be exploited for your own political gain. Beyond that, you’ve turned your back on your people. When was the last time you spent even five minutes with your parents on the reservation? When did you ever give a damn about the customs of your people?”
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she knew she’d made a mistake. She had touched a raw nerve. In fact, she suspected that most of her own problems with her husband arose from the fact that he knew in his heart that marrying her had been a betrayal of his roots, the final slap in the face of his family. He’d been proud of winning her love, only to resent the fact that he’d needed her by his side to become a more acceptable candidate for office.
“Then the best way to make amends will be to insure that my son is raised by his Native American family,” he retorted. “It will happen, Patsy. Count on it.”
“Will,” she began, ready to beg. Then she caught herself. That was what he wanted. He wanted to see the fear in her eyes, wanted to hear it in her voice. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction, even though she was quaking inside. Instead, she said quietly, “I’m sorry it’s come to this. I really am. There was a time when I truly loved and respected you.”
For a moment he seemed taken aback, but Patsy didn’t wait to see what he might say next. She had to get away from him before she made things worse than she already had. Head held high, she walked out of the cell block. Only when she was back in the lobby with the door firmly closed behind her did she sag against it. Justin was there at once, concern written on his face as he led her to a seat beside his desk.
“What can I get you? Want some coffee? It’s foul, but the caffeine might jolt some color back into your cheeks.”
“No, thanks.”
“What happened in there? What did he say to you?”
“The same old thing,” she said wearily. “He’s going to take Billy from me.”
“Over my dead body,” Justin said fiercely. “That is the one thing that will never happen.”
“You can’t guarantee that.”
“Okay, maybe I can’t,” he conceded, “but Janet can.” He tucked a hand under her elbow and hauled her to her feet. “Come on.”
All Patsy wanted to do was go home and hold her baby, then crawl under the covers and hide for a month. But that was what the old Patsy would have done. She was stronger now. She had to keep reminding herself of that.
“Where are we going?” she asked as Justin half dragged her from the station.
“To see Janet. I’ve already called. She’ll meet us at her office.”
“I thought she’d retired.”
“There’s retired and then there’s Janet’s version of retired. She’s giving it lip service for Grandpa Harlan’s sake, but, believe me, she can’t wait to find a case she can get her teeth into.”
He grinned. “That’s why she never quite got around to putting her office on the market, much less moving out her desk and files and law books. Personally, I think she sneaks into town and hides out there after telling Grandpa Harlan she’s gone shopping, but I can’t prove it. I’ve never caught her there. Then, again, I’ve never seen her carrying a lot of packages to her car, either.”
“I don’t want to be responsible for the two of them fussing with each other,” Patsy said, still reluctant.
“Oh, Grandpa may bluster some, but he knows deep down that Janet loves being a lawyer too much ever to walk away from it entirely. At least he’s gotten her to slow down, and he thoroughly enjoys letting her think she’s putting something over on him.”
Patsy sighed enviously. “They have a wonderful marriage, don’t they?”
“The best. It’s set a great example for the rest of us. As I understand it, my grandmother Mary adored my grandfather. She was the epitome of the traditional wife. She devoted herself to him, almost to the exclusion of their sons. When she died in a riding accident, Grandpa was devastated.”
He chuckled. “Then, thanks to Jenny stealing his car, he met Janet.”
Patsy stared at him, flabbergasted. “Jenny stole his car?”
“Oh, yeah. She was fourteen at the time. She crashed it into a tree.”
“I’ll bet that got his relationship with her mother off to a rocky start.”
“You could say that. Janet was definitely not the kind of woman Grandpa was