Heartsong. Sara Walter Ellwood

that they can wait until they’re older.”

      “So, what happens to Jesse?” Micki held Jesse in her lap. He was too big for her to hold, but he clung to her and quietly cried against her shoulder.

      Gabe’s heart broke at the sight. How could his father be so callous as to involve a ten-year-old boy in this mockery? Sam had given the boy an inheritance and some old junk, but he shouldn’t have been here to be subjected to all the rest.

      “Loretta, would you take Jesse out into the reception area, please?” Gabe leaned down in front of Micki and Jesse. Loretta nodded, and he rubbed over Jesse’s quivering back. Swallowing hard, Gabe met Micki’s imploring gaze before taking Jesse into his arms. “Hey, buddy, go out with Grandma for a little while, okay?”

      Jesse sobbed and wiped his nose on the back of his hand. “What’s gonna happen to me, Gabe? Will I have to go with--with Momma’s daddy? Why can’t I stay with Grandma and Micki or with you?”

      “We’ll figure it out.”

      With a hopeful gaze at Gabe, Loretta rolled her chair over to take Jesse’s hand. “C’mon, sweetheart. Let’s go outside.”

      As they exited the office, Jesse glanced over his shoulder at Gabe. “Don’t send me away to live with that mean man.”

      “We won’t let that happen.” Micki stood and gave him a weak smile. When the door closed, she turned to the lawyer. “Now what?”

      “As the family’s lawyer, I’m going to suggest to the court to appoint me executor of Frankie’s estate.” He shrugged and leaned back in his leather chair. “Unless either of you have someone else in mind.”

      Micki shrugged and sat in her chair again. “Sounds good to me. I’d rather have a lawyer I trust take care of things than me trying to figure it out. Lemont’s less likely to take over with you handling things.”

      Gabe paced before the bookcase. “I agree. Besides, I have to go on tour.” For the first time in his career, he hated the thought of being on the road. Stopping at the end of the case, he turned and rubbed the back of his neck. “What will happen to the ranch?”

      “Since Frankie doesn’t have a will and Jesse is too young to inherit it, the Lazy M will be sold and the funds set in a trust fund for him as her sole heir. Same goes for the businesses.”

      Micki gasped and ran her hand through her long hair. She’d worn it unbound and Gabe’s fingers itched to touch it. He fisted his hands and stomped on the treacherous thought.

      “That means Momma and I will have to move.”

      “Yes. However, I’ll ask probate court to allow you to stay as long as there’s stock to be taken care of on the ranch.”

      Micki nodded, but the worry etching a frown on her forehead wasn’t eased by the news.

      “You haven’t answered our question about Jesse.” Gabe’s heart raced. He’d known Tom his entire life, and the one thing he’d always admired about him was his honesty.

      Fleming cleared his throat and leaned over his desk. “I think you both know what will happen. In most cases like this where a child is orphaned, he is given into the care of a grandparent, which means he’ll go with Lemont since Loretta wasn’t Frankie’s mother.”

      “He doesn’t even know the man.” Micki shook her head. “He’s cruel and hated both Sam and Frankie. All Lemont Finn ever wanted was a son. Why the hell do you think he named his daughters Frances and Michaela? We’re named for his grandfathers, Francis Finn and Michael Harper. He’ll twist Jesse into a ruthless man like he is. And considering the world of hurt Jesse is in right now, that might not be a hard thing to do.” She looked at Gabe, her eyes pleading him. “Please, isn’t there something you can do?”

      Gabe swallowed hard. He wanted his little brother taken care of, but he had no room in his life for a ten-year-old. “I’m his brother. Doesn’t that hold some kind of clout with the court?”

      Tom sighed and his brown eyes bore into Gabe. “I’ve represented your family for years and I considered Sam a good friend, so I won’t lie to you, Gabe. Your being Jesse’s brother normally would have some sway. However, your lifestyle is questionable. Especially for the current batch of conservative judges in the county. Maybe if you would take a break from touring, things would be different.”

      “You know I can’t do that.” He fisted both hands and shoved them into the pockets of his sports jacket as another possibility came to him. Was he crazy to suggest this? “What if Michaela and I fought for Jesse?”

      Micki turned in her seat and gaped at him. “What do you mean?”

      He shrugged and sat down beside her. “Think about it. If we had joint custody of him, that would get him away from Lemont and give him a stable home with you and Loretta. I can provide for him and even help you find a place to live. Then we can adopt him.”

      “I don’t need your help.”

      “Actually, that’s not a bad idea.” Tom smiled and stood. “I think right now it’s your best option if you want to keep Jesse away from Lemont.”

      Chapter 4

      Two nights after the will reading, Micki awoke from a restless sleep to the sound of her mother’s cries. Glancing at the three a.m. hour on her alarm clock, she sighed. She’d been asleep for a whopping twenty-seven minutes.

      With a groan, she threw the covers off and dragged herself out of bed. On her way to her mother’s room, she peeked in on Jesse, who sprawled over the twin-sized bed and slept as soundly as only a kid could.

      The thoughts that had kept her up for the past few nights pounded in her head. How was she going to afford a three-bedroom apartment, even if she did find one in Bluebonnet? She had to find another job besides managing the ranch, but how was that going to work?

      Her mother cried out again. She closed Jesse’s door and trudged on to her mother’s room.

      Micki sat down on the edge of the full-sized bed. Her mother had pulled herself into a fetal position with her hands curled in under her as she moaned in pain.

      Taking a deep breath, Micki touched her mother’s shoulder and spoke softly. “Momma? I’m gonna give you some pain medicine. Do you think you can sit up?”

      Her mother shuddered and let out another wail. “It hurts!”

      “Shhh…” Micki rubbed Momma’s thin shoulder. “I’ll be right back.” She went out to the cottage’s only bathroom and returned to her mother with a glass of water and a painkiller.

      Momma protested the jostling to get her up into a sitting position, but she cooperated and swallowed the pill with water.

      “Hopefully it kicks in soon.” Micki sat the plastic cup on the table and tucked her mother under the quilt.

      Momma’s face was drawn and pale as she reached out and took one of Micki’s hands. “I’m sorry, Micki.”

      “Don’t be. You can’t help the pain you feel.” She sat on the edge of the bed again and held her mother’s cold hand. “It’s getting worse, isn’t it?”

      Momma glanced at their joined hands. “I’ll be fine.”

      Micki swallowed. Her mother was lying. Momma hated being dependent on anyone, including her. The doctor had explained what was happening. As her mother’s MS progressed, she’d feel pain along certain nerve roots, the most common being in the face. “We need to make an appointment with Dr. Meyers. He might be able to explain more about that surgery for the trigeminal pain.”

      Momma slowly shook her head. “No. No surgery.”

      “But it can help. You’re in--”

      Her mother’s blue eyes grew stern as they narrowed. “And how are we going to pay for this fancy nerve