Page 102 of Harvest Moon (Riverbend 3)

Laurel approached him, phone to her ear, a frown etched between her brows.

What’s wrong?he mouthed.

She stopped in front of him. “Okay. Yeah, we’ll be right there. Thank you.” She tapped the screen and pocketed her phone. “That was Darius. He asked if we could swing by his office this afternoon.”

“What for?”

“I don’t know. But I don’t have a good feeling about this.”

“Thank you for coming by,” Darius said.

Gavin’s stomach churned as the attorney gestured them to the two empty chairs and sat in the one behind his mahogany desk. They’d first settled Emma in the office’s corner, which was dominated by a child-size table-and-chair set and various toys.

“Has something happened?” Laurel asked.

“I’m afraid so. As you know, I notified the Gordons about your petition through their attorney in the hopes they’d see the futility of their own petition.”

“I take it that didn’t happen,” Gavin said.

“It didn’t. I’m sorry to say they’re going forward with this.”

Laurel leaned in. “But you said it was unlikely the clerk would grant them guardianship, given that the will named us her guardians.”

“I did say that. And the Gordons still have an uphill battle. But they’ve apparently fired their previous attorney, and Willis Groveland has agreed to take on their case.”

“Who’s that?” Laurel asked.

“Only the best family attorney in the state.”

Gavin’s gaze shot to Emma, quietly reading to herself. Laurel had put her hair in pigtails this afternoon, and her wispy bangs drew attention to her big blue eyes. The thought of handing this innocent child over to Darcy turned his stomach.

Laurel cleared her throat. “But we’re still the ones named in the will.”

“And that will definitely work in your favor. You’ve doneeverything for her you can possibly do. She’s obviously adjusting well, all things considered.”

There was something Darius wasn’t saying. “But...”

“But... you’re not blood relatives. Darcy Gordon is her grandma, and she has a seemingly stable life, and—as I mentioned—the best family attorney she could ask for. And Emma would live in one home with the Gordons while with you she’d be going back and forth. Maybe you’d be better off with someone who specializes in guardianship cases.”

“But you know us,” Gavin said. “And you knew Mike and Mallory. No one could possibly represent us better than you.”

“I agree,” Laurel said. “We couldn’t ask for a better attorney.”

“I appreciate your faith in me. I know this is a frustrating situation. I’ll do my very best to build a winning case for you. To that end, we need to think about who you can bring to court as witnesses. We can go over that in detail later.” He gave them a wan smile. “And a few prayers wouldn’t hurt either.”

Gavin slipped carefully from Emma’s bed and gazed down at her in the glow of the night-light. It had taken seven books, but she’d finally fallen asleep. She looked so small and helpless in her big-girl bed, surrounded by all her furry friends.

He slipped from the room, eased the door closed, then made his way downstairs. He and Laurel had been quiet since they’d left Darius’s office. If they lost guardianship, the consequences would be far-reaching: not only would they lose Emma, but Laurel would return to Asheville.

The thought of losing them both made his nerves jangle. To say nothing of that sweet kid being raised by a sociopathic woman.

He growled as he entered the kitchen. It just wasn’t right. This whole thing sucked rotten eggs and made him feel so helpless.

Laurel was on the back patio in front of the firepit table, which was now glowing with a nice, low fire. He’d step outside and chat a minute before going home.

He headed toward the French doors, but adingstopped him before he opened it. Laurel had left her phone on the table. He snatched it up, unable to keep from seeing a text notification on the screen from Connor.

Are you coming home this weekend? There’s a terrific new Mexican restaurant over on—

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