best to put them at ease.

  Janie grinned widely. “Yes. So many projects. In fact, that’s kind of why I’m trying to cover for the gal who usually works the front desk. She’s had so many bad things happen, and this job is supposed to be a fresh start for her.”

  “It sounds like you really care,” RaeLynn said. She understood the helplessness in Janie’s voice. After all, that’s how she’d felt dealing with some of her family members. Janie was choosing to help people. RaeLynn respected that. After all, she was trying to help people, too. Just in a different way.

  “Anyway,” Janie said, “she’s a good kid.
Well, I guess she’s not really a kid anymore, but she’s had a hard time of it, and I’m just trying to look out for her.”

  RaeLynn smiled. “Your secret is safe with me. I can understand the situation. I’d love to come down to the community center to see the work you’re doing. I want as big a picture of the community as I can get for the article. I understand the Double R does a lot for the community center.”

  Janie smiled. “I appreciate that. My husband has been great with getting grants and things, but I think it would be really good for our donors to see someone taking note of the work we do and getting some positive press.”

  “Are you getting negative press?” RaeLynn had done her research in advance and hadn’t seen any.

  Janie laughed. “On the contrary. We’re not getting any, other than a few stories when we initially opened. It’s hard for small towns to get much notice in the media. We try, don’t get me wrong. But it seems like the rest of the world doesn’t care about what happens in a small town or about the kind of work we do here.”

  That was exactly why RaeLynn had to do this. Why, despite all of her misgivings and vows to stay away, she absolutely had to do her story on the Double R and its impact on Columbine Springs.

  A man stomped in the front door. “Janie, have you seen my daughter?” He stopped when he noticed RaeLynn. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize we had guests. No one is due until next week, other than that reporter who’s coming tonight.”

  Janie laughed. “Meet the reporter.”

  The man took his hat off his head and swiped a hand through his hair. For a cowboy, he wasn’t bad looking. In fact, if he hadn’t mentioned that D word, she might have been tempted to flirt with him. But having a child put a man firmly on her Absolutely Not list.

  He set his hat firmly back on his head and strode toward them. “Ma’am, I am so sorry. We’ve had a busy few days here at the ranch. Please forgive me. Ricky would tan my hide if he knew I wasn’t here to personally greet you. I’m Hunter Hawkins, the ranch foreman.”