Authors: Annie Jones
“
You have to do whatever it takes to ensure that child a stable environment.
”
She planted her palms flat on the desk and honed in on him.
“
You know you
’
re the only father figure that child has ever had, Riley.
”
Father figure. The expression hit Riley like a slap in the face. He knew she
’
d only thrown out the term as a tactic, but to him it was so much more.
Wendy was his daughter. She had been his since that first day when he
’
d lifted the tiny bundle from her cradle and realized that if he did not shelter her, nurture her, discipline her...if he did not love her, nobody on earth would. Though legalities might say otherwise, Wendy was his little girl. It always made his blood run cold whenever anyone went to great pains to remind him that she was not.
If he were in-your-face honest with himself, he
’
d admit that at the core of that ice-in-the-veins response was one overriding, gut-wrenching emotion: fear. What did he know about raising a little girl, after all? What if he made the wrong choices or said or did the wrong things? How easily that delicate spirit could be crushed. The responsibility was awesome some days.
He rubbed his palms together in a slow, circular motion.
How could these clumsy work-hardened hands of his be counted on to tie a hair ribbon,
bandage a scraped knee, or wipe away the tears of that first broken heart? With Momma aging and now disabled, his decision to follow through on full, legal adoption, meant that was exactly what he was preparing to do. He would move from
father figure
to full-fledged father in the stroke of a judge
’
s pen.
He looked down at the pen on his desk and he saw in a flash of memory the tenderness the woman in Fulton
’
s Dominion had shown. Like Carol, she was ready to go for the throat to get what she wanted, but she had known when it was time to put aside ruthlessness and to show mercy and kindness.
There was a lesson in that he could not forsake. Scared as he was at the prospect of becoming Wendy
’
s father, Riley would do what he must. But not at all costs.
“
No. I won
’
t do it, Carol.
”
He slashed his hand through the air.
“
I know you don
’
t like to lose, in court or...at anything. I know you would do whatever it took to keep the odds in your favor, to make sure you don
’
t lose. But this is going too far.
”
“
There is no such thing as too far. Not when so much is at stake.
”
The passionate fire she usually reserved for the courtroom flushed in her face and gave a hushed urgency to her words.
“
I
’
d
think you would take some measure of comfort in my unwillingness to lose, seeing as how in this case, I
’
m fighting for the thing you value most in life.
”
“
It
’
s because of my family, Carol, that I can
’
t do this. You
’
re talking about publicly trashing not just my sister or my aging, injured Momma
’
s only other child, but Wendy
’
s
mother
. Your...what did you call it? Slash and burn? Your slash-and- burn attitude just won
’
t cut it this time.
”
He glanced down at his desk to avoid eye contact with the woman, to avoid more bad blood and hurt feelings between them. Without warning, the glint of a golden frame caught his eye, and he found himself staring straight into the face of the little girl at the heart of this whole twisted matter.
Dark brown hair, pink cheeks, and a pair of sparkling green eyes so full of joy and love that it humbled him every time he looked into them. That was his Wendy. That was his little girl. As much as he loved that child, he understood Momma loved her only daughter every bit as much. And angry as he could feel toward his sister for the things she had put them all through, Riley loved her, too. He loved her for the little girl she had once been and the woman he prayed each night she would someday finally become.
How could he go into a court of law and systematically rip to shreds, degrade, and humiliate her—and in so doing, probably destroy the chance of his prayers for Marcia ever coming true? How could he make it impossible for Marcia to return, to see what a wonderful child Wendy was, to hug and hold their Momma again?
He gripped the arm of his chair until he could feel the roughened grain of the wood in his palm. His lips twitched with barely controlled emotion as he fixed his gaze on Carol.
“
I suggest you see if you can
’
t come up with a better way to solidify my position in court. Because I will not sacrifice even one person I care for in the hopes of making myself look better by contrast.
”
“
If you aren
’
t going to take my advice, Riley—
”
“
Yeah, yeah, world of hurt. I got it. Now let it go, would you?
”
He rubbed his eyelids with his crooked knuckles, giving only a moment
’
s relief to his dry, burning eyes.
“
If you are not going to take this seriously—
”
Riley stood so quickly he tipped his chair over. He did not even flinch as it bounced once on the wooden floor then skidded to a crash against the wall.
“
Don
’
t ever imply again that I am not taking my family
’
s welfare seriously. To my way of thinking it
’
s
you
who aren
’
t taking
me
seriously. If you were, you
’
d find me other options to shore up my case.
”
“
I
’
m sorry—
”
she held her hands up in a show of helplessness that no man who could see the fire in her eyes would believe—
”
but I just don
’
t see any.
”
“
Then maybe I should find someone who does.
”
“
Maybe you should.
”
She snatched up the private investigator
’
s form, but left her Valentine
’
s Day pen lying on the desk.
Riley recognized that ploy as well. Leaving the pen was a threat, a way of daring him to chose. Pick up the pen and sign the paper or leave it and lose her. With that seemingly innocent gesture, she was calling his bluff. What the lady lawyer obviously still could not understand about him was that where his family
’
s well-being was concerned, he never bluffed.
“
Then send me the bill for the work you
’
ve already done.
”
“
Wh-what?
”
The harsh jangle of the phone seemed to underscore the ragged edge of the tension between them.
“
If you can
’
t find a better way to help me make sure I keep Wendy, I
’
ll just have to find someone who will.
”
He spoke softly, in marked contrast to the jarring ring of the phone again.
“
But I...we...
”
Beneath the perfect tones of her makeup, her face went pale.
“
I
’
m through playing your games, Carol. I
’
ve never been anything but up-front with you professionally and personally. You
’
re telling me that you only see one way to handle this case. Well, that way won
’
t do. So I guess I have to find another way without you.
”
He took her by the elbow, walked her across the room, kissed her lightly on the cheek, then nudged her out of his office.
“
Good-bye, Carol.
”
He shut and locked the door before she could so much as squeak in protest, then turned and walked across the room to answer the phone.
Chapter Five
“
Heard a rumor about you—and it had better
be
a rumor, too—that you went plumb out of your head this evening. Up and fired Carol as your lawyer. Just like that.
”
Momma
’
s wrinkled old fingers gave a quiet snap, like someone stepping on a small twig on a dusty path.
“
Now, tell me that ain
’
t true, boy.
”
“
Can
’
t tell you that, Momma.
”
Riley leaned over the hospital bed and brushed a kiss over her cool cheek.
“‘
Cause then you
’
d have to hop right up off that bed and wallop me for fibbing to you, and I just know your physical therapist would have both our hides for that.
”
Despite her obvious irritation with him, she granted him a smile that shone clear into the depths of her eyes.
“
You
’
re a troublement, that
’
s what you are, Riley Aaron Walker. A pure troublement.
”
“
Then I must be a figment of your imagination, dear mother of mine, because there is no such-of-a word.
”
He gripped the handrail just a hair
’
s breath away from where Momma
’
s frail arm rested atop the thin hospital blanket.
“
Pshaw.
”
She rolled her eyes, and though she turned her head away for a moment, not a hair of her steel blue-gray permed hairdo moved out of place.
“
If I was going to make something up out of my own imagination, it
’
d be a sight prettier to look at than some fret-faced child of mine clomping around a hospital in raggedy work clothes and muddy boots.
”
He chuckled at her gentle, teasing reprimand.
“
Sorry, I didn
’
t have time to change. I got a phone call right after...right after Carol and I parted company. At first I was too irritated to put up with the fellow
’
s roundabout way of getting to his point but then...well, he
’
s a lawyer and it looks like I need a new lawyer, so I heard him out.
”
“
So it is true about you and Carol?
”
Momma fumbled with the buttons on the control beside her pillow. The bed whirred and raised her upper body into a half-sitting slant. She flinched, shut her eyes then let out a long, slow breath.
Riley curled his fingers around the handrail, helpless to do anything to ease her discomfort.
When she opened her eyes again, she managed a sweet if not entirely convincing smile.
Riley studied her.
“
I think you knew it was true before you even asked, didn
’
t you? How
’
d you find out? Did Carol call her sister down in admitting and tell her so that now the whole hospital knows?
”
“
Something like that. I don
’
t know if the
whole
hospital knows, of course. There may be someone in isolation or ICU that hasn
’
t been allowed a visitor yet to share all the good gossip.
”
He pulled his shoulders back, speaking loudly enough for anyone who might be lingering over their duties in the hallway to hear.
“
Someday, Momma, I am going to move to the biggest city I can stand and start over where not a soul cares about who I see or don
’
t see or any other thing about my personal life.
”
Momma gave a gentile snort.
“
Be easier to get yourself a wife and settle down right here or nearby so that nobody would care so much about your personal life anymore.
”
She gave him a nod that he supposed meant she thought this solution was the best for everyone involved.
The clatter of plastic wheels and metal containers carried in from the open door at his back. The distinct aroma of hospital food, if anything as bland as pasty mashed potatoes and green gelatin could be said to have a
distinct
aroma, wafted in from the hallway.