Marrying a Delacourt by Sherryl Woods Page A

The thought of it broke her heart. She couldn’t let that happen. She just couldn’t.
    In order to forestall the inevitable, she would just have to stretch the truth to suit her purposes. If Michael so much as suspected that it was only a matter of time before social services traced the boys’ whereabouts, thanks to her inquiries, he would insist on meeting the issue head-on. It wasn’t that he was heartless, just pragmatic. He would insist that a clean, quick break was the right thing for everyone.
    Everyone except Josh and Jamie, she thought heatedly. They needed more time together. They deserved it. No matter what happened afterward, she could give them that.
    Outside on the deck, there was a gentle spring breeze, scented with roses. Michael looked up when she walked outside.
    “The boys asleep?”
    “They were sound asleep before I even got upstairs,” she said with a smile. “All the fresh air and riding obviously exhausted them. Thank you for arranging the lesson for them.”
    “It was nothing,” he said.
    “Not to them. It meant the world to them. They told me no one had ever done anything like that for them before. It’s very sad, really. It would take so little to make them really happy.”
    “I’ve been thinking,” Michael said. “For kids who’ve been bounced around the way they have, they haven’t turned out too badly. Other than running away, I don’t see any sign that they’re bad kids. Jamie defies authority, but what kid his age doesn’t, and he has more reason than most. Why can’t the foster parents see that?”
    “He may not be giving them a chance,” Grace suggested. “He may be so focused on getting back to Josh that he does whatever he can to avoid getting attached. I’ve known foster kids who always kept their suitcases packed because they just assumed they would eventually get sent away again.”
    “It’s no way for a kid to live,” Michael said with surprising passion.
    “No, it isn’t.”
    He glanced over at her. “What did you find out today?”
    She decided to stick as closely as she could to the truth, as long as she could do it without raising anyred flags. “Nothing we didn’t already know. They’re regarded as problem kids.”
    “Is anyone looking for them?”
    “The appropriate authorities were notified when they disappeared. The police are supposed to be looking out for them.”
    Michael shook his head. “I meant does anyone actually give a damn that they’re missing?”
    The vehemence of his question startled her. He sounded angry on Josh and Jamie’s behalf. Because he did, she answered candidly. “No. Not the way you mean. The foster parents are more frustrated than worried. I’m sure there are social services people who are good-hearted and who might be worried, but their caseloads are piled high. Jamie and Josh are just two more kids vying for attention on their radar. Runaways are a tragic fact of life.”
    “Damn,” Michael muttered. “So, what do we do next? Call up and relieve their minds, tell them that the boys are safe?”
    “If we do, they’ll insist on picking them up,” Grace warned.
    “And if we don’t?”
    “The boys will have a little more time together.” She regarded Michael anxiously. “Would that be so terrible?”
    He sighed heavily. “Grace, I can see a thousand and one pitfalls to what you’re suggesting.”
    “So can I,” she conceded. “I’m not blind, Michael, or stupid. I’m aware of the risks.”
    “But you want to take them anyway,” he said.
    “A few days,” she said again. “It seems like the least we can do. You’re here. I’m here. We’re bothresponsible. If anyone goes crazy, we have the clout to make them see that this was just a gift we were giving Jamie and Josh. What possible harm can come of it?”
    Michael shook his head, regarding her worriedly. “It’s a gift that could seriously backfire on all of us. You could lose your license to practice law, couldn’t you? You’re