by Linda Warren
He’d learned from the best. He’d watched his father manipulate people with the greatest of ease without them even knowing it. It took an hour and a lot of conversations, but he finally was put through to the head of Child Protective Services. From there, things began to happen.
While waiting for the man to access the records, Hardy thought about Angie. She wasn’t going to have any peace until he got this settled. He wasn’t, either. As long as Erin’s future was at stake, he wouldn’t get any rest.
Guilt knocked at his door again, and he thought he could have prevented all of this if he hadn’t been so pigheaded and listened to Angie when he’d returned to Horseshoe. His daughter wouldn’t have been injured and he and Angie would have found a way to raise Erin together. Even though his and Angie’s lives were so different, that was the way he wanted it.
The man came back on the line and Hardy gave him his full attention. He had already faxed the accident report and letters from Wyatt, Peyton and the two other mothers who were at the scene. Hardy made sure he had all the information he needed. After he fully explained the situation and delivered a slightly veiled threat of a lawsuit, he had the name of the person who had filed the complaint. He sat in stunned silence, not wanting to believe what he was hearing. But he had to face facts. He asked for the complaint to be faxed to him, and the man agreed.
As the fax machine buzzed, anger once again filled Hardy, and he wanted to break something. He yanked the papers from the machine and headed for his truck. Hell was about to sweep across Texas.
* * *
ANGIE COULDN’T SIT still; too many troubling thoughts tortured her. She went to her office, and Erin was glad to get out of the house. But Angie couldn’t concentrate there, either. On her way home she dropped kolaches off at Mrs. Hornsby’s because she was having company and had asked Angie to bring them.
Once home again, the walls seemed to be closing in on her, so she called Peyton. They took glasses of lemonade out to the stoop. The girls were inside, whispering and giggling. J.W. sat in his stroller on the porch, but Angie knew that wouldn’t last long. For now Dolittle was entertaining him.
The warm afternoon was like any other in Horseshoe. Most people had their sprinklers on to water their yards. Mr. and Mrs. Hillman strolled by, out for their daily exercise. They waved and Angie and Peyton waved back. The wind ruffled the leaves of the tall oaks and Dolittle took off chasing a squirrel. A typical day, but there was nothing typical about the nausea in Angie’s stomach.
“I feel like running through Mrs. Wimby’s sprinkler,” Peyton said, fanning her face. “Are you with me?”
“No. I feel like my insides have caved in on my heart.”
“Come on, Angie. No one is taking Erin from you. Hardy won’t let that happen and Wyatt won’t let that happen.”
Angie took a sip of her lemonade. “I feel like this is my punishment for keeping Hardy away from his daughter all these years. Now they will take her away for the rest of mine. I don’t know how I’m going to get through this.”
“By stopping with the melodrama. They have to have solid proof before they remove a child from its home.”
Angie knew that, but she just had a foreboding inside that she was about to lose everything and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
Dolittle bounded back into the yard and over to J.W. He licked the baby’s face and J.W. licked him back.
“Stop that,” Peyton shouted. “Do not lick the dog.”
“No,” J.W. shouted back.
Peyton pointed a finger at him and said, “Mommy said no.”
“No,” J.W. said again.
Peyton shook her head. “Gotta wonder about a kid whose first word is no. My blond hair is turning gray as I speak, but that’s part of being a mother. We hang in there no matter what.”
As Peyton said the words, Angie knew what she had to do. She got to her feet. “Could you watch Erin for about thirty minutes? I have something I need to do. It won’t take long.”
“Of course. Angie, please, just relax.”
“I’m trying. Thanks.” Angie ran into the house, placed her glass on the table, told Erin she was going out for a while and got in her car.
Peyton was right. It wasn’t easy being a mother. Angie had to make things right with her own mother or she wasn’t going to be able to survive the next few days. Pride goeth before a fall. Angie was falling, falling and she needed her mother. No matter what had happened, that fact still rang true.
Chapter Fourteen
As Angie cut through the back streets to reach her parents’ house, she passed the small Catholic church she’d attended since she was a child. Her mother’s car was there. She pulled into a parking spot and got out.
The parish shared a priest with three other small towns, and Father Mark was only in Horseshoe two times a week. Mr. and Mrs. Whitfield were the church caretakers and lived across the street. It was always open.
The old church was made of limestone and had stood there for over a hundred years. She opened the door and went inside. The smell of incense greeted her. She dipped her fingers into the holy water font, made the sign of the cross, genuflected and took a seat in the last wooden pew. The stained glass windows were magnificent, as was the woodwork, polished to a high sheen. The church had been well taken care of over the years.
Sitting there, a calm came over her as it always did when she entered the church. It was her happy place, where she knew her sins were forgiven and there was always hope and love. But after what she’d done, she wasn’t sure she deserved forgiveness. And that was the guilt eating her up.
All this heartache could have been prevented if she’d had the courage to do what she should have when she was eighteen. That was what was killing her. She would never be able to forgive herself for what she’d done, and the only thing she knew to do was pray.
She didn’t know how long she sat there just holding on to the only thing she had—her faith—when she saw her mother and Mrs. Whitfield come from the back.
Startled, her mother stared at her, and Angie thought she was going to turn away. Doris whispered something to Mrs. Whitfield and walked down the aisle to Angie.
If she ever needed her mother, she needed her now. Doris sat beside her. “I’m sorry, my baby. I’m a stubborn old woman.”
That was all it took. Angie choked back a sob. “I’m sorry you’re disappointed in me.”
“No. No.” Doris patted Angie’s hands. “I couldn’t face my own disappointment in myself. I should’ve been there for you as a mother to help you. You should have been able to come to me without fear of anger or criticism or judgment. I couldn’t face what I’d done, and I didn’t want to come out of my house because I saw myself as I really was—a bad mother.”
Angie could hardly believe what she was hearing. Her mother was admitting she’d been wrong.
The thought gave Angie the impetus to say, “I’m scared, Mama. I’ve never been this scared in my whole life.”
“Why?”
Angie told her what had happened.
“Who would do such a thing?” Doris shook her head. “Doesn’t matter. No one is taking Erin. I will be there for you this time, and I will make sure no one hurts you again.”
“Thank you, Mama. But it’s out of our hands. We have to wait and see what CPS does.”
“Well, I know one thing. We’re going to fight this. There is no better mother than you. The whole town will testify to that.”
“Hardy is looking into it.”
“Then we have to trust him. Erin is his daughter, too.”
Angie gripped her hands in her lap. So simple. Why couldn’t she see that at eighteen?
“Sorry I didn’t tell you I was pregnant with Erin. I was just so scared and—”
Her mother patted her hands again. “Shh. You were my good girl, my angel. I never worried about you getting into trouble or in with the wrong crowd. You had a good head on your shoulders, unlike your sisters. I always worried Patsy and Pegg
y would get pregnant before they got out of high school. Now I worry they will never get pregnant. A mother always worries.”
“Back then, I loved Hardy and I didn’t see what we did was wrong. I never did. It gave me Erin, and now...”
“Young love is very powerful,” her mother said, surprising Angie with the insight. “I wish I could’ve saved you all this heartache.”
Angie blinked away a tear. “Does anyone ever get this thing called life right?”
“No, but we get to say I’m sorry and move on, and that’s what we do now. You’re a better mother than I ever was and I defy anyone to say otherwise. Erin was right. She knows you will always be there for her. I’ll always regret that I wasn’t that type of mother. I’m not too old to learn, though.”
Angie smiled through her glistening tears. In this church with her mother beside her, she’d gained the strength to take a step forward and to not look back, because she knew Hardy would fight for both of them. He may not love her, but he loved his daughter. And he would not let anything or anyone harm her.
Back then, she’d wanted it all: the love, the passion, the family and the happiness beyond her wildest dreams with a man who adored her. Now she just wanted peace in her life and to know that her mistakes were forgiven—that Hardy had forgiven her.
“Come to the house and see Erin. She misses you.”
“I’ll follow you over and apologize to my granddaughter.”
“Thank you, Mama.” Arm in arm they walked out of the church into the late sunshine of the day. Maybe she and her mother could now have a better understanding of each other as mother and daughter. No matter what happened, they were family, and that was what counted most.
* * *
HARDY RANG THE doorbell, trying to control the anger shooting through him. No one came to the door. He pounded on it with his fist. After a few minutes, it was yanked open. Olivia stood in a towel, her hair dripping wet.
“Hardy, I was in the shower. I wasn’t expecting you.”
He pushed past her. “I bet not.” He shoved the complaint papers toward her.
She ignored them. “What’s wrong? No hello? No kiss?” She rubbed her hair with a towel.
“Did you really think I wouldn’t find out?”
She took the papers from him, walked into the living room and set them on the coffee table. “What do you want me to say?”
“I want you to tell me why you would do such a thing. You met with someone in the CPS office and said you were the attorney for Hardison Hollister Sr. You claimed because of the accident he was concerned about the safety and welfare of his granddaughter. On that complaint alone, they looked into your allegations. False allegations. You used my father’s name without his permission. That’s a criminal act.”
“How do you know your father didn’t instruct me to intervene?”
“Because I asked him point-blank, and if there’s anything consistent about my father, it’s that he finds it hard to lie when asked a direct question. It must be something to do with being a judge. It’s like he’s on the witness stand. He will not lie.”
She turned to face him, anger marring the beautiful lines of her face. “I did it for us. You were spending all your time with her and the kid. I put a solid year into our relationship, and you were throwing it all away because you found out you were a father. You stopped thinking about the campaign. All you thought about was the kid. Even your father could see your career was going down the tubes.”
“My career is my business.”
“I have supported you and promoted you whenever I could, so don’t tell me it’s none of my business.”
He took a deep breath to marshal his thoughts. “What did you hope to gain by this?” He pointed to the papers.
“I was trying to save your future—our future.”
“How could taking my daughter from her mother save our future?”
“You would see that that country small-town girl was not the woman for you. She would bring you down instead of lifting you up.”
“I’m not following you. All I see is a bitter woman reacting out of jealousy. You were afraid you were going to lose me to Angie, so you did your damnedest to stop it.”
“Do you really think she’ll fit into your lifestyle? Do you honestly see her socializing with judges, congressmen and senators? And her family? That’s a whole other matter. They’re a bunch of rednecks and would be an embarrassment to you. Yet you’re willing to ruin your life for her.”
Something in Olivia’s words resonated with him. He tried to push it away, but there it was, hidden in the darkest crevices of his mind. Oh, God! Guilt wasn’t the reason he’d never called Angie. It was something else entirely, and at that moment he hated himself.
Olivia saw the chink in his armor. “Hardy, you do know what I’m talking about, don’t you? I’m not trying to be mean or insulting. I’m sure Angie’s a very nice person, but she’s not the woman for you.”
“You know nothing about Angie. She’s warm and loving. Someone you could never be. Stay away from me and Angie and our daughter. If you go anywhere near them, I will file charges against you. Just stay out of my life.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“I do.”
“I just wanted to scare her so she would get out of your life and stop making you feel guilty over your daughter.”
“You achieved your goal. Angie is scared out of her mind, and for that I will never forgive you.”
“She will bore you to death in two months.”
“I spent so many years trying to be what my father wanted me to be, and now I don’t even know who I am. I feel used and disillusioned.” He quickly collected himself and picked up her portable phone. Handing it to her, he said, “Call CPS and tell them the complaint was a lie fabricated by you.”
She stiffened. “Why would I do that?”
“Because you falsely used my father’s name, and I will file charges against you so fast it will make your head spin. Are you willing to risk your law career?”
“Hardy.” She moved closer to him.
He stared at her. “Don’t embarrass yourself.”
She made the call.
Hardy strolled toward the door.
“Hardy.”
He stopped.
“You’ll never realize your dream with her.”
He opened the door and walked to his truck, feeling as low as he’d ever felt. Once inside, he called CPS. After a short discussion, Hardy agreed not to file charges against CPS and not to alert the media. In return, the man pulled the complaint and erased it from the system.
He then punched in Angie’s number. He couldn’t let her worry any longer.
“I just wanted to let you know that the complaint is being dropped. No one is taking Erin. It won’t even be on the record.”
“Oh, Hardy, thank you. I can breathe again.” He could hear the relief in her voice, and for a moment he just held the phone close to his ear. Forgive me echoed through his mind. “Who filed the complaint, and how did you get it dropped?”
“I’ll tell you when I get back to Horseshoe. I just didn’t want you to worry anymore. Is Erin okay?”
“Yes, she’s on the porch with Jody.”
“I’ll talk to you later.”
He clicked off and drove out of the parking area, wondering how he was going to tell Angie what he had to.
Chapter Fifteen
Angie saw the lights turn into her driveway. She ran to the back door. It was dark, but she knew it was Hardy. She’d been waiting and waiting. Where had he been, and why wasn’t he getting out of his truck? After a moment, a dark figure walked toward the door. She quickly opened it.
Hardy’s haggard appearance startled her. His dark hair was tousled as if he’d been running his fingers through it repeatedly. His pristine white shirt was wrinkled and a frown marred his handsome face. He brought the warmth of the night in with him, but her heart felt cold because she knew what he had to tell her wasn’t going to
be good.
“May I see Erin?”
“Sure.”
She followed him down the hall into Erin’s room. He sat on the bed and brushed Erin’s hair from her face. Leaning over, he kissed her forehead.
“Daddy,” Erin whispered sleepily.
“Night, sleeping beauty.”
“Night.”
He got up and they went back into the kitchen.
“Do you have any coffee?” he asked.
She looked at the clock on the wall. “It’s almost ten.”
“You’re right. I’m wired enough.”
She opened the refrigerator. “I made lemonade today. How about a glass?”
“Do you have some vodka to put in it?” He pulled out a chair and took a seat.
“No.” She opened the refrigerator and removed the lemonade. Pouring two glasses, she asked, “That bad, huh?”
He ran his hands up his face. “A day I don’t want to relive.”
After placing the glasses on the table, she sat across from him. “What happened? Who filed the complaint?”
“Olivia.”
“What? Why would she do that?”
He told her the whole story.
“You’re positive your father had nothing to do with it?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
“I don’t know what to say. Bitch comes to mind, but I know you cared about her. I’m sorry it turned out this way.”
He twisted the glass. “It’s over, so don’t worry about losing Erin. No one can take her from you.”
“Thank you.”
He ran his finger over the wetness of the glass. “I’ve been driving around trying to figure out a way to tell you something that I realized tonight for the first time. Or at least I allowed myself to realize it.”
Her breath stalled, and she wanted to say she didn’t need to know anything else, but that was a coward’s way out. She had to hear what he had to say.
“You were right. That summer long ago I fell in love, and I denied it every way I could for a reason.” He took a gulp of the lemonade as if it was pure vodka. “You see, my father had this future planned for me and I didn’t see you as someone to share that future with. You were young and...”