Child Wanted

by Renee Andrews

  “That’s...good news, right?”

  “It can be,” Ethan said. “As long as we get a judge who will look at what’s best for Jerry.”

  “Because Candace thinks a judge will decide you’re best for him.”

  He tossed the end of the cone in his mouth. “I can’t imagine them not seeing that, especially since his mother didn’t protect him back then.”

  “Maybe she tried.” Lindy hoped her words wouldn’t give away her identity, but she had to open the door to the possibility that Jerry’s mother did care, that she did love him and had tried her best to protect him.

  Because that was the truth.

  “She didn’t,” he said flatly.

  “How do you know?” She took another swipe at her ice cream, but it no longer tasted good.

  “Because I’ve been there,” he said again, with hardly any emotion. “I’ve seen a mother stand by and allow someone to hurt her child. No woman like that deserves her son. Surely the court will agree.”

  Unless it’s a judge who believes in family reunification, or believes me when I say I did try, Lindy thought. But she only said, “Maybe so.”

  “Those animals in the movie showed how a mother should protect her young. Jerry’s mother didn’t do that, and he deserves to know what that’s like, to have someone love you that much, care about you that much. I want to do that for him.”

  “I do, too,” she said honestly, and then, when his brow lifted, she said, “I want to do that for a child, I mean.”

  “You’re going to be a great mother, Lindy. And Candace was serious about you contacting her. She’ll help you adopt. I feel certain of it.” He smiled and pointed to her dripping cone. “You’re losing the majority of your ice cream.”

  Regardless of how delicious the white chocolate turtle was, she had no desire for it anymore. “I’m done.”

  “Care if I try it?” he asked.

  She swallowed and extended the cone, half a scoop still towering above the rim. “You can have it.”

  Then she watched him take the cone and begin eating the remainder of the ice cream, as though it were completely natural for them to be sitting here, sharing not only conversation but also an ice cream cone.

  It didn’t matter that the temperature had climbed even higher. A waterfall of goose bumps spilled down her arms and her legs. What was it about this man?

  “Candace said it shouldn’t be longer than two weeks,” he said, “before we meet with the judge. Two weeks...and I may have a son.” The top of the ice cream gone, he took a bite of the cone. “We’ll have to celebrate when that happens. How about it—another ice cream date when the adoption goes through?” His smile touched her heart, but his words haunted her soul.

  Would he be celebrating? Or would she?

  “What do you say, is it a date?” he asked.

  A date. With Ethan. To celebrate Jerry’s adoption.

  “Come on. It’ll definitely be a cause for celebration. Ice cream again, and we’ll bring Jerry along, of course. Say yes, Lindy. I like spending time with you, and I want you to be a part of this, if everything goes through the way Candace believes it will. Let’s celebrate Jerry’s adoption together. Say yes.”

  She prayed she would be the one celebrating. “Okay. Yes.”

  Chapter Ten

  Ten days after the trip to the zoo, Ethan got the call he’d been waiting for. He hung up the phone with Candace early Monday morning and immediately said a prayer of thanks. Two weeks. He only had to wait two more weeks until the court hearing, thanks to Melinda Sue Flinn’s request to expedite the case.

  “Thank you, Melinda Sue.”

  “Now, I know good and well that you know my name, and it certainly isn’t Melinda Sue,” Annette Tingle said, placing a plate filled with bananas Foster French toast that smelled absolutely incredible in front of him.

  He laughed. “Sorry, I was talking to myself.”

  “Now, you’re way too young to start that already,” she said, putting a tiny crystal syrup dispenser near his plate. “You need to be my age before you start that nonsense. I do it all the time. Thankfully, L.E. doesn’t tease me overly much. Of course, that’d be hard to do since I catch him talking to himself every day, as well.” She chuckled as she poured fresh-squeezed orange juice into his glass and then hot coffee into his mug.

  “So who is this Melinda Sue that you’re thanking?” she asked. “Or if that’s none of my beeswax, you just say so.”

  “I don’t mind telling you,” he said. “Melinda Sue is Jerry’s birth mother, and she’s trying to get custody of him again. She asked for the court hearing to be moved up, and the state granted her request.” He poured the warm syrup over the French toast and considered that if he stuck around the B and B much longer, he’d have to develop a new workout regimen to combat the calories.

  “Hmm,” Mrs. Tingle said. “Do you think she did that because she’s missing her little boy, or is there another reason?”

  “The social worker thinks she did it to try to keep me from having time to bond with Jerry, and I agree.”

  Since he was currently the sole guest at the B and B, she sat at the table across from him. “I’d say she missed the mark on that one, then. You two are as tight as two peas in a pod, as far as I can tell. And I’ve gotta tell you, it was adorable to see him sitting with you and Lindy on Sunday morning at church.”

  That had been Ethan’s doing. He’d been waiting for Jerry when the Willow’s Haven bus arrived at the Claremont Community Church, and then, when Lindy had shown up shortly after, he’d asked Jerry if he wanted to ask her to sit with them.

  They’d been spending quite a bit of time together over the past few weeks, and it felt right, her being with him when he and Jerry were together. More...complete. And Ethan was tired of denying that fact. He also wasn’t going to pretend that he only liked having her around for Jerry’s sake.

  It was her undeniable appeal...to Ethan.

  “It was nice to sit with them,” he said.

  “Mmm-hmm.” She watched him as he took another bite of French toast.

  Ethan knew she had something on her mind, something that involved him and Lindy. And probably Jerry. But he decided to bypass her scrutiny. “This is amazing, but I really don’t want you to go to all this trouble when I’m the only one here. Like I’ve told you before, I usually eat a bowl of cereal or a bagel with peanut butter when I’m home.”

  “And like I’ve told you, you are paying for a bed-and-breakfast. Cereal or a bagel doesn’t count as a real breakfast in my book. What would you do if someone who knew you were staying at the B and B asked what you ate this morning, and I had served cold cereal?” Her tone was incredulous.

  “I’d tell them I had cereal?” he answered, but when she huffed out a breath, added, “and that I liked it.”

  “No, indeed.” She shook her head with gusto. “Well, you won’t be telling anyone that, because I’ll never serve cold cereal in my kitchen.”

  He gave her a mock salute. “Yes, ma’am.” Then he took a sip of her rich, dark coffee. Everything she served was outstanding.

  “And when you do go back home, if you have that little boy with you—and I think you will—you should make certain he has a real breakfast each morning. That’s the most important meal of the day, and it’ll help him do better in school.”

  “You sound sure about that,” he said, moving back to the food on his plate and taking another delicious bite.

  “I read it online.”

  He smirked, swallowed. “Then it must be true.”

  “I believe it.” She leaned forward and put her fingertips together on the table in front of her. “And I believe something else, too.”

  He could almost see the wheels churning. She had something on her mind and was trying to bring the con
versation around to where she wanted it. “What’s that?”

  “I believe you shouldn’t be raising that little boy alone. Me and Jolaine have been talking about it, and we’re both under the impression that you need a wife.”

  Unfortunately, Ethan had just taken another mouthful of syrupy toast, and he swallowed so quickly that he choked. He coughed, eyes watering, while she merely shook her head and smiled.

  “So I need a wife,” he said, playing along.

  “Yes, you do. Definitely.”

  “Because you and Mrs. Bowers think I do,” he continued, enjoying the thought of the two women discussing and planning his future. He’d never really had anyone besides Daddy Jim and Mama Reba who cared that much about his direction in life. And he’d never had anyone concerned about his relationship status. So this felt very...nice.

  “We do,” she said, nodding her head, “and I’ll just tell you, we’re usually pretty good judges about these things.”

  “Oh, Mrs. Bowers mentioned something to that effect the other day,” he said, using his fork to run a piece of toast around the syrup and then sticking a slice of banana on the end before putting the delicious bite into his mouth.

  A great breakfast and fun company. He could get used to this.

  “We also know who you should marry, in case she hasn’t told you yet.”

  This time, his laugh bubbled free. “Do tell.”

  Blue eyes twinkled as though she were enjoying this comical banter even more than Ethan. “Why, it’s Miss Lindy, of course. She’s perfect for you. It’s obvious that you two care about each other. I mean, you should have seen how good y’all looked in that pew at church.”

  He couldn’t control his laughter. “Which is undeniably something to look for in a mate—how they look sitting next to you on a church pew.”

  “It certainly doesn’t hurt,” she deadpanned.

  Mercy, he was enjoying this.

  “And she loves that little boy. You can see it on her face when she looks at him. I’d say, in fact, that she probably loves him as much as you do. Which would make her great wife material, because y’all would be raising him together.”

  He grinned, polished off the last of his French toast and then went for a couple of stray banana slices hovering in syrup.

  “I think you should consider it, especially before you leave town and lose the chance to see her so often. She’s a beautiful young lady. I’m sure you’ve noticed that. And she’s sweet and hard-working, great with kids... Girls like that don’t stay single long.”

  He pushed the plate forward and took a long sip of the fresh-squeezed orange juice, which was, as it had been every other day, delicious. “I’ll take that into consideration.”

  She plopped both elbows on the table, pressed her chin into her palms and gave him what could only be called her best glare. “Okay. I’m just going to say what’s on my mind.”

  Ethan grinned. He was pretty sure she’d been doing that all morning. “Okay, shoot.”

  “Are you going to ask her out or not?”

  Easy question. Easy answer. “I already did.”

  She clapped her hands together. “Now, that’s what I’m talking about. I’m going to call Jolaine and tell her.” And then she was out of the room in a flash, and within seconds, he heard her chatting away with her friend about another well-made match on their part.

  He was glad the women were happy, but if he were being honest, he hadn’t planned on asking Lindy out at all. He’d planned to keep his distance. But when they’d been sharing that ice cream and talking about Jerry’s adoption, it seemed completely natural to want her to celebrate with them. She’d been a big part of their journey since day one, so she should be there if and when his adoption went through.

  And truthfully, he couldn’t wait. He’d found himself thinking about Lindy Burnett nonstop since he’d first seen her at the fountain on the square, and even more after spending so much time with her and Jerry. She stirred feelings within him that he thought might have been gone for good, and he wasn’t fighting the pull any longer. In fact, when Mrs. Tingle had mentioned that whole “need a wife” thing, he hadn’t balked inside the way he’d have done merely a couple of months ago.

  On the contrary, his mind had headed to one place. His home. With Jerry. And, if she felt the same way...with a beautiful strawberry blonde who was slowly but surely taking complete control of his heart.

  * * *

  Lindy walked down the stairs from her room at six thirty Monday morning to find Mrs. Bowers hanging up the phone and smiling from ear to ear. “Good morning, dear. How did you sleep?”

  She’d dreamed all night about every life-changing moment she’d experienced over the past three years. The moment the police had arrived at the women’s shelter and she’d learned Gil had been murdered. The moment she’d learned she was the prime suspect, and her baby boy was pulled from her arms. The moment she’d heard the jury foreman pronounce her guilty. The moment she’d learned that her case had been overturned. The moment she’d finally seen her little boy again. And the moment Ethan had looked at her and asked her to help him celebrate Jerry’s adoption...and she’d said yes.

  He’d brought up their “future date” several times since that day, which underscored the importance of the court date to Ethan. And to Lindy. Because truthfully, since he’d shown up at the fishing hole every day it was open, regardless of whether it was his day to fish with the kids, she and Ethan hadn’t spent too many days that couldn’t potentially be considered dates.

  And to her complete surprise, she was okay with that. Very okay, in fact. Which made the truth of what would happen in a courtroom in two weeks even more distressing.

  Mrs. Bowers chuckled. “Does the fact that you aren’t answering mean you slept well?”

  “To be honest, I didn’t,” she admitted. And she suspected she wouldn’t...for at least fourteen days.

  The lady’s smile never wavered. “Aw, that’s too bad,” she said, shuffling across the small kitchen at the back of the store to smother Lindy with a hug. She rubbed Lindy’s back, the way a mother or grandmother would do, and it touched Lindy more than words could express. “Things are going to get better soon, dear. I can just feel it.”

  Lindy prayed she was right. They would either get much better, or much worse.

  Two weeks until she’d hopefully have Jerry in her life again. Or lose him for good. And until she’d promised she’d have a celebratory ice cream “date” with Ethan. A date that should include her son. And a date that would never happen in this lifetime.

  Either way the judge ruled, they wouldn’t be celebrating together. And that hit her heart hard. She’d so enjoyed spending time with the two of them the past few weeks, at the fishing hole and the town square and the zoo, and especially at church. Yesterday they’d sat there together as though they were a real family.

  It’d felt so normal. And her life since meeting Gil had never been anything remotely resembling normal.

  Her feelings toward Ethan Green were growing stronger by the day, maybe even by the minute. He made her happy. And, bizarrely, made her believe in the possibility of love again.

  She cringed. He would hate her when this was over.

  As if she knew where Lindy’s thoughts had headed, Mrs. Bowers leaned back from the hug, looked her in the eye and said, “That young man cares about you, child. I could see it all over him yesterday at church, and I’m pretty sure you can tell, too.”

  Lindy nodded, too spent to disagree. Plus, she thought the lady was right.

  “You care about him, too, don’t you?” she continued.

  Lindy nodded again, trying not to cry. This would end in such an awful way. She kept hearing Ethan’s words, first from that day at the zoo and repeated several times since.

  You’re going to be a great mo
ther, Lindy.

  Would he still be saying that when he learned the truth?

  “Hey now,” Mrs. Bowers said, “I have no idea what causes you to doubt that you can be happy, but you can. And I have a strong suspicion Ethan Green is a big part of making that happen.” She touched a finger to Lindy’s cheek. “Why are you so worried?”

  “My past,” Lindy whispered. “You couldn’t understand...”

  The woman shook her head and tsked. “That’s fear talking, honey, and you need to stop listening to it. Fear says the past is your prison. God says the past is your classroom.” She gave Lindy a soft smile. “Promise me you’ll think about that, okay?”

  Lindy had a bizarre urge to laugh at the lady’s use of the word prison. If she only knew. “Thank you for that. And thank you for everything. I don’t know what I’d be doing now without you and Mr. Bowers’s help.”

  “We just let the good Lord lead our steps, dear, and He’s got His hand on you. I can see that, too.”

  Lindy prayed she was right.

  “And today should be a great day at the fishing hole for you and for all of the mentors and mentees,” Mrs. Bowers continued. “We’re bringing some of those new pedal boats out this morning. James has already got the truck loaded, and we should be heading that way shortly to get them ready for the kids.”

  Lindy thought about that first day she’d seen Jerry, and the way he’d looked at that pedal boat in the store’s display window. He wanted to try it, but he’d been scared. And she thought she knew why.

  “I was thinking that I would ride out with James this morning and then stay and work at the fishing hole today, if that’s okay with you.”

  Lindy had really wanted to be there when Jerry tried the pedal boat. “You want me to stay here and work the store today?” she asked, doing her best to hide her disappointment.

  “Oh no, James will get back in plenty of time before it opens. I was thinking that I could run the store at the fishing hole today, and you could enjoy the day with the Willow’s Haven group. Make sure they’re all having a good time.”