Allison Leigh - Mother In A Moment

She sighed. Custody battles were never pretty.

“I haven’t lived here since I was fifteen,” he continued, “and those people who do remember me, don’t do it with fondness. So let’s just say that I’m not exactly overrun with friends I can count on to help me out.”

“Well, maybe the best answer is for their grandfather to have them,” Darby reasoned. “I’m sure your sister had her reasons for saying what she did, but if Mayor Carson wants them and you’re not equipped for caring for them— It’s nothing to be ashamed of, Garrett. The important thing here is the children’s welfare. Right?”

“She had good reasons.” A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Just because he’s mayor doesn’t mean he is a decent parent. Elise probably knew he’d ruin them just like he ruined us. There’s a custody hearing scheduled for next Wednesday to rule on the temporary order put in place when Elise died. At least help me out until then. It’s not even a week away.”

A week, she thought. What would one week mean?

A lot, her saner self argued. A person’s entire life could change in an instant. Compared to that, a week—six days, actually—could be an eternity.

“You don’t even know me,” she argued. “How do you know I won’t steal the silver or something while you’re at work?”

“It’s not my silver. House is rented, remember?”

She frowned.

“Molly Myers has already vouched for you. So has Laura Malone and everyone else I’ve spoken with. You may have only been in town a short while, but you’ve managed to make an impression.”

She stilled. “You’ve been checking on me.”

He didn’t deny it. “You’re living with Georgina Vansant. If that’s not a character reference, I don’t know what is. I’ve heard that she’s having some health problems right now, but I doubt if she’s suddenly begun suffering fools.”

“I don’t live with Georgie. She lets me stay in her gatehouse.” Insisted on it, in fact. Georgie thought that Darby needed the independence after all that had happened. Darby had offered to stay with her dear old aunt in Georgie’s beautiful main house, but she knew it made Georgie happier to think that she was getting her feet under her.

“Close enough. Six days, Darby. I’ll settle for that if it’s all I can get. Don’t do it for me, even. Do it for the kids.”

She pushed her tongue against her teeth. As a child she’d understood what it felt like to be a pawn in someone else’s chess game, and as far as she could tell, it seemed that Garrett and Caldwell were gearing up for a whale of a game. And the children, as always happened, would be the ones to suffer.

But their suffering would never be an issue if the accident hadn’t happened in the first place.

She sighed and looked up at him. Trouble, she reminded herself. Nothing but trouble. This man, no matter how fascinating his mossy-green eyes were, was undoubtedly one attractive bundle of trouble. Which is something she needed to avoid.

But she’d told him to put the children’s welfare first. Could she do less after what she’d caused?

She could handle a week, couldn’t she? She wouldn’t be foolish enough to lose her heart again to children that would never be hers. She certainly wouldn’t lose her heart to this man she wasn’t sure she even liked.

“Would you need someone from say, nine to five?” she asked rather desperately. “Or earlier? Children can wake very early and perhaps you’d need someone—”

“Around the clock,” he said smoothly. “That wouldn’t be a problem, would it? You said you’re not encumbered with a relationship.”

She frowned. “That isn’t the point, Garrett. I can’t…live with you.” Not even for six days.

“Why not? My business keeps me busy enough that I’m hardly around anyway.”

“You’ve taken on responsibility for five children,” she countered warily. “Surely you plan to be around some?”

“The children will be provided for. I can afford it.”

“But will they be loved?” She closed her hand over his arm. “Garrett, if you don’t plan to love those kids, why on earth are you rearranging everyone’s lives so you can keep them, when your father is obviously willing to do so himself?”

He looked at her hand on his arm, and she followed his gaze. His arm was roped with muscle and tendon and was as warm as the sunshine. She dropped her hand, curling her fingers against the tingle that lingered.

He was silent for a moment. “Because I stood over my sister’s fresh grave yesterday and promised her that I would not fail her.”

Suddenly her heart ached. Simply ached. “She knew that. Before she—” She swallowed. “Elise said you always kept your promises.”

A shadow came and went in his eyes. “Then help me not fail her kids,” he said simply.

Her resolve swayed. Maybe she did like him. A little. “All right,” she gave in. “But only until next Wednesday.”

His smile wasn’t wide. It wasn’t gloating or triumphant or anything else she might have expected in the face of her agreement. What it was, she decided, was a crinkle beside his eyes. A look that said thanks.

A look that would disappear should he ever learn that three people had died—including his own sister—because of Darby’s presence in Fisher Falls.

By the time Darby pulled her car to a stop at the curb in front of Garrett’s house later that evening, she had convinced herself that she’d made a monumental error in judgment.

She hadn’t even been able to talk it over with Georgie. When she’d gone up to the house to see her, Georgie had been sleeping, thanks to the latest round of meds she was receiving for her condition. So she’d had to content herself with leaving a note for Georgie with her homecare nurse.

For now Darby was on her own with this decision.

She looked at Garrett’s house and feared she’d decided badly.

Why on earth had she agreed to this? Six days, six hours, six minutes. It was all too much for her to contemplate. To stay in that house there, with the golden light spilling from the front picture window, for even the shortest period of time was only asking for trouble.

Her boss, Molly, hadn’t exactly been delighted, either, when Darby had requested the necessary days off from work. Smiling Faces was at its capacity, and extra staff simply wasn’t available. But Molly had softened when Darby had admitted that she was trying to help out the Northrop children. She’d even looked at Darby with a speculative look that Darby had had no trouble deciphering.

She’d seen that look often enough in Georgie’s eyes, too. Whenever she started thinking of suitable male companions for Darby, her eyes turned sparkly and sly. If Darby had been able to talk the situation over with her elderly aunt, Georgie would have probably been delighted.

Frankly, she didn’t need Molly or Georgie conjuring notions of Darby and Garrett. It would be ridiculous. Even if the situation weren’t what it was, Darby was not in the market for a man. She had enough on her plate just keeping herself focused, thank you very much. She had no desire to offer her heart up on a chopping block again. The last time she’d done so, two years earlier, had been her final graduate course in that foolishness. She’d finally learned her lesson.

She looked at Garrett’s house again. She blew out a noisy breath and pushed open her car door, reaching in the backseat for the overnight bag she’d packed. She slung the strap over her shoulder. The bag didn’t weigh a lot. She didn’t need much, after all. Six days spent taking care of children didn’t require much fanciness in the fashion arena.

She had barely started up the sidewalk leading to the house when she heard a baby’s infuriated yowl. She hurried her pace, bounding up the steps to the screen door. She lifted her hand to knock, then jumped back when the door flew open.