“So today we’re gonna decide what happens to us,” Jamie concluded with a pointed look at Michael.
“We were just about to discuss it when you came in,” Michael said.
“What’s the plan?”
“Michael wants to call Justin Adams. It’s been suggested he would be a very good ally,” Grace said, pointedly not mentioning that Justin was the sheriff.
Tyler shot a look at Michael. “Do you think that’s wise?”
“Dylan trusts him.”
Satisfied by their brother’s approval, Tyler nodded. “Okay. Then what?”
“We see what he has to say.”
His brother looked as if he wanted to ask more, but instead he fell silent.
“Tyler, do you disagree?” Grace asked
“Not exactly,” he said slowly. “Have you come up with a best-case scenario, something to give Justin to work with?”
Michael exchanged a look with Grace, then nodded. “Grace wants to take the boys to live with her.”
Jamie and Josh whirled on her and stared, wide-eyed. “You mean it?” Jamie asked incredulously.
“I mean it,” she said firmly, then cautioned, “Don’t get your hopes up, though. There’s no guarantee we can pull it off.”
“You will,” Josh said, scrambling from his chair to give her a fierce hug. “I know you will.”
Grace looked at Jamie, who hadn’t budged. “Is this okay with you, Jamie?”
Blinking back tears, the boy nodded. Grace held out her hand, and after a slight hesitation, Jamie put his into it.
“Deal,” he said in a voice choked with emotion.
Michael felt the salty sting of tears in his own eyes as he watched the three of them, already united, already a family in their own eyes.
But where the hell did that leave him?
Tyler caught his gaze, gave him a sympathetic look before saying, “Hey, Grace, why don’t you and the boys take off for a while? Leave the cleanup for Michael and me.”
She stared at him, clearly flabbergasted by the offer. “You don’t have to ask me twice,” she said, then glanced in Michael’s direction. “Of course, it might almost be worth it to stick around and see how you look in an apron.”
“If you can find one with frills, I’ll take a picture,” Tyler offered, grinning.
Michael scowled with mock ferocity. “Thanks, bro.”
“Get out of here, Grace,” Tyler encouraged. “You don’t want to stick around for the bloodshed.”
She grinned at him. “Come on, kids. Let’s take advantage of this magnanimous offer and go out to see the horses.”
“Can we ride?” Josh begged.
“Not without Slade here,” she said.
Surprisingly, her decision didn’t draw a whiff of protest. Apparently the boys had no intention of risking her wrath when she was willing to be their new mom.
After they’d gone, Tyler turned to Michael. “When you want something as badly as you obviously want those three, you fight for it,” he advised mildly.
“Don’t even go there,” Michael retorted.
“You’re talking to me,” Tyler said. “Don’t waste your breath trying to deny it. You’ve never gotten over Grace. And I’ve never seen you take to a couple of kids the way you’ve obviously taken to those two. What are you going to do about it?”
“Besides begging Grace for another chance?” Michael said wryly. “I’ve already done that.”
“Did she turn you down?”
“She said maybe.”
“Then I guess you’re just going to have to be more persuasive,” Tyler said. “Because I don’t want to think that my brother is an idiot. Besides, Delacourts never fail. Isn’t that the lesson Dad started drilling into us when we were still in our cradles?”
“Grace refuses to so much as discuss our future until we’ve protected Jamie and Josh from being separated again.”
“Then get Justin over here and get the ball rolling,” Tyler said.
“Good advice,” Michael agreed. “Mind telling me what we do if it starts careening downhill?”
“We pull out the big guns,” Tyler said readily.
“Oh?”
“Dad and Harlan Adams. I can’t imagine a bureaucrat anywhere who wouldn’t quake in his boots at the sight of those two formidable men.”
Michael took heart at the suggestion. It was true. Nobody he knew would dare to say no to his father or to Harlan Adams, and no two men were more fiercely committed to the concept of family. With them on her side, Josh and Jamie were as good as Grace’s.
Once again, though, he had to ask himself: Where did that leave him?
Chapter Eleven
Grace stood at the fence to the corral and watched as Jamie and Josh groomed the two horses that were their favorites. Slade had taught them well. They were thorough, murmuring to the horses the whole time and drawing gentle nudges at their pockets where both had stored pieces of apple.
“Stop it,” Jamie said, laughing when one curious nudge almost landed him on his backside in the dirt. “You’ll get your treat when I’m done.”
The horse whinnied in response, clearly unhappy about being put off. Jamie finally gave a resigned shrug and pulled out a chunk of apple, then held it out in his open palm. The horse took it daintily, but seconds later the filly was back for more.
“If I keep feeding you, you’re going to be too fat to gallop,” Jamie chided her.
The horse’s only response was to try to burrow her nose into his pocket.
Grace laughed at their war of wills. She prayed that life could go on being like this for Jamie, simple and uncomplicated after years of having too many worries on his young shoulders. He’d been barely older than Josh was now when he’d concluded it was up to him to see that he and his brother were reunited for their birthdays, no matter what the system did to separate them.
She thought about her plan to take them back to Houston with her. It was evident that both boys were eager to go, but was it right to take them away from this ranching world they so obviously adored, where in just a few days they had begun to flourish?
She was still troubled by that when Michael eased up behind her and put his hands on either side of the corral fence, effectively trapping her body against the hard planes of his. A shiver of anticipation skittered over her at the intimate contact.
“They look as if they’re in their element,” Michael observed.
“Don’t they?” She turned to look up at him. “What if I’m doing the wrong thing?”
He regarded her with surprise. “Meaning?”
“Maybe I shouldn’t take them away from here. Maybe I should let Sharon Lynn or one of the others around here make a home for them. They’d have friends, fresh air, horses.”
“Sweetheart, you’ll bring even more to their lives. Besides, we don’t even know if Sharon Lynn was able to convince Cord to take them in.”
“She will,” Grace said with confidence. “Or she’ll get one of the other Adamses to agree. Look at them. They’re so happy, probably happier than they’ve ever been.”
“Don’t you think that’s as much because they’re together as it is because they’re on a ranch?”
“I don’t know that for sure,” she said candidly. “Shouldn’t I give them the option?”
“We don’t even know if that option exists,” Michael reminded her again. “Let’s leave things as they are. You love those boys. You can give them a good life. More important, you want to give them a good life. If they need horses to be happy, you’ll find a way to see that they have them. My guess is all they really need is a home and you.”
Her gaze met his. His reassurance meant the world to her, ironically because she knew he wouldn’t let emotion overrule his clear-eyed objectivity. “Thank you for saying that.”
“I meant it.” He caressed her cheek. “It’s all I would need.”
She didn’t know what to say to that. He grinned at her silence.
“Left you speechless
? That has to be a first.”
“I can’t think about that now,” she told him honestly. “I just can’t.”
“I know. I’m not pressing you for an answer, just reminding you that the issue is on the table.”
She smiled. “I’m not likely to forget that.” Her smile faltered then. “What about Justin? Did you call him?”
Michael nodded. “He’s on his way.”
“Maybe we should warn the boys that he’s a sheriff. If he comes in here in a cop car and wearing a uniform, they might panic.”
“Which is why Tyler’s coming out any second to take them into town,” Michael said. “There’s no need to get them worked up unnecessarily.”
As if on cue, Tyler came out of the house and called to the boys, “Hey, guys, how about riding into town with me? I could use some help.”
Both boys hesitated. “What kind of help?”
“Getting there, for starters. You probably know the way better than I do,” he said in what was clearly a blatant lie. “And my brother has given me this endless list of things to pick up. I’ll never be able to carry them all myself.”
“I guess we could go,” Jamie said. He glanced at Grace. “Is it okay? If that guy’s coming over to talk about us, shouldn’t we get to stay?”
“We’ve agreed on our plan. We won’t change it without talking it over with you. In the meantime, a trip into town sounds great to me.”
“How come you’re not going?” Josh asked.
“Because they’ve got to wait for this Justin person,” Jamie said. “And they want us out of the way.”
“You’re too smart for your own good,” Michael told him, ruffling his hair. “Now scoot.” He bent down to whisper, “And make sure he buys you pizza and ice cream. Play your cards right and he might take you to the toy store, too.”
“All right,” Josh enthused, easily won over.
Five minutes after the three of them had driven off, Grace heard what had to be the sheriff’s cruiser coming through the thick stand of pines between the house and the road.
“I’m not sure I’m ready for this,” she admitted to Michael.
“Sure you are. Just remember that I’m right here beside you and I’m not going anywhere. Work your charm and your legal magic on him.”
Justin exited the car and strolled toward them wearing his crisply ironed uniform and sunglasses that shaded his eyes and left his expression enigmatic. Grace hated not being able to see behind those lenses to gauge his reaction. She thought she knew one way to assure they’d come off.
“Hello,” she said briskly, holding out her hand. “I’m Grace Foster, an attorney from Houston. Why don’t we go inside and have a glass of iced tea? It’s getting warm out here.”
“Fine by me,” Justin agreed, then turned to shake Michael’s hand. “Good to see you again. It’s been a long time.”
“I know. I don’t get over to see my sister and brother nearly enough.”
“So they say,” Justin said, then chuckled. “Hear they tricked you into coming this time, then ran off and left you to fend for yourself.”
Michael gave him a rueful grin. “Don’t remind me.”
Inside, as expected, Justin removed his sunglasses, but he didn’t sit down. He leaned against the counter and waited for her to begin. Grace had dealt with plenty of law enforcement officers in her time. She never let them get the better of her, but now, with so much at stake, she had to struggle against panic.
“How much do you know?” she asked him, gazing into penetrating blue eyes that she imagined could intimidate a suspect in nothing flat. She almost regretted getting him to remove the sunglasses.
“Sharon Lynn filled us in last night. To tell you the truth I expected a call before now.”
“We…I…had some thinking to do,” Grace said.
“About?”
“My own role in all of this.”
Justin waited patiently.
“I want Jamie and Josh to come live with me. I don’t want them separated again.”
Justin’s gaze registered surprise. “I was under the impression you were hoping someone around here might take them in. Sharon Lynn and Cord are considering it.”
“I know, but since I talked with her, I’ve given it a lot of thought. They’re great kids. I can give them a good home. Jamie and Josh have agreed. I want to get the ball rolling to see that that’s what happens.
Justin regarded her with concern. “You’ve talked this over with them? What if you can’t make it happen? They’ll be devastated.”
“I made them a promise that they would have a say,” she said defensively. “I kept that promise.”
“And if the court turns down your request?” Justin asked. “What then?”
“That won’t happen,” Michael said at once. His gaze met Justin’s evenly. “Will it?”
Justin didn’t flinch under the intensity of that look. “You know that that’s beyond my control.”
“Maybe so, but it’ll go a long way toward putting the court on Grace’s side if you can report that the boys are happy with her and forget about the fact that she kept their presence here a secret for a few days while we sorted things out.”
“In other words, you want me to fudge the truth,” Justin said.
“For the good of those two boys,” Michael stressed.
Justin didn’t look one bit happy about the request, but eventually he gave a curt nod. “Let me start making some calls. Try to salvage this situation as best I can.” His piercing gaze landed on Grace. “You and I could both land in a heap of trouble for this. If everybody just grabbed up any stray kid they saw and took them home, we’d have chaos. There’s a reason for all the rules and regulations, you know.”
“I do know, which is why I’m so grateful to you,” she said. “Believe me, when you meet Josh and Jamie, you’ll see that they’re worth the risk.”
“If Sharon Lynn hadn’t already told me that, I wouldn’t be doing this,” he said succinctly. He grinned ruefully. “That, combined with the fact that I’m under orders from Grandpa Harlan to take care of this in a way that protects those brothers from being separated. My grandfather gets his dander up at the slightest hint that some adult isn’t doing everything possible to give a child the best possible family. He’s chomping at the bit to get over here and meet these two, but Janet’s trying her best to keep him at White Pines and out of the middle of things.”
He shook his head. “I could tell her she’s fighting a losing battle, but why waste my breath. She knows it anyway. And just so you know, she also pulled me aside to tell me if you need another legal mind on this to give her a call. Given your intention to ask for custody of those boys, you might consider it. You won’t find a better advocate than Janet.”
“I appreciate the offer,” Grace said sincerely. “And I may do that before we’re done. It probably isn’t all that smart for me to represent myself.”
She held up the pitcher. “More tea before you make those calls?”
“No, thanks. I’m fine.”
“Then I’ll show you to Trish’s office,” Michael offered. “You can make your calls from there.”
After the two men had left the room, Grace finally felt the knot of tension in her stomach ease. Justin Adams might be a law-and-order, by-the-book sheriff, but he was a good man. Dylan had been right about that and she could see the kindness in his eyes. It was a good thing, since not only her future, but Jamie’s and Josh’s, were all in his hands.
“I hate standing on the sidelines while someone else gets things done. What do you think is happening in there?” Grace asked Michael when Justin hadn’t come back to the kitchen after an hour.
“I think he’s doing everything he can to make sure this turns out the way we want it to.”
He stood behind her chair and massaged her shoulders, finally feeling them begin to relax beneath his touch. Unfortunately, the contact was having the opposite effect on him. He felt as if he were grasping a live wire. There w
ere sparks detonating inside him. Memories exaggerated them into full-fledged passion and left him aching with need.
He cursed this inability he had to control himself around her. Desire wasn’t what Grace needed now. She needed moral support, compassion, maybe even financial backing should her resources be more limited than he imagined them to be. She didn’t need lust.
She glanced up at him, surprising him with a grin. “Nice distraction,” she teased.
“Is it?” he asked.
And then, because he could no longer resist, he bent down and covered her lips with his. White-hot urgency slammed through him, making his blood roar. Damned, if he didn’t think it made his teeth tingle, too. He was sure if Grace looked into his eyes, she would be terrified by the hunger she saw there.
With a shudder, with a last probe of tongue against tongue, he pulled back, sucked in a deep, calming breath, but he didn’t take his hands from her shoulders. He wasn’t feeling that generous. He craved the contact, any contact that would remind her, remind both of them of all that was at stake.
“Even better than the last distraction,” she murmured. “But risky. I want to be here, not upstairs in bed when Justin’s through making his calls.”
Michael took heart from the implication that he could lure her to bed with a few more potent kisses. “Hold that thought,” he suggested. “In the meantime, how about playing cards or working on a puzzle? Knowing Trish, there must be some around here somewhere.”
In the past, when things had been good between him and Grace, there had always been a thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle set up for rainy afternoons. He’d been surprised by how much he enjoyed the quiet activity, but he suspected that had more to do with his companion and the sneaky distraction of her foot against his calf under the table than the challenge of the puzzle. She also played a cutthroat game of rummy.
Although her anxious gaze remained firmly fixed on the door, she nodded. “That would be nice.”
Michael checked a few cupboards and finally found some playing cards. “Rummy okay?”
“Sure.”
He dealt the cards, but she was slow to pick up her hand.
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