Gift-Wrapped Family

The older woman tapped a pencil against her lips for several seconds, then rose. “You’ll have to leave now, Caleb.”

“But I haven’t finished.” He glared at his old friend.

“You’ve finished here. You represent Family Ties and Granger’s child. We both know you can’t be privy to any further personal conferencing between me and my client. I appreciate your help, but I must protect my client and you. So it’s time for you to leave.” Bella walked to the door and pulled it open. “Sorry.”

Knowing she was right but frustrated that he hadn’t yet found the answers he sought for Lily, Caleb walked to the door.

“But he’s been helping me. I want Caleb to stay,” Mia said.

“Bella is your lawyer, Mia, and she’s very good at what she does. Her concern is your interest, and until she’s got things sorted out, you must listen to what she says,” Caleb reassured her. Funny how quickly he’d come to like Mia, how fast he’d moved from resenting her for Lily’s sake to trying to help her. “I’ll wait outside.”

“Okay.” Mia’s green gaze chided him for abandoning her.

Bella gave him an arch look before she closed the door behind him.

Caleb sat in the waiting room thinking about how vulnerable Mia seemed seated in that big austere office. Only this morning he’d been planning to try to coerce her into offering money for Lily’s care. He knew now that he wouldn’t force her into anything.

That change of heart confused Caleb. But one thing was for sure. He might feel empathy for Mia, want to help—even rescue her, but he couldn’t let any of those emotional responses sway his goal to obtain justice for Lily. She was the true innocent here. His concern for the lovely Mia, even though she’d been done wrong, could not affect his professional judgment. But why did God always allow the innocent to get hurt?

He texted his office for an update, glad to be away. Hours of fighting legal battles for clients who’d been wronged was the reason he’d chipped in for half the ranch with Lara. He’d seen it as a place to escape his work and since her death he’d been very grateful for the freedom it offered. His birth father’s appearance in Buffalo Gap last week had made him even more grateful because too many angry memories from the past now assailed him. The only way Caleb could exorcise his loathing for the man was with long horseback rides into the hills. As a kid he’d always gone out there to clear his mind. Some things never changed.

Only now when he rode the ranch he saw Lara. Would he ever forget her last words to him?

You’ve let bitterness take over your world so much, I think it’s wiped out your ability to love, Caleb. All I can feel is your hate for your father. It’s consuming you. Deepening our relationship with your hate for him between us isn’t going to work. You need to let forgiveness heal your heart before we can talk about a future together.

Forgiveness? Impossible when Caleb couldn’t rid his mind of the image of his father shoving his mom and her falling backward down the stairs. That was his last memory of her. An hour later she was dead, and his world had never been the same. Sometimes late at night, alone on the ranch, he could still hear her telling him about God, how He loved Caleb, how they had to forgive his drunken father as God forgave them.

Caleb couldn’t do it. How did a man who killed his wife deserve forgiveness? How could God forgive a sin like that? It didn’t matter that scripture insisted that God forgave no matter what. Caleb couldn’t forgive. That inability to reconcile with God ate at his soul like an acid that left only bitter wounds in its place.

His past drove Caleb to go beyond mere duty to ensure every child from Family Ties went to a home where love ruled. That was also what compelled him to find justice for sweet Lily, a delightful child whose father never bothered to know her. How could God forgive that?

Caleb’s phone chimed. He read the texted answer to his last question, then sent another. The stream of responses piqued his interest. Bella might try to shut him out of Mia’s affairs, but Caleb had contacts. He intended to use every one to find out the truth, because somewhere in this mess was Lily’s birthright.

“I can go now.”

Caleb looked up from his phone, surprised to see Mia standing in front of him. They walked to his car in relative silence, but once they were inside, the intensity of her clear green gaze focused on him.

“Thank you for taking me to Bella. She’s quite a character.” Mia continued to study him. “Is it rude to ask how you met?”

“I was her law clerk. She taught me a lot.” Caleb started the car before realizing he didn’t know where to take her. “Do you want to go home?”

“I suppose so.” The way Mia said it made Caleb think she did not relish a return to her dowdy home.

“What would you like to do?” he asked, curious about her thoughts. She looked slightly dazed, but then who wouldn’t after hearing they had a trust fund they’d never heard of, that her husband had betrayed her and that he’d left behind a child? And that wasn’t even mentioning the attempt to steal her inheritance, information that had just been confirmed.

“It’s kind of you, but I don’t want to take up any more of your time,” Mia said after a tiny hesitation. “I can take the bus from here. You don’t have to drive me home.”

“I don’t have to, no.” Caleb could see there was something on her mind. “I’m offering. Is there something else you’d like to do?”

“Yes.” The response spilled out in a rush. “I’d like to see this Riverbend Ranch you mentioned.” Her eyes softened to misty green. “A ride out of the city would be lovely. Space, freedom, nothing but green grass, hills and trees—it’s been so long since I’ve been away from home.” The light in her eyes faded. “But that’s too much to ask.”

“The place is yours. You should see it.” Caleb felt a smug satisfaction saying that. He wanted to be the one to show Mia Riverbend Ranch, to watch her eyes stretch wide with wonder, hear her breathy gasp when they drove up the circular driveway. Somehow he knew that Mia would appreciate everything about the ranch.

“Of all the things Bella explained to me, I understand this ranch business the least. Why would Harlan buy such a place and keep it a secret from me?” Her voice quavered. “I must have done something.”

“No. You did nothing, Mia.” Caleb clenched his hands on the wheel, wishing he had more to offer than paltry words to soothe her wounded heart. “It was Harlan. There was something wrong with him that made him go outside his marriage for companionship.”

“I can’t understand that, either. You’re sure he and Reba—?” Her tone told him she wanted it to be otherwise.

“I’m pretty sure. You saw the resemblance for yourself.” Caleb hated saying it, hated the hurt filling her eyes and the wash of tears. But he’d feel bad for any woman in this situation. “I’m sorry.”

“Our marriage was a sham.” Mia choked out the words. “I’d accepted that it was only because of my mother that he married me, but now I suspect he really married me to get her money.”

“Yes,” Caleb agreed.

“We had nothing in common. Harlan didn’t care about God or keeping His commandments, but this is so far from—” For a few moments she gave way to bitter tears.

Caleb wanted to fold her in his arms and soothe her, but that wouldn’t be proper. He barely knew Mia and yet he longed to make her world right? Silly and impossible. His own past had taught him that nothing could erase the betrayal she must be feeling. So he let her cry, knowing she needed the release.

“You said Lily is five?” Mia hiccupped a sob. “That means they’ve been together about as long as we’ve been married. Why stay married to me if he was in love with Reba?” She dashed a tear from her cheek. “Why not marry her? Create a family with her?”

“There’s no way you’ll ever know.” Caleb refused to restate the obvious lure of her money. He wasn’t sure she had an inkling of how much her mother had left her, but his sources told him the number was high, very high.

“He knew how much I love children,” Mia said on a sob. “I would have liked to meet Lily.” Suddenly she gulped and her eyes went dead. “I guess he thought I’d hurt—”

Caleb waited, curious about the comment.

Mia paused, licked her lips, then continued in a quieter voice, “Harlan said he never wanted to have children.”

“Judging by the amount of attention he paid Lily, I’m guessing that part was true.” Caleb frowned. I’d hurt—? Mia wouldn’t hurt a flea. He knew that for certain, though how he knew it was a question he’d ask himself later.

“If he didn’t want a child, then why—?” Her wounded voice died away.

“Maybe it was Reba’s idea. Maybe she hoped having Lily would solidify their relationship. Or maybe Lily was an accident.” He wanted to lift Mia’s spirits and wondered why it seemed so important to do that.

“I don’t believe any child is ever an accident,” Mia said firmly. “Every birth is a promise from God. I wish—I wish I could have a child.” She began to weep as though her heart was broken.

Caleb watched helplessly, thinking what a wonderful mother this caring woman would make. Somehow he knew that Mia was cut from the same cloth as his mother had been. Mia would welcome a child, make it feel loved, the most important person in her world. Mia would intrinsically know how and when to give a hug. Things Caleb lacked. Because of his father.

“May I give you some advice?” he asked when he couldn’t stand to watch her weep any longer.

“Of course.” Mia blinked away her sadness. Hope fluttered in its place.

“Harlan betrayed you. There’s nothing you can do about that. But he’s gone.” How odd it was to advise Mia to do what he couldn’t. “I’m sure you did your best to be his wife, but now you have to forget all the whys of the past and move on to what’s next.”

“What is next?” She frowned at him. “I doubt anything’s truly changed. I’ll continue designing. I like doing that. Maybe I’ll have some repairs done on the house if I can afford it.”

“Is that all?” Frustrated by her simple response, Caleb wanted Mia to widen her horizons, to think about the possibilities that could fill her life now.