Earth and Sky

should be there to soothe her. Maybe she was in the bathroom or the shower.

    Hunter carefully opened the door to find what he’d expected: Lindy sitting up in the middle of the big bed, crying her eyes out. Unaccustomed to consoling little children, he sat down on the bed and held out his hand. At first, this made her cry even more.

    “Do something, Hunter,” Bernie demanded.

    Hunter shot her a look of desperation. “Do I look like I know what to do?”

    “Hold her or something. You used to hold me when I cried. When I was little.”

    Lindy was still sobbing, so Hunter figured it couldn’t get much worse. He’d simply lift the little girl up and carry her to Grant. She weighed next to nothing when he picked her up off the bed. To his surprise, she wrapped her arms so tightly around his neck he thought he was going to choke.

    “Talk to her or something, Hunter,” Bernie urged him.

    “Sssh, ’s okay, Lindy,” Hunter spoke, gently patting her long, curly hair. He couldn’t help noticing how her hair felt just like Grant’s, soft and silky. Her sobbing was becoming quieter now, although she’d hiccup from time to time. “’S okay,” Hunter repeated.

    “You look good, Daddy.”

    Hunter looked up and saw Grant standing in the doorway. “She was upset. I don’t know where Christy is.”

    Grant turned on the bedside lamp and sat down next to Hunter and Lindy, pretty much ignoring Bernie’s unashamed stare at his naked torso.

    “She’s gone,” Grant said despondently. He held up a handwritten note he’d picked up from the nightstand.

    “ I hereby allow Mr. Grant Jarreau to make all necessary decisions about the well-being of the children Lewis, Robert, and Lindy Marshall from this day forward ,” Grant read. “It’s signed ‘Christy Marshall’.”

    “I’m sure that’s not legal.”

    Grant looked at Hunter. “I don’t care. I’m holding onto this.”

    “If her husband comes for them, this won’t stand up in court.”

    “Don’t you think I know that? His name is on the birth certificate of my children. Even if I push for anything, I might get the youngest two with a paternity test, but they still won’t give me Lewis. And he has to be part of the package.”

    “Calm down,” Hunter said. He understood why his lover was upset. They’d been through this before. Lindy was practically asleep in his arms now, so he couldn’t move, but he wanted to touch Grant to soothe him and make him understand he wasn’t alone. “Grant, sit here. We’ll talk about this with our lawyer on Monday. Right now we need to take care of these kids, show them they’re not alone, and try to make them see she didn’t abandon them. Make them understand that she’ll be back.”

    Hunter’s words seemed to calm Grant down, and Hunter was glad of that. Hunter dared to let go of Lindy enough to reach out and put his hand on the back of Grant’s neck. He pulled him closer until their foreheads were touching. “I love you. We’ll pull through this.”

    Grant kissed him until Bernie’s chuckle reminded them that she was still in the room.

    “You two are really cute together,” she said with an amused grin.

    Hunter pulled away from Grant and shot her a mock-threatening stare. “Oh, grow up, Bernie.”

    “I’m serious,” she said, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “You’re really cute together. I don’t know why Mom can’t see that.”

    Hunter shook his head and rolled his eyes. Bernie wasn’t too bad. He wanted to send her off to college next year so she’d gain some maturity, but he knew it would break her heart to be ripped away from her horses. Not to mention he’d lose one of his most avid supporters. “Go on downstairs and start some coffee, Bern. We’ll be right there.”

    “Just don’t do anything you’ll regret. Lindy looks like a light sleeper, and she’s only little! A little too young for your antics, I think.”

    Hunter narrowed his eyes at her. “And you’d prefer to stay and watch, I suppose? Fat chance, sis. We can maintain some self-control, you know.”

    Giggling, she left the room.

    “Let’s go see if the others are up?” Hunter suggested.

    About an hour later, most of the household was sitting in the huge family kitchen. Grant was fully dressed in jeans and a checkered shirt and flipping pancakes on the large cast-iron stove that occupied most of the side wall of the room. Izzie was sitting with Hunter at the table, trying to get the four