Free Finding Home by Ann Vaughn Page B

toes and
pressed a soft, tender kiss to his lips.
    “Thank you, Colt, for your
service.  I can’t believe what you guys go through.”
    He cupped her face in his hands and
kissed her, then just folded her into his embrace and held her, cradling her
head to his chest.  Sarah wasn’t sure what was going through his head at
the moment, but she had to think he liked what she’d said, even though he
hadn’t responded verbally.
    “So, what time is Evan’s game?” he
asked, breaking the silence.
    “One o’clock.”
    He pulled his phone from his pocket
to check the time.
    “I need to run home and shower and
change, but then I can be back here and we can go together.”
    That surprised her.  “You
wouldn’t mind going with me?”
    He flashed a smile at her. 
“Babe, I’m an umpire because I love baseball.  Spending a day at the
ballpark is not a hardship.”
    “Well…OK, if you’re sure.  But
let me make you breakfast first.”
    “Yeah, sure,” he said with a wink.
    “Come on,” she said, leading him to
the kitchen.  “Have a seat.”
    He sat at her tiny breakfast bar and
watched as she pulled out ingredients for pancakes, eggs and bacon.  Her
kitchen was a really small galley style and her preparation area was a small
two-foot square area.  It looked like everything in the kitchen was
original to the 1950s era house. 
    “This was your parents’ house?”
    She nodded.  “We moved here when
I was eight.”
    “And you’ve been here ever since?”
    “My father’s medical bills were
through the roof.  My mother took care of them with his life insurance and
then paid off the house.  But it took all her savings.  So, when she
passed, all I had left was this house.”
    For some reason, the thought of her
here in this tiny little house all alone disturbed him.  It was good that
she was able to keep the house and not have to find somewhere else to live when
she was only eighteen, but it was such a sad house, not where someone in her
twenties should have to live.  He wondered again about her birth
family.  She’d said she really hadn’t given much thought to them, that she
considered her adoptive parents her family but he wondered if, someday, her
thoughts about finding her birth family would change.  And he wondered, too,
if that was something he could help her with.

Chapter Six
     
    When Colt went home that night, he
sat down at his computer and began a search on Sarah’s adoptive parents,
growing increasingly frustrated when he couldn’t find more than just the basic
information on them.  Sarah had told him that her adopted mother said her
birth mother was from Wyoming.    He tried to find information
about Sarah’s adoption but he could find no records of an adoption by Jesse or
Linda Sauter in Wyoming or in Texas. 
    It was late, so he picked up his
phone and sent a text to Tessa, just asking if she were awake.  When she
immediately tagged him back, he called her.
    “Hey, big guy.  What’s up?”
    “I’m sorry to call so late, Tess, but
I’m wondering if you could help me.”
    “What do you need?”
    “The girl I’m seeing was
adopted.  Both her adoptive parents are dead now and she has no other
family.  She doesn’t know much about her birth family, except that her
adopted mother told her that her birth mother was from Wyoming.  I’ve been
looking online but I haven’t been able to find an adoption record under her
adoptive parents’ names in Wyoming or here in Texas.  Can you help?”
    “Give me the names of all
involved.  Your girl’s date of birth, and I’ll see what I can do,” she
told him.
    “Thanks, Tess,” he said after giving
her all she’d asked for.
    “Does she know you’re looking?”
    “Not yet.  I just want to see if
there’s anything to find first.”
    “OK, but you might want to think
about telling her.”
    “I will.  Thanks again, Tess.”
    “You bet.  I’ll get back to you
when I find something.”
    He hung up with her then fell