“This is still very new to us. Let’s call our uncles.”
“Before we do that, I want to hire the best private investigator money can buy. We need to find Maude’s daughter for her.”
“And you say you can’t read minds, but you just did mine. The sheriff’s brother in Reno is a PI, and a damn good one from what I’ve heard.”
They made the call and had everything set up with the sheriff’s brother in less than an hour.
“That’s right,” Grant told the man on the other end of the line. “It’s the Clark & Thompson Adoption Agency in St. Louis. The adoption took place about eight years ago.”
“Excellent,” the PI said. “I just want to make sure you know how difficult it is to get this kind of information. I’ll do my best, but there is no guarantee.”
“We understand. When can we expect to hear from you?”
“If I discover anything, I’ll give you a call. If I don’t, I’ll be sure to check in at least twice a month. Be patient. Typically these things take a lot of time.”
“Do your best.” He ended the call.
Greg poured them each another drink. “What a night.”
“You can say that again.” Grant could still taste Maude’s lips on his own. “I thought it would be awkward. It wasn’t, was it?”
“Not at all,” his brother answered. “The Wilde way might be new to us, but it seemed so natural.”
“Like we’ve been in love with her our whole lives.” He took another slug from his glass.
“We can’t fuck this up,” Greg said.
He placed his hand on the shoulder of his brother, the only man he would be willing to share Maude with. “We won’t.”
Chapter Nine
Maude walked into the Wilde mansion at midnight. Carol had left a note for her on the kitchen table.
Dear daughter Maude,
I hope you had a nice time with my nephews Greg and Grant. I can’t wait to hear about it all in the morning. I made two pineapple upside-down cakes, one to take to the church dance tomorrow night and one for the house. Feel free to have a slice. The one on the left is for church. The one on the right is for us.
Sweet dreams.
Love,
Carol
The woman was even sweeter than her amazing desserts.
Maude looked at the cake, which seemed scrumptious. She thought about the chocolate pie she’d just eaten at the Strong brothers’ home. One little sliver won’t kill me, but if I keep eating like this I’m not going to be able to fit into my clothes.
Maude tiptoed to Mary’s door. She hated to disturb her sister’s sleep. Mary had just accepted the Wilde brothers’ proposal Friday night. And since t
hey’d all decided on one of the shortest engagements in history—seven days—Mary had much to do to pull off the wedding. Despite her fiancés’ grumblings, her sister had decided to spend the week at their parents’ home, alone. Even though Mary was marrying three men, which was quite unconventional, she still held to some time-honored traditions.
When Maude got to Mary’s door, she knocked quietly.
Less than a minute later, Mary appeared, wearing her robe. She looked stunning, more than ever before. Being in love enhanced her sister’s beauty.
“Hey,” Mary said, smiling.
“I’m sorry to wake you up, but I really need to talk to you.” All her insides seemed to be churning. She knew it was going to be difficult to get the words out. But she had to.