Page 12 of Scorched

Declan sighed. “I don’t find you abhorrent. You’re just pushy. And a lawyer.”

What the hell did her job have to do with anything? “Why does that matter? I mean, I get the pushy part. I grew up with four older siblings. I had to be pushy to survive. But my job?”

He attempted to shrug, his right shoulder lifting only a fraction. “I don’t like lawyers. My experience with them hasn’t been the greatest.”

“When have you had experience with lawyers other than me?”

“As a kid.” His voice was quiet.

Maggie’s eyes widened. She wanted to smack herself. Declan and Macy grew up in and out of foster care. She could imagine why he would have an unfavorable view of the legal system. “I’m sorry, Deck. I didn’t mean to drudge up bad memories.”

“You didn’t. I don’t think about my childhood. It’s not worth it.”

She frowned, her heart aching now. That was sad. She had fond memories of being a kid.

“Well, for what it’s worth, I try my hardest not to be that kind of lawyer. People like that disgust me. Kids deserve better.”

He offered her a kind smile. “I don’t think you could be like those people if you tried. You and your family are some of the best people I’ve ever met. Being friends with your brothers probably saved my life. And what your parents are doing for those kids from the trafficking ring is amazing. They have a shot at a normal life now thanks to them.”

Maggie smiled at the mention of her parents. They were pretty awesome. She hadn’t really been surprised when they announced they were fostering the kids who didn’t have any other family. Her mom and dad had the biggest hearts of anyone she knew.

“I wish they’d taken you and Macy in when you were young. Maybe things would have been different for you.”

“They tried.”

“What?” That was news to her.

“Dad got arrested again and Mom was God only knows where. I was twelve and Macy was ten. The court put us into yet another foster home. Your parents petitioned to be our foster parents, but got denied.”

“Why?”

“It had to do with that land dispute, when the developer was trying to lay claim to part of the Broken Bow. The court ruled that until the matter was settled, the home wasn’t stable enough. Too much of a risk that the Archers could lose everything.”

She stared at him, nonplussed for several moments. “I didn’t realize they came so close to losing the ranch.”

He gave her that half-shrug again. “I don’t know the details or what went down. I just know Brady told me they were trying to foster us, then later that they couldn’t because there was a question about where we were all going to live if the developer won.”

She would have to ask her parents about that. Her knowledge of the whole thing came from what she’d been told. She was only four when it happened.

“How come you didn’t end up with them later, then? Once things were settled.”

“Mom showed up again and managed to get a job and stay sober long enough to get us back. We went into the system only for brief periods after that. Mostly when Dad got out of jail long enough to come home and cause problems. He left for good when I was sixteen.”

Maggie’s heart hurt for the boy he’d been and all he and Macy endured at the hands of the people who were supposed to love them and from others who were supposed to help them. The system needed fixed.

“But it doesn’t matter. It’s in the past,” he said. “And I don’t have anything to do with my parents anymore.”

“It’s probably best they’re out of your life, but I don’t know that it all doesn’t matter. It shaped who you are, so it matters to some degree.”

“All it did was make me tougher. And for that, I’m thankful. The world is not a pretty place.”

She wouldn’t argue with him there. Even though she’d been raised in a wonderful home, she knew how ugly the world could be. She saw it every day. But she didn’t think it was as bleak as his tone implied. There was still a lot of good in the world, too.

He scooted up on the bed, leaning against the back with a grunt as he tried to get comfortable. “I’m going to try to get some rest. Wake me when the doctor comes in if I’m asleep.”

She nodded, and he closed his eyes. With a sigh, she flipped her case file open again.

The minutes ticked by quickly as she worked. Declan’s soft snores soon accompanied the rustle of her papers. Before she knew it, an hour passed.

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