“Wow,” he said.

“Told you,” Ruby said. “Now do tell us what brings you to town.”

Sully had already taken a second bite, chewed, and swallowed it before answering.

“Actually, I’m looking for someone. A couple of months ago my mother died, and while going through personal papers, I found out I’d been adopted. It came as quite a shock, and within days I decided to search for my birth mother. It’s been a journey, and the latest information I have is an old letter with a return address from here in Blessings.”

Ruby’s eyes widened, and Peanut was immediately intrigued. He couldn’t imagine not knowing something like that.

“I’m a lawyer,” Peanut said. “I’ve dealt with all kinds of custody battles, and with social services when kids were abandoned or unwanted, but I’ve never come across someone on a birth-parent search. Are you having any luck?”

“I started out with more info than some have,” Sully said. “My birth mother’s name was Janie Chapman, but she was Janie Carter by the time she got here. She signed me over to my adoptive parents on the day I was born, but here’s where the story becomes bizarre. She came home from the hospital with them, and for the next six months she nursed me and took care of me while my parents worked. Then one day when they woke up, she was gone. I want to know what happened. Why she left so abruptly. Why she had to give me up. Who my father was. You know…all the usual questions.”

Ruby was verging on tears. “That is such a tragic story. I can’t imagine what could cause her to leave so abruptly after bonding with her own baby for six months.”

Sully nodded. “That’s one of my questions, too. What triggered her sudden flight? I submitted a DNA sample to an ancestry site, then hired a researcher to help me run down facts. She’s been on the search with me from the start. Even though I knew my birth mother’s name, I’ve learned she married twice in subsequent years. I don’t suppose either one of you knew a woman by that name? She would be in her early sixties by now.”

“I run the hair salon called the Curl Up and Dye on Main Street,” Ruby said. “I don’t know anyone by that name, and if she still lived here and had not remarried, I would know her.”

“I don’t remember anyone by that name, either,” Peanut said.

Sully nodded. “Not surprised. But I’m not giving up. I still have several places to check out here, and I’ll keep asking around. Maybe my researcher will find a new clue somewhere. I’m not quitting until I get answers.”

Before the conversation could go further, their food came and they began to visit as they ate. While talking about the accident, Ruby mentioned Melissa.

“I’m the one who took Melissa home from the hospital. I stayed with her until midafternoon, and another friend is staying with her tonight.”