“What kind of work does Justin do? Can he physically provide a stable environment for the children?”
Abby frowned. “He never held down a job when he was married to Loretta. I know he was beneficiary of a small insurance policy, and I suppose when he was found not guilty he got that, but he probably has a wealth of attorney fees to pay.” Abby shrugged helplessly. “I don’t even know where he might be living now. When he and Loretta split, he was living in a small studio apartment.”
“Okay,” Johnna said. “I’ll get my investigator checking into his background and find out what ammunition we can use.” She closed her pad and eyed Abby somberly. “Unfortunately, I can’t do anything about this until Monday morning. First thing Monday I’ll file the paperwork requesting permanent custody of the children.”
She stood, and Abby and Luke did the same. “I have to be honest here with you, Abby. Family courts generally like to keep kids with their biological parents. But I’m a fighter, and it’s obvious you are, too.”
Abby and Luke walked with her toward the front door. “I’ll do my damnedest to make sure those kids remain with you. In the meantime, if Justin shows up here, under no circumstances do you allow him to have the children. Call Sheriff Broder and tell him at the present time you have legal custody.”
“Don’t worry,” Abby said. “There’s no way I’d allow him the kids.”
At that moment Jason called Abby from his room, where he and Jessica had been playing. Abby smiled at Johnna. “And speaking of kids, I better go see what’s going on.”
Johnna nodded. “Too bad you aren’t married. Family court also loves two-parent families. Go…” She waved Abby away. “Go see to the kids. Luke will see me out the door.”
Abby nodded and hurried down the hallway, aware that she had just set into motion a battle of mammoth proportions. She was gambling, and the stakes were high, the well-being of the two children she loved more than anything else in the world. She had to win. If she didn’t, they would all be destroyed.
Chapter 10
“What are you doing, brother?” Johnna asked as she and Luke stepped out of the house.
“What do you mean?”
“Playing Sir Galahad is not your usual style,” Johnna said dryly.
“Maybe I’m changing my style,” Luke replied more sharply than he intended. He drew a deep breath to steady the emotions that had rolled through him from the moment Abby had spilled her secrets. “She’s a very nice lady, and she needs help.”
“And you talked her into getting help.”
He hesitated, then nodded. “She was set to run again.”
“But you convinced her to stand and fight.” Johnna’s gaze lingered on him thoughtfully. “Are you involved with her?”
He shrugged, breaking eye contact. “Sure, I’ve been doing some work for her around the place. I built her the new porch, and she wants her kitchen cabinets replaced.”
Johnna elbowed him in the ribs. “You know that’s not what I meant.”
“What difference does it make?” he asked as they reached her car.
“I was wondering what might happen if you talked her into staying and fighting, then I lose the custody battle.”
Luke smiled at his sister, a smile that held little humor. “Then I guess you’d just better be sure you win the battle.”
“Sure, no pressure there.” Johnna opened her car door, but instead of getting in she turned to face Luke.
“Be careful, Luke. Abby seems nice enough, but she’s trouble. I can tell you that if everything she told us is true, this custody battle has the potential to get very ugly. You don’t need to get yourself involved in something like this. You’re fighting your own personal demons.”
Luke looked into the distance, knowing his sister was talking about his drinking problem. “At the moment the happiness of those kids seems a lot more important than a drink. They have suffered enough. All I want is for them to get a chance to have a normal, happy childhood.”
He turned to Johnna as she placed a warm hand on his arm. “The kind of childhood we never had?” Her gray eyes were filled with emotion, and Luke knew she was remembering the kinds of horror they’d suffered at the hands of their abusive father.
“Yeah, something like that,” he finally replied.
Again Johnna studied him, her brow creased thoughtfully. “You know, Luke, by fixing their childhood you won’t be fixing your own.”
“I know that,” he scoffed, uncomfortable by her piercing gaze and speculative expression. “What is this? Psychology one-oh-one? I’m just trying to help out a woman who is alone and trying to do something good for a couple of kids. Don’t make it into any more than that.”
“Okay.” Johnna dropped her hand from his arm but remained standing next to her car. Her gaze swept around the area. “It’s kind of isolated out here, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it is.”
Johnna frowned. “Maybe I should get in touch with Judd and see if he’ll kind of keep on eye on things out here until we get something legal going on. If Justin Cahill has killed once in the heat of anger, there’s nothing that says he won’t kill again to get what he wants.”
Judd Walker was the private investigator Johnna used in her law practice. “No, that’s okay. I’ll take care of it,” Luke said. “I’ll stick around here until we’ve got a handle on Cahill.”
Johnna reached up and laid a palm on Luke’s cheek. “Be careful, Luke. I don’t want to see you getting hurt.”
She didn’t wait for his reply, but got into her car and started the engine. As she drove away from the house, Luke stared after her.
Johnna had been angry for as long as Luke could remember, rebelling against the cruelty of their father, railing about the injustice of their lives. But somehow when she’d married Jerrod McCain a month before, she’d found a kind of peace.
It was as if in Jerrod’s love, she’d found self-worth and the ability to put the past firmly behind her. And in doing that, she was becoming a softer, more caring person.
Luke raked a hand through his hair and stared at the sun, which had begun its descent. Things were changing. His sister and brother Mark had changed. It unsettled Luke.
He turned and faced the house, thinking of what Johnna had said. He’d put in motion events that might ultimately lead to Abby’s destruction. And how would he feel if that happened and she looked at him with dead eyes, or with eyes filled with blame?
What difference did it make, he asked himself. Abigail Graham meant nothing to him. They’d made love and spent some time together, but it wasn’t like he intended to have any kind of a long-term relationship. In seven months he’d be gone from here.
Still, the thought of her losing the kids to the man who had killed their mother, the man who had killed Abby’s sister, tore through him. If she lost the kids it would be his fault because he’d encouraged her to stay and fight.
He dragged his hand down the side of his face, trying not to think that he might be instrumental in Abby’s ultimate undoing. He had to think positive. He’d help her through this and do anything to help Johnna and Abby win the battle for the kids.
With this thought in mind, he went to his truck and retrieved the guitar strings he’d bought, then walked into the house. He found Abby in the kitchen preparing the evening meal. She flashed him a surprised, taut smile. “I thought you’d left with your sister.”
“What made you think that?” He tossed the strings onto a countertop.
She dropped an unwrapped package of hot dogs into a pot of boiling water. “You have to play tonight. I figured you’d need to get going in order to make it to the Honky Tonk on time.”
“I’m not going to play at the Honky Tonk tonight.” He sank down in a chair at the table. “In fact, I’m not going anywhere tonight.”
Her dark, perfect eyebrows rose in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“I mean I’m going to stay here for a few days. I don’t want you here alone with just the kid
s in case Justin shows up.”
“I can’t ask you to do that, Luke,” she protested weakly.
“You didn’t ask, and I insist,” he replied. “Don’t worry, everything will be aboveboard. I’ll bunk on the sofa.”
“I’m not going to protest,” she said, and turned to the stove to stir a pan of beans. “To tell the truth, Justin has always scared me more than a little bit. I don’t want to be here alone if he shows up.”
Luke saw the tense set of her shoulders, knew the emotions that had to be rolling through her. Panic, uncertainty, fear… She had to be experiencing them all.
He shoved back from the table and moved to stand behind her. He placed his hands on her shoulders, and she stopped stirring the beans and leaned back just a little bit.
“You’re going to win this, Abby,” he said softly.
“Johnna is smart and tenacious, and she’ll use every tool at her disposal to win for you.”
She turned to face him, her eyes sparkly bright with unshed tears. “I hope you’re right. I can’t imagine what their life would be with him. And I can’t imagine my life without them.”
At that moment Jason and Jessica raced into the kitchen, and Luke dropped his hands from Abby’s shoulders. “We’re starving,” Jason exclaimed.
“Then I guess we’d better eat,” Abby exclaimed with what Luke knew was forced cheerfulness. “Jason, why don’t you get the plates and set the table. Jessica, you do the silverware and the napkins.”
“And what about me?” Luke asked.
“Drinks,” Jason replied. “You can get us something to drink for supper.”
They all worked for a few minutes in silence, then sat down at the table to enjoy a simple meal of hot dogs, beans and potato chips.
Jason provided suppertime chatter, recapping their time spent in town as if none of his three dinner companions had been with him.
Abby and Jessica were silent, and Luke worked overtime to fill the dead silences, rattling about the dude ranch and all the horses they owned.
Abby’s tension didn’t seem to dissipate throughout the meal. When the supper dishes were done, she called the two kids into the living room. She sat on the sofa and motioned for Jason to sit on one side of her and Jessica on the other. Luke realized she had to tell the children something of what was going on.
Thinking she needed some time alone with them, he excused himself and stepped out on the front porch. Night had fallen, and silence reigned. The sky, as usual was clear, filled with the sparkling of thousands of stars.
Luke leaned against the porch railing and stared into the thick blanket of darkness that surrounded the house. He was vaguely surprised Justin Cahill hadn’t shown up. It wouldn’t take the man long to find out where the new woman in town lived.
Maybe Abby had been wrong. Maybe it hadn’t been Justin, after all, just a man who’d resembled him. Maybe she’d panicked over nothing.
And maybe Justin Cahill was biding his time, setting up an offensive assault, secure in the fact that Abby didn’t know he was anywhere near her and the kids.
It was difficult to believe a day that had been so good could be transformed into such a mess. Luke had enjoyed their trip into town and had been taunted and teased by Abby’s loveliness throughout the day.
She’d been a vision in that pink sundress that had emphasized her small waist and displayed her slender, shapely legs. He’d been on a slow sizzle all day, but the sizzle had been effectively doused by the appearance of Justin Cahill back in her life.
He’d been leaning against the porch railing for about a half an hour when the front door opened and Abby stepped outside.
“How did it go?” he asked.
She shrugged. “They’re frightened, but I did my best to reassure them. I couldn’t not tell them. What if Justin does show up here? I didn’t want them to be taken by surprise.”
She moved to stand next to him, and instantly the sizzle was back. Her scent surrounded him, and her body heat radiated toward him. “What are they doing now?” he asked, trying to concentrate on anything that would take his mind off his desire to take her in his arms and kiss her.
“Getting ready for bed.” She sighed, a whisper soft sound of weariness.
“It’s been a long day, hasn’t it?” Again he had to fight his impulse to embrace her, to pull her tight against his chest. She didn’t need any further complications at the moment, and he certainly was savvy enough to know that now wasn’t the time for sex or romance.
“Yes, it has been.” She turned to face him, her eyes luminous in the moonlight that spilled down. “And I never thanked you for what was a lovely trip into town.”
He shrugged and jammed his hands into his pockets. “You don’t have to thank me. I thoroughly enjoyed myself.”
“I just can’t believe this is happening. I guess I should have never come here. I should have driven into Mexico and started a new life there.”
“But then you wouldn’t have had the good fortune of meeting me.” Although Luke’s voice was filled with teasing humor, she didn’t respond but merely uttered another weary sigh.
They stood in silence for several long minutes, and Luke wondered if she sensed his growing need to touch her. The moonlight loved her features, the soft glow appearing to magically erase any tension.
She sighed one last time and rippled her hair with her fingertips. “I’d better get the kids tucked in.”
“If you have a chance to get that guitar for me, I’ll be glad to string it this evening.”
She nodded and disappeared inside. Luke followed a moment later. He sank down on the sofa and closed his eyes, listening to the soothing sounds of her voice drifting from Jason’s room.
His mind played and replayed the conversation with his sister. What were the odds of them winning custody for Abby? Certainly Luke knew enough about the law to understand that if Justin Cahill had been found not guilty in Loretta’s murder, then they couldn’t use the murder as a reason for a judge to terminate his parental rights.
But surely a judge couldn’t ignore the expression of fear in the kids’ eyes at the mere mention of their father. Surely their desire would be taken into consideration.
He snapped his eyes open as Abby came into the living room, the old guitar in one hand and a set of sheets in the other. A pillow was tucked under one arm.
He jumped up, grabbed the bedding from her and set it on the coffee table. “I didn’t know if you’d need a blanket or not,” she said. “The house stays fairly warm at night.”
“This is fine,” he assured her, then grinned. “I’m an old, seasoned cowboy. I’ve got my horse to keep me warm.” He didn’t realize how much he’d missed her smile until it flashed, bright and carefree, for a brief moment.
“Just keep your horse outside. I’m having enough problems contemplating a dog in the house.” Her smile disappeared as quickly as it had come. “And now, if you don’t mind, I think I’m going to call it a night. I’m more than exhausted.” She placed the guitar on the coffee table next to his bedding.
“Go on, get a good sleep. Things will look better in the morning.”
“Do you promise?”
Those green eyes of hers held his, and more than anything he wanted to promise her that morning sun would bring hope and happiness. “I told you once that I don’t make promises I can’t keep. To be perfectly honest, I don’t know if things will look better in the morning or not.”
She smiled again. “Thank you, Luke.”
“For what? For telling you tomorrow might be just as crappy as today?”
“For everything. For being kind and for staying here and for making me see that a life on the run isn’t what the kids need.” Again for a long moment her gaze held his, and he thought she wanted to say something more…or needed something more from him. Then she broke the gaze and turned away. “Good night, Luke. I’ll see you in the morning.”
She disappeared down the hallway and into her room. Luke watched her go, then we
nt into the kitchen to retrieve the strings he’d tossed on the countertop earlier. Before leaving the kitchen, he checked the back door to make sure it was securely locked.
He returned to the living room, grateful for any task to take his mind off everything that had happened that afternoon. Before he began to string the guitar, he checked the front door, as well, to make sure it was locked up tight.
He sat on the sofa and began to string the guitar, his thoughts whirling chaotically in his head. Surely Justin Cahill wouldn’t be foolish enough to try to take the children by force.
He’d want to present himself as a poor, beleaguered man who’d been wrongly accused of his ex-wife’s death, acquitted of the crime and now wanting, needing to be reunited with his children.
His role as victim wouldn’t work if he stormed this place and took his children by force.
It didn’t take Luke long to string the guitar, then he worked on tuning it, strumming the strings softly so as not to disturb the other occupants in the house. When the guitar was tuned to his satisfaction, he placed it on the coffee table and set about making his bed for the night.
Keeping in mind that there were two kids in the house, he decided to sleep in his jeans. In the morning they’d all have to take a trip to the ranch so Luke could get some spare clothes.
Luke yawned, surprised to find himself exhausted. Normally on a Saturday night he’d play at the Honky Tonk until three in the morning, but on this Saturday night he was exhausted despite the fact that it was just a few minutes after ten.
Within minutes of keeping his eyes closed, he fell asleep.
A scream awoke him. He sat straight up, for a moment disoriented as to his surroundings and what had pulled him from his sleep. A sliver of moonlight slid through the windows, and as he looked around the room he remembered. He was at Abby’s.
The scream came again, a familiar, high-pitched expression of abject terror. Jason. Luke sprang from the sofa and raced down the hallway to the little boy’s room.
Abby was already there, and just like last time Jason’s arms and legs were flailing wildly as he suffered the throes of an unspeakable nightmare.
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