Marlena Catherine Alexandria O'Shea moved to Portland, Oregon to escape the overprotectiveness of her seven adopted brothers. However, life threw a U-turn into her big-city plans. When her child welfare boss decided a baby suspected of being stolen should be taken from his wealthy adoptive parents, Marly was assigned to the case. Determined to find the best home for this baby, Marly leads the search for the biological parents, and ends up back in her hometown of Halo, Oregon.
I interviewed Marly to offer readers a better sense of who she is.
Genie Gabriel: Marly, why did you become a caseworker?
Marly: I wanted to help people make positive changes in their lives, like my dad, Bernie, did. But he was a cop and I don't like guns.
G: But you carry a taser.
Marly: A gift from The Buttinsky Brothers when I moved to the city. I have seven of them, you know--brothers, not tasers.
G: LOL! How did it feel to grow up the only girl among a team of brothers?
Marly: The stereotypical fish in a bowl. Someone was always watching. Very inconvenient when I wanted to make out with a guy. But kinda sweet that they wanted to protect me. I'd never tell them that, though.
G: You seem to have a special relationship with each of your brothers.
Marly: Yeah. Collin is bossy and kinda hard-nosed, but I'm always sorta in his face. He deals with it quite well and I know he means well. Even when he let slip I was adopted, it was a slip of the tongue. Not an intentional way to hurt me, though finding out that way hurt a lot. But it also strengthened my relationship with all my brothers and made us more equal. I mean, I wasn't just a girl any more, but one of them. Adopted.
G: That's one of the questions you struggled with, isn't it? Why your parents made no secret that your brothers were adopted but kept the circumstances of your birth a secret.
Marly: Yeah. Tallie and I had a discussion about that. It still baffles me a bit. But being hurt like I was made me turn to Dawson for a refuge. <grins> And that was a definite benefit. We got to know each other better and I decided I'd keep him as a husband.
G: In spite of your "accidental" marriage.
Marly: I wouldn't have seriously considered marriage to Dawson otherwise. He's a cowboy and a cop. Reminds me so much of my brothers--and I'd already moved across the state to get away from them. But Dawson is different too. He doesn't just steamroll over my opinions and emotions. He really listens. And when we make love… <big sigh>. I would have missed out on pretty much the best thing in my life if I hadn't connected with Dawson.
G: So you're going to marry him again--but intentionally this time?
Marly: Eventually. But I don't want to let him know that too soon. <Her smile absolutely twinkles in her eyes.>
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