His mind sifted through the various people he could call for advice. He couldn’t think of any lawyers he knew who specialized in adoption matters, but maybe the ones he did know could point him in the right direction. Of course Emma had her own attorney, but he wondered if the guy had dropped the ball at some point, giving an opening for someone to sue.
At the clinic, Travis hurried inside and yanked on his white coat, wishing himself back with Emma. In his headlong rush down the hall to his office, he almost ran into Gary.
“Travis! I wondered if you were still going to show up.”
“I just squeaked in. Have a couple of minutes before my first appointment.”
Gary studied his face. “Is anything wrong? You look upset.”
Travis pulled the stethoscope from his pocket and draped it around his neck. “Do you know of any attorneys who specialize in adoption cases?”
Gary’s eyebrows crept up his forehead. “Adoption? Well, I have a cousin who can probably give me a name. Why adoption?”
Travis remembered that Gary had no idea of his involvement with Emma and her girls. His face grew hot. “For a friend,” he hedged.
“What about Lucy?”
“Huh?”
“Isn’t her uncle a judge who handles family law cases? He could probably give you a few good names, too.”
Lucy. Do I dare involve her in this? After the way I treated her?
Travis thought of the lost expression in Emma’s blue eyes—of the appeal there. She trusted him. She needed him. And he needed her.
Because I love her.
The realization set up a tempest within him. He gripped the stethoscope, drawing it down from his neck, and wrapping it around his fingers. I love her, and after all these years I put my heart on hold because I never really stopped.
Dazed, Travis glanced at Gary. His co-worker sent him a curious look.
I have to do something! No matter what it takes. Even if it involves Lucy. Besides, she’s a great girl. She’ll understand.
“Yeah, that’s a good idea, Gary. I’ll give Lucy a call.”
****
Lucy slammed the receiver in place, her fury mounting that Travis was responsible for just one more infraction against her.
After the way he dumped me, he thinks I’ll overlook it and help that Emma out of a jam? Men! Idiots!
Lucy paced the confines of her living room, clenching and unclenching her hands. She hated the way her heart had leapt when she heard his voice on the other end of the phone. For a split second she thought he’d been calling to renew their relationship. But no. He needed a favor.
A hot sheen of tears blurred her vision. When he’d asked for help, a remote part of her heart softened towards him—wanted to give him what he needed. She’d quickly squelched it. Helping him, helping Emma, would get her nowhere. It wouldn’t make Travis love her, so what was the point?
If anything, he deserved to be punished—punished for dumping her for some blonde. Why did they always go for the blondes? Lucy glanced at the phone.
Maybe she’d give her uncle a call after all.
****
Emma numbly sat at the breakfast nook and tried again to make sense of the pile of paperwork spread out before her. She’d managed to get the girls down for a nap, and the quiet in the house unnerved her.
Maybe it will always be this quiet when the girls are taken. She sighed, growing impatient with her maudlin thoughts. Get a hold of yourself! You’re being a wimp! Emma dropped her head into her hand. So what else is new?
She tried to pray, but fear of an unbearable answer stopped her. She couldn’t deal with the idea that the girls might be taken away from her—even if it was God’s will. I have to fight this. No one is going to take Kendra and Katrina from me.
She grabbed the cordless phone and dialed her lawyer’s office again. His receptionist assured her for the third time in an hour that he’d call the moment he got in. Emma jabbed the disconnect button on the phone and returned to the paperwork. None of it made sense. How could you sue for custody of someone who doesn’t belong to you?
Emma pawed through the adoption records. She found the paperwork, the notarized and certified paperwork, declaring Emmaline Hayes as the legal guardian of Kendra and Katrina. The documents from the state of Florida and the Haitian government surely confirmed it. She scanned line by line and could find nothing that had been left out or improperly filled in. This is insane! She rubbed her eyes. Her shoulders sagged. Please God.
The doorbell rang. Travis!
Emma lurched away from the table, hope escalating within in that somehow Travis had gotten away from the office. She yanked open the door. The smile evaporated from her face.
Her ex-fiancé Stephen Collins stood on the other side of the threshold, a smirk stretching his mouth.
“Emma! It’s taken me forever to find you!”
****
“Well, Uncle? I’m waiting.”
Lucy felt a qualm of unease when she saw Judge Nathan Payne’s countenance as she perched on the edge of a chair. She'd never liked the man. He sat behind a mahogany desk polished to a high shine, his meaty fists folded in a posture of studied ease.
Serried rows of legal texts lined the bookcase behind him. The room smelled of faint cigar smoke and leather. His small bear-like eyes watched her closely. She struggled to hide her discomfiture.
The richness of the office—and his five thousand square foot home in an upscale Houston neighborhood, exceeded a judge’s salary—that much was obvious to anyone. It galled her entire family that he was probably involved in shady behavior while being the most prominent and wealthy of them all.
Of course the wealth wouldn’t last forever with his gambling addiction draining his bank account. She’d heard whispers at gatherings—enough to know his wife had threatened to divorce him if he didn’t change his ways. How could her aunt have married him? She firmed her lips. His mottled cheeks and angry glare didn’t scare her off entirely. This was war, and she planned to win it.
His eyes narrowed a fraction. “Look here, Lucy. You have to be out of your mind if you think I’ll play any part in this scheme of yours. Besides, I have an appointment in a minute. You best be on your way.” He rose from behind his desk.
She lifted her chin, struggling to keep the fear from her voice. “It’s just a favor, Uncle Nathan. And we don’t even know if it will come your way.”
“It’s unethical.”
“So is your little habit.”
Judge Nathan Payne’s gaze hardened. “That’s my business.” He sank back onto his chair and looked toward the door. She wondered if he thought someone might be listening through the paneled walls of his office. “And you don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Lucy noted the sweat beading on his brow. A frisson of exultation shivered through her. She had him now. Besides, she figured he had more than one habit he’d like to keep secret. Let him guess which one it was. “I do know, and I’m prepared to make this favor worth your while.”
“No.”
She crossed her legs and gazed at him. “And I also heard that your problem is affecting life at home. Think of how a cash payment can alleviate some pressure.”
The grandfather clock ticked loudly in the stillness of the room. Her uncle stared at her, his expression dead. “How much?”
Anticipation swept through her. She named a sum, an amount that she was prepared to increase if the situation called for it. Judge Payne’s breaths came fast. Lucy sensed his inward battle. His face went through a series of contortions. He slapped his hand on the desk.
“No!”
Lucy jumped from her chair. “Uncle Nathan, all I’m asking is that you make yourself available. You don’t know if her case will be assigned to you. I just want you to make sure it’s heard, especially when her lawyer will try to have it dismissed.”
“But if there’s no evidence against the woman, I can’t just override that no matter how much you want the other.”
>
“Listen! Not only am I offering you help—”
“A bribe.”
“It spends the same,” she snapped.
His face went brick red. He looked about to explode. Lucy took a deep breath and lowered her voice. “Not only do you stand to gain something, but if you don’t then I could cause some trouble for you with Aunt Dorothy.”
He leaned forward, his heavy black brows low over his mean eyes. “You’re playing a deep game, young lady. You think you can really win against me?”
Lucy eased out a silent breath between her teeth. The man was a slimeball, albeit a powerful one. She needed to take a different tack.
Swallowing, she opened her eyes to their widest and parted her lips. “Please.”
He frowned more. “Please what?”
It didn’t take acting skills to bring tears to her eyes. Anger and mortification at Travis worked plenty well. “My boyfriend. He’s been duped by this woman. I’m just trying to protect him.”
Her uncle snorted. “Dump him then. You can get anyone you want. Why waste your time with somebody who doesn’t know he’s an idiot.”
“Because I love him.”
Judge Nathan rolled his eyes. “You always were a troublemaker, Lucy. Maybe you’re just getting what’s coming to you.”
“Are you going to help me or not?” she cried.
He drummed his beefy fingers on the desktop. “I can’t make any promises.”
“But you’ll try?”
“When do I get the money?”
She pulled a wad of bills from her purse and set them on the desk, regretting that she’d had to cash in a CD to get it.
Her uncle stared at the money as if mesmerized. Like a snake his hand whipped out and snatched it up. He shoved it in his pocket. “You understand that if you breathe a word, I’ll know where to find you. And don’t assume I’ll go easy ‘cause you’re family.”
When he raised his gaze, she took a step back at the darkness swirling in his gaze. It took every ounce of her self-control to suppress a shudder. Lucy suspected there was a lot more than gambling in her uncle’s past. She nodded.
He stood up, his height imposing. “I’ll see what I can do.”
12
...by morning the wind had brought the locusts.
—Exodus 10:13
Emma stared in disbelief as Stephen strolled across the threshold. She pushed the door shut and turned to see him perched on the back of the couch. His bright blue gaze roamed the room, pausing on the piles of toys and books.
“Looks like you got the twins after all.”
Shock glued her tongue to the roof of her mouth. He hadn’t changed. Still handsome in a refined way, his blue Polo shirt was tucked into a pair of pressed chinos. An expensive watch gleamed on his tanned wrist. It’s an Atomic watch, Emma. Accurate to a billionth of a second. Accuracy is essential in all areas of life.
Emma remembered when his efficient style had appealed to her, and the firm way he took her in hand when she became muddled—which was often. No doubt he disapproved of her T-shirt shoved carelessly into her favorite cut-offs she’d changed into after the doctor’s appointment. Her heart thudded dully against her ribcage when she remembered the transformation that had come over him after announcing her intention to adopt orphans. I used to trust you, Stephen. She swallowed. This is why I can’t trust anyone but God.
He raised a brow. “Aren’t you even going to say hello?”
“Hello,” she said faintly. “Why are you here?”
He eased from the side of the couch and approached her. Emma took a step backward and bumped into the door. The cool panels gave her a feeling of solidity.
Stephen reached up and traced a finger down her cheek. “I miss you,” he said softly. “And I regret the way we parted.”
Pressing her spine against the door, Emma sternly lectured herself. Backbone, girl! Remember the horrid things he said about you—that you forced God’s hand in a desperate attempt to recapture your lost childhood. Her heart beat out the litany It’s not true! It’s not true! It’s not true!
But was it?
She took a deep breath, striving to assemble her panicked thoughts into order. “We parted because you didn’t want me to go through with the adoption.”
As if on cue, one of the girls began to cry.
He nodded toward the hallway. “I admit I wasn’t quite ready to become a parent. We weren’t even married and it was hard for me to accept that I’d already have kids.” He moved closer. “All of the pain and none of the pleasure.”
Emma shoved past him, hating even the feel of his shirt fabric brushing against her arm. He still wore the same overpowering cologne. She didn’t like it any better now than she did then.
“Emma, look at me,” he demanded in a sharp tone.
She spun around to face him. “I don’t have to follow your orders, Stephen. I’m sorry but you’re not welcome here. Please leave.”
He raised a blond brow. “You don’t mean that. Admit it. You’re in over your head. You need me.”
She headed toward the bedrooms.
“Emma!”
Without turning around, she spoke. “I’ve made my choices and I’m committed to them.”
Inside the bedroom, she found Kendra sliding off the side of the bed. When she waddled around and saw Emma, her tear-stained face burst into a smile. “Momma!”
Emma bent down and picked her up. She closed her eyes, pressing the warm body against hers as if she could hungrily absorb the comfort this little person brought to her. The thought that she could be separated from her daughters was beyond bearing. No, God brought them to me. He did! And He won’t take them away!
The words echoed emptily in her mind and heart. She knew there were no guarantees.
Kendra wriggled and pushed her face away. “Snack!”
Shaken from her worries by an immediate need, she smiled at Kendra’s use of an English word. She peeked over her shoulder to make sure Katrina was okay. Katrina lay snuggled down in the blankets, her thumb in her mouth.
Emma turned to her twin. “You’re hungry? Let’s go see what’s in the kitchen.”
When she went back into the living room, she hoped Stephen had gone. He hadn’t. He stood in the kitchen glancing at the pile of papers on the table. He looked up when she appeared. She ignored him and walked past him with Kendra clinging to her hip. Opening the refrigerator, Emma pulled out a bag of grapes and set them on the counter.
“We need to talk.”
She sent a dismissive glance in his direction. “I don’t think so.”
Katrina suddenly began screaming from the other room. Before Emma could respond, the little girl toddled out into the living room, obviously upset at waking up alone. Still holding onto Kendra, she hurried over and scooped the twin onto her other hip. Katrina continued to cry, wiping her runny nose on Emma’s sleeve.
This must look good.
She firmed her lips, deciding she didn’t care what Stephen thought of her new lifestyle. As she brought the girls into the kitchen and settled them at the table, the phone rang. He smiled in a bemused way and leaned against the kitchen counter. His grin faded when Travis’s voice sounded over the answering machine. She reached over and turned down the volume, noting that he sounded like he was calling from his cell phone. Maybe he’s on his way here.
“Who’s that guy? Your new boyfriend?”
She ignored him and went to the sink to rinse the grapes. Katrina’s cries turned into howls, and not willing to be left out, Kendra joined in.
Well, here’s that healthy tantrum I’ve been waiting for.
Stephen made some silly faces at the girls, though he kept his distance. Wanting to get rid of him as soon as possible, Emma quickly cut grapes in half and gave the girls each a handful. The cries abruptly stopped as they began shoving the grapes into their mouths.
She eased out a silent breath at the reprieve. Her confidence at mothering was shaky at best, and with her ex-fiancé hov
ering, she came close to being downright certifiable.
Remembering Travis’s call, she wondered what he wanted. Just the thought of him warmed her to her toes. How had she ever become involved with someone like Stephen with a man like Travis in the world?
Stephen jerked his head toward the girls. “Now that they’re quiet we can talk.”
“We don’t have anything to talk about.”
He smirked. “Quite the independent little woman. You must have a new boyfriend.” He leaned in close. “The Emma I knew couldn’t accomplish anything without the steadying influence of a man in her life.”
She clenched her jaw and cut more grapes, pretending each one was Stephen’s head.
“When we met, you were wallowing in self-pity and loneliness.”
“I’ve already asked you once to leave, Stephen.”
“Poor little rich girl,” he said in a silky voice. “All that money, but no love. Then you figured out how to buy yourself some.”
She whirled around, his words tearing her heart to shreds. “Since you obviously aren’t trying to woo me back, I’m asking you for the third time to leave.”
“What are you going to do if I don’t? Call your boyfriend?”
Emma turned away and squeezed her eyes shut, feeling her hard-won self control slipping. His words fed the bottomless crater of guilt that she had indeed bought love.
Did I, God? I’m so scared I might have.
She heard the sound of papers shifting. Emma twisted her head and saw Stephen sliding the adoption papers around for a better look.
“Leave those alone! It’s none of your business.”
He quirked his brow. “Having legal troubles, Emma?”
“Get out, or I’ll...I’ll call the police!”
He grinned. “No need for anything so dramatic.” He put his hands in his pockets. “I’ll leave in a minute.”
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