Vanessa's Match

“Why wouldn’t my sister want us to get together and share life with her?” Rick asked

“Lindy is so young—she’s still just a child. What if she fears I may not care for her as much as I did, because I’m in love with you?” Vanessa replied.

“Are you?”

“Am I what?”

“In love with me?”

Vanessa felt her cheeks burn and she looked away. She wouldn’t answer his question. She couldn’t. Instead she took a different approach. “Rick, I’ve worked for four years on my advanced degree. I have six more months of work. Then I’ll be able to pursue a career I love.”

“Okay,” he said with a sigh. “Six months isn’t forever.” It just seems like forever when I want to marry you now!

Dear Reader,

We’ve come to the end of the CHILDREN OF TEXAS series. In the first four books Vanessa played a secondary role to her sisters’ and brother’s stories, and has been patiently waiting for her time in the sun.

As the youngest of the Barlow family, Vanessa had to grow up a bit before she was ready for her own story. In the meantime, she, along with Will and Vivian, looked for and found her other siblings. Each one was brought into the family and made to feel a part of it. The family has grown and babies have appeared.

Though Vanessa loves her siblings, and their babies even more, she has been lonesome at times because she didn’t have anyone special for herself. I wanted Vanessa to have her reward, but, as we all know, no reward really fills a void unless you work for it. I hope you’ll cheer on Vanessa through her struggles, and share in her happiness at the end.

It’s been a pleasure to bring you this family and all of its stories. I hope that you, too, have a family to share with. But remember, family doesn’t have to be of the same blood. Just reach out to those around you whom you love—and form your own family.

If you have any comments or questions, you can reach me at my Web site, www.judychristenberry.com.

Happy reading!

Vanessa’s Match

Judy Christenberry

MILLS & BOON

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Judy Christenberry has been writing romances for over fifteen years because she loves happy endings as much as her readers do. A former French teacher, Judy now devotes herself to writing full-time. She hopes readers have as much fun with her stories as she does. She spends her spare time reading, watching her favorite sports teams and keeping track of her two daughters. Judy lives in Texas.

Contents

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Epilogue

Prologue

“I need your help.”

Even through the haze of sleep, Vanessa Shaw recognized the voice that woke her at—She focused with difficulty on the bedside clock. Two a.m. Why was Dr. Cavanaugh calling her now? He was the head of the Psychology Department and Vanessa’s supervisor in her quest for her doctorate of psychology. For him to phone in the middle of the night, she knew the matter must be urgent.

“Yes, Dr. Cavanaugh, what is it?” she asked, clutching the phone with one hand and rubbing her eyes with the other.

“Sorry to wake you, Vanessa, but I need you.”

“Of course. Anything I can do.” One didn’t say no to Dr. Cavanaugh, even at two a.m.

Her mentor took her at her word and, without pausing, launched into an explanation. “There’s a fifteen-year-old girl in the hospital right now having her stomach pumped. She attempted suicide following her mother’s death in a car accident. The family attorney called and asked me to supply someone to be with her when she awoke and to help her through this tragedy.” Not waiting for a comment, he continued. “You’re the most senior female in the program, and a very good student. I’ve seen your work with some desperate cases, so I immediately thought of you.”

Vanessa sat up. Surely he didn’t expect her to fill the role he’d described. “Thank you, sir, but—”

“She’s part of the Austin family.”

It was a name she recognized instantly. The Austins had donated millions to the university.

“I don’t have to tell you how important this family is to the university.” The doctor’s voice deepened. “Or to your future.”

It wasn’t a threat; it didn’t have to be. Vanessa knew what she had to do.

She cleared her throat. “Yes, sir, I’ll be right there.”

Chapter One

Vanessa smiled as her patient, Lindy Austin, played with Vanessa’s niece, Jamie. Turning two and sweet as spun sugar, Jamie made Lindy laugh as they played with the plastic dollhouse and the toddler babbled on. Vanessa suspected it had been a while since Lindy had laughed like that.

Ever since she’d received the call that sent her to the hospital in the middle of the night five days ago, Vanessa had taken care of Lindy, and eventually brought her here to her mother’s house in the Highland Park section of Dallas, where Vanessa still lived. Lindy had said she couldn’t face going back to the condo she’d lived in with her mother.

Only Vanessa had gone to the condo to pack some clothes for Lindy. And she’d been disturbed by what she’d found. Richard Austin, Lindy’s half brother, had a lot to answer for. At the time of the accident he’d been in Japan on business and had ordered his attorney to make sure Lindy was taken care of. That had been the extent of Richard’s involvement. Because of the Austins’ connections to the university Dr. Cavanaugh got involved, but he knew little about Richard Austin.

Vanessa had so many questions about the man. But she couldn’t ask Lindy. The teen reacted badly to the mere mention of his name, which made Vanessa even more determined to protect the girl. How, she wasn’t sure, but she’d find a way.

“Vanessa?” Betty, the housekeeper, came into the morning room, breaking into her thoughts.

Vanessa looked up quickly. There was a hint of urgency in the housekeeper’s voice that alarmed her.

“What is it, Betty?”

“You have a caller. Shall I show him to the library?”

Vanessa paused. She started to ask the name of the visitor, but Betty’s gaze darted to Lindy and then back to Vanessa. So the caller was about her charge. “Yes, thank you.”

She looked at her sister, Jamie’s mom. “I’ve been expecting this visitor. Rebecca, can you keep an eye on everyone for a few minutes?”

She was glad Rebecca was here. There was a special bond between the sisters, perhaps because Rebecca was the first of her siblings found a couple of years ago. Not a day went by that Vanessa didn’t thank her mother, Vivian Greenfield, for telling her that she was adopted and offering to help Vanessa find her siblings. Four out of the five had been located, with the help of Will Greenfield, a private investigator and Vivian’s second husband. The last sibling would never be found: Walter Barlow, a soldier, had been killed in Iraq.

For being a devoted mother and for understanding Vanessa’s need to find her siblings, she would forever love her mother. Brothers and sisters had enriched her life immeasurably.

Too bad that wasn’t the case for young Lindy.

Vanessa gave her sister a thankful nod when she agreed. As the mother of two, Rebecca would do anything to protect Lindy, too, Vanessa knew. “I’ll hurry back,” she said.

Vanessa left the morning room and went to the library. She entered the room quietly, but she didn’t catch her visitor by surprise.

He turned and studied her. “Are you Vanessa Shaw?”

“Yes, I am.” When he said nothing else, she spoke up. “My housekeeper didn’t mention your name.”

“I’m Richard Austin, here to pick up my sister.”

Even his voice was cold.

Vanessa took a good look at the man she’d been obsessing about since she’d met his sister. He was tall, and dressed impeccably in what looked like a custom-made Italian suit. His dark hair had that just-cut look, and something made her believe it always did. The chill that radiated from his dark eyes came as no surprise to her. The man would never ease Lindy’s fears.

Keeping her reaction under wraps, she effected a professional distance, slowly walked over to the fireplace and sat down in one of the wing chairs. “Well, then, Mr. Austin, would you join me, please? I’d like to talk to you about Lindy.”

“There’s no need. Just bring the girl to me. I’m in a hurry.”

Vanessa said nothing, just stared at him.

Finally, he moved to the other wing chair. “Make it quick.”

Vanessa grew more determined. She couldn’t possibly hand Lindy over to this ice man. “What are your plans for Lindy?”

“I’ll return her to the condo and find a responsible person to take care of her.”

“But you won’t concern yourself with her?” Vanessa asked.

“What are you getting at? The girl is a stranger to me.”

Without knowing, he was making her case for her. “And whose fault is that? According to Lindy, you’re always too busy even to talk to her.”

“That’s none of your business, Miss Shaw.”

“I think it is. I was at the hospital with her when she came to, after attempting to commit suicide. I’ve taken care of her for the past five days while you were too busy to find out how she was doing.”

“What do you mean she tried to commit suicide?” he demanded, frowning deeply.

“No one told you?”

“No!”

“She was alone when she was notified that her mother had been killed. Emotionally distraught, she swallowed her mother’s sleeping pills and almost died. Fortunately, your lawyer realized that might be a difficult blow to a fifteen-year-old and came to the apartment to see if she was all right.”

“Why didn’t he tell me?” Richard demanded, jumping to his feet.

“Perhaps he was afraid of displeasing you.” Her father had been an important businessman like the one in front of her, and he’d generated fear among his employees and everyone around him, no doubt like Richard did. Vanessa had learned to overcome that fear and had faced her adoptive father many a time. She would do the same with Richard Austin. She had to, for Lindy’s sake.

The man scowled at her. “Never mind. Bring Lindy to me.”

“So she can become distraught and try to kill herself again?” She wasn’t going to pull her punches.

“I said I’d find someone to take care of her!” he snapped.

“Leave her with me.”

She could see that she had caught him by surprise with that request.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Leave your sister here with me. I have room for her and I care about her.”

“She has a perfectly good condo to go to!”

“Have you been to the condo?”

He scowled again. “Once, when I bought it for them.”

“Well, let me tell you about the place she called home. I went to pack up Lindy’s clothes when she came to stay with me. The living room is beautifully decorated, the master bedroom lovely, the dining room elegant.” She speared him with a look. “But there’s no table in the kitchen, and Lindy slept on a pallet on the floor. Her clothes are few and cheap, but the master bedroom has a closet full of designer clothes and shoes. Whose fault is that?”

He came back to his chair and sank into it. “I left her with her mother, who had legal custody. What else should I have done?”

“Perhaps you could have visited occasionally. It wasn’t just you who lost your father. Lindy did, too.”

“You don’t understand!”

“Then tell me what I don’t understand,” she said softly.

“The damn woman tried to seduce me two days after we buried my father.”

“And you left Lindy with that kind of woman?” she demanded.

“She was her mother!” the man roared.

Vanessa drew a deep breath. “Please control yourself, Mr. Austin.”

“I damn well won’t if you’re going to keep accusing me of doing something wrong!”

“Couldn’t you at least have made sure she had the necessities?”

“The money I paid out each month was double what they were entitled to.”

“Well, now you can save all that money. Just leave Lindy with me. She needs a lot of love and protection right now for her to recover.”

Silence.

“You do want her to recover, don’t you?”

“Of course I do. But I know nothing about you.”

“At least you don’t know anything bad about me. You can’t say that about the woman you left her with nine years ago.”

“Do you have any references?” he demanded, starch in his voice.

“Yes, Dr. Cavanaugh, head of the Psychology Department. He sent me to the hospital. He’ll vouch for me.”

“Very well. I’ll contact him. If I agree to this arrangement, the two of you can move into the condo. I’ll make sure it’s furnished this time.”

“No.”

“What do you mean, no?”

“I want Lindy to stay here with me, where she’ll feel like she’s in a family.”

“A big house does not a family make, Miss Shaw.”

“My parents, my baby brother, the housekeeper and her husband live here. I also have two brothers and a sister nearby. In fact, my sister is here now with her two-year-old. Lindy is enjoying playing with her.”

“That would be an imposition. I’ll find someone to take care of her.”

“No!” Vanessa exclaimed, jumping to her feet. “I insist that you leave Lindy here. She’s not strong enough to be on her own.”

He paused, frowning. Then he said, “I suppose I could pay you for her upkeep and your care of her, if I decide it will be the best thing for her.”

“If you’ll leave her here, I won’t charge you anything.”

“I insist. I don’t believe in owing anyone.”

“Whatever—as long as you leave her here.”

“All right, I’ll let you know my decision after I make some calls. Here’s my card. If you need anything for Lindy in the meantime, let me know at once.”

“Thank you. Will you inform your lawyer?”

“Of course…after I speak to him about not telling me the truth about Lindy.”

With that, he was gone.

WHAT’S WRONG WITH ME? I spilled my guts! Rick Austin drove too fast as he left, his mind focused on the conversation he’d just had with the beautiful Miss Shaw.

He hadn’t told anyone about Anita’s behavior after his father’s death. He hadn’t explained to anyone, except to Anita, why he had moved his stepmother and his little sister out of the family home and into a condo. He’d had no intention of ever seeing his stepmother again.

It was something that had gnawed at his soul since his father’s death. He’d hated Anita from the first day his father had brought her home. She was a gold digger of the highest order and she was replacing his mother? He couldn’t believe his father could be so blind.

From that moment, his relationship with his father had been ruined. He’d moved out and found his own place as soon as he could, but he’d continued to work with his father because he understood that it was his job, as well as his desire, to learn how to juggle the various companies his father owned. One day he would be responsible for maintaining the Austin Group, the corporation that controlled all the companies.

At the office, his father had never challenged him about his attitude toward Anita. Which had made him feel guilty, but not enough so to do anything about it. By the time Lindy was born, he thought his father had realized the kind of woman Anita was, but it was too late. Rick knew his father would never give up Lindy.

Which was exactly what he himself had done as soon as his father died and Anita had shown her true colors.

Damn! He hated having to admit what he’d done. He hadn’t wanted to have anything to do with the woman who had ruined his happy family. He’d adored his mother, and he and his father had mourned her passing. For a year or so after her death, they’d been closer than ever.

Then Anita had entered the family.

In his anger and disgust, Rick hadn’t realized he was isolating himself from his half sister. She was only six years old, a cute kid, but he figured she’d grow up and be like her mother.

Suddenly he turned his car in the direction of the condo. He had to see if what Miss Shaw had said was true. He grabbed his cell phone and hit the button to automatically dial his lawyer, Joe Adderly. After two rings, Joe picked up.

“Joe? It’s Rick Austin.”

“Yes, Rick. What can I do for you?”

“Meet me at the condo, and bring the key.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll be right there.”

And he would, because Rick paid him a lot of money to be at his beck and call. One of Joe’s jobs had been to keep an eye on Lindy. At least Rick had done that much, though it hadn’t been much for a six-year-old. Rick now knew his lawyer hadn’t done a good job. But then, neither had he.

His lips tightened into a line as anger grew in him. He’d instructed his lawyer to visit Anita and Lindy once a month to give them the check and be sure Lindy was properly cared for. And to let Rick know if she wasn’t. He’d never heard a word from the man.

He screeched to a halt in front of the condo. Good, he’d arrived before Joe. He got out of his car and went upstairs to the second floor. But the condo was locked. He snickered. Joe had found his half sister on the verge of death but he hadn’t forgotten to lock the door.

Rick heard footsteps. He turned to watch Joe climb the stairs, a smile on his face.

“Hi, Rick. I didn’t even realize you were in town yet.”

“Really? How’s Lindy?”

“She’s fine,” the man said heartily.

“Where is she?”

“She’s still in the hospital. She’s going to be fine, of course, but they wanted to make sure.”

“I see. Would you unlock the door?”

“Yes, of course.”

The man stepped forward and inserted a key into the lock.

As he did so, Rick said, “And you visited the condo each month and saw Lindy?”

“Yes, and she was doing fine. I think it was just the shock of her mother’s death that upset her.”

“Why was she alone? Didn’t they have a housekeeper?”

“Yes, I believe they did. I didn’t think to ask—Well, who would I ask, after all? Lindy was in no shape for any conversation.”

“Of course.” Rick stepped through the door of the condo and saw what Miss Shaw had seen. A beautifully decorated living room. A dining room table and chairs that looked like it had never been used. He walked through to the kitchen and again, as she’d said, there was no table.

The lawyer followed along silently.

Next, Rick went to the master bedroom. It, too, was elaborately decorated. Rick opened the large closet and looked at some of the designer labels.

Joe smiled at him.

Then Rick turned to the second bedroom. After he walked through the door, he moved aside for the lawyer and folded his arms over his chest.

Joe gasped and turned to stare at Rick. “I—I don’t know what happened to the furniture in here!”

“What furniture?”

“Well, surely there was furniture. It’s Lindy’s bedroom, after all.”

“Have you ever seen Lindy’s bedroom before?”

“Well, no, of course not. I mean—it wouldn’t have been proper for me to go into her bedroom.”

“But you saw Lindy every time you brought over the check?”

“Absolutely!”

“And you’ve visited her in the hospital?”

“Of course, every day. I sometimes took my lunch hour and spent it with Lindy.”

“When was the last day you spent with Lindy in the hospital?”

“Why…yesterday, of course.”

Rick pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number he’d been given for Vanessa Shaw. He recognized the housekeeper’s voice when she answered. “May I speak to Vanessa Shaw, please?”

Joe was frowning.

“Miss Shaw? Rick Austin. Did you meet my attorney while you were at the hospital with Lindy?” He waited for her response, his gaze on the attorney. “And you were with her all the time?

“How long did she remain in the hospital? I see. Thank you, Miss Shaw.”

He hung up and turned to look at his attorney. “Joe, the woman who has been taking care of Lindy says she never saw you at the hospital.” The man started to answer and Rick held up a hand to stop him. “She also said Lindy left the hospital four days ago, so think before you tell any more lies.”

“I thought—I tried to do as you asked, but Mrs. Austin always said Lindy was out.”

“What time did you usually come over?”

“She asked that I come over around two.”

Rick put his hands on his hips and shook his head. “Joe, I didn’t think you were that dumb. Lindy was in school at two every afternoon, unless you came over on a Saturday.”

“I’m sorry. I—I made a mistake. It won’t happen again.”

“And how often have you lied to me in the past nine years?”

“Never about business, Rick. I swear!”

“Our relationship, business and otherwise, is over, Joe. I’ll let you know my new attorney’s name so you can send the files to him.”

“Rick, you can’t do this to me. It will ruin me.”

“You should’ve thought of that before you lied to me and failed to do what I asked. My little sister has been living in poverty while her mother was leading the high life! That wasn’t what I wanted, and I believe I made myself clear.”

Rick held out his hand for the key and stood waiting while his ex-attorney struggled to undo his key ring. While Joe did so, he pleaded for another chance, but Rick ignored him.

Once he had the key in his hand, Rick led him outside the condo, locked the door and pocketed the key. Without a word he walked away, Joe still trying to apologize and regain his trust.

After getting into his car without waving goodbye, Rick returned to the house where he’d left Vanessa Shaw. He felt he owed her an apology.

When he rang the doorbell, Betty recognized him at once and invited him in. She was leading the way to the library when another door opened and Vanessa Shaw came out with a young girl.

Rick stopped and stared. Could this slender blond lady be his half sister? “Lindy?”

The girl stared at him. Then, without a word, she crumpled to the floor.

Chapter Two

“What’s wrong with her?” For an instant Rick was frozen in place, then he rushed over to Lindy, about five yards away. Vanessa, he noticed, had reacted immediately and was cradling the girl in a maternal gesture.

“She’s been worried about your return. I didn’t tell her about your earlier visit. She wasn’t ready for it.” She pushed Lindy’s hair out of her face with a caring touch. “What are you doing here again?”

“I needed to talk to you.”

“You’re not going to take her away, are you?” Vanessa demanded sharply.

“No, not now.”

“Then go into the library. I’ll join you when I can.” She called out to Betty, who appeared almost instantly. “Will you help me get her upstairs?”