Her face was swollen, misshapen; one eye was so puffed up she couldn’t even open it. She was going to be in a world of hurt for a while and who the hell was going to take care of little Lila while she got better?
Clay had already told the hospital he’d pay her bill; maybe he could offer to pay her rent while she recovered. She couldn’t work for a while, that was sure, and Clay hated the thought of Lila going hungry.
He shifted her slightly so she was resting on one arm as he stepped forward. He didn’t even consider letting her down. He’d always wanted kids, but had never met someone he wanted to have them with. And then the boys had come along. But they’d been teenagers when they’d come to live with him, beyond the stage of needing him to bandage their knees and read them bedtime stories.
Clay moved closer, still holding Lila who hadn’t made a noise. Abigail opened her good eye, staring up at them. “W-who are you?” she asked.
“Name’s Clay Richards, ma’am. I, ahh, encountered young Lila here and brought her home. I called for an ambulance when I found you.”
“I can’t afford this. Got no health insurance,” she said her voice rough and hoarse sounding.
“That’s okay, ma’am. It’s taken care of.”
“Well, good,” she said harshly, a calculating look in her eye. “Maybe we can work out some sort of payment plan.”
Clay knew she wasn’t talking about money, and his stomach tightened in disgust. He let out a deep breath. The woman hadn’t looked at Lila once.
“Ma’am, is there someone I can call for you? Someone who can help take care of you and Lila?”
The woman snorted, then groaned as she tried to move. “There ain’t nobody who gives a shit about me and that good-for-nothing kid. Christ, what am I going to do? I can’t exactly make a living like this.”
Clay figured she wasn’t making much of a living anyway. Lila shifted in his arms. Poor little mite, she hadn’t once complained. He couldn’t leave her here. He knew that.
“Ma’am, I think we need to talk. Just let me find someone to take care of Lila.”
*****
Clay stepped into the dark motel, hours later than he’d planned. Lila slept against his chest. All the lights were off except for one lamp in the living area. He’d gotten two connecting suites: Colin and Trace were in the one next door, while he and Gavin were sharing this one. The question was where to put the munchkin.
Well, first things first.
He needed to get her out of her clothes, well, rags. Walking through to his bedroom, he placed her on the bed.
“Clay,” she said sleepily, rubbing at her eyes.
“Yeah, little bit?” he answered gently. God, how could that awful woman just give her up like that? Clay had offered to help her out until she was on her feet, to help her find a new job so she could take better care of Lila. The woman had laughed and said she didn’t give a crap about the kid. That he could take her.
So he had. He knew it wasn’t legal but no way would this little girl be going back. If he had to pay Abigail West off for the rest of her life, he would.
“Am I going to live with you?” she asked, looking up at him with calm eyes. Most kids would be crying or upset, not Lila. He worried about her reaction for a moment, and then decided she was probably just exhausted.
“You sure are.” He quelled the voice in his head telling him all the ways this could backfire. Lila’s mother got what she wanted and he got Lila out of that hellish situation.
“Where do you live?” she asked.
“On a big ranch in Texas. Colin and Trace live with me and so does my other son, Gavin who you will meet in the morning. We have plenty of cattle and horses, even a few dogs, cats and chickens.”
She bit her lip and sat up, her eyes huge in her too-small face. “I don’t know anything about animals.”
Clay pulled out one of his clean t-shirts for her to wear to bed. He stretched, his limbs feeling heavy and lethargic. Forty-six was too old to be awake at three in the morning. And Lila had to be even more tired. How much sleep did kids her age need anyway? How old exactly was she?
“Lila, honey? How old are you?”
“Seven,” she replied.
“Good, that’s good,” Clay said. “Do you need to go to the bathroom?”
She nodded shyly.