Page 69 of Sweet Home

“So, it’s about money?” West asked, sounding relieved. “Not that he thinks Delphine is actually better off with him?”

“I hate to assume,” the attorney said, stealing a glance at Dulcie, as if it might wound her to hear what she already knew about her father.

“He’s never really been interested in us,” Dulcie confirmed. “When he made me bring her back, I know he was angling for me to move back in so he could make me give him my pay.”

The memory still made her sad, but less so than before. Maybe because now it felt like there were people who cared about her, and Delphine too, even though they’d never met her.

“I’m sorry, Dulcie,” the attorney said with real sympathy. “And yes, I think you’re right. It’s about the money. He didn’t say a single thing about not wanting to lose his daughter.”

West nodded thoughtfully.

“I do think she’ll be demonstrably better off with you,” the attorney went on. “And she’s thirteen now, so her own choice will be taken into consideration. But I want to warn you that this could be drawn out.”

Drawn out probably meant expensive. Dulcie wasn’t so naive that she imagined that West’s friendship with the attorney would cover his services for a lengthy legal battle.

“No,” West said suddenly. “It’s almost Christmas. I won’t have that little girl missing out on the holidays with her big sister. I’d like to talk with this guy myself.”

“I can’t recommend that,” the attorney said. “You could unintentionally give him leverage.”

“Would you be comfortable if I tried anyway, Dulcie?” West asked, turning to her with that flash in his dark eyes that told her the gentle man she loved meant business.

“I trust you,” she said, happily surprised to realize that it was true. She trusted him, even with this, the most important thing in her life.

That evening, he’d stayed in town after closing up the office, and made a private call to her father.

He came home that night with a triumphant smile and told Dulcie they might have good news in the morning. And sure enough, paperwork had arrived the next day, granting Dulcie temporary custody of her sister.

“We’re working on a permanent arrangement,” West told her. “But she’ll be with us, where she belongs, while we hammer it out.”

He refused to tell her what had transpired in that conversation. She would never know if he had somehow gotten through to her dad, maybe threatened him, or even offered him money.

But she didn’t need to know how he’d done it to know that she would be grateful to West for the rest of their lives.

“You helped my daughter let her hair down,” he told her gruffly when she wept with relief in his arms that morning. “You made our house feel like a home. Now it’s my turn to help out.”

Dulcie could hardly believe it then.

But here they were, at the bus stopon the edge of Little Bear Lake again—not waiting for Dulcie to leave, but for Delphine to arrive.

Elizabeth had stayed home with her grandparents to make lunch, so Dulcie and West were alone with the gorgeous panorama of the snowy woods and frozen lake in front of them.

But neither of them could seem to relax and enjoy the view. Dulcie was just too excited. And West’s protective instincts were riled up all over again.

“I can’t believe I let your little sister get on that bus,” West muttered as he paced by her side. “I should have gone down there myself to pick her up.”

“She’s fine,” Dulcie said, laughing. “We’re city kids, and I spoke with the driver, remember? She’s keeping an eye on her.”

There had been a million reasons for Delphine to hop on a bus the moment the papers came through. After all, she missed her big sister and she couldn’t wait to start her new life.

But the main reason was left unspoken. Neither she nor Dulcie could help worrying that whatever impact West had on their dad would fade, and he would try to change his mind.

In the distance, a rectangular form began to take shape, getting slightly larger as it approached.

“The bus,” Dulcie gasped, her heart pounding like she was jumping up and down and standing perfectly still at the same time.

West took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

At last, the big vehicle rumbled up and stopped with a squeal in front of them. The doors folded open and therestood a small, blonde, and oh-so-familiar figure with a big smile on her face.

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