The Baby Snatchers (32 page)

“So, you want to be with me…forever?”

“I do.”

This time, Cam whooped his joy and looked
like he wanted to take her in his arms. Instead, he squeezed her
hand and another soft kiss, this one pressed against her lips.

He pulled away slowly, but continued to hold
her hand. “The police raided the adoption agency a few hours ago.
They found—”

“What time is it?”

“It’s just gone after ten. The nurse was in
here a little while ago to check on your vitals. She was pleased
with the results.”

Georgie absorbed that information and
nodded. “What were you saying about the agency?”

A small smile lifted Cameron’s lips. “You
won’t believe it, but the police found Cynthia’s baby, along with
two other infants.”

Shock made Georgie momentarily speechless
and then she found her voice. “You mean, they’re
alive
?”

“Yes! The adoption agency was housed in a
nondescript, two-storey building at Strathfield. The offices were
located on the ground floor. The second storey had been outfitted
as a nursery. From what I’ve been told, Josephine and the other two
babies were still waiting for their adoptions to be finalized.”

Georgie laughed with disbelief and then was
forced to breathe through the pain. “I can’t believe it! Cynthia
must be ecstatic! Do you know who the other babies are?”

“Yes. All of the infants were being held
under their original names. It made it easy to identify them. One
of them belongs to Sandra Briggs; the other to Danielle
Jamison.”

“The premier’s daughter?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, my goodness! It’s… It’s simply
unbelievable. I mean, I feel desperately sorry for those moms whose
babies have disappeared, but at least we know now they didn’t die.
That has to be of some comfort. Do you think the police will be
able to trace the other children and return them to their
biological parents?”

Cam nodded. “I believe extensive records
were kept by the agency, some dating back nearly forty years, right
up to when the agency opened. It’s going to take a lot of time to
go through them and work out where each child is. Some of them of
course, are now adults. It will probably be a matter of tracing the
birth mothers and going from there. We’ll have to wait and
see.”

“It could take years,” Georgie said
softly.

“Yes.”

“What about…my son? Do you think… Do you
think you could find him for me?”

Cameron stared down at her, his eyes dark
with a tumult of emotion. “Do you want to?”

Georgie held his gaze steadily. “Yes, I
think I do,” she whispered.

Cam nodded. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you,” Georgie breathed and then
added, “You’re going to be busy.”

“Yes, and so will you.”

Georgie cocked an eyebrow. “How do you
figure that?”

“Don’t you have a wedding to plan?”

Slowly, his words sank in. Surprise and
elation rushed through her. “Are you proposing?”

Cameron took her hand in his. The tenderness
and love on his face stole Georgie’s breath.

“Georgie Whitely, will you marry me?”

Despite the turmoil and shock over the past
few days and the dark months up ahead, Georgie’s eyes teared up
with happiness. “Yes, Cameron Dawson! Yes! Yes! Yes!”

Two months later

“Do you think we might be able to move the
wedding forward?” Georgie murmured, plucking at a blade of
grass.

Cam looked down at Georgie where she rested
her head in his lap and wondered at her question. They were
stretched out on a picnic rug, enjoying the late winter day.
Cynthia and Josephine were not far away, playing on the swings. It
felt so good to know his little sister had blossomed into the
beautiful, young girl he remembered, albeit with a baby in tow.
Having her and Josephine and Georgie in his life made him feel
complete.

“Why is that?” he asked, playing with her
hair.

“Well, my family has this thing about babies
being born out of wedlock. With the wedding set for April, we could
be cutting it close.”

It took him a moment to comprehend what she
was saying. When he did, he was flooded with surprise and
disbelief. He pulled her up to face him, grinning madly. “You’re
pregnant
?”

She grinned back. “Yes.”

Throwing his arms around her, he hugged her
tight. “How far along?”

“Six weeks.”

“Six weeks! Why didn’t you say
anything?”

“I wasn’t sure myself and I was scared to
take a test. We both want a baby so badly. I didn’t want to be
disappointed. I finally got the courage to do it and two pink lines
showed up right away.”

Cameron grinned harder. “
Pink
lines?
Does that mean it’s a girl?”

Georgie chuckled. “No, silly. It doesn’t
work that way. The color of the lines isn’t important. It’s all
about the number. Two lines means you’re pregnant. You can’t find
out the sex until the twenty-week scan.”

Cameron groaned in mock horror. “We have to
wait
that
long?”

Georgie shook her head and smiled. “It’s not
so far away.”

Flooded with happiness, Cameron thought his
heart might burst. He couldn’t have imagined life turning out so
well. Adopted at birth and then thrown out of his home as a teen,
his only thought had been survival and making it on his own. And he
had. Now, he had a beautiful fiancée and a little sister, and a
niece that he adored. Soon, he’d have a child of his own to raise
and nurture and shower with his love. And he had the woman in his
arms to thank for it.

Though she’d buried her aunt, was no closer
to finding her son and still had to face the ordeal of watching her
parents and uncle go to trial, she’d risen above her adversities
and managed to do it with a smile. She was a remarkable woman with
more courage than he could ever imagine and he loved her with a
fierceness that overwhelmed him.

Lowering his head, he kissed her soft lips,
loving the feel of her against him. Surrounded by his family, he
was where he belonged until the day he died. She was his and he was
hers and together they’d conquer the world.

* * *

Tammie Sinclair checked her mirrors and then
moved into another lane. It was the end of another long night and
she looked forward to getting home. Since the death of Rosemary
Lawson and the arrest of Marjorie Whitely, Ward Seven was
struggling for staff. Even so, she’d stopped looking over her
shoulder. They’d have come for her by now if they suspected how
much she knew.

It seemed like every shift had at least one
casual agency nurse in attendance and Tammie had been forced to put
in more of an effort than usual. She missed the nights when
Rosemary would take over and bear the brunt of the workload
herself. She might not have agreed with the fact Rosemary and her
sister were stealing babies, but having the other nurse on night
duty with her had sure made life easier.

Her phone rang to indicate an incoming call.
Glancing at the screen, she smiled and answered it.

“Hi, babe. How are you doing?”

Her greeting was met with silence and then
she heard a sob. Her heart skipped a beat.

“Wendy? Are you all right? Talk to me,
honey. What’s wrong?”

“Oh, Tammie. I’m…I’m bleeding.”

Trying to control her panic, Tammie sucked
in a quick breath. “Like, spotting?” she asked hopefully.

“No.”

Fear congealed in her belly, but once again,
she forced herself to remain calm. “Have you called the
doctor?”

“Yes. He said there’s nothing anyone can
do.”

Another desolate sob filled Tammie’s ear.
Tears filled her eyes. It felt like her heart had broken in two. If
Wendy was having a miscarriage, their baby was no more.

Accelerating through the traffic, Tammie
made it home in record time. Her fatigue forgotten, she raced into
the house and found Wendy curled up on their bed. She ran to her
and drew her into her arms, whispering words of comfort.

“I’m sorry, Tam. I’m so sorry!” Wendy
sobbed.

“Hey, don’t be silly. It’s not your fault.
Like the doctor said: It’s just one of those things.”

Wendy lifted her tear-stained face up to
hers. “Maybe we’re not meant to be parents.”

Pain filled Tammie’s heart. She couldn’t
imagine never being a mother. It’s all she’d ever wanted to be.
It’s the reason she’d chosen to be a midwife. Midwifery was the
only job she knew that brought her in close proximity of babies
every day, until she was blessed with one of her own. She wasn’t
willing to let her dream die so easily.

“Would you… Would you ever consider
adoption, Wen?”

Wendy stared up at her with eyes red and
swollen from tears. “Adoption?”

“Yes. IVF hasn’t worked for us so far.
Perhaps it’s time to consider other options?”

Wendy nodded slowly. “Adoption. Yes, maybe
that’s the way to go.”

Tammie smiled. Relief and anticipation
flooded through her. Her dream of being a mother was still alive.
“I’m glad you think so. And you know what? I just happen to know an
adoption agency.”

Wendy looked up at her with hope in her
eyes. “Really?”

“Yes. The directors used to be friends of
mine. They’ve met with a little…misfortune of late, so it might
take some time, but don’t worry, I know everything there is to know
about the adoption process. Trust me, babe, I know how to make it
happen…”

I do hope you have enjoyed reading Georgie
and Cameron’s story. If you’ve enjoyed this story, please feel free
to leave a review for The Baby Snatchers at Goodreads and your
favorite digital retailer. Every review is very much
appreciated.

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christaylorauthor.com.au

The
Final Bullet
is the next book in the Sydney Harbour
Hospital Series. Here’s a sneak peek:

Detective Sergeant Lachlan Coleridge has seen
it all. A veteran cop with more than fifteen years on the force,
there’s nothing much that surprises him. But when he comes across
the charred bodies of two children while searching an illegal meth
lab, he struggles to put the memory behind him. In desperation, he
makes contact with a police appointed counselor.

Ava Wolfe is a psychiatrist currently
attached to the New South Wales police service. Her heart aches for
the darkly handsome detective who is in such urgent need of help.
After years of exposure to the worst mankind can offer, Lachlan
Coleridge’s spirit has been ravaged beyond belief. She yearns to
help him, but she’s not sure that he’ll let her…

To be a cop is to be tough—physically and
mentally. There’s no room for weakness. If it gets out that
Lachlan’s seeking help, any chance he has for promotion will be
jeopardized. But he’s drowning in a sea of pain; of darkness and
confusion and it’s only a matter of time before he topples into the
abyss…

Can he trust the only woman who appears to
understand him? Is he prepared to put his career on the line in
return for saving his soul? Will he open up to Ava and let her help
him…before it’s too late?

The
Final Bullet
will be released on 1 May, 2016 and is
AVAILABLE NOW
for pre-order.

As usual, no book comes into being without a
lot of help and support by my friends and family. A world of thanks
must go to my wonderful editor, Pat Thomas. Thank you for
everything that you do to make my stories even more amazing than I
could ever dare to dream. To Detective Superintendent Michael
Kilfoyle, thank you for lending my story credibility. Any mistakes
are wholly my own.

To Damon, Alisha, Grady and all of the staff
at damonza.com, thank you for yet another fantastic cover. To my
sister, Nicole Guihot and to my friend, Ally Thomson, thank you for
your excellent editorial comments, proof reading skills and
suggestions. I hope you like the final result.

To Amy Atwell and her dedicated staff at
Author E.M.S. who are so much more than book formatters. Amy, once
again, thank you for your magic.

To the fantastic writer organizations such
as Romance Writers of Australia, Romance Writers of America and
Romance Writers of New Zealand for all the help, support and
encouragement they offer new and aspiring writers, including
me.

To my readers, thank you for your support
and love for my stories. Your encouragement and enjoyment make this
journey all worthwhile.

And lastly, to my friends and family,
especially my husband and children. Thank you for putting up with
late dinners and even later conversations as I’ve emerged day after
day from the sometimes scary but always enthralling world I’ve
created on my computer.

Chris Taylor grew up on a farm in north-west
New South Wales, Australia. She always had a thirst for stories and
recalls writing her first book at the ripe old age of eight. Always
a lover of romance and happily-ever-afters, a career in criminal
law sparked her interest in intrigue and suspense. For Chris to be
able to combine romance with suspense in her books is a dream come
true.

Chris is married to Linden and is the mother
of five children. If not behind her computer, you can find her
doing the school run, taxiing children to swimming lessons,
football, ballet and cricket. In her spare time, Chris loves to
read her favorite authors who include Richard North Patterson,
Sandra Brown, Kathleen E Woodiwiss and Jude Devereaux.