by Susan Lute
“I appreciate the gesture, but I’m not sure what you can do.”
Maxine straightened. “I can speak to the judge on your behalf.”
“I...um...would appreciate that.” Stunned at the older woman’s complete turnaround, Chase wished Jane’s would be as easy.
CHAPTER
XVI
Jane let Chase drag her by the hand into the Deschutes County Courthouse.
Last night he’d asked her to come for Zach and Abby’s sake, so they could present a united front. And, because he was holding her, their passion building, that knowing look in his eyes, understanding that she would still leave, she’d given in and agreed to do this one last thing for him.
Abby grabbed her other hand, eyes round with uncertainty.
She hoped everything would turn out alright, but she wasn’t completely sure she believed it herself. She sure as heck didn’t want to be there when the kids were remanded back to their mother, but she’d made a promise, even if it was just in her heart. She wouldn't be that scared girl anymore. And she wouldn’t abandon Chase when he needed her to stand at his side for the kids' sake.
Zach followed on their heels. Gus and Maxine were waiting in the immaculately clean lobby. A neatly dressed woman met them halfway down the hall to the judge’s hearing room. She must be Chase's friend from the county, Beth. “You’re just in time. Our appointment with Judge Thomas is in ten minutes.”
“Chase.”
“Mom. Dad. What are you doing here?”
An older, feminine version of Chase and a middle-aged gentleman who had his son’s wide smile rushed up to them.
“I called them,” Jane told him. She'd found their number in the card file on his desk. “The more family support you can demonstrate, I thought the better chance you’ll have a making your plea successful.”
“You must be Jane.” Chase’s mother grabbed her hand, squeezed gently, lifted a cheek for her son’s kiss, then turned to gaze at Zach and Abby with what Jane thought would be a grandmother’s loving concern, if she’d had any experience in that area. “Are these the children?”
Battered by an envy that took her back a lot of years, she decided then and there not to give it any credence. She was done letting the past rule her life.
“It’s nice to meet you, Jane. I’m Mike. Thanks for calling us.” Chase’s dad held out a hand.
The Doc would look like his dad in thirty years, she decided. Straight. Handsome. Matured like fine whiskey. In charge of his world and at peace with it. His Mom’s eyes were the same yummy brown, the woman’s hair streaked daintily with white.
Jane fell in love with them on sight, and was glad that when she left, he'd have their help with the children.
“Hey, brother.” A man slightly younger, thinner, and a bit taller than Chase joined them.
“Nate.” Chase grabbed him, pounding his brother on the back. “How? You came.”
“Mother.”
Emotion pricked at Jane’s eyes. This was how she’d always imagined a family would be.
Chase turned to her, his smile glorious. “Everyone, this is Gunnery Sergeant Jane Donovan. And these two rascals are Zach and Abby.”
He'd finished introducing everyone when a uniformed woman stepped quietly into their midst. “Ms. Greeley, Judge Thomas will see you now.”
They filed into the room where the judge waited for them, but Jane noticed Nate held Chase back. Curious, she broke her own rules about not getting involved in other people’s business and loitered. She'd never been good about keeping her nose out anyway.
“Listen, I want to make sure you know, what happened to me, what I did, the hospital, none of that was your fault. I-” Nate shifted one shoulder. “-just lost it. You couldn’t have stopped that.”
“If I’d been there-”
Nate snorted. “You can’t be with me twenty-four-seven, big brother.”
Chase nodded. “How are you doing?”
Nate smiled wryly. “Better.”
Jane believed him. Chase must have too, because he gave his brother a strong-armed hug. Seeing her hovering, he grabbed her around the shoulders, and tugged her into the room and the seat next to him.
Judge Thomas closed the file he was studying, looked expectantly at Beth Greeley.
“Mr. Chase Russell is here to apply for custodial guardianship of Zachariah and Abigail Malone due to the deplorable circumstances in which the children were abandoned, and left to take care of themselves by their mother, Goldie Malone. They’ve been living at Mr. Russell’s ranch for the last three weeks.”
The judge was a clean shaven man on the sunset side of his sixties, Jane would guess. His gray hair was cut short, close to his head. The eyes behind round spectacles took in every detail of the people in his courtroom, reminding her of the Colonel when his stern gaze settled on Zach and Abby.
He’d probably seen a lot of child abuse in his career, but would he do what was right for the kids, or go by the book?
In all the years she’d been a Marine, Jane had always gone by the book. It was just recently that she’d learned there were times when following your heart was the only option possible. She squeezed the strong hand that gripped hers, offering what silent support she could.
“Zachariah, Ms. Greeley has put together a very impressive file on you and your sister. As Director of Crook County Child Welfare Services, I trust her judgment implicitly in these matters. But, I want to hear from you, why you think the court should take you away from your mother and give responsibility for your well-being to virtual strangers. I understand Mr. Russell is not related to you in any way.”
Jane’s heart stopped cold. She was deathly afraid this man who had the power of the law to change people’s lives, wasn’t going to do it for Zach and Abby.
Zach stood. A dignity older than his years lifted his young chin. “We don’t have any relatives. Our father is dead. And Goldie doesn’t give a darn about us. Every time she finds some new dude to marry, she dumps us in a homeless shelter. This wasn’t the first time, and if you don’t let us stay with Mr. Russell, it won’t be the last.”
He put a protective arm around Abby, who’d stood with him. “I’ve been taking care of my sister since she was a baby. She deserves a nice home, with her own room; somewhere she can go to school on a regular basis. She should have parents who care what happens to her. Mr. Russell and Miss Jane love her. They’ll take good care of her.”
Her heart restarting with a resounding thump, Jane winced. He was right. She loved them both.
Judge Thomas pinned Zack with a measuring look. “What about you, son?”
“I’ll be fourteen soon. I can take care of myself, get a job. It’s Abby I’m worried about, Sir.”
At that moment, the door to the courtroom burst open.
“Ma’am, you can’t go in there.” The guard that had brought them to the room tried to block the path of a blonde bombshell unceremoniously pushing her way in.
“These children are mine. You’re not going to take them from me,” she said shrilly.
Beth stood and impassively introduced the newcomer. “Judge Thomas, this is Goldie Malone, Zach and Abby’s mother. I informed her by letter of this meeting so she could present her side if she wished.”
Jane scowled. Goldie Malone was beautiful, all decked out as though she’d just walked off the cover of some glossy magazine. Her hair was cut into a classic pageboy-style, perfectly showcasing her memorable features. Makeup was skillfully applied to attract attention.
Irritation disappeared from between dark, penciled brows as the siren flashed a hundred watt smile clearly calculated to bring the judge over to the dark side.
Who was the judge going to believe? This perfectly coiffed woman, or two troubled kids?
It was a good thing Chase had a strong hold on her hand, because Jane would love to have a little one on one with the woman for the way she’d treated Zach and Abby.
Instead, she was thrown back to the one time she’d waited
for news that her own adoption had gone through - she couldn’t have been much older than Abby - only to find out she couldn’t go with the Hollaways because her mother was still alive and wouldn’t give up parental rights.
It hadn’t taken the nice couple long to find a kid they could take home. Soon after they’d stopped visiting her.
She swore under her breath. Goldie obviously knew how to play the system. It happened all the time. Zach and Abby were doomed.
Chase gently uncurled the fist she’d made in her lap. Taking both her hands, he laced his fingers with hers. When she looked up, he gave her one of those special smiles that promised to battle the bad guys and win.
She desperately wanted to believe he could. It’d been too many years since she’d allowed herself to depend on anyone but herself. Even with how he'd managed to bring her back from the brink of self-destruction, and the times they’d spent entangled in his bed, she didn't know how to trust he could keep that promise.
“Mrs. Malone, have a seat, please.” Judge Thomas frowned, indicating an empty chair across the aisle from Jane, then addressed Chase. “Who are all these people?”
Never letting go of her hand, he stood and introduced everyone. When he was done, he pulled on her hand until she stood. “This is Gunnery Sergeant Jane Donovan.”
The Judge’s shrewd gaze shifted, resting on her for a long moment before he addressed Chase again. “In your file it says you’re a psychologist. You do work with war veterans?”
“Yes, Sir, I did. I have a ranch now, near Lone Pine. Zach and Abby are special to...us. We want to give them a stable home to grow up in.”
Goldie sputtered angrily. Her polished veneer slipped slightly in the wake of the judge’s sudden, hard stare. Small lines of self-indulgence appeared around her eyes. She didn’t bother to readjust the short skirt that slid up to reveal the length of her thigh. “Hey, I have rights too you know. You can’t just take my kids from me without my consent.”
“Mr. Russell has applied for legal custody of Zachariah and Abigail. If the documentation of abandonment in this file is accurate, it is within my jurisdiction to grant his petition.”
For a second, hope fluttered in Jane’s stomach. Chase might just pull this off.
Goldie tapped her toe against the linoleum in nervous agitation, then leaned back in her chair, her arms folding belligerently under her chest, lifting her cleavage. She shrugged one elegantly clad shoulder as if it was no big deal to run off and leave children to survive on their own.
The picture-perfect mother she’d obviously worked hard to cultivate cracked. “I’m sure this is all just a misunderstanding. I would have taken them with me, but George - that’s my ex-fiancé, George Keller - didn’t want the brats...um children tagging along. I left Zach in charge.”
The woman actually had the audacity to glare at Zach. “He knows what to do when I’m gone. There was no reason to take off like that.”
“So, you’re saying you deliberately left these children, and not for the first time it appears, at a homeless shelter? While you went off with Mr. George Keller to get married? Where is Mr. Keller now?”
The woman had the good sense to blush. The judge’s deadly quiet tone seemed to rattle her tongue lose. “George can go to blazes. He dumped me in Vegas after I lost too much of his money.”
“What is your source of income?” the Judge asked, seeming unmoved by her outburst.
Goldie abruptly stood, her hands coming to rest at her hips. “Don’t you get it? Without the money their father left for their keep and what the state gives me for them, I have no income. There’s no way I’ll let you take them from me.”
Abby jumped up on the other side of Chase. “Don’t let her take us. She yells at Zach and hits him.”
Embarrassment flushing across his cheekbones, Zach pulled on his sister’s arm to get her to sit back down. “Abby, it’s okay.”
“But, Zach-”
“Sit down. Please.”
Keep your cool, Jane. This time it was Chase’s calm voice she heard in her head, not her own.
“Mrs. Malone, you’re mistaken about what I can and can’t do. I've heard enough. If you’ll please wait outside.” Judge Thomas nodded to the guard who’d never left.
When he took Goldie’s arm to escort her from the room, the woman jerked free, her pretty features wrecked by outrage.
“How dare you! You can’t get away with this.” She spit the words at Chase and Jane.
Jane stood. Chase squeezed her hand, but she didn’t need any help standing up to Goldie’s wrath. She’d handled worse and survived just fine.
Wordlessly, she stared Goldie Malone down. No one, especially not this mean-spirited, self-indulged woman was going to mess with Chase’s family. Not if there was something she could do about it.
“Mrs. Malone, I will charge you with contempt of court if you don’t go with the guard immediately.”
Goldie raised one hand clearly wanting to strike out. But then, with little grace, she spun and allowed the guard to escort her from the room.
“Gunnery Sergeant Jane Donovan. You’re with the Marine Corps?”
Jane pulled her gaze from the closed door Goldie had gone through. Standing shoulder to shoulder with Chase, she faced the Judge. “Yes, Sir.”
“Stationed at Parris Island?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“I spent some time there. I don’t imagine it’s changed much.”
“No, Sir.” Jane allowed herself a brief smile. A silent understanding passed between them.
Semper fi.
“Are you planning to make your home on the ranch?”
Beside her, Chase went absolutely still. Jane felt Abby shift closer to him on his other side, her small hand slipping into his. Zach stood tall beside his sister. Gus and Maxine hovered behind them. Chase’s family was another row behind.
It seemed as though all eyes in the room turned to her.
How was she to answer? Her home wasn’t the ranch. “I’ll be returning to my base, but Mr. Russell will make a great custodial parent. I'll stay in touch.” If he'll let me.
She was too caught up in the outcome of Chase’s gamble to get the children, to consider how close she could be standing to that miracle. Her chest hurt with an unbridled hope the judge would decide in Chase’s favor. She held her breath.
“I see.” He set aside their papers. “Well, Mr. Russell, you’ve obviously stepped up to the plate for Zachariah and Abigail. I’m going to grant your petition for custody. A social worker will be assigned and get in touch with you next week. In the meantime, Ms. Greeley will be your contact person. You can take the children home with you.”
*
Chase blew out a breath of relief when Judge Thomas dismissed them, then told the guard to bring Goldie Malone back in. Jane looked stunned as if she couldn’t believe they’d actually won. He wasn’t quite sure he believed it either, but he wasn’t about to quibble over the victory.
Goldie shot daggers at them as they passed in the hall. Even the woman’s venom couldn’t diminish his elation. He had a chance to make a difference for Zach and Abby. He could give them a decent life. It was time for some whooping and hollering.
His dad beat him to it. A huge smile splitting his weathered face, he gave Chase a clap on the back. “How about we go out to dinner. I’ve just become a grandpa. That’s worth a little celebrating.”
Zach and Abby wore identical numb expressions, as if it hadn’t truly sunk in that they had a whole new family who wanted them.
Abby was the first to crack. She laughed, jumped up and down, then grabbed the welcoming hand her new grandpa held out to her. “Hooray!”
Zach grinned, years of having to fend for himself and his sister falling away. “I can’t believe we get to stay with you.”
“I can believe it,” Gus told the boy roughly, knuckle rubbing the top of Zach’s head with undisguised affection. “That judge could see you was better off with Chase and Miss Jane.”
Chase pulled Jane into a crushing hug. See what we did, he wanted to laugh with her. We stood on the same battle field, and won!
She blinked. He laid a big kiss on her parted lips. When he let her go, she was grinning, tears shimmering in her gorgeous blue eyes.
Clearing his throat, he grabbed Zach by the shoulder, “You did great in there, son.”
Nate clamped them both on the back. “Welcome to the family, kid.”
Amidst the group’s excitement, it took a minute for the angry click of high heels to register. When it did, it was too late. Goldie snatched Abby as she rushed past.
Chase moved fast, but not fast enough to catch the woman as she sprinted toward the Courthouse lobby doors, dragging a screaming Abby with her.
“Put me down!”
“Stop that woman!” he shouted to the guards, who immediately drew their guns, scaring the crap out of him. “Don’t-”
Holding the weapons in plain sight, they pointed them up to the ceiling, positioning themselves between Goldie and the door.
Chase panicked. If anything happened to his little girl-
When she found her way blocked, Goldie spun around, dragging Abby with her. “You can’t have the brat. I’m her mother. She’s going with me.”
Chase gathered himself to tackle the woman, but Jane stepped between them. Never taking her eyes from Goldie, she motioned sharply with one hand for him to stay put.
Against a driving need to get his new daughter back, Chase hesitated. He either trusted Jane, or didn’t. Reluctantly, he followed her silent instructions.
“Let Abby go, Ms. Malone. You can’t give her what she needs and you know it.”
“But, she can give me what I need,” Goldie jeered, yanking roughly on Abby’s arm. Chase swore.
Jane circled slowly. When all emotion faded into a deadly blank mask, he pitied the one who ran into her in a dark alley.
She inched closer while continuing to talk softly. He went in the opposite direction, focusing all his energies on stopping Goldie. Nate worked his way around too, until they outflanked her on three corners.
