Chapter Two

Nicole’s shoulders slumped as she watched Dr. Morgan stride away from Grace House. It took her a few minutes to believe he was as cruel and insensitive as Vicky had made him out to be. The hurt and sadness in his dark chestnut eyes had tugged at her heart, but his terse words had taken her aback. She didn’t care if he did help the less fortunate. That didn’t give him the authority to upset his son. Vicky had been right, the man was nothing short of a bully—one who expected all members of his family to follow his every whim and do his bidding.

Her heart beat triple time as she climbed the stairs. Not from exertion, but from the thought of Joshua being dragged away the next day. His mother’s death had devastated him. Having FAS, Joshua’s long and short term memory recall weren’t very good. With each passing day of Dr. Morgan’s absence, Joshua’s memory of his father faded a little more. And Vicky hadn’t seemed to want Joshua to remember anyway. Now when Joshua needed those memories of his father the most, they were gone. What a mess.

When she entered Joshua’s room, she found the little guy crouched in a corner, chewing on his fingernails. She sat on his bed and patted the mattress. “Joshua, would you like to sit next to me?”

He nodded and scurried out of the corner to snuggle against her side. He dropped his head onto her lap. “Mommy’s not coming back.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement. “I’ll stay here with Miss ’Cole.”

Joshua had it all figured out. She wished his father did. “Your mommy is with Jesus now and I’m sure she is happy that your daddy is here to take care of you.”

He turned his face into her lap and screamed. “I don’t want him. He’s not my dad. He’s not.”

Nicole ran her fingers through his soft locks and held back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes—the same chestnut eyes so much like his father’s. “Shh, Joshua, everything will be fine.”

The child flipped over and looked up at her, pleading with his red-rimmed eyes. “You won’t let him take me away? I’ll stay with you. Promise.” His frantic words tore at her heart. He sat up and wrapped his arms around her neck.

Ragged sobs shook the young boy’s body and it was more than she could handle. “I promise, Joshua. You can stay here at least for a week. You know how many days are in a week, right?”

He sat back and stared up into her face, sniffing back the tears. “A week?” He pondered that a few moments, then his face lit up. “Seven. Seven days in a week.” He was so proud of himself, he lay his head against her chest. “Seven. Seven. A long time.”

To a little boy maybe, but to her it wasn’t enough. Why had she let herself become so attached to this child and how could she possibly have made such a promise? If Dr. Morgan was as pig-headed as Vicky claimed then the promise would be broken. Joshua was too young to learn that people didn’t always follow through with their promises. Pain from her own troubled childhood ripped through Nicole. Memories of her father, dragging the family from town to town—always looking for that perfect job that never came his way.

As quickly as the chaotic thoughts of that time came, she shook them away. This had to be about Joshua, not her.

In less than twenty-four hours she had to talk the not-so-kind doctor into letting his son stay another week at Grace House. She raised her eyes heavenward and whispered, “I could use a little help here, Lord.”

Nicole stayed with Joshua until he fell asleep. Gently, she laid him on his bed and covered him up. Poor child, he’d really earned this nap. With light steps, she walked out of his room, down the stairs and into the kitchen. Regina Williams, co-owner and housekeeper, gave her a hard look from beneath her graying eyebrows. Her plump arms were crossed over her chest.

“Need to talk? Want some coffee?” the elderly woman asked.

Nicole slumped into a wooden kitchen chair. “Sounds good.”

Regina placed a piping hot mug on the table. The hazelnut brew steamed up and filled the air with its rich aroma. Nicole took a sip, and the warm liquid soothed her dry throat. “Thanks. I really needed this.”

“Bread?” Regina held up a couple of slices of homemade sourdough.

“Too many carbs.”

Regina plunked the bread on a plate and put a dollop of raspberry jelly on the side. Then she purposefully nudged the plate in front of Nicole. “A little thing like you doesn’t need to worry about carbs. Eat your bread and spread it good with that jelly. I saw you arguing with Dr. Morgan and if you plan to be sparring with him again you’ll need to keep your strength up.”

Nicole knew better than to say no to Regina. The older woman had come all the way from St. Louis with Nicole. They had a history: Regina had taken her in years ago when the older woman ran a boarding house in the city. She encouraged Nicole to become a teacher while the older woman took classes on counseling. Without Regina, who knows what Nicole’s life would have been like? Together they decided to move to Golden Ridge and open Grace House—the best decision they had ever made.

Nicole picked up a piece of bread and spread some jelly on it. “All right, but I wasn’t fighting with Dr. Morgan.”

“You weren’t? Well then, you better get your hearing checked ’cause that’s the loudest plain talking I’ve heard in a long time.”

Nicole tore a piece of bread off and popped it into her mouth. “He’s planning to leave Golden Ridge permanently.”

Regina pulled out a chair and sat down. “I know. Hard not to at the decibels you two were blowing. But there isn’t much you can do about that. He is Joshua’s father.”

A dull ache began to form behind Nicole’s eyes. She swallowed hard and leaned back. “He’s going to pick up Joshua tomorrow.”

“Uh-huh. I heard.”

“I promised Joshua he could stay a week.”

Regina pursed her lips. “It’s not like you to lie to anybody, let alone a child.”

Here it came, but Nicole knew she couldn’t do this without voicing it out loud. “I didn’t intend to lie. My heart talked over my brain. I have to change Doctor Morgan’s mind.”

“Why? You think Joshua is going to remember his daddy in a week’s time?”

“No. Not at all.” Nicole gazed into the older woman’s warm brown eyes. “But it’s a start.”

Regina dropped her wrinkled hands onto the table. “A start. What are you talking about? You already got Bill Pendleton angry that his wife stayed at Grace House earlier this year. We don’t need Sam mad too. We could lose our license if you make a false accusation.”

Nicole cleared her tight throat. “Bill is an abuser. He hit his wife and screamed at his children.”

“But Sam Morgan isn’t. The man has a good reputation in this town. He just returned from working for…oh what’s that name of that organization, again?”

“The International Surgical Christian Outreach Program.” Nicole winced at the pettiness in her tone.

Regina beamed. “That’s it, ISCOP. That’s the name. They do a lot of good all over the world.”

Nicole took another sip, but this time the brew didn’t soothe. “That may be so. But the program is also taking Joshua away from here, a child who needs some roots. This isn’t the time to rip Joshua away from the only home he can remember. Besides, Vicky claimed Sam had a temper.”

With a heavy sigh, Regina shook her head. “You have no proof of that and you know it could be a lie. Probably is a lie. Remember, Sam Morgan is Joshua’s father and most folks around here think he’s a saint. Do you really want to tear Joshua away from his sainted father? A man who obviously wants his son close to him. If Sam Morgan wants to move the boy halfway around the world and back there is nothing you can do about it.”

But she’d like to…

Joshua’s pleading eyes drifted through Nicole’s mind, reminding her of a young girl who had never had a real home. Her throat clogged. She placed her coffee mug on the table. “I can’t sit here and do nothing. A disabled child that has just lost his mother shouldn’t be dragged away from the only home he can remember. We have to make sure he’ll be safe. He’s not ready to leave Golden Ridge. If I have to I will plead his case to Child Services.”