Healing Dr. Fortune

by Judy Duarte

  Her eyes flashed, challenging him. “I don’t care about that. I won’t give him up to someone who won’t take care of him, someone who can’t give him the love that he deserves.”

  “You might not have a choice,” Jeremy countered. “Besides, you may not want to believe this, but there are a lot of kids in this world who aren’t loved and taken care of. I see them all the time at the clinic with sad eyes, broken arms, bruises—”

  “Stop! I’m aware of that. It sickens me to think about kids being neglected and abused. And you’re right. I can’t save them from the brutal reality they live with day to day. But I can protect Anthony. And I will. I’m not going to let anything happen to him. If that means hiding out with him and not telling anyone I’ve got him, then that’s fine.”

  “You’re being foolish, Kirsten. And you’re also risking your own safety, not to mention the baby’s.”

  “Not if no one knows where to find him.”

  “Oh, for Pete’s sake. Courtney knows exactly where he is. And she can’t be trusted.”

  The truth of Jeremy’s statement slammed into Kirsten, backing her into a corner, it seemed. But what else could she do?

  Her heart sank, but not just out of fear for herself. “If Charlie proves to be dangerous, and if you think that I’m not safe, then how can I let Anthony go with him?”

  “You’re right. That’s why we need to go to the police and let them deal with it.”

  Kirsten cuddled the baby closer yet, unwilling to let law enforcement step in. Weren’t they bound by law to hand Anthony over to his biological parents?

  “What do you think your brother will have to say about this?” Jeremy asked.

  “It really doesn’t matter, does it? If Max isn’t Anthony’s father, then he can just stay out of it.”

  “But Max is already involved.”

  “How do you figure?”

  “Come on. Open your eyes, Kirsten. Look beyond the child in your arms and face the larger picture. Max doesn’t know any of the details surrounding that baby. What if Charlie isn’t ‘bad news’? What if, for some reason, he was granted legal custody, and Courtney took him away? After all, if she’s as unstable as she seems to be, then who knows what’s really going on?”

  He was right, Kirsten realized. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that Anthony wasn’t safe unless he was with her. “I appreciate your concern, but I can’t call the police. Not yet.”

  Jeremy chuffed, then muttered, “What a convoluted mess. I can’t believe I’m even involved in this.”

  Kirsten had always been afraid that Jeremy would bail out if Max’s drama ever got to be too much for him, so his comment crushed her. But how could she turn her back on the baby now?

  Silence stretched between them. And as the minutes ticked by, she threw out the only argument she had left. “Apparently, you don’t know what it means to love someone, Jeremy. To be committed to them.”

  His eye twitched, and his mouth tensed. She’d clearly angered him, and while she hated to think that her love for Anthony had driven them apart, she couldn’t help it. He was a helpless little baby, for goodness’ sake.

  “You’re wrong,” Jeremy finally said. “I do know what it means to love someone, to want them to be safe and happy. And it frustrates the hell out of me to see her refuse to see reason and to dig in her heels about the simplest thing.”

  Was he talking about his feelings for her?

  She thought he might be, but she wasn’t sure.

  Taking a gamble, she said, “I love you, Jeremy. But you can’t ask me to choose between my family and you.”

  He threw up his hands, clearly frustrated with her, with the situation, with the stalemate they’d reached.

  “Maybe you’d better go,” she said, wishing he’d have a change of heart, that he would soften with time. That he would be as supportive of her as he was when he found her awake and stewing over the nightmare she’d had—the nightmare about Anthony being in danger.

  “Maybe I should.” He turned and let himself out of the house.

  She wanted to stop him, to try to explain. But what more was there to say?

  As she stood at the living-room window and watched him climb into his car, she prayed that he was the one who would see reason. That he’d come back to her.

  And that he wouldn’t go to the authorities himself.

  Apparently, you don’t know what it means to love someone.

  When Jeremy left Kirsten’s house, the words she’d thrown at him stung something fierce.

  The hell he didn’t know what it meant to love someone. He loved her. And the thought of something happening to her was making him crazy.

  In fact, he was fit to be tied. How could she be so irrational about all of this?

  If he had any sense at all, he’d go to the clinic to work, then head back to the Double Crown and call it a day, but he couldn’t do that. He was too caught up in the situation.

  But he wasn’t too caught up to realize that there might be legal ramifications for what Kirsten planned to do. And he couldn’t let her make a mistake like that.

  So after calling the clinic and letting them know he would be coming in late, he drove to San Antonio, where Rafe Mendoza had opened his new law office.

  Rafe wasn’t just a friend. He was also family, related to Jeremy by marriage—his half-sister, Isabella, had married Jeremy’s brother J.R. And if there was anyone Jeremy could trust to provide sound legal counsel, it was the attorney in San Antonio’s newest law firm.

  Hopefully, Rafe wouldn’t be too busy to see him.

  After leaving his car in the underground parking structure, Jeremy took the elevator to the lobby, where he talked to the security personnel, identified himself, then waited for permission to proceed to the elevator.

  Rafe’s office was located on the fifth floor and overlooked the River Walk. In fact, it wasn’t too far from the hotel in which Jeremy and Kirsten had spent the night.

  Just being in the area was a nice reminder of what they’d shared together, of what the future might hold if things worked out. And that was why it was important for him to make sure that Kirsten didn’t get into any trouble.

  When Jeremy finally entered the reception area of Rafe’s office, he strode to the legal assistant’s desk. “Hello, Vonda. Is Rafe available?”

  “I believe so. Let me tell him you’re here.”

  While she paged her boss, Jeremy shoved his hands in his pockets and scanned the spacious office, noting the expensive dark wood and the leather furnishings, as well as an expanse of windows that provided a nice view of the river.

  At only twenty-nine years of age, Rafe was doing pretty well for himself these days. He already had a successful law practice in Ann Arbor. And he’d just recently returned to Texas to open a second office.

  One of the many things Jeremy appreciated about Rafe was his air of confidence, which made him a good attorney.

  Moments later, the handsome, dark-haired man entered the waiting area and reached out his hand to greet Jeremy. “It’s good to see you. Did you come by to welcome me back to Texas?”

  “Actually, I wanted to discuss a legal issue with you.”

  Rafe’s mood grew serious. “Sure, come with me. Let’s talk about it in private.”

  Once they’d each taken a seat, Jeremy couldn’t help noting the glass case that held a variety of trophies and team photos from Rafe’s years of playing baseball through high school and college.

  “You’ve got a nice office,” he told the well-built athlete who dressed in power suits these days.

  “Thanks.”

  Minutes later, Jeremy had told Rafe about Kirsten, Max and Anthony.

  “I’d like to help,” Rafe said, “but I’m a corporate attorney and this really isn’t my field. I can refer you to a specialist, though.”

  “I’m not ready to discuss this with anyone else. So even though you’re not all that up on family law, you should have an opinion that would be helpful.”
>
  “I can do that,” Rafe said. “But it seems to me that the first thing to do is to request the birth certificate.”

  “That’s the problem. Courtney, the baby’s mother, doesn’t seem to have it. Or, if she does, she’s not making it readily available. And God only knows who fathered Anthony. She first told Max that the baby was his. Now she’s saying the father is someone named Charlie.”

  “It sounds like a real mess.”

  Jeremy nodded. “You’ve got that right. In Kirsten’s defense, she only has the baby’s best interests at heart. But I’m afraid she’s setting herself up for trouble if she doesn’t call the police and report the situation.”

  “I agree,” Rafe said. “Who knows what the actual details are? It could even be a noncustodial kidnapping. Maybe Courtney considers Charlie ‘bad news’ because he’s furious at her for leaving and wants his son back.”

  “That thought crossed my mind, too.” And if that was the case, Charlie wouldn’t pose a threat to anyone other than Courtney. Hoping for the best, yet not convinced, Jeremy blew out a sigh. “So you would advise her to report it.”

  “Well, that’s the correct legal move,” Rafe said. “But you should probably keep in mind that Kirsten’s emotions are involved. And under the circumstance, doing the ‘right’ thing could prove costly to you.”

  Jeremy suspected that Rafe meant he could win the battle and lose the girl, which would hurt. But he couldn’t stand by and watch Kirsten make a mistake that would cost them both a whole lot more.

  Rafe added, “It sounds to me as though Kirsten is the type who would sacrifice her own comfort—maybe even her freedom—to keep her family safe.”

  For a moment, Jeremy wondered if Rafe was speaking from experience, although he was probably reading too much into his tone, into his words. Either way, he didn’t question him.

  “I guess I’ll have to really give it some thought,” he said instead.

  “I would.” Rafe sat back in the desk chair. “Just how important is this woman to you?”

  Jeremy hated to admit it, but he leveled with his friend. “Kirsten’s come to mean a great deal to me.”

  In fact, Kirsten was proving to be a real mama bear when she thought one of her cubs was in danger—just like Molly Fortune had been. And he had to give her credit for that.

  It was, he supposed, the result of thinking with her heart instead of her head. And it reminded him of the words he’d had with Max just a few hours earlier.

  When Max complained that Kirsten got way too emotionally involved in things, Jeremy had said getting emotionally involved was a trait many women had. And that it made for a “good balance” in a relationship.

  He probably ought to keep that in mind.

  After thanking Rafe for his time, he stood to leave. “Have Vonda send me a bill. I’m staying at the Double Crown.”

  “No,” Rafe said. “I won’t be charging you anything. This one’s on me. Besides, this really isn’t my specialty.”

  “I needed some sound advice, and you gave it to me. So thanks again. I owe you one.”

  As Jeremy headed for his car, he realized he would have to go along with Kirsten’s wishes for now. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t worried.

  Instead of heading to the clinic, he drove back to Kirsten’s house, hoping to set things to rights.

  But when he arrived, his heart dropped to the ground when he knocked and rang the bell, only to find her gone.

  Chapter Twelve

  Jeremy tried to tell himself that Kirsten was probably at the grocery store or running errands, but that didn’t quell his worry.

  After ringing the bell and knocking on the front door numerous times, he peered through the small window into the garage, only to see that her car was gone. At least, she wasn’t sitting inside, refusing to see him.

  So now what?

  He’d be damned if he’d just head to the clinic, go to work and pretend as if nothing was wrong. Maybe he ought to hang out here for a while and wait to see if she came home.

  Or better yet, he should try her on her cell. But before he could dial out, a call came in.

  He answered without checking the display. “Hello?”

  “Jeremy? It’s Ruben. Your buddy Max didn’t show up this morning. Do you have any idea why?”

  He didn’t show up? “What do you mean? He was at the ranch early this morning. I talked to him.”

  “Then he must have left before I started lining up the hands for the day.”

  Damn. This whole thing was blowing up in Jeremy’s face.

  “Listen, Ruben. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’ll get to the bottom of it. And as soon as I do, I’ll give you a call.”

  When the line disconnected, Jeremy swore under his breath. Then he dialed Kirsten’s number. He let out another curse when he reached her voice mail, but went ahead and left a message, asking her to call as soon as she got it.

  But where the hell was she? And why did Max take off this morning after Jeremy told him to go to work?

  He glanced at his wristwatch. It was Anthony’s nap time. So why wasn’t Kirsten home? And why wasn’t she picking up the damn phone?

  His first thought was to do what he’d wanted to do originally, and that was to call the police. But out of respect and courtesy to Kirsten, he held back—at least momentarily. However, if she was in trouble, if Charlie had come around, if…

  Jeremy raked his hand through his hair, then tried her number again. Finally, when he was about to disconnect, she picked up, her voice distraught.

  “Jeremy?” she asked.

  “Yes, it’s me. Where are you?”

  “I’m driving around town, looking for Max. He came home right after you left my house. He told me that he didn’t have to work today after all. So I asked him to watch Anthony while I ran to the market. He agreed, but when I got back, he and the baby were gone. He also took the diaper bag, the supply of bottles and formula and the Portacrib. I have no idea where he went or what he plans to do.”

  “Have you called him?”

  “Several times, but his phone must be shut off. Either that or the battery is dead. I’m really getting worried.”

  “Where are you now?” Jeremy asked.

  “I’m sitting in my car. I pulled over by that new burger place when you called.”

  “Then come home. I’ll be waiting for you. And we’ll figure this out together.”

  Ten minutes later, Kirsten arrived at the house. Her eyes were red-rimmed, her cheeks tearstained.

  “You were right all along,” she said. “We should have gone to the police. But oh, no, I wouldn’t listen. And now Max and the baby are gone.”

  “Did he say anything to you earlier about where he might go and why? Maybe he was afraid that Charlie found out where you lived. Maybe he’s trying to protect you and the baby.”

  “Oh, my God. Do you think that’s what happened?”

  “I have no idea. Right now, I’m just grabbing at straws.

  But it doesn’t matter. We’ll find them, honey. I promise we will. And we don’t have to alert the authorities unless you want to.”

  Kirsten looked at him, confusion etched across her face. “I don’t understand. You were gung ho to call them earlier. Why the change of heart?”

  He slipped his arms around her. “I haven’t changed my mind. I still think we would be better off going the legal route. But I love you enough to trust that you’ll do the right thing when you’re ready.”

  “You love me?” She seemed awed, touched. Surprised.

  “Yes, I do.” He kissed her, his lips lingering over hers for the longest time, his heart fully engaged.

  Just as they drew apart, Kirsten’s cell phone rang.

  “It could be Max,” she said, flipping open the lid. “I need to take it.”

  “Kirsten?” Max said.

  When Kirsten heard her brother’s voice over the line, her breath caught.

  “Where are you?” she asked. “And where i
s the baby?”

  “Anthony’s with me. And we’re both safe.”

  Relief flooded through her. “Tell me where you are. If you don’t want to come home, at least let me keep the baby for you.”

  “Can I talk to Jeremy first?”

  Before answering her question? Before telling her where he was? She wanted to throttle him, but she handed over the cell to Jeremy anyway.

  She supposed she ought to be glad that Max respected the man enough to go to him for sage advice, something that had been sorely lacking in his life since their father left. So she swallowed back her hurt feelings and homed in on the one side of the conversation she could hear.

  “What’s going on?” Jeremy asked, listening intently.

  Then he said, “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  What? Kirsten wanted to ask, moving closer, hoping to catch a word or a phrase of whatever explanation Max was giving him.

  “You’re going to have to stop calling her a flake,”

  Jeremy said. “That doesn’t even begin to describe her or her character.”

  The conversation continued, but Jeremy only uttered a grunt now and then. And by the time he ended the call, Kirsten was beside herself.

  “What’s that crazy woman done now?” she asked.

  “You aren’t going to believe this. She just told Max that she’s not the baby’s mother.”

  Kirsten was stunned. “Then who’s his mom?” she asked. “And where did Courtney get him?”

  “She insists that she didn’t kidnap him. And she still claims that Charlie is the father, that he left him with her.”

  Kirsten’s head was spinning, and her heart was breaking. That precious little child didn’t deserve any of this.

  God only knew who his real parents were.

  “Where are Max and Anthony now?” she finally asked.

  “Max is taking the baby to the police department.

  He said the baby was entrusted to him, and that it’s his responsibility to do the right thing.”

  “What does that mean?”