Deep Dixie (41 page)

“
Back?
”
Momma clutched at his arm.
“
Where?
”

“
I
’
m not sure yet.
”
He dragged his knuckle under one eye then looked up.
“
She called the sawmill. They put her onto Carol, who referred her to my new lawyer.
”

“
That mystery man you went clear to Jackson to get?
”

“
Yeah.
”
Keeping Fulton
’
s identity a secret from Momma had presented its own unique set of problems, but Riley had managed.
“
This being Saturday, it
’
s not likely Marcia could get a hold of him today I may have to do some fancy footwork to track him down myself. So, I wanted to make you aware of all this before I tell him what to do should he hear from her.
”

“
Do? Riley, honey, you say that like he has choices.
”

“
He does. He can tell her we
’
ll see her in court or act as my representative and tell her what we want and what we expect of her and try to negotiate on my behalf, or...
”

He could hardly force enough air through his vocal chords to make the sound. His head was spinning as he contemplated what he must propose. He swallowed hard.

Fear and personal pain had no place here.
“
Or he can give her this address so she can come home to us, Momma.
”

“
There
’
s one other thing he can do, son. Something so obvious and simple, I can
’
t believe you
’
ve worked yourself into such a state and overlooked it.
”

He lifted his gaze to find his mother watching him with a sobering mix of resignation and resolution shining in her eyes.

“
He can ask her what she wants.
”

“
What?
”
Riley shook his head.

“
He can ask her what she wants, why she
’
s made contact now. It
’
s the most natural thing in
the world for him to do and if he is a good lawyer, he
’
ll know that. Until someone asks her what she wants, we really shouldn
’
t rush to any conclusions or let ourselves assume the worst.
”

“
What she wants? Momma, she got in touch because she saw one of those ads, the ones that we had to place to show we
’
d tried everything we could to reach her. Well, we
’
ve reached her.
”
He pulled his shoulders up, presenting a far more in-control facade than his inner turmoil should have warranted.
“
She
’
s coming back for Wendy, to make sure she doesn
’
t lose her forever.
”

“
You are a good man, Riley, my darling.
”
She wrapped both her hands around one of his.
“
Maybe too good.
”

He snorted out a soft laugh.
“
Now those are words I never thought I
’
d hear from you, Momma. Me? Too good? I thought I was a troublement, someone you still might need to take to the woodshed.
”

“
Don
’
t think I won
’
t if you do anything to risk Wendy
’
s adoption, including inviting your own sister to waltz back into our lives pretty as you please at this stage of the game.
”

“
Momma, I don
’
t understand.
”

“
Of course you don
’
t, because you don
’
t think like your sister does. You can
’
t.
”
She patted his hand.
“
You are trying to find a win/win situation where there just isn
’
t one to be had. You
’
re thinking there may still be some way this can work out so that everybody gets what he or she wants. But, son, Marcia, God bless her soul, does not deserve to get what she wants in this case. Not if what she wants hurts that precious little granddaughter of mine.
”

“
But it hurts Wendy not to see her mother, Momma, not to at least meet her and—
”

“
I
’
m not saying keep them apart forever. I am saying that if Marcia wants to stop you from adopting Wendy, from legalizing the reality that you are the only parent that child knows and trusts and has ever had to rely upon then Marcia will have to be disappointed.
”

He swallowed, which was hard to do around the lump in his throat.
“
That
’
s the last thing I expected you to say. The way you pray all the time for Marcia to come back—
”

“
To be a part of all our lives, Riley. Not so she can stake some kind of claim on Wendy or use that child to make herself feel better by toying at motherhood until she gets bored with it and runs off again.
”
The color had gone from Momma
’
s lips. They had grown as thin and tight as her grip on Riley
’
s hand.
“
I won
’
t let it happen and I want your word here and now that you won
’
t either.
”

Riley
’
s stomach lurched. Suddenly he wondered if he should have taken Carol
’
s advice and gathered whatever he could find to use against his sister. He met his mother
’
s gaze.
You
’
re a good man, Riley.
Her words rang again in his ears.

No, he
’
d followed the right course. Whatever the outcome he
’
d always be able to live with himself knowing that much remained true.
“
I won
’
t let that happen, Momma, I promise.
”

Chapter Sixteen

Riley sat on the elevated front porch of Dixie
’
s house. From the steps, he looked down the gentle sloping hill lined with huge trees and grand old houses, none of which were half as grand as the place he now called home. He could see where, three blocks away, South Dominion intersected Main Street and he realized that was the corner where Dixie had run the stop sign...or had he run it?

Looking back now, he couldn
’
t rightly say who
’
d been at fault. What he did know was that it didn
’
t really matter. What did matter was that they
’
d made good of the situation.

Of course, he wasn
’
t thinking about the stop sign incident at all. He stretched his legs out and shut his eyes to let the late winter sun warm him. No, it wasn
’
t the stop sign encounter on his mind. It was Dixie and how much she had come to mean to him. And he was thinking of Marcia.

Finding fault with Marcia now served no purpose but to feed his anger and justify his anxiety. He smiled. Leave it to Momma to be so right and so wise. He would just have to stay firm in his conviction to protect Wendy. And he would do that by waiting and seeing what Marcia wanted, all the while trusting and praying that God
’
s will would prevail. On that basis, no matter what, all would be well.

He opened his eyes just as Dixie pulled the car into the long, slanted driveway She gave him a wave and drove around to the back, presumably to let the older ones out nearest the back door
.
Spry as Smilin
’
Bob might be, he walked down the steps of the big house much more easily than he could walk up them again.

Riley considered going inside to greet them but suddenly his legs felt too heavy to move, his seat on the cold stone steps too comfy to leave. Secretly, he hoped that if he lingered here long enough Dixie would come to him. Riley wanted a moment alone with Dixie before he took charge of everyone and gave her the privacy she needed to speak to Lettie about the findings in the family Bible.

A moment alone with Dixie. A new energy surged through him at the possibility of that small thing. His heart pounded, dull and hard, as he thought of her seeking him out. Now that he
’
d found a tentative peace, now that he knew he could and would handle whatever came his way, he felt as though he would see Dixie for the first time with his mind clear and his spirit sound. He leaned back and pictured her dark hair falling over her strong shoulders, a smile—or a double-edged remark—ever at the ready on her full lips.

Suddenly, his own words came back to haunt him: Momma, you
’
ve got this all wrong. I do not love Dixie Fulton-Leigh. That is, I am not in love with her. Sure I find her attractive, compelling, funny, exciting, but love?

“
Yes,
love
.
”
Hearing himself murmur the word out loud made it all the more real. He couldn
’
t deny it any longer. He loved Dixie. He
’
d known it for some time now. What was more, Riley suspected she loved him as well.

Even now, he could hear Dixie
’
s reasoned response to their kiss as clear as day
“
We
’
re living under the same roof. Our businesses are interdependent. Our families have come to care and count on one another. We can
’
t lay all that on the line for some misplaced romantic notions... What if it didn
’
t work out?
”

“
And what if it does?
”
He planted his feet on one step, laid his forearms across his thighs,
and leaned forward, his hands clasped.
“
What if it does?
”

“
What if what does, Daddy?
”
Wendy came tearing around the corner of the stairs and bounded up them. Baby Belle
’
s cloth arms and legs bounced wildly in every direction with each step until his darling daughter reached him, and Riley gathered her close to kiss her on the cheek.

“
What if...
”
He did not finish. He had no idea how to express this new, charged outlook to his child or if he should even try. When he heard a familiar humming growing closer, he grinned.
“
I thought you got something to eat at the drugstore.
”

“
We did.
”

He lifted Baby Belle and put her to his ear.
“
Then I think your dolly must have come down with the stomach flu or something, sweetheart. I just heard the awfullest tummy grumbling!
”

Dixie
’
s humming grew louder.

Wendy stopped to listen to Baby Belle
’
s stomach, her face a mask of motherly concern.

Completely unaware of Riley
’
s joking, Dixie strode into view, still humming as she walked to the front of the house from the garage. Riley enjoyed the view, enjoyed the way she carried herself like she knew who she was and where she was headed at all times without seeming arrogant or conceited. Of course, now that he
’
d let himself acknowledge how much he truly cared for her he would not have minded if Dixie had forgone that ladylike comportment to come running straight into his open arms.

Instead, she strolled up the walk. The humming quieted.

“
I don
’
t hear anything.
”
Wendy eyed him suspiciously.

“
Hmm, I must have been mistaken.
”

“
Then c
’
mon, Daddy, tell me what you were saying before,
”
Wendy demanded again.
“
What
if
?
”

“
Yeah, what if...
”
He focused his gaze on Dixie as she started up the steps toward him.