He was talking to the little girl, and Greer stopped to listen before letting him know she was in the room.
“This is it, kid, this is for all the marbles. But I don’t want you to worry. It’s going to be all right.” He looked at Bethany very seriously. “I don’t break promises and I swear I won’t break this one.”
They were pressed for time and Austin traffic wasn’t always the friendliest, otherwise, Greer would have withdrawn without letting him know that she’d intruded on his moment. Instead, she cleared her throat to get his attention. When he glanced her way, she asked, “Didn’t you hear me knock?”
“I heard.”
“Then why didn’t you answer?”
He continued looking at Bethany, trying to absorb everything about the toddler in case the worst happened and he was forced to break his word.
“I just wanted a few more minutes with her.” He looked up at Greer. “I’ve been sitting here, trying to imagine what it would be like, not having her to hold, and I can’t. I just can’t.”
His expression tugged at her heart. This had to come out right, it had to. If there was any justice in heaven, it had to.
“Then don’t,” she told him passionately. Without stopping to censor her actions, she placed her hand on his shoulder. “It’s going to be all right.”
Rafe reached up, placing his own hand over hers. He was the one who was supposed to say that, he thought. He’d been saying it all of his life, riding over the bumps that came in the road, picking his way through the brambles. And now he was the one who suddenly needed reassurance. He couldn’t believe that such a pint-size little creature could reduce him to someone who was so vulnerable.
“Yeah, right.” His voice was gruff to cover the discomfort he felt at being momentarily needy. Rafe got to his feet. “Let’s get this over with.”
Greer retreated, striving to become all-business again, which was getting harder and harder to do around Rafe.
“The sooner we do, the sooner you’ll be able to go on with the rest of your life. Lives,” she corrected him, looking at Bethany.
Rafe merely nodded as he walked to the door. Greer fell into step beside him.
Feelings. It all came down to feelings, Greer decided late that afternoon as she watched the judge presiding over Rafe’s case.
If the judge trying the case felt kindly toward them, then Rafe would win the little girl he’d come to love as his own. If the judge felt strongly about such things as traditions and bloodlines, then Bethany, whom they’d left waiting out in the hall with Alyssa, would be going home with Lil Butler’s aunt and uncle instead of Rafe at the end of the hearing.
Greer didn’t know if she could stand much more of this.
Rafe was so attached to the little girl, losing custody would irreparably scar him. It was as if the little girl had brought out everything that was good within him, everything he’d stored up during the stormy childhood he had told her about. Losing Bethany might not kill him, but it would come damn close. She would do anything to prevent that.
She’d come to feel very protective of him, she realized. The thought made her smile to herself. There was no doubt in her mind that Rafe would probably laugh out loud if he knew how she felt. It didn’t change anything, though. She still wanted to make the trial come out right.
The silence within the courtroom as the judge deliberated over the last point that had been raised was swiftly driving her crazy. If it was doing that to her, what must it be doing to Rafe?
She slanted a look toward him. His face was tense, rigid.
Without thinking, Greer slipped her hand over his. As if suddenly aware of her presence, Rafe looked at her and then slowly smiled.
He probably thought she’d added that touch to show the judge a united front, Greer mused. The thought had only occurred to her after the fact. She’d just wanted to touch Rafe’s hand, to mutely communicate her feelings and her support to him.
As if that meant anything, she mocked herself. But her hand remained where it was.
“Ms. Lawford.”
Greer’s eyes darted toward the judge as she spoke her name, her heart accelerating. Belatedly, she pulled her hand back.
“Tell me,” the judge continued, “just what does a thirty-year-old dedicated career woman know about motherhood?”
The judge’s tone of voice clearly said “convince me” to her. She saw Mrs. Maitland’s lawyer begin to rise in protest. Greer sprang to her feet, her hands braced on the table for support, praying she wouldn’t trip on her own tongue.
It’s business, she told herself urgently, think business.
“Nothing.”
The answer took the judge by surprise. After a moment, the judge cleared her throat. “Well, then, perhaps—”
“But what does any woman really know about motherhood before she has a baby?” Greer quickly followed up. “Yes, there are books to read and friends to talk to, but I can do that as well as any other woman. Not having given birth to Bethany doesn’t automatically knock me out of the running, Your Honor. The fact that I’m a businesswoman shows that I can stick to a job and see it through.”
There was no indication on the judge’s face as to whether she was making her point or not. It remained impassive. “Is that how you view motherhood?” she asked curiously. “As a job?”
That had been an unfortunate choice of words. Greer knew the logical thing was to retract her statement, but that wouldn’t be coming from a position of strength and she had a feeling that the judge respected strength. So she pressed on, turning a minus into a plus.
“At times. Being a mother means having schedules and deadlines and things that absolutely have to be attended to right away, just like any job.” She thought of the new wing being added to the clinic. “Whether it’s construction work or running the country, or being a mother, there is a great deal of job frustration when things aren’t going right and extreme job satisfaction when they are.” She remembered what it felt like, holding Bethany in her arms and having the little girl recognize her and cuddle against her. “And personally, Your Honor, I can’t think of anything more rewarding than the job of being Bethany’s mother.”
The judge scrutinized her as closely as if she’d had her on a slide under a microscope. “So you believe you’ll be a good mother—”
This time Hugh Blake gained his feet. “Your Honor, we’re talking of granting custody to Mr. Maitland,” he protested, “not Ms. Lawford.”
The judge looked at him sternly. “Yes, but Mr. Maitland is marrying Ms. Lawford.” She looked from one table to the other. “On the one hand, we already have a family unit. Mr. and Mrs. Preston have been married for a great many years, have raised their late niece, who I am told was a fine young woman…”
It was on the tip of Rafe’s tongue to protest that Lil’s character had evolved despite the cold couple sitting to the right of him, not because of them, but he managed to keep his silence. Outbursts would only make him seem hot-tempered and work against him. Right or wrong, for some reason the brunt of the case seemed to be riding on the shoulders of the woman he’d capriciously challenged to join forces with him.
Rafe fervently hoped he wouldn’t live to regret the act.
“Yes,” Greer replied with feeling.
The judge raised a brow. “Yes?” she echoed.
“Yes, I will make a good mother,” Greer clarified for the older woman.
Though she hated baring her feelings, her past, especially in front of strangers, this really wasn’t about her. This was about a little girl who needed Rafe, and Rafe who needed the little girl. Dwelling on that helped ease her through her discomfort.
“I will make a very good mother because I have all this love stored up inside of me. Love I haven’t begun to use yet.” Greer drew herself up a tad, as if to withstand blows from some invisible hand. “I was an orphan, Your Honor, and I always swore that any child I had would never go through what I did. They would never know a moment when they didn’t feel
loved and cared for.”
The judge looked at her thoughtfully. “I see.”
The black-robed woman paused again, looking down at the statement that Megan Maitland’s lawyer had previously submitted to her. That alone carried a great deal of weight. Mrs. Maitland’s reputation as a humanitarian preceded her.
But ultimately, it would be the young couple’s responsibility to see to the child’s welfare, not Megan Maitland’s. The judge wanted to make sure she wasn’t being unduly swayed.
“As I was saying, on the one side—” she looked at Lil’s aunt and uncle “—we have the right of family. Tradition, stability. On the other, we have an untried, as of yet unwed couple. We have promises. We have youth.” A hint of a smile emerged. “And from what I can see, we have love and passion.”
“Your Honor,” Will Preston complained, struggling to his feet, “Mildred and I’ve been married for over thirty years, you can’t expect us to exude passion—”
The hint widened until it took over the judge’s entire face. “I was referring to the passionate way Ms. Lawford spoke just now. About the love she has for this child who is not hers, at least not yet in the eyes of the law. But soon.” She smiled at Greer. “I have always been a great fan of youth and promise.” Judge Winfield brought down her gavel decisively. “I rule in favor of Mr. Maitland. As per her parents’ expressed wishes, he is hereby granted custody of one Bethany Butler.” The judge’s voice lost some of its official distance. “I would like to see you back in my courtroom in six months, Mr. Maitland, so you and your new wife can tell me then just how things are going.” She rose, an imposing, towering figure in black standing well over six feet. “By the way, give my regards to your aunt. Court’s adjourned.”
“Your Honor, I protest,” the Prestons’ lawyer declared, jumping to his feet.
Judge Winfield paused on her way out. “That is your right, Mr. Saunders. Protest all you want, this is a free and glorious country we live in. Good day, sir.” With a sweep of her robe, she was gone.
“We did it.” Rafe uttered the words in quiet awe. He’d hoped, prayed, but part of him, the part that had grown up getting hard knocks, hadn’t really believed it would go his way. “You did it!” he declared with verve, as the realization finally sank in and found a home within his chest. He resisted the temptation to sweep Greer up in his arms and swing her around.
Greer’s heart leaped up, spurred by the look she saw in his eyes. They were smiling at her. He was smiling at her. The next moment, she found herself being caught in a huge embrace. Adrenaline rushed through her in euphoric excitement.
She saw Hugh Blake looking at her over Rafe’s shoulder. The older man nodded his approval.
“Nicely done.”
“You haven’t heard the last of this,” the Prestons’ lawyer warned as he came to their table. His briefcase hit the tabletop for emphasis.
“Perhaps we have,” Hugh responded mildly, unfazed. He snapped his briefcase closed as the bailiff left the courtroom. Picking it up, he spared the Prestons a glance before looking at Saunders. “Mrs. Maitland has authorized me to cut a check for your clients with the firm understanding that while they may visit Bethany with the approval of Mr. Maitland,” he stipulated, “they will sign an agreement giving up their claim to Bethany’s custody once and for all.”
Saunders withdrew for a moment to discuss the offer with his clients, then turned and looked at Hugh. “How much?”
The eternally popular phrase, Hugh thought. They’d won hands down. He knew they would. Megan, he knew, would be very pleased. And if she was, he was.
“Let’s discuss the particulars over lunch, shall we?” Herding the other man before him, Hugh turned back for a moment to look at the younger couple. “I think you can consider the matter settled.” He shook Rafe’s hand. “See you at the party.”
“Party?” Rafe asked Greer as Hugh and the others crossed to the rear door.
She’d almost forgotten all about that. “Mrs. Maitland is giving a fund-raiser tomorrow night to raise more money for the completion of the new wing.”
As always, she’d taken care of the details for the fund-raiser, the latest of many. But right now, wrapped in the warm arms of triumph, basking in Rafe’s smile, it was hard for her to remember anything, hard to think at all.
“It completely slipped my mind.” Her apology went without saying.
He nodded. “We both had more important things to think of.”
Truer words had never been spoken. The late September sun was already withdrawing from the courtroom as she scrutinized his face. “But you’ll go? Mrs. Maitland said she’d like to see you there.”
He had no use for parties, and he would have rather turned down the invitation. But he owed his aunt a great deal. He believed in honoring his debts. If his attendance was important to Megan, his duty was clear.
“Then I’ll be there.” He looked at Greer significantly, well aware of what he owed her as well. Granted, Megan’s letter had paved the way for him, but he had a feeling that Greer had tipped the scales in his favor. “We’ll be there.”
She felt her heart singing even though she knew it had no business even humming. This was all just part of the ruse they were required to keep up just a little longer. Just until the Prestons signed on the dotted line and relinquished their claim to a child they really didn’t seem to want in the first place.
Maybe, she suddenly realized, this had been their plan all along, to hold out for monetary compensation once they’d realized who Rafe was related to.
The more she considered it, the more plausible it sounded. The souls of some people were darker than she liked to think.
But she was learning.
“Let’s go. We’ve got a little girl to collect,” he said to her as he took her hand.
Greer let herself be taken away by the moment.
There was barely enough time to step out into the hallway before a cameraman suddenly materialized, aiming his camera directly at them. Greer recognized Blossom Woodward a second before the woman pushed herself and a microphone into their collective faces.
Instantly, Rafe went to shield Greer, pushing her behind him. “What the…?”
Blossom fairly bounced in front of him, the black magic wand that would propel his voice into virtually millions of homes held tightly in her hand. She pushed it up toward his face as she signaled the cameraman to approach even closer.
“Tell me, how does it feel to have enough money for the first time in your life to buy off the people who are posing a threat to you?”
For a second, Rafe could only stare at the blonde. “How the hell did you find that out?”
“Good investigative reporting,” Blossom fairly crowed, proud of the lucky fluke that had allowed her to gain access to the material. There was no way she was going to divulge her source. Or have that source ridiculed.
Alyssa looked at them helplessly. “I’m sorry, they just popped out of nowhere a couple of minutes ago.”
“Not your fault,” Rafe said as Greer took the baby from Alyssa before he could. Using his body as a shield, he hustled both women past the cameraman. The man began to angle for a better shot. “Stick that thing into my face again, buddy, and I’m going to feed it to you piece by piece,” he warned the man heatedly.
Rafe placed his back between the lens and the two women.
The elevator doors yawned open. There was no room to maneuver. The cameraman settled for the footage he’d already gotten. “You Maitlands are hard people to profile,” Blossom called after him.
“Good!” Rafe shot back as he bit off fairly choice words better kept to himself.
He looked around carefully to see if he’d been followed. But there was no one along the small, tight corridor that ran beneath the new wing that was currently under construction. The construction workers had long since left and gone home.
He had his excuse in place if someone did spot him.
“Just checking things out before I knock off f
or the day. Never can be too careful, you know.”
A smile peeled slowly along his lips. Yeah, he’d learned that lesson, all right. The hard way. But there wasn’t going to be a hard way for him. Not any longer. He’d done his time in that cell, now he wanted something better. Could have something better.
All it took was careful planning and more careful execution. He figured he was up to it.
After all, the prize was a big one, an exclusive one. One that he’d had in his hands once before and stupidly let go. He wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice.
He wasn’t going to make a mistake at all.
Picking his way through the darkened corridor, he shone his flashlight on the pile of building materials stacked to the side. The ones to be used in the morning.
“Not tomorrow morning,” he murmured under his breath. They’d have to get new ones once he was finished.
Carefully, he wiped his brow with the handkerchief he took out. The one with initials carefully stitched in one corner of the fine linen.
H.B.
Then, tossing it aside on the ground, he raised his lighter to the overhead sprinkling system that had just been put in place at the beginning of the week. Within seconds, a shower began.
He hurried from the corridor as the fire alarm went on. He knew a way out where security wouldn’t be able to see him.
The smile on his lips was one of self-satisfaction.
“I hear you won.”
Feeling slightly out of focus, like a monitor with misaligned horizontal and vertical hold buttons, Greer looked up from her desk to see Anna walking into her office.
Was there something she was supposed to be doing for Megan’s daughter, as well?
This was the first chance she’d had to get at the work that had accumulated on her desk during the last twenty-four hours while she’d been in Nevada. She had just begun to sort through the various phone messages that had come in during her absence, and she was beginning to feel seriously overwhelmed and far from clearheaded.
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