“It’s exactly what it says.” She chuckled. “Open it.”
He kept his gaze trained on Carrie Anne as he pulled the brochure open. “Really? You’re not funny.” Two season tickets to the Rangers’ baseball games were hidden inside. “You’re not funny at all.”
Everyone busted out laughing except Bear and Josiah. Bear grumbled and stood. “He’s right. That’s not even a little funny.”
Carrie Anne quickly jumped up. “Bear, it was funny. All I did was make the profile, and it was only up on the site a tiny little bit. You went on one single date. Are you ever going to forgive me?”
Their dad stood and stepped in between them. “Listen here,” he said, turning to Bear. “This has gone on long enough—”
“But—”
“Hush, I’m speaking. It’s gone on long enough. Now, Bear, I get being upset. You had every right to be mad, but that was a while ago now, and Carrie Anne has apologized plenty. Accept the apology.”
Bear pinched his lips closed and shook his head. “Fine. Apology accepted.”
“And, Carrie Anne,” their dad said and turned to her. “If you want to do this matchmaking stuff, that’s fine, but open a business and do it. That way you’re not meddling where you shouldn’t be. Attempting to put Bear on that website was wrong. Apologize—”
“I—”
“Yes, but…That’s what you’ve used. You’ve apologized and hooked a reason to it. An apology is given without any strings or vindication or reasoning. It’s just an apology. Now, give Bear a real apology.”
Her shoulders sagged. “Bear, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you so mad or hurt you. I love you, and I want you happy…whatever that might mean to you.”
Wow. It was about time, but Josiah was surprised it was taking place during Christmas. Usually, this sort of stuff was left to work itself out, but in Bear’s case, it was going to take work to get him simmered down.
Bear rubbed his face with his hands. “I’m not unhappy. Just don’t do that again.” He pulled Carrie Anne into a hug. “I know it was out of love, but I can find my own dates.” He held her out from him. “Now, tell everyone your news.”
News? Josiah looked from Bear to Carrie Anne.
She grinned. “It’s official. I’m pregnant.”
Everyone clapped and cheered, scaring Ellie and Travis. Both babies broke out in wails, and the family quickly calmed down.
Handing Ellie to Josiah, Molly said, “As far as Christmases go, this one is kind of exciting. Ours usually ended with my brother and me watching TV.”
“It’s not typically like this. Although, last year Gabby announced she was pregnant.” He paused a minute. Now that he thought about it, Christmas was probably never going to be the same again. “I guess they’re going to be different from now on with my brothers and my sister being married, having kids.” He looked down at Ellie. “That’s okay, though. I can picture Ellie when she’s a little older, tearing open gifts, her eyes sparkling.”
Molly leaned her shoulder against his. “Can’t say I haven’t pictured the same thing. I don’t want to spoil her with things, but I think it’s fun to watch kids open gifts.”
“Yeah.”
“Hey,” she said, dipping her head to catch his gaze. “Are you okay?”
Nodding, he said, “I’m fine.” He smiled. It wasn’t totally untrue. Mostly, he was, well, he didn’t know exactly what he was. Maybe a little heartsick to see his siblings so blissfully happy, excited about their futures, while he was wondering if he was ever going to have that.
Sure, he’d agreed to marry Molly, but it was a marriage on paper. Nothing more. It wasn’t friendship, love, and commitment. Not the things he’d been taught that were important in a relationship.
Shaking his head, he cleared his thoughts. It was Christmas. Not the time to be thinking deep. He’d worry about all that stuff later. For now, he’d be happy with what he had.
Chapter 17
The day after Christmas, Molly and Josiah were in the study speaking with Ms. Salinas. It had been a shock when she called during breakfast. They’d left Ellie with Carrie Anne and quickly went to the study so they could actually hear her.
“Okay. After spending some time going over the case, I think we have a good shot. Not great, but good. Texas judges don’t like terminating parental rights. So, if Brenda wants to change her mind, they’re likely to listen.”
Molly’s heart dropped to the floor. “So…Brenda can take her back?” She’d tried every number she’d had for Brenda, and either they were disconnected or it was the wrong number. She’d even tried to call Derek, but he wouldn’t answer his phone.
“She can. However, after speaking to the doctor who delivered Ellie, I think we can convince the court that she didn’t want Ellie. The OB who delivered Ellie backed up your statement that Brenda didn’t even want to touch her.”
Molly chewed her thumb as she stood in front of the desk. “She didn’t. Even my mom wouldn’t take her. They handed Ellie to my brother, and he almost threw her into my arms.”
Papers shuffling filtered through the phone. “Do you have any idea what might have happened in the last few weeks to make Brenda or your brother change their minds?”
“Molly said she thinks her mom might have offered them money, but we wouldn’t know how to prove that,” Josiah said as he put his arm around Molly.
“Well, I’m not sure we could use that anyway. It wouldn’t be difficult to explain giving money to her son. Now, Brenda, on the other hand…that would be a little more difficult. We’d have to show cause, though, if we wanted to subpoena the Hines’s financial records.”
“Maybe we could try calling your brother again?” Josiah shrugged as he looked at Molly.
“Maybe.” Molly dropped her thumb from her mouth. “I’m not sure he’d be truthful with me even if my mom did give him money. I mean, I’d cut ties with him because he stole my credit card.”
Another call popped up on the screen of Josiah’s phone as it lay on the desk in front of them. He pulled free of Molly and picked it up. Raking his hand through his hair, he grumbled something Molly couldn’t make out.
Since the pie tasting, Josiah hadn’t had any more work emergencies. It didn’t keep the little doubts from bubbling up from time to time, but she continued to remind herself that they weren’t dating. She’d been the one to put that line in the sand, not him. Then again, she’d slowly been using her toe to bury it. It was a never-ending mental battle that left her ready for bed at the end of the day.
“It’s work. I need to answer this really quick,” Josiah said as he held Molly’s gaze. “Ms. Salinas, I need to put you on hold just a second. I’ll be right back.”
“Sure,” Ms. Salinas said.
Molly nodded, but the little insecurities she’d felt from before roared back to life. This wasn’t just a pie tasting. It was about Ellie, and he was putting it on hold for what? What could be more important than someone he loved?
He switched calls and stuck his hand in his pocket. “Hey…I know. I’m on another call at the moment. Let me finish with it, and you can have my full attention after.”
After a few more seconds of conversation, Josiah switched back to Ms. Salinas. “We’re back. Sorry about that.”
“No problem. Work is life, right?”
“Pretty much.” He chuckled.
Only, Molly didn’t think it was funny. Work is life? Where did that put Ellie on his list? Second? Third? Tenth? How could Molly trust him to be there for Ellie when his job came first?
“Uh, we were wondering if it would help our chances with Ellie to…maybe…get married.” As he said it, the volume of his voice lowered.
Molly studied him, wondering if he’d decided that getting married wasn’t something he really wanted to do. Not that she thought it would be a real marriage, but a tiny part of her had wondered if it could be…one day.
The attorney took a deep breath. “I don’t think so. I mean, if you want to get mar
ried, go ahead, but I’m not sure a judge would consider that. More than anything, talking to Brenda and Derek would be the best course of action.”
The fact that he looked almost relieved hurt Molly in ways she didn’t think possible. But this was what happened when you trusted people. They let you down. It didn’t matter how true their intention might have been, because that didn’t change the results.
Molly turned away from him and blinked back the stupid tears that threatened. Why did she have to be so sappy and weak? It wasn’t like she didn’t know this would happen.
“I’ve spoken to your mother’s attorney, and I’ve filed an extension with the court to postpone the current court date so we have time to prepare. The judge is going to consider what’s in the best interest of the child. He’s going to listen to everyone involved, ask a lot of questions, and then make his decision.” She paused. “The fact that Ellie has been living with you this long will help. Plus, having me in your corner. If Brenda didn’t want her and she specifically asked you to take her, the question on everyone’s mind will be: why did she change her mind?”
Molly took a deep breath. This wasn’t the time to be falling apart over a relationship that didn’t even exist. Ellie needed her to hold it together. She turned and faced Josiah. “Be straight with me. Do you really think I have a chance at keeping Ellie? Selfishly, I want to fight for her, but I don’t want to do that if there’s no chance.”
The attorney waited a few breaths before replying, “I think you have a good chance. If I were you, I’d be hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. I’d also be trying to talk to Ellie’s biological mother and find out what happened.”
“Okay,” Josiah said. “We’ll see what we can do to find her and Derek.”
“Sounds good. I’ll contact you when I know the response to the extension.”
They concluded the call, and Josiah closed the distance between himself and Molly. “She’s lived with you this long. I’m not sure how it would be in her best interest to take her from the only mom she knows.”
“I hope so.”
“We could still get married. It can’t hurt our chances.”
No, but it could break her heart. “Ms. Salinas said that wouldn’t make a difference. Plus, you said yourself that you work a lot. ‘Work is life,’ right? I mean, I’m already taking you away from client calls.”
For heartbeat after heartbeat, Josiah held her gaze. It seemed he was warring with himself. “Yeah, now that you mention it, I probably need to call them back.” He hugged her to him. “I’ll try to make it quick.”
“No rush. I think I’ll take Ellie for a walk.”
“Okay,” he said and smiled. “I’ll see you in a bit.”
Molly watched as he left the study and then sank into a nearby chair. How many times had she watched men walk out of her life? When she was a kid, she had no choice. As an adult, even when she’d had a choice, it had been the wrong one. At least, so far it had.
This time was different. She was done being the sad sap who watched people walk out of her life. This time, she was going to be the one doing the walking. It wasn’t a decision she’d make lightly, though. She’d take Ellie on a walk, let her emotions settle, and then she’d slowly pull away from Josiah. Unlike the people in her life, she wouldn’t blindside him. By the time they got back to Dallas, it would be as if the trip never happened. He could go his way, and she could go hers. It was best for everyone.
Chapter 18
Josiah hated ditching Molly when he did, but he couldn’t ignore Malakai’s call. During their last conversation, it came out that the singer knew a private detective in Dallas. He was supposed to be calling Josiah back with details about whether the woman was taking new clients.
He pulled on his coat, stepped out into the cold, and hit the call button on his phone as he reached his pickup and slid inside.
“Hey, Josiah.”
“Hey, I’m sorry. We were talking to the lawyer.” He paused as he got in the truck. “She thinks we need to talk to Derek and Brenda too.”
Apparently, the phone was on speaker, because the next voice belonged to a woman. “Josiah West, this is Emilia Sanger. Malakai gave me a few details, and I’d like to help.”
“Hi, Ms. Sanger—”
“Emilia, please.” She chuckled.
“Emilia, thank you.”
He started from the beginning, detailing everything he knew: where Derek and Brenda were last seen and Molly’s suspicion that her mom was paying them to change their minds.
He’d debated about telling Molly what he was doing, but for one, he wasn’t sure Emilia would even take the case. Plus, he didn’t want to get Molly’s hopes up that they’d find Brenda only to come up empty. Molly was already dealing with enough; he didn’t want to add another disappointment to the list.
“Oh, man, her mom?” Malakai whistled. “That’s harsh.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Josiah replied.
“So, Derek and Brenda are here in Dallas. Do her parents live in Dallas?” Emilia asked.
Josiah nodded. “Yeah, in the Flower Mound area.”
“Nice neighborhood and good schools,” she added.
“Can’t deny that, but trying to take her granddaughter at the expense of her daughter isn’t so great.” Josiah still couldn’t wrap his mind around that.
“No, it’s not. Okay, do you have a physical description of them?”
Josiah grumbled. Why hadn’t he thought of that? He should have been prepared for it in case she did take the case. “No, but I can get them and then text it to you.”
“Awesome. I’ll get you my fee schedule, and once you agree to that, you can send me the photos. I’ll get to work on it.” It sounded to Josiah like she was farther from the phone this time.
“Okay.”
“I’ll talk to you later, Mal,” she said, and then a door opened and shut.
“Hey, Josiah,” Malakai said quickly like he thought Josiah was hanging up. “While you’re on the phone, I wanted to go over that list of properties you sent me the other day.”
“You bet. Did you like any of them?”
“I liked that third one. Tyler wants to know if there’s ever been a restaurant in that location.”
Josiah pulled up the property on his phone and scrolled through his notes. “Not that I can see. I’m looking through all the records. It’s been a clothing store, a fabric store, and an art studio. No restaurants.”
“Art studio. That’s cool. Do you think we could go look at it in a couple of days?”
Josiah pulled up his calendar. “I’d love to, but…”
“Oh, man, yeah. Your girl is stressing. Man, I’m sorry. I wasn’t even thinking.”
Chuckling, Josiah shook his head. “She’s not really my girl, but I do need to stay. I can get another realtor to show you the space, though. It’s not a big deal.”
“That’s fine with me. You’ve been great. Emilia is awesome. If she can’t find someone, they can’t be found by anyone.”
“Good to know. Anyway, I need to get back. If you need anything…”
“Text me your dude’s number. Go be with your family.”
They said their goodbyes, and Josiah ended the call. He stepped out of the truck and found his dad sitting on the porch with a mug in his hand.
“Hey, bud. Why don’t you come sit a spell with me?”
Josiah took the stairs two at a time and took a seat in the rocking chair next to his dad. “What’s up, Dad?”
“Oh, not much. Just enjoying the quiet.”
Josiah rolled his eyes. That was the most ominous not much he’d ever heard. “I guess it is noisy in there.”
“Not too bad, but not as quiet as it used to be.” He smiled.
As the silence lingered, Josiah relaxed and let his gaze roam over the scene in front of him: horses in the pasture, his breath coming out in little white puffs, and nothing and no one for miles. It was peaceful and maddening all at once for
someone used to living in the city.
“Son, I’m not sure when you decided your mom and I weren’t proud of you, but, bud, I am.”
“I know.”
His dad looked at him and laughed. “Son, never step foot in Vegas.”
Josiah waved him off. “Whatever.”
“Listen, bud,” he said and sat forward, tapping Josiah on the leg. “Your momma and I are proud of you.”
“Really? Because I’m not a rodeo star or a great house flipper or a ranch owner or Teacher of the Year. None of that. I’m just a real estate agent, and that’s it.”
“That’s it, huh?”
Shrugging, Josiah nodded. “Yeah, that’s it.”
His dad shook his head. “You hired Molly because someone was cruel to her. You invited her home when you found out she didn’t have anywhere to go. You paid those layaways off and gave the hospital in Dallas a huge donation.”
Josiah’s eyes widened. “How do you know that?”
“Because I’m your daddy, and I know you.” He patted Josiah’s back. “You’ve got your success where it matters, bud. I’m not discounting that Realtor of the Year award, but I can’t see it making you happy.”
Was there anything his parents didn’t know? “I haven’t even said anything about that award.”
“No, but you wouldn’t be working so hard if there wasn’t something at the end waiting for you. My question is, is that the something you want?”
More and more, that had been the thing plaguing his mind. Until a few weeks ago, he would have wholeheartedly said yes. It had been important to him, but now it felt so empty. What would he have after that? A nice award but no one at home.
“I can tell by the look on your face that it’s not,” his dad said.
“I thought it was what I wanted. I just…I needed to feel successful. Compared to—”
The Housekeeper's Billionaire Boss (Caprock Canyon Romance Book 3) Page 11