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“I’m thinking about adopting him.” Tuck thought this was as good a time as any to tell her.
Those tired blue eyes opened wide. “You talked your wife into taking him. That’s wonderful.”
“I’m not married.”
Opal frowned. “What?”
He knew what that frown was about. “Is there a law that says a single male can’t adopt?”
“Heaven forbid, are you from another planet?”
He tensed. “I take offense to that.”
“Take all the offense you want. I’m just being honest. I know you care for Brady and you’ve formed a connection to him. But I’ve been in this business long enough to know that a judge rarely grants custody to a single person, especially male.”
“But it’s not unheard of?”
Opal pushed her glasses up her nose. “I wish you would have told me this yesterday. I’ve already let people know we have a fourteen-month-old up for possible adoption. We’ll get responses—” she looked directly at him “—from couples. And a judge will go for a family structure first.”
“I know,” Tuck admitted. “But I have to try.”
Opal shook her head again. “You’re a rare specimen, Ranger Tucker.”
Tuck had heard that before.
Brady moaned and they turned their attention to him. He rolled over, winced as his bottom touched the bed, but he didn’t cry. He sat up and stared at Tuck and Opal.
“Why isn’t he crying?” Tuck asked under his breath.
“I have no idea,” Opal whispered back. “He should be screaming his head off.”
Brady grabbed his stuffed dog and held it close to his chest, his dark eyes watching them.
Tuck removed his hat and placed it on the nightstand. “Hi there, buddy,” he said. “Feeling better?”
Brady didn’t make a move or a sound.
Tuck held out his hands over the railing. “Want to get out of there for a minute?”
Brady leaned over and bit his fingers.
“Ouch, buddy. That’s not nice.”
“Oh, this is going to be a tough one,” Opal said. “I can see that now. Usually babies who’ve been left alone will go to anyone, but Brady’s doing just the opposite. He’s fighting back at everyone.”
A nurse came in with a sippy cup of milk and Tuck and Opal backed away to let her take care of him. She didn’t have much better luck. Brady hit and bit her, but he took the milk.
Watching Brady, Tuck could almost feel his anger and he knew Brady’s full recovery was going to take time. He’d have to learn to trust again. Tuck was patient and could help Brady—if only the court would let him.
GRACE WAS HAVING A BAD DAY—her second in a row now. It was Jeremiah’s fault. Ever since he’d touched her she’d been having all these feminine feelings distracting her from her work.
Today she went shoe shopping, her passion, on her lunch break and stopped in the lingerie department at Neiman Marcus. She looked at skimpy, silk peignoirs like the ones Caroline used to wear. She’d even bought one. When she planned to wear it, she had no idea. She just enjoyed looking at it and imagining herself wearing it.
If she was really honest with herself, she’d go so far as to admit that she imagined the look in Jeremiah’s eyes when he saw her in it. But being honest with herself made her appear needy and pathetic and…
She had to get Jeremiah out of her head. How did she do that? He was a man and she was a woman, so the logical process would be to have an open and adult conversation. Simple. She chewed on the inside of her lip. Then why did the thought make her feel as if she were being prepped for painful surgery—open heart surgery?
A tap at her door interrupted her agonizing thoughts. “Come in.”
Nina, her secretary, walked in with a notepad in her hand. “You have a partners meeting at two and Mr. Coffey wants to speak to you beforehand.” Nina, a single mother of two, was all business and Grace liked that about her. They had a good working relationship.
Grace leaned back in her chair. “Did he mention what about?”
“No. But it’s either about the day care center you’re opening on the first floor or he wants your support on something.”
Byron Coffey was her father’s age and had joined the firm soon after Steven Whitten had started it. He was the senior partner and he and Grace got along well on the surface for the sake of office morale. Byron’s wife had died years ago and Byron had asked Grace out more than once. She always found a polite way to refuse. In no way was she attracted to Byron, but to maintain a positive atmosphere in the firm she couldn’t tell him that.
Byron had attempted to pressure her on more than one occasion to further his own causes. She always got the impression that he thought of her as a glorified figurehead without any brains. That did not endear him to her. And he was vehemently against the day care for the firm’s employees, as was her father. Grace saw it as cost-effective. Too many times cases had to be postponed or rearranged because a lawyer, clerk, aide or secretary couldn’t find a sitter at the last minute. This way the babies would be nearby and parents wouldn’t have to worry.
Her father had said it wasn’t the firm’s responsibility to provide day care. Grace saw it differently and stuck to her decision. The first time she’d ever gone against her father.
Nina looked at her pad. “There’s a Lisa and Keith Templeton to see you. They said it was important. Would you rather they made an appointment and come back later or…”
“I’ll see them,” she said. “Give me five minutes.”
“You got it.”
Lisa and Keith—she hadn’t seen them in years. Grace reached for her purse and quickly checked her makeup. She and Lisa had been sorority sisters and college roommates. Lisa and Keith had fallen in love in college and were inseparable. After they’d gotten their degrees, both in finance, they’d settled down to raise a family.
Grace had had lunch with Lisa about two years ago and the family part hadn’t happened yet. After a miscarriage, Lisa had been unable to get pregnant again. Grace knew they were still trying.
The door opened and Lisa rushed in, a petite blonde with a sparkly personality. Keith, also blond, followed more slowly. Grace hurried around her desk and they embraced.
Lisa stepped back, perusing Grace’s outfit. “Anne Klein, right?”
Grace glanced down at her herringbone suit. “Yes.” If she and Lisa had anything in common, it was fashion. In college, they’d spent many afternoons shopping together.
“Ellen Tracy,” Grace responded, eyeing Lisa’s ecru linen dress, pearls and heels.
Lisa held out her foot. “And Manolo Blahnik. I bought them in New York. Aren’t they to die for?”
“Absolutely.” Grace had a pair just like them in her closet, but she wouldn’t spoil Lisa’s pleasure.
Keith cleared his throat and Lisa glanced at him. “Oh, Grace, we need your help.”
Grace couldn’t imagine what this was about, but from the expressions on their faces she knew it was serious. They took seats and she waited.
Lisa crossed her legs. “You know we’ve been trying for so long to have a baby. We’ve tried in vitro, everything, and we’ve finally accepted that we’re not going to have a child of our own.” A look of sadness crossed her face.
“I’m sorry,” Grace said, feeling her stomach tighten at Lisa’s pain. “I know how much you wanted a baby.”
“It’s all I ever think about.” Lisa smoothed her skirt over her knees.
Keith reached for his wife’s hand. “It’s okay, honey. Tell Grace why we’re here.”
“Oh.” Lisa’s blue eyes brightened immediately. “We’re going to adopt. We have been approved at several adoption agencies, but the waiting lists are so long.”
“It’ll be worth it, though,” Grace reminded her.
“Yes, but my mother knows a lady who works for CPS and there’s a little boy that might be up for adoption. He’s fourteen months old. We want to be the first ones to apply for this baby and we need your help.”
“Of course. We have a very good family law department and I’ll make sure that…”
“No, no.” Lisa shook her head. “We want you to handle it. You’re the best, Grace. I know you are. You’ll fight for us.”
“Lisa, I appreciate your confidence in my abilities, but our family lawyers are very competent.”
“Grace, please,” Keith spoke up. “We’d feel more comfortable with you.”
She looked into their concerned, hopeful eyes. Could she do what they wanted? It had been a while since she’d been in the courtroom. Adrenaline began to pump through her veins and excitement filled her. Something she hadn’t felt in a long time. Maybe this was what she needed to force her out of her recent malaise. They were her friends and they needed her help.
“Okay. I’ll set things in motion.” She reached for pen and paper. “Let me get some details.”
THE NEXT MORNING Tuck got a call from Gladys Upchurch. He mentored her grandson, Micah, after his father had killed his mother. The father was in prison and Gladys had full custody of Micah, who was now twelve and going through a rough period. Micah didn’t want to go to school because the kids picked on him, calling him names.
Tuck drove to the Upchurch house and took Micah to school. It gave them a chance to talk. That’s what the boy needed—to talk to someone. They made plans to go to a University of Texas baseball game and Micah brightened up. Micah was a good kid; he just needed a guiding hand and to know that someone cared and would always be there for him.
After Micah went inside, Tuck thought it was time to have a talk with the principal to let him know about the problem. The principal said he’d do what he could, but it was hard to control some of the kids. Tuck knew that and had to accept the explanation—for now.
When he reached his office, Opal called. Wilma Harper had passed away. She and her daughter would have one funeral and be buried next to each other. So much heartache and sadness. Tuck hoped they’d found everlasting peace.
That left Brady.
Tuck spent every spare moment he had at the hospital. Brady’s wounds were healing and he wasn’t quite so aggressive, but they had a long way to go. He didn’t speak, only made grunting sounds. Wilma had said he was saying words, but the staff hadn’t seen any signs of that. Neither had Tuck. CPS wanted a complete evaluation of Brady so he was staying in the hospital a while longer.
Brady preferred being alone, playing alone. If anyone got too close, he became aggressive, biting and hitting. He could walk and he enjoyed the playroom, where he could play with the toys at his leisure. Tuck often sat and watched him. Occasionally he’d roll a ball to him and Brady would roll it back. Slowly Tuck was gaining his trust.
Beau called and said he’d filed the papers. Now they waited for a hearing date. Opal told him that they had another applicant file for custody. She didn’t offer a name and he didn’t press her. He would have to take his chances in court.
Beau called at the end of the week and wanted to meet. Tuck didn’t understand why they couldn’t talk on the phone, but he agreed to meet him at a local restaurant. Sliding into the booth, he noticed Beau’s worried expression.
“What’s wrong?”
“I wanted to tell you in person. A couple has filed a petition for temporary custody pending adoption of Brady.”
A waitress arrived and they ordered coffee.
“Opal mentioned that, but she didn’t give a name.”
“Lisa and Keith Templeton,” Beau said.
The waitress brought coffee. “Thank you,” Tuck said to the waitress as she left.
“With a couple in the picture, it makes our case that much harder to win. They both have spotless backgrounds, good jobs and are respected members of the community. They don’t have other children and the woman plans to quit her job to stay at home with Brady.”
Tuck’s stomach clenched. “It sounds too good to be true.”
Beau took a sip of his coffee. “Mmm. The Templeton’s want Brady badly and they’ve hired a very good attorney to make that happen.”
“Who is it?” Tuck asked.
“Have you talked to Eli or Caroline lately?”
“No. I’ve been spending all my free time at the hospital and with the boys I mentor. Why? Do they know this attorney?”
Beau shifted nervously. “Yes. The Templeton’s attorney is Grace Whitten.”
CHAPTER FOUR
“NINA!”
Grace’s door flew open and Nina rushed in. “What? Did you see another spider?”
Grace sighed heavily. “No.” A grown woman and she was still frightened of spiders. But that was so far at the back of her mind that it didn’t even register. She held up the document in her hand. “When did this arrive?”
“Uh…about an hour ago when you were in a meeting with Mr. Coffey.” Nina frowned. “Is something wrong?”
“No.” Grace sank into her chair. “Thank you. I’m sorry I yelled.”
“Sure.” Nina hesitated for a moment then walked out.
Grace stared down at the document. Everything was wrong. Jeremiah Tucker had filed for temporary custody pending adoption of a minor child, Brady Harper. How could this be?
She grabbed the phone and called Caroline. She answered immediately.
“Caroline, did you know that Jeremiah filed for custody of a little boy named Brady Harper?”
“Well, hello, Grace.”
“I’m sorry. I’m a bit stressed at the moment.”
“You’re always stressed,” her sister replied rather bluntly. “But you should see Jesse. He’d destress you quickly. He’s chewing on the phone cord and he’s absolutely the cutest baby in the whole world. Oh, now he’s looking at me with those big blue eyes, just like Eli’s.”
“Caroline, please. I need to talk about this.”
“Okay. Okay. Give me a minute to put Jesse in his Pack ’n Play.”
Grace drummed her fingers on her spotless silver-and-glass desk. The phone was to her right with a pad and pen beside it, Jeremiah’s petition lay in front of her and to her left sat a crystal Whitten paperweight her father had given her when she’d graduated at the top of her class. Suddenly it all seemed so sterile, so unemotional. Was that how people saw her?
