Always in Her Heart (15 page)

The tension that had gripped her at the sight of him eased. But something was still wrong. He didn't act like a man who'd just won a battle.

“How did Frank react? What did the board members say? Do I have to pry it out of you?”

His face relaxed then, his smile reaching his eyes. “Sorry. Am I being annoying?”

“Just a little.”

“Frank brought it up right away—made a motion, in fact, that since I'd proved to be ‘fiscally irresponsible,' he should replace me.”

He sat on the sofa, extending his hand to pull her down beside him. Marcy, not content to sit still, wiggled her way down and ran to her toy cabinet.

“How did the board respond?” If the board had turned against Link easily, that might account for his attitude. She knew how he valued their good opinion, especially Doc's.

He shrugged. “They wanted to give me the benefit of the doubt, I think. But with Frank pushing them and the statement from the bank that we were behind in our payments, he had a good argument.”

“Until you produced today's receipt.”

“The receipt you brought me.” He squeezed her hand. “After you left, I realized I hadn't even thanked you. You saved me today, Annie. You've got to be the smartest accountant in the world. How did you get onto it?”

That surprised a laugh out of her. “Not by being a smart accountant, as a matter of fact,” she said, and she told him about Jenna's experience.

“And that made you think of it?” He held her hand close, and the admiration in his eyes made her heart thump.

“It made me start thinking about how the board would react if something like that happened.” She made an effort to sound professional. “At first I thought of the company's account being overdrawn, but that wasn't the case. Then I thought about the loan payment.” She relived those moments in the office. “Vera insisted the payment had been recorded, but
my instinct told me to check with the bank. And there it was.”

“You told me once that a good auditor relied on instinct. If you hadn't this time…” His eyes darkened.

“I did, so all's well that ends well.” A shiver ran down her back in spite of the warm clasp of his hand. “If Frank had won today, we'd have gone into the hearing tomorrow with a pretty heavy strike against us.”

She looked at Marcy, busy pulling everything out of her toy box. They could have lost her. They still could.

“He'd have presented me as a financial failure who wasn't taking proper care of Marcy's inheritance.” Link's jaw tightened. “He wouldn't have stopped at becoming chairman of the board. He still wants control of Marcy's inheritance, and I almost gave him the weapon he needed to take it.”

“It wasn't your fault.” That must be what was bothering him—the thought that he'd put Marcy's custody in jeopardy. “You couldn't have been expected to see the problem. I must have looked over those accounts a half dozen times without realizing anything was wrong.”

“I should have double-checked on the payment. I knew when it was due.” He seemed determined to blame himself.

“You were trying to do everything yourself—your
own work and Davis's, too. Nobody could do all that without missing something.”

“This was a pretty big something, Annie.”

“You wouldn't have missed it, if someone hadn't altered the records.” She wanted to smooth away the frown lines on his forehead with her fingertips, but she didn't quite dare. “I wish we could pin it on him, but I'm afraid it's impossible. You didn't—”

“No, I didn't start a public fight with him.” His tone was gently teasing. “I was tempted, but I knew you wouldn't like it.”

The look in his eyes flustered her. “Well, it—it's not just me,” she said hurriedly. “I mean, we both agreed we didn't want to give people anything bad to talk about on the day before the hearing.”

“Right.” He squeezed her hand. “Tell you what. Let's give people something nice to talk about, instead. I'll get changed, and then I'll take my two best girls out for dinner. Okay?”

“That sounds lovely. What do you think, Marcy? Want to go out to eat?”

Marcy looked up, holding her toy telephone to her ear, and let out a string of babble that might have meant anything.

“I think she agrees.” Link stood. “Be ready in a few minutes. You pick the place.”

He touched her cheek, very lightly, and then turned and jogged up the stairs. Marcy let out a wail and started after him. Annie grabbed her.

“Come on, sweetheart. Let's get you changed, too.
Then Link and Nan and Marcy will all go out to dinner.”

She lifted the baby, holding her close for a moment. Link didn't fool her. He'd suggested this dinner out as a way of keeping her mind off what tomorrow would bring.

“W
e'll just take a few minutes to talk before we go over to the courthouse,” Chet said as he waved them toward the chairs in his office the next morning.

Annie held Marcy on her lap, her arms close around the child as if she never intended to let go. Link knew how she felt. He'd had trouble saying good-night to Marcy the night before, trouble squashing the fear that that might be the last time he'd do it.

“Tell us honestly.” Annie's face was pale. “What are our chances?”

Chet folded his hands together on his desk. “Honestly? It's hard to say. I think they're very good, but custody is never a sure thing.” He glanced at Link. “I'll tell you one thing—your chances would have been a lot worse if Frank had won control of the company yesterday. That whisper of financial irre
sponsibility would have dogged you. Even if you eventually could have straightened it out, it might have been too late.”

“Frank timed it well.” With an effort, Link kept his voice even. “If not for Annie, I would have lost.”

A glow brightened Annie's cheeks at his words.

“It's a shame you can't prove Frank manipulated the records. I'd have enjoyed bringing that up at the hearing.” Chet turned his pen over and over on the desk blotter. “As it is, we're relying on the social worker's report, coupled with the fact that the judge gave you initial custody.” He looked searchingly at Annie. “Mrs. Bradshaw didn't give you any hint as to her recommendation?”

Annie shook her head, and the helplessness in her eyes wrung Link's heart. If he could find anything that would help her…

Frank's offer to him. Maybe Chet could see a way to bring that in.

“There is one other thing.” He glanced at Annie. “I didn't tell you because I didn't want to worry you. But Frank came out to the site on Monday. He made me an offer.”

“What kind of offer?” Chet leaned forward, his pen poised over a legal pad.

“He offered to make a trade with us. We could forget both the board meeting and the custody hearing. They'd give us custody of Marcy if I gave him control of the company.”

He heard Annie's indrawn, strangled breath, but he focused on Chet's face. “Can we use it?”

Chet frowned. “I don't suppose anyone else heard him say it.”

“No.” Frank hadn't been dumb enough to risk that. “The men probably saw us talking, but no one was close enough to hear what was said.”

“Too bad. It's just the sort of thing we need, but without any corroboration, we don't dare bring it up.” Chet stood, glancing at his watch. “Let me just check on something with my secretary, and then we'll be ready to go.”

When the door had closed behind him, Link turned to Annie. “Try not to worry too much. If—”

“Worry?” Annie's voice rose, and she made an obvious effort to control herself. “Of course I'm worried. I'm also angry. How could you turn down Frank's offer without even talking to me about it?”

“You were already upset about his calling the board meeting. I thought it would just make things worse to know he felt that confident.”

She was shaking her head before he finished saying the words. “That's not why. You didn't tell me because you'd already made the decision for both of us.”

Her anger sparked his. “What did you expect me to do? Turn the company over to Frank without a fight?”

“I expected you to consult me about something that affected Marcy's future.”

She wrapped her arms around the baby as if pro
tecting the child from him. Marcy, apparently sensing that something was wrong, looked up, her small face puckering.

How had things deteriorated between them so quickly? He tried for rationality. “Look, Annie, I was only trying to do what was best for everyone.”

“And you were the one who got to decide what that best was.” Her face was pale and set.

His determination hardened. “I knew what I had to do. I wasn't giving up the company without a fight. I thought you understood what it means to me.”

For an instant, Doc's words from the day before echoed in his mind, and he pushed them away angrily. He wasn't like Frank.

“It means everything to you,” she said flatly, all the emotion wiped from her voice and her face. “I should have realized that, shouldn't I?”

“This isn't just for me.” Why didn't she see that? “This is for Davis, for Davis's child. I owe him my loyalty.”

He'd thought she couldn't get any whiter, but she did. Her fingers were bloodless where they gripped each other around Marcy.

“Loyalty,” she repeated. “Yes. Your loyalty was always to Davis and his family, wasn't it.”

Never to me.
She didn't say the words, but they echoed in the still air between them like a death knell.

 

Annie held Marcy against her chest as they walked out of the office, the baby's softness the only thing
that kept her heart from breaking into pieces. It took a physical wrench to put Marcy into the stroller when they reached the sidewalk.

Link reached for the stroller handle. She turned away, pushing the stroller quickly along the sidewalk until she reached the corner. She didn't want him to touch the baby. She didn't want him to touch her. The shield she'd always depended upon to protect her heart was completely gone now, leaving her vulnerable and exposed.

The light changed, and they crossed to the square in silence. Her footsteps rustled through a path of fallen leaves, red and gold against the walk, a mute reminder of the time that had passed since they'd made this same trip a month ago.

They probably looked the same to an observer. But they weren't. Everything was different.

She took a fractured breath, the pain heavy in her chest. She loved him. She'd lost him. She wouldn't get over this so easily.

They reached the courthouse steps. She lifted Marcy from the stroller, ignoring the hand Link reached out to help.

Please, Lord.
She tried to bring order to the chaos of her thoughts.
Lord, help me. In a few minutes we'll be in the hearing. They could take Marcy away from me. I have to get control of myself.

She took a breath, then another. Chet held the door open for her, and she walked into the courthouse. All
right. Slowly the pain receded to a dull throbbing. It would spring to life again later, and she'd have to deal with it then.

Now, she needed all her strength to cope with the hearing.

No, I need Your strength, Father. I don't have enough of my own. I put Marcy in Your hands.

Calmness settled over her. She would get through the hearing. Then, either way, she would get through the dissolution of the marriage that could never have been real, no matter how much she wanted it.

They rode up in the elevator, still silent, still strangers. As they moved out into the upstairs hallway, she saw Mrs. Bradshaw waiting for them. The woman stepped forward, her stern face softening in a smile when she looked at Marcy.

“The judge has asked me to watch Marcy during the hearing.” She held out her hands. “Don't worry. I'll take good care of her.”

Annie could almost imagine that was compassion in the woman's voice. Fear settled into her heart. Was Mrs. Bradshaw compassionate because she knew that her report had gone against them?

It took every bit of control she could muster to kiss Marcy and hand her to the social worker. Marcy, sensing tension, tried to cling to her.

“It's all right, sweetheart. You remember Mrs. Bradshaw. She's going to play with you for a bit.”

Mollified, Marcy let herself be passed over. The woman nodded, then carried the baby quickly into a
nearby room. The sound of the door closing was like a blow to Annie's heart.

“It's all right.” Link repeated her words. “You'll have her back again before you know it.”

She nodded. Her lips were too stiff to manage a smile. She turned to Chet. “I need a few minutes before we go in.”

He glanced at his watch. “Go ahead. There's a women's lounge around the corner.”

She walked quickly away, needing to be out of Link's sight for a few minutes at least. Her footsteps echoed on the tile floor.

She rounded the corner and nearly walked into Frank. Before she could turn away, he took her arm.

“You're just the person I wanted to see. I'd like a word before we go in.”

“I don't think there's anything we have to say to each other.” She tried to pull her arm free, but his grip held her in place.

“Oh, but there is.” He smiled.

Frank smiles and smiles, and all the while…
Fear shot through her.

She forced it away. That was ridiculous. What could Frank possibly do to her in a public place, with Link right around the corner?

She tried for a reasonable tone. “I'm sure we should let our lawyers do the talking for us. The judge will decide what's best.”

“Wouldn't you rather settle this between us?”

It was an echo of Frank's offer to Link. All her defenses went up.

“I don't see how that's possible.” She tried to free her arm. Why didn't someone else come along this end of the hallway?

“It's perfectly possible. Even easy. All I want is the company. I'm sure you know that.”

“Yes.” Her anger sparked. “It's too bad the judge can't hear you say so.”

“You know I wouldn't be foolish enough to say this where anyone else would hear. Now, you're a bright young woman.” For an instant his face darkened. “Bright enough to ferret out the truth about the loan payment, I imagine. I don't think Link did that on his own.”

“You're not giving him enough credit.” Even after what Link had done, she was still defending him.

He dismissed Link with a wave of his hand. “He doesn't matter. I'm making this offer to you. You make sure I get the company, and I'll guarantee you get custody of Marcy. Simple as that.”

“It's too late. There's nothing I can do to make that happen.”

“Of course there is. All you have to do is go into the hearing and admit to the judge that your marriage is a sham. That you only married Link to get custody of Marcy and control of the company. That's all.”

She could only stare at him. “You must think I'm crazy. If I did that, the judge would grant custody to you.”

“And as soon as Marcy's shares are in my hands, we'll turn her over to you. You can raise her as you see fit. We won't interfere, as long as I control her shares.”

“You're asking me to trust you'd keep your end of the bargain. Why would I?” It was ridiculous even to be having this conversation. And yet she couldn't seem to stop her mind from looking at the possibility.

“Surely you don't think Julia and I really want to raise a child, do you? It was all I could do to convince Julia to pretend for a month. This way, we each get what we want. Everybody's happy.”

“Everybody but Link.”

“Link will survive. He'll still have his share of the company. He'll just have to report to me.” Frank released her arm. “Think about it, but think fast. Once you've testified, the chance will be gone.”

 

Once more, Annie found herself seated in the judge's chambers with Link on one side of her and Chet on the other. Once more, Judge Carstairs sat behind the massive mahogany desk. The huge desk might have been expected to dominate the book-lined room, but it didn't. Judge Carstairs did.

“All right, let's get started.” The judge glanced at them. “We're keeping this informal, as I said. No one outside this room needs to know what happens here.”

Annie was already cold, and the ominous words seemed to freeze her into immobility. She wanted to
look at Link but she couldn't. He might see the temptation to betray him in her eyes.

He betrayed you, didn't he?
The voice of temptation was soft in her ear.
If you play it safe, go along with Frank, you'll get Marcy. That's the only important thing.

If she did that, how would she live with herself? If she lost Marcy—

No, that didn't bear thinking about.

Please, Lord.
Panic filled her mind, disrupting the prayer.

“I already have the social worker's report.” The judge lifted a manila folder from the desk blotter.

She raised her hand, seeming to silence a protest Frank's attorney was about to make. Annie felt Chet move slightly, as if he'd thought of speaking and changed his mind.

“I want to hear from all the participants, telling me in their own words why this little girl should be given into their care. The attorneys for each side can ask any questions that are pertinent.” She glanced down at the report, then looked at Frank. “We'll begin with Mr. Lester.”

An invisible hand tightened around Annie's throat. Was she beginning with the Lesters because the social worker had recommended them?

Frank looked startled, but seemed to regain his balance as he stood to be sworn in, then resumed his seat next to Julia. The judge nodded to him encouragingly.

“Well, Your Honor, the baby's father was my
cousin. We grew up together here in Lakeview. I'm a member of the board of his company. My wife and I have been married for eight years, we're lifelong residents of Lakeview, and we're fully prepared to provide Marcy with a stable, loving home.”

Liar. All you want is the company.

If only the judge had seen and heard what she had. But there was no way of proving anything. Chet had made it clear they could make no accusations they couldn't prove.

“Mrs. Lester?”

Then Julia was speaking, talking about how she'd always loved Marcy and what pleasure she'd taken in setting up a nursery just for her.

All the while she talked, Annie's fears bounced around and around in her brain.
Please, Lord.
The prayer was desperate.
Please show me what to do.