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Synopsis
Veterinarian Lena Larson has her hands full with the town’s pets, including a shelter for lost animals. The last thing she needs is the arrival of the man who once shattered her heart. But back he is, and with an adorable daughter…and the need to start over. She has no intention of letting him back into her life. But when her shelter is destroyed, Lena finds herself with a garage full of homeless animals—and an unlikely ally in Oliver. Together, they embark on a mission to find homes for the abandoned animals, and help Oliver make peace with his past.
But it’s not easy to come home. Not everyone believes Oliver has changed, and their doubt could keep him from retaining custody of his daughter. More, Lena has ghosts of her own, and they’ve returned to haunt her. If she isn’t careful, they might even have the power to destroy the surprising happy ending she never saw coming.
Discover this captivating story of healing, forgiveness, and the transformative power of second chances.
Fox Family
How Sweet It Is
It’s Your Love
The Way You Love Me
Deep Haven Collection
Only You
Still The One
Can’t Buy Me Love
Crazy for You
Then Came You
Hangin’ by a Moment
Right Here Waiting
Once Upon a Winter Wonderland
Release date: January 23, 2024
Print pages: 332
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The Way You Love Me: A Deep Haven Novel
Michelle Sass Aleckson
ONE
If they would just open the courtroom door, Oliver Fox could get this whole thing over with. He unfolded the paper in his hand and read down the list of names.
For such an ordinary sheet of notebook paper, it sure seemed important to the lawyer. It had sentimental value, of course. It was the last thing he’d done with his mentor Hezekiah. But would it really make or break his case?
“Ollie, sit down a spell before you make me dizzy with all your pacing. You need to relax.”
Blanche’s scratchy voice held a tone of sympathy. It was the only reason he listened and sat next to her on the hard, worn bench. Well, that and the fact that his sixty-year-old former-biker neighbor was still tough enough to take him down with force if necessary.
But she was wrong. He didn’t need to relax. He needed this whole court thing settled and to get back to his daughter.
A beep from the security checkpoint and chatter from the people in the long hallway were enough to drive a man to distraction. He could pick out the lawyers in the crowd. Smart suits, expensive briefcases and shoes, smug expressions that said they held their clients’ futures in their hands and they knew it. Well, they didn’t dictate his life. He would be in charge of his own destiny.
And to think at one point he’d thought he’d be one of them.
Although, that was a lifetime ago. Back before everything fell apart.
“So, what are you going to tell them?” Blanche leaned over, planting her elbows on her knees, setting the fringe on her leather vest swaying. Her white, spiky hair and black boots clashed with everyone around them, and he loved her for it. She wasn’t going to let anyone, not even Kiah’s aunt, try to take Kiah away from him without a fight.
Oliver shrugged and kept watch for his own lawyer. “The truth.”
“The truth that you’re getting kicked out of your home? Ace Plumbing is taking over the rest of the building in three weeks. You know that’s gonna be an issue when custody of a five-year-old comes up.”
Oliver threw an arm around her shoulder. “You don’t need to worry about that. I’ll find something soon.”
“You could come to Florida with me.” Behind that hardened expression beat the biggest heart and the closest thing Kiah knew to a grandmother. It was gonna be rough on them all when Blanche left the day after tomorrow.
But Oliver gave his head a small shake and leaned against the back of the bench. “You need this time to reconnect with your daughter. You don’t need to worry about Kiah and me. Besides, I can’t stand the humidity down there.” He winked. Not that Mason City, Iowa, didn’t have its fair share of hot, humid weather in the summer, especially now in the middle of August, but he liked his four seasons.
“I still don’t understand why you don’t go back ho—”
“I’m not going back.” He clenched his jaw at the mere thought. It had been a long time since he’d considered Deep Haven home.
“The house is paid for and in your name. Why not?”
Go back to his hometown as a washed-up plumber to the place where everyone knew his history? Saw him as some pathetic kid whose parents had died?
No thanks.
His eye caught on the list again. Sure, a lot of the people he needed to talk to from that
list were from Deep Haven. Okay, all of them. But he didn’t have to move there to make amends. That was what phones were for.
Maybe a short visit if he had to.
Very short.
“Nice try, but I don’t need the house. I’ve got her.”
Oliver stood as he watched his lawyer approach. Blanche stayed seated on the bench. She didn’t have much to say about the woman in the sharp pencil skirt and blazer, but Monica Emiliano was supposed to be the best lawyer in Cerro Gordo County. And nothing but the best was good enough for his little girl.
Monica nodded a greeting. “You have the list?”
“Of course.” Oliver handed her the wrinkled paper. Her mouth tightened as she took in the frayed edges and chocolate smudge. He gave her a self-deprecating grin. “I probably should’ve typed it up, but I’ve been so busy with Kiah. Hope that’s okay. Nice earrings, by the way. Are they heirlooms?”
Monica fingered the delicate pearls and softened her expression. “My grandmother gave them to me.” She set down her briefcase and tried smoothing out the wrinkles in the paper. “We’ll use the sentimental value of the handwritten note and Kiah’s little doodle on here. Show the judge that you value your daughter’s artistic expression. Anything else I should know about before we go in there?”
“Nope. I know you’ll do great. Kiah and I are trusting you.”
Her lips pursed again. “So no news on the job front?”
“Don’t worry about that. As it is, we’ve been busy trying to get Hezekiah’s affairs in order. Helping close out his estate and making sure Kiah is adjusting okay.”
Monica sighed. “It would’ve been better for the case if you had a job right now.” She tilted her head and stared him down.
“You have Hezekiah’s reference letter for me, right? I can get a job with any plumbing contractor in a hot second. They’re screaming for journeymen.” He nudged her arm. “And with the best lawyer in town, this will be an open-and-shut case. We’ll be out of here in no time.”
Monica quirked an eyebrow as if to say I hope you’re right. Blanche just huffed.
But they would see. This was his kid, for goodness’ sake. Why was it even an issue? But he kept his grin in place—a show of confidence he couldn’t afford to lose. All this hubbub simply because Jalisa’s sister thought
he wasn’t a good enough dad. He had a lot to make up for, sure, but that didn’t mean Cassandra could come in and take Kiah away.
A bailiff opened the door and called them in.
“Let’s do this.” Oliver straightened his tie and held the door open for the ladies. A typical courtroom lay before him with a judge sitting on a raised desk at the front of the room. Two long tables faced the judge, and an empty gallery of pews took up a majority of the space. Across from the table where Monica set her briefcase sat Cassandra with her lawyer, a tall guy who barely fit into his suit. His broad chest and shoulders dwarfed his client next to him. The guy had to be six and a half feet at least. Cassandra merely glanced at Oliver and wrinkled her nose as if she smelled something she didn’t like.
The judge motioned for everyone to sit. She read off a tablet. “Let’s get started. We’re here with Ms. Cassandra Freeby challenging the custody of one Kiah Louise Jackson, currently with Oliver Fox.” She set the tablet down and turned toward Cassandra. “Ms. Freeby, it’s my understanding that Mr. Fox is the biological parent, and your sister, deceased Jalisa Jackson, was the mother, correct?”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
“And why are you challenging custody? He is Kiah’s father.”
Oliver smirked. This might be easier than he thought.
“He isn’t a father. He was a one-night stand, and my sister’s biggest regret. But I’ve known Kiah since the moment she was born. I’m a stay-at-home mother of three, and my children and Kiah are more like siblings than cousins. My husband has a stable and good job. She would be better off with us. There’s no way he should have custody.”
The judge folded her hands on the desk in front of her. “And why is that?”
Oliver stood up. “With all due respect, Your Honor, I made some mistakes. No one is denying that. But I’m—”
“Mistakes? You’re a drunk, Oliver.”
Monica jumped to her feet before Oliver could say anything. “Excuse me, Your Honor.” She handed the judge a stack of papers. “It was Jalisa Jackson’s final wish before she died that my client have custody of their daughter.”
“With stipulations.” Cassandra’s lawyer pointed at the papers.
Monica continued as if she hadn’t heard him. “Obviously she could’ve left the girl with
Ms. Freeby at that point, but she chose Oliver Fox, Kiah’s father.”
Cassandra popped up off her chair. “Jalisa wasn’t in her right mind when she wrote that. She was sick.”
Monica slowly paced in front of the table. “The will was documented and signed by a lawyer stating she was fully capable of this decision. She gave custody to my client.”
Cassandra was about to say more as the judge read over the will, but Brawny the Lawyer stayed her with a hand on her arm.
The judge looked up from the document. “It says here that you were to be awarded custody, Mr. Fox, under the stipulation of completing a recovery program and continuing mentorship with a Mr. Hezekiah Jackson, Ms. Jackson and Ms. Freeby’s uncle. Are you an addict?”
They’d known this would come up. No big deal. Still, the squeeze in Oliver’s throat gave him pause for a moment. “I’m a recovering alcoholic. But I’ve been sober for three years.”
“And have you completed a recovery program? Where is Mr. Jackson?” The judge narrowed her eyes as she looked down on him.
“He died. Last month,” Monica answered for him.
Oliver was still reeling from it. They all were. But he’d been through worse. And this court had another thing coming if they thought he would just sit here and let his baby girl be taken away from him too.
Monica moved toward the center of the room. “That’s why we’re here. Ms. Freeby here is using Mr. Jackson’s death as a chance to spitefully take Kiah away from her own father.”
Right on!
Cassandra stood. “I’m not being spiteful. I’m looking out for Kiah’s best interests.” She leaned over the table to look past her lawyer and face Oliver. “You don’t deserve her. You know that.”
Her words found their mark. But as much as it killed Oliver to hold back, he had to play this cool. For Kiah’s sake. It had become his mantra since the caseworker showed up on his doorstep with her five months ago. And his girl’s bright smile, her dark, curly hair framing her sweet face, was all he needed to think about.
Oliver smoothed down his tie and kept a pleasant expression plastered on his face as he met Cassie’s fiery stare. “I’m her father. And like it or not, it was Jalisa’s choice. Why are we even here?”
“Then why didn’t you file for joint custody when Jalisa was alive?” the judge asked.
Oliver swallowed. Yeah, that sounded bad. But it wasn’t like that. “Ms. Freeby failed to mention that I wasn’t informed of Kiah’s existence until she was almost two.”
“Is that true, Ms. Freeby?”
Cassandra stared at the desk, answering with a quick nod.
“And what happened then, Mr. Fox?”
“Jalisa and I wanted to try to be a family. I married her. She and Kiah moved in. But it was quickly apparent that Jalisa and I weren’t compatible. After a few months she wanted to move to Ohio, where she had a job offer.”
“And you just let her go?”
“I love my daughter more than life itself, but what kind of man would I be to try to rip her away from her own mother when she was that young? I never wanted Kiah to have to choose between the two of us, and even though Jalisa and I were not a good mix, she was a good mom. When she left, I sent child support. I saw Kiah whenever I could.”
“And how often was that? A few times a year?” Cassie huffed.
“I was working to support them.” Not to mention trying to make something of himself, finishing up an apprenticeship so he could make a better wage. Trying to be the kind of dad his father had been. A dad Kiah could be proud of. Because the truth was, before she crashed into his life, he’d been spiraling fast. But meeting Kiah had been the wake-up call he’d needed to get his life together. He’d still been trying to wrap his head around the fact that he was a father when Jalisa left again. “And remember, I wasn’t the one that moved seven hundred miles away.”
Monica cleared her throat. “Your Honor, back to the issue at hand, my client has been sober for over three years. Here is Hezekiah Jackson’s statement and letter of reference. They were close to finishing the twelve steps of AA at the time of Mr. Jackson’s death. Mr. Fox is perfectly capable of caring for his daughter, just as he has been for the five months she’s been in his custody.”
“But he didn’t complete the AA steps?”
Oliver could speak for himself on this. “No, but I’m close—”
“Close is not complete, Mr. Fox.” The judge continued to scan the documents, barely looking at him.
Cassie smirked on the other side of the room. “Where are you even going to live? Or work? I saw Hezekiah’s shop was up for sale. And we all know
my uncle only gave you a job out of pity.”
Now the judge looked directly at Oliver. “Are you currently employed?”
“Well, no, but—”
“No job? Now, that’s a problem.” The judge dropped the papers in her hand and stared him down. “What is your living situation? How do you plan to financially support your daughter?”
“We’ve been busy selling Mr. Jackson’s business to pay for his medical expenses. I’m a journeyman plumber, licensed in three states now. I can get a job anywhere.”
“And living arrangements? It says here you were living in apartments above the plumbing business. Were they sold too?”
“They were. So now I’m looking—”
“So let me get this straight. You haven’t finished the recovery program. You have no job. And you have no housing. I fail to see how this is a good indicator of your ability to take care of your daughter, Mr. Fox.”
Oliver wouldn’t shrink under the judge’s hard stare, but he was having a hard time finding the words to defend himself.
Blanche spoke up. “He has a home, Your Honor. And he’s workin’ on his steps. He has a list.”
The judge swung her attention to Blanche. “And you are?”
“Blanche Middleton. I live in the apartments too and help watch Kiah when Ollie here is working. He’s a good man. You can’t take her away.”
Good man? Not hardly.
But he was willing to do anything for Kiah. He was trying. Didn’t that count for something?
“And what’s this home you have, Mr. Fox? And list?” the judge asked.
Oliver opened his mouth to speak, but Monica gave him a small shake of her head. She handed his list to the judge. “This is steps eight and nine of the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. My client made this list with his sponsor, of people he will make amends with. He is committed to finishing the process.”
“If this is steps eight and nine, what about steps ten through twelve?”
Monica stood before the bench. “The next steps after this are simply to continue to take inventory of himself, to use prayer and meditation, and to reach out to other alcoholics. And, again, he’s been sober for over three years.”
While the judge read down the list, he tried not to fidget. Or yell. He’d rather take on Cassie’s giant lawyer in a boxing ring than sit here waiting.
Kiah. He was doing this for Kiah.
Judge Clancy finally looked up from the smudged paper. “I’d like you to answer me directly, Mr. Fox.” She waved the paper. “Who are these people on your list?”
Oliver cleared his throat. “My high school football coach, a couple classmates, people from my hometown, and the rest are”—as much as part of him wanted to drop eye contact under the judge’s weighty stare, he didn’t—“family. My brother, sister, and grandparents.”
“You still don’t have a home. Where is Kiah supposed to sleep? You don’t have a job. How can I leave a five-year-old girl in your care when you don’t have the basic necessities to support yourself?”
Cassandra leaned back in her chair and smiled like she’d already won. Her lawyer started packing up the papers in front of him. Monica even looked at him with that told-you-so expression. She was giving up too.
Blanche pinched his arm under the table. “Ollie!” she hissed quietly.
Fine. If this was what it took to keep his baby, he would do it. Even if his next words gutted him.
He jumped to his feet. “I have a house, Your Honor.”
“And pray tell, where is this house? Because there’s no way I can award you custody of your daughter without one.” The judge waited.
Oliver clenched his jaw tight and got a handle on the churning within. “It’s in Deep Haven, Minnesota. In fact, that’s where most of the people I need to make amends with are.”
“If you have a house, why aren’t you there now?” the judge asked.
“My grandparents recently retired and moved south. They split up their properties and gave my siblings and myself each a piece. My sister got the family bakery. My brother received a city lot, and I got the family home. It all happened within the last few months, and that’s when Hezekiah got sick. I wasn’t going to abandon him in his time of need.”
“And you plan to
move there with Kiah?” the judge asked.
The air grew thick. Heavy. Everything hinged on his next words. Oliver scraped together the bottom of his reserves to spit out his answer. Probably the only answer this judge would accept. “Yes, Your Honor.”
She held his stare a beat longer and then nodded. “All right then. I will award you temporary custody. I want you back here in three months with a statement from each person on this list that you have made amends. I want proof of housing and employment, and random welfare checks will be made for Kiah’s sake at some point in these next months. During these checks, if it is perceived that Kiah is not doing well, she will be removed immediately. And if you do not have your affairs in order by the time we meet again, I will have no choice but to place Kiah where she can best thrive. Understood?”
Oliver nodded.
“I’ll see you in November.” The judge walked away and out a back door in the room.
Blanche clapped him on the shoulder. “I knew you could do it, Ollie.”
Monica shook his hand. “It might not be a slam dunk, but considering the circumstances, we’ll take this as a good start. You’ve got some work to do.”
Good thing work didn’t scare him.
But now he had to move back home. And that would be his biggest battle yet.
***
Dr. Lena Larson wasn’t sad to be in the Janowskis’ barn staring at a mare’s hind quarters rather than at the Dahlquist wedding back in town. The earthy scent of straw and animals surrounded her as she reached into the birth canal. Nick and Jae might be some of her closest friends, but with the rest of Deep Haven attending the sunset nuptials, she wouldn’t be missed.
Here, she was needed.
This foal should’ve been out and suckling by now. The summer heat in the barn pressed in on her. Sweat trickled down her back.
Ah. There’s the problem. Lena’s fingers wrapped around the fetus’s errant hoof and pulled it into place. The mare’s flanks twitched.
“No wonder labor stopped. Thankfully the shoulder wasn’t caught. Just the elbow.” Lena backed away slowly. With the foal now in true “diving position,” it would be a matter of moments and the mama would do the rest of the work.
Mr. Janowski’s furrowed brows relaxed. “I’m glad you’re here, Doc. I didn’t know what to do for Cupid.”
With a quick nod of acknowledgment, Lena joined him. “It was good you called. It’s not a major complication, but it could’ve easily become one.” Besides, Lena should be thanking him for rescuing the mixed-breed mare last year after she was found at a shack out in the sticks, malnourished and dehydrated.
But Lena didn’t have the words, and Mr. Janowski didn’t seem to need them, intent as he was on watching the wonder before them.
Two hooves and a dark nose wrapped in the white inner membrane presented.
“One more push, mama,” Lena whispered.
Within seconds the bay-colored foal lay on the clean straw. Lena helped clear the membrane away, and the foal drew its first breath.
Lena’s heart squeezed.
Even Mr. Janowski teared up as they watched the mare nuzzle her newborn. “Well, doesn’t that just beat all. Probably commonplace to you, but…” He leaned on the gate of the corral with a sigh of wonder. “Wow.”
“Every birth is a miracle.” Lena washed her hands in the bucket of soapy water next to the stall. “So, what will you call this little guy?”
“The grandkids already decided. They’re sticking with the Christmas theme. Comet.” He grinned like a proud papa.
Yes, Cupid, and now Comet, had found a good home with the Janowskis. And those were some lucky grandkids. If only—
Stop it, Lena.
No one could change their past or choose their family. At least she’d had Birdie and Howard Dawson when she was growing up. Like the Janowskis, they’d taken in a lot of strays.
Including her. Not that she’d ever lived with them, but she might as well have used their address as her own for as often as she was at their house.
After a quick examination, Lena gathered her bag and told Mr. Janowski what to expect for the rest of the evening. “And remember, if she doesn’t pass that whole placenta in the next three hours, call me back.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He checked his watch. “Sorry you missed that wedding. I feel awful—”
“Don’t. I’m glad to help. Besides, I’ll still make it to the reception.”
“Make sure you bill
me extra for the house call.”
No way would she charge extra or even send a bill. Not many people were willing to take a neglected, unwanted animal. Especially one as big and expensive as a horse. But they’d had this discussion before, so why bother saying anything?
They walked out of the barn together. “Don’t worry about it. I should probably pay you for getting me out of having to sit through a wedding. Especially in this heat.”
They might be in the north woods of Minnesota, but a heavy and hot wind bore down on them. The front of gray clouds moving in off Lake Superior didn’t bode well for an outdoor reception.
“Not your idea of a good time?” Mr. Janowski asked.
“There’s been a bunch of them lately. That’s all.” And truth be told they were getting a little old.
So much money and fuss. ...
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