This time Celia refused to be placated.

She was on her feet before her husband or her lawyer could stop her.

"You wouldn't be saying that if you two weren't friends."

She jerked a thumb at Caitlin, her eyes filled with contempt.

Harrison seemed to rise several inches as he squared his shoulders.

"This is an informal hearing, Mrs. Shephard, so I shall overlook your

tone. My friendship-albeit a distant one now-with Detective Redhawk's present wife has bearing in the case only insofar as I do not have to have the young woman's background examined prior to reaching my decision. Since I do know her, it allows me to dispense with that tedious aspect of this case and come to a more rapid conclusion."

His mouth hardened.

He had no patience with vacillations and Celia's had been particularly reprehensible to him .

"You already gave up claim to the boy once."

Celia's eyes widened and she looked at her lawyer helplessly.

"Your Honor, Mrs. Shephard was going 'through a difficult time-"

"Difficult times can be gone through without shedding a child as if he were an unwanted skin. -It does not seem to me to be in the boy's best interest to live with someonewho is inclined to flitter in and out of his life, much like the tooth fairy, sporadically and on whim."

He turned now toward Graham.

His deportment didn't soften one iota.

"From the research my clerks have done, Detective Redhawk seems to be

an upstanding citizen, regardless of his financial holdings."

He saw Wells opening his mouth and continued without pause.

"If money is the issue here, his wife's estate more than makes up for

that deficit. Jonathan Cassidy left his daughter quite well-off."

Harrison folded his hands, coming to his conclusion.

"So we are back to looking at things on an equal footing, as I

originally stated."

He raised a brow at Wells, challenging the man to say otherwise.

"And given that, it is my decision that Jake Redhawk will continue to

reside with his father."

Wells was already beginning to gather his things.

His face was red with anger he wasn't free to vent.

"We'll appeal."

Harrison had expected nothing less.

"'that is your Godgiven right in this wonderful country of ours."

With no ceremony, he indicated the door.

"Now, if you will all excuse me, I have another matter to tend to."

Celia spared a tearful look at Jake, undone by the way he hugged his

father.

"This isn't over," she warned Graham as she stalked past him with her husband in attendance.

Zach felt like celebrating.

If it wasn't that he had another case waiting for him on the fifth

floor, he would have taken them all out for lunch.

He ushered Graham out, his hand clapped in friendship on the man's shoulder.

"Round one's ours."

Zach thought of what Graham had told him about Celia.

"By the time the appeal comes up, with any luck-" Graham nodded.

"Her maternal mood will have passed."

Although, knowing Celia, she might be stubborn enough to hold on, just

to spite him.

Jake hopped from one foot to the other, excitement vibrating through his small body like a tuning fork.

"Am I yours?"

Graham lifted the boy into his arms, holding him tightly as they walked into the corridor.

"You've always been mine," he told him solemnly.

He wanted the boy to remember that.

"And no matter what would have happened here today, you would have

always stayed mine."

"Listen, I've got to dash," Zach told them.

"I'll be in touch should there be an appeal. Good luck to both of

you!" he called enthusiastically over his shoulder as he hurried

off.

Graham set Jake down on the bench that sat against the wall between two courtrooms.

"Sit there for a minute, Jake.

I have to talk to Caitlin.

Wondering what he wanted to say to her that he couldn't in front of

Jake, she followed him to the side.

He looked so out of his element, so unsettled.

what was wrong?

There was an atrium in the middle of the floor.

Graham looked at it absently, his hands shoved into his pockets.

"I suppose I should say thanks."

It felt as if a wet rag had been dropped on her face.

"Not if it has to be ripped off your tongue."

He had her completely baffled.

Graham looked like a man who had lost, not won.

"What's the matter?"

The words were all tangled up inside him.

"I just won my son. Why would anything be the matter?"

His tone was defensive.

Angry.

"I don't know, you tell met Graham blew out a breath, annoyed with her,