Angie had never made a quicker decision.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I’ve already made plans for tonight.”
She’d just have to tell Toby that dinner with the Fortune Jones clan was on.
* * *
At one minute after nine, Toby went out to the barn for some privacy. Using his cell phone, he placed a call to Ms. Fisk at child services, only to reach a recording that said she was out of the office. So he left her a voice-mail message.
Next he called the Lubbock attorney who’d first contacted him about the money that the anonymous donor had given him and he’d placed in trust for the kids. Jake Gleason specialized in estate planning, so if push came to shove, Toby would retain someone else to handle the custody issue. But for right now, he needed some professional assurance that Barbara had only been blowing smoke.
Unfortunately, Jake hadn’t been able to do much to ease his worry. “It’s hard to second-guess what the court will decide in cases like yours. One judge may consider stability a priority and look at how well the kids are doing under your care and not want to move them. But another might prefer to keep kids with their family members.”
Jake did, however, give Toby the names of a couple of family-law attorneys.
As morning wore on, the only thing that had given Toby a lift had been thoughts of Angie. Her bright-eyed smile and upbeat nature had a way of making him feel as though everything would work out fine—one way or another. So he hoped she still planned to join them at his parents’ house.
By the time lunch was over and afternoon rolled around, he’d picked up the phone a couple of times to call her, just to make sure they were still on for dinner. After all, she’d been known to change her mind.
Finally, at three o’clock, he bit the bullet and called. When she answered, he asked, “Are we still on for that barbecue at my parents’ house?”
“Sure. What time did you want to go?”
“I thought I’d pick you up around four.”
“You shouldn’t have to drive all the way into town to get me when your parents live closer to you. Why don’t I drive to your place? Then I can fix Kylie’s hair.”
“That makes more sense. And Kylie would really appreciate a woman’s hand with those pigtails. I can never seem to get them to hang evenly.”
Angie laughed, and the lilt of her voice made him grip the phone tighter, as if he could draw her near and hold her close.
“While I was helping Mr. Murdock organize his closets, I found some ribbons in an old sewing basket. He said I could have them, so I’ll bring them with me. I also baked brownies to take with us. I’m ready now, so I may as well head on over to your place.”
“That sounds like a plan. I’ll round up the troops, and we’ll be ready when you get here.”
“By the way,” Angie said, “who’s going to be at that family dinner?”
“My parents, of course. My sister Delaney and my brother Galen. Stacey is the ringleader, so she and her fiancé, Colton Foster, will be there, along with her baby, Piper. I imagine my brother Jude and his fiancée, Gabriella Mendoza, will be coming. And of course Liam and Julia Tierney.”
“It’ll be fun to see Julia outside of the Superette,” Angie said. “And it will be nice to see Stacey and Delaney again.”
Toby hoped she still felt that way after his sisters began plying her with questions about their supposed relationship.
“It might be best not to mention my brother Chris,” Toby said. “Unless someone else brings him up first.”
“Why?”
He waited a beat, wondering why he felt inclined to even mention it.
“It’s not as though there’s a big family rift,” he explained, trying to downplay things and to choose his words carefully. “It’s just there were some hard feelings about him leaving Horseback Hollow and moving to Red Rock.”
“That’s really not a secret. There’s been some talk around town. And Sawyer and Laurel made a comment about it at the flight school.”
“What did they say?” Toby asked.
“Nothing really. They don’t discuss things like that in front of their employees. But they said something in passing, and I connected a few dots. So I know that Chris is working for Sawyer’s dad at the Fortune Foundation. But that’s about it.”
Toby didn’t know much more than that, either, although he’d been tempted to go to Red Rock and talk to his brother face-to-face. But with him now having three kids, all of whom were in school and involved in outside activities, he wasn’t free to make a trip like that without a lot of juggling and some careful orchestrating.
“I’m assuming that your parents aren’t happy about his move,” Angie said.
Toby didn’t usually air family laundry in public, but he and Angie had become pretty close lately, so sharing his concerns came easily. “When my mom asked us to accept our roots by taking on the Fortune name, my dad was a good sport about it. But when Chris announced he was moving to Red Rock, my dad hit the roof. He felt as though my brother had completely jumped ship by leaving town and going to work for James Marshall Fortune. Things really hit the fan then.”
There’d always been issues between Chris and their dad over the years, although Toby never had thought they were all that serious. But apparently, he’d been wrong.
“Don’t worry about me saying anything at dinner tonight—or to anyone else,” Angie said. “I may have my faults, but being a gossip isn’t one of them.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that.”
Silence filled the line for a beat, then Angie said, “I’d better let you go. I’ll see you in a little while.”
As soon as they ended the call, Toby rounded up the kids and told them to wash up, change their clothes and get ready to go to Grandma and Grandpa’s house.
They might not be related by blood, but his parents and siblings had accepted them into the Fortune Jones fold, just as though they were. And the kids, who’d been starved for love and affection, had been thrilled to have a family to call their own. So the last time they’d visited, his mom had suggested they not be so formal. “Why don’t y’all call us Grandma Jeanne and Grandpa Deke?” she’d said.
The kids, who’d never really had parents, let alone grandparents, had jumped at the chance to become a part of Jeanne’s brood. In fact, if you didn’t know, you’d think there’d been a long line of redheads somewhere in the Fortune Jones family tree.
Toby did, however, realize that it could all come to an end one day if Barbara made good on her threat, and his gut twisted at the possibility. But he shook off the negative thoughts and tried to focus on the fact that the kids were thriving. And that their school would back that up if need be.
“Can I pack my backpack with things me and Piper can play with?” Kylie asked.
Toby smiled. Most little girls loved dolls, but having a real baby to play with? “Absolutely. Just let Aunt Stacey check out the toys first. You know how careful she is about the things Piper puts in her mouth.”
“I will,” Kylie said, as she dashed off to her room.
Toby glanced at the clock on the mantel. While the kids were getting ready, he’d take a shower. Angie would be here before he knew it.