Chapter 17

Two days later, Corina Dalton received a notice from the Faulkner County Courthouse to appear before the judge to officially cede custody of her daughter. She read the letter and then threw up her hands in glee and began dancing around the apartment, shouting, "I'm free, I'm free. I'm free at last."

This cleared the way for her job on the cruise ship and cut the last link she'd had to Clyde. It would be like before she ever met him. No Clyde. No kid.

To celebrate, she made an appointment at a hair salon to get her hair and nails done, and maybe she needed a new outfit, too. She didn't want to look like white trash. It never occurred to her that every nuance of her existence was a symbol of that phrase.

The only downside would be having to face Wiley Pope. He had a hair-trigger temper and was as unpredictable as they come. She was a little bit afraid of him, but confident that nothing would happen in the judge's chambers, and when it was over, she'd never have to see him again.

***

Wiley received a notice to appear on the same day and immediately contacted Ray Greeley, his lawyer in Conway, and agreed to meet outside the judge's office before the hearing. In four days, he would officially become Ava's legal guardian. As soon as he got the notice, he chartered a chopper to fly him to Conway on that day, then went to talk to the chief.

Sonny Warren was at his desk, gathering up notes for the morning briefing when Wiley knocked.

Sonny waved him in. "Morning, Wiley. What's up?"

"I just received papers about the court hearing for my guardianship of Ava. I need next Monday off."

"Done, and none too soon," Sonny said. "I've held my breath, wondering what fresh hell that woman might come up with before this was made final."

"As have I," Wiley said. "I've chartered a helicopter. The hearing is at eleven a.m. I'll be there and back in time for supper and on the job bright and early Tuesday morning."

Sonny blinked. "Can you afford that?"

"I have friends," Wiley said.

Sonny laughed. "Let me guess. You have a cousin somewhere."

Keeping the family secret about being the owners of the entire town of Jubilee was nonnegotiable. Every business owner knew the land and buildings, along with a share of the profits, belonged to PCG Inc. But only family knew that PCG stood for Pope, Cauley, and Glass , and that every family member on the mountain received sizable quarterly dividends, which were banked in a different city and in a different bank.

"Something like that," Wiley said. "Besides, Ava is worth it."

"She's settling in then, I take it?"

Wiley nodded. "Linnie and me and Ava make three. They're my ride or dies. Thanks, Chief. See you in the briefing room."

Sonny smiled to himself as he watched Wiley walk out, remembering how pretty Shirley Pope was when they were in school together, and how crushed he'd been when she married and moved away. Whatever hell she'd gone through in life, the Pope gene held true. She had raised four of the finest men he'd ever met.

***

Linette got off work before Wiley and picked Ava up and took her home.

After a short burst of chatter in which Ava told Linette everything she'd done in the day, she went outside to play on the swings.

Linette could see her through the windows as she worked, and marveled at Ava's continuing transformation. She was gaining weight, her skin and hair looked healthy now, and the most important change of all was Ava's manner. She didn't hide in the shadows. She wasn't afraid to speak up. She was learning to give hugs and kisses first, instead of tolerating the reception of them from other people. She was happy, and it showed. And for Linette, who dealt with sick and suffering children all day long, coming home to this child was like a breath of fresh air.

While she was peeling potatoes, her phone rang. She glanced down at caller ID and then quickly wiped her hands to answer.

"Mom! I'm so glad you called," she said.

Just hearing her daughter's voice always made Angela Elgin smile.

"Well, I'm calling to find out more about this Wiley Pope. Your texts are full of him and Ava."

"He's fabulous. She's adorable. I love them so much. How's Dad?"

Angela laughed. "Did you just change the subject?"

"Maybe," Linette said. "All I'm going to say about them is if you want to meet them before the wedding, then you'd best find time to pay a visit. We don't have a spare room, so book a room in one of the hotels, and let me know so I can take off a couple of days while you're here."

Angela gasped! "Wedding! I didn't know things had gone that far!"

Linette sighed. "I have loved him since the moment I saw him. We had one date that went haywire, and then no contact with each other, which was all my doing, until that attempted bank robbery."

"That was horrifying, but how was he connected to—"

"He's the one who stopped the robbers. He saved our lives and took a bullet in the chest for his troubles. I thought I was watching him die, and then I realized he was wearing body armor. Long story short, he proposed on our second date. I do not want to do life without him. Ava came later. We're already a family. He's in the process of becoming her legal guardian. Once all that's done, then we come next."

Angela was silent for a moment. "Understood, and I'm happy for you. Does he have family in the area?"

Linette laughed. "A whole mountain full, plus a bunch in the valley. He's one of four brothers. One's a policeman like him. One is the head pastry chef at the Serenity Inn, and the other one is an IT specialist. His mother was a Pope, as in Pope Mountain… Remember it from when we came here on vacation?"

"Oh, my goodness. Well, then I won't worry about you not having family close by anymore," her mother said.

"You and Dad are retired. I'm not. So, you two have to come see me." Then she glanced out the window and saw Ava limping toward the house. "Gotta go. Looks like Ava needs me. Love you."

She disconnected and hurried outside. "Honey, did you hurt yourself?

"Something's in my shoe," Ava said.

"We probably should have changed from sandals to sneakers," Linette said as she picked her up. "Let's get in out of the sun and see what's happened."

They were coming in the back door as Wiley was coming in the front.

"I'm home!" Wiley shouted.

"We're in the kitchen," Linette said as she sat Ava on the island and began taking off her shoe.

Wiley walked into the room just as Linette dropped the little sandal on the floor.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Something hurts my foot," Ava said.

"It's a little pebble," Linette said as she brushed it off the bottom of Ava's foot. Then she took off the other sandal and brushed the bottom of that foot, too, making sure it was okay. "How about you play inside barefoot for a while?"

Ava nodded. "Miss Mattie took off her shoes so her feet could take a breath."

Wiley grinned. "Miss Mattie was a wonder. She took good care of you, didn't she, Sister?"

Ava nodded. "Sometimes I got the last bite."

"Thank God for Miss Mattie," Linette muttered, and brushed sweaty curls off Ava's forehead.

Wiley lifted Ava down from the counter. "Go tell Pinky about your day. I need to change out of my uniform."

"Okay, Bubba," Ava said, and ran out of the room.

Linette immediately turned and wrapped her arms around Wiley's neck. "Welcome home, my love," she said, then kissed him.

His hands slid around her waist, then down her hips, pulling her closer. She was in his blood, and he had things to share.

"The guardianship thing is happening. I'm flying to Conway on Monday. I chartered a chopper. The hearing is at eleven a.m. One last face-to-face with Corina, and then she's out of our lives forever," he said.

Linette blinked. "You can afford to do that?"

"Yes, and darlin', once we say, ‘I do,' I have a story to share."

"More secrets?" she said.

"Only one, but it's a good one. Let me get changed, and I'll help you with supper."

Linette cupped the side of his face. "Well, however you get to Conway, this is great news."

"The best," Wiley said, and then bolted out of the room just like Ava had, only with longer, louder steps.

Linette shook her head. "Two peas in a pod," she muttered, and went back to peeling potatoes, but as soon as he returned, the first thing she told him was about her mother's call.

"I told her if they wanted to meet you before the wedding, they had to come here. They're retired. We're busy. She laughed."

"Are they coming?" Wiley asked.

"I'm sure they will, but I also told them to book a room at one of the hotels because we don't have an extra bedroom, which is, for us, a blessing. Dad's a control freak, and Mom enables him. It works for them, but by the time I was fourteen, it was driving me crazy. I love them to death, but I could never be married to a man like my father."

Wiley rolled his eyes. "I get it. Most boys want to be just like their fathers. I wanted mine to disappear. Anyway, I can't wait to meet them. If they made you, then they're fine with me. Now, what are we doing with this hamburger meat?"

"The decision has yet to be made. But something that goes with potatoes, because Ava wanted potatoes like Bubba makes, which I take to mean fried potatoes."

Wiley smirked. "Yeah, fried potatoes are my thing. See, B.J. has nothing on me. Just because he can turn cake into art doesn't make him the only brother who can cook. How do you feel about plain hamburger steaks?"

"I have a deep fondness for beef in all incarnations. Do we have Worcestershire sauce?"

"Yes."

"Then do the patties. I'll douse mine with the sauce and pretend it's a rib eye."

"And I'll call mine a T-bone. For Ava, it's just burglar meat dipped in ketchup."

Linette laughed, and the sound carried through the house and down the hall into Ava's room, where Ava had Phillip the squirrel, Teddy the bear, and Pinky the doll lined up on her pillow and was sitting on the bed beside them, reading aloud when she heard Linette laugh.

She paused in the middle of a sentence, looked up at the open doorway, and listened.

That is a happy laugh. Not a mean one like when Corina made fun of me. Bubba kept his promise not to yell. Linnie is his almost wife. Almost like a mommy. I have a family now. Corina is an ass.

Satisfied with the security she felt, Ava looked down at her book and picked up where she'd left off.

***

Wiley tucked Ava into bed Sunday night, then sat down beside her.

"I have to go to work really early tomorrow, so you'll still be asleep when I leave. Linnie will take you to Dani's house like always, and I'll be home in the evening like always, okay?"

"Why do you have to go early?" she asked.

"Oh, it's a very important meeting. I'll tell you all about it when I get home. Go to sleep, honey. Everything is fine and you're safe. I love you."

She blinked. "Because you wanted me, right?"

"Yes. Because I wanted you."

She snuggled a little deeper into the covers. "I wanted you, too," she whispered, and closed her eyes.

Wiley got up and turned out the lights, leaving her in shadows. But for the tip of her head, the covers had swallowed her. She was already disappearing before his eyes.

Linette was in the shower across the hall. Wiley went into the bedroom, locked the door behind him, and stripped as he headed for the bathroom.

The room was warm and steamy. The shower doors were covered in condensation as he pushed them aside and walked in behind her.

Linette felt a waft of air and turned around. Her body was slick with soap as he took the cloth from her hands and stepped beneath the spray with her.

With the water pummeling them from head to toe, he took the cloth and slowly began to wipe the soap from her skin.

"Close your eyes," he whispered.

Linette grabbed hold of his shoulders and felt her world go dark. Her senses became focused on nothing but his touch and the swipe of the cloth, wiping off the soap on her face and her neck, moving down like an avalanche, from her breasts to her stomach, to the valley between her legs.

She shuddered and then moaned and held on tighter as her forehead dropped against his shoulder, then, Oh God , he slid his hands around her hips. Cupped his palms against her backside, then slid the washcloth through the downpour from the showerhead, all the way up the length of her back until every inch of her body was free of soap.

"Wiley," she moaned.

"I know, darlin'," he whispered.

He'd washed her clean and then set her on fire.

Water was dripping from their bodies when he carried her to the bed.

"Wet," she mumbled.

"Yes, you are," he whispered, and slid between her legs.

***

Wiley left them both sleeping and was out the door before daybreak. He headed for the heliport, stopping at Granny Annie's Bakery on the way for coffee and a sausage biscuit. It never paid to go to war on an empty stomach, and that's how it felt, knowing he was going to have to deal with Corina Dalton again.

He ate on the way to the helipad and finished his coffee in his SUV as he waited for the chopper to arrive, and when it did, it appeared with the sunrise, coming over the mountain and down into the valley like a dragonfly coming to land upon a pond.

As soon as it was down, he started toward it at a jog, jumped into the open bay, and slid the door shut behind him.

"Morning, Mr. Pope," the pilot said. "Conway, Arkansas, still the destination?"

"Yes, it is," Wiley said. He settled into a seat behind the pilot and buckled in.

The chopper rose, hovered for a second, then shot forward in an easterly direction, and they were gone. Wiley had a brief glimpse of the roof of their house before they flew out of sight.

***

It was hot and windy on the morning of the hearing, and the air conditioner in Corina Dalton's car wasn't working. By the time she pulled into the parking lot of the Faulkner County Courthouse and got inside, half her makeup had melted off her face and the hairdo she'd spent money on looked like it had been sucked backwards into a vacuum hose.

She had to pass through security in that condition before she could get to a bathroom to repair the damage, and it did nothing to ease the knot in her stomach. She had finally faced her truth. She was afraid of Wiley Pope. What he might say. What he might do.

The only hold she had over him was guessing how much he wanted what she'd given up. But she had no idea what Ava had been telling him, and she might be in deeper trouble than she knew.

It was a quarter to eleven when she reached the judge's quarters. Her lawyer, Frank Ashton, was waiting. He had a spot on his tie, and he'd combed his hair with his fingers. She knew, because his hair was oily enough that it had not fallen back into place, and she could see the grooves where his fingers had been. But she'd paid him with sex, her only commodity, and had no room to complain.

She sat down on the bench beside him. "Do they call us in or what?"

"No, we can go in. I was waiting for you," Ashton said.

"Is he already here?" she asked.

"If you are referring to a black-haired giant of a man in gray slacks and a white long-sleeved shirt, then maybe."

She grimaced, and when he opened the door for her, she led with her chin and strode in like she owned the place. She caught a glimpse of Wiley from the corner of her eye, but refused to make eye contact as she sat down. Ashton informed the secretary they were present, and then joined her.

***

Wiley looked up as the door opened, and within seconds, he felt her fear and knew it was still nothing to the extent of fear she'd put in her child. Moments later, the secretary buzzed the judge's office to let him know all parties had arrived, and they were escorted in.

There were four chairs, placed in groups of two, in front of the judge's desk. Corina and Ashton sat in one group, Wiley and Ray Greeley in the other.

Judge Beale had read all of the paperwork regarding both parties. On paper, the mother had offered no hardship reasons other than that she didn't want the child, and the half brother's immediate willingness to take her to raise was commendable.

He had Corina Dalton's rap sheet and Wiley Pope's résumé, his commendations, which were many, and a glowing letter of recommendation from his chief of police. He also knew that Wiley Pope and Ava Dalton were the children of one Clyde Wallace, a convicted murderer now residing in a state-run Arkansas prison.

Beale was a God-fearing man who kept his personal life within the teaching of the Holy Bible, but he was also a man who did not believe that the sins of a father should be carried upon the shoulders of his children and was reserving judgment until meeting them face-to-face.

And then they walked into his office.

The Dalton woman appeared nervous, but angry.

But he couldn't read Wiley Pope.

And so he began.

"I am Judge Beale. You have both come before me with a common interest. The well-being of a seven-year-old girl named Ava Joy Dalton." He turned his gaze to Corina. "Miss Dalton. It is ‘Miss,' right?"

Corina's face flushed. "Yes, Your Honor."

"Will you please tell the court why you wish to give up all rights to your daughter, Ava?"

"Yes, Your Honor. Miss Mattie, her regular babysitter died. I didn't have anyone to watch her while I worked. Miss Mattie watched her for free. I can't afford to pay, and I'm leaving the first of September to go to work on a cruise line. I had to do something, so asking her half brothers to help was my solution. And I'll be honest, Judge. I never wanted kids."

Judge Beale turned to Wiley.

"Mr. Pope, what prompted you to make this offer?"

Every muscle in Corina's body went on alert, but she stayed silent. No matter what he said, she couldn't be forced to keep Ava if she wanted to give her up.

Wiley knew she was worried, but he wasn't about to sugarcoat anything.

"We didn't know we had a half sister until Corina showed up at the police station where my brother Aaron and I are officers in the Jubilee PD. She came to file charges against Aaron for abandonment of her and her child. She told our police chief that Aaron was the father and had skipped town and changed his name to hide from her and pulled out a DNA report she'd had made on Ava when she was just a baby. Aaron didn't know who she was, but I did. I knew she was one of our father's side pieces.

"I told our chief right then that Ava was likely related, but she'd be our half sister, not Aaron's child. At first, all I felt was anger on my brother's behalf, and then I saw the child Corina had dragged into the station with her. She was bone-thin, pale, shaking and covered in bruises, and so quiet I hadn't even noticed she was there. Later, I found out that was one of Ava's behaviors when she wanted to disappear. When grown-ups yell and throw things, she told me, she just gets really quiet, and then they can't see her anymore."

The judge gave Corina a look, then refocused on Wiley. "Please continue, Mr. Pope."

Wiley nodded. "While everyone else was dealing with accusations and DNA reports and researching the parents' names on Ava's birth certificate, I took her to the break room to get something to eat. She inhaled a doughnut and a carton of milk so fast she didn't even chew. I took a picture of her then. I've taken several pictures since. They are in the file you were given. At first, she wouldn't talk, and she didn't want to be touched. It broke my heart. I asked her what she wanted most in the world. It was the first time she looked me square in the eyes. She said, ‘A bed and a pillow,' and that she'd never had one. I told her we were brother and sister and asked her would she like to live with me."

Beale was stunned. He'd heard a lot of stories in his life, but this was a hard one.

"Why did you not bring her with you today?" he asked.

"Because the entire first week Ava was with me, her biggest fear was doing something wrong that would make me give her back to Corina, and those were her words, not mine. My concerns weren't just for her emotional well-being. I was concerned about what she'd gone through physically, too. I asked her if the random people Corina left her with had ever hurt her or touched her when they shouldn't. She assured me that they had not, and they mostly just ignored her. I asked her about the bruises, and if Corina hurt her. She said sometimes Corina threw stuff at her, and that it hurt, but it never bled. The fact that her point of reference for being abused had to do with how much you bleed nearly killed me. And bringing her back here today would have destroyed her faith in me. I promised to keep her safe. I promised to love her forever, and I do. We all do. My brothers. My mother, and me."

Beale jumped on the reference to Clyde Wallace's wife. "Your mother has no problem with the child belonging to another woman?"

Wiley looked back at the judge. "Why would she? We all belong to the man she married. She's the first one I called. She's the one who urged me to follow my heart and said she'd back me all the way. Ava calls her Grammy now."

Corina shifted nervously in her seat and stared at the floor.

"Does Ava ask about Corina?" Beale asked.

"No. She talks about Miss Mattie. She always refers to her old babysitter as ‘Miss Mattie, who dropped dead.' But she does not inquire about Corina. She does ask from time to time if I'm still gonna keep her."

"Are you married, Mr. Pope?" Beale asked.

"I have a fiancée. Her name is Linette Elgin. She's a nurse on the children's ward at the hospital in Jubilee. She and Ava bonded instantly. She has fulfilled Ava's desire for the mommy she never had, and I have stepped in as the daddy figure. The first thing Ava asked me was could she call me Daddy? I would have given the world to say yes, but I explained how that wouldn't work because we are brother and sister. So, we are Linnie and Bubba to her, and I will die on that hill and dare anyone to knock me off it."

Wiley didn't know there were tears in his eyes until his lawyer handed him a handkerchief.

Judge Beale shifted focus back to Corina.

"Do you have anything you want to add?"

Her face was expressionless, her voice as cold as the heart within her. "No. I don't want the kid. I'm willing to give up custodial rights."

Beale said nothing more as the papers that took away Corina's rights to her child were signed and given back to her lawyer.

"Miss Dalton, the fact that no one has pressed charges against you does not make you innocent. If you ever show up in my courtroom again, I will remember you."

Then the papers giving Wiley Pope full custody and legal guardianship of Ava Dalton were signed and given back to his lawyer.

"Mr. Pope, I saw the pictures. I commend you on your desire to do the right thing for your sister and to want the best for her. I have every faith that will be so. I wish you and your family the best." He cleared his throat, then gave Wiley a long look. "If only every lost child had a bed and a pillow, and a brother like you. You are both dismissed."

Corina snatched the papers from Frank Ashton's hands and walked out without a word.

Wiley took the papers Ray Greeley gave him. "Thank you, Judge Beale. Thank you," he said, and then they left the courthouse.

Greeley went one way, and Wiley took an Uber another. He had something to pick up before he left.

***

They had a tailwind in the chopper flying back to Jubilee and arrived fifteen minutes faster than the trip out. He thanked the pilot, then walked back to his SUV. He got in and watched the chopper as it lifted off and disappeared. The silence wrapped around him like a hug as he reached for the phone and sent Linette a text.

I'm back. No challenges. She's ours. Corina didn't even blink. I'll pick Ava up. I need to hug her…and you…so tight. See you at the house. We're going out to eat tonight. We have much to celebrate. Love you.

Linette got the text, sent him back a big heart emoji, and glanced at the clock. Her shift was almost over, and it was a good day.

The monkey was off Wiley's back.

***

Wiley rang the doorbell at Dani's, and as he waited, he heard little footsteps running toward the door. Then it opened and Ava threw herself into Wiley's arms.

"Bubba! I didn't see you all day!"

He swung her up and hugged her, then kicked the door shut behind him. "I know!" he said, then heard music coming from the kitchen and danced her up the hall toward the sound, with Ava giggling in his arms.

Dani heard all the merriment and turned toward the doorway as Wiley two-stepped in with Ava stuck to him like a little monkey, and thought, The joy on their faces is a beautiful thing.

"So, little brother, you look happy today," she said.

"Best day ever," he said, and put Ava down. "Go get your stuff, sugar. Linnie will be home soon, and we're going out to eat tonight."

"Yay!" Ava said, and flew out of the room.

Dani arched an eyebrow. "So?"

"I just flew in from Conway. The guardianship hearing was today. Ava's mine. Signed, sealed, and delivered. Corina Dalton is now nothing but a bad memory."

Dani clapped her hands. "Oh my lord! This is wonderful news! Ava is such a precious little soul. Thank God she's safe. You are her hero. I'm so proud of you and so happy to be a part of her life."

"You've helped tremendously," Wiley said. "I couldn't have done my job as easily as I have been without knowing she was with someone I trusted."

"And I will continue to do so," Dani said. "It won't be long before school starts. You'll be dropping her off at school instead of at my house, but I'll be there for her every day and bring her home with me until you're both off work."

Ava came running back into the room with her backpack hanging off one shoulder and Pinky tucked under her arm.

"I'm ready, Bubba! Bye, Dani. See you tomorrow."

"Where's my goodbye hug?" Dani asked.

"I'm a-holdin' it," Ava said, and opened her arms as Dani leaned over for a quick hug and kiss.

"Thank you for being such a good helper today," Dani said.

Ava beamed, and then she went out the door talking, telling Wiley all about her day.