Summer Love Puppy: The Hart Family (Have A Hart Book 6)

by Rachelle Ayala

  The woman had long, dark brown hair and a wild, free-spirited glaze in her eyes. She wore beads in her hair and masses of silver jewelry.

  Grady could picture her living in a gypsy wagon, never settling in one place, telling fortunes and causing havoc in people’s lives.

  He stepped toward the grand piano and studied the family pictures crowded on top of the dusty lid. Across the room, Linx studied him, so he kept his expression neutral.

  The wedding picture was old and faded, showing a young cowboy, Joe Colson, with his hippie bride complete with ribbons in her hair, dressed in a flowing multi-colored gown. They looked happy enough, even though he was steady as a rock and she was wrapped around him like slivers of running water.

  Then, the children started to appear, and the pictures were still happy. Grady counted the children until he reached the one where Linx was the baby.

  Gasping, he stepped back. In each of the previous pictures, Linx’s mother held the baby, the father held the next oldest, and the older ones gathered around.

  The one with Linx was different.

  Joe held the tiny infant in his arms, but his smile was strained, while Linx’s mother hugged Chad, the next oldest. Her body language was partially turned away from the infant who had her fists clenched, eyes wide and haunted, and looking like an alien.

  Had Linx been adopted?

  He glanced up at her and she gave him a scowl, crossing her arms.

  He started toward her, but the door opened and a stern, serious-looking woman in a gray suit stalked in. She lowered her eyeglasses and peered at him for a brief second before heading toward Linx and embracing her.

  It was Becca, of course, and her first words to Linx were, “Let me guess, he’s the one casing the room from behind the grand piano.”

  The women peered at him again, so he turned away from them right as Cait rushed toward Becca.

  While the women went on about Cait’s pregnancy, Grady sidled up to Linx.

  “Are we going to get time with her?” he whispered, tugging her aside.

  Linx put a finger over his lips. “Let’s get Becca alone after dinner for the consult.”

  “I don’t think any of us can eat a crumb until we know. I can’t believe your dad invited my entire family.”

  “He didn’t know about me asking Becca to come until it was too late. He saw them at the diner. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be.” He squeezed her shoulder. “I liked you better when you were never sorry for anything.”

  Linx jutted out her lip. “You’re right. No sense wallowing when we have to get on with our lives.”

  “That’s my Linx.” He kissed her lightly and grabbed her elbow. “Now, go separate Becca from the herd so we can meet somewhere private.”

  Linx pushed her way to her sister’s side, but a middle-aged woman stepped from the kitchen banging a pot, cutting her off.

  “Time for dinner,” she shouted. “We have a buffet set up on the farmhouse table and barbecue out back.”

  “Wait!” Cait held up her hand. “We need to know Grady’s chances.”

  Count on Cait to put business and bossiness first before food. Good for her. He needed answers, and God help him if the case were a lost cause.

  “We want to consult with Becca in private,” Linx shouted above Cait’s demands. “You guys go out back and get started.”

  His family looked reluctant to leave, even though the rest of the Colson clan made gestures, inviting them to follow.

  Becca put her hands around her mouth like a megaphone. “Everyone, please go ahead and eat while I talk to Grady and Linx. As you know, nothing is clear-cut, black or white. I cannot let you know what will happen in court. I can only advise Grady and Linx on their chances.”

  Their chances?

  Did she mean this wasn’t a sure thing? Why, he was never informed. He’d never signed away his rights.

  He rushed after Linx and Becca as they headed to what looked like the den. Becca’s expression was grim, and Linx looked fearful. He put his hand on the small of her back, trying to reassure her.

  He was pretty sure his lack of signature giving up his rights would hold up in court. Everything he read told adoptive parents to get the birth father’s written and signed consent.

  They shut the door to the den and remained standing.

  “Thanks for coming,” Grady said to Becca. “Just give it to us straight.”

  The lawyer nodded and flicked back a stray strand of her curly auburn hair which had escaped her bun.

  She fixed her gaze on her sister instead of Grady, as if about to lecture her. “I did some investigating on the court order given by Judge Stephens terminating the ‘unknown’ father’s paternity rights. It seems to have been railroaded through the system, and the judge did not verify the proof that you did everything you could to find Jessie’s father.”

  “That’s good, isn’t it?” Grady stepped forward. “That proves I didn’t have a chance to give consent.”

  Becca held up her hand. “Yes and no. It’s positive for you, Grady, but in order to proceed, all the blame for this falls on Linx. She committed perjury and lied to the judge, saying she didn’t know who the father could be. She testified she was drunk at the time and implied she was sexually abused by an unknown assailant.”

  What the heck? Linx had completely erased him from the picture, or was it more sinister?

  “You were raped?” Grady’s jaw dropped as Linx’s face whitened.

  “I never said I was raped.” She staggered back, and he steadied her. “I just said I had no clue who I had sex with.”

  “In other words, you lied, and that’s a crime.” Becca’s voice was accusing.

  “What does this mean for me?” Grady asked. “I’m the innocent victim here.”

  “You might have a case,” Becca said, “but it’s based on Linx’s perjury and the judge being too lenient and not insisting she pursue this unknown assailant.”

  “Crap!” He stalked across the room and threw up his hands. “Can’t we keep Linx out of it? Just say I got suspicious when I saw Linx and Jessie together, and I had a nagging feeling something had happened that night.”

  “You’re admitting to allegedly sleeping with a drunk woman who was unable to give consent?” Becca drilled him, stabbing a finger at him.

  “Sure. I’ll do anything to get Jessie back,” Grady said. “The statute of limitations is past, isn’t it?”

  “Sorry, the Governor signed a bill last year ending California’s ten-year statute of limitations because of the Bill Cosby case.”

  “But Linx won’t press charges, will she?” Grady asked, darting his glance from Becca to Linx.

  “The prosecutor can still file.” Becca gave a chopping motion with her hand. “You two are still within the ten years, bill or no bill.”

  Grady gasped, not catching his breath. This was worse than he’d imagined. Linx premeditated giving that baby away and cutting him out of her life.

  Maybe he’d been too soft on her recently, believing her apologies and letting his feelings bubble to the surface.

  Maybe it was better to lock up feelings and emotions and deal only with logic and reason.

  “It’s all based on my lie!” Linx threw her hands up. “I can’t let Grady take the hit when I lied. I’ll stand trial for perjury. I’ll go to jail. Anything, so Grady can have his rights reinstated.”

  “Oh, sissy, why did you perjure yourself?” Becca’s eyebrows drooped as she wrapped her arms around Linx.

  Linx sank to the floor, covering her face, and dragged her sister down onto the carpet, still holding onto her. “Because Grady abandoned me, and I wanted to erase everything. Make it all go away and give Jessie a better life. Plus, the Pattersons were willing to let me stay in Jessie’s life. They only started the church here because of me and Jessie. They could have gone anywhere. I didn’t want Jessie to ever be abandoned by anyone.”

  “You picked the Pattersons because they would be her perfec
t parents.” Becca’s voice was gentle as she rubbed Linx’s back.

  Sobs broke from Linx’s gasping breath. “Our mother left because of me. And I carry the curse of running away. I’m the most like her, the most unstable. I didn’t want Jessie to be hurt the way I was.”

  The baggage Linx was carrying was far heavier than he’d suspected. That and the haunted look in that baby’s eyes—as if she’d known she wasn’t wanted and loved—had Grady’s heart splitting wide open just like the twisted sculpture left on her porch.

  “Why are we trying to take her away from the Pattersons?” Becca asked.

  Why indeed? Grady scratched his head, knowing he would hate doing the right thing. He wanted his daughter, but was it already too late?

  “I want Grady to have his rights, so he won’t hate me forever.” Linx couldn’t stand to look either her sister or Grady in the eye.

  “Linx, I don’t—” Grady grabbed her arm, lifting her from the floor. “I mean, it’s not fair, but …”

  If she were doing this for him—to make up for hurting him, it was unnecessary. She’d just validated that she truly loved him, and that he could trust her, but she still didn’t believe he wouldn’t hurt or abandon her—or as she put it, hate her.

  “Don’t lie to me.” A blaze of fire shot through Linx’s dark-brown eyes and she shoved herself from him. “Don’t stand there and tell me it doesn’t matter. I screwed up your life, and I deserve to take the hit.”

  He couldn’t let her go down because of this. She’d been a vulnerable young woman—just like she’d been a vulnerable baby, a small child abandoned by her mother. But still, he wanted his daughter and he wanted her—maybe more.

  “Wait, what are our options?” Grady turned to Becca. “Is there any other way? I want to be in Jessie’s life. I want to be her father.”

  “You will be. You deserve to be,” Linx screamed, pulling her own hair and shaking her head wildly. “Just not with me. I cheated you out of it and I’ll go down. Perjury, jail, a record. You’ll all be better off without me.”

  He reached out to grab her, but Becca blocked him as Linx tore from the den, slamming the door behind her. “Let her go. She needs to be alone. As for you, I’m going to order a paternity test before we do anything else.”

  “You mean, the child might not even be mine?” Grady’s entire chest caved in and he staggered, holding himself against the wood-paneled wall.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  “Why do I need a paternity test?” Grady’s jaw clenched as he heard Linx exit the house and zoom off in her SUV.

  “A precaution. I’m sure she believes the child is yours,” Becca said. “But if what she says is true, that she did get drunk and had sex with unknown parties, then we have to be sure. Besides, there’s no chance a judge would hear your case without a positive paternity test.”

  “Okay. How do we get the test done?” Grady’s heart galloped unsteadily. “Are you going to inform the Pattersons about my claim?”

  “It will have to be a court order,” Becca said. “I have to present reasonable evidence, based on Linx’s testimony that she now believes you are Jessie’s father. Obviously, we can’t have people ordering paternity tests on random children.”

  “Can’t I make a claim based on my sexual relationship with Linx approximately nine months before Jessie’s birth?” Grady wiped his sweaty hands on his jeans. “I don’t want Linx charged with perjury.”

  “They probably won’t charge her,” Becca said. “But it’s something Pastor Patterson can use against her. No two ways about it. Linx is going to take the hit.”

  “You’re her sister. Can’t you shield her?”

  Becca shook her head. “I have to follow the law, but I can refuse to take your case—conflict of interest.”

  “Fair enough.” Grady heaved his shoulders, blowing out his frustration. “So, I find an attorney and ask for a paternity test. If it’s positive, then what?”

  “I might be defending my sister if it comes down to your attorney suing Linx for defrauding you. That would be the tactic he’d take. He would also go after Judge Stephens for not following up on finding the father. Also, since there was no father listed, your paternity rights were never officially terminated. The entire adoption could be overturned—if you want to pursue it. On the other hand, the Pattersons’ attorney could dig up dirt about your attitude toward Linx, calling her a liar, denying the possible child was yours, and not making an effort to determine if she actually had a baby or not—letting almost six years go by. It’ll be ugly.”

  “Ugly.” Grady shook his head as a soggy weight settled over his shoulders. Ugly would hurt everyone, especially Jessie. “Thanks for the advice. What do I owe you for the consult?”

  “No charge.” Becca leveled her hazel-colored eyes on him. “But if you eff with my sister, I’m coming after you. My sister made mistakes. Lots of them. But you weren’t around to help her. You saw the pictures on the piano, didn’t you?”

  Grady huffed as he walked toward the collection of family portraits. “Your mother seemed detached from Linx. She wouldn’t even hold her. Why is that?”

  “My mother had issues, and unfortunately, she picked on Linx. I think she suffered a breakdown. She watched too many horror movies and dabbled with the occult. She believed Linx was the devil’s child.”

  “But why Linx? Why not Joey or Vivi?” Grady fumed at the unfairness of it all.

  “I don’t know the answer to that,” Becca said. “Maybe there’s no reason. Or some chemical imbalance causing her to reject Linx. She wasn’t exactly a normal mother to the rest of us—acted more like an aunt.”

  Grady walked by the piano and stared at the picture of Linx as a baby, held by her father. Even at that age, she looked tense and lost, as if she already knew she wasn’t wanted.

  “All I did was make things worse for her when I rejected her.” The realization slammed him like a firestorm flashing through a blind canyon. “My issues are nothing like hers. My parents smothered me to death, and I reacted to her clinging by shoving her away.”

  “Her issues are not yours unless you want them to be,” Becca said, narrowing her eyes. “If you’re stringing her along because you think being with her will help you win custody of your daughter, I’m telling you it won’t. You’re better off being the aggrieved party without her.”

  “What are you saying?” Grady felt his heart hammering to escape his chest. “That I’m only with Linx because of Jessie?”

  “I want to know why you’re hanging around her. If you’re using her to get to know Jessie, then I’m going to hang you high. My sister doesn’t need you to lead her around like a donkey with a nose ring.”

  “I didn’t come here looking for Jessie—not initially. I didn’t even know about her. I suspected Linx might have lied, but I thought she’d had an abortion.”

  “So you came looking for answers.” Becca crossed her arms. “You’ll get them with the paternity test. Then what?”

  “I don’t know.” Grady headed to the front door. “I need to find Linx. I need to make it right with her, and then we’ll figure out where to go from here.”

  “I love my sister.” Becca pointed a finger at him. “There’s not a Colson on this ranch who doesn’t love Linx. We’re only tolerating your presence because Tami and Todd told us about Salem getting in between your messages, but you, Grady Hart, are not off probation. You hurt my sister, and we’ll run you out of this town. You can take your hotshot smokejumping ways back to Montana, Idaho or even better, Siberia.”

  “I won’t hurt her.” Grady swallowed a thick lump in his throat. “Because I love her.”

  He turned quickly and opened the front door.

  “Hold it.” Becca’s bark was like a command. “You don’t get to throw words like that around when you’re dealing with my sister unless you mean them.”

  Grady swallowed rocks all the way down his throat. “It’s not easy for me to admit it, but I need Linx like I need oxygen�
�with or without Jessie. She’s my first priority, and I’m worried she might have run off for good.”

  “She goes off to sulk, but because of Jessie, she’ll never leave Colson’s Corner.” Becca put a hand on his arm. “If you’re so worried, I can tell you where to find her. My mother used to have an artist’s cabin past the cow pasture. It’s near the creek so you’ll see a grove of trees. Linx hides there when she’s hurt. We pretend we don’t know where she is, but we keep it stocked with canned food, and after a few days, she always comes back.”

  Maybe this time was different. This time, she might never come back—because of Jessie and him.

  “Show me where the cabin is,” Grady said.

  Becca walked with him partway to his truck and pointed toward a green patch past the fields of hay.

  “Thank you.” Grady clasped her hand. “For trusting me. Whether I get Jessie back or not, Linx and I are on the same team.”

  Linx sped toward the interstate with Cedar in the passenger seat. She had to get out of the state of California before Grady and Becca informed the court that she’d committed perjury.

  Stopping at a convenience store, she hit the ATM machine and withdrew her limit of cash for the day. Then she called Vanessa Ransom. She needed someone to take care of her dogs, and Nessa had contacts with other dog rescue centers.

  “Hello? Dr. Ransom speaking.” Nessa answered her phone.

  “It’s Linx Colson. I need someone to take over my rescue center, and you mentioned you were a dog trainer.”

  “I am a dog trainer, but what’s going on with your rescue center?” Nessa asked.

  “I need to leave the state. Short notice. Do you know anyone who could take over? Any other centers needing space to expand?”

  “I, uh, don’t get why you’re leaving.”

  “I’m a fugitive from the law. Please don’t tell anyone I called, but I have to leave California. I can’t leave the dogs without anyone to care for them. I have volunteers, but I need a center director to take over.”

  “Grady’s family is out there,” Nessa said. “Have you asked them?”