“Thank God.”
“It’s good to see you were worried, Avery.”
Big Jim’s voice, though at whisper level, nearly filled the room.
Avery swallowed, then spoke. “When I saw your cars…” He gave a shake of his head as if unsure whether to believe himself or not. “All I could think of was what if something happened to her.”
He turned toward the man at the door. “What would I do? How could I help her?”
Big Jim gave a soft chuckle. “First step in becoming a father: you worry.”
Avery gave a lopsided grin. “I hope I passed.”
“With flying colors.”
They grew silent, Avery watching his daughter, content in the knowledge she was okay.
“What happened today? Why are you here?”
Behind him, his boss took a deep breath. “Come into the other room. We need to talk.”
Jim’s footsteps faded as Avery reached down and adjusted the blanket on his child’s sleeping form before returning to the living room. Seeing Jim, his wife, and Haley’s mom all staring at him drove the seriousness of the situation home.
“Perhaps you’d better enlighten me as to what’s going on.”
Haley had taken her seat. She swallowed, then spoke. “The social worker…she stopped here today.”
“And?”
He watched as she glanced over to her mother before speaking.
“It wasn’t nice.”
She hung her head and stared at the floor. Avery knelt down in front of her and took her hands in his.
“Hey,” he called to her, the tone of his voice soft, soothing. “Haley, look at me.”
It took a beat of his heart, but finally she gave a shy glance in his direction. The red-rimmed eyes deterred the usual brilliance of the blue he’d become accustomed to, and her brow furrowed with concern.
“Haley?”
Her chin trembled. With a wary glance at the others seated on the couch, she said, “She threatened to take Princess. She said if it wasn’t for Mr. Davis’s mo-money, she’d have packed up the baby and taken her today.”
He watched a tear roll down her cheek.
“She insinuated I…I wasn’t fit to take care of her.”
Avery could feel his eyes bulge. “Don’t you listen to her. You are awesome with Princess.”
Haley sniffed and blinked rapidly, but it did little to stem the flow of tears that continued to fall.
Avery shifted her hands into one of his and looked over at Josephine. “Tissues.”
Haley’s mother pulled several from the box on the coffee table and thrust them into his hand.
“Here.” He held them out to Haley. “Dry those pretty eyes.”
Haley nodded, and while she wiped her face and blew her nose, he took the time to glance over at the other solemn faces.
“Was anyone here besides Haley?”
“I came toward the end.” Alicia spoke in a hushed whisper. “She had just told Haley about the gossip from the Lucky Quarter.”
Avery closed his eyes. “That happened years ago. You’d think Cecil Woodard would have the good sense to be on her side.”
Alicia took a deep breath. “Worse. She insinuated that offering her a cup of coffee and a cinnamon bun was a bribe.”
Avery’s head jerked back, and he stared, dumfounded. “You’ve got to be fr…”
He caught Jim’s glare and swallowed the rest of the word. Dampening his lips, he spoke again.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
The gloom of the room settled heavily around him.
“So what do you think we should do?”
He watched as his boss looked to Alicia and then to Haley’s mom, Josephine, before zeroing in on him.
“I think,” he began, “I think it’s time to call in the big boys.”
“Big boys?”
Jim rose from the couch and placed his hands on his hips.
“I’m calling in Leon Craighead.”
Avery stood and moved to stand beside Haley. “Craighead as in lawyer?”
“The one and only. If you’re going up against the government, it’s always best to man up.” Pulling out his cell phone, he punched the numbers into the screen and moved toward the front porch.
“I think we need a fresh pot of coffee,” Josephine remarked.
Rising, she strode out of the living room, but not before placing a hand on Avery’s arm as she passed.
Removing his hat, Avery tossed it onto the coffee table. “This is crazy,” he murmured as he raised a hand and raked his fingers through his short-clipped hair. “Yeah, I got a girl pregnant, but if so, why didn’t she come to me? I don’t understand.”
“Maybe…” Haley piped up, “maybe it’s because you can be a bit scary when you get angry.”
A harsh breath followed, as if he confirmed her analysis.
“Okay, I might have gotten upset, but I wouldn’t have hurt her.”
“No, Avery, you wouldn’t have,” Alicia agreed.
Jim Davis moved back inside. “Leon can’t come out to the ranch tonight, but we’ve got an eleven a.m. meeting in the morning.”
Jim’s gaze went past Avery’s left shoulder, and Avery turned to see Josephine standing with a tray of coffee mugs.
“Josephine,” Jim asked, “Can you watch the baby tomorrow?”
“Of course.”
“Avery, Haley, I expect you there on time.”
“Right, boss,” Avery replied. “We’ll be there.”
****
Avery held the door open for Haley to enter. Leon Craighead’s business office was situated in the old town hall on the square, right across from its modern day counterpart. The oak door squeaked on its hinges as it revealed the cooler shadows that lay within.
“Good morning,” a woman’s voice greeted them.
Avery removed his hat and held it at his side. “Morning.”
He placed his hand at the small of Haley’s back and ushered her inside.
“We have a meeting with Mr. Craighead at eleven this morning.”
The secretary smiled and looked down at the agenda on her desk. “Mr. Johnson, Ms. Thorpe?”
“Yes,” they replied in unison.
Avery cast a glance to the side and caught Haley’s nervous grin.
“I will let Mr. Craighead know you’re here. Please, have a seat.” She rose and went to the door off to the right, lifted her hand, and gave a slight rap on the wood. A deep voice bade her enter.
Avery and Haley found themselves alone.
“You can sit down,” he offered.
Haley’s mouth twisted into an anxious smile. Instead of speaking, she just shook her head.
He glanced up at the dark wooden beams and vaulted ceiling above. “I’ve never been in here.” He held up his hat toward the roof. “Beautiful architecture, don’t you think?”
“Yes.”
She turned away and walked over to the old map of Cactus Gulch. Avery watched her go, appreciating the view. Instead of her jeans and favorite T-shirt, today Haley sported a new look that gave her quite a sophisticated air. The polyester off-white blouse billowed about her upper torso, accentuating her small build, while the dark skirt dipped conservatively close to the tops of her knees.
Somehow she’d tamed her dark locks and released them from her standard ponytail, only to reclaim them in a chic bun at the back of her head. Avery’s fingers itched to find the pins and remove them, allowing the ebony tide to cascade down the middle of her back. She looked all grown up. Not a bit like the gangly teenager of years ago. Funny, now that he thought about it. Neither of them were kids anymore.
“Nothing turns out like you thought it would,” he murmured.
Haley turned her head. “What?”
Avery gave a laugh. “Nothing. I was thinking out loud.”
She smiled. “About what?”
He looked away. “Just that nothing turns out the way you thought it would in high school.”
&nb
sp; He glanced back to see a slight blush tinge her cheeks pink.
“No,” she agreed. “It doesn’t.”
He walked over to where she stood and took his place beside her. Both of them studied the map.
“Back in high school, we thought Cactus Gulch seemed so small.” Haley looked at him. “All I wanted to do was get out.”
He nodded. “I hear you. How wrong we were. No matter how far we go, our roots come back here. This is home.”
“Home is important,” Haley agreed.
He felt her glance up at him, and he turned to meet her look.
“Home is the first place you set down roots. It’s security. A place you know you are loved.” He reached out and took her hand in his grasp. “I want that for my princess. I want her to feel surrounded by love, by family, just like we were.”
He watched as she looked away, softly biting her lip, and then again lifted her eyes to search his. “I learned a lot from my marriage. One was not to forsake your family. Princess needs all the love we can give her. I promise you, Avery, I will never let her want for anything as long as I am with her.”
He smiled and pulled her to his chest. “I believe you, Haley. You don’t have to sell me. I’ve watched you care for her. I’ve seen how tender and loving you are.”
He felt the movement of her body against his as she let out the breath she’d been holding. With Haley in his arms, a quiet contentment settled about him. Avery realized the world seemed a little less jagged. He pressed his lips to the top of her head.
“It’s going to be all right. I promise you. We can do this. We can make the world right for her.”
She leaned back, and he stared into those clear blue eyes.
“Together,” he murmured.
“Together,” she repeated.
Across the way, the crack of the door opening ended their conversation. Avery stepped back from Haley but kept a firm grip on her hand.
“Ms. Thorpe. Mr. Johnson.” The secretary smiled. “Mr. Craighead will see you now.”
****
The secretary stepped aside as Avery ushered Haley into Leon Craighead’s office. The lawyer came around the edge of the desk to extend his hand.
“Ms. Thorpe, good to meet you.”
Haley took his hand, and he closed his other over the top in a warm gesture. Then he focused on Avery.
“Mr. Johnson,” he said with a curt nod. “Welcome as well. I know this must be a trying time for you both.”
Letting Haley’s hand go, he gestured to the two leather wingback chairs situated before his desk. “Please, have a seat.”
Avery guided Haley to the chair on the left as Craighead moved behind his desk. “I’ve taken the liberty of having Mr. Davis join us on Skype so he can be a part of this proceeding.”
“Fine,” Avery agreed.
“Please, sit.”
Both Avery and Craighead waited until Haley settled onto the leather seat of her chair before they seated themselves. Avery rested his Stetson on his knee as the lawyer folded his hands in front of him and stared at them both.
“Mr. Davis has given me a bit of a rundown on the particulars of this case. I must say it’s highly irregular for Cactus Gulch. Avery, do you have any reason to believe this child is not yours?”
Avery shook his head before speaking. “Sir, I cut a wide loop and had me some fine times with the ladies who were willing. I could be her father. We are waiting on the results of a DNA test now.”
The lawyer gave a nod and looked down at a sheet of paper on his desk.
“Mr. Davis said as much.” He focused an eagle-like glare in Avery’s direction. “Since the child has been in your presence and under your care, have you ‘cut a wide loop’ as you describe it?”
Avery sat up straight. “No, sir. I’ve left the baby with Haley only for work purposes. I’ve changed her diapers, done some feeding, and spent a night or two walking when she fought sleep.”
The lawyer grinned. “I know about those late night strolls. I have two children myself.”
Avery relaxed.
“You’ve no clue to the mother?” Craighead asked.
Avery shook his head. “All I have is the note.”
“Ah, yes.” Craighead picked up another sheet of paper. “Is that the copy you faxed over to me, Mr. Davis?”
Avery glanced at the monitor as Jim Davis spoke.
“Yes, it is. Avery found it in the washtub with the baby.”
“No fingerprints other than the partial, according to Sheriff Felton.”
Avery glanced over to Haley, a little disappointed. She gave him a shrug as if to ask if he were expecting anything else.
“I understand,” the lawyer continued, “that the social worker was less that polite.”
“That’s true, sir,” Haley replied.
He put down his papers and leaned back. “How did you get involved?”
“My mother and Alicia volunteered my services as a nanny.”
“You didn’t have any objections?” the lawyer asked.
Haley shook her head. “Once I held her, I couldn’t let go. There was no hesitation. She’s a sweet baby who doesn’t deserve to be abandoned like she was.”
Haley glanced at Avery before continuing.
“I have two years in toward an interdisciplinary degree. I’d planned on getting my four-year and returning either as a teacher or a guidance counselor. So working with children is not a stretch.”
“What stopped you?”
“A divorce,” she replied. “My…my husband ran off with another woman.”
“I’m very sorry, Ms. Thorpe. So you returned home?”
She nodded. “I worked on the ranch, helping Mom. I needed to pay off some small debts and get my head together.”
“I see.” He stroked his chin in deep thought. “Now, son,” he addressed Avery, “you want to apply for full custody and raise the child?”
“I do,” Avery replied.
“As a single parent.”
Avery blinked.
“The reason I ask is that it puts an end to your days of closing the Lucky Quarter,” Craighead explained.
“Those days ended when my baby was left at my home.”
The lawyer smiled. “Nice choice of words.”
Avery leaned forward. “Haley—I mean, Ms. Thorpe—and I both feel it is in the best interest of the baby to be in a loving home. Nothing could be any more loving than with me. I am her father. I can help her learn the same values I had and set down roots. Haley’s mom and Mrs. Davis dote on her like grandmothers.” He smiled in Haley’s direction. “Haley loves her just as much as I do. Yeah, she’s turned my world upside down, but I can’t imagine life without her.”
Haley reached out and touched his hand.
Craighead’s nod grew larger. “Mr. Davis, you don’t plan on letting Mr. Johnson go, do you? I mean his work is satisfactory? No missed days due to alcohol?”
“None,” Jim Davis answered. “I can’t run the ranch without him, and my son, of course. Avery is my go-to guy. I’d trust him with my life.”
“So no worry about his being able to support the child? No hidden debts?”
“No, none.”
Craighead clicked his pen on and off. His brow took on a deep furrow. “Still, it bothers me that we’ve got no clue to the mother.” He glanced to Avery. “You sure you don’t know?”
“No, sir,” Avery replied. “No one has come forward to even suggest they might be pregnant. I just found her and the note.”
“I see. How old do you think the baby is?”
“Six months, maybe seven, I guess. Without a birth certificate, I don’t really know when she was born.”
“No, I suppose you don’t.” The lawyer pursed his lips, only to glance up at the computer screen. “Mr. Davis, if it’s okay with you, I want to hire a private detective.”
“Why?” Haley gasped.
“Birth certificates are public record. There are four hospitals within a hundred-mile r
adius of Cactus Gulch. Perhaps we can narrow down the search for the mother by looking at births and names, starting about seven months ago. Maybe, if we’re lucky, one of them will ring a bell.”
“Sounds like a good idea,” Avery agreed. “I’d like to know who I did wrong.”
“Agreed,” Jim Davis replied.
“Okay, great.” He looked over at Avery. “In the meantime, get that baby to a pediatrician for a full work-up. And I will tell you right now that the courts are not fond of single fatherhood.” Haley fell under his glance. “You are acting as the nanny?”
“Yes.”
“Perhaps, if you were to be seen as a couple, the law might look a bit more favorably on this petition.”
“Play house?” Jim Davis spoke up with a tinge of hostility in his voice.
Craighead raised his hand to silence him. “No, not to play house, but a romantic entanglement so to speak. Impending marriage makes a young man appear—well, stable.”
“I don’t think a phony engagement will work,” Haley whispered. “Sir, with all due respect, the social worker will pick up on that in a second.”
“You don’t have to go so far as a phony engagement, but both of you seem committed to the child; it could work in your favor to make your relationship public.”
“It’s a thought,” Avery mumbled. “I wouldn’t object.”
“By the way, does the baby have a name?”
“No.” Avery sighed.
“Get one,” Craighead ordered.
Chapter Seven
Avery steered the truck along the road leading back to the ranch. Beside him, Haley sat quietly, staring out the open window at the grasslands that seemed to stretch on forever. Neither was speaking. Avery summoned up his courage and opened his mouth.
“You haven’t had a lot to say.”
She turned, and her hand reached to drag tendrils of dark hair from her face. “I guess I’m thinking about what Mr. Craighead said.” She turned her head to stare at the road. “We need to come up with a name for her.”
“A name.” Avery flexed his fingers and tightened the grip of his right hand once again on the wheel. “I’ve been thinking about that too, as well as other things.”
Baby on His Doorstep Page 6
