by Deb Kastner
“No,” Hannah agreed, her voice cracking with strain. “No, I should say not. Donald has never been an easy man to live with, but at least when my daughter was alive, Devon was well cared for and greatly loved.”
“Devon loved his mother very much, as well,” Alexis assured her.
“Yes, well, after her death, Donald barred me from seeing my grandson. It broke my heart, but I accepted his conditions because I thought if I did, Donald would go easier on Devon. I see now that I was wrong in that assumption. I should have fought him back then. I will fight him now.”
Alexis was awash in relief. Having a relative in their corner would be far preferable to bringing in the law and throwing Devon—who was already so skittish and reluctant to trust—into the broken foster care system.
“If I had known things had gotten this bad— Oh, why didn’t I trust my instincts? I should have been there for him,” Hannah said, ending on a sob.
“We’re not here to cast blame,” Alexis assured her, gently patting her shoulder. “You couldn’t have known how bad things would become. No one knew.”
“But we’re sure appreciative of your willingness to help us out now, ma’am,” Griff added. “Help Devon, that is.”
“Just tell me what you think we should do.” Her wrinkled cheeks were wet with tears but her eyes were glowing with renewed determination.
“I’ll be honest with you,” Alexis said, sliding her hand to Hannah’s forearm. “I’ve been doing some research. As you know, Donald is a very powerful man with a lot of money to sling around.”
“I’ve got money, too,” Griff growled. “As much as you need to fight this. Don’t let that hinder you.”
“Yes, well, that’s the point,” Alexis countered. “We’ve already come to the conclusion that fighting it through a legal battle should be our last resort. We believe it would be better for us and for Devon if we can come up with a way to confront Donald directly.”
“It’s me that should do the confronting,” Hannah affirmed. “I’ve got a lot to say to Donald, things I’ve kept to myself for far too long.”
“You don’t want to get him riled,” Griff cautioned, holding up his hands, “or he might not listen to reason.”
Hannah snorted. “Donald has never been one to listen to reason. But I’m going to give it my best shot.”
“Would you like us to come with you?” Alexis offered. “We would be more than happy to, Hannah.”
Frankly, Alexis was more than a little worried about what a confrontation between Hannah and Donald might look like. She would never forgive herself if she accidentally placed Hannah in danger; never mind what might happen to Devon if this all went south.
“No,” Hannah retorted sharply. “This is between me and him. I’ve got your number. I’ll call you as soon as I know anything. In the meantime, keep me in prayer.”
“I have a whole team praying for this endeavor.” And now she was especially glad of it—and that Devon’s grandmother was a praying woman. She would be glad to see the boy make a new home with her. He and his gran would be so happy together.
Please, Lord, let it be so.
* * *
Griff was out in the chicken coop watching the teenagers gathering eggs. Two days had gone by in relative peace. They’d heard from Hannah that she’d planned to meet with Donald yesterday, but she’d never called back to let them know what the outcome had been.
Griff found himself keeping a running conversation with God going in his head. He didn’t know when his relationship with the Almighty had become personal. It wasn’t like a bolt of lightning or a sudden emotional conversion. It was more that he’d just slowly become aware of God’s presence in his life and was now choosing to acknowledge it. He even thought he might attend church with Alexis on Sunday.
He thought church might be a good place to be able to pass his thanks—secretly, of course—on to the many members of the community who had already committed to backing Redemption Ranch. Alexis had more friends than she probably realized, and he was not the least bit surprised that they all recognized what an important contribution she made to the community. Her financing for Redemption Ranch was coming together without a hitch.
He was more worried about what was happening between Hannah and Donald. He would at least have expected her to call, even if things hadn’t gone as well as she had hoped they would. She knew they were waiting to hear about it. Either way, he and Alexis needed to know what Devon was about to face.
He’d just picked up a bag of feed for the kids to spread for the chickens when he heard a commotion coming from the front of the house. It sounded like a man’s voice, and he was yelling. Alexis was by herself, cooking supper. Griff dropped the sack of feed into the dirt and took off at a dead run.
He skidded to a stop after he turned the corner to the front of the house. There was a black SUV in the driveway that Griff didn’t recognize. A middle-aged, dark-haired man stood on the front porch with Hannah, his keys clenched in one hand and Hannah’s collar clenched in the other. The poor old woman didn’t have her cane to steady her and he had her dangling half off her feet. It appeared that the man, whom Griff assumed to be Donald Parks, had dragged her up to the porch.
“Get your hands off her,” Griff demanded, bolting into action. He ran up the porch steps and faced Donald off, meeting his gaze squarely and with a glare that he knew communicated the disgust he felt in his heart about this man.
He heard the door open behind him. “What’s going on here?” Alexis challenged, stepping up beside Griff. “How dare you manhandle your mother-in-law. Let her go this instant.”
“She’s not my mother-in-law anymore,” Donald growled. “And I’m not here about her. Now, I demand to see my son.”
“You are on private property, sir, and you have no right to demand anything,” Alexis informed him in a deceptively calm voice. Griff could see by the flush on her cheeks that she was barely reining in her temper. “I won’t repeat myself again. Let. Go. Of. Hannah.”
Donald shoved the old woman forward and she cried out in surprise and pain. Griff barely caught her before she fell.
“It’s okay, Hannah,” he quietly assured her as he led her to the porch swing and helped her sit.
“No, it’s not. It’s not okay.” Hannah sounded hysterical. “He’s not listening to reason at all. He practically kidnapped me when he brought me down here.”
“Hannah, you’re overreacting,” Donald barked. “You started this. And I did no such thing.”
“Taking me somewhere against my will is kidnapping, Donald Parks, no matter what you call it,” Hannah argued hotly.
“I refuse to argue about this.” Donald turned to Alexis and stepped well into her personal space.
Griff didn’t like the way Donald tried to use his superior height to intimidate her. Alexis was a tall woman, but Donald still had a good six inches on her and was a hundred pounds heavier. He was using his size to his advantage, pressing in on her, hovering over her.
Griff growled and stepped between them.
“Lay off, Parks,” he demanded.
“I’m not leaving until I have my son. I want to see Devon. Bring him to me. Right now.”
“No.” Griff wasn’t about to let Devon anywhere near this raving lunatic, at least until the man had calmed down, and probably not even then.
“I am that boy’s father and his legal guardian. You have no right to keep me away from him.”
“Maybe not,” Alexis replied, slipping under Griff’s shoulder and wrapping her arm around his waist. “But you listen to me, and you listen well. I’m this close to calling the police.” She held up her hand, marking the distance of about an inch with her thumb and forefinger. “I may not have the right to stop you, but they do. You won’t be seeing Devon anytime soon if you’re behind bars.”
&nb
sp; “Under what charges?” he bellowed. “You can’t have me arrested. I haven’t done anything wrong.”
Alexis lifted a brow, the same way she did when the teenagers were giving her problems. To Griff’s surprise, the expression worked essentially the same way with Donald. He’d been about to say more, but when Alexis narrowed her gaze on him, he closed his mouth and took an involuntary step backward.
“I can tick off a dozen different reasons the cops can put you in jail,” she said in a threatening tone, but it wasn’t a threat. It was the truth.
There was not only the potential of the verbal and emotional abuse he’d heaped on Devon, which was in itself likely worse even than Griff had imagined, now that he’d seen Donald in person. He knew all about men like Donald, with their all-or-nothing tempers. No wonder Devon was miserable.
But now Donald had added his treatment of Hannah to the mix. Even if the police didn’t immediately believe Devon’s testimony, they would most certainly listen to Hannah’s. Especially if the policeman in question happened to be Eli, who was on their side already. And then there was the fact that Donald had barged onto private property and was verbally threatening all of those present.
“I’ll take you down,” he snarled. “Your Redemption Ranch will be nothing after I get through with it.”
Alexis scoffed. “Feel free to try. There won’t be anything left for you to take, anyway. Your threats mean nothing to me.”
Griff had to swallow his outrage. Alexis really believed what she’d just said. She thought her ministry was at an end. He wanted to speak up, to assure her that her entire world wasn’t crumbling down around her. But maybe it was just as well that she didn’t yet know. In her current state, she wouldn’t be cowed by Donald’s threats.
“You don’t know who you’re speaking with,” Donald snapped. “I’m a state senator. I have powerful allies.”
“Not in this town, you don’t,” Alexis countered swiftly. “Keep in mind these are local police, folks I grew up with. You think they’re going to believe you, or me? If I ask them nicely, you may not even get a single phone call from jail.”
Donald’s eyes glazed over in rage and he shrieked in frustration, sending a chill down Griff’s spine. The guy was diving off the cliff of sanity and right into the raging river of crazy.
Every muscle in Griff’s body wound into a tight knot as he prepared to spring into instant action. He could fight if he had to, and he wouldn’t wait until Donald had injured one of the women in his care before he acted. He wouldn’t hesitate to throw the first punch if the situation escalated any further.
Donald’s gaze met Griff’s and for a moment the challenge was evident, but then the light left his eyes and he sagged backward. Griff didn’t trust the movement and stepped forward, effectively blocking him from the two women.
Donald held his hands up in defeat. “All right, all right. You win.”
“I suggest you sit and calm down,” Alexis inserted, laying her hand on Griff’s shoulder.
Donald slumped down on the porch stairs and ran a hand across his face. He looked tired and defeated, as if all the energy had left his body.
“I just want to see my son,” he reiterated, this time in a calmer tone.
“Don’t you believe that,” Hannah warned. “He doesn’t want to see Devon, he wants to take him away from the ranch.”
Donald glared at Hannah. “As is my right.”
Griff sighed inwardly. It sounded as if they were back to square one.
“I will speak to you about Devon, but I am not prepared to bring him into your presence at this time,” Alexis informed him.
“What’s to talk about? I’m his dad and I’m here to take him home.”
“See? I tried to reason with him,” Hannah said. “All he did was get angry and drag me out here without explaining where we were going or what he was doing.”
“I fail to see why it’s anyone’s business but mine what I do with my son,” Donald barked.
“It’s your son’s business,” Alexis replied. “And it became ours when he indicated his disinclination to return to your home.”
“He what?” Donald roared.
Griff stepped forward, but Alexis held him back. “This is your last warning, Mr. Parks. If you raise your voice again, I will call the police.”
Donald snapped his jaw shut and scowled.
“We have reason to believe Devon has experienced verbal and emotional abuse in your home, and your attitude right now is only confirming what we suspect to be true,” Alexis informed him, her tone incredibly calm and reasonable under the circumstances. Griff was impressed with her decorum.
Donald started to stand, but Griff grabbed his shoulder and pushed him back down again.
“Keep your seat,” Griff warned.
“You have no proof,” Donald informed them coldly. “Abuse is a heavy word with which to threaten me. I suggest you think carefully before you start spouting off unsupported nonsense.”
“No,” Griff retorted. “I suggest you think very carefully about what your next words are going to be. We’ve documented enough to make a pretty airtight case against you.”
Griff was grasping for straws, but he wasn’t about to let Donald know that. He figured there was probably a lot more he didn’t know about Donald’s treatment of Devon, and he was banking on the fact that Donald would be taking all that into consideration.
It worked. Donald blanched. “Are you suggesting you’re planning to press charges against me? You’ll never get away with it. I’ll be exonerated.”
“Perhaps. Perhaps not,” Alexis said, moving once again to Griff’s side. “The way I see it, you’re going to lose either way, because you can depend on the fact that if you force this issue, I’m going to make this trial go so public your head will spin. I will call every local and national news agency I can get a number for. Even if you’re eventually cleared of the charges, people will associate your name with child abuse. Your career will be ruined. I’ll make absolutely sure of that.”
Harsh, but exactly what Donald needed to hear. Alexis was a brave woman. Griff admired her now more than ever.
“However, providing you agree to my terms, I see no need to bring the police in on this matter when there is an amicable solution right in front of us.”
Donald’s eyes clouded in confusion. Then he glanced over his shoulder and nodded in understanding. “You’re talking about Hannah.”
“Yes,” Alexis confirmed. “Hannah.”
“I’m listening.”
“I propose that Devon live with his grandmother until he reaches the age of majority. He has already agreed this would be in his best interest and is excited to make a home with Hannah, as she is with him.”
“He would be,” Donald mumbled, and then straightened his shoulders. “But he is my son.”
“Which is, of course, why you’ll see that this is truly the best thing for him.” Alexis paused and coughed into her fist. “And for you.”
“And if I agree?”
“You’ll make it legal. Those are my terms. Hannah will become Devon’s legal guardian until he reaches the age of majority. Assuming she concurs, she may allow you to visit them when it’s convenient with Devon’s school schedule to do so, but that is providing you do so on her terms and with her rules.”
“I’m the rule-maker here,” Donald insisted.
“In that case, I’m afraid our offer will not be possible.” Alexis pulled her cell phone from the back pocket of her jeans and offhandedly waved it in his direction. “You agree to our terms, or no deal. There’s no room for compromise here. I’m quite prepared to phone the police. It’s your call.”
The silence was deafening. There was not even an insect or animal that dared to break the sudden quiet. Griff wasn’t breathing, and from the expressions
on Alexis’s and Hannah’s faces, he guessed they weren’t, either.
“I accept.”
“What was that?” Griff demanded.
“I said I accept. I’ll have the papers drawn up and delivered to Hannah. She can keep the brat.”
Griff couldn’t believe his ears.
Just like that, it was over and Donald was gone, leaving Hannah behind to rejoice with her grandson.
It was a happy moment for Griff, but a bittersweet one, as well. Devon was safe. Redemption Ranch was safe.
The only thing that wasn’t safe was Griff’s heart.
Chapter Eleven
The rest of the week went quickly for Alexis. She’d made up the guest bedroom for Hannah, who’d decided to stay at the ranch while the legal proceedings were under way. Surprisingly true to his word, Donald Park had had the papers delivered within a couple of days. Devon would truly be going home with his grandmother, and Alexis could not be more pleased and grateful. In fact, Hannah and Devon were staying through the weekend. Hannah had expressed an interest in attending one of their church services at the chapel, and Alexis knew that everyone involved in bringing the plan to fruition would want to rejoice with them.
But as she said goodbye to the rest of the teens on Friday, her mood had gone from emotional to just plain gloomy. It was hard for her to believe it was over. Redemption Ranch would be closing its doors. She had no idea where to go from here. What would she do for a living? Where would she even live? The bank would foreclose once it became clear that she couldn’t keep up with her mortgage payments.
She was still pondering her future when she walked into the chapel on Sunday morning with Hannah and Devon at her side. She was in desperate need of God’s comfort. She put on the best face that she could for their sakes, knowing they were there to rejoice over God’s many blessings in their lives. She didn’t want to ruin it for them.