A Family Name Read Free

wished that she could give the girl
a two parent home. That would be the ideal, but she knew that she
wasn't dealing in a perfect world. Sometimes things had to be good
enough. Her thoughts briefly strayed to the handsome man from that
morning. What had his name been again? Will. He had looked strong
and solid, like someone who would make a good family man. The
thought seemed so absurd that Charlotte laughed softly under her
breath. He had rear ended her and their ensuing conversation had
lasted all of two minutes, not exactly long enough to get a good
sense of a person.
    She fingered the slip of paper that had the
current placement information detailed on it. The couple had seemed
like a good match, and by all reports they had been for awhile,
until Lexi started acting up for them. Stability. That's what this
girl needed, Charlotte felt sure of it, and she knew she could
provide it. The thought that had been hazy came into clear view.
She would foster Lexi. Charlotte had all the necessary
certifications, and she had been thinking about accepting a foster
placement for the past few years. Now was as good a time as
any.
    With a deep breath, Charlotte stood up. She
closed the file, and smoothed non-existent wrinkles from her skirt.
Resolved, she headed for the door to talk to her supervisor. Things
were about to change. Charlotte felt the rush of excitement as she
thought that now she'd be able to start a family of her very
own.
     
    ****
     
    Will stepped out of the research lab building
at the Black Hills Paleontological Institute, and greeted one of
his graduate student's as they passed. The blinding ice from
earlier had abated, but the air still held a frosty chill. Giant
swaths of shimmery ice clung to every available surface forming
icicles on the edges of buildings and the power lines that swayed
overhead. Boughs of pine trees sagged under the added weight,
nearly scraping the top of Will's head as he treaded his way
carefully to the parking lot.
    When he reached his shiny red extended cab
truck, Will checked the front bumper once again just to be sure
that nothing had been damaged. He worried more about the compact
car he had skidded into. Not that the woman behind the wheel had
seemed all that flustered, although he acknowledged that he might
be wrong about that. He felt a grin stretch across his face as he
remembered the way she pursed her pink tinted lips as she read his
business card. The look on her face had told him that she was not
impressed with his credentials. Will supposed that meant that she
wouldn't be using the card to give him a call any time soon.
    As if on cue his cell phone buzzed in his
pocket. Maybe he'd been wrong. Maybe she was calling right now. The
thought made him smile wider. Ducking into the cap of his truck,
Will jammed the key into the ignition and turned the heat on full
blast before pulling out the phone. The caller display flashed his
father's phone number. With a grunt of frustration, Will tossed the
phone into the passenger seat. Anything his father had to tell him
could wait until he got home. He supposed that he'd have to head
over to his parents' place to keep the peace.
    Will threw the truck into reverse, stepping
hard on the accelerator. When the tires slipped slightly, Will
forced himself to take a deep breath and slow down. The parking lot
hadn't been salted yet. If he didn't want a repeat of that morning
he needed to be careful. He pulled slowly into the
lighter-than-normal flow of traffic. The sun broke through the
clouds, making everything glitter. Will reached for his sunglasses
to shield his eyes from the blinding glare. With a sigh, he headed
toward the heart of Rapid City, a throbbing pain shooting through
his temples. He hoped the migraine that threatened to consume him
would hold off until he got back to Mountain View.
    The phone buzzed again on the seat beside
him. No doubt his father calling again. The man never gave up,
especially when he thought he was in the right.