“I know, but I’d made up my mind to love a little boy and to work hard and not let him be like his father, and now I don’t even know how to put it in words.” Amanda dabbed at her eyes. “God answered my prayers and all I can do is cry.”
Jamie laid a hand on her knee. “That’s what pregnant women do in the last couple of weeks. Don’t feel guilty.”
“Are they sure it’s a girl?” Kate wanted to do her version of Gracie’s happy dance.
“She showed us very plainly that she is a girl and she has a lot of hair and she’s gorgeous.” Amanda nodded. “Are you sure all this is normal, Jamie? Did you cry and cook all the time?”
“I did both and cleaned closets,” Jamie answered.
“Her name is Rachel,” Amanda said.
“That’s pretty,” Kate told her.
Rachel and Gracie. The two names were perfect for a couple of sisters.
“I’m glad we’re changing our names tomorrow. I want her to be a Hilton from the day she’s born, and I’m not putting a father on her birth certificate.” Amanda tipped her chin up in a determined gesture. “Tell me about your day. No, don’t, or I’ll get all weepy because I couldn’t be there.”
A phone rang.
Jamie checked hers and shook her head. Amanda picked hers up from the arm of the lounge and shook her head.
Kate didn’t recognize the tone or the number, but it was definitely her phone.
“Hello,” she answered.
“I’m so glad you answered, Mrs. Steele. The judge who will be presiding over the cases of you and two other women and a child has had a family emergency. The only time he can see you will be at eight o’clock in the morning. I’m sorry for the inconvenience, and if you want to reschedule, we can do that. We have a date open four weeks from tomorrow or on out past that,” a woman said.
Kate glanced at Amanda and made a snap decision. “We will be there. How long will it take in the courthouse?”
“Fifteen minutes if he agrees. Longer if you have to talk him into it,” the lady answered. “We just learned of the emergency. Sorry I couldn’t give you more time.”
“It can’t be helped, I’m sure. Have a nice evening,” Kate said.
“What can’t be helped?” Amanda asked.
“We’re going to Dallas tonight. Instead of seeing the judge at one o’clock tomorrow afternoon, we’re seeing him at eight in the morning. With the traffic in the downtown area, we’d have to leave a three o’clock in the morning, so we might as well drive down to my house and spend the night there,” Kate said.
“You’ve got to be joking.” Amanda groaned.
“I have a perfectly good house! I’ll arrange for a car to take us to and from the courthouse so none of us have to drive. We’ll take my car down there. Just pack a bag and we might even have time for a swim before we go to bed,” Kate said.
“Are you sure?” Jamie downed the rest of her wine.
“Very, and pack your bathing suits. Gracie will probably wake up on the way, and I’m sure she’ll love a swim.”
Amanda smiled for the first time that evening. “Me, too! I love to swim and I’ve got a maternity bathing suit. This will be a real treat. Thank you.”
“Living in Bootleg is one thing. This will be in the middle of all your neighbors,” Jamie said.
“So? Are you ashamed to be seen with me?” Kate teased.
“Hell, no!” Jamie answered. “I was thinking it might run the other way.”
“Hell, no!” Kate echoed with a grin. “Let’s get ready and go take care of business. I’ll call for takeout food on the way. Y’all decide what you want.”
“Sounds fine to me,” Amanda said.
Gracie didn’t wake up until they were on the outskirts of Fort Worth and had barely gotten her eyes open when Kate parked in the garage of a big two-story stone house. “Is this a castle?” she whispered.
“No, it’s my house,” Kate answered. But hey, if Gracie wanted it to be a castle, then Kate would gladly let her be the princess who lived there.
Gracie stood in the middle of Kate’s elaborate living room, eyes big as saucers, trying to take in the whole place at once. Where her daughter felt awe, Jamie was more than a little intimidated by the sheer size of the house. She’d realized that Kate came from money and had lived a life way above Jamie’s pay grade as a teacher, but this was surreal.
“Where do I sleep?” Gracie finally asked.
“My bedroom is upstairs, along with two others. Y’all can take your pick of whichever one you want,” Kate said. “They are pretty much the same.”
“Did Conrad sleep in either of them?” Amanda whispered.
“He liked the master suite on the ground floor,” Kate answered. “We’ll unload all this food in the kitchen and open up the containers.”
Amanda dropped her suitcase on the floor. “I’m so glad we opted for Chinese. I’ve been craving it for a couple of days.”
“After we eat, can I see his room?” Jamie whispered.
“Of course, but why?”
“Final closure.” Jamie shrugged.
Kate pointed down the hallway. “It’s the last door on the left. Mother and I cleaned it out before I went to the cabin. Unless she stored other stuff in there, it’s empty.”