Safe in His Arms--A Clean Romance

by Anna J. Stewart

  “What’s up?” Even as she turned, she knew. Because she’d been expecting this ever since they’d gone to the bookstore together. Phoebe held up the copy of The Wizard of Oz and pushed it into Kendall’s hands.

  “It’s kind of late, kiddo,” Hunter said without turning around. Kendall narrowed her eyes, wondering how he knew what was going on, then realized he was watching the two of them in the reflection of his computer screen. Clever man.

  Kendall looked down at the book—the same edition as the one she’d hoped to give to her own daughter with Sam one day. She’d known at the time she bought it for Phoebe, she’d regret it. That merely seeing the tome would trigger that deep-seated ache. But that didn’t happen. If anything, her heart thrummed with the promise of crisp pages and reading a story to Phoebe.

  “It’s okay.” Her voice sounded strained when she spoke, but she took Phoebe’s hand and led her over to the sofa. The way Phoebe jumped up beside her and curled into her felt as if the little girl was hugging her heart. She glanced up and saw Hunter watching them, the expression in his eyes unmistakable.

  She smiled and turned her attention to the hardcover book.

  Happiness, she thought, as she began to read, might not be such a bad place to be, after all.

  * * *

  “YOU HAVE GOT to be kidding me.” After a whirlwind of meetings and paperwork, Phoebe was attending her first official day at Butterfly Harbor Elementary, and Hunter had stopped at the diner for breakfast to catch up with his projects and schedule.

  Mrs. Claypoole, the school principal, had been exceedingly impressed by Phoebe’s reading skills, but it was her math skills that really caught the woman’s attention. After discussing with three different teachers, they were going to take a specialized approach with Phoebe for the rest of the year, with some individual tutoring lessons in the hopes they could draw her out of her shell as well as address her advanced thinking in a couple of subjects. Thankfully, the student body wasn’t a large one, averaging only fifteen students per teacher, which meant Phoebe could still be in the classroom with kids her own age, but have her own learning curve.

  It also didn’t hurt that Charlie, Marley and Stella had been waiting outside the school this morning to escort her inside. Hunter had stood back, a bit disappointed he wouldn’t get to walk Phoebe inside, but proud as any father could be that she held her chin high and walked in surrounded by her friends.

  “Bad news?” Holly Saxon asked.

  Hunter glanced up and found the owner of the Butterfly Diner watching him. She was sitting alongside a table, a row of empty salt and pepper shakers waiting to be filled, unable to squeeze behind it given her very pregnant tummy.

  “I don’t mean to intrude.” Holly held up her hands in surrender. “I just happen to be bored out of my mind, and the twins here are practice kicking like champs.”

  “It’s fine.” But everything inside him was saying otherwise. He’d wondered how he’d lucked out that Phoebe’s grandparents hadn’t continued to hassle him through their lawyer. He’d assumed maybe that last phone call, just after they’d arrived in town, had been enough to get them off his back and to abandon any notion of suing him for custody of Phoebe. He’d been wrong. Way wrong.

  “You’re about three shades whiter than the tile over there.” Holly motioned to the black and white tiles and orange details that were the defining color scheme of the monarch-inspired diner. “You’re among friends.” She motioned to Paige and Abby, who had paused their wiping down empty tables. “Spill.”

  “Ah.” How on earth was he supposed to say no? “It looks as if Phoebe’s grandparents are suing me for full custody.” Saying the words out loud felt like a knife in the heart. “They’re claiming I’m an unfit parent and that given Phoebe’s ongoing grief issues that I’m not addressing adequately, she should be living with them.”

  “That’s awful.” Paige was up in a flash and snatching the registered letter he’d picked up at the postal annex just that morning. “Utter nonsense! Phoebe’s one of the most well-adjusted kids I’ve been around.”

  “But she is still so shy and doesn’t talk much.” Doubt crept up his spine. Every decision he’d ever made about his niece, about their life, about her future, came flooding back at him. He’d always done the right thing, hadn’t he? Letting Phoebe come to terms with her parents’ deaths in her own time? Unless her own time had gone on too long and did more damage than good. As he’d seen with Kendall initially. He didn’t want his niece going down that same road.

  “Phoebe doesn’t have to be a chatterbox,” Holly said. “Sometimes I wish Simon would go radio silent. I mean, I love the kid to the moon, but some quiet would be heavenly.”

  “Said the woman bringing two more Simons into the world,” Abby teased and tossed aside a wet cloth for a shake. “Sorry. One Simon, one Simonetta.”

  Hunter tried to smile.

  “You need to show this to your attorney,” Paige told him. “Get in front of this fast.”

  “I don’t have one. I can’t afford a good one, and the bad ones might make things worse.”

  “You can’t handle this on your own, Hunter.” Holly scanned the document and handed it over to Abby. “That’s a big law firm. Even I’ve heard of them. You need someone with as good a reputation. Right, Paige?” Holly arched a brow at her friend and employee.

  “Right.” Paige snapped her fingers. “Be right back.” She ducked into the kitchen, leaving Hunter feeling both dumbfounded and a bit nervous.

  “Like I said, I can’t afford—”

  “Hunter, trust us,” Abby told him. “And if what Holly’s thinking doesn’t work, maybe we can have Calliope whip up some of that magic of hers—”

  Holly jumped in. “Let us see what we can do about a lawyer, Hunter. One step at a time.”

  “Leah’s on her way. Hey. Relax.” Paige laid a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “You’re part of Butterfly Harbor now, big guy. That makes you family. And if there’s one thing we do, we look after each other.”

  * * *

  KENDALL KNOCKED ON the door to the motor home before she pulled it open. The curtains were drawn, but Hunter didn’t have the front light flipped on indicating he was developing film. Which meant he’d either forgotten to put it on, which she doubted, or he was hiding from her. “Hunter?”

  She was anxious to hear how Phoebe’s first day of school went and thought maybe the two of them could go and pick her up together. A step forward, she told herself. A small one, but one she wouldn’t have even considered taking just a few days ago.

  “Back here.”

  “Ooh, I finally get to see inside this place.” She closed the door behind her. “What...you have got to be kidding me.” Even in the dim light, the motor home was stunning. Leather driving seats, an expansive galley kitchen with polished redwood cabinetry. Two smaller chairs were to one side of the motor home, across from a small flat-screen TV. As she walked along the faux-wood floor, she saw that the space where a bed would have gone had been turned into a small darkroom, complete with a red lightbulb above the sliding accordion door. She got to the back partition and leaned inside, found him lounging on the double bed across from the smaller twin one. An official-looking legal envelope sat open on his chest. “Tell me again why you wanted to stay in the carriage house?”

  She’d meant to tease him, but for the first time since she’d met him, she didn’t see any hint of a smile or grin on his face. Or anything remotely connected to humor. The dread she thought she’d finally set aside dropped on her again. “What’s wrong? Is it Phoebe? Did something happen—”

  “Phoebe’s fine.”

  But Hunter wasn’t. That tone in his voice, the barely restrained anger tempered by resignation and frustration, didn’t sound like him at all. She pointed at the envelope. “What’s that?”

  “That is Brent’s parents about to suck every hope, not
to mention, penny out of my life.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “They’re suing me for custody of Phoebe.”

  “What?”

  “And they’re doing it here, in California, because that’s where I’ve stayed the longest.”

  She didn’t know much about custody laws. “You need a lawyer, Hunter.”

  “Got one. This morning, actually. Tell me something.” He dropped his hand and looked at her as if he were a lost little boy with no idea how to get home. “Does anyone say no to the women in this town? Holly, Abby and Paige ganged up on me and hired Leah Ellis. I don’t even remember saying yes.”

  “Good.” Kendall nodded, relief sweeping over her. “She’s good, Hunter. I mean, I’ve heard. She used to be a big defense attorney a while back, then changed to family law. People like her. People trust her. And she goes to the mat for her clients.” If there were any other clichés she could pull out of her head, she needed them now. “Hunter, it’s going to be okay. No one is going to take Phoebe away from you.”

  “What if it isn’t okay?” Hunter only stared at her. “Kendall, I can’t lose her. She’s the most important thing in my life. She is my life.”

  “I know,” Kendall whispered. All anyone had to do was look at the two of them together to see how much Hunter loved his niece. “And she’s your last tether to Juliana. I understand that, Hunter.”

  “I know you do.” He held out his hand and, with a heavy sigh, pulled her onto the bed beside him. “I’m going to fight them with everything I have, but it might not be enough.”

  “I have money.” Kendall blurted it out before she even thought it through. “As much as you need. It’s yours.”

  “Kendall—”

  “I want you to take it. Please. It’s just sitting there...” She took a deep breath. “It’s money my parents left me. Sam and I were going to use it to buy a house once we got back.” Instead, she’d barely looked at the account except to take Sam’s name off it. “I haven’t touched it. What did I need it for? But if it’ll help—”

  He pulled her to him and kissed her. One of those kisses that reached deep into her soul and brushed against her heart. She clung to him and sobbed against his lips.

  “I love you, Kendall Davidson.”

  That he spoke with such intensity silenced her to her core. She squeezed her eyes shut, absorbing not only the words, but also what they meant for her. For Hunter. For Phoebe. For all of them.

  “You shouldn’t,” Kendall whispered. She knew what people could do, the dirt they could dig up. If Hunter was going to keep custody of Phoebe, he was going to have to present a consistent, positive picture of their life. And Kendall—with her past—was anything but positive.

  He clasped her face between his palms. “I love you. For the first time in my life, I know exactly what I want, and what I want is Phoebe and you and me to be a family. Yes, you, Kendall. All of you. The good and the bad. The dark and the light.” He kissed her again and didn’t let her up for breath until she sagged forward and into his arms, the custody papers crumpling between them. “As long as you’re by my side, I can do this, Kendall. Promise me you won’t give up. Not on me. Not on us.”

  “I—” I love you. She wanted to say it. Needed to. Not only for him, but for herself, to step through that final barrier into the happiness and life she hadn’t dared let herself dream of again. But she couldn’t. Because she knew the moment she did, everything she hoped for would turn to ash. “I promise, Hunter.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  “THESE KIDS...IT’S like wrangling cats,” Hunter muttered to himself. “Phoebe! Charlie! Simon! Marley! One more...” he mumbled. “There’s one more, right.” He snapped his fingers. “Ste-lla! Good gravy, I sound like Brando.” He stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled for the group of kids he’d innocently said he’d be happy to watch for the afternoon. He’d thought it’d be an easy way to spend a Saturday.

  So far they’d eaten through his stockpile of food, played an almost-broke-every-window-of-the-carriage-house game of soccer and now they were scattered allover, of course, in an epic game of hide-and-seek that just might finally snap his patience.

  He whistled again. “Yo! Guys! Time to get you all home.”

  Kendall, wearing her typical uniform of snug black jeans and a gray tank, her hair tied back out of her face, smiled at him in a way that set his heart on its side. Wait until he told her he had a list of houses he wanted to check out. Not that he was going to propose anytime soon. She needed time still, but that she was willing to admit her feelings for him and Phoebe, that she was going to stand by his side and fight for his niece, meant more to him than, well, most anything.

  He would propose. But first he’d find a house in Butterfly Harbor that suited not only him and Phoebe, but Kendall, as well.

  “Sorry, Mr. Hunter.” Charlie came racing around the side of the house, the others hot on her heels. Phoebe brought up the rear, her pink shirt and jeans filthy from whatever they’d been doing. She’d never looked happier. “We couldn’t stop until we found everyone. That forest back there is so dark even though it’s still daylight. But the butterflies led us out.”

  Phoebe launched herself into Hunter’s arms as all the kids gathered round.

  “I’ve got some cookies and juice inside,” Hunter said. “I think loading you all up on sugar before I take you guys home seems like a good plan.”

  “Cookies, yay!” Marley cried. Simon went first and opened the door for them.

  Phoebe pointed to Kendall and the new state-of-the-art barbecue and smoker in the nearby clearing.

  “She got a new toy.” Hunter laughed. “It’s for the party tomorrow. It’s for cooking meat.”

  “But...” Phoebe frowned and looked over to her recently planted garden, which hopefully would sprout carrots, peas and potatoes soon.

  “And vegetables, don’t worry.” He kissed her forehead and set her on her feet. The sound of tires grinding over gravel echoed in his ears. “You go on inside.”

  The town car that broke through the tree line spoke of wealth and privilege, neither of which seemed suited to visiting a lighthouse restoration project. Kendall joined him. “Who’s that, do you think? Gil get a new car?”

  “Gil would never hire a driver,” Hunter said, his stomach pinching tight. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

  “And here I thought I was the pessimist.” Kendall wrapped her hand around his wrist and squeezed. “Relax. I’m sure it’ll be fine.” The older couple that climbed out of the car nearly stopped his heart cold. “Or not. That’s who I think it is, isn’t it?”

  Hunter took a long, deep breath. “Brent’s parents. Eleanor and Stephen Cartwright.”

  “Do they always travel as if they are the king and queen of everyone?”

  “Have I told you today how much I love you?” Hunter couldn’t help but look at her.

  “Maybe.” She shrugged. “Don’t worry. It’s going to be fine.”

  “You trying to convince me or yourself?”

  “Work with me, Hunter. Work with me.” She bit out a smile as the two approached.

  “Eleanor,” Hunter said, wondering if that tight knot of hair on the back of her head ever gave her a headache. “Stephen. Welcome to Butterfly Harbor.”

  “We tried to call.” Stephen Cartwright spoke with the authority of a man who had been running his mega–real estate corporation for more than four decades. “I take it you don’t get reception out here in the middle of nowhere.”

  “Sure, I do.” Hunter wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of putting down Butterfly Harbor. “But I was busy with the kids, so I turned it off. What brings you all the way out here?”

  “Phoebe. We want to see our granddaughter,” Eleanor said. She had a death lock on her yellow clutch, the same canary yellow as the skirt and jacket she wore.

  “Yo
u could see her anytime. All you have to do is Skype.”

  “Skype requires conversation.” Stephen angled his pointed nose down at them. “And we wanted to make certain you hadn’t absconded with her after you received our letter.”

  “Phoebe communicates just fine. Not everyone has to be chatty or wordy or—” Kendall paused. “I’m Kendall.”

  “Yes, we know who you are.” Stephen turned a sneering look in her direction.

  Warning bells clanged in his mind. They knew about Kendall? How? Or perhaps the better question was why?

  Hunter watched, amused as Kendall returned the expression and added a growl only he could hear.

  “Where is Phoebe, please?” Stephen asked with a combination of snobbish pride and forced politeness.

  “Inside with her friends. Phoe-be!” he called over his shoulder.

  The door cracked open, and Phoebe poked her dark curl-covered head out. The light in her eyes faded the instant she saw her grandparents. She slammed the door again.

  “Smart kid,” Kendall muttered. “I’ll get her. Excuse me.”

  “I take it she’s petrified of us because you told her about the custody suit,” Stephen observed.

  “Stephen, we need to keep this polite, please.” Eleanor’s eyes softened against the tears. “I’m sorry, Hunter. We only wanted to see her. It’s been so long—”

  “You could have seen her at any time, Eleanor.” As angry as he was about the custody suit, there was no mistaking the plea in her eyes. “I told you that at the funeral. And in response to your accusation, Stephen, Phoebe doesn’t know about the custody suit. I didn’t tell her, because she’s already petrified that someone could take her away from me. I didn’t think it would serve any purpose other than to make her even more afraid of you.”

  “But why is she afraid of us?” Eleanor asked, a genuine look of confusion on her face. “We’ve never done anything to hurt or scare her. She’s the only grandchild we have...the only one we will ever have. We love her. And we want her to have a good life.”