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Where the Road Ends
Tara Taylor Quinn
There are some things only a mother can feel…At one time, Amy Wainscoat had it all–wealth, control of her family's Chicago business, a handsome and loving husband, a child she adored. But her husband was killed in a boating accident a year ago. And now, most devastating of all, five-year-old Charles has been kidnapped, apparently by the nanny she'd recently fired.Despite the involvement of the police and the FBI, despite the fact that she's hired one of the best private investigators around, Amy's determined to be part of the search.There are some things only a mother can do…When Charles and his ex-nanny are spotted in Michigan, Amy drives across the state, following every conceivable lead, following each road to its end. As she and her detective grow close, their shared quest engenders an intimacy that's more real than anything except her love for Charles.Then, one day, the search is over. And what they find shocks Amy as nothing has ever shocked her before.
Praise for Tara Taylor Quinn
“Tara Taylor Quinn’s deeply felt stories of romance and family will warm your heart.”
—Jennifer Crusie, bestselling author
“Quinn rips out her readers’ hearts, then hands them back, mended and stronger.”
—Rickey R. Mallory, Affaire de Coeur
“Quinn really pushes the envelope of romance writing. She enters territory where more cautious writers fear to tread.”
—Betty Webb, Sunday Arts, Arizona Tribune
“Tara Taylor Quinn writes with wonderful assurance and an effective, unpretentious style perfectly suited to her chosen genre. Her handling of male viewpoint is exceptional. She manages to make her heroes both intriguing and human, which isn’t always easy. She seems to genuinely like and understand men as a species, an attitude as refreshing as it is unusual.”
—Jennifer Blake, bestselling author
“Quinn’s daring plotting and careful handling of the related moral issues is extraordinary.”
—Cindy Penn, Amazon Top 50 reviewer
“Readers are always in for a treat when they pick up a book by Tara Taylor Quinn.”
—Rendezvous
“Quinn writes touching stories about real people that transcend plot type or genre.”
—Rachel Potter, All About Romance
Where the Road Ends
Tara Taylor Quinn
www.mirabooks.co.uk (http://www.mirabooks.co.uk)
For Kevin, who has to endure far too many challenges for the honor of being my spouse, but who approaches every step of the journey as if it’s a privilege.
And
For Rachel, whose childhood has been unique but who doesn’t seem to resent that fact.
I love both of you with all my heart.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Special thanks to my “Michigan Research Family”—Alyson Hamacher, videographer extraordinaire and special vacuum coordinator; Rachel Reames, videographer, entertainer and owner of the disfigured finger; Patricia Bodell, for her notes; Kevin Reames, chauffeur, and Steve Meredith, navigator. As far as I’m concerned, the road never ends.
Thanks also to all the owners and employees of the many, many establishments we visited, some of which appear in this book. Without fail, everyone we approached was gracious, helpful and kind, from people we stopped on the street to the UPS delivery lady. Please note: while most of the places mentioned in this book are real, there were times I needed to use less-than-appealing establishments, and they are fictitious. The school in Lowell, Michigan, is also fictitious. Thanks to my in-laws, Deanna Reames and David Reames, and to Julie Greer for jumping in to help with last-minute location glitches.
And one more thank-you to all of those who supported me through this exciting opportunity: my agent, Irene Goodman; my editor, Paula Eykelhof; Debbie Macomber; Lee Anne Vangarderen for her nightly e-mails of encouragement; my many friends in Romance Writers of America; my mother and brother, Penny and Scott Gumser. Any time I started to doubt, one of you was there.
Dear Reader,
I’m excited to bring you this novel, which is very special to me. It’s one of those stories that had a life of its own from the beginning, taking me places I would never have dared to go before this. It first came about in a darkened and mostly empty theater as I sat through several nights of dance rehearsal with my daughter. I was entertaining myself, not working. I wasn’t plotting or developing characters. I never intended a book to be born. When I sat down at the computer one midnight after rehearsal, it was only to play around a little bit. How twelve pages appeared in less than an hour, I still don’t know. But they were the beginning of something that had more power over me than I could ever have imagined.
I’m partial to this story for another reason, as well. It’s set in Michigan—which I’ve always considered home. Though I’ve lived all over the country, most of my family—and my husband’s family—is still in Michigan. We own seventeen acres there, just outside Baldwin. You’ll see it about halfway through the book. And no, the owners don’t want to sell.
One more thing. I said this book took me places I wouldn’t choose to go. One of those was the world of child abduction. During the months I spent writing Where the Road Ends, researching procedures and statistics, I became concerned about my own daughter’s safety. Until I stumbled on a fairly new program sponsored by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children—Know the Rules. Know the Rules is a public-awareness campaign designed to educate and empower teens and their parents, and to help in the prevention of child abduction. I found that in educating myself about some simple rules, I could alleviate a lot of the fears I had. I was able to allow myself and my daughter to live not in fear but with confidence, because my child knew what to do if danger presented itself. You can receive a Know the Rules publication free of charge through my new Web site, www.tarataylorquinn.com, or by contacting the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at www.missingkids.com.
My hope is that, empowered with knowledge, we all continue to live happy and healthy.
I love to hear from readers! You can reach me at ttquinn@tarataylorquinn.com or at P.O. Box 15065, Scottsdale, AZ 85267. You’re also invited to check out my Web site. With trivia contests, prizes, free giveaways, message boards and more, we have a lot of fun there! Come join us.
Tara
Contents
Prologue
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
Epilogue
Prologue
She was going to have to let the nanny go.
Staring out the front-room window, taking in the beautiful rolling grounds of the Wainscoat estate, Amelia reined in emotion, trading its insidious confusion for logical thought.
Would it always feel as if her life was out of control?
Or was letting Kathy go the first step toward taking charge? The beginning of a new existence for herself and her son?
Fingers trembling uncharacteristically, Amelia pushed her dark hair over her shoulders, ruining the effect Donald, her hairdresser of ten years, had so painstakingly created. And if the tears that were threatening actually fell, the time she’d spent on her artfully applied makeup would be wasted, too.
As she stood there in her slim-fitting, dove-gray designer suit waiting for Kathy to appear, Amelia tried to focus on the facts. And she remembered the last conversation—almost a year earlier—she’d had with her husband.
They’d been in her suite in the high-rise building that was home to the head office of Wainscoat Construction. After a short day at his current construction site, Johnny had come to drop off Charles before going to the dock to take the new boat for a trial run, prior to teaching Charles to water ski the following day.
“I’m a little uncomfortable with how possessive of Charles Kathy’s getting,” he’d said slowly. “It’s almost like she’s jealous of your place in his life.”
“I’ve had to remind her once or twice that as his mother, I make the decisions,” she replied. “Kathy’s very involved with him, but that’s natural, don’t you think? They spend a lot of time together.”
He’d nodded, but hadn’t looked convinced.
“Do you think there’s a problem?” she’d asked Johnny. “More than just two women being territorial?” She’d studied his face, usually able to read his thoughts.
His broad shoulders square, Johnny had shrugged. “I think it’s possible. Which is why I wanted to talk to you.”
Amelia’s stomach had started to hurt then—just as it hurt now. “So what do we do about her? It’s not like we can fire her, Johnny. She’s part of the family.”
“Well—” Johnny had drawn out the word meaningfully “—no, she’s not.”
“She’s been living with us since Charles was born.”
“She’s an employee.”
He’d been right, of course, but…
“One we’ve trusted with our son’s life,” Amelia said.
“And I think we still can, to a point.”
“To what point?”
Johnny’s eyes had been warm, concerned, as they met hers. He’d suggested they keep an eye on things. Listen carefully to everything their four-year-old son had to say.
And with that warning, she’d wanted to get rid of Kathy then and there.
“Don’t overreact, Amelia,” Johnny had said.
Her heart missed a beat now as she remembered the grin he’d given her. The one that had always melted her heart.
“I’m not suggesting anything drastic here,” he’d continued. “I don’t think it’s gotten out of hand….”
She remembered thinking, that Johnny was right. As usual.
Things hadn’t been bad enough to warrant firing Kathy. Not then.
But this past year, since Johnny’s death, the situation had changed.
At least Amelia thought it had.
Thinking back over the past months, she made a mental list of times she’d been concerned about Kathy’s actions and was surprised—and a little frightened—by how extensive the list had grown.
Most recently with Kathy’s insistence that Amelia not change the school her son was attending.
Johnny had been worried that Kathy was overstepping her boundaries.
And she had been; there was no longer any doubt of it. Amelia reviewed her list.
And then her mind switched back to Johnny that day in her office. Bruising her with memories of the husband she’d lost…
He’d reached for the door.
“Johnny?”
“Yeah?”
She hadn’t known why she’d called out to him. She’d just wished things had been different, that he’d kissed her while they’d had that moment alone. That she’d said, “I love you.”
“You’ll be home for dinner?” she’d asked.
“I always am,” he’d said, heading back to the outer office.
He was always home for dinner. It was she—CEO of the multibillion dollar company for which Johnny was a construction worker—who missed out on family dinners. But what else could she do?
