Chapter 10

When he got back to town, Ted Wilson went straight to the sheriff's office, hoping to find out some more information about Ollie's family and when they would be arriving. The sheriff was not in, so Ted went looking around town for him. He finally found him walking up the street from the courthouse, back toward his office.

After exchanging pleasantries, Ted asked that they go to the sheriff's office for a private talk. Once they were inside, Ted said, "The Barkleys have hired me to represent little Ollie."

"They have?" the sheriff asked. "I guess that means Jarrod isn't due back anytime soon."

"Apparently not," Ted said. "I think the Barkleys just want to be sure Ollie's interests are looked after once his family gets here. When do you expect them?"

"Today or tomorrow," Sheriff Madden said. "What are the Barkleys worried about?"

"Well, I talked to Ollie today, in their presence. Ollie said he didn't want to live with his father anymore."

"Really?"

"Ollie said his father gave him away to this man who is supposed to have abandoned him. Ollie also says he ran away from that man because the man worked him and hit him, hard."

Sheriff Madden sank into his chair. He hated it when his job brought him into cases involving children who have been ill used. He knew for every one that came to his attention, there were probably a dozen more no one ever heard about. "I take it you'll want to talk to the family when they get here."

"And maybe bring suit to have Ollie kept away from them. The boy certainly seems happier at the orphanage, and if that family gave him away once, they'll do it again."

"If they gave him away once, why do they want to come get him back?"

"You're not gonna like what I'm thinking. They didn't give him away. They sold him."

"That's just what I was thinking they probably did. Poor little kid. But you know, if the family wants him back, we're gonna have to have some mighty heavy facts against that to keep him at the orphanage."

"Unless we can talk the family into just giving him up. That's what I'd like to try first."

"The Barkleys are on board with this?"

"Yes, they are. They love that little guy. Can't say I blame them."

Sheriff Madden saw the affection in Ted's eyes. Ted and his wife hadn't been blessed with children of their own, and everybody in town knew they were eager to have them and would be good parents. It just hadn't happened for them yet. "I'll let you know as soon as they get here."

"For the time being, don't tell them Ollie is at the Barkleys' place, would you?" Ted asked. "I'd like to talk to them first, and if I have to file suit with the court, I want to include a motion for a restraining order. I'd just as soon they not know where Ollie is until I'm forced to tell them."

"All right, I'll wait for that court order too before I tell them anything," Sheriff Madden said.

"I hope we can clear this up in the next day or two. The little guy needs some real stability in his life."

With that, Ted went out. He returned to his office and immediately started drafting the suit and the motion he hoped he never had to file with the court.

XXXXXXXX

Audra tucked Ollie into bed after dinner, but the little boy seemed very distant and unhappy tonight. "Tomorrow morning we're going to have flapjacks!" Audra tried.

Ollie was unimpressed.

"What's the matter, Ollie? You love Silas's flapjacks!"

Ollie leveled a frightened gaze at her. "Are you going to give me away?"

Audra took him into her arms. "Olllie, we're not going to do anything until Mr. Wilson has talked to the judge and the judge and the sheriff have talked to your family."

"I don't want to go back with them." Ollie started to cry.

So did Audra. "We'll fight as hard as we can to keep that from happening, if that's what you want."

Nick came peeking around the door and then came in. "I heard Ollie crying," he said quietly, and then he sat down on the edge of the bed beside Audra and rubbed Ollie's back. "What's the matter, little man? Are you scared?"

Ollie nodded and pulled back from Audra. She took the opportunity to wipe her eyes so Ollie wouldn't see she'd been crying.

"Well, now," Nick said. "I got just the cure for being scared."

"What is it?" Ollie asked, very interested, rubbing his own eyes.

"When I was a little boy, I had a big brother, and when I was scared, he would come and tell me a story."

"What story?"

"Well, you lie down here under the covers and I'll tell it to you, and you'll fall asleep and when you wake up you won't be scared anymore. Here we go."

Nick pulled the blankets up to Ollie's chin, and Audra smiled. She knew the story Nick was going to tell. He had told it to her more than once when she was growing up, but she bet the lead character would change.

Nick began. "Once upon a time, in a land called California, there was a handsome prince named Ollie. He had yellow hair and big blue eyes, and he was the bravest boy in all California..."

Ollie was asleep before Nick got anywhere near the part where Prince Ollie had to go after the dragon. He and Audra turned the light down and left the room, leaving the door open just a crack in case Ollie woke up and needed them. They quietly went back downstairs.

"I was wondering how you were going to turn Princess Audra into Prince Ollie," Audra said.

"It was easy," Nick said. "Especially since when I first learned it, it was about Prince Nicholas."

Audra laughed.

"Jarrod used to tell it to me when I was scared at night," Nick said. "I suppose Father or Mother told it to him when he was little, and it was Prince Jarrod then."

"I'm really worried about Ollie," Audra said, sobering. "What if we can't keep him away from his family?"

"Ted will do his darndest," Nick said, putting his arm around her as they reached the bottom of the stairs. "And we'll do everything we can to help him."

"You and I both know that sometimes that isn't good enough."

Nick kissed her on the cheek. "Don't go borrowing trouble, Audra."

"I'm not borrowing trouble. I just want to be prepared with something, if they force Ollie to go back with his father. Ollie ran away once. He could do it again, and if his family hits him again, he will run away, and then what? Oh, Nick, he won't have us to help him then."

"We'll talk to Ted. We'll have our options lined up. We'll be ready."

Audra tried a smile she really didn't feel up to having. "I love that little boy, Nick."

"I know you do. We all do. Don't worry. We'll work this out."

Nick kissed her again, and they walked into the living room. But they noticed both Victoria and Heath were already watching them and listening to them. They looked concerned, too.

The world was full of "what ifs," and when they involved an innocent and vulnerable child, every one of the Barkleys believed they had to make sure that child was protected, whether that child was one or their own or not. They had come to feel like Ollie was one of their own, though, and the impulse to protect him was very strong. But they also knew how the real world worked. If a parent claimed a child, that parent was almost guaranteed to walk off with that child, even if the parent took a whip to that child every day of his life. It was the way of the world. It was the way of the law. It was what they had to prepare for, even though not one of them knew how to do it.