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Bringing Rosie Home
Loree Lough
A kidnapping shattered their family…Rena and Grant VanMeter lived every parent’s worst nightmare when their preschool daughter was abducted. Riddled with guilt and hoping time apart would help them heal, Rena made the hardest decision of her life. But stunning news reunites her with Grant. Rosie has been found.Putting up a united front for their child’s sake isn’t as easy as they thought. Grant hasn’t forgiven Rena for taking her eyes off Rosie for a few critical seconds. And Rena has yet to forgive herself. But their little girl needs them more than ever…
A kidnapping shattered their family...
Rena and Grant VanMeter lived every parent’s worst nightmare when their preschool daughter was abducted. Riddled with guilt and hoping time apart would help them heal, Rena made the hardest decision of her life. But stunning news reunites her with Grant. Rosie has been found.
Putting up a united front for their child’s sake isn’t as easy as they thought. Grant hasn’t forgiven Rena for taking her eyes off Rosie for a few critical seconds. And Rena has yet to forgive herself. But their little girl needs them more than ever...
LOREE LOUGH once sang for her supper. That space reserved in pubs for “the piano lady”? Well, that’s where she sat, strumming her Yamaha in cities all over the United States and Canada. Now and then, she blows the dust from the old six-string to croon a tune or two, but mostly, she writes. She feels blessed that most of her stories have earned four- and five-star reviews, but what Loree is most proud of are her Readers’ Choice awards.
Loree and her husband live in a Baltimore suburb and enjoy spending time at their cozy cabin in Pennsylvania’s Allegheny Mountains (where she has nearly perfected her critter-tracking skills). They have two lovely daughters and seven “grandorables,” and because she believes in giving back, Loree donates generously to charity (see the full list at www.loreelough.com (http://www.loreelough.com)).
Loree loves hearing from her readers, some of whom have become lifelong friends! Find her on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.
Also By Loree Lough (#u063d6b60-ca7a-5b77-ad90-bc5f8c6a9632)
By Way of the Lighthouse
The Man She Knew
Those Marshall Boys
Once a Marine
Sweet Mountain Rancher
The Firefighter’s Refrain
A Child to Love
Raising Connor
Devoted to Drew
Saving Alyssa
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Bringing Rosie Home
Loree Lough
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-08087-3
BRINGING ROSIE HOME
© 2018 Loree Lough
Published in Great Britain 2018
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.
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www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
“Ready?” Grant grasped the knob as Rena squared her shoulders.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
Grant opened the door to the playroom. And there she was.
Our Rosie.
Grant squatted down to her height. “Hey there, kiddo,” he said.
Rosie looked at each of them in turn, as a slow smile lit up her face. Grant held out his arms, and Rosie ran to him. “Daddy, Daddy, oh, Daddy...”
Through her tears, Rena could see that Grant’s eyes were moist, too.
“Ah, my sweet Rosie-girl,” he said, holding her at arm’s length. “Let me look at you.” Bracketing her face with his big, strong hands, he stared into her eyes. “I’m so happy to see you!”
“I’m happy to see you, too!”
He turned slightly, held out a hand to invite Rena closer. “Go ahead, sweetie, give your mom a big hello hug.”
Oh, how it hurt that Rosie only moved closer because of Grant’s gentle nudge! Rena wrapped her arms around her daughter, willing herself to appreciate the momentary contact, to ignore the way Rosie stood, arms pressed tight to her sides, stiff as a statue.
Rena turned her loose and feigned a smile. Hands on the tiny shoulders, she said, “I missed you, sweet girl, missed you so much!”
The child’s blank stare shook her to the core.
Dear Reader (#u063d6b60-ca7a-5b77-ad90-bc5f8c6a9632),
I’m sure that every time you hear about a missing child, your heart breaks a little, just as mine does. Our instinct is to protect the little ones, so we put our faith in first responders, search and rescue personnel and their well-trained dogs...and God. Our grief is palpable when the worst-possible scenario unfolds, but we’re overjoyed when parents are reunited with their child.
Such is the story of Rena and Grant VanMeter, whose little girl was kidnapped at age three. Imagine their grief, compounded by the separation that seemed their only avenue to respite.
Then, five years later, the lead detective calls to say “We found her!”, upending their world yet again as they reunite...for Rosie’s sake.
Through hard work, acceptance and forgiveness, Rena and Grant realize the love that brought them together in the first place is still very much alive, and as the family heals, their future looks promising. Sadly, that isn’t the case for too many of the families that experience similar shattering losses. (Case in point: the family whose story served as my inspiration for Bringing Rosie Home.)
My prayer for all missing children is that they will return, safe and unharmed, to the loving arms of their parents. I pray just as hard for fractured families that never find their way back to shared happiness. And I pray that none of us will ever be touched by such searing pain.
Wishing you well in all you do,
Loree
This story is dedicated to those whose loved ones have gone missing, and to the once-missing individuals who have been found.
May they all know the comfort and peace
of home, wherever they are.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Huge and heartfelt thanks to all those who provided insights, opinions and information that helped lend authenticity to this story: the helpful employees of Baltimore’s Child Protective Services office, FBI agents Donald McCarthy and Paul Reagan*, pediatric psychiatrists Ron Abrams and Sue Robinson, detective Jack Royer, Adele and Phil Morrison* (whose son went missing in 1995), and Donna Ryan*, whose once-missing daughter was returned to her loving arms in 2001. (* = names changed at individuals’ request.)
Contents
Cover (#u85e92e9b-1a4f-56ed-87c3-35965bb7a62d)
Back Cover Text (#u4c8f6d86-6be0-503e-934e-a9ce4a4b0b6e)
About the Author (#u4494c1b6-2b94-57a9-859a-855d42ee2bfd)
Booklist (#ud863abb3-5ca9-5e74-81b5-6a7dc6031a1e)
Title Page (#uc34e8968-6fe0-5c0f-80d7-8080f1a2fa16)
Copyright (#u0cdcfb4b-8cac-5b08-a29a-9e3a4fb293df)
Introduction (#u4191b94d-5805-5f4a-a953-dc73c8ae7767)
Dear Reader (#u7d7c120c-916e-533c-834d-e41ee56a68f4)
Dedication (#ub8a96fd6-da2a-538c-8471-dc09d77a6b8b)
Chapter One (#u6fb02f12-ed90-5780-bd56-42a438415f3f)
Chapter Two (#u83597056-5544-5091-9dba-5378d0bfe532)
Chapter Three (#ue8cf891c-72f7-57d1-acb5-ff168960869f)
Chapter Four (#u6aa4304b-46e1-5a8c-9dff-be9ceb2bc126)
Chapter Five (#u79f4f62a-93fc-5186-960b-49a0ad889f0f)
Chapter Six (#uf7492775-f51e-5d31-a318-489860d4dfa7)
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)
Chapter Eighteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nineteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-One (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One (#u063d6b60-ca7a-5b77-ad90-bc5f8c6a9632)
AS SHE’D DRESSED this morning, Rena had decided this would be her last session with Dr. Hutchinson. Two years of therapy, and what did she have to show for it? A smaller bank account and dozens of wasted hours, that was what. And the psychologist hadn’t brought her little girl back. Or saved Rena’s marriage.
But the analyst surprised her, shifting her line of questioning from Rosie’s kidnapping to Rena’s relationship—or lack thereof.
“How are things with Grant?” Martha asked.
They’d been separated over three years now, ever since Rena had taken her mother-in-law’s advice and turned Rosie’s room into a home office for Grant. When he saw it, every ugly thought and accusation he’d kept to himself had poured out, and when Rena had realized it was her presence—not sparkly tiaras, dolls and Teddy bears—that reminded him of that awful day, she’d offered to leave.
And he’d done nothing to stop her.
“We haven’t spoken in months.” Not since his grandfather died and he’d called to ask if she wanted to attend the services.
“Do you ever regret leaving?”
Only every day! Yes, Grant had allowed bitterness and blame to turn him into a surly, brooding man, but Rena remembered well the man he’d once been. The man he’d still be if she hadn’t taken her eyes off Rosie that day at the zoo.
