Paternal Instincts. Elizabeth August

would let me have you back.” She saw his bottom lip tremble and then go crooked and knew he was biting on the inside to keep it firm. “I missed you,” she said, holding her arms out toward him.

      Suddenly he was running into her embrace.

      Watching them, Eric couldn’t deny the bond between them, and he envied Jamie. He’d never had that kind of love. Maude had loved him, but she’d loved all of her boys the same. She’d been more of a kindly aunt than a mother. The relationship between Jamie and Roxy clearly went much deeper.

      Holding the boy close, Roxy felt panic sweep through her. He was much too thin. Loosing her hold, she gently grasped him by the upper arms and moved him a little away from her for a more thorough inspection. “Didn’t they feed you? And those clothes. Surely the social services people provided money for you to have clothes.”

      He shrugged as if to say those things didn’t matter.

      Continuing to kneel in front of him, she combed his hair away from his face with her fingers. “How did you get here?”

      From the pocket of the baggy pants, he pulled out a map and proudly displayed it.

      “You found your way here on your own?” she demanded, and the hope that he’d been legitimately returned to her vanished. “You ran away?”

      Again he shrugged as if that didn’t matter.

      “Where did you run away from?”

      He pointed to Philadelphia.

      Horror at what could have happened to him along the way caused her stomach to knot. “That’s over thirty miles.”

      He frowned as if her concern was childish.

      Tears of joy and relief again flowed as she drew him back into her arms.

      “Looks like we’ve got company coming,” Eric said, moving toward them.

      Roxy recognized the car. Her hold on Jamie tightened. “It’s Mary Chambers from social services.”

      Two pairs of accusing eyes turned on Eric.

      He scowled. “I didn’t tell anyone he was here, but it stands to reason that the authorities would check to see if he’d made contact. Or maybe the farmer who picked him up felt it was his civic duty to report him.”

      “Go inside,” Roxy ordered the boy, and he quickly obeyed.

      “Looks like Jamie found his way back,” Mary noted, getting out of her car and approaching Eric and Roxy.

      Keeping his expression friendly, Eric made a quick appraisal, sizing her up for battle. She was medium in build with graying hair and had the manner of someone there on official business, but there was a softness in her eyes that suggested that she was not an enemy.

      Roxy stepped in front of the woman, barring her from continuing to the house. “He looks as if he hasn’t eaten in weeks and his clothes are a disgrace. You assured me he was being well looked after.” A bitter edge entered her voice. “Better than I could look after him.” She repeated the social worker’s words.

      Mary’s official manner softened and apology showed on her face. “We had to send him back to Philadelphia. That’s where his family was. They tried to reunite them, but no one would take him in, so he went into the system there.”

      Roxy knew Mary had a good heart. “You want to see what happened to him?” She glanced over her shoulder toward the house. “Jamie, come out.”

      Reluctantly, the boy obeyed.

      Eric watched the social worker’s face. Her jaw stiffened, but she didn’t appear surprised.

      “They told me he’d begun to refuse to eat,” she said. “I checked his record. He’s been in five different homes since he left here. In spite of the counseling provided, he continued to refuse to speak. After a short while in each home, the foster parents would call social services and say they felt they couldn’t help him and request that he be moved.”

      Jamie had come to stand beside Roxy. Eric glanced at him and noticed that he was holding her hand so tightly both were white.

      Mary’s gaze continued to rest on the child’s gaunt features. “I really thought he’d be better off in a real home.”

      Roxy scowled. “This is a real home.”

      Mary frowned back. “You have to work. When school isn’t in session, he’d be on his own all day. And boys need a father figure.”

      “I’d have found someone to watch over him,” Roxy shot back. “And a lot of kids grow up in single-parent homes and turn out just fine as long as they’re loved and wanted, and he is loved and wanted here.”

      Mary breathed a harsh sigh. “There’s nothing I can do. He’s not in my jurisdiction. He’s part of the Philadelphia system and they want him back.”

      Roxy shifted so that Jamie was behind her. “They can’t have him back. They’ve done enough damage.”

      Mary scowled. “The law is on their side.”

      “If you send him back and he again refuses to eat, he could die,” Eric cautioned, deciding it was time for him to step into the fray. “He doesn’t look as if he’s got much more weight to lose before he’s in serious trouble.”

      For a long moment Mary said nothing, her gaze resting on the boy. Abruptly her attention shifted to Roxy. “Do you still have that paper his grandmother signed giving Maude guardianship?”

      Hope blossomed in Roxy. “Yes.”

      “I’ll take it to Judge Blaire. He’s an old friend and supporter of Maude’s. I’ll argue that since she left you everything, the guardianship should revert to you.”