Who would have expected the unthinkable?
Lord, why did this happen? Why Davis and Becca?
There wasnt any answer to that, just as there hadnt been any answer during the long night when shed asked God whether this marriage was the right thing to do.
She shot a sideways glance at Link while the attorney patiently explained the ramifications of a custody hearing. Links grave, composed face gave no hint to his feelings. He thought he already knew the only answer.
So, as I say, theres no cut-and-dried solution. Chet Longly spread his hands, his open, friendly face troubled. The judge has a great deal of discretion in a custody case. Even if you had written proof that Davis and Becca wanted you to take Marcy, the judge could decide against that. Its not likely, but it could happen.
Link stirred. You agree that our case would be stronger if we were married.
I cant advise you to marry in an effort to deceive the court. Chet said the words as if he walked on eggshells. On the other hand, if you marry because youre fond of each other and because you want to provide security for a child you both love, I think that could tip the scales in your favor.
Link glanced at her, his dark eyes seeming to say hed told her so.
Well, he couldnt blame her for exploring every possibility, could he? Knowing Link, he probably could. Hed never had much patience with her passion for details.
Also, theres the fact that Ms. Gideon is living in the Conrad house, already taking care of the child, the attorney went on. I hate to bring up the old saw about possession, but it does make the judge less likely to order a change that could be upsetting to the baby.
Links jaw tightened. I suspect that was what Frank had in mind yesterday. If hed gotten his hands on Marcy
Annie suppressed the shudder that moved through her. In those frightening moments, when shed actually feared the Lesters would snatch Marcy from her arms, shed turned to Link.
She needed help. Hard though it was to accept, she couldnt do this alone.
Either way, the best thing is to set up a hearing before the judge as quickly as possible, before the Lesters take any other action. The attorney stood, looking at them with concern in his face. Ill leave you alone to discuss it for a few minutes.
He crossed the room, his footsteps making little sound on the plush carpet. The door closed softly behind him.
She had to stop collecting options and make a decision. However much she might have resented it in the past, she knew that Links loyalty had always been to Davis. If that loyalty extended to his daughter, maybe that was all she could ask.
Its not easy, is it.
She met Links gaze, startled, to find that he was looking at her with sympathy.
No. She tried to swallow the lump that refused to leave her throat in spite of the fact that shed cried every tear she had to shed in the past few days. I spent most of the night praying about it. Maybe this is the only answer, but how can I take vows I dont mean?
Links hand tightened to a fist on the polished mahogany arm of the chair. Dont you think I have qualms about that?
I didnt know it mattered to you. She had assumed, when hed stood next to her as godparents to the baby, that he believed, but she hadnt probed deeper than that.
It does. He clipped the words off, his face grim. Youre not the only person to struggle with this, Annie.
She tried to smile. Are you getting any answers?
I dont pretend to be a great theologian
He leaned toward her, and she felt the intensity of his belief reaching out to her.
but I am sure it would be a greater wrong to let that baby go to people who dont care about her than to marry for reasons other than love.
His words shot straight to her heart. Shed never expected to find the kind of all-consuming love Becca and Davis had. If marrying Link saved their baby, perhaps that was reason enough.
Ifif we do this, how long would our marriage have to last?
Link frowned. I dont know. But Im not involved with anyone else, so Im in no hurry. And from what Becca has said about you, Im assuming youre not in a relationship right now, either.
The thought of Becca discussing her love life with Link left a bad taste in her mouth. Had her sister thought her an object of pity because she didnt have a husband and child?
Thats not really the point. She kept her voice cool. I do have a life elsewhere.
Once the judge grants custody to us, I dont see any reason why you couldnt go ahead with your plans to take Marcy back to Boston. After all, your parents are there and it would be logical for you to want to be near them. Ill stay here to manage the company. After a reasonable period of time, one of us can file for divorce.
The image of her cozy apartment in Boston floated in front of Annies eyes, a haven from the uncertainty and grief of the past days. She could take care of Marcy there without the constant reminders of her loss.
Marcy threw her black-and-white block, and it bounced harmlessly against the side of the desk. Down, she announced, wiggling her way off Annies lap.
Where are you going, little girl? Link caught her before she could grab the cord and pull the telephone to the floor. Here, have a look at this. He handed her his key ring, and Marcy gave him an enchanting smile.
She has Daviss smile, you know that? He touched the babys cheek lightly.
Annie glimpsed a sheen of tears in his dark eyes, and the sight disarmed her. It seemed to tear down some of the barricades she held against him.
Yes, she does, she said softly.
Link cleared his throat, as if he felt the same tightness she did. Davis was my best friend. I owe it to him to take care of his child. I dont know anything about changing diapers, but Ill do my best to run the company properly and preserve her inheritance. I cant offer more than that.
Oddly enough, that glimpse of his grief was reassuring. His concern might be primarily for the company, but it was for the babys sake as well as his own.
Link looked at her, his eyebrows lifting in the question hed been asking all along. Well, Annie?
For Marcy, she told herself. For Marcy.
All right. She had to force the words out. Ill marry you.
It was his wedding day, and he was on his way to meet his bride. Link grimaced at his reflection in the rearview mirror. The three days theyd had to wait once they applied for the license had been an eternity. Hed been constantly on edge, sure something would go wrongthat Annie would back out, that Frank would launch some unexpected offense, anything.
So far, so good. The wedding was today, and the hearing before Judge Carstairs set for tomorrow. Chet seemed as optimistic as an attorney could be. With any luck, this time the next day theyd be safe.
And then? For a moment he couldnt see beyond the immediate goal. He shook his head. It was very simple. Annie would return to Boston with the baby, and hed go back to running the company.
He drew up in front of the church and sat for a moment, staring out at the square. The gazebo glinted white through the surrounding trees. The maples, just beginning to change color, advertised the turning of the season. Tragedy happened, but life moved on.
Right now, moving on meant going through with this wedding. He and Annie had an agreement, just like any other business contract. As long as they kept the situation strictly business, no one would get hurt.
He glanced at the florists box lying on the passenger seat and jeered at himself. He was breaking his own rules. He hadnt intended to do that but hed found himself walking into the florists. No matter what had prompted their wedding, a bride should have flowers.
An orchid hadnt seemed quite right for Annie, and the chrysanthemums the shop had in stock for the high school homecoming were out of the question. Hed settled for a small arrangement of yellow rosebuds, and their delicate aroma filtered through the white cardboard box. Hopefully the very idea of flowers wouldnt remind her of the funeral.
He caught sight of Chet, hovering outside the church, ready to be their witness. Now or never. He picked up the box, got out of the car and walked across to meet his best man.
Still sure about this? Chet raised his eyebrows. He was dressed, like Link, in a dark suit that seemed appropriate for an informal wedding.
Im sure. He pulled open the door to the church offices. We made arrangements to have the ceremony in Pastor Laings study instead of the sanctuary.
Too many memories in there, I guess.
Link nodded, throat tightening again. Too many, and too recent.
The door to the pastors study stood open. He stepped inside. Nora Evers, Davis and Beccas next-door neighbor, held Marcy. An improbable hat perched on Noras white hair, and the baby was trying hard to pull off a purple flower.
Nora, glad you could be here. Theyd needed witnesses, and hed felt the grandmotherly woman would add a touch of permanence to the proceedings.
Pastor Laing said something welcoming, but Links attention was caught by Annie, standing unsmiling in front of the window. She wore a navy business suit with a white blouse, and her shiny brown hair curved in toward her rounded chin. Unlike Nora, shed apparently seen no reason to wear a hat. She looked cool, severe and businesslike.
Once hed been challenged by that cool exterior, but in the current circumstances he found it somehow reassuring. Annie looked as if nothing could touch her.
I guess we should get started. Pastor Laing picked up a worn black worship book and came around the desk to stand in front of them, his face austere. If youre both sure youre ready.
We are, Link said. He handed Annie the florists box.
She looked startled, then opened the box and took out the roses. He couldnt see her expression, but she clutched the flowers tightly.
Theyd talked with Garth Laing at length about this wedding, being carefully honest with him. Link certainly had no intention of lying to a man he respected as much as he did Garth. Maybe theyd left a few things out when theyd discussed their reasons for being married immediately, but if they had, he suspected someone as intuitive as the pastor could read between the lines.
Garth had agreed to marry them, that was the important thing. If theyd gone to a justice of the peace, he wasnt sure Annies resolve would have held up.
Garth glanced from Links face to Annies. He nodded, as if satisfied with whatever he saw there. Then he began to read the age-old words of the wedding service.
Breathe, Link told himself. All you have to do is remember your responses. That, and hope Annie doesnt say I dont instead of I do.
The preliminaries over, Garth smiled at them. Please join hands.
For an instant he thought Annie wouldnt move. Then she extended her hand.
Her fingers were so cold it was like taking a handful of ice. He clasped her hand in his, trying to warm it, and Annie looked up at him.
Shock ran through him. All that cool composure of hers was a facade. For a moment, he saw the grief and vulnerability in her golden-brown eyes, and the sight shook him to the heart.
Beneath her controlled exterior, Annie was fragile, so fragile. Shed just undergone the most devastating experience of her life, and now she was plunged into something she wouldnt have dreamed possible a week earlier.
Dealing with Annie right now was like handling high explosives. One false move, and everything hed naively thought was settled could blow sky high, leaving nothing but pieces.
Garths voice paused, and Link realized he had to say his vows. Holding her hands in his, he began.
The ring felt odd on her finger. Annie stood at the dresser in the guest room at Beccas house, staring down at it. Her hand looked strangethe hand of a married woman.
She took a shaky breath. Hard as it was to believe, theyd actually done this thing. She and Link were husband and wife, legally and in Gods sight.
Did we do the right thing, Father? We honestly tried to determine Your will. Surely it was worth any sacrifice to keep Marcy safe.
Annie knew shed better finish changing her clothes and get back downstairs. Shed left Marcy with Link, and she wasnt sure how comfortable he was watching a lively toddler. Marcys little hands could move at the speed of light when she wanted something, and Annie was already discovering that she needed faster reflexes to keep up with her.
She pulled on khakis and a camel sweater, ran a brush through her hair and decided that would have to do. On to the next thing.
She and Link had already decided theyd both stay in the house tonight, since they didnt want to raise any awkward questions with the hearing tomorrow. Link could sleep on the couch in Daviss office. Being here together was difficult, but it was only for a night.
Once the custody case was settled, the need to look like a married couple would be finished. Shed take Marcy home, and that would be that.
In the meantime, she could certainly cope with the situation for a day or two. This was business, and she knew how to handle business.
The thought comforted her. She went quickly out of the room and down the stairs.
She found Link and Marcy in the family room, where he was trying to dissuade the baby from pulling all the videos out of the cabinet.
How about playing with the nice blocks, instead? He sounded harassed.
She likes just about anything better than her toys, according to Becca.
Link looked up at her from his prone position on the rug next to Marcy. A smile tilted his lips. What do you suggest I do about it?
She had to remind herself not to react to that smile. Business. She walked into the adjoining kitchen and pulled out the drawer her sister had filled with plastic containers and utensils.
Look, Marcy. Look what Nan has. She tapped a wooden spoon invitingly on a plastic container.
Marcy dropped a video on Links arm and trotted over to grab the spoon away from Annie. She plopped down in front of the drawer.
Whatever anyone else has, thats what she wants. Becca called it the toddlers creed. Her smile faltered when she seemed to hear her sisters voice.
Link closed the video cabinet quickly, snapping the safety lock. Nan? How did you get to be Nan?
Aunt Annie is a mouthful. She hasnt managed it yet.
He unfolded himself from the floor and walked toward her. Her mouth went suddenly dry. They were alone together. They were married.
He stopped, looking down at the baby. Speaking of cooking utensils, have you given any thought to supper?