A Mother's Heart: The Promise\You Belong To Me\A Daughter's Journey (Mass Market Paperback)

A Mother's Heart features three special women who contend with the trials and tribulations of motherhood—and find romance in unexpected ways.

A single mom rediscovers a long-ago love with help from her young son and YouTube in "The Promise" by New York Times bestselling author Sharon Sala.

A stressed-out executive lands on her birth mother's doorstep and falls for the guy next door in "You Belong to Me" by Isabel Sharpe.

A journalist helping her adopted daughter trace her roots learns a lesson in romantic destiny in "A Daughter's Journey" by Linda Cardillo.

Most of the time, her reasoning worked, but every now and then, like this morning, watching her son as he slept, and knowing that with each passing day he was growing into the image of the man who'd broken her heart, she doubted her judgment.

Libby frowned, then shook off her sadness. Today was a day for rejoicing. Sammy's eighth birthday and all it entailed. She glanced at the Star Wars clock hanging over his bed, and leaned down with a smile.

"Good morning, little man," Libby whispered, then tickled the back of Sammy's ear as he began to rouse. "Happy birthday, Sammy. Better hurry up and get dressed. I'm making pancakes this morning and you don't want to be late for school."

With the skill only a child can manage, Sammy came awake within seconds, talking before his eyes were even open.

"Mama, are you bringing cupcakes to school this afternoon for my birthday?"

Liberty Farraday stifled a sigh. One more thing to squeeze into an already hectic work day. But a guy only turned eight one time, and celebrating the day with your school friends was a must in Azalea, Tennessee.

"Absolutely, little man," Libby said.

"Are they gonna be chocolate?" he asked.

Libby grinned. "Is there any other kind?"

"Mama, you're funny," Sammy said, and rolled out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

"Don't forget to wash your face and brush your teeth," Libby said as she laid out the clothes for him to wear to school.

"Okay, Mama," Sammy said, and so their day began.

Not only did Libby have pancakes waiting at Sammy's plate when he came to the table, but his birthday present was there, as well.

"Yea! Can I open it now?" Sammy asked.

"Of course you can," Libby said, then sat back with a delighted smile on her face. She tried not to think of how much her little boy looked like his daddy.

"Star Wars stuff! Way to go, Mama!" Sammy said, and gave her a high-five as he tore into the box. "Cool! There's Lando Calrissian, Han Solo, Yoda… oh, oh, look Mama, an Ewok. They're funny."

Libby nodded in all the right places but had no clue as to who the characters were. Although they owned every one of the Star Wars DVDs, she had yet to sit all the way through even one of them. Then she glanced at the clock.

"Oops, better get at those pancakes. You can play with your Star Wars stuff this evening when you come home from school."

"All right, Mama. Boy. I can't wait to tell Pete what I got."

Pete Wyatt was Sammy's best friend, and his grandmother, Kate Wyatt, was probably Libby's best friend, although their ages were separated by more than forty years.

A short while later Libby pulled up in front of Robert E. Lee Elementary and handed Sammy his book bag.

"Have a great day, my love," Libby said. "I'll see you later… cupcakes and all."

"'Bye, Mama. Make pretty bouquets," he said, referring to her job at Faye's Floral Fantasies, then waved as he headed toward the main entrance to the school.

Libby gave Sammy a last wave, then paused, watching his funny swagger and thought again, the older he got, the more he looked like Sam. Then she bit her lip and looked away. No need to think of that man. He'd walked out of her life even before she'd known Sammy was on the way. And the breach between them had been so devastating that the idea of calling him later to inform him she was pregnant was impossible.

It hadn't been easy being a single mother, and there were times when she felt the guilt of Sammy growing up without a man in his life. But on the rare occasions when he asked what happened to his father and why he wasn't in their lives, Libby always said his daddy just got lost. So far it had worked, but the older Sammy got, the less he would be satisfied with the answer. However, life wasn't perfect; Sam Holt had taught her that.

Someone honked and her focus shifted. She looked up just in time to see Kate Wyatt waving at her as she dropped off her grandsons, Pete and Charlie. Libby waved back, then as soon as the street was clear, she pulled away from the curb and headed to work.

Libby was a skilled floral designer, which prompted her boss, Faye, to willingly work around Libby's schedule so she could be home when Sammy got out of school. It was the best job in Azalea for a woman in Libby's situation. She didn't make enough money for day care, but thanks to Faye's generosity, she made enough for them to get by. As she paused for a red light, she mentally ticked off the time it would take to get home after work, pick up the cupcakes and then get back to school at the appointed time. When the light turned green, she accelerated slowly and was in the middle of the intersection when she heard brakes screeching. She was vaguely aware of something coming at her from the driver's side of the car. Then everything went black.

The ambulance pulled up to the emergency entrance of Jackson Memorial Hospital with lights and sirens blaring. The staff had already been alerted to their arrival and met the EMTs at the door. The woman on the gurney was covered in blood, and there was a brace on her neck and an IV in her arm. The paramedics were running as they pushed her into the E.R. One of them was calling out her vitals as the other one pumped the bag on her oxygen mask.

"She got T-boned by a semi at the intersection of Elm and Main. Her BP is 80 over 60. Her pulse is erratic and thready. We lost her twice on the way here. She's bleeding into her abdomen, got broken ribs and God knows what else."

"Put her in Two," a doctor said, while a team of nurses followed behind.

They transferred the woman onto the bed, and then the team took over.

"What's her name?" the doctor asked as they began to assess.

"Farraday. It's Libby Farraday."

There was a collective gasp. This woman was unrecognizable as the pretty little thing they all knew who made deliveries from Faye's flower shop. They quickly began trying to assess her immediate needs and stabilize her long enough to get her to surgery.

Sammy knew something was wrong when he was called out of his classroom just after second hour had begun. When he was told to bring his book bag, he knew he would be leaving, which didn't make sense. He didn't think he was in trouble, but with grown-ups and rules, it was always hard to know.

He entered the principal's office, expecting to see his mother, but saw Pete's Grandma Kate, instead. She'd been crying. That was when he started to get scared.

"Come here, honey," Kate said, then wrapped her arms around Sammy and hugged him so tight he couldn't breathe.

"What's wrong?" Sammy asked. "Where's Mama and why are you crying?"

"Honey, your mama had a wreck on her way to work this morning. I'm going to take you to the hospital."

"But today is my birthday," he whispered, as if nothing this awful could possibly happen on his special day.

Everyone in the office had already been in tears, but hearing the fear and the shock in that little boy's voice was more than they could take. The secretary excused herself and left the room while the principal blew his nose and then patted Sammy on the back.

"You're excused to leave, son. I'm sure your mother is going to be okay. When you see her, tell her we said to get well soon."

He didn't answer. He couldn't.

Kate Wyatt had already been told how serious Libby's injuries were. She prayed all the way to the hospital that Sammy's mother would still be alive when they got there. She couldn't imagine what would happen to this precious little boy if Libby didn't pull through; they only had each other.

Sammy was too shocked to cry. Mama didn't look like Mama anymore. Her turned-up nose was swollen to twice its size, and her lips and face had lots of tiny cuts. They'd told him it was because of all the broken glass from the wreck, but he didn't want to think about it. He kept watching all the machines hooked up to her and frowning at the needles in her arms.

"That's not Mama… is it?" he asked.

"Yes, honey, it's Mama. She's just swollen from the accident. That will go away as she heals."

His stomach hurt and the words burned the back of his throat so bad he didn't think he could say them. But he had to ask.

"Is she gonna die?"

Kate wouldn't lie. "They're doing everything they can to make her well," she said, then stroked the top of his head.

"Can I touch her?"

"You sure can, honey. And you can talk to her, too. Just because she looks like she's asleep doesn't mean she can't hear you, okay?"

Sammy walked to the side of the bed, carefully sliding three fingers across the sheet, then worked them beneath her hand. He kept wishing Mama would wake up and squeeze his fingers back, but she didn't. All he could hear were the machines—beeping, beeping, beeping.

"It's me, Mama," he whispered. "It's okay you couldn't bring the cupcakes. I don't wanna have a party without you."

Finally, tears welled and spilled, running down his face in two steady streams. "Mama. Please wake up. You have to get well, okay?" Then he put his head down on the side of the bed and sobbed.

He was still sobbing uncontrollably when Kate picked him up and carried him out of the intensive care unit. Once she got him outside into the hallway, she got down on her knees and made him look her in the eyes.

"Sammy! Sammy! Listen to me, darling. You're not alone. Pete and Charlie and I are here for you. And until Mama gets well, you're going to come stay with us. You like spending the night with Pete. It will be like a long sleepover, okay?"

He was afraid to answer. Decisions were out of his control. He just laid his head on her shou...