by Mia Ross
Her children.
The realization hit her with the emotional force of a hurricane, and she squared her shoulders, pushing aside all her doubts. Kyle and Emily were her world, and she’d do anything to keep her family intact. She wouldn’t touch their inheritance, but she’d mortgage the house and hire Jen to get Peter out of their lives once and for all. If he were still alive, she knew her father would tell her to do exactly that.
It was just a house, she could imagine him saying, a collection of boards and windows that could be bought and sold many times over. Family was priceless.
The fact that she didn’t even consider knuckling under brought Marianne a small measure of comfort. But this fight wouldn’t be confined to just Peter and her.
“I can’t stand the thought of the kids being dragged into court,” she confided. “Will they have to testify?”
“Emily’s a little young, and she’s not part of the issue, so she’s probably safe. Kyle, definitely,” Caty added with a frown. “Based on his lack of contact with Peter, I’m sure the judge will want to get his opinion.”
Closing her eyes, Marianne prayed for some kind of sign to guide her decision. She didn’t get one, which told her she was on her own. She knew that meant God was confident she could handle it. She just wished she felt as certain.
“All right,” she finally agreed, nodding to convince herself as much as Caty. “I’ll talk to Jen. What’s her number?”
Crossing the office to sit at her desk, Caty scrolled through the electronic address book on her laptop and wrote down the information for Marianne. As she handed over the slip of paper, she smiled encouragement.
“Try not to worry, Mare. We all love you and the kids, and we’re in this with you. Anytime you want to talk, just let me know.”
“You might regret saying that,” Marianne warned as she took her purse from a hook by the door.
Caty responded with a warm hug, and Marianne gladly let herself be comforted.
Thank you, God, for giving me such a wonderful family.
* * *
“Thanks for the ride, coach.”
Ridge lifted Emily from the car seat built into the back of Charlie Simmons’s extended-cab pickup. Kyle slid out after her and closed the door.
“Not a problem,” the man assured him. “Everything okay?”
“Sure. Marianne hadn’t seen Caty in a while, so she drove over there to see how the house is coming along. You know how women get when they start talking.”
Ridge had come up with that explanation earlier, and he was relieved that it seemed to satisfy everyone who asked. Except for Kyle, who hadn’t said a word the whole way home. As Charlie pulled away, the kid was still sullen.
“Emily, why don’t you go see what Uncle John’s up to?” Ridge suggested. “Kyle and I have something to do in the barn.”
“Okay,” she agreed with that adorable smile. “Come on, Tucker. Let’s go find Uncle John.”
She skipped off toward the carriage house, the Lab trailing faithfully after her. Ridge’s heart swelled with sudden, overwhelming emotion. Silently, he prayed for her to always be so sweet and carefree. He didn’t want the world to intrude on her sunny view of life. He didn’t know how he’d make that happen, but he wanted it with an intensity that amazed him.
For now, he turned to Kyle, hoping he looked calm and dependable. “Wanna talk about it?”
The poor kid sighed and stared down at his muddy cleats. “Not really.”
Folding his arms, Ridge waited. He wouldn’t force the boy to share what was bothering him, but he vaguely remembered being that age. If Grandpa stayed quiet long enough, making it clear he was ready to listen, Ridge would spill his guts. After a couple of minutes, his tactic was rewarded with the result he’d been hoping for.
Kyle looked up at him, misery filling his hazel eyes. “Mom’s talking to Caty about my father, isn’t she?”
Since he’d already figured it out, Ridge saw no reason to keep him in the dark. “Yeah, she is. She doesn’t want you to know that, though, so keep it to yourself.”
“She always worries about me. I wish she’d worry more about herself.”
His tone and the words he chose got Ridge’s attention. “What makes you say that?”
“I remember,” he confided in a soft voice. “All he ever did was make her cry.”
Ridge’s heart just about stopped. He was no psychiatrist, but he had firsthand experience with the kind of situation Kyle had lived in back then. Marianne believed he’d been too young to understand.
She was wrong.
The boy lifted his head, and his eyes shone with tears Ridge knew he’d never shed. Kyle was his mother’s son through and through.
“Can I talk to you about something?” Kyle asked.
“Sure.”
Suddenly shy, he dug the toe of his cleat into the dirt. “It’s about something I heard that I wasn’t supposed to.”
Thinking he’d heard some nasty words at school, Ridge casually settled on the bumper of John’s car. “You can tell me anything, bud. Anytime.”
“I think my father’s trying to get money from Mom.”
Every one of Ridge’s hackles rose, and he suspected he looked like Tucker. Forcing calm into his voice, he asked, “What makes you think that?”
“I heard him on the phone earlier with some guy named Nick. They were talking about a company getting shut down by some general.”
Sifting through what Marianne had told him about Peter’s shady business practices, Ridge came up with something that fit. “The attorney general?”
“Yeah, that’s it. He told this Nick dude he was working on a way to get him back his quarter mill.” The poor kid didn’t really understand what that meant, but he was smart enough to know it was bad. “He said Mom would sell the house to get the money for him so she wouldn’t lose me.”
So the stockbroker’s hazy integrity had gotten him into a jam. It wasn’t exactly a newsflash, but Ridge couldn’t believe Peter had discussed his underhanded deal with Kyle anywhere nearby. Even worse, it was painfully obvious he wasn’t really interested in his son. Or Marianne, although he seemed to enjoy taunting her.
Now that they knew what Peter was really after, they could keep him from getting it. The question was, how?
The sound of tires at the end of the driveway made them both look out toward the road. As Marianne’s van turned in, Kyle cast Ridge a worried look.
“Don’t tell Mom,” he begged. “She’ll get upset.”
“I can’t keep this from her.” Ridge slid a reassuring arm around his shoulder pads. “We’ll figure it out, though. I promise.”
The fear in Kyle’s eyes gave way to trust, and he nodded. That vote of confidence anchored Ridge a little more firmly to the family he’d come to think of as his own. When that had happened, he couldn’t say, but it felt right somehow. Man, he thought with a grin. He really was a goner.
Marianne’s van came down the lane, and they waited for her to park before walking over to join her.
“Is everything okay here?” Despite the worry clouding her eyes, her voice was as smooth as glass.
“Sure, Mom. I’m gonna get cleaned up for supper.”
Giving her a quick hug, Kyle trotted inside, letting the screen door slam shut behind him. She turned to Ridge with a shocked expression.
“He hardly ever hugs me anymore. What was that all about?”
Ridge saw no point in hiding anything from her. “We had a little chat, is all. He’s worried about you.”
“That’s my boy,” she said with a proud smile.
Ridge’s instinct was to give her a comforting hug, but he wasn’t sure she’d respond well, so he held back. When she snaked her arms around his waist and squeezed tight, he wrapped her up in a full embrac
e.
“I’m right here,” he murmured into her hair. “Everything’s gonna be okay.”
She responded to his reassurance the way Kyle had, Ridge noticed with pride. Nodding, she lifted her shoulders in a half sigh, half sob. Once she’d composed herself, she pulled her head back and gazed up at him.
“Caty’s friend Jen specializes in custody law,” she said. “I’m going to call her on Monday and hire her to end this nonsense with Peter for good.”
Ridge had an idea of just how much courage it took for her to stand up to Peter, and he rewarded her with a quick kiss. “I think that’s great.”
“After that, I’m not sure.” Frowning, she looked over at the old farmhouse. Light flooded from the windows, giving it a warm, homey appearance. “I’ll have to mortgage the house, I guess. I hate to do it, but I don’t have a choice.”
Ridge hesitated. She needed to know what Kyle had overheard, but after the day she’d had, he wasn’t sure how she’d take it. Then again, he hadn’t gotten to be a freelance pilot by refusing to take a chance once in a while.
He kept his arm around her because he liked the way it felt. Steering her toward the picnic table nearest the pond, he asked, “If I say something you might not like, will you bite my head off?”
“Probably.” Her quick smile told him she was kidding. “But go ahead. I just spent an hour with Caty discussing the Peter problem. My day’s pretty well trashed anyway.”
They both sat, and he rested his elbows back on the table, hoping the casual pose would ease some of the tension in the air. “The Peter problem,” he echoed with a grin. “I like that.”
“Caty came up with it,” Marianne admitted with a wan smile. “She thought it made things sound less awful.”
“She’s right.” Giving her an encouraging smile, he got to the point. “While you were gone, Kyle told me something.”
He relayed the despicable plot Kyle had overheard, and noticed that she didn’t look the least bit surprised.
“It sounds like one of Peter’s investment schemes blew up in his face. Nick is his brother, not to mention his lawyer. That’s why he has to get the money back.”
“At your expense.”
“Well, that’s Peter.”
Hearing her sound so dejected broke Ridge’s heart, and he almost stopped the conversation right there. But he’d learned the hard way—more than once—that ignoring a problem didn’t mean it went away. It just went into hiding, waiting to jump out and ambush you when you least expected it.
“There’s something I don’t get,” Ridge said. “Why does he need money from you? That Jag he’s driving is the $50,000 version.”
“He’s always been extravagant, and I’m sure he still spends more than he makes,” she reasoned.
Why did a guy like that marry an innocent country girl? Ridge wondered.
“I wasn’t always this jaded, you know,” she said as if she’d read his mind. “When Peter and I met, I was more like Lisa. Sweet and trusting, full of big dreams.”
The revelation got Ridge’s attention, and he swiveled on the bench to face her. “What did you dream about?”
“Meeting a great guy, getting married, seeing the world.”
He sensed that she was holding something back. Something important. “What else?”
When she hesitated, he knew he’d read her right. Because that had proven so hard to do, he felt like he’d scored a game-winning touchdown.
“Well, I used to enjoy writing.” A faraway look came into her eyes, as if she was fondly gazing back at a simpler time in her life. “My favorite character in Little Women is Jo. I liked the way she decided to write and kept at it until she was good enough to publish her stories. I always thought it would be fun to do that.”
“But?”
“Life happened,” she admitted with a sigh. “I was busy with the kids and didn’t have time for it anymore.”
He heard what she wasn’t saying and filled in the blank. “And Peter thought it wasn’t important.”
“I never mentioned it to him. I knew he’d think it was a foolish waste of time.”
From her tone, he could tell that at some point during her marriage, she’d come to agree with her narrow-minded husband. Ridge took both of her hands in his, kissing one and then the other before connecting with the uncertainty in her eyes.
“Dreams are never foolish or a waste of time,” he said gently. “They’re what keep us going when things get tough, because we believe tomorrow will be better than today.”
“My dreams are in there.” She nodded toward the house where they could hear John and the kids laughing in the kitchen. “I wouldn’t change that for anything.”
“I know.” Smiling, Ridge leaned in and kissed her. “But it’s okay to have something just for you. It doesn’t have to make sense to anyone else, as long as it makes you happy.”
That got him a shy smile. “You make me happy.”
His heart soared, and he barely smothered a triumphant howl. “I’m glad to hear that, ’cause you make me happy, too.”
“And Kyle and Emily?” she asked in a hopeful voice.
He gave a mock growl. “Well, y’know, they drive me nuts.” They both laughed, and he added, “But they’re great kids. I haven’t had this much fun in a long, long time.”
“Which do you prefer? Football or tea parties?”
“Can’t I have both?”
“Oh, flyboy,” she said with a rapidly warming smile. “That is so much the right answer.”
She rewarded him with a long, grateful kiss that made him feel like Superman.
* * *
That evening, it was all Sawyers on deck. Marianne didn’t call anyone, but somehow they all showed up just as she was putting supper on the table. John frequently ate with them, and it wasn’t unusual for Lisa to stop by for a meal if she wasn’t busy.
But when Matt and Caty pulled in, Marianne angled a suspicious look at Ridge. “You called them, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, I did, because you should have your family around for something like this.” Kissing her cheek, he whispered, “The kids are over at the Perkinses’, so I figured it couldn’t hurt. They’re your family, Marianne. Let ’em help you.”
Sighing, she pulled more dishes out of the cupboard. At least he was nice enough to set the table for her. Nobody seemed interested in their food, so she started the conversation. “Ridge found out something you all should know.”
Clearly flabbergasted, they listened while he filled them in on the latest. She’d heard it all before, but it still made Marianne’s blood boil. After all these years, Peter hadn’t given up trying to take advantage of her. Only this time, he was using her love for Kyle against her.
Well, he was in for a rude shock, she vowed silently. This time, she wasn’t going to tuck tail and let him trample all over her.
When Ridge was finished, Matt gave her a long look down the table. “So what’s the plan?”
“What do you mean, what’s the plan?” Caty demanded venomously. “Jen will shred this guy in court, that’s the plan.”
Meeting each set of worried eyes, Marianne said, “The problem is, Peter and Nick can fight me forever if they want to.”
“You can have the money Dad left me,” Lisa offered without even blinking.
“And mine,” John added. “I don’t need that Ferrari anyway.”
They all laughed, and she appreciated him easing the tension. Matt and Caty exchanged a look, and Marianne cut them off before they could offer. “No, that’s not how I want to do it. Dad left you that money for yourselves, not so we can buy off some greedy moron who managed to invest someone else’s money in the wrong company.”
“Then where will you get it from?” Lisa asked.
Wanting to sound confident
about her decision, Marianne took a deep breath to steady her voice. “I’ll mortgage the house. With the acreage that goes with it, I should be able to get enough.”
Matt glared his opinion of that. “No.”
“Yes,” she insisted to cut him off at the pass. He might be head of the Sawyer clan, but this was her decision. “The house belongs to me, and Peter is my problem. It’s the only thing that makes any sense.”
“But you just started paying for your classes,” Lisa argued. “How can you do that if you have to pay for the house, too?”
“Alan gave me a raise when he hired me full time.” It was true. The raise wasn’t big, but it would help. “If I have to, I can take out a student loan to help with college. If it gets Peter out of our lives, I’ll call it an investment,” she joked, hoping to lighten the mood.
She failed miserably. She hadn’t thought it was possible, but Matt’s scowl darkened. “Dad would hate this idea.”
“Dad would’ve done it himself,” John corrected him quietly. “And you know it.”
After some more debate, they all reluctantly agreed that, under the circumstances, it was their best option.
“Now, about Peter.” Always prepared, Caty took a small pad and pen out of her purse. “I’ll draw up a legal agreement for him to sign, and I’ll run it past Jen. After she emasculates him in court—” she paused for an evil grin “—Peter will agree to have no more contact with you or the kids. No visits, no phone calls, texts or smoke signals. Anything else?”
“Dropping off the face of the earth would be perfect,” Ridge growled.
Caty added that to the list and circled it several times. “I can’t guarantee that one, but I’ll do my best.” Smiling, she stood and headed for the door with Matt in tow. “I’ll go home and get started.”
That seemed to cue John and Lisa that it was time to go. After a round of hugs, they all went home. Alone with Ridge, Marianne couldn’t help wondering if she was doing the right thing.