“It boggles my mind. He never wanted to be a rancher because it’s a thankless job, and yet he’s a cop, which is even more thankless.” Skylar squeezed Domini’s hand. “Despite all the bad shit that’s gone down in the last twenty-four hours, I’m—we’re—really glad that Cam came to you last night, Domini. He’s kept his distance from most of his family since returning from Iraq.”
Domini couldn’t fathom why, but she had more things to worry about than Cam’s sticky family situation. “Is Jessie getting a lot of support from Luke’s family?”
“No.” Skylar’s face turned hard. “I never understood the riff between Casper McKay and his brothers, but now I see why—that man is a plain mean bastard. Jessie is the sweetest girl in the world, who’s just suffered a huge loss and she doesn’t deserve any of this bullshit about Luke’s stake in the McKay Ranch…” Tears pooled in Skylar’s eyes. “Sorry. I have to get control of myself. The last thing Jessie needs is more angry people around her.” She stood. “Keep in touch. Please.”
“I will. I promise. Thanks, Sky.”
Domini had barely closed the door, when she heard, “Mom?” drifting from the bedroom.
She took a deep breath and wandered in to the room and perched on the edge of the bed. “Hey. You hungry? I’ve got cookies.”
Anton had a death grip on his fleece blanket. “Where’s my mom? Is she coming to get me soon?”
Domini swallowed a sob. “No, sweetling, your mom had an accident, remember?”
He stared at her. Confused. “I thought it was a bad dream.”
“No, I’m sorry.”
“It’s not fair.”
“I know it’s not. And I know just how you feel.”
Angrily, he said, “Oh yeah? How do you know?”
“Because when I was eleven both my parents died.”
His mouth made an O of surprise. “Where did you live after they died?”
In hell. She swept the hair from his tear-stained cheek and changed the subject. “Are you hungry?”
Anton shook his head. “Am I gonna live here with you now?”
“I sure hope so. I’ll do everything I can to keep you with me.”
He rolled over to face the wall.
Domini didn’t push. She just stayed with him as he cried himself to sleep once again.
Four days later…
With so many people filing in and out of her apartment, Domini considered leaving the door open. But she would’ve triple locked it if she’d known Social Services would darken her doorstep.
The agency woman resembled every supervisor Domini had dealt with in the Ukraine: older, gray-haired, her sharp eyes were only second to her sharp tongue.
“Sorry for the lack of notice about this visit, Miss Katzinski. The case file from Sheriff Shortbull came to us late.”
Had Cam played a part in delaying the information? Probably not. Since that would’ve been wrong, and Deputy Cam McKay always did the right thing. “I’ve been expecting this visit.”
“Well, then, let’s get straight to the point. Anton DeMarco is currently in your care, following the death of his mother, Nadia DeMarco and his father, Rex DeMarco. Do you consider this a temporary arrangement?”
“No. I intend to file for permanent legal custody of Anton.”
“And what of the boy’s father? Rex DeMarco has no surviving relatives that might be interested in retaining custody?”
“I’m not certain. But I do know that Anton’s mother retained sole custody in the divorce, which was not contested by Rex.”
“I see. And what was your relationship to Nadia DeMarco?”
“She was my best friend. We were housemates for a couple years. During that time I helped take care of Anton.” I helped her raise Anton.
“What is your occupation?”
“I’m general manager of Dewey’s Delish Dish, a family restaurant. It’s right downstairs.”
“How long have you lived in Sundance, Miss Katzinski?”
“Almost four years.”
“Do you own property in Sundance?”
What did that have to do with anything? “No.”
“Where did you live previous to moving to Wyoming?”
“Denver, Colorado.”
“How long were you in residence in Colorado?”
“Three years.”
“Where did you live previous to Denver?”
“Lubbock, Texas.”
“How long were you in residence in Texas?”
“Six months.”
“Where did you live previous to Lubbock?”
“Miami, Florida.”
“How long were you in residence in Florida?”
“Six months.”
“Where did you live previous to Miami?”
“Charleston, South Carolina.”
“How long were you in residence in South Carolina?”
“Six months.”
“Where did you live previous to Charleston?”
“Hershey, Pennsylvania.”
“How long were you in residence in Pennsylvania?”
“Six months.”
“Where did you live previous to Hershey?”
“Cincinnati, Ohio.”
“How long were you in residence in Ohio?”
“Six months.”
“Where did you live previous to Cincinnati?”
“Chicago, Illinois.”
“How long were you in residence in Illinois?”
“Three years.”
“Where did you live previous to Chicago?”
“Kharkiv, the Ukraine.”
“Could you spell that for me, please?”
Domini did.
Scribble, scribble.
“You immigrated to the United States from the Ukraine nearly twelve years ago. You became a naturalized citizen of the United States six years ago. In twelve years you’ve lived…eight places. Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
Scribble, scribble.
“Do you have family in the Ukraine?”
“No. I was orphaned at age eleven.”
“Do you have family in Sundance or any of the other seven locales you listed as former residences?”
“No.” Domini’s hopes were sinking. When faced with the cold hard facts about her nomadic life, even though she had valid reasons for the continual relocation, she felt her chances of keeping Anton were getting smaller and smaller.
Maybe he belongs with a real family.