Phoenix

by Linda Warren

  Valerie and her husband could offer Jake a family environment. Phoenix tried to impress upon Gabe what Jake needed was much more than that—he needed a parent who put him first. But as the hours dwindled, his chance of keeping Jake was getting smaller and smaller. But Gabe kept working, as did Levi.

  *

  IN THE LATE AFTERNOON, Gabe said he had to go home, and there was nothing else they could do until the hearing in the morning. Phoenix checked his phone a dozen times to see if Rosie had called. She hadn’t. He went home, packed a bag and headed for Austin so he could be in court early. Gabe said he would be there early, too.

  Phoenix checked in to a hotel and waited. He called Rosie one more time just because he had to. Where was she? He needed her tomorrow more than he’d ever needed anyone in his life.

  *

  ON THE WAY HOME, Rosie’s father’s words kept running through her mind: Kate Rebel will never allow her son to marry you. As her truck ate up the miles, her bravado died. She didn’t want Phoenix to have to choose between her and his family, and that’s what it would come down to. Finally she had to admit her father was right. Kate Rebel would never allow one of her sons to marry a McCray.

  That’s why Phoenix had never mentioned to his mother that he was seeing Rosie. Phoenix knew her reaction would not be good, and he’d put it off as long as he could. It didn’t mean he didn’t love her. It just meant their relationship was complicated because of their two families.

  She went into her trailer and fished her phone out from the bottom of her purse. It was dead. She hadn’t used it in days. She wanted to talk to Phoenix, just to hear his voice. She put her phone on to charge and went outside to feed the horses. They still were fidgety from being pinned up in the corral. She opened the gate and let them out into the pasture to romp and play to their hearts’ content. She leaned on the fence, watching. Was it possible to have a future with Phoenix? They would be disowned from both sides of the families. They would be alone, just the two of them and Jake. What kind of future could they have? Tired of the questions going around in her head, she called the horses and put them back in the corral. They would go into their stalls for the night to stay out of the cold.

  Rosie went inside and made a sandwich. She sat at the booth, eating and drinking orange juice because it made her feel closer to Phoenix. Afterward she took her phone off charge and sat on the sofa, holding it in her hand. She had to call to let him know she was okay. In a few minutes…

  When Rosie awoke, it was five in the morning and she was still on the sofa with the phone in her hand. Dixie whined, lying next to her. She had to talk to Phoenix to sort out her feelings, and she had to do it now. Well, it might be a little early. But she would do it soon. She couldn’t keep avoiding something that might hurt her more than she ever wanted to be hurt.

  After a shower and breakfast, she opened the phone and saw she had thirty-two messages from Phoenix. As she read the texts, a chill settled around her heart. No! No! They took Jake from him. How could that happen? How could she have left her phone off all this time? He needed her and she wasn’t there. She quickly scanned the address he’d given her and ran to get dressed, slipping on a long Western-style skirt and a brown turtleneck sweater. She pulled on brown leather boots, grabbed her purse, Dixie and dashed to her truck. Her hair and makeup she would do in the truck. The hearing was at ten, and she would be there to support him come hell or high water.

  When she reached the address, there were a lot of trucks in the parking lot, but she found a spot. She stroked Dixie and cracked a window for her. She got out and came face-to-face with Kate Rebel. Another Rebel son stood behind her with a woman, Jenny Walker. Rosie remembered her from school.

  Her nerves stretched like an electric wire, tight and hot. She was hoping Mrs. Rebel would move on, but her hope died as the woman walked up to her.

  “Mom.” Her son tried to stop her.

  “It’s okay, Quincy,” Mrs. Rebel said. “I have something to say and I’m going to say it.”

  Rosie’s backbone stiffened at the woman’s tone.

  “Please leave my son alone. He thinks he loves you, but he doesn’t. He’s just infatuated and intrigued with you. It won’t last long, believe me. I know him because I’m his mother. He’s fighting for his son and he doesn’t need you here today.”

  From somewhere deep within her, Rosie found the strength to answer. “All my life I’ve heard only good things about you, Mrs. Rebel, but evidently the rumors were false.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’ve heard that you love your sons and would do anything for them. That must be wrong, because a mother would want what was best for her son. But you’re more interested in what’s best for you, and that’s not having to deal with a McCray. That’s not love. That’s manipulation. Most mothers love and support their children even when it hurts.”

  The woman’s face crumpled into a deep frown. “Please just let him go and leave us in peace.”

  Rosie turned back to her truck. “You don’t have to worry about me, Mrs. Rebel.”

  Inside the truck she trembled so severely she had to grip the steering wheel for support. Dixie crawled into her lap, and she held on to her for dear life. This was where she gave up and went back to her trailer and stopped believing in fairy tales. She and Phoenix didn’t have a future, not with his mother standing between them. There would be no happily-ever-after for them.

  She leaned her head on the steering wheel, wondering where she went from here. Everything she wanted was inside that courtroom. Could she drive away and not help Phoenix keep Jake?

  *

  PHOENIX WAS WORRIED, not knowing how this day would end. And worried that Rosie hadn’t called. His whole world was crashing down around him, and he needed to be strong to face this day without her. His whole family arrived, and they even brought baby John and baby Justin. The Rebels packed the small courtroom. He was happy they were there, but there was one person missing…

  He sat with Gabe at a table and stared as Valerie walked in with her lawyer—a very polished Valerie compared with the buckle bunny he remembered from the rodeo. She wore a nice dress and heels, and as he watched her, Phoenix wondered what had drawn him to her. She seemed emotionless and cold. But then, years ago he hadn’t exactly been looking at other qualities, just her body. That showed his immaturity, and he hoped he had grown in the intervening years.

  “Stay positive,” Gabe said to him. “You’re a good father, and the judge will look at that.”

  The bailiff introduced Judge Margaret Cobain, and she came in and took a seat. She perused a folder and an iPad on her desk. “I see I have a Colorado case dumped in my court, and I’m trying to figure out why. Baby boy Jake Rebel now resides in Texas with his father, and the judge in Colorado ordered the case to be heard here because of the boy’s residency. Do you have a problem with that Mrs. Stephens?”

  “No, Your Honor. I just want my son.”

  “That’s what we’re here to decide today.” The judge looked at Valerie’s lawyer, and the woman stood up and spoke. “Mrs. Stephens’s maternal rights were terminated because no one bothered to take the time to locate her. She is the mother and she has a right to raise her child. Circumstances prevented her from doing that after the boy was born. Mrs. Stephens’s husband is a colonel in army intelligence. His job sends him all over the world, and Mrs. Stephens wasn’t able to take Jake with her at that time. Her grandmother agreed to keep the baby. But now she’s ready for them to be a family.”

  “Why did you not leave a forwarding address with your grandmother?” the judge asked Valerie.

  “It was there in her house. I don’t know why no one found it. I called her weekly to check on my baby. You have the phone records. I never abandoned my child.”

  “I see.” The judge flipped through some papers.

  Valerie’s lawyer continued, “Mrs. Stephens appreciates Mr. Rebel stepping forward and taking care of her son when she couldn’t, but the baby belongs wi
th his mother, and we hope the court will grant Mrs. Stephens full custody.”

  The judge looked at Gabe and he stood and explained what had happened since Phoenix had found out he was Jake’s father. “Mr. Rebel is a loving, caring father, and he has bonded with Jake. He has taken full responsibility, and I see no reason to take the child from him now. Mrs. Stephens had ample opportunity to be a mother, but she didn’t exercise that right. I fully believe Mr. Rebel is the right parent for Jake, and it would be devastating to the child to remove him from his father now.”

  “Mr. Rebel, your job concerns me. How do you plan to take care of Jake while you’re riding the rodeo circuit? A child should have a home, a family environment.”

  Phoenix stood. “I realize that, and if I have to, I can quit the circuit and raise my son. For now, I take him with me everywhere I go. Also, my girlfriend helps me. We have a live-in horse trailer, and Jake is in bed by nine o’clock, but he won’t go to sleep until I’m there.”

  “So you’re in a relationship with someone?”

  “Yes, Your Honor, and I plan to marry her.”

  His mother gasped behind him, but Phoenix ignored her.

  “Why isn’t she here today?”

  Phoenix clenched his fists. “She will be. She’s just running late.” He prayed with all his might he was right.

  “It’s very admirable that you’re willing to give up your career.”

  “I’ll do anything to keep my son.”

  “This is a very difficult decision. I firmly believe a mother has a right to raise her child. In these early years, especially, a child needs his mother.”

  “No offense, Your Honor, but a child needs his father, too.”

  “I don’t dis—” The judge looked to the back of the room.

  Ms. Connors stood in the doorway, looking harassed. Her blouse was out of her slacks and her hair was mussed. “I’m sorry, Your Honor. I’m Ms. Connors from CPS. We have a problem with Jake Rebel.”

  “What kind of problem?” the judge asked with a lifted eyebrow.

  “He somehow got out of the room we were in, and now…we can’t find him.”

  “He’s two years old, Ms. Connors. He has to be here somewhere.”

  Phoenix fumed. “Your Honor, he did that when his greatgrandmother passed away. He was looking for her and now he’s looking for me. What have they done with my kid?”

  “I’m wondering the same thing, Mr. Rebel.” The judge looked squarely at Ms. Connors.

  “Ms. Henshaw is looking and I’ll go help her,” Ms. Connors said, quickly leaving.

  Phoenix had had enough. He’d started around the desk when he saw Jake crawled through the doorway in nothing but a diaper. He crawled beneath the chairs and straight to Phoenix. He pulled up on Phoenix’s jeans, and Phoenix lifted his son into his arms.

  “Daddy gone. Daddy gone.” Jake wailed into his shoulder with loud sobs.

  Phoenix patted his back. “No. Daddy’s here. See, Daddy’s here.” He kissed his son’s cheek and Jake clutched him tight around the neck, refusing to raise his head.

  Ms. Connors appeared in the doorway. “Oh, thank goodness. He’s here.”

  “Yes,” the judge replied. “I’m wondering how CPS can be so inept as to lose track of one little boy.”

  “The boy has resisted ever since we took him. Children usually settle down, but not this one. He wouldn’t eat or drink his milk, and he would get out the door, and the foster parents would have to search for him. They dress him, but he takes off his clothes immediately. Jake Rebel has been a big problem. We’ll be happy to turn him over to one of his parents today.”

  Phoenix tossed his keys to Paxton. “His diaper bag is in my truck.”

  Jake continued to cry on Phoenix’s shoulder, and Phoenix continued to console him. As each minute passed, anger filled Phoenix at what had been done to his child.

  Paxton came back, and Phoenix laid Jake on the table to change his diaper because he was wet. He didn’t care if the judge liked it or not. The judge didn’t say a word as he changed the diaper, sat in a chair and pulled on Jake’s jeans and boots.

  “Mine. Boots.” Jake pointed, his face red from crying.

  “Yes. Those are your boots and your jeans.” Phoenix then slipped a Western shirt on Jake and tucked it into his jeans. He added the belt with the buckle.

  “Mine,” Jake said.

  “Yes, that’s your belt buckle, just like Daddy’s.”

  Phoenix stood with his son in his arms, and Jake did something Phoenix really wished he hadn’t. “Beer, Daddy.”

  The room became so quiet the traffic could be heard from outside. Phoenix looked at Ms. Connors. “Do you have some milk?”

  The woman immediately brought him a container of milk, and Phoenix poured it into a SpongeBob sippy cup. As Jake sipped hungrily on it, Phoenix walked closer to the judge.

  “Tell the judge what this is?” Phoenix tapped the sippy cup.

  Jake stared at the judge with big rounded eyes.

  “Tell her.”

  “Beer,” Jake said loudly. Then Phoenix told the judge how Jake came to call milk beer. “It was the only way to get him off the bottle. At the foster home I took him from, the lady told me it was time for him to be off the bottle, and I did what I had to.”

  “You can sit down, Mr. Rebel.” The judge glanced through more papers on her desk. “Mrs. Stephens, I see your visits with Jake didn’t go very well.”

  Valerie stood. “No, but I feel that will change once he gets to know me. I am his mother, and I love him and want him in my life. I will do everything I can to make that happen.”

  Phoenix could tell the judge was leaning toward Valerie and there was nothing he could do. Rosie’s absence today meant he’d lost her. He couldn’t lose Jake, too. His world was crumbling around him and he was powerless to stop it. A Rebel was supposed to be strong, but his strength was waning. He had his family, but today it wasn’t enough.

  Jake sat on Phoenix’s lap, all happy now, no tears in sight. Phoenix hoped the judge saw that and understood he and Jake had a bond. A father-and-son bond that shouldn’t be broken.

  “Momma, Daddy.” Jake looked up at him, and Phoenix didn’t know how to explain to his son that Rosie wasn’t here.

  “Son…” Words clogged his throat.

  “Momma.” Jake pointed to the back of the room, and Phoenix stared at the woman standing there. Rosie. She’d come. His heart lifted in a way he couldn’t explain. It had been on life support and now it was beating crazily for her.

  Jake scurried off his lap and ran to Rosie. She picked him up and kissed his cheek, smiling. It was clear to see how much they loved each other, and Phoenix hoped the judge was looking.

  “Ma’am, what are you doing in my courtroom?” the judge asked.

  “I’m Rosemary Wilcott, and I’m here to support Phoenix and Jake.” Rosie walked to Phoenix’s side, holding Jake. He slipped his left arm around her waist and pulled her close.

  “I’ve never been so glad to see anyone in my whole life,” he whispered for her ears only.

  “I’m sorry I turned off my phone,” she whispered back.

  He looked into her beautiful blue eyes. “Did you change your mind?”

  She nodded. “Several times.”

  “I’m just happy you’re here. The judge is about to rule on who gets custody.”

  Before the judge could speak, a tall man with broad shoulders walked in. He wore jeans, a white shirt and a cowboy hat. He shook hands with Gabe and handed him some papers. “You owe me a drink.” Phoenix knew it had to be Levi Coyote.

  “You got it,” Gabe said, reading through the papers.

  Levi shook Phoenix’s hand and walked toward the door.

  “Mr. Coyote, it’s not often we see you in Family Court.”

  He winked at the judge. “I’m everywhere.”

  “I’m guessing those papers have something to do with this case, Mr. Garrison.”

  Gabe stood and took the papers to
her. “Yes, Your Honor.”

  “Well, I had already made my decision, but this puts a whole new light on the case.” She looked at Valerie. “Mrs. Stephens, it seems your husband is looking for you. You left your villa in Italy without a word as to your whereabouts. Seems you’re good at doing that.”

  “That’s invading my privacy. How dare they investigate me!”

  “Your husband states that the calls to your grandmother were about money and not about the boy.”

  “He’s lying.”

  “Do you really want to go there, Mrs. Stephens? He has cut off your credit card because of excessive spending and has put you on an allowance. He also states he has an ex and three grown children. He’s not interested in raising another child.”

  “He doesn’t mean that.”

  “I’m inclined to believe a colonel in army intelligence.”

  “This doesn’t concern him. I am my grandmother’s only heir, and I have a right to her estate.”

  “Excuse me?” the judge said in disbelief.

  “This has been about money?” Phoenix could no longer stay quiet. “You think your grandmother had money and you want it?”

  “It belongs to me!” Valerie shouted.

  “Your grandmother had a small savings account,” the judge informed her, “and she left that for Jake’s education. There was nothing else.”

  “That’s not true. My grandmother pinched pennies, and I know she had money. She just never would give it to me.”

  “You can have the money, Valerie,” Phoenix broke in. “Just leave Jake with me.”

  “Hold on, cowboy. I make the decisions in this courtroom,” the judge interrupted. “The money stays with the boy. I had already made this decision, but now I’ll make it legal. I grant full and permanent custody of Jake Rebel to his father, Phoenix Rebel. Any visitation will be at Mr. Rebel’s discretion. And you, Mrs. Stephens, will be lucky if I don’t file charges against you for using this court’s time for needless greed. This court is adjourned. Good luck, Mr. Rebel.”