by Joanne Pence
"I didn't want to do it!"
"But you did abandon your child and went to live with another man. Is that not correct, Mrs. Durelle?"
She burst into tears.
"No more questions, Your Honor."
o0o
Tony was called to the stand next. Under his attorney's guidance, he explained about the Circle Z and that his father also lived there.
"When did you buy this ranch?"
"Two and a half years ago," Tony answered.
"Why?"
"I used to live there, my dad still worked there. When I heard it was for sale, I knew it would be a good place to raise my son."
"When did you leave baseball?"
"Two and a half years ago."
"Why?"
"My son was nearly seven, and I thought that, particularly as he got older, he'd need a father to watch over and guide him, especially since his mother wasn't interested in raising him."
"Do you throw lots of parties?"
"No."
"Have lots of women at your place?"
"Hardly!"
"My learned colleague brought up the fact that Lee Reynolds is in court today, and that somehow means you're involved in fast living. What can you tell the court about her presence here today?"
"Her real name is Lisa Marie. We went to school together. We’re old friends, that’s all. Her aunt is moving to Miwok, and staying at Lisa's place. When Lisa heard this trial would be today, she offered to come along for moral support. That's all there is to it."
"Do you expect to continue to see her?"
"She's engaged to someone in New York. I have no idea when or if she'll visit Miwok again."
"Thank you, Mr. Santos. Now, about your ranch, does your father still live on your ranch property with you and Ben?"
"He does."
"Does he help take care of his grandson?"
"He sees Ben every day. The two of them are quite close."
"As are you and your son."
"Yes, we are."
The attorney glanced at Catherine, then the judge. "No more questions, Your Honor."
Catherine's attorney stood. "Isn't it true that you, Mr. Santos, grew up without a mother?"
"She died."
"Did you ever wish she hadn't died?"
Tony stared at the woman, then shrugged. "Sure."
"So, even though you had a father, you'd say that there was something different, something special, about a mother that you missed, right?"
Tony glanced toward his attorney, then back to Catherine’s attorney. "I don't know."
"You do know that there's a difference between a mother and a father, right?"
"I guess."
"And yet, you wish to deny your son the right to know his own mother, when you yourself admit that you missed having a mother of your own. How can you be so selfish, so heartless--"
"Objection!"
"--to both of them, Mr. Santos. How can you keep this woman and her child apart?"
"I object to this line of questioning!" his attorney bellowed.
"Sustained."
"No more questions, Your Honor."
o0o
Following the closing arguments, the judge announced that he would issue his decision in a day or two.
Lee and Vic walked out of the room. Tony stayed behind with his attorney, looking shaken. Lee waited near the door to join him when he came out.
Before he appeared, though, Catherine stepped through the doorway. Her eyebrows rose when she noticed Lee. She squared her shoulders and approached her. "So, you’re Lee Reynolds, in the flesh."
"Catherine." Lee nodded curtly.
"I never expected to see you here. Do you slum for kicks these days, or is this how you always have fun?"
Lee gave the woman a cold stare. What was behind this attack? "I wasn’t slumming until a moment ago."
"She speaks! And without a teleprompter yet!"
Lee wasn’t about to waste her time trading barbs with this person. "Why are you doing this, Catherine?"
Catherine’s eyes narrows. She folded her arms. "Is it so hard for you to believe that I want my son?"
"Your motherly instincts are a little belated, aren't they?"
"I can make it up to him."
"You're wrong. Ben may forgive you for walking out on him, but he'll never forget it. He'll never trust you."
Catherine's eyes turned hard. "I could use those exact words about you and Tony. I know all about your seeing him when you were here a few months ago--how you went after him to relive your youth. Well, it’s gone, Lee Reynolds. Have you looked into a mirror lately?"
Was Catherine jealous? Is that what was behind her venom? "You know nothing about Tony and me."
"I know a lot more than you think! I know you hurt him. But as the years went by, he got over it. And now, he's one of the coldest, hardest bastards I know. "
"I can’t believe you were married to the man and be so wrong about him. There's nothing cold or hard about Tony," Lee stated.
"You’ll find out. You don't know him as well as you think." Catherine’s eyes were cold and flat. "At least I've got a son to fight for. You haven't got a damn thing, Lee Reynolds. You're no more useful than yesterday's news." Catherine spun on her heel and stormed down the hall. A clerk stepped out of a room in front of her and she pushed him aside and kept going.
Lee said nothing, holding herself still so she wouldn't shatter into a thousand pieces.
Dr. Durelle, looking and acting almost gnome-like, stepped out of the shadows and glanced up at Lee. "I...I'm sorry." He lifted his arms in a gesture of helplessness, then hurried off in the direction of his wife.
Lee stared after the woman. She shut her eyes a moment, trying to block out the ugliness and pain of Catherine's words. Tony had warned her.
After a short while, Catherine briskly strode back down the hallway, her husband following about three steps behind. Lee folded her arms and stood her ground. If Catherine wanted to play ugly, she was ready to accommodate her.
Just as Catherine neared, the courtroom door opened and Tony stepped out. They arrived at almost the same spot, face to face, and for the first time, they looked directly at each other. The air between them crackled with hatred--and something more.
Lee stood as if rooted to the spot as she watched Ben's parents together. Despite the bitterness, the two of them had a bond, a living, breathing wonderful little boy that they had created. She saw them both stiffen, then Tony stepped back and let Catherine pass. She abruptly turned and reentered the courtroom.
Lee had never felt as alone as she did at that moment. That other woman, that travesty of motherhood, had no right to be here. Or...was she the one who had no right?
She turned to the window and looked out, seeing in the reflected glass the elegant woman Lisa Marie Reynolds had become. Who was the real person--Lee or Lisa?
Tony walked to her side. She faced him, cool and in control as always. "I'm so sorry, Tony. I never imagined my coming here could be used against you. I’ll do anything possible to correct it."
He leaned both hands on the windowsill. "I don't think it'll matter much one way or the other."
"You did a good job deflecting criticism in the way you explained our relationship."
"I tried."
She waited for him to say something more, but he didn’t. No words, it seemed, were left between them.
After a long pause he said, "There's nothing more we can do here. We may as well go home."
Chapter 23
When Lee got back to the Circle Z, she went to look for Ben. Tony and Vic hadn't arrived yet. They had been delayed by Tony's attorney as they were leaving the courthouse.
Lee found Ben in the barn brushing his horse, Evening Star. The boy shot her a solemn, brown-eyed gaze, not at all surprised to see her, and with studious concentration returned to his chore.
"Hello, Ben."
"Hi." His tone was downcast, his voice soft.
Lee patted
the filly's nose.
"Is Dad home?" he asked, still brushing.
"He's on his way."
There was a long pause, with only the sound of the brush raking through the horse’s coat being heard. "Is it over?" he asked.
"We just have to wait and see what the judge decides."
Ben's hand stilled a moment, the brush in mid air. "Oh."
Lee picked up another brush and began working the other side of Star's coat.
"It'll be okay, Ben. You'll see."
"I guess I'm going to have to go live with her."
"Not necessarily. Your dad tried very hard to make the judge understand he wants you here."
"Maybe."
She was shocked. "Maybe? Of course he did."
Ben shrugged. "Maybe my dad's tired of me. My mom didn't want me, you know. I heard my dad say that. Sometimes I even hear him say it's a lot of work to raise a kid by himself. I got into a fight in school last year and broke Larry Larson's finger. Dad was really mad."
She put down the brush and walked around Star to Ben's side. "Ben, come here." She held out her hand to him. He put down his brush and took it. She led him to a bench. Sitting down, she looked gravely into his dark eyes. "Your dad would never grow tired of you. You mean everything to him, Ben. He's fought for you every way he knows how. The problem is that your mother loves you, too. Maybe she thought she didn't want you, but that was years ago. She was much younger then. You're a lucky boy to have two people who want you so much."
He stared at his shoes, his lower lip trembling. "I think it's bad luck."
"It's never bad luck to he loved, Ben."
She ran her hand along his soft, thick hair, brushing it back off his handsome face. Her fingers, senses at her very core, remembered similar softness, but dark as midnight. She dropped her hand.
"Whatever happens," she said gently, "never doubt that your dad loves you and wants you with him very, very much."
He sat beside her and put his elbows on his knees then bent forward so that his chin rested on his hands. He looked so downcast, she wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him to her side in a hug. His frame was surprisingly small. She couldn't remember having hugged a nine year old child before. Ben's shoulders were narrow, his arms delicate, and the smell of him reminded her of playgrounds on a sunny day. She kissed the top of his head, then squeezed her eyes tight as she lay her cheek against his hair. He eased against her with complete trust and acceptance.
"Well, that's my kid, all right," Tony said. "Already he's got the prettiest woman in the county kissing him."
Ben and Lee looked up to see Tony in the doorway, his hands on his hips, his feet slightly apart, and his eyes warm as he looked at the two of them together.
"Dad!" Ben broke from Lee and threw his arms around his father's waist. "Lisa said you fought hard for me."
Tony lifted the boy off his feet in a big hug, and kissed him on the cheek. They were silent for a long moment, Tony holding Ben and the boy with all but a stranglehold on his father’s neck. Lee could see Tony struggle to hide his worry from his son. Then he lowered him to the ground. "I told that judge if he tries to send you away from me he'd better be ready to put up his dukes."
Ben’s eyebrows rose. "What're dukes?"
Tony and Lee laughed. "This." Tony lifted a big fist, gently bopped Ben in the nose, then ruffled his hair. "Homework time. Tomorrow's a school day."
"Aw, Dad. You're too tired."
"I'm too tired? It's your homework. Go get started."
"But I need help with math."
"Try it first, then if you're still stuck, I’ll help."
"Hell, I mean, heck." Ben slumped off toward the house.
Tony faced Lee. Awkwardness hung between them, created by Catherine’s words, her ugly innuendoes. Lee didn’t say anything as she approached him. She placed her hands on his chest. He held her waist, and they stared until they could bear it no longer. With a groan, they came together, holding each other tight. "I thought you’d hate me after that," he said. "I shouldn’t have let you go there, shouldn’t have put you in the line of her venom."
"I wanted to be there, to see."
He kissed her, then their arms went around each other once more in a long hug, as if hoping that holding each other could erase the ugliness of the day.
Finally, Tony held out his hand to Lee. She took it and they followed Ben, hand in hand, up the hill.
Lee warmed from the scene before her. A vermilion sunset glowed over the coast range mountains and cast the clapboard house in rose pastels. Tony had made a loving home for himself and his son. But Ben was his driving force. If he lost Ben, it could destroy him.
They found Ben sitting at the kitchen table, his backpack with his books and binder unopened in front of him.
"Take your books out of there, Benjamin," Tony said. "I'l1 start dinner and then help you."
"But I don't understand it!"
"Ben! Read the book, study the examples--you can do that."
Lee stood back, her attention bouncing from one to the other. Tony removed a package of hamburger from the refrigerator and put it on the counter.
"What are you making?" she asked.
"Spaghetti."
"Oh, I'm a fine spaghetti cook." She took the skillet from his hand. "You see to Ben, I'l1 put on dinner."
"You sure?"
"Absolutely. You're lucky. It's one of the few meals I can cook."
He grinned, then placed parsley, onions, mushrooms, tomato paste, spices, plus a pound of spaghetti on the counter. Before joining Ben, he helped Lee with the chopping. By the time he finished, Ben had attempted to work a few of the math problems.
Tony rinsed off his hands. "Go ahead and cook all the spaghetti, Lisa. I like it cold for breakfast."
He has to be joking, she thought.
While she cooked, she watched Tony bend over the table, his head nearly touching Ben's as he tried to explain the mysteries of fractions to the boy.
They worked well together, and Tony showed more patience and ability to sit still than she ever dreamed he possessed. She was so intrigued watching the two of them in the warm kitchen, the savory smell of her sauce filling the air, that she nearly overcooked the spaghetti.
"Dinner's ready," she announced.
"That's enough homework tonight, Dad. You want to have time to talk to Lisa, don't you?"
"All that's left is English, and there's plenty of time for you to do it after dinner," Tony said. "Anyway, Lisa's a lot better at grammar than I am. She probably even understands diagramming sentences. I'm sure she'd love to help you. Right, Lisa?"
She froze in the middle of pouring Italian dressing over a simple lettuce and tomato salad. "Oh, it's been so long, I don't know if I remember."
"Sure you do! Let's set the table, Benito."
"Actually," Lee said as she put the bowl of spaghetti on the table, "at one time, when I was growing up, I wanted to be a school teacher."
Tony glanced at her. "There you go, then."
They sat.
"Grace," Tony said.
"Grace," Ben repeated.
Tony glanced at Lee, his fork poised over his food, and shrugged. "It's better than saying nothing."
She held her breath as Tony and Ben took their first taste of the food she'd prepared. She couldn't remember the last time she cooked an entire dinner for anyone--she always went out to dine with friends and associates, or telephoned for home delivery. While with Miriam, she'd help, but Miriam was the one in charge of the kitchen.
"Great spaghetti," Ben said, slurping a noodle.
"Nice," Tony added, digging in enthusiastically.
She sat back with a smile. Her cooking did taste good. She liked making this dinner for Tony and his son; she liked hearing them praise her efforts; and she liked watching them enjoy eating it. Maybe a sophisticated news anchor wasn't supposed to like such domestic, plebian things, but she couldn't stop herself from smiling as she ate.
After din
ner, Tony cleared the kitchen, Ben loaded the dishwasher, and both insisted that "the cook" sit and relax. They worked quickly and efficiently, joking and laughing. Once again, Lee was struck by the terrible injustice it would be if the two of them were separated.
Tony made coffee while Lee helped Ben distinguish subjects from predicates. The boy caught on quickly, and within minutes the day's English assignment was completed. Tony sent him out of the kitchen to play or read, issuing a "No TV" order.
"Not even the National League play offs?" Ben asked.
"The Na ," Tony glanced at the clock. "Holy Christ! With everything else going on, I forgot!"
He all but leaped over the kitchen table in his hurry to get to the family room to turn on the television.
Lee chuckled as she poured coffee for herself and Tony, then carried it to him.
"Score's tied, Lisa. Pull up a chair."
"Dad knows every player," Ben announced.
"Not every player. It's been three years since I played."
"It would be great if you still did!" Ben said.
Tony’s face paled. "Oh...well..."
Ben smiled at his father. "But I like having you home more."
Lee knew the exact moment when a pang of love, family, and possible loss speared Tony’s heart because it struck hers as well. He glanced at her, and a closeness stole over them, binding them with unspoken prayers. Tony turned to Ben. "Thanks," he said, and probably only to her ear was his voice a little too husky, a little too soft.
They settled into the game. Lee hadn't imagined how entertaining it could be to watch baseball with Tony. He had insight and an insider's knowledge of the game, plus he was up and down like a jumping jack. He'd tell players what they should be doing and exactly what he thought of them if they failed to execute a play, or he'd be thrilled and shouting praises when someone succeeded at an especially tough maneuver. Ben copied everything his father did. The game was close, but the Braves pulled it out in the ninth.
By the time the game ended, it was past Ben's bedtime. Tony sent him upstairs to take a shower.
"He keeps your evenings busy," Lee said.
"Yeah. It's fairly typical, though, from what I've learned talking to other parents."
