For Their Child's Sake
Page 1
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...
“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.”
* * *
RETURN TO STONEROCK:
In this small Tennessee town,
neighbors find the warmth of home...and love
Dear Reader,
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
Chapter One
“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.