Always Dakota - Debbie Macomber [79]
Bob put his arm protectively around his wife’s shoulders. This had been the hardest part of the entire ordeal. Merrily had assumed she’d have some time with Axel. Bob had, too, but it didn’t come to pass.
“We talked to the social worker and it was felt that a visit from us now would do him more harm than good,” he explained.
“He’s…doing better, we understood.” Merrily forced a brave smile.
Bob loved her all the more for trying to conceal her bitter disappointment. He saw several heads nod in agreement and noted the pained looks their friends shared with him and Merrily.
“We were able to get a couple of pictures of him, though,” his wife added excitedly. She went from table to table, showing off the latest snapshots of Axel. “I couldn’t believe how much he’s grown.”
“You’re being considered for adoption?” The question came from Gage Sinclair.
“Yes, oh, yes.” Again it was Merrily who responded.
“We were interviewed individually,” Bob said.
“And then together,” Merrily told him.
“Are they doing a home study?” Maddy asked.
“Apparently so.” Bob explained that the last thing he’d heard from Linda Beck, the social worker assigned to Axel’s case, was that she’d be getting in touch with them soon about a home study.
Grinning, Maddy flashed them a thumbs-up.
“If she wants to interview character witnesses, give her my name,” Pastor Dawson said.
Bob felt his wife’s arm tighten about him. “You’d do that for us?”
“Of course.”
Each person in the room made the same offer. Bob was deeply moved by these actions of genuine friendship. Never would he have guessed that he’d meet such good people in this down-on-its-luck town. Everyone here was as much family as he’d ever hoped to find.
“Bob and I are grateful, but the battle hasn’t been won yet,” Merrily went on to say.
“We’ll do everything we can to help,” Hassie called out.
Their friends lingered for another hour, asking questions and making suggestions. Before they left, each one in turn hugged him and Merrily.
Before she went home, Maddy said that with the state willing to do a home study, it was advisable to make their living quarters as attractive as possible. An apartment above a bar probably wouldn’t be considered the best environment for a toddler. Maddy hadn’t come right out and said that, but Bob had gotten the message.
Axel’s old bedroom could use a fresh coat of paint. Merrily had thought of a dozen ways to add homey touches about the place, too. Funny, he’d never given the matter much thought, but Maddy was right. Their living quarters could definitely use a bit of sprucing up. Nothing extravagant. They couldn’t afford that.
The attorneys’ fees, plus the trip out west, had set Bob back plenty. The fact that they’d been forced to close down the business while they were away didn’t help, either.
“Notice any changes?” Merrily asked when he walked into their bedroom later that night.
Bob looked around, not sure what was different. “You’d better tell me,” he suggested tiredly.
“I removed the painting.”
Bob’s gaze flew to the wall. He loved the painting that depicted a saloon in the old west, with men crowded around the bar, their shot glasses raised in a silent toast. The bartender reminded Bob of himself, only his belly wasn’t as big and his hair was longer. Above the bar was a painting of a naked woman posed to reveal the most seductive parts of the female anatomy.
“You moved my picture?” he cried, unable to disguise his outrage.
“We can’t have the social worker walking into the bedroom and seeing a picture of a naked woman.”
“It’s more than a painting of a naked woman,” he argued. Certain things were worth fighting for, and that picture was one. “What’s that?” he asked with disgust, pointing to the still life of some fruit bowl she’d replaced it with.
“Fruit.”
“I know that. It’s insipid. Stupid.”
“You like that naked woman?”
“Damn straight I do.”
Merrily arched her brows, then slowly released the sash holding her silk robe together. “I was hoping you’d find a real naked woman more enticing than a painting.”