by Linda Warren
“We’ll do it another time,” Beau said and quickly changed the subject. “You look wonderful, Caroline.”
Caroline looped an arm around him. “Thank you. I needed to hear that. I’m beginning to feel like a blimp.”
“Hey, I tell you every day how wonderful you look.” Eli pretended to be offended.
“You have to tell me that, mister.” Caroline smiled. “It’s in our marriage contract.”
Everyone laughed.
Talk of babies and marriage went over Beau’s head. What if she loses Zoë? The question darted through his mind, looking for an escape, but there wasn’t one. He had to acknowledge the truth. He couldn’t live with himself if that happened. He might want to be the bad son his father had called him, but he couldn’t pull it off. And what was a little more pain? He’d told Caleb they were survivors. Now he’d find out just how strong he was.
“Y’all come on in,” Jake invited. “Elise is in the house.”
“I’ll catch y’all later,” Beau said. “Have a fun evening.”
Josie curled her arm through his. “Please come. You can sit by me and I’ll hold your hand.”
“I don’t think so,” Caleb said with a grin, pulling Josie away.
Beau grinned, too. “I’m leaving now and if anyone tries to stop me I’m going to kiss all your wives.”
As he walked away, he heard, “What do you think, Josie?” That was Caroline.
“I have a jealous husband,” Josie replied.
“So do I,” Caroline added. “I guess we have to let him go.”
But Caleb hurried after him. “All joking aside, are you sure? An evening out might be what you need.”
“Thanks, but I really have something I need to do.” He climbed into his car. “I’m fine, so stop worrying.”
He drove away and looked through his rearview mirror. They were all waving. He didn’t get to see the kids, but he’d see them later. That was one thing that was great about living in Waco—family was close.
Now his mind turned to the task ahead of him.
Seeing Macy.
MACY PUT ZOË DOWN for the night and read through the papers once again—two weeks. That wasn’t much time. How did the Wallstons get it pushed through so quickly? That didn’t matter. She now had to deal with it.
Grabbing a phone book, she searched through lawyer’s names. No one caught her eye. She could use the same one she’d seen earlier, but she didn’t like his attitude. She wanted someone who would fight for her.
Beau would. But now that was out of the question.
She walked to Zoë’s crib and watched her sleep. Breathing perfectly, it was hard to imagine the first weeks of her life had been so traumatic. She was flipping over and soon she’d be sitting up. She was progressing like a normal child. The strawberry-blond hair curled along her nape and Macy could now put a bow on the top.
“I love you, little one,” she whispered. “But I have to do what’s best for you.” She couldn’t pretend that Zoë was her child. If she allowed herself to do that, parting would be too painful.
Afraid to take a risk.
She pushed the thought away and wished Delia would come back. That would solve all the problems. Or would it?
The doorbell rang and she hurried to answer it, hoping it was Delia. She swung the door open without looking through the peephole. Beau charged in. Her heart kicked against her ribs.
“Where’s the papers?”
“What?”
“The custody papers, where are they?”
“Ah…on the kitchen table.”
As Beau started toward the table, Peanut nipped at his jeans, shaking and growling in a menacing manner.
“What the…”
She grabbed Peanut and soothed him with a gentle hand. “I’m sorry. Peanut doesn’t do well with men. He was abused, poor thing.”
“How many animals are you going to fit into this condo?” he asked with a sarcastic tone so unlike the kind Beau she knew.
He didn’t give her time to answer as he sat at the table and skimmed the papers. He stood quickly, papers in hand and headed for the door.
“Beau.”
He turned. “What?”
“Are you taking the case?”
“Yes. But don’t read anything into it. This is business. Strictly business.”
She bit her lip. “I know you’d do it for anyone.”
“Yes.” His eyes held hers. “That’s the only time you need me—when you need help. You wouldn’t even allow me to pay for Zoë’s medical bill at Texas Children’s. I called to get the amount and they said it had already been paid. You just had to do it before I could.”
“What?” She blinked in confusion. “I called, too, and they said it would be weeks before I got a complete bill. So far nothing has come. I haven’t paid the bill. I was hoping they’d allow me to make monthly payments.”
“The bill’s been paid, Macy.”
“I don’t understand, but I’ll definitely call and find out what’s going on.”
Some of his anger seemed to leave him. “Evidently someone wanted to pay Zoë’s bill.”
“But who?” She thought for a minute. “Do you think it could have been Delia?”
“Where would she get that kind of money?”
“I don’t know.”
“I’ve got to go,” he said abruptly.
“Beau?” He turned to look at her. “Thanks, and I will pay you.”
“By all means. That will keep it from getting personal.”
“Oh, Beau.” Her heart crumbled at the pain in his eyes.
“I’ll be in touch when I have any news.” With that he was gone.
BEAU WENT HOME feeling worse than he ever had. It wasn’t like him to be so sarcastic and resentful and it left him feeling rotten inside. Being bad was hell on his nerves. In a moment of clarity he acknowledged that loving Macy was a part of what made him good.
His goal now was to get past his hurt feelings and concentrate on Zoë’s future. Being a lawyer—that’s what he did best.
The next morning he called Caleb and told him what had happened.
“I really need you to find Delia.”
“I’ll call the restaurant manager and see what I can do.”
“Thanks, Caleb.”
“Is this what you had to do last night?”
“Yes.”
“You’re a glutton for punishment, but I know you’re not going to let anyone take that baby from Macy.”
“Mmm. Pitiful, aren’t I?”
“No. You’re just Beau.”
“Yeah, can’t escape that.”
“I’ll call you later.”
Beau went to work and find out everything he could on the Wallstons. They’d had one son, Keith, and he had a wife and two children, who lived in Boston. The Wallstons had several homes, but Reno, Nevada, was listed as their residence. They had money and from the lawyer’s name on the papers they were using it to procure permanent custody of Zoë.
He contacted Spencer Harcourt of Philadelphia, their attorney who was licensed to practice in Texas, and obtained a copy of the DNA test. Spencer basically told him not to fight it because the Wallstons intended to gain custody of their dead son’s child, and Spencer was going to make sure it happened.
“A good fight makes my day,” Beau told him.
“Looking forward to it, McCain, but take my advice and don’t waste too much time on it. That baby will be leaving for Nevada in two weeks. I don’t lose.”
“Neither do I, Mr. Harcourt.”
Beau heard his derisive laugh as he hung up. That fueled his drive that much more. Nothing like pitting two successful lawyers with a need to win against each other. Testosterone levels would be very high at the hearing. Now Beau had to figure out a way to beat the odds.
While Jon and Liz worked on the details, Beau drove to Macy’s. He needed to explain their course of action and make sure she agreed with it. This time he left his hurt feelings behind.
&n
bsp; MACY CALLED HER MOTHER to let her know what was happening, then she called her father. They were both very understanding and for once she didn’t feel all alone. Maybe, without knowing it, Delia had brought them all together again.
As she was talking to Ted, she thought of the hospital bill and asked if he would make a visit to Texas Children’s and check out what had happened.
There was a long pause on the other end of the line, and Macy assumed it was something he didn’t want to do.
“That’s okay. I’ll just make another phone call.”
“You don’t need to do that.” Another pause. “I paid the bill.”
Macy was taken aback. She never expected this.
“Please don’t be angry. I have a good job and it was the least I could do.”
Anger simmered just for a second, then she realized how misplaced it was. She did need help and she was touched by his generosity.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was afraid you’d turn it down.”
He was probably right, so she curbed that reaction. “Thank you. I’d gotten a loan at the bank, but I guess I won’t need it now.”
“Just take care of my granddaughter.”
“I will, Dad, and thanks again.”
She sat there staring at the phone, realizing something was happening inside her. She was opening up and accepting, whereas before she’d shut down and refuse all offers of help. And she could also see her father still cared about her and Delia.
BEAU CAME OVER about noon and again he didn’t seem so angry. She was so grateful he was helping and she wanted to throw her arms around him and hold on for dear life. But she didn’t. She couldn’t do that to him. For a split second she wondered why she was so stubborn, resisting a life that…
Maybe that would be the last metamorphosis inside her—accepting love totally and completely and feeling worthy of it.
She told Beau that her father had paid the hospital bill.
“That makes sense. Are you okay with that?”
She nodded. “Yes, I am.”
He seemed relieved and showed her a copy of the DNA test. “No doubt Zoë’s Keith Wallston’s daughter,” he said.
“Yes,” she murmured, reading the paper. “Ninety-nine point nine—that’s about as accurate as you can get.”
“Mmm.”
She looked up. “What should we do?”
“That’s what I’m here to find out. Do you want permanent custody of Zoë?” His eyes held hers.
“She’s Delia daughter.” She glanced away, running her fingers through her hair, making it stand out.
“That’s not an answer,” he told her, taking a seat on the sofa. “Spencer Harcourt states in his motion that a change of circumstances has occurred, that being the knowledge that Zoë is the Wallstons’ granddaughter. They have to prove Zoë will be better off with them. We have to prove that this disruption would be bad for Zoë.”
Macy sat beside him, her arms around her waist. The thought of losing Zoë was tearing her apart. There was only one thing to do.
Peanut sniffed around Beau’s shoes. “Don’t even think about it,” Beau said to the dog. Lucky and Lefty whined at his feet and he bent to pat them. “See, I’m not so bad,” he said to Peanut and held out his hand.
Macy held her breath. Finally Peanut licked Beau’s hand and Beau picked him up, stroking him. Beau was so gentle, so caring. That was one of the things she loved most about him.
He turned to Macy, still holding Peanut. “What’s your answer?”
“Without Delia here, I don’t have a choice. I have to fight for Zoë.”
Beau nodded and placed Peanut on the floor. “Is Zoë sleeping?”
“Yes.” She had the urge to wake her so Beau could see her.
“Are you off tonight?”
“Yes.” They were talking again and it felt so wonderful.
“Maybe I can see her later.”
“Sure. No problem.”
He got to his feet. “I better go. I’ll call you later.” He stopped at the door with a frown.
She stood. “What?”
“It just hit me. How did the Wallstons find out about Zoë?”
She thought about it. “I don’t know. Maybe they knew Delia was pregnant.”
“Or maybe Delia told them.”
“No.” She felt a shiver of alarm.
“They found out some way and I intend to find out how. I’ll be in touch.”
Macy stared after him, wondering what all this meant. Delia couldn’t have contacted the Wallstons, could she? And if she did, what was her motive? Zoë cried and she hurried to get her.
BEAU SPENT EVERY waking moment working on the case. The Wallstons never stayed in one place for more than a month, so why did they want custody of a baby? At least their marriage appeared stable. And there was Keith’s wife. Cynthia Wallston was a pillar of the community involved in all sorts of charities. Her children were in boarding school. But he wondered about her relationship with the Wallstons.
Whenever he needed dirt on someone, he had a couple of P.I.s who were more than good at their jobs. He didn’t want Caleb involved in this part of the case because Caleb would never do anything to tarnish the Texas Ranger badge. And Beau wouldn’t want him to. It didn’t take the P.I. long to discover that Cynthia had been having an affair with a local art dealer for years. So the younger Wallstons’ marriage hadn’t been a stable one. Beau wondered how Cynthia felt about the senior Wallstons wanting Zoë. That could be the ace up his sleeve. He would definitely talk to Cynthia Wallston.
He called Caleb and talked to him about Delia’s whereabouts. So far, the restaurant manager hadn’t seen her.
Beau picked his brain about how the Wallstons could have found out about Zoë. “That’s a puzzle,” Caleb said. “Someone had to have alerted them.” There was a pause. “You’re thinking it’s Delia?”
“Yes. The Wallstons have a residence in Reno. Delia could possibly be hiding there.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. If Delia wanted them to have Zoë, she could just come and get her and hand her over. She is Zoë’s mother.”
“But Macy has had Zoë for almost six months because Delia abandoned her. She might be worried about criminal charges. Hell, I don’t know what Delia is thinking and a team of psychologists probably couldn’t figure it out, either. But no one’s taking that baby without a fight.”
There was a pregnant pause.
“I’m emotionally involved and you don’t have to remind me.” Beau was the first to speak.
“I’m not. I was just going to say that you care for Zoë more than you want to admit.”
“Yeah. That’s another story. I’m too old for a lecture just in case you’re thinking about it.”
“Not me. I always say older brother knows best—most of the time.”
“I’ll remember that.”
He heard a chuckle “I’ll call when I have something.”
Beau hung up with a determined expression. He’d stayed away from Zoë because it was too painful to be around Macy. That was going to change. He’d missed the little angel.
THAT NIGHT BEAU MADE sure he knocked on Macy’s door early enough so Zoë wouldn’t be asleep.
“Beau, come in,” Macy invited. “Have you found out anything?”
Beau went straight to the playpen and picked up Zoë. She smiled at him and waved her hands at his face. He sat down on the sofa and marveled at how much she’d grown. Her arms and legs were pudgy and her cheeks had filled out. Those beautiful blue eyes scanned his face and she made cooing sounds. He was enthralled.
“Beau?”
“What?”
“Have you found out anything?”
Still watching Zoë, he told her all he’d found out about the Wallstons, Cynthia and the conversation he’d had with Caleb.
“So what does it all mean?” She curled up next to him and the smell of her did a number on his senses. Suddenly a wave of memories washed over him, me
mories he’d kept at bay, of him touching her, kissing her and making love to her. Tonight he didn’t push them away. Those memories meant something to him and probably always would. Pain or joy, his life was entwined with Macy’s.
He bounced Zoë on his knee and she made a laughing sound. “Did you hear that?” he asked Macy, his voice excited.
“Yes. She’s making a lot of sounds now.”
“And slobbering.” He reached for a towel to wipe her mouth.
“Beau?”
“What?”
“You didn’t answer me. What does all this mean?”
“I don’t know yet, but I know we’re in for a fight. We really need Delia on our side.”
“I keep waiting for her to call. I can’t understand how she can go this long without checking on her baby.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Are we talking about the same Delia?”
“Okay.” She rolled her eyes. “Delia’s not the most responsible or caring person around.”
“No.”
She scooted to face him. She wore shorts and a sleeveless top. All he could see was smooth, silky skin—skin he wanted to touch and freckles he wanted to kiss.
“I had a long talk with my mother.”
“Really.” He caught Zoë’s hands and wiggled his nose against hers. She cooed loudly.
“Yes, and it felt good.”
“You haven’t had much of a relationship with either of your parents since the divorce.”
“No, and part of that is my fault. I should have made an effort, especially…especially when I was pregnant.”
He shifted his gaze from Zoë to Macy. “You told your mother about Hope.”
She nodded. “It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. We share a lot of the same feelings.”
“Because your mother lost a baby, too?”
“Mmm.” She tucked hair behind her ears and lifted her eyes to his. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”
“I’m sorry you hurt me, too.”
She licked her lips. “I wish you could understand how I feel.”
“And I wish you could understand how I feel.”
