“What’s going on?” she asked.

“I’ve got to go to court later in the summer. I may not get custody of Sharla.”

“What?” Josie shouted. “I can’t believe this. If it was Denise’s last wish for you to raise her daughter, and she had sole custody…”

Michael appreciated Josie’s indignation. It made him believe she would help him.

“As it turned out, she didn’t have sole custody. But because Eddie Lewis had never shown a smidgen of interest in Sharla, Denise hadn’t thought it necessary to ask the court to grant her sole custody.”

“And now he wants to raise her?” Josie filled in the missing pieces. “But why?”

Michael wasn’t prepared to tell Josie everything. This was his fight. While he needed her help, he couldn’t let her get too close in the process. She’d left him once, and she’d do it again.

He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know what that man is thinking. He says he’s gotten his act together, and now that Sharla is motherless she should live with him. He’s recently remarried and has stepchildren near Sharla’s age.”

“So he’s really serious about this?” Josie said. Michael nodded. “What does your attorney say?”

“That my chances are fifty-fifty at best. The judge hearing the case is known for siding with the biological parent.”

“Wow.” Josie swallowed so hard Michael saw her Adam’s apple bob.

“If I can help…in any way…you know I would. Perhaps I could testify at the court hearing on your behalf?”

“I appreciate your offer to help. And actually there is something you could do.” Michael said the words quickly before he lost his nerve.

“What? Tell me?” Josie gently touched his elbow, the simple gesture giving him the courage he needed.

Taking a deep breath, Michael said a quick prayer before putting his heart in Josie’s hand. “You can marry me.”

With a thousand stars blinking in the summer sky, the only light Michael cared about smoldered in Josie’s eyes.

For what seemed like an eternity, she remained frozen in place, too stunned to move. When she met his gaze, he felt the full force of her indignation. Perspiration spread across Michael’s forehead and neck, and he felt as if he were melting into the black shadows cast by the outdoor lights.

“Let me make sure I heard you correctly.” She took a deep breath, then pointed her index finger at him. “You just asked me to marry you.”

Michael nodded his head. “I know it sounds crazy—”

“Crazy?” Josie grabbed the top of her head with both hands as she grimaced. “Crazy doesn’t even begin to describe what this is. You…me…getting married? Well, it’s…it’s insane. That’s what it is…insane.” Josie clinched both fists. With each word she said, her voice became higher and louder and more agitated, while her face turned one shade of red after another.

“Okay, if you could just settle down, and let me explain—” Dear God, Michael prayed, let her see my heart. I know if she would just listen she would understand and help me. Michael reached out to take her hand, but she flinched to avoid his touch.

“Tell me this,” she said, taking one more step backward. “Do you love me?”

Though he didn’t speak immediately, he boldly met her gaze. “It’s not that simple.”

“Well, it ought to be,” she whispered. Obviously unwilling to consider his request, she turned to walk away. This time when Michael reached for her, he caught her arm and brought her to a halt. If he had to beg, he would.

“If after you’ve heard everything, and you still want to say no, then so be it. But at least give me a chance to explain.”

The seconds ticked by, seeming like hours to Michael. Doubt began to rise in his heart, followed quickly by humiliation. He’d been foolish to put his future in Josie Marshall’s hands. He should have learned his lesson the first time.

Finally, Josie nodded.

He saw the reluctance, but he didn’t care. She was giving him a chance, and he couldn’t blow it.

“This is the only way I know to protect Sharla,” he began.

It was the desperation in Michael’s eyes that finally convinced Josie to listen.

“I’m fighting Sharla’s newly married biological father. And I’m a single man. You know what that means. The decision could come down to those facts alone. I just can’t sit by and do nothing.”

“You would marry a woman you don’t love for Sharla’s sake?” Josie asked. Were they really having this discussion?

“Yes,” he said firmly.

Josie sighed. “There has to be some other way. You’ve got a good attorney. You’re the only father Sharla has ever known. Surely that has to count.”

“It does, but I need more than maybes. I need to do everything I can to keep Sharla.”

“Why?” For some reason it seemed important to know the depth of his conviction.

“Because I believe, without a doubt, I’m the best person to raise her. God brought her into my life, and I don’t think He brought us together just to take her away now.”

Josie glanced down at the ground, kicking the grass with her toe before looking back up. “Sharla is a lucky girl.”

Still, Josie wasn’t even close to being convinced she was the answer to his problems. Shaking her head ever so slightly, she feared Michael wouldn’t let her say no and walk away. He was prepared to wear her down until she gave in.

“There must be another way. I’m sure there are lots of women who would jump at the chance to marry you.” Michael cocked his head in disbelief, but Josie continued. “What about Marianne Blade or Julie Sparks? They’re both crazy about you.”

Josie saw the confused look flash across Michael’s eyes. He knew there was something odd about what she’d just said, but in this intense moment he couldn’t put his finger on it. But she knew. Though she’d always pretended she didn’t care what Michael was doing, she’d paid attention to every bit of news her mother had passed along.

“You don’t get it,” Michael said. “You’re the only woman I can believably marry on such short notice.”

“Because we were once engaged,” Josie finished his sentence.

“This marriage has to be convincing.” Michael took her hands into his, as if he believed he’d already won her over. “We’ve got to be so real your parents, our friends, the court’s caseworker, don’t suspect a thing. I know we can do this, Josie.” Michael paused for a minute. “Please. Help me. Help Sharla.”

The word no perched on the tip of her tongue, and she had been ready to spit it out until he’d said:

Please, help Sharla.

Sharla. A little girl she didn’t know, but a little girl who needed her help just as Angelina once had.

For a second, she imagined Angelina’s sweet, round face. Mentally she ran her fingertips across the child’s smooth tanned cheeks, then through her long dark hair. She heard her innocent laughter ring out across the night sky, and she shivered.

“Please,” Michael said again in a voice so low, so quiet, she barely heard him. Yet, he spoke with such intensity and determination his voice could have traveled around the world and back and she would have still heard him.

Josie once again looked her former fiancé in the eyes. There had been a time when she would have done anything for him. But this?

Again Angelina’s face flashed through her memory.

She couldn’t say yes, but neither could she say no.

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