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For Their Child's Sake
Jules Bennett
He’s fighting to reclaim his family. And he’s playing to win. Two years ago, Sam Bailey lost the two people who mattered most. But now his daughter needs him, and Sam sees a chance to fight for his family. But Can Sam convince estranged wife Tara they can be a family again, even better and stronger than before…
He’s fighting to reclaim his family.
And he’s playing to win.
Two years ago, Sam Bailey lost the two people who mattered most. Now his daughter needs him. Despite their still-powerful attraction, Tara isn’t ready to trust her estranged husband again. But Sam sees a chance to fight for their future, to redeem himself in Tara’s eyes. He needs them to be a family again—even better and stronger than before...
USA TODAY bestselling author JULES BENNETT has published over sixty books and never tires of writing happy endings. Creating strong heroines and alpha heroes is Jules’s favorite way to spend her workdays. Jules hosts weekly contests on her Facebook fan page and loves chatting with readers on Twitter (https://twitter.com/JulesBennett), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/authorjulesbennett/) and via email through her website. Stay up-to-date by signing up for her newsletter at julesbennett.com (http://julesbennett.com).
Also by Jules Bennett (#ua6f6e4d5-6fd6-570d-b7a5-65c6e9650752)
Return to Stonerock
The Cowboy’s Second-Chance Family
The St. Johns of Stonerock
Dr. Daddy’s Perfect Christmas
The Fireman’s Ready-Made Family
From Best Friend to Bride
What the Prince Wants
A Royal Amnesia Scandal
Maid for a Magnate
His Secret Baby Bombshell
Best Man Under the Mistletoe
Married in Name Only
The Rancher’s Heirs
Twin Secrets
Claimed by the Rancher
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk).
For Their Child’s Sake
Jules Bennett
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-09122-0
FOR THEIR CHILD’S SAKE
© 2019 Jules Bennett
Published in Great Britain 2019
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.
® and ™ are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
“For the sake of Marley, we will both be sleeping in this bed.”
Tara quirked a brow. “For her sake?”
“She still has nightmares,” Sam told her. “If she crawls into bed and I’m sleeping on the floor or on the sofa, do you want to answer all those questions? This will get better,” he assured her as he pulled his shirt over his head. “I’m confident her memories will...”
Sam lost all train of thought at the sight of Tara staring at his exposed chest.
“This won’t work,” she muttered. “I mean, I’m still attracted to you, but I don’t want to be.”
Dear Reader (#ua6f6e4d5-6fd6-570d-b7a5-65c6e9650752),
The wait is over! Sam and Tara are here, along with their sweet daughter, Marley. I wanted to do a spin on the traditional amnesia story, so I hope you love this journey.
If you read The Cowboy’s Second-Chance Family and From Best Friend to Daddy, then you have already met Sam and Tara. This dynamic couple has truly been through so much and they are finally going to get their happy ending...after jumping a few more hurdles, of course.
Sam is one determined man and he wants his family back. I don’t believe I’ve ever written a stronger hero, and Tara...well, she’s afraid of getting hurt again. She might be a little hard on Sam, but that all stems from past pain.
I hope this book touches you as much as it did me. Addiction is a very serious topic and one I feel has touched nearly every family in one way or another.
In this final installment of my Return to Stonerock series, I promise all the feels and a few “aww” moments as Sam and Tara learn to love again and rebuild their marriage stronger than ever.
Happy reading,
Jules
To anyone who has struggled with addiction of
any kind, there is hope. You are not forgotten.
Contents
Cover (#u344587a2-4bad-54ce-b9c0-0f7685195a65)
Back Cover Text (#u871c32ae-557f-5649-a31c-3b2c5cff08f1)
About the Author (#uf429622a-daac-5ba6-bafc-ff2fcd7a3304)
Booklist (#uc2b09fe1-7602-5ef2-bff9-5b4192de9df9)
Title Page (#u6c5b3a28-41c4-5884-9ac9-ef64f53bacfa)
Copyright (#ufd17d4fc-f024-54e1-810c-97cb2a5f9a34)
Introduction (#u86b1ecd4-db1b-5d38-b2f7-754fc5fc8cf6)
Dear Reader (#u8da7cba2-bdeb-530f-9506-9a37dec5b354)
Dedication (#u7e65af05-d80e-584d-b4d1-c22482aabc47)
Chapter One (#uf93068cb-6975-570d-a549-9cc81bb34f7c)
Chapter Two (#u34401a38-9811-53ee-9de5-060cf518fae5)
Chapter Three (#uc7f3f46d-a8bd-5a42-af1c-817cdd11c64c)
Chapter Four (#uad0c522b-9862-5f05-8fb4-65a248e3aabe)
Chapter Five (#u79aa8833-af54-5370-8030-291b5e8b583a)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seventeen (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One (#ua6f6e4d5-6fd6-570d-b7a5-65c6e9650752)
“Just tell us the prognosis.”
Sam Bailey had been on an emotional roller coaster the past two years. And now, huddled in a small consultation room at Mercy Hospital in Stonerock, Tennessee, waiting to hear the diagnosis of his five-year-old daughter while sitting next to the wife who’d left him...well, Sam’s nerves were flat-out shot.
Dr. Benson displayed a glossy page with several images. “You can see on Marley’s CT scan that everything appears to be in good shape.”
Actually, Sam couldn’t see that because he was an architect, not a doctor.
“If things are good, then why did you bring us in here?” Tara asked. “I want to be with my daughter.”
His wife sat too close, smelled too good and was clutching the strap of her purse like it was the only thing keeping her grounded. If they were a normal couple, he’d reach out and take her white-knuckled hand to offer support. If they were a normal couple, they would’ve driven here together when the school called and said that Marley had hit her head when she fell from the playground equipment at a party on the last day of a summer school program.
If they were a normal couple, he wouldn’t have divorce papers waiting for his signature just below where his wife had already signed away their marriage.
“Marley is a lively little girl. I can tell from the time I spent with her doing my assessment. This fall could have been much worse.” Dr. Benson shifted his focus from Sam to Tara. “A head trauma can cause multiple issues and some aren’t seen by simply looking at the outward appearance.”
“Just say it,” Sam demanded. “What’s wrong with my daughter?”
Technically, she was his adopted daughter. When he’d met Tara, Marley had just turned two. He’d fallen in love with both raven-haired beauties and quickly made them his family. Marley was his in every single way that mattered. Even if Sam and Tara’s marriage was one signature away from the end, Marley was still his.
Sam couldn’t figure out what was actually wrong with her, though. He’d seen Marley, he’d talked to her. She showed him where her head hurt and the scrapes on her legs from the fall.
She’d been talking just fine and even asked when they could go home. So why the cryptic chat in private?
“I consulted with another colleague,” the doctor went on. “We both believe Marley has retrograde amnesia.”
The doctor’s words took a moment to sink in. Sam wasn’t sure what retrograde amnesia was, but he sure as hell knew the term amnesia. Marley had fallen off the top of a slide and hit her head on the pole holding up the ladder. Amnesia? Wasn’t that a term used in movies? This was real life—this was his daughter’s life.
“Amnesia?” Tara’s whispered question had an underlying hint of denial. “But I talked to her. She called me Mommy and talked like she always does. She didn’t seem confused.”
The doctor nodded. “She’s not right now. Retrograde amnesia is where the patient is missing a portion of time, so unless you asked her about something specific, she wouldn’t know she was missing the memory. RA patients have retained information in their minds. In Marley’s case she knows her parents, where she lives, her favorite toy. Those are all things that have been a constant in her life. But she’s not aware she’s finished kindergarten. She remembers being in preschool, which isn’t part of the camp she’s in today. She remembers the two of you marrying—or, at least, the pictures from that day and memories you’ve discussed with her since she was little. She’s chatted quite a bit with me, but from listening, she’s lost the last year of her life.”
An entire year? His daughter was only five years old and she’d lost twenty percent of her life? How did something as common as a fall on the playground result in his baby girl being robbed of her memories?
Sam struggled to wrap his thoughts, his emotions, around this moment. How the hell had they landed here? How had he and Tara gone from the happiest, most loving couple to being separated and now dealing with Marley having amnesia? Life could spin out of control in an instant and he was more than done with the ride.
