Lonestar Sanctuary (24 page)

THE COURTROOM FELT COLD AND DRAFTY. RICK HELD ALLIE'S HAND AND
stood as the judge entered. So far he'd seen no sign of the Siderses,
and he prayed they'd lost their way.

"Good morning," the judge said, adjusting her glasses on the end
of her nose. Judge Thompson peered at them over the top of her
spectacles. "Rick, you're a good man to be willing to take on this
burden."

"It's not a burden,Your Honor. I'm eager to be a permanent part
of Betsy's life." Rick felt Allie squeeze his fingers, and he returned the
pressure.

"I've reviewed the documents and see no reason not to grant this
request."The judge looked down at Betsy standing beside Allie. "Do
you want a new daddy, young lady?"

Betsy nodded, and her smile blossomed out. She looked up at Rick
with an adoring expression.

The judge laughed. "You always were someone the ladies liked,
Rick."

"Stop!" The sound came from the door, and a fresh breeze blew in
with the words.

Allie turned to see Hugh and Erika hurry into the courtroom and
rush toward the judge's bench. Oh no. She wanted to grab her daughter and run from the room.

"What's the meaning of this interruption?" The judge frowned and
glared over the top of her glasses at the intruders.

"We're Betsy's grandparents," Hugh said, his voice loud and strident. He pointed a finger at Allie. "She sneaked away when she heard
we were suing for custody of Betsy. She's unfit to raise her, Your
Honor." He raised a file of papers. "All the evidence is in here."

Allie gripped Rick's hand in a convulsive clutch.

Rick returned the pressure. "Judge Thompson is too smart to fall
for this," he whispered to her.

She took courage from his words and tipped her face up to the
judge. "That's not true, Your Honor. I'm a good mother."

"Did you know they were filing for custody?"

Allie wanted to look away from the judge's penetrating stare, but
she forced herself to look the woman in the eye. "Yes, but I came here for Betsy. I'd heard about the ranch and thought it might be able to
help her."

"And she came to be with me, Your Honor," Rick put in.

A smile flitted across the judge's face, then disappeared. "Be that
as it may, I'll need time to review the custody suit. If I deem they have
a case, I'll order it argued in court."

"But,Your Honor," Rick protested. "We're a family. The uncertainty
isn't good for Betsy."

The judge waved her hand. "I'm sure you have nothing to worry
about, but I have to review the case. Betsy's future depends on my making the right decision. The court will reconvene in a week, and I'll give
you my opinion then." She smacked the gavel down. "Court adjourned."

The triumph on Hugh's face made Rick want to put his fist
through it. Silent tears coursed down Betsy's face, and she pressed her
cheek against his leg. He swept her into his arms. "It doesn't matter,"
he whispered into her hair. "The judge will fix things next week.
You're not to worry, okay?"

She nodded, her wet cheek brushing his face. His gaze locked with
Allie's, and he silently promised her everything would be all right.

A FEW CARS ROLLED THROUGH TOWN, THEIR WINDOWS DOWN AND MUSIC
blaring from CD players. There was no radio reception out here. Allie
stood beside Rick and Betsy on the sidewalk as the few pedestrians
walked around them. The Siderses were smiling with triumph.

Allie wanted to hurt them.

All the plans, the excitement of the last few days, blew away like
tumbleweeds. She'd tried so hard not to let this happen. The last thing
Betsy needed was to be in the middle of this turmoil. She'd made such
progress the last month, and Allie couldn't bear to see it slip away.

"We'd like to take Betsy to dinner," Erika said. "Is there any place
to eat in this one-horse town?"

"The drugstore has milk shakes and hamburgers," Rick said. "And there's a small cafe. But we can't let you take Betsy. To tell you the
truth, I'm not convinced you wouldn't just get her in the car and keep
driving."

Erika's fair skin lit with pink. "Please. What do you think we are?"
She held up her hand. "Don't answer that. It's obvious." She turned her
gaze on Allie. "Surely you won't deny us the opportunity to spend
some time with Betsy."

Allic had never wanted to deny them the right to see their granddaughter. Betsy was all they had left of Jon, but their actions had
altered the situation. "I can't let you take her. But you can join us for
supper at the ranch."

Erika's brown eyes, so like Jon's, softened as they studied Allie's
face. "That will do. Can I bring anything? And what hotel should we
stay in?"

"There isn't a hotel in the area," Rick said.

Erika's face clouded. "Where is the nearest?"

"Twenty miles." Rick jabbed his finger to the north. "That way."

Allie's conscience was beginning to bother her. They'd come all
this way to fight for Betsy. No child could get too much love. She'd do
the best she could to be friendly and encouraging. Maybe they could
resolve this out of court.

"You don't need to bring anything," she told Erika.

Hugh took his wife's arm. "We'll go see about that hotel."

His tone had softened too. Now that the urgency of the moment
had passed, everyone seemed to be taking a step back and thinking
about their reactions. Allie took heart. Maybe they could find their
way through this amicably.

Once Jon's parents got in their car and drove away, Rick said, "Our
first counseling meeting is in a few minutes.You up for it?"

Not really. Allie just nodded. She felt too upset to deal with anything else, but Rick had gone to all the trouble to set this up, and he
was trying so hard.

"Grady lives just down the street by the church. We can walk."
Rick hefted Betsy to his shoulders.

Allie followed him down the street. The day had turned warm, at
least ninety even though it was late March. Rick turned up the walk
of a two-story stone house that had vines growing up the sides. A welcome wreath decorated the cheery red door, and a scarecrow made
out of the same vines stood beside the entrance.

The scent of honeysuckle wafted their way from somewhere. Rick
pressed the doorbell, and a pretty blond with uncontrollable curls
opened the door.

"Rick! I've missed you." She patted him on the arm and looked up
at Betsy on Rick's shoulders. "You must be Betsy. I've got a little girl
about your age. Her name is Courtney. She's been looking forward to
playing with you."

"Allie, this is Dolly O'Sullivan," Rick said.

Dolly turned her bright smile on Allie, then hugged her. "Don't
stand on the doorstep. I've been dying to meet the woman who managed to snatch Rick from the open market. I'm usually in the church
nursery and don't always get to meet the visitors." She stood aside to
allow them to enter.

A little girl with fiery red hair and big hazel eyes stood in the hallway. Her gaze went to Betsy, and she smiled. Betsy smiled back as
Rick set her on the floor.

"Say hello, Courtney," Dolly said.

"Hi," Courtney said. "I made a fort in my room.You want to see it?"

Betsy nodded, and Courtney took her hand. The two girls went down the hall. Allie stared after them. Betsy hadn't had a friend her
own age to play with in ages. Could that make a difference?

She realized with a start that Dolly had been speaking to her. "I'm
sorry?"

"I wondered if you'd like some coffee or tea?"

"Tea would be great."

"Iced or hot?"

"Iced today. Can I help you fix it?"

"No, no, come on into the living room." Dolly led the way to a
large living room with overstuffed furniture.

Watercolors decorated the walls, and baskets of flowers were on
every table, along with small wooden handcrafts. Some held eucalyptus, and the entrancing scent filled the room. The tables were all distressed wood, washed in white. A very country-looking place, warm
and inviting.

Allie sank onto a sofa that threatened to swallow her. "This is
lovely. I love the pictures."

"She painted them," a man said, stepping into the room through a
swinging door that had small handprints painted on the white surface.
"She's always dabbling in something" He beamed proudly at his wife,
then approached Allie with his hand out. "Hello, Allie. It's good to see
you again.

Allie shook his hand. "You did a good job with the mare. I think
she's going to make it." The guy exuded confidence. With his help,
maybe their marriage would make it too. "And I enjoyed the message
last week."

"Thanks. It's good to have you in church." He shook Rick's hand
and slapped him on the shoulder. "Cowboy, how could you get married behind my back? You surprised me, bucko." He settled into a recliner. "We can talk in here as easy as my office. It's probably more
comfortable."

Rick's bulk sank onto the sofa beside Allie, and the depression
rolled her toward him. He put his arm around her shoulders. The
warmth of his body soaked into her like sunshine. It felt good to be
cared for. She could get used to it.

Grady folded his arms. "We've got a lot to discuss. You two are
basically strangers, isn't that right?"

Allic nodded, though Rick felt anything but a stranger now. His
presence had quickly grown to be a comfort and a thrill at the same
time.

"There are all sorts of potential landmines ahead," Grady said. "You
need to work out how you'll handle things like conflicts over money,
childrearing, housekeeping, even watching TV." He grinned and nodded at Rick. "In case you haven't realized it yet, Cowboy here is a
sports nut. He'd watch any sport on TV until he turned into a turnip."

"I've noticed," she said.

Rick grinned. "Hey, she's got her quirks too. I just have to figure
out what they are."

"I've got a form for you to fill out. We'll start with that. I want you
to list your likes and dislikes, your pet peeves, your faults. There are
also some questions for you to answer about how you were raised.
We'll identify the trouble spots and talk them out over the next few
weeks."

Allic thought she might actually enjoy it until she saw Rick
exchange a long look with Grady. She knew so little about her new
husband, but it looked like there might be something in his past he
didn't want her to know. If it had to do with the scars on his back, she
felt only sympathy.

IT WAS ALL GOING TO COME OUT. RICK KNEW RE DIDN'T RAVE A SNOWball's chance of keeping it from her. And even if he could, he knew he
shouldn't if he wanted the marriage to work. Still, anticipating having
to tell her, he wanted to stop at the Long Branch and get a tall cold one.

Some days he got tired of fighting the desire to drink. He could
give in, let the liquor numb the pain and guilt that gnawed at him
every day of his life. God had forgiven him, but he couldn't forgive
himself, and the whiskey helped him forget it.

He shoved the thoughts away, refusing to entertain them. Staying
sober meant keeping his thoughts positive.

Allie didn't have much to say as they started for home. He pointed
the truck to the hills between town and the ranch. The truck felt a little
sluggish, and he made a mental note to give it a tune-up. It was overdue.

Spring this year had been lush so far. Cactus and wildflowers
bloomed along the roadside as far as he could see. The tension eased
from his shoulders. He took his right hand off the wheel and stretched
it across the seat, his arm brushing the top of Betsy's head, letting his
fingers tangle in Allie's hair.

She turned and smiled at him. Then it happened.

The truck lurched to the right, and he saw the front right wheel
go rolling off into the ditch. The screech of metal on pavement nearly
deafened him. The vehicle careened toward the embankment, and as
he fought the wheel, jamming on the brakes to no avail, he heard
Allie scream.

The truck tilted to the right, and he prayed that it wouldn't roll.
Allie's door would be crushed in. The wheel bucked and jerked in his
hands like a wild bull. The scenery rushed past, but he managed to
keep the truck on the road as he sent a shout up to God for help.

Dead Gulch Curve was just up ahead. The road tilted to the right, and the vehicle with it. Rick wrenched the truck to the left, then saw
an SUV coming toward him in the opposite lane. He veered back to
the right, and the vehicle roared toward the ditch.

A large boulder jutted out from the rock face into the drop-off.
He wasn't going to be able to miss it.

"Hang on!"With his foot buried in the brake pedal, he aimed for a
glancing blow. From the corner of his eye, he saw sparks fly up from
the right front end.

The truck slammed into the boulder in what seemed like slow
motion. Allie flung out her arm to protect Betsy, and Rick's right
arm did the same. Their hands locked across the little girl as the cab
crumpled like a candy wrapper and folded in accordion style.

The three of them rocked forward, and he heard Allie's head strike
the glass, a sickening sound that made him tighten his fingers on hers.

The silence after the wild ride was eerie. The only sound was the
engine ticking as it cooled. Then the horn began to blare in a nightmarish, never-ending alarm.

"Allie?You okay?" Rick's gaze touched Betsy, who was sobbing and
touching her mother's arm, trying to shake her. His attention moved
on to his wife. His gut clenched when he saw the bright splash of
blood on the window, and the way it had shattered to a star.

Her eyes were closed, and blood ran down her face from a cut on
her forehead. "Allie?" He reached over Betsy and touched her face.
Her eyes still didn't open.

Digging out his cell phone, he dialed 9-1-1, but even as he reported
the accident, he knew he'd have to help her now. It would take an
ambulance forever to get here.

The SUV in the opposite lane had stopped as well, and a man
leaped out and jogged over to Rick's truck. "You okay?"