by Tamie Dearen
“That’s fine. I’m surprised, but I don’t think it matters, as long as you’re together most of the time. Now, let’s see—”
“One other thing,” Olivia interrupted, raising her hand again. “I’m supposed to go skiing with friends the week before Christmas.”
“Out of the state, I assume?”
“Yes, Colorado.”
“Well, it complicates things, but I’ll work it out. You should be able to take the children with you. We’ll need to have medical release forms. Hopefully, you won’t need them, but if Jace goes skiing—”
“Oh!” Olivia’s mouth was as wide as her eyes. Josh hurried to speak before she admitted they hadn’t been planning to go together. He grabbed her hand.
“We’ll work it out. It would be fun to take Jace skiing.”
“But—”
“I’m a great skier, so I could teach him.” He caught her eyes in a silent plea for silence.
“We’ll get all these details worked out, then,” Drew said. “And one other thing. No matter who gets custody of Chloe, I think it’s important you and the Parsons develop a relationship, as well. If you had custody of both children, the Parsons would still want to spend time with their granddaughter.”
“But not their grandson?” Josh asked, bitterly.
Warner pressed his lips together in a grim line. “I realize you resent the Parsons for rejecting Jace. But if you were to have custody of Chloe, you’d need to have a friendly relationship with them, despite your opinion. Can you do that?”
“Yes, of course,” he replied, with as much contrition as he could muster.
“Okay then... Until Thursday.” He stood, stuck out his hand, and delivered a firm shake to each of them before disappearing.
Olivia remained seated, obviously still shaken. “Josh, this is happening a little too fast for me. What are you going to do with the kids while we’re working? I can’t afford to take off work, and we’re short-handed anyway.”
“Don’t worry,” he said, taking her by the arm to drag her out of the office. “I’ll take care of everything. I’ll work something out.”
“And I don’t want to cancel going on the ski trip.” They fell into step on the sidewalk.
“Maybe you could just invite me to come along.”
“But Steven Gherring’s paying for everything. We’re all going on his jet and staying in a great big house. I can’t just invite you and two kids to go on the ski trip with me.”
“Let me talk to him. Maybe I’ll just level with him. I can trust him to keep a secret. But I won’t make you miss the ski trip. If we can’t tag along, I’ll go to plan B.”
“What’s that?”
“Iris Winger.” He watched as the tension left her face and she suppressed a giggle.
“Ewww. Not Iris,” she said.
“Why not? She’s been throwing herself at me for three years. She’ll do anything for me. And she’s not unattractive.”
“She’s vapid—you can’t marry Iris. Surely you can do better. How about Dr. Barringer?”
“Nope. She has bad breath.”
“Well you’re not planning to kiss her, are you? You just want to marry her.”
“I’d have to kiss her at the wedding.”
“Okay, fine. Why not Rhonda Grimes? She’s crazy about you. She talks about you all the time.”
“Who’s that? I can’t place her.”
“Tall, pretty, blond hair. She wears it in a bun.”
“Oh, that girl? You think she’s pretty? She has buggy eyes.”
“Fine. How about Rachel Vetters?”
“The girl with the weird laugh? She sounds like a hyena. That would drive me crazy.”
“Hmmm... Shelly Bond?”
“No way. She never shuts up. I wouldn’t get a moment’s peace.”
“Uhmm... I give up.
He fell back into a glum mood. “Let me try talking to Gherring. Hopefully, he’ll let us go on the ski trip with you. But you have to admit you really are my best option.”
“I’ve only agreed to be your fiancée for the next two weeks. I didn’t say yes to the marriage thing.”
“But you haven’t said no, either.”
“I’m waiting for Grace’s advice, but you can expect a no and plan accordingly.”
“Okay, but only if I get to explain it to Grace.”
“Be my guest. I can’t wait to see her face when you tell her.”
Chapter Four
“JOSH IS DOING WHAT?” Surely Anne had misunderstood Steven’s explanation.
“He’s adopting his niece and nephew. The girl is two and the boy is nine. Josh didn’t tell me the whole story... But it turns out he grew up in foster care and only located his sister this past year. And you remember hearing she and her husband died last month in a car wreck?”
“Yes. That was so awful.”
“So now he’s fighting for custody, and evidently that’s why he’s trying to get Olivia to marry him. But we’re sworn to secrecy on that.”
“Well, it explains a lot. We can’t even tell the girls?”
“No, we can’t. He needs the ad litem to believe he and Olivia were already planning to marry. He can’t find out they’re getting married so he can win custody.”
“But a marriage like that would never work,” Anne objected.
“I agree, but that’s not the current issue. His problem now is he and Olivia are getting temporary custody of the kids for two weeks, starting Sunday.”
“And it’s a problem because they’re not married yet?”
“No. It’s a problem because Olivia is supposed to go with us on the big ski trip starting next weekend.”
“Oh... that’s right. So she can’t go?”
Steven smiled. “I hope you don’t mind, but I offered for Josh and the kids to come with us.”
“That would be fun. Micah and Ellis will have a playmate. Is there enough room in the house?”
“It’ll be a little tight, but we’ll make do. He also needed to find a nanny, pronto. So I gave him the number for our agency.”
“And maybe the little girl could come here in an emergency. I’m sure Heidi could handle a third.”
“Yes, but Heidi’s off until after the first of the year, so that would mean Charlie would be watching her. Are you up to some kind of matchmaking scheme again?”
“Who, me? Matchmaking?” Anne blinked her eyes in a parody of innocence, continuing with an exaggerated Southern drawl, her hand pressed over her heart. “Why, I would nev-ah do such a thing!”
Steven’s mouth twisted as he attempted a stern look while obviously trying not to laugh. “Seriously, Anne. Don’t start meddling.”
“I’m just kidding. I think it would be kind of hard on Charlie, even though she swears she doesn’t have any feelings for Josh. Hopefully, he won’t have a nanny-emergency until Heidi comes back.”
He looked unconvinced, but Anne could hardly be offended by his skepticism, since she had a rather colorful track record.
“When will he get final custody?” She tried to change the subject.
“I’m not sure. He said the hearing is scheduled for February.” Steven raised his eyebrows. “So his plan is to be married by then.”
“Are you kidding? He’s planning to marry Olivia by February?”
“Yes, but she hasn’t agreed to do it. Listen... He also wants us to help talk her into it.”
“I don’t know if I can do that. Did you tell him we would?”
“I told him we’d talk about it. And I told him at least we wouldn’t try to discourage her. Is that fair?”
“But this seems like a terrible idea for Olivia. I don’t see how she couldn’t get hurt, unless there’s a chance they might really love each other.”
Steven grimaced. “I don’t think it’s a love match. He’s offering to pay for her medical school in exchange for a year of marriage, with an annulment at the end.”
Anne groaned. “Oh, no. Isn’t there something you c
an do? Can’t you somehow fix this thing so he can adopt the kids without being married?”
He rolled his eyes. “Contrary to popular belief, you can’t fix everything by throwing money at it. But I’m going to meet with him to talk more. He could adopt both kids without being married, except he’s got competition for the little girl. His sister’s in-laws want to adopt Chloe. I think he should try to talk to them, but he’s really angry they don’t want the boy.”
“Why would they only take the girl? I can’t believe they’d want to separate the kids.”
“Evidently, the boy has a different father. So they only want custody of their son’s daughter. But I think it’s possible they’ll listen to reason, if Josh can control his temper with them.”
“It would be so much better if Josh could just adopt them on his own, without involving Olivia.” Anne looked up through her lashes and batted her eyes at Steven, pooching out her lower lip. “Are you sure we can’t tell anyone? I think Emily and Charlie—”
“That’s not going to work. The answer is no. I promised we wouldn’t talk about it.”
“He’ll have to say something to explain things when we go on the ski trip. Right?”
“That’s his problem. He can explain it when the time comes, or he could decide to tell everyone the truth tomorrow. But we’re leaving that decision to him.” He gripped her hand, pausing until she gave him her full attention. “Anne, are we in agreement? We only have permission to help persuade Olivia to marry Josh. So other than that, you’re not to interfere.”
Anne’s mind was already whirling with possibilities. Josh and Olivia obviously needed her help. They just didn’t know to ask for it. She could still help solve their problems, but she’d have to be careful not to be discovered. A sigh slipped out. “Why does life have to be so complicated?”
“I know,” said Steven. “This is insane. We should write a book about it.”
“SO MOM,” EMILY SAID, with a quick glance to assure no one could overhear their conversation in the break room at Gherring Inc. “It’s really interesting about Josh and Olivia, isn’t it?” She suspected her mother might know about Olivia’s pregnancy.
“Uhmm... Yes. It’s really interesting.”
“I mean. You know. How they’re planning to get married so quickly?”
“Yes.” Her mother’s eyes were wide with surprise. “You know about that?”
“I know why Josh wants them to get married. Do you know why?”
“I know why, but I just found out. And I thought you didn’t know. And I’ve been warned not to talk about it.”
“Well, Josh talked to Spencer on Monday. How did you find out?”
“He talked to Steven last night. But Steven didn’t think you knew about it.”
“Josh probably didn’t want us to talk to each other about it. He’s probably afraid someone will hear about it. Olivia hasn’t even told her sisters or her parents, has she?”
“No, I don’t think so,” said Anne. “You know, Steven told me not to interfere, but I can’t just sit back and do nothing. I figure this needs to go one of two ways. Either we need to get those two to fall madly in love with each other, or we need to talk them out of getting married.”
“I couldn’t agree more. I can’t believe Olivia’s even considering marrying Josh with plans to end the marriage in a year.”
“I know. Right?”
“It’s stupid. There are plenty of single parents out there. I don’t understand why they’re even considering getting married when they don’t love each other.”
“Yes. If only the grandparents weren’t fighting for custody,” said Anne.
Emily gasped. “Whose parents?”
“His parents. That’s the whole reason Josh wants to get married. It’s the only way he can be sure the grandparents won’t win custody.”
“How awful to have such terrible family relationships. No wonder Josh never talked about his family or his past.” Emily legs felt weak, and she sank into her chair. Josh’s parents were trying to win custody of Olivia’s baby? It was unbelievable. Surely the courts would never rule in their favor. “This is ridiculous. There has to be some other way. I don’t think Olivia should marry him like this, but now I can see why he’s so adamant about it.”
“He’s been told he and Olivia have to be married to be certain they’ll get custody. But Steven wants to help Josh try to reason with them. Right now, Josh is so angry he says he’d lose his temper if he talked to them.”
“I’d be angry, too, if I were him. When are they going to tell Olivia’s parents?”
“I don’t know. If you ask me, they should be upfront about it. I think Olivia’s trying to protect Josh. She probably thinks her parents will be pretty upset.”
“When I talked to her, she didn’t tell me about the whole custody battle thing,” said Emily. “That’s totally bizarre.”
“Well, Steven’s doing everything he can. He knows some pretty good attorneys who may be able to help,” said Anne. “I’m glad you talked to Olivia. I was worried about her. How’s she handling everything? Is she feeling a lot of pressure?”
“I think so. She said she was glad to be able to talk to someone. And I’m afraid she’s not taking good care of herself right now. She’s working double shifts to earn extra money.”
“I’m so glad we talked about this.” Her mother grinned. “I’m gonna make sure she gets pampered on the ski trip.”
“Yes, and we’ll be sure she gets plenty of sleep as well.”
“Does Charlie know?” asked Anne.
“I don’t know, but I don’t think so. You know, Mom... Despite what she says, I think Charlie still has a thing for Josh. I’m afraid she’s gonna be really hurt when all of this comes out.”
“If Charlie had moved here six months ago, it’s possible all of this would have been happening with Josh and Charlie instead of Josh and Olivia,” Anne remarked.
“Mom, do you really think so? I mean, Charlie’s been holding him at arm’s length for two years.”
“Yes, but I think she might not have held him off if she hadn’t been living in Colorado. And you know how Charlie is. She has a soft spot for babies. And if you’re right and she still has a thing for Josh...”
“But if it had happened with Charlie, I don’t think Josh would only want to get married for a year. I think he’d want to get married forever.”
“You’re probably right.” A wistful look settled on Anne’s face.
“Mom, you’re not wishing it was Charlie in this predicament instead of Olivia?”
“No, I guess not. But you know I always look for romance whenever I can find it, and this situation isn’t very romantic.”
“You’ve got that right,” Emily agreed. “I really feel sorry for Olivia.”
“I’m with you. Olivia’s under a lot of pressure right now.”
“I’m so glad we talked about this.” She lowered her voice as someone joined them in the break room.
“Me, too.”
“OLIVIA?”
“Yes, Dr. Branson?” Olivia knew her annoyance was obvious. She’d done her best to avoid Josh during her shift in the emergency room.
She saw him wince at her formal address. “Come on, Olivia. There’s no one around us right now.”
“But we’re still at the hospital, and anyone could overhear us,” she said with pronounced irritation.
“I just wanted to check on you. You were great yesterday at the hearing.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“Yes, but you showed up. That’s what I needed.”
Olivia refused to be buttered-up by his gratitude. She crossed her arms and lifted her chin. “So it’s all arranged? You’re getting the kids on Sunday?”
“Yes, and I won’t be at Sunday night dinner. I’ll make some excuse. But you don’t have to miss it.”
“But you’ll expect me to come over after work during the week, right?”
“Yes, you need to spend time with t
he kids.”
She scrunched up her nose. “Josh, you remember I haven’t agreed to the marriage, right?”
“Yes, but for now, you’re all I have.”
“Kids aren’t really my thing, you know.”
“I know. But you don’t have to take care of them. You just need to play with them a little bit. You could do that, couldn’t you?”
“Sure, Josh, but—”
“And you get to go on the ski trip. It’s all arranged with Steven. He knows the whole story.”
“But everyone else doesn’t know the story. When are you going to tell them?”
He blew out a heavy breath. “I’ll tell Grace and Brad on Wednesday, when they come back in town. But I was kind of hoping to wait on everyone else.”
“And how are you going to explain it when you show up on Gherring’s jet with Jace and Chloe?”
“I was just going to say they’re my niece and nephew, and not explain why they’re with me. No one’s even told Jace what’s going on.”
“And I’m supposed to act like I’m in love with you whenever I’m around the kids? Including the whole time we’re on the ski trip?”
“Will it be such a hard thing to do?”
Olivia was incensed at his teasing grin. “It’s getting harder all the time.”
“Jace will be so excited about everything going on, he won’t notice whether you and I are acting lovey-dovey or not. He’s only nine.”
“Okay, fine.” Abruptly she changed her tone. “We can discuss that patient’s medications after I check the vitals, Dr. Branson,” she said for the benefit of the nurse who arrived behind Josh. “Hi, Rachel. I like your earrings.”
Rachel’s face flamed bright red, as Josh turned around to look at her. She covered her mouth with her hand, her cackle ringing out, echoing down the hallway.
Olivia wondered why she’d never noticed Rachel’s hyena laugh before.
CHARLIE WAS TOTALLY worn out. After a week of keeping Micah and Ellis, she was glad for the weekend break.
“I don’t know how Mom and Steven do it,” she told Emily and Spencer, as she helped set the table for dinner. “Day after day. I mean, I love the boys, but they wear me out. I’m sure I’ll miss them, but I definitely need Saturday and Sunday to recover.”