Protected (Jacobs Family Series Book 2)

by Vannetta Chapman

  “That won’t be necessary, Mr. Williams. Next question.”

  Travis looked up from his pad. “Pardon?”

  “There is no Mr. Jacobs. You were assuming I’m married. I’m not. I’m only twenty-two.”

  “Twenty-two?”

  “Correct.”

  Travis dropped his pen, picked it up, then knocked a pillow off the wicker couch to the floor. Leaning to pick up the pillow he felt her curious stare, knew his face was turning beet red like when he’d been chewed out by his baseball coach for missing a catch. Pulling a handkerchief from his back pocket, he mopped the sweat from his brow and tried to think how to begin again.

  The pen was the clue. He grasped it and the pad and focused doggedly on the interview questions before him. “You were saying—”

  “I was saying, twenty-two is a bit young to be married. Especially given the fact I’m trying to launch this business off the ground.”

  Travis looked down at his form, checked unmarried, and worked to collect his thoughts. The entire interview had spun out of his control from the moment he’d stepped on her porch.

  “Is something wrong, Mr. Williams?”

  “Call me Travis.”

  “Is something wrong, Travis?”

  “This obviously isn’t a normal situation.” He looked up as Erin glanced down at the baby and watched her face soften.

  “No, I suppose it isn’t.”

  “Why don’t you tell me what happened.”

  The night fell around them as he listened to her story. He was at first mesmerized, then alarmed by what he heard.

  “You went into the forest alone?”

  “Yes.”

  Joshua fussed in her lap, his face wrinkling as his cries split the night. Erin reached into a feed bucket beside the wicker chair and pulled out a clean disposable diaper. She began changing him as she continued her explanation.

  “Some rescues occur in remote locations. As an animal rescuer—”

  “Which is another problem—you are not an EMS provider. I’m not convinced this is a Baby Moses situation.”

  “What did you say?” Erin stopped mid-task, still holding one of Baby Joshua’s legs straight in the air.

  “I said I’m not sure this qualifies as a Baby Moses case. Under the Safe Haven provision a baby must be surrendered to an EMS provider before the child turns sixty days old.”

  Erin finished haphazardly tabbing the diaper. Travis felt sure it would fall off the minute she picked Joshua up to hold him. Focusing on something past the porch, she again hefted the baby to her shoulder, walked to the railing, and stared out into the darkness.

  “She mentioned Moses.”

  “Who did?”

  “His mother—Joshua’s mother.” Erin turned and looked at him. When she did, the intensity of her gaze, the yearning, hit Travis like a punch to his gut. “I thought she’d mixed up the name of my business. She said, 'An ark, Moses, it has to mean something.’ Those were her exact words.”

  Shaking her head, she sat back down across from him.

  “Tell me what that means. What is a Baby Moses?”

  “Texas enacted Safe Haven laws in 1999—basically saying a parent, usually a mother, wouldn’t be prosecuted if they left an infant under sixty days old—”

  Erin’s hand flew to her neck. Her slender fingers wrapped around her throat as if to protect herself.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “There was something else. At the time I thought I was on an animal rescue.” Her eyes widened as she stared again at the babe in her arms. “She said he wasn’t two months old, not until this weekend.”

  Travis pulled out the copy of the police report. “You didn’t mention this to the officers who came here this morning.”

  “I… I didn’t even think of it until you said sixty days.”

  Making a notation on his form, Travis tried to pick up the thread of their conversation.

  “So is he? Is Joshua a Baby Moses?” she asked.

  “That’s what I’m here to determine, Miss Jacobs.”

  “Erin, please.”

  “Erin. Normally with a Baby Moses case the child is surrendered at a hospital or fire station. The law states the child must be unharmed and left in the care of EMS personnel. In such a case, there is no criminal offense, and a court will usually agree to terminate the parent-child relationship. Since this child was not taken to a proper facility and no EMS personnel were present, a court could find cause to prosecute the mother for—”

  “And what if she couldn’t get to a proper facility?” Erin rocketed off the chair, placing the baby on her shoulder again, bouncing him up and down as she paced back and forth in front of where he sat. “What if she… what if she lived in the woods? What if she didn’t have a car? What if the only way she could surrender her child was to leave him, carefully wrapped, on the back porch of a cabin?”

  “Then why didn’t she call an ambulance or the police?”

  Travis stood as well, tired of containing his own agitation.

  “Have you ever been in an abusive household, Mr. Williams?”

  “I work for Child Welfare, Erin. Do you really need to ask me that question?” Travis stood frozen, waiting for her to back down.

  “But have you ever lived in one? Because when you live in one you can’t always pick up a phone and call the police. Sometimes the best you can do is sneak down the road a bit.”

  She turned then, and he knew from the slump of her shoulders they weren’t talking about Baby Joshua anymore.

  “Sometimes the best you can do is run out into the woods.” The words were spoken into the night, carried away so quickly he might have imagined them.

  “Miss Jacobs, Erin, I’m sorry. I really am, but even if the court agreed this mother couldn’t reach a safe location, calling you—and I don’t mean this in a derogatory way—was putting the baby at risk. You work with animals, not children.”

  Erin turned, took a deep breath, and drew herself up to her full height. “I’m Red Cross certified in several areas, including CPR, First Aid, and Disaster Response. All of which are listed under my qualifications on my website. Maybe Joshua’s mother knew I was a safe person to call.”

  Travis ran his hand over the top of his head and reminded himself they had the same goal—the health of a baby.

  “All right. Say she knew your qualifications, and say she couldn’t get to a baby Safe Haven, so she called you. If I declared this a Baby Moses case, which would still be subject to review by the court, I would need to take possession of the child and place him with a temporary foster family.”

  “Why can’t he stay with me?”

  “You’ve never applied with our office, never shown any desire to provide a home for a child. If you did, as a caseworker, I would still consider it reckless for you to take off in the middle of the night into the forest on rescue calls.”

  Erin’s eyes widened, and Travis knew he’d stepped into the middle of the ant bed. Instead of picking up the feed bucket and chunking it at his head, she perched on the edge of her chair. “Sometimes my job necessitates going out alone in the middle of the night.”

  “But…” Travis stumbled on the words, then plunged ahead. “But it could have been some maniac trying to lure you into the woods.”

  “Mr. Williams. Don’t you think I can tell the difference between a maniac and a woman who needs my help?” Brown eyes flashed at him, and even though her tone remained quiet, her words flew at him like darts. “I wouldn’t have gone if I didn’t believe her, and I did call for backup. Dr. England was there within twenty minutes.”

  “You could have called the police if you thought someone was in danger,” he insisted.

  “Call the police? Usually I rescue cats, dogs, calves, colts, and occasionally iguanas or pet snakes. The police call me!” Erin placed Joshua to her shoulder, stood, and resumed her pacing up and down the side porch.

  “I know it might seem like I’m going off on a tangent, but what you do,
your profession, is an important component of Joshua’s temporary placement.” Travis shifted on the couch and heard it groan under his weight. “By the way, why are we calling him Joshua?”

  Instead of answering, Erin walked over to a bag and retrieved a baby blanket. As she placed it in his lap, her fingers traced the letters hand-stitched along the bottom border—Joshua.

  Travis looked up into her eyes, continuing in a gentler tone than before. “It’s very unusual for us to place a child of any age, let alone an infant, in a home not previously registered with foster care.”

  She angled away from him and stared into her home where a single light shone over the kitchen sink.

  “I’m trying to ascertain if this is a safe place for Joshua. That’s part of my job. I need to know if it’s customary for you to take off in the middle of the night when you receive calls from strangers.”

  Erin turned on him like a tornado changing its path. “Don’t you dare judge my career because it’s not neat and set out with guidelines like yours. I provide a service to this community, and I do it within the standards of my profession. Perhaps you should take the time to check those out. I’m not a nut out collecting animals, Mr. Williams. My business is a member of the Animal Humane Association and I lead the county Disaster Animal Rescue Team.”

  “But—”

  She paused to draw in a breath, then plowed on as if she hadn’t heard him, as if he wasn’t the one conducting the interview. “I’m approved by the Livingston City Council, and I operate under the supervision of Dr. England. So how about you stop judging what I do? Because you don’t understand what I do, don’t have a clue when it’s appropriate for me to conduct a rescue alone and when it’s not.”

  Travis mentally marked through the adjective fragile and held up both hands, palms out. “Truce. I apologize if I’ve offended you, which I obviously have. I’ll admit I’m not familiar with your profession, and if we determine this is a good temporary placement for Baby Joshua I will do my research.”

  Erin drew in another steadying breath and turned away from him. When she turned back he saw the tears in her eyes. Travis had seen many clients cry before. Sometimes it was sincere, often it wasn’t. Seeing tears in Erin Jacobs’s eyes felt like a knife slicing down his palms, filleting them open.

  “Joshua has to stay with me—permanently,” she whispered. “I promised his mother.”

  Five

  Erin forced herself to return Travis’s stare. He watched her as if she’d lost her mind, and honestly she couldn’t blame him. Twelve hours ago, she’d been pretty clueless herself. Amazing what a difference one night could make in a person’s life—two people’s lives.

  Truthfully, he grated on her nerves. The man looked too perfect, sporting his khaki pants, pressed shirt, and paisley tie—not to mention his blond hair and GQ tan. She couldn’t help wondering if he’d ever cleaned a hog pen or pulled a calf. Six feet of muscle wasted on interrogating people when it could be put to good use making an honest living instead of pushing paper.

  “Back up a minute. You promised the mother you’d keep Joshua?” He opened his folder again as if he might find the conversation transcribed there.

  “I haven’t told anyone yet.” Erin forced herself to sit back down across from him. She knew she resembled a yo-yo the way she’d popped up and down, even paced back and forth like her sister used to walk the dog. Right this minute she longed to take Joshua and go finish her chores. Already he felt natural in the papoose harness Doc England had given her. Instead, she cradled him in her arms and stared at Travis Williams, pushing down her impatience.

  How much more time would she have to spend with this man? She should be in the barn.

  “While you were making these promises, I don’t suppose you asked for Joshua’s medical history as you’re required by law to do.” Travis frowned and made a notation on his tablet.

  “You might want to wait until I explain what happened before you start writing.”

  His head snapped up, and his eyes bored into hers. “All right,” he said softly.

  “She never admitted to being his mother. She didn’t even tell me what I was rescuing, but now as I replay the conversation in my head it’s obvious to me.”

  “How so?”

  “She used the word we. Some folks are detached, like they’re leaving out their garbage for me to pick up. She was obviously emotionally involved, practically begging me to come quickly and come alone. I could hear the terror in her voice—for herself, but more for Joshua.” Erin reached out and touched the baby’s face, grateful beyond words that she had reached him in time. “I’ve witnessed many abusive relationships, Mr. Williams—”

  “Travis.”

  “Travis. I suppose you have as well.” She paused and pulled her eyes away from the baby to look up at this man who had the power to remove Joshua from her care.

  “Yes,” he admitted.

  “She was panicked, worried I wouldn’t get there in time. Said she wouldn’t have called me if there was any other way, if she didn’t have to.”

  “Those were her exact words?” His voice had taken on a hard edge. She peered at him and realized he was clenching his jaw. No doubt he would defend the families in his caseload well. Despite the fact he would go by the book, he would also be their advocate to the very end. She could hear it in the anger behind his question, see it in the glint in his eyes.

  Erin felt the beginnings of respect for him. She didn’t want to know him so well, didn’t want to see the man beneath the preppy clothes. What she wanted was for him to sign the paper and let her and Joshua be. To leave.

  “It’s important, Erin. Were those her exact words?”

  “Yes.” She brought Joshua to her shoulder and rubbed his back in soft circles. “Then she said if I didn’t hurry we would be too late. That’s what did it for me, the way she said we—as if both of us were taking a big risk.”

  “No sign of her when you reached the cabin?”

  “None.”

  “You’re sure you didn’t pass her on the road?”

  “I’m sure. She must have hiked back out through the woods. There are so many roads through there, I suspect she had a car parked less than a mile away.”

  Travis massaged his forehead, disturbing his too perfect blond hair. “You should have left the baby there until you contacted the proper authorities.”

  “There was no cell service, no phone or electricity going to the cabin. It seemed Joshua might be in danger, and I couldn’t very well leave him there alone.” Erin fought to keep the anger out of her voice. She’d asked herself the same questions a dozen times. “Do you honestly believe I should have left him so I could call 911?”

  “No.” Travis stared at the baby, then raised his eyes to hers. “I suppose not. By law, Joshua should have been transferred to a hospital as soon as possible. Why didn’t you drive straight to Memorial Medical Center?”

  Erin continued rubbing Joshua’s back. She’d known this question was coming, had anticipated it would be the hardest thing to explain. When the police had been here earlier, Doc had said something to the older lieutenant to soften his questions.

  Now she had to justify her actions, and there was no one to stand beside her.

  She again wished the interview could be over. The cows in the barn would be growing restless. She needed to get back to work.

  She couldn’t resist the urge to glance out into the gathering darkness.

  “Do you need to be somewhere?”

  “I need to be in the barn. My animals are waiting to be settled down for the night.”

  He held her gaze, didn’t check his watch though she bet he wanted to. “I suppose we could continue over there then.”

  She gave his clothes a once over before raising an eyebrow.

  “We’re not done here. If you have work to do…”

  Erin considered her options, but before she could come up with another plan, Kizmit’s bawl interrupted them.

  “Cow
?” Travis asked.

  “Kizmit. She needs milking, and she isn’t known for her patience.”

  “Your cow is named Kizmit?”

  “She’s been good luck. She sort of came with this place.” As they walked toward the back steps, Erin stopped near the door. “Let me get the papoose harness for Joshua.”

  “I can hold him,” Travis offered.

  “You sure?” She again took in his clothes.

  “Absolutely. Not a problem at all.”

  Erin realized he was only being polite, but at the same time she needed to take care of Kizmit and Bells. If he insisted on staying, she might as well take him up on the offer.

  —

  As they turned toward the barn, Travis wondered why he was breaking all his own rules. He generally tried to sit back and observe, keep a professional distance between his clients and himself. He believed it helped him to serve them better. By not becoming emotionally involved, he could better ascertain what they needed.

  But he had to decide whether to take this infant with him or leave the baby here in Erin’s care, and he needed to decide in the next half hour.

  As he accepted Joshua from her, the baby’s softness overwhelmed his senses. The child reminded him of holding his mother’s china—a breakable, priceless treasure. Erin peered at him as he juggled his case folder, work pad, and pen.

  “You could leave your things on the porch. Pick them up when we get back.”

  Travis let her take the items from his hands, afraid he might drop the baby if he tried to set them down himself. He’d forgotten how fragile infants seemed—like holding a dozen cartons of eggs. How long had it been since he’d cradled one? His niece had turned eight years old last month, so he supposed it had been awhile. Given that he didn’t actually hold his clients’ children…

  “You asked why I didn’t take Joshua to the hospital.”

  “Why didn’t you?”

  They walked toward the barn in the darkness. Soft solar lights shone around the out buildings. Stepping into the barn, Erin picked up a pail by the door. A yellow barn cat and two striped kittens followed in her wake. She turned on a light in a tack room, then walked over to a large white-and-brown cow.