“Tuck’s hurting. Just give him some time.”
“I’m so afraid that I’ll never be able to reach him.”
“Then fight for what you want. You do that better than anyone I know. Make a decision, fight for it with all your heart and the fear will go away.”
“I’d like to be alone,” Grace mumbled.
Caroline hugged her. “Sisters first—sisters always.”
“That’s not true anymore. You have a husband and a baby. Our lives are changing.”
“But we will always be sisters. Nothing will ever change that.”
“No.” Grace wiped at her eyes. “I never dreamed love could hurt this bad.”
“Gracie…”
“But I’ll survive. I was taught to be strong.”
“You have to be strong to survive in a man’s world.” Caroline dropped her voice to sound like their father.
Grace wanted to smile, but she couldn’t.
“How about I get us some chocolate?”
“No.” Grace shook her head. “I really want to be alone to wallow in my heartache. Then I’ll pick myself up and decide what I’m going to do.”
“Okay.” Caroline pulled the peignoir out of her hands. “You’re ruining this beautiful garment.”
Grace snatched it back. “I was going to wear it for Tuck, but now…”
“This isn’t like you to indulge in self-pity.”
“Sometimes a woman has to cry.”
“I’ll give you that, but not for long. Tuck needs you.”
“Goodbye, Caroline.”
“I’ll call you in a couple of hours.”
“No. Don’t.”
“I’m not leaving you alone like this. Eli has Jesse and I have to go, but I’ll check on you later.”
“Whatever.” Grace curled into a ball. When the door closed, she burst into tears. She let the tears flow freely, cleansing, washing away, holding on to the peignoir and her dreams.
After that, she got up, dressed and went in to work. She sat in her big office unable to concentrate. The law firm used to be her life, but it wasn’t anymore. She wasn’t happy here. She’d once told Caroline that she wanted to be happy with herself and her life. For a short period of time she had been, and then she’d come back to the firm and gotten bogged down with the daily problems of being head of The Whitten Law Firm.
She walked to the window and stared out at the city of Austin, but she didn’t really see it. Her gaze focused on the oaks in the distance. Several miles behind them was the hospital. She wondered how Brady was, if he’d gone home. She wondered about Barbara, Molly and the other baby.
They’d touched her in a way she hadn’t expected. They’d touched her heart and awakened a part of her she hadn’t even known was there.
Just the way Tuck had awakened her heart.
Caroline had told her to make a decision and fight for it. She wanted a life with Tuck and she was going to fight for it with all her heart. First, she had to make changes.
She turned toward her desk and froze. A spider inched his way across the hardwood floor. Fear jumped into her throat and her natural response was to shout for Nina. But not today. She drew a deep breath, walked over and stepped on the spider with her Manolo high heel. She flinched, but she crushed that sucker.
Raising her arms in the air, she did a victory dance. “Yes. Yes. Yes.”
This was a big step. The last step.
Dancing on the dead spider, she now knew who the real Grace was—a woman who wanted it all with a man named Tuck. And she wasn’t afraid to fight for that.
She opened a drawer for a Kleenex to remove the spider from the sole of her shoe and then threw it into the trash can. After straightening her suit, she reached for a button on her phone. “Nina, please tell Byron I’d like to see him as soon as possible.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She took her seat and readied herself for this meeting and the changes that would follow.
Within minutes Byron walked into her office.
“Please have a seat,” she said.
Byron sat down and crossed his legs, his eyes watching her. “Is there a problem?” he asked.
She leaned back. “I’m offering you your heart’s desire.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I spend too much of my time at this firm and I don’t plan to do that anymore.”
His eyes narrowed. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about. I thought you cut back on your hours.”
“I tried, but this is a very time-consuming job.” She took a moment. “I’ve found something that’s more important to me, so I’m offering you a comanaging partner deal. I will maintain my fifty-one percent and control, but I will leave the daily operations to you, except I will have approval of everyone who is hired.”
Byron wiped a speck from his immaculate slacks. “Have you spoken to your father?”
“No. My father has nothing to do with this firm anymore. The decision is mine and it’s final. As a courtesy, I will inform him after we come to an agreement.”
It took thirty minutes to iron out the details. Byron was in agreement on almost every issue. He’d been waiting a long time for this.
“So, Grace, what are you going to do?”
“I plan to take on a lot of charitable causes, helping people who can’t afford an attorney. And I’m getting involved with child advocacy, offering my services to help protect children.”
“That doesn’t sound like you.”
“It is, Byron. Trust me.”
Byron stood and shook her hand. “Thank you, Grace. I won’t let you down.”
The decision made, she picked up the phone and called her father. After the initial shock, the conversation went well. He spent five minutes trying to talk her out of it, but she stuck to her decision. In the end he told her he just wanted her to be happy. She told him she planned to be.
And she meant it.
Tuck wanted time and she would give it to him. But not for long. Happiness to her was being with Tuck, sharing his life.
Now she had to convince him of that.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
TUCK AND A DEPUTY made the long, tiring drive to Laredo. They met with the sheriff in that county who was talking to the Mexican authorities. After everything was in order, they drove to the bridge. At the signal Tuck walked across the bridge to meet Luis Rodriquez. He snapped handcuffs on him and escorted him to their waiting vehicle.
Within minutes, they were on the road back to Austin. Tuck drove and there was very little conversation. He preferred it that way. He wasn’t in a mood to talk.
It was late when they checked Rodriquez into the jail. Tuck told the deputy to go home to his family and he’d fill out the necessary paperwork. There was no one waiting for Tuck. And that’s the way it had to be.
He was dead tired when he crawled into his car to go home. When he reached his house, he fell across his bed. The scent of lilac filled his senses. It was everywhere—on the pillow, the sheets, his skin and in his heart. Grace’s face swam before him and a ragged moan escaped him as he was claimed by sleep.
THE DAYS MOVED SLOWLY. Tuck was never far from Grace’s thoughts but she restrained herself from calling him. She was giving him the time he wanted and it wasn’t easy. She stayed busy, though, waiting for his call, or some response from him.
April turned into May and Grace was working on a plan to have meals provided to all the parents who stayed by their children in the pediatric ward. She had another meeting with the CEO and he told her Brady was still a patient, so afterward she took a moment to check on Brady, Lisa and Keith.
She walked into the room and stopped dead. Barbara was gone and Molly’s crib was empty. Her heart fell to the pit of her stomach. Oh, no. Tears gathered in her eyes and she pushed them away. They’d probably gone home, that’s all.
As she tried to convince herself of that, the door opened and a bed was pushed inside with Molly in it—sitting up and looking around. Mol
ly was awake! Barbara followed with a smile on her face.
Unable to stop herself, Grace grabbed Barbara and hugged her. “Molly’s awake. I’m so happy.”
Barbara’s arms tightened around Grace. “Thank you, Grace. It’s so good to see you. My baby’s going to be okay.”
Grace drew back and brushed away a tear. “I was so worried when I saw the empty bed.”
“We went for some tests.”
The nurse lifted Molly from the bed and the baby held out her arms for Barbara. “Mama,” she cried.
Barbara quickly took her child, holding her close. Molly’s head was still bandaged, but she looked fine and healthy.
“So everything is going to be okay?”
“The doctors think so. They’re running a battery of tests, but she’s talking and she knows her family. All good signs, the doctor said.”
“I’m so happy for you and Molly and your family.”
“Thank you.” Barbara sat in the recliner. “I’ve been getting a lot more rest since we got these wonderful chairs.” She gently rocked Molly, sparing Grace a glance. “You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
Another nurse entered the room preventing Grace from answering. She was grateful for that.
She turned to the nurse. “I came to see Brady and he’s not in his bed. Have the Templetons taken him home?”
The nurse looked up from the paper in her hand. “No. He’s in the playroom with Cathy, a nurse’s aide.” Her eyes narrowed. “And you are?”
Grace held out her hand. “Grace Whitten. My law firm represented the Templetons.”
“Natalie Dunbar, head nurse.”
“I’m surprised that Brady is still here.”
“He had a staph infection and the doctor ordered another round of antibiotics. He thought it was best to keep him in the hospital until he was completely well. Actually, the Templetons preferred it that way.” Something in Natalie’s eyes changed and Grace got the impression she did not like Lisa and Keith.
Nurse Dunbar turned to Barbara. “How did the test go?”
“Molly did great,” Barbara replied, kissing her baby’s cheek.
“Good. Marcie will take her vitals and if everything stays the same, it looks like you’ll be able to go home in a couple of days.”
Barbara smiled. “I know. It’s wonderful.”
Natalie looked at the paper in her hand. “I just got a call from the hospital administrator. Your meals will now be sent up from the cafeteria. Every mother on the ward will get their meals free. Not sure what’s going on, but it seems we have a benevolent benefactor.”
“It seems that way.” Barbara glanced at Grace. “It’s very generous and compassionate.”
Grace winked at her, not hiding it, but not admitting it, either. That would happen soon enough. She’d set up the Stephen Whitten Meal Fund to supply meals to parents who sat with their children around the clock. The news would be revealed to the media next week, but first she had to inform her father. She had a feeling he wasn’t going to have a problem with it.
The door opened and a nurse walked in, holding Brady. He was rubbing his eyes and Grace could see that he wasn’t feeling well. Her heart contracted. Where were Lisa and Keith?
The nurse placed him in his crib and Grace walked over to her. “Is he okay?” Grace asked.
“He’s just tired and ready for a nap,” the nurse replied. “I’ll go get him some juice.”
Nurse Dunbar followed the girl out and Grace turned her attention to Brady. “Hi, Brady.” He stared at her with dark, gorgeous eyes, clutching his stuffed dog. His hair was growing out and curling against his scalp. “Are you tired? Would you like for me to rock you?” Grace held out her hands, but Brady made no move toward her. He just kept watching her. She patted the mattress. “Lie down, Brady, and I’ll sing to you.”
Brady touched his eye.
Grace felt a catch in her throat. “Yes. You remember. I love those long eyelashes.”
Suddenly Brady ran toward her, his arms outstretched. Grace lifted him out and held him against her, her heart melting from the contact. She sank into the recliner, cuddling him close. “I’ll rub your back and sing you a lullaby. Okay?”
Brady touched her face and her throat muscles locked for a second.
“Hush, little Brady, don’t you cry. Grace is gonna sing you a lullaby.” As she started to sing, Brady rested his head against her chest. She sang on, rubbing his back until Brady’s eyes closed. She stood, gently placed him in his bed and covered him.
She turned to Barbara, her heart heavy and troubled. “What’s going on?”
“Like Natalie said, he’s had a staph infection, he’s been running a low-grade fever and he’s been sluggish, not his usual fighting self.”
“When was the last time Lisa and Keith were here?”
“Yesterday morning, but Lisa became ill again and they went home.”
“But what about Brady?”
“The nurses are taking very good care of him. When he’s awake, they keep him at the nurses’ station so they can watch him closely.”
This was unacceptable. She had to do something. The aide came back with the juice. “Oh, he’s asleep.”
“Yes,” Grace replied.
“I’ll save it for later. He’s always thirsty when he wakes up.”
As she walked out, Barbara said, “I think the stress is getting to Lisa. I don’t mean to be critical, but she’s having a hard time.”
“Something has to be done. This isn’t right.” She glanced toward the empty crib in the corner where the other baby had been.
“They removed his tube at the beginning of the week,” Barbara said.
“Oh.” A deep pain pierced her for all the abused children in the world. As she stood there she realized something about herself—she cared deeply for the unwanted children. She cared about kids and people. And she was going to make sure Brady had the very best care.
Lisa and Keith had a lot of explaining to do.
TUCK ROLLED OUT OF BED with a start. He’d overslept and he never did that. He hurriedly took a shower, shaved and dressed. He had to get to his office, then he’d promised to drive Dillon and Sheila to the bus station. They were leaving today. Damn. This late start was going to put him behind.
Dillon was quiet on the way to the station and he held on tight to Tuck for an extra second before he joined his mother boarding the bus. Tuck waved until the bus was out of sight. Saying goodbye was never easy, but he knew this goodbye had a happy ending. There weren’t enough of those.
As he crawled back into his car, his cell rang. It was Gladys Upchurch.
“Ranger Tucker, I’m so worried.”
“What is it?”
“Micah left for school, but the principal just called and he’s not there. I don’t know where he could be.”
“Did anything happen?”
“Some kids in school are picking on him, calling him a killer’s son, and he has a hard time dealing with that. I’m worried, Ranger Tucker. He’s never run off before.”
“Don’t worry, Mrs. Upchurch. I’ll find him and bring him home.”
“Thank you. I knew I could depend on you.”
He clicked off. That’s who he was—someone who was there for these kids who had no one else. Someone they could depend on. Sitting there staring at the sunbeams reflecting off the hood of his car he knew there was nothing in his genes that would ever change that trait in him. Eli had told him that, and Grace had, too. But he couldn’t allow himself to believe them. He was still struggling.
He was still feeling the pain.
IN HER CAR GRACE CALLED her office for messages before going to Lisa and Keith’s home.
“Oh, Ms. Whitten,” Nina said. “I’m glad you checked in. Mr. Templeton has called three times. He wants to see you. He said it’s urgent.”
She wanted to see him, too. “Call him back and tell him I’ll be at his house in about twenty minutes.”
“Yes, ma’am
.”
With the heavy traffic, it took Grace exactly twenty minutes to reach Lisa and Keith’s home, an English Tudor in an exclusive neighborhood. Grace hurried up the walk and rang the doorbell.
Keith opened it immediately. “Grace. I’m so glad you came. Lisa’s in the bedroom.”
Grace glanced around the tastefully decorated house and didn’t see any toys or anything to indicate a child was going to live here. She followed Keith through the foyer, formal living room, a hall and into a spacious bedroom. Lisa lay in bed propped up against pillows in a silk peignoir similar to the one Grace had bought.
“Oh, my, are you ill?”
“No, Grace,” Lisa replied. “I’m really fine. Have a seat.”
Keith brought a Queen Anne chair and Grace eased into it, not having a clue what was going on especially since they both were smiling.
“You look wonderful, as always,” Lisa said, perusing Grace’s suit and shoes.
“Thank you,” she replied. “What’s going on, Lisa? I just left the hospital and Brady really needs you.”
Lisa chewed on her lip. “I haven’t been feeling well and…and I wanted to explain to you first.”
“What?”
Lisa let out a bubbly laugh. “We’re pregnant.”
“Oh, how wonderful! Brady will have a little brother or sister.”
The joy on Lisa’s face vanished. “That’s what we wanted to talk about. To carry this baby to full term the doctor has ordered complete bed rest. I can only go to the bathroom. I’m stuck here for the duration.” She hesitated. “We won’t be able to take Brady now.”
“What!” Grace was immediately on her feet. “Why not?”
“We have to think of our own child,” Keith said.
“Brady is supposed to be your child,” Grace pointed out. “You’ve been visiting him, forming a bond, a connection. Now you’re just going to walk out on him?”
“We have no choice, Grace.” Keith’s voice rose. “Brady’s very aggressive and he could hit Lisa in the stomach and cause her to lose the baby. We have to be very careful. I’m sorry.”
“Ranger Tucker can have him now,” Lisa said.
Adopted Son Page 20