Lonestar Angel (30 page)

He put his finger to her lips. “We all mess up, honey. It wasn’t your fault.” He cupped her face in his palm. “I love you so much.”

When he moved to take her in his arms, she put her hand on his chest. “Love wasn’t enough before, Clay. What guarantee do we have that it will be enough this time?”

“There are no guarantees. We’ve both learned a lot, though. About each other, about patience, about give-and-take.”

She nodded. “I want to try.”

He couldn’t hold back the grin. “Quit changing the subject. Say it, Angel.”

A smile curved her lips, and she didn’t pretend not to understand him. “I love you, Clay Larson. I will until the day I die.”

The tension in her face drained, and she leaned over and offered him her lips. A gift he was happy to take.

Her eyes looked wide and aware. Eden glanced away from her image in the mirror and spit out the toothpaste. The mint taste cleared her head. She ran a brush through her hair. Her makeup was still on, but she didn’t want to take it off. Not tonight.

When she stepped into the hall, she saw Clay through the open bedroom door. He was sitting on the edge of the bed with his Bible in his hand. “Ready?” she asked.

He nodded and put the Bible aside. “Remember, not a word yet.”

“I know.” Everything in her longed to tell Lacie the truth.

The girls were all on India’s bed. It had taken awhile to calm them after the storm, though luckily they’d seen little of it from the cellar. The debris strewn around the yard had frightened them, so she and Clay had tried to make a game out of picking it up. They’d finally prayed with the girls, and the children began to lose their anxiety.

They had a stack of books scattered on the covers. Eden’s attention went straight to Lacie. Her Brianna. She drank in the little girl’s brown hair. Her light-brown eyes. They were blue the last time Eden had held her. Now that she knew, it seemed her daughter’s identity should have been clear instantly. The straightness of her hair was like Clay’s. The strength in her chin was her daddy’s too. Those cheeks were like Eden’s.

“Why are you staring, Miss Eden?” India asked. “Aren’t you going to read to us?”

Eden collected her wits. “Of course, honey. You’re all so pretty. I had to look, didn’t I?”

India giggled. “No one ever calls me pretty.”

When Eden sat on the edge of the bed, the little girl leaned her head against Eden’s arm. “Want me to take your ribbons out?” she asked.

India nodded. “I like it when you do my hair. It feels good.”

Eden exchanged a smile with Clay and saw his attention veer back to the child on her left. Brianna. It was going to be hard not to call Lacie by her real name. The amazement choked Eden. She took the ribbons out of India’s hair and released the braids. The black hair sprang from her head in all directions, and Eden began to brush it out. India didn’t complain at the tugging.

“What book are we reading tonight?” Clay asked, picking up the top one. “
The Cat in the Hat
?”

“We read that yesterday. Lacie wants
The Story of Ferdinand
.”

“Then that’s what we’ll read tonight. It is your turn, isn’t it?” Eden asked, touching her daughter on the head.

Her daughter. Were two words ever more beautifully paired? She hoped Clay could find his voice to read because she wasn’t sure she could. She finished India’s hair, then Lacie scooted closer. “You want to be next?” she asked. The little girl nodded with a shy smile.

“I’ll read,” Clay said, his voice husky.

Eden listened to him read the story of a misunderstood bull. Everyone thought Ferdinand was mean, but he’d only been stung by a bee. She smiled as the children gasped and felt sorry for Ferdinand. The intensity in their eyes held her enthralled. When had she last entered into something as completely as they did? Making her marriage work and being a mommy to Brianna were going to take a similar commitment.

She ran her hand along the silken curtain of her daughter’s hair. Though it wasn’t red, the way she’d thought it would be, it was so beautiful. And hers. Hers and Clay’s. They’d made this child together and she bore their imprint in her features. It was right and good that they picked up the pieces and went on. Brianna deserved a whole family. Clay deserved a wife who tried with all her heart. God was telling her what to do, but she was still so afraid.

“Time for prayers, then bed,” Clay said, shutting the book.

They held hands in a circle on the bed. Eden clasped India’s hand in her right and Madeline’s in her left. The girls’ eyes were closed and she took the moment to gaze at each one of them. All so individual. All so precious.

Clay shut his eyes. “God, thank you for keeping us safe from the tornado today. Thank you for each one of these girls. Thank you for bringing them into our lives. We love each and every one of them, as we know you do too. Keep them safely in your hands. In Jesus’s name. Amen.”

“Amen,” she echoed. She kissed soft cheeks as she tucked them into bed. Clay shut off the light and closed the door partway behind them. It was too soon to go to bed.

“Want something to drink?” she asked Clay, heading to the kitchen.

“I’ll take some tea,” he said, following her. “Any of those chocolate chip cookies left?”

She nodded to the cabinet by the sink. “I hid some on the top shelf just for you.”

“What a wife.” He grinned and opened the door. “In this?” He indicated a plastic container.

“That’s it.” She took out glasses. “Maybe milk since we have cookies?”

“Sounds good.”

Still not ready to face his eyes, she poured milk into the glasses.

“Honey, are you mad about something?”

Heat rushed to her face. “Of course not. I . . . I’m just feeling a little overwhelmed by everything that happened today.”

He was smiling, oh so tenderly. She drank in the expression on his face. She wanted to believe his love, longed to put away all doubts. Dropping her gaze, she took a cookie from the container and bit into it. The chocolate hit her taste buds and the sugar gave her courage. She smiled back at him, daring to let her feelings show.

He stopped chewing. “I like that expression in your eyes. Could you look at me like that all the time?”

“Like what?” she asked, allowing her smile to widen.

“Like you might actually love me,” he said softly. “I know you said it earlier, but I’m having trouble believing it.”

She swallowed the last of her milk, then put down her glass. “I love you, Clay. So much it makes my chest hurt.”

The light in his eyes intensified. He stood, reaching out his hand for her to take it. She did, and he drew her close. Before she could say a word, he swept her into his arms and carried her from the room.

28

T
HE AROMA OF STRONG COFFEE MINGLED WITH THAT OF BACON
. E
DEN SMILED AT
C
LAY ACROSS
the kitchen table in the main house and prayed Allie and Rick didn’t notice any difference. If only she and Clay didn’t have things to do today, they could have spent the morning lying in bed and talking about the future. Last night had changed everything.

Rita dropped a skillet in the sink, and the bang roused Eden from her reverie. She rose and went to the coffeepot. “Thanks for making the coffee so strong this morning,” she told Rita.

“It’s your funeral,” Rita said, softening her words with a smile. She pointed to the coffee. “That stuff is going to kill you.” She gulped a pill down with water, carried a plate of bacon to Clay. Her smile widened, and she patted his shoulder.

“But what a way to go.” Eden hid a smile at the way Clay shifted. She poured cream into the strong brew and carried it back to the table. “We have something to tell you,” she said to the Baileys. She’d waited to bring it up until Zeke and Della were gone.

Allie pushed her empty plate away and dabbed at her mouth with the napkin. “What’s up?”

“We got the DNA results yesterday.” Goose bumps prickled the skin on Eden’s arms. What a miracle.

Allie looked at Rick, who was finishing his scrambled eggs. He put down his fork. “Which one is Brianna?”

“Lacie,” Clay said.

Allie exhaled. “I thought it would be Katie.”

“So did I,” Eden said. “But all the other girls were a zero. No chance of them being ours.”

“What was the figure for Lacie?” Rick asked.

“It’s 99.97 percent,” Clay said.

“So, no doubt.”

“No doubt,” Eden said, nodding.

“Did you tell her yet?” Allie asked.

Eden took a sip of coffee, then shook her head. “We weren’t sure how to do it. We don’t want her upset. And how should we handle it? Talk to Child Protective Services first?”

Rick tossed his napkin onto the table. “I’ll give them a call. I know the director.”

Allie’s eyes were moist. “Oh, Eden, such wonderful news! No wonder you’re glowing this morning. I noticed it right off.”

A blush heated Eden’s cheeks, and she didn’t dare look at Clay. “It feels too good to be true. I looked her over last night. I should have seen the resemblance to Clay right away. For some reason, we thought she’d look like me. But her eyes and chin are Clay’s.”

“And dark hair like him,” Rita put in.

“Exactly. No red hair like mine.” Eden tucked a lock behind her ear.

“A little Clay. How cute,” Allie said.

“We don’t know what the next step is,” Clay said.

“I would imagine you’ll have to petition the courts for custody and prove you’re her parents,” Rick said.

Clay frowned, his eyes clouding. “That will take a legal DNA test, I would imagine. We’ll have to go to a collection place.”

Eden’s elation ebbed. “Is there any doubt?”

Clay slipped his arm around the back of her chair and smiled. “No, honey. No doubt. The test is the same, but for the court they want no doubt that the sample wasn’t tampered with.”

The ardor in his eyes warmed her. And she loved it when he called her
honey
. “When can we get the process in motion?”

“Let me find out.” Rick went to the kitchen phone and dialed. He stepped from the room and his voice faded to a dull murmur.

“I really want to tell Lacie,” Eden said.

“Maybe it will be allowed. Rick will find out,” Allie said. She rose and began to collect the dirty dishes.

Eden stood to help her, though she would rather have stayed with Clay’s arm around her. “Sister Marjo is coming today to see Lacie, right? Maybe we can find out more about the way she was found on the church steps.”

“She’s due here at noon,” Allie said, stooping to load the dishwasher.

A crash made both women jump. Eden whirled to see Rita stooping to pick up glass shards on the floor.

“Wet hands,” Rita said. “I should have dried them before I tried to carry the glasses.” She glanced at Allie. “Have you met Sister Marjo? It’s not common for the kids to get visitors. What’s that all about?”

Allie stooped to help her pick up the glass. “I’m not sure. I guess she sees Lacie once a month and didn’t want to let the tradition falter. The two seem very close.”

“So you haven’t met her?” Eden asked.

“No. But I feel as though I know her. Lacie talks about her all the time.”

Eden turned when Rick stepped back into the kitchen. “Well?”

He went to pour another cup of coffee. “I was right. You’ll need to petition the court. And provide the backstory of how your daughter was kidnapped. You’ll need to submit to legal testing too.”

“How long will all that take?” Clay asked.

“Several months is my best guess. The tests should come back fairly quickly, but you’ll need to wait on a court date.”

“Can we tell her before?” Eden longed to see Lacie’s reaction when she found out she had a real home.

Rick took a sip of coffee. “I wouldn’t. It might make the wait unbearable for her.”

It was already unbearable for Eden. “She won’t have to go back to her foster parents, will she?”

“Maybe. The director was unclear on that point. You can ask for a court date as quickly as possible. This will be an unusual case, so I’m guessing media attention will be strong. That might be enough to get them to move faster on it.”