Always in Her Heart
Page 18
“I’m sorry, Your Honor.” Mrs. Bradshaw came forward, her eyes bright behind her glasses. “The baby started crying so hysterically that I felt I had to do something.”
Judge Carstairs gave the social worker a long look. “That’s strange, Enid. I’ve never known you not to be able to comfort a child.”
Ms. Marshall was still standing. “Really, Judge Carstairs, you can’t let yourself be influenced by the actions of a small child. I mean, naturally Marcy ran to the people who’ve been taking care of her for the past month. If my clients had more time with her—”
“That’s enough, Ms. Marshall. I understand your position.” She looked from one to the other of the people in front of her, as if she weighed each of them in the scales of justice.
Annie’s heart seemed to stop as she watched the person who could wrest Marcy away from them. Link’s hands were strong on hers, helping her hold the baby, but all the strength in the world wouldn’t help if the court decided against them.
“Any custody case is difficult,” Judge Carstairs said slowly. She tapped the tip of one polished nail against the folder on her desk. “A judge always feels like Solomon in a situation like this.”
Link’s hands tightened on hers, and his warmth flowed into her.
“I’m not making my decision based on the child’s reactions, Ms. Marshall. I’m sure you’ll be happy to hear that.”
“Yes, Your Honor,” the woman murmured.
“I’m making this decision based on the recommendation of the social worker and on my own observations. Luckily they happen to coincide.” She rapped on her desk. “This is a very good vantage point. I can see everyone’s face from here. When Mrs. Bradshaw brought Marcy into the room, I could see the love and concern on Mr. and Mrs. Morgan’s faces. All they wanted to do was get to the child to comfort her.”
She turned to level her gaze at Frank and Julia. “Unfortunately for your clients, Ms. Marshall, all I saw on their faces was annoyance at the interruption.”
Ms. Marshall opened her mouth as if to protest, then closed it again.
“Like Solomon, I know that a child belongs with those who are willing to sacrifice for her.” Judge Carstairs smiled. “Your particular sacrifice will not be necessary, Mr. Morgan. I’m granting unconditional custody of the minor child Marcy Conrad to Lincoln and Anne Morgan.” She brought down her gavel. “That’s all.”
Through a haze of tears and happiness, Annie was aware of the congratulations and handshakes around her. All she could do was hold Marcy close. It was over. No one could take Marcy away from them.
The room cleared out quickly. Suddenly she realized that they were alone—Link, and Marcy, and her.
She looked at him with tear-wet eyes. “Link, I don’t know what to say. You were willing to give away control of the company—” She stopped, choking on tears.
He took her hands in both of his, his gaze intent on her face. “I thought you might be mad at me all over again for making that decision without you.”
“No. I understood what you were sacrificing. So did the judge.”
“Annie, there’s something I have to say, right now, before I lose my nerve.” He brushed a tear from her cheek, his fingers very gentle. His eyes were wet with tears, too. “I thought I didn’t know how to have a family. I’d pretty much decided that was never going to work for me. And then, all of a sudden, God gave me you and Marcy.”
She nodded, unable to speak. God had brought good out of tragedy for her, too.
“I thought the company was the most important thing in my world—my ticket to acceptance.” He gripped her hands, and his voice roughened. “Now I know how little that means in comparison to having you and Marcy in my life. If you weren’t telling the truth about your feelings for me, you’d better say so now. Because otherwise, you and Marcy are going to be stuck with me forever.”
She managed to smile through the tears that blurred her sight. Everything she’d longed for was being handed to her, just when she’d thought it was lost completely. Link had been in a corner of her heart for eight years. Now he occupied it entirely.
God had taken down all the barriers. He’d turned their sham wedding into a real marriage in His sight.
“I always tell the truth,” she said, and she and Marcy went into his arms.
Epilogue
September had come again. Annie never saw September without a lingering sadness, even though the sharp pain of Becca and Davis’s loss had muted after two years.
She sat on the deck of the new house, holding a mug of tea cupped in her hands, and looked across the lake. The hills had begun to show a hint of yellow and orange, a reminder that fall was here and winter not far behind.
After much discussion, she and Link had decided to move into one of the new homes Link had built on the lake—a home that they could make their own.
They’d rented the Conrad house to an older couple who doted on it. That house had been in Marcy’s family for generations. She could decide what she wanted to do with it when she was old enough.
At the sound of voices Annie leaned forward, looking over the railing. Link and Marcy were walking up the path from the lake, back from their usual Saturday morning trip to feed the ducks. Link claimed those were the only ducks in the world that knew which day of the week it was.
She and Link were Mommy and Daddy to Marcy now. The change had come gradually, once Marcy entered nursery school and heard the other children talking about their mommies and daddies. It gave Annie a pang of sorrow from time to time, but she made sure Marcy didn’t forget Becca and Davis, looking at their pictures and talking about them often.
“Mommy, we saw a million ducks.” Marcy raced across the deck and pressed against Annie’s knee. “Daddy says we’ll have to take more bread next week.”
“Maybe not a million.” Link leaned over the back of Annie’s chair and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “How’s my girl?” He put his palms on her growing belly. “And how’s my little boy?”
“Both grand. He’s kicking up a storm.”
“I want to feel baby brother, too.” Marcy put her small hands next to Link’s big ones. She erupted in giggles when the baby, seeming to know she was there, kicked hard against her palms.
Annie shared a smiling glance with Link, her heart overflowing with happiness. From the deepest of sorrows, God had brought them lives filled with more blessings than they could possibly count.
Dear Reader,
For a long time, I’ve wanted to write a story based on one of my favorite Scripture verses from the story of Samuel anointing young David. Probably the story spoke to me when I was a child because I was always the shortest one in class! It was reassuring to know that God didn’t judge His children by other people’s standards.
My grandson, Bjoern, helped me remember what children are like at twenty months, and many of Marcy’s mannerisms are modeled on him.
I loved writing about Annie’s quest to care for her sister’s child. I hope you’ll find a share of faith and encouragement in her story.
Please write to me at Steeple Hill Books, 233 Broadway, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10279, and I’ll be happy to send you a signed bookplate or bookmark. Visit me on the Web at www.martaperry.com.
Blessings,
ISBN: 978-1-4592-1052-3
ALWAYS IN HER HEART
Copyright © 2003 by Martha Johnson
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All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual
known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
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Hometown Heroes