It was almost unnerving to watch.
As soon as her mother stepped away from him, Kay tapped on the door and entered the room.
“Ah, Kay, my dear. Aren’t you up early this morning?” Her father grinned, slipping back onto the chair he liked to sit in these days. His leg was up on an ottoman, still encased in a thick cast all the way up his thigh. The stiff cast on his arm had been exchanged for a softer wrapping about a week ago, so he now had use of both hands. Apparently her mother still liked to help him button his shirt though.
“I was wondering if I could talk to you two.”
Larra finished putting away some things and then approached James’ chair, sitting on the edge and putting her arm around him. “What is it, Kay?”
“I know we talked about returning to Durma sometime next year. Kevin’s kept in touch, but,” She hesitated, chewing her bottom lip as she searched for the right words. Even though her parents had clearly changed in some way, she still worried that what she had to say would be a disappointment. “But I don’t think marriage is what I’m interested in now.”
“You want to go to school.” James nodded in understanding.
With a shaking hand, Kay leaned over to hand him the acceptance letter she’d received. Her mother glanced at it, then stood and approached the window. She studied the woman’s stiff spine and felt her own stiffen in reaction.
“Congratulations, my girl!” James exclaimed, “I’m so very proud of you. There will be plenty of time for marriage, right, Larra?”
With bated breath she waited for her mother to look at her. Finally, Larra glanced over her shoulder, and when she did Kay saw a radiant smile and watery blue eyes. “Plenty of time. If this is what you want, then you should have it. And I’m proud of you too, Kay. Very proud.”
Kay’s hands trembled, and she dropped the two envelopes onto her desk as if they might bite her if she held them any longer. Her lower lip slipped into her mouth, and she gnawed at it while considering which to open. A knock on the door brought her attention back up, and she smiled when Van entered.
“Tamara told me what was in the mail. I assume I’m to call you counselor now.” When he got to her desk, he saw the envelope from the state bar still sat unopened before her. “What are you waiting for? Aren’t you going to open it?”
Kay shrugged, but there was a silly grin on her face. “You open it.” She tried to hand it to him.
“Oh, no.” He waved his hands and sat down, crossing one leg casually over his knee. “That, darlin’, is your job.”
A nervous giggle welled up in her as she reached for her letter opener and tore into the envelope. When she saw the words she’d been dreaming of seeing, her entire body began to tingle with excitement. “Counselor it is.”
Van clapped his hands together once, stood and rounded the desk to pick her up for a big circling hug. “Congratulations. I had absolutely no doubts you would pass.”
Taking the bar had been probably the least exciting part of the last few months. With Thomas’s attack and subsequent conviction and incarceration, what should have been the most difficult task seemed more like a walk in the park. She gave Van a big, loud smack on his lips.
“Hey you two, this is a law office, you know,” Tamara remarked from the door way. “I guess this means we passed, huh?”
“We did!” Kay exclaimed as her friend also embraced her.
By the time Tamara left the room, Kay noticed Van sitting in her chair with a cock-eyed smile. “There’s another envelope there.”
She looked and felt her cheeks go hot. She lifted it but didn’t open it. After staring for a few moments, she dropped her gaze to his and took a deep breath. “This may or may not be a letter of acceptance to the University of Texas at Dallas.”
He drew back, surprised. “Which department?”
“Behavioral Sciences.”
“Psychology? Whoever put the idea in your head that a lawyer needs a psychology degree?”
Kay dropped into his lap and looked down at his arm, rubbing her hand against his chest. “I want to help kids, Van. What Mrs. Faucett told me earlier this year has stuck with me. I’m going to do what I have to do to get on the court appointment lists. I’m going to learn to be a true advocate for kids who need a voice. I just figured studying a little behavior science might help with that. Crazy, huh?”
“Willful, perhaps in some strange way. Most people would think a juris doctorate degree should be sufficient. But not Kay Rawley. And you know what?”
“What?” she asked, her blue-green eyes searching his.
“That’s the reason I love her. Because she’s smart, beautiful, and willful. But especially, this.” He traced his hand along the spot just above her right breast. “She has an amazingly big heart.”
“You love me?”
Van laughed, then kissed her. “Yes, counselor, I love you. Now get off my lap and get back to work before I have to close the door and take care of this itch you’ve started.”
She could feel that “itch” throbbing beneath her backside. But she stared at him a bit longer before cupping his cheek affectionately. “I love you too, counselor.”
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Be sure to read more about the Rawley Family in All for Hope and All for Family
This book has truly been a labor of love. When I went to college I wanted to study Office Administration and chose the medical specialty because I thought legal sounded entirely too boring. Then I moved to Arkansas and much to my chagrin got hired as a receptionist at a law firm. I would never have guessed that I could develop such a fascination for all things judicial, but I most certainly did. So thank you from the bottom of my heart to that group in Jonesboro who first fostered my appreciation for the legal system: Troy, Barbara, Cindy, Ann Marie and Misty. In truth, all of the lawyers and legal assistants I’ve worked with along the way have had some part to play in the things I’ve learned. There are too many to name, but I thank you all just the same.
I always do thank my husband, Danny and this time is no different. But I want to especially tell him how much I appreciate his patience with me. I became a little obsessed in the end days of writing this one, but he gave me the space I needed to get it done. Thank you for being such a beautiful friend and a wonderful spouse, my darling!
When Olivia Hardin started having movie-like dreams in her teens, she had no choice but to begin putting them to paper. Before long, the writing bug had bitten her, and she knew she wanted to be a published author. Several rejections plus a little bit of life later, she was temporarily “cured” of the urge to write. That is, until she met a group of talented and fabulous writers who gave her the direction and encouragement she needed to get lost in the words again.
Olivia has attended three different universities over the years and toyed with majors in Computer Technology, English, History and Geology. Then one day she heard the term “road scholar,”' and she knew that was what she wanted to be. Now she “studies” anything and everything just for the joy of learning. She's also an insatiable crafter who only completes about 1 out of 5 projects, a jogger who hates to run, and she’s sometimes accused of being artistic.
A native Texas girl, Olivia lives in the beautiful Lone Star state with her husband, Danny and their puppy, Bonnie.
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Most of you know I’m a Texas girl. This is a BIG place, and you don’t have to travel far from one area of the state to another to find something entirely new and exciting. When hubby and I moved to East Texas, I found so many reasons to love this area. It is a beautiful and charming place, with people who’re friendly and down-to-earth. The folks he
re have a lot of pride and appreciation for who they are, where they came from and for their roots. As I mentioned in the story, there are fairs and festivals and parades going on all the time, and it makes for a wonderful experience.
Recently my husband did an exhibit for the local Smith County Historical Society titled “A Century of Progress: 1900-1999”. I was privileged to get to help with that, and it was truly fascinating to explore the more recent history of Smith County and East Texas as a whole.
My personal favorite of that exhibit was a newspaper article we found almost by accident.
In October of 1935, a four-year old girl by the name of Barbara Ann Bryant was seriously sick with a blood stream infection. After battling the illness for weeks, it was finally determined that the only course of action to save her life was a special serum which had to get to her from Chicago, Illinois. Bad weather meant the serum had to be placed on a train and shipped to St. Louis, where it was placed on board an airliner. Local aviator Everett L. (Buck) Taylor flew to Amarillo, Texas to meet the airliner. He took off from that airport at 9:25 p.m. on Friday, October 11 and battling headwinds took over 3 hours to get to Tyler. The serum was finally administered to the little girl at 1:39 a.m. on Saturday the 12th.
Taylor’s flight was referred to in the Tyler Morning Telegraph as an “errand of mercy.” It was noted that he had on other occasions offered his services. The thirties were still the early days of aviation, and this event might well be considered a precursor to other groups we know today such as Pilots for Christ. Interestingly enough, the Arkansas Chapter of that organization has made several flights for an Arkansas friend of mine, Brandi Snodgrass Hill, who is waiting for a lung transplant.
Be sure to check out the Smith County Historical Society online, and if you’re local, stop by and see their museum. You can get more information about Pilots for Christ online as well.
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