Page 71 of Second Start: Family
“He’s been talking to Naomi.”
Kenzie saw he feared that his son did know that his maternal aunt had petitioned the court to make her limited guardian to implement Dan accepting the scholarship if he got it or attending high school in Cheyenne under her aegis if he did not.
“He’ll be happy.” He added in the same would-be bland tone, but with a look to Vicky, “You should be happy.”
Vicky thumped his shoulder. Hard. “Don’t you say that, Hall Quick. Don’t you think it, either. You know I want that boy of yours to get every chance he can in life and he deserves this. He’s smart and he’s worked hard. And if you weren’t so mule-headed— But, no, I am not happy to have it happen this way, even though it’s not for custody, really. You’d still be his father. You’d still be his primary caregiver. It would be like the state saying they’d give him to Naomi a certain time —for the school year. He could come home weekends, say.”
“And who would be doing the saying on when he’d come home? Sure as hell not me. This would be the start. She wants to take the kids away.”
“What? No. That’s not right,” Kenzie said.
“Yeah?” he said sardonically. “You’re in a minority in that opinion, if that’s what you think at all, because I’d swear—”
“You’re wrong, Hall. Wrong thinking that’s what I think and wrong about other people. Yes, I do think you could use help and you shouldn’t be so bull-headed about asking for it — or even just accepting it — but that’s totally different from saying the kids should go to your sister-in-law. If you’re serious she wants to take the kids away.”
“Serious. Big house with no drafts, bedroom for each of them, new clothes all the time, all the things Cheyenne can offer and they don’t get at the ranch.” He paused. “The best schools in the state.”
It wasn’t just Dan getting the scholarship. Or that Dan’s natural move away from him as he matured would accelerate.
It was that Dan would betakenaway. And Dan wanted it that way.
“It hasn’t happened yet,” Kenzie said slowly. “Have you talked to your lawyer?”
“Mylawyer? What lawyer? I don’t have a lawyer for something like this. Much less—”
“Talk to Eric — you met him at the winterizing of the schoolhouse and Halloween. Or Dave Currick. They’re both lawyers and—”
“Yes,” Vicky said, emphatically. “So’s Taylor Larsen in Knighton, though I don’t think you’ve met her. But Dave and Eric will tell you what you can do about this. Good thinking, Kenzie.”
“Hall, why don’t you go ahead and go to the feed store. Stop here on your way back. In the meantime, Vicky can call them to get an initial contact. Because I don’t imagine you want to do that in front of the kids, right?”
*
Later, Hall never could recall details of that trip. It was a miracle he didn’t run the truck into a fence.
He picked up horse feed he’d planned to buy later, answered the girls when they directed a question at him, but they mostly chattered to each other and Bobby in back.
Dan didn’t seem to pay him any attention. Hall doubted that was so, but he wasn’t ready to take on his son and the question of whether he’d known what his aunt planned — or if Dan contributed to it.
First, he had to deal with himself.
I don’t have a lawyer for something like this. Much less—
He’d been about to say,much less the funds to pay a lawyer.
Like anything came before keeping his son in this family.
It tasted like ground glass, but he could even thank Naomi for her legal maneuvering hitting him upside the head and getting his priorities straight.
His phone rang.
He took it off speaker to answer.
“Hall,” came Kenzie’s voice, calm and sure, pouring into him the same feeling as when her first reaction to reading the papers had been that solid,No.
That word and the look on her face had brought him a knowledge he hadn’t felt since his mom left after the funeral.
Somebody had his back.
