“That’s who I’m heading to see,” Shane said.
“How long is the court case going to last?” Drake asked. “I’m free until two. I’d be happy to hang around and take you to pick up your car from the impound lot. I know which tow service they use.”
“I couldn’t ask you to do that,” Shane said.
“You didn’t ask. I offered,” Drake said shortly. “I figure if I do a good turn for you, you might put in a good word for me with your step-sister. Dr. Daniels is still avoiding me, so we haven’t had a chance to resolve our misunderstanding. Jessica has invited me to the wedding, and I’d really like to attend, but wouldn’t want to make Dr. Daniels uncomfortable.”
Shane opened the door when Drake swung up to the courthouse front. “I wouldn’t worry about it much. It takes a lot to make my family uncomfortable. Thanks for the lift, and if you have the time, your offer sounds great.”
“I’ll find a place to park and be right there,” Drake said, but the giant man had disappeared before the words had stopped vibrating in the air.
***
“Okay,” Judge Carlson said, sitting back down in her chair. “Counselor, you and Ms. Callahan come closer so we can talk about this.” When they were standing in front of her, she leveled a firm, but supportive gaze on them both. “So how close are we to the amount needed?”
“Twenty thousand still short,” Reesa’s attorney said.
Reesa couldn’t stop her sigh or from blurting out. “I’ll find a way to make the rest of the money. I swear.”
“No need for desperation yet. Are there any other potential sources of income that we can even put in the
maybe
column?” Judge Carlson asked.
Reesa bit her lip and shook her head.
“Excuse me, Judge Carlson,” the bailiff said. “There’s another attorney here—a Mr. Luke Cannon—who says he represents Shane Larson. He also says Mr. Larson is Ms. Callahan’s fiancée and that Mr. Larson directed him to offer some new information if Ms. Callahan needed to prove more income.”
“Why didn’t he just offer it with the contract? Never mind, I want to ask him myself. Is Mr. Larson present?” Judge Carlson asked, not missing Teresa Callahan’s shocked expression. The woman looked like she had had just about all the stress she could take.
“Hang in there, Ms. Callahan. We have to step through the whole process. First, is it true Mr. Larson is also your fiancée?” Judge Carlson asked.
Reesa looked at the tall blonde man standing in the back of the courtroom with the bailiff. She had never seen Luke Cannon before and had no idea who he was or how he was connected to Shane.
She looked at Jillian sitting with Zack, Chelsea, and their court advocate. They looked just as clueless as her. And where was Shane? Why had he sent an attorney?
She looked back Judge Carlson. “Shane asked me to marry him. I haven’t said yes,” Reesa said honestly.
Reesa thought she heard Judge Carlson mumbling “just like a man” under her breath, but when the woman spoke there was no irritation in her voice.
“So I repeat my question,” Judge Carlson said more loudly. “Is Mr. Larson in my courtroom?”
The courtroom door banged against the bailiff’s back knocking him forward. It was accompanied by a muffled apology and a request to come in. Luke laughed and reached to hold the door open.
“Here’s my client now,” he said to the bailiff who was rolling his eyes.
A huffing and out-of-breath Shane slipped inside the suddenly silent room. He saw Jillian and the kids sitting on a bench near the front. Near the judge, Shane saw Reesa standing next to a strange man looking like a business leprechaun in her green suit and emerald eyes he knew were glaring at him.
“Did you tell them already?” Shane asked Luke.
Luke nodded. “I said you were her fiancée, and Reesa practically fainted. Now the judge wants to talk to you. Watch yourself, boy.”
Shane took a breath and stepped forward, then his legs were just propelling him up the aisle. Stopping by the kids, he looked at them, ignoring the smiling woman sitting on the end of the row, but wished Reesa looked half as welcoming.
“You two doing okay?” he asked, his gaze hopping from Zack to Chelsea.
They nodded and smiled at him.
“About time you got here. What’s with you heroes and this last minute stuff? Nice suit though,” Zack said, knowing he was rambling, but he was too nervous to care.
Shane laughed. “Last minute? My car was towed while I was at a job orientation. I had to hitch a ride.”
Chelsea giggled. “Brian is going to love that he was right,” she said.
“About what?” Shane asked, confused, but happy to see Jillian, Zack, and Chelsea smiling fully now.
“Mr. Larson? If I could just have a few moments of your time? You can talk to the children later,” Judge Carlson said sharply, though his efforts to reassure the children had told her much more about the situation than anything written on the papers in front of her.
“Okay,” she said when Shane Larson was standing in front her, trying to edge as close to the tiny woman as he could without seeming to be doing it. If they hadn’t been in court, she would have laughed at him.
“Ms. Callahan says you aren’t actually engaged yet,” Judge Carlson said, challenging his declaration.
Shane sighed. “She’s said she loves me. It’s just a matter of time. We haven’t known each other long,” he said.
Reaching into a pocket inside his coat, Shane pulled out the wedding rings Michael had made for him and the folded drawing he always carried of Reesa. “If my word isn’t enough, these are the best proof I have of my intentions. I can’t afford to buy Reesa an engagement ring until the other money needs are met. My brother is a metal worker and made us wedding bands.”
Judge Carlson pointed to the corner of her judge’s bench and Shane put down the rings and folded paper.
Reesa stared at the shiny circles of gold gleaming against the judge’s bench and wanted to hurl.
“Your Honor,” the Lansings’ attorney said, interrupting as he stood to face the judge. “This romantic side trip is entertaining but has nothing to do with proving Ms. Callahan’s financial situation is adequate to support the children.”
Judge Carlson picked up her gavel and banged it hard three times, making all three people in front of her jump, and the Lansings’ attorney wince.
“Last time I checked, this was my courtroom. And I’ve done enough custody cases to have learned to be careful separating children from a stable home because of money. Most families don’t have enough money, but they get by. I may be honor bound to support the laws of Kentucky concerning child support, but there are still several hours on my docket this morning and I will use every minute of it until I am sure of the proper course of action in this case. Am I making myself clear enough in this matter?” she asked.
The Lansings’ attorney held up his hand in surrender and sat back down.
“Now where were we,” she said turning back to the people in front of her. “Oh yes—Ms. Callahan, are you intending to say yes to Mr. Larson’s proposal?”
“Well I—I told him we could talk about it after today,” Reesa said, not looking at Shane. She was still in shock at seeing him in a suit, and it was too tempting to stare. She refused to let herself be distracted. But she could smell his cologne. He’d never worn it before. It went straight to her head and made her dizzy.
“Unfortunately, your ambivalence doesn’t help your case. Look—I know I’m asking you to reveal personal things, but I do have a point here that could work in favor of your case. Answer the question as honestly as you can,” Judge Carlson ordered.
Reesa bit her lip and finally did look up at Shane, only to realize he’d stepped up beside her. He reached out and put a supportive hand on her back as she stared up into his face.
Who was she kidding really? All she wanted was to turn her face into him and let him hold her. One day she might even want to marry him—not today—but someday. She had been hoping to stop being afraid of the future before they got that far in their relationship.
“Ms. Callahan? Are you going to answer?” the judge asked.
“Yes,” Reesa said finally, her voice barely more than a whisper. “It’s just—we haven’t known each other long.”
“Okay. Now hold that positive thought,” Judge Carlson ordered, turning her attention to the man whose hand was firm on Teresa Callahan’s back. “Mr. Larson, what kind of job do you have? I’m fishing for financial information, not making small talk, so please be frank in your disclosure.”
“It’s Dr. Larson as of last Friday,” Shane said, reaching into his coat and pulling out another paper to lay on the corner of the judge’s bench. “This is my employment contract for a job as research psychologist at the university’s medical center.”
Shane felt Reesa sigh as the judge picked up the paper and perused it.
“Looks impressive,
Dr.
Larson. Any other sources of income you want to share with me?” she asked. “I saw you paid Ms. Callahan a nice sum for use of her image in your artistic work.”
“Yes, I’m a graphic novelist. I write the
Winged Protector
series,” Shane said.
“Is your art lucrative?” Judge Carlson asked boldly.
“It supports me picking up hobby jobs like being a research psychologist,” Shane said, not comfortable talking about numbers in front of a crowd.
Judge Carlson laughed. It was rare for her to give in to her mirth, sadness, or any other emotion. Larson was too much like the hero he created for her to resist. She looked at Teresa Callahan.
“So here’s the deal, Ms Callahan. If Mr.—I mean,
Dr. Larson
—was your fiancée and you were to marry him, his income with yours would exceed the custody amount by a sum that would bar further contesting of your financial capability. I would allow your combined incomes to show capacity in this case.”
“Marry me, Reesa,” Shane blurted. “We can work out everything else later.”
Reesa swallowed and looked away. She was thinking, thinking hard. Then she saw Jillian, Zack, and Chelsea nodding at her, looking hopeful.
“Okay,” she said to them, not answering Shane at all. She couldn’t even look at him. Instead, she watched Zack and Chelsea high-fiving while she felt like throwing up.
Reesa looked back at Judge Carlson, waiting for the next pronouncement.
“Your Honor,” the Lansings’ attorney said. “An engagement is speculation. You can’t really be intending to rule on this case with income so questionable. What if Ms. Callahan changes her mind and doesn’t get married?” He hadn’t missed the panic on Teresa Callahan’s face anymore than anyone else in the courtroom.
Judge Carlson narrowed her gaze on the Lansings’ attorney. “Point taken, Counselor.” She looked back to Shane and Reesa. “You two willing to make it legal today and resolve this once and for all.”
“Yes,” Shane said firmly.
Reesa only nodded when the Judge looked at her. She could barely breathe, much less talk.
Judge Carlson banged the gavel again. This time no one flinched but Reesa, who felt like the gavel had punched her in the stomach.
“This session is postponed until one this afternoon. Move everything back fifteen minutes because that’s all it’s going to take to wrap this up once the marriage license is entered. I’m going to my office for ten minutes, and then I will meet Dr. Larson and Ms. Callahan in the Circuit Clerk’s Office to get paperwork started. Let me check to make sure my JP license is up-to-date. If it is, I’ll perform the ceremony myself.”
Despite his hand still on her, Reesa walked away from Shane without looking at him again and went straight to Jillian. “Go get Brian and Sara out of school,” she said. “I don’t want to do this without them knowing what’s going on.”
“Calling ahead and already gone,” Jillian reply, striding out.
Shane lingered just long enough to rescue the rings and his drawing from the judge’s bench. Then he walked to the end of the courtroom bypassing Reesa, who was talking low to Zack and Chelsea.
“Would you care to get Brooke and go pick up my car?” he asked Drake, because there was no one else. “Here’s two hundred. Tell Brooke I’ll pay her back for the rest later.”
“Don’t worry about your car,” Drake said, clapping a hand on his shoulder.
Luke walked up to Shane with one hand in his pocket. “Your girlfriend doesn’t look like this is sitting well with her.”
“Reesa will be okay. I’ll make it okay. Will you call Michael and Dad?” Shane asked.
“I stepped out and called everyone right after you walked to the bench,” Luke said.
“What did you tell them?” Shane asked, thinking ahead to all the hell they were going to give him. He hoped the chastising could a wait a day. If anybody said anything to Reesa, or if she ever heard a complaint, the woman was going to implode.
“I told them it was the judge’s idea and if they wanted to be at your wedding, they better get here in next forty-five minutes,” Luke said. “I sent Will to pick up Ellen. Carrie and Michael are already outside in the hall.”
Shane blew out a breath. “I’m going to get so much grief over this from the family, but it’s the right thing, Luke.”
“For the kids it probably is,” Luke agreed. “But I wouldn’t hang too many hopes on a great wedding night with your new wife.”