Legacy Rejected Read online

  Legacy Rejected

  Legacy Series, Book 1

  Robin Patchen

  JDO Publishing

  Join my newsletter list to download a free copy of Beauty in Flight and learn about new releases, including my July, 2019, release, Legacy Rejected. You won’t want to miss it.

  For Mom.

  Your encouragement has fueled my achievements.

  Also by Robin Patchen

  Beauty in Flight

  Beauty in Flight

  Beauty in Hiding

  Beauty in Battle

  Hidden Truth

  Convenient Lies

  Twisted Lies

  Generous Lies

  Innocent Lies

  Amanda Series

  Chasing Amanda

  Finding Amanda

  Legacy Series

  Legacy Rejected, releasing July 2019

  Legacy Restored, releasing October 2019

  Legacy Redeemed, releasing January 2020

  Contents

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Legacy Restored, Chapter One

  Also by Robin Patchen

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  No story comes together easily. This one was harder than most. I couldn’t have done it without the brainstorming help of Susan Crawford, Regina Jennings, and my brilliant and insightful husband, Eddie, who knows much more about the workings of the criminal underworld than I’d ever imagined.

  Once again to my my critique partners, Normandie Fischer, Kara Hunt, Jericha Kingston, Candice Sue Patterson, Sharon Srock, Pegg Thomas, and Terri Weldon—you make me look good. I couldn’t do this without you.

  Misty Beller, your marketing advice is invaluable, as is your friendship.

  Thank you, Ray Rhamey, for your excellent editing.

  Sara Jo Odom—whom I’m lucky enough to call Mom—thank you for all your support—and your proofreading skills as well.

  Eddie, Nick, Lexi, and Jacob, your encouragement means more than I can express. It’s an odd person who makes up fictional characters for a living and a special family that will encourage the dream.

  Finally and most importantly, thank you, Lord, for the story idea and the ability to bring it together. I owe this book, everything I do, and everything I am to You.

  Chapter One

  Ginny Lamont stepped onto her front porch and breathed in the sunshine. She loved everything about her new home. Even the cold New Hampshire winter had felt cozy and homey here. She’d built fires in her fireplace on particularly chilly nights. And it didn’t hurt that when the roads were slick, she could bundle up and walk to the office and all the little shops and restaurants in downtown Nutfield.

  Winter had tried to nudge its way back in more than once this April, but spring in New England knew how to nudge right back. Today, warmth won the battle, and the birds were celebrating with song from the beautiful old maple in her front yard.

  She slid behind the wheel of her Toyota. It was too nice a day to stay stuck inside, though the work there beckoned—painting and updating her house took up most of her spare time. But she needed a little family time. And she wasn’t going to think about the way her mother had shoved her out the door the previous summer and told her never to return. She wasn’t going to think about Kathryn’s cold welcome when she’d relocated to Nutfield. Ginny had come here to be close to her sister. She’d gotten to know her brother-in-law, and she’d fallen in love with the kids.

  Kathryn hadn’t invited Ginny over in weeks. Not that she invited her very often. In fact, no matter how hard Ginny tried, she and her sister still hadn’t rekindled the sisterly relationship they’d had as kids. But today, Ginny was going to take a chance and stop by. It was simply too glorious a day not to share it with people she loved. Maybe today would be the day she’d break through Kathryn’s hard shell.

  Ginny picked up lunch at KFC, including a box of cookies for the kids. Kathryn would give her that look of disappointment—the one Ginny had seen so often during their childhood—but the kids’ excitement over the treats would soften the blow of her sister’s disapproval.

  When Ginny turned onto their street, she had to maneuver around a giant moving truck in front of Kathryn’s house. Were the neighbors moving?

  She parked on the street behind a big silver Mercedes, grabbed the bag filled with lunch, and climbed out of the car.

  When she rounded the huge moving truck, she froze.

  The movers weren’t at the neighbor’s house. They were at Kathryn’s.

  Her sister directed traffic outside. “Did you get the lawn chairs?” she asked one of the movers.

  “We got it all.”

  “Good,” Kathryn said. “Then it looks like we’re about finished.”

  The man passed Kathryn and headed for the truck.

  Kathryn called into the house, “Matthew, are you ready?”

  Ginny stood at the edge of the yard and watched. She couldn’t seem to make her feet move. Maybe it was all a nightmare, a terrible nightmare.

  Come on, Ginny. Wake up. This couldn’t be happening. Not again.

  The moving truck’s rear door slammed shut. The sound reverberated like a gunshot.

  Kathryn turned at the noise and saw Ginny. Her eyes widened, and she glanced at the front door as if she might run.

  And then, she approached. “What are you doing here?”

  Ginny lifted the meal. “I missed you. I haven’t seen you in…” A long time. She hadn’t been invited over in weeks, and now she knew why. Kathryn had been packing.

  Kathryn crossed her arms. “We’re leaving.”

  Ginny set the sack of food on the sidewalk. “I thought you loved New Hampshire.”

  “We do.” Kathryn’s scowl slipped a little, and behind it, Ginny saw the sister she’d once known. The sister who’d once loved her back. “We did. We made a home here. Our kids were happy here.”

  “Then why?” Ginny scanned the front yard of the giant Colonial. There was no For Sale sign in the yard. Apparently, it had been a private sale.

  A secret sale.

  But why?

  Kathryn shook her head. “You’re either monumentally stupid or you think I am.”

  Ginny opened her mouth but couldn’t come up with a suitable answer. Finally, she said, “Since we both know you’ve always been the smart one, I guess I’m the stupid one.”

  “You really don’t understand what your coming here has done?”

  “I came here to be near you. Since Dad died and Mom sent me away, you’re the only family I have left.”

  A door closed, and they turned to see Matthew chase their two-year-old daughter out of the gaping garage. He snatched her, carried her to the far side of their SUV, opened the door, and wrangled her into the car seat.

  Ginny had found herself surrounded by this big, chaotic family of six. She’d been invited for Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Year’s and Easter. She’d babysat and played with the kids and enjoyed the family time, so different from her own growing-up years. And if her sister had been
cold to her, her brother-in-law standoffish, at least the kids had made her feel welcome. The boys and their toy guns and crazy antics, the girls and their giggles and hugs. She’d fallen in love with them.

  Tears burned, and she didn’t bother to brush them away. “I don’t understand.”

  Kathryn inhaled a deep sigh, blew it out through her nose in her signature You’re too stupid to live move. And as always, Kathryn was right. Ginny was ten steps behind.

  Then, Kathryn touched Ginny’s hand. The lightest touch, a gesture of… what? Kindness, maybe? Sympathy? “You should leave, too. And don’t tell anyone where you’re going.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “It’s just a matter of time before they come after you.”

  They? She had no idea what her sister was talking about, but her heartbeat raced anyway. “Who?”

  Behind them, Matthew spoke in quiet tones to the movers. A moment later, the truck pulled away.

  When the noise died, Ginny asked, “Who am I supposed to be running from?”

  Kathryn rolled her eyes, an adolescent gesture that brought a pang of memories. “Mom and Dad’s associates. Seriously, open your eyes. You’re in danger. You need to leave, and don’t look back. Change your name. Get new ID. Do whatever you have to do. But hide.”

  “You haven’t been hiding.”

  “That was before you led them here, before Dad’s accident.”

  Behind them, Matthew called, “It’s time to go.”

  Kathryn nodded at her husband, then stepped forward and pulled Ginny into a tight embrace. Into her ear, she said, “They’re here, Ginny. I don’t know why, and I don’t know what they want. You have to run.” Kathryn stepped back, swiped a tear from her eyes.

  “Who did you see?”

  She glanced at Matthew, who nodded, before she faced Ginny again. “I spotted a man in town a couple of weeks ago. He was at Dad’s funeral. I didn’t know his name, and when I asked Mom about him, she was evasive. She seemed scared.”

  “Mom’s never scared.”

  “I know,” Kathryn said. “It can’t be a coincidence that he’s here.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Kathryn sighed, shook her head. “I can’t be responsible for you anymore. I have my own family now.”

  “This guy, what does he—?”

  “I have no idea!”

  Ginny wanted to demand more information, but if Kathryn knew anything else, she wasn’t sharing. Ginny swallowed all her questions. If she had to leave Nutfield to stay with her sister, she would. “I’ll just come—”

  “No.” The word was harsh, and any tenderness Ginny might have seen in Kathryn’s eyes vanished. “You stay away from me and my family. Don’t try to find us. If you love us at all, stay far away.”

  “But—”

  “Good bye, Ginny.”

  Kathryn marched to the SUV and slid in the passenger seat.

  Matthew followed. Just before he climbed in, he turned and met Ginny’s eyes. “God bless you. Be safe.”

  The only family she had left in the world drove down the street and out of sight.

  Ginny stared at the empty road long after they’d disappeared.

  The neighborhood was quiet. As far as Ginny could see, nobody had witnessed her latest shame.

  As usual, she was alone.

  Ginny had known her sister wasn’t thrilled when she’d arrived in Nutfield the previous summer, but Kathryn seemed to come to terms with it. Had that all been a lie?

  Stupid question. Ginny was standing in the driveway of an empty house, nothing but the lingering scents of exhaust and cooling fried chicken to show anybody else had been there at all. Tears streamed from her eyes, and she grabbed a napkin from the bag and wiped them.

  Sunlight glinted off her sedan. The Mercedes was still there. She had no idea whose it was. She glanced at the lunch she’d brought to surprise them.

  The surprise had been hers.

  If she hadn’t shown up, her sister would have disappeared without a word.

  She should leave, but she couldn’t seem to make her feet move. It made no sense. Why would Kathryn do this?

  That question brought back another. Why had Ginny’s mother sent her away the day of her father’s memorial? That had been one of the strangest, most heartbreaking moments of her life. The duffel bag Mom had shoved into her hand just before she pushed Ginny out the door had been filled with cash—her first clue that her parents’ business wasn’t legitimate.

  But she cared nothing about that. She hadn’t touched the money. Hadn’t wanted to. She’d stuck it in a safe deposit box and left it, figuring Mom would call to collect it eventually.

  Ginny didn’t need money. She needed family.

  The breeze kicked up. She snatched the sack of food. She should go. There was nothing left for her here.

  She was mustering the energy to walk to her car when a man stepped from the house onto the front porch steps. He smiled and lifted a hand in greeting.

  She froze. It was Kade Powers, real estate developer and entrepreneur.

  He started toward her. “I hate to break it to you, but you’re too late to get this listing. It’s already…” His words trailed as he approached. “What happened? Are you all right?”

  Right. She must be a mess. Just her luck she’d run into the most attractive single man in town when she was bawling like a baby. She turned away and sniffed and wiped the tears with the damp napkin. Not that it would do any good. With a sigh, she turned back to him. “Just got a bit of bad news.”

  His lips turned down at the corners. “Anything I can do?”

  She shook her head, wiped her eyes again. “Why are you here?”

  “I just bought this house. The owners insisted we keep it quiet, so I didn’t say anything at the meeting the other day.” The real estate meeting. She also knew him from Rotary Club and the food bank, where they both volunteered.

  Kathryn had sure been thorough, hadn’t she? No way was her little sister going to get wind of her plan to skip town.

  Kade stepped forward and placed his hand on her elbow. “I’m sorry about your bad news. You want to talk about it?”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “Were you here looking for Kathryn Jacobs? They just left.”

  “I talked to her. Did they tell you where they were going?”

  Maybe Kathryn had been more honest with this practical stranger than she’d been with Ginny.

  “Sorry.” Kade let his hand drop “Like I said, all very hush-hush. How did you know her?”

  “She’s my sister.”

  He blinked once, twice. “Wait… You don’t know where—?”

  “I’m the reason it was all very hush-hush.” She couldn’t keep the sadness from her voice.

  “Wow.” His normally cheerful demeanor shifted to pity. “That’s… harsh.”

  Ginny shrugged. “Whatever.” Her bid for nonchalance failed when her voice cracked.

  He glanced at his watch. “I have a meeting this afternoon, but I have time for lunch… or coffee… if you need to talk.”

  He was trying to be nice, to take care of the pathetic loser whose own sister wanted nothing to do with her. She didn’t need his pity. Or maybe she did, but she sure as heck wasn’t going to take it.

  She pushed her shoulders back and tried to arrange her lips into a smile. “I brought lunch. I was going to share with Kathryn, but she had to rush out. Thanks, anyway.”

  His warm eyes held hers. “Okay, if you’re—”

  “Congrats on the house.” She broke the eye contact. The way he was looking at her, the sadness and concern, made her want to cry all over again. “I’m sure you’ll be very happy here.”

  “I’m not going to live here. I plan to resell it. They sold it for…” His words trailed.

  “Right. Probably practically gave it away. Who knew I was so repulsive?”

  He touched her arm. “I’m sure it had nothing to do with you.”

&nbs
p; Ginny forced a laugh. “Now you’re just making stuff up.” She turned and headed for her car, calling over her shoulder, “See you at the food bank.”

  He said nothing else, but when Ginny slid into her car, she peeked, and sure enough, he was still standing there, watching her go.

  Excellent. It wasn’t humiliating enough that her sister had schemed to get away without telling her, but now her embarrassment was public.

  No wonder Ginny had always been alone. Even when she was a kid, Ginny had been on the outside looking in. Her biggest mistake was believing that might change.

  She pulled onto the street, careful not to hit the Mercedes, which must have belonged to Kade. She didn’t have any appointments that day. In fact, she didn’t have anything to do at all. The lunch she’d purchased in town filled the car with delicious scents, but they turned her stomach now. She’d find a dumpster and toss the entire bag. Then…

  Then she’d have to decide what to do. Because Kathryn seemed to think she was in danger in Nutfield. But Ginny had nowhere else to go.

  Chapter Two

  That had gone well.

  If he’d been hoping to alienate and embarrass the attractive real estate agent, he’d call it a win-win.

  Kade Powers stepped back inside his latest acquisition and wandered through the rooms, barely seeing anything. He’d gone outside because he’d seen movement in the driveway and assumed the cleaners had arrived. He’d been shocked to see Ginny Lamont.