Shattered Justice by Karen Ball

Author:Karen Ball [ Ball, Karen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-56332-3
Publisher: The Crown Publishing Group
Published: 2011-06-01T04:00:00+00:00

EIGHTEEN

“Suddenly, I saw you there …”

GEORGE GERSHWIN

“You alone [O God] know the human heart.”

1 KINGS 8:39

SHELBY WILSON, DIRECTOR.

Shelby sat at her desk, staring down at the desk sign she held in her hands. She’d worked so hard to earn that title. Director. Woman in charge. She Who Must Be Obeyed.

And yet …

Looking at the title now, she felt nothing. Empty.

She set the sign back on her desk with a sharp bang. “Snap out of it, Shelby! You do important work here. Work that matters.”

So how come lately, no matter how many kids seemed to improve or find homes where they could be nurtured and grow, she didn’t feel anything?

Maybe because you’ve forgotten someone?

She had not! She’d given each case at Master’s Touch her personal attention. Why, she’d even found the right family for the most impossible kid of all.

She jerked open a desk drawer, pulling out a folder of photos, then plopped down in her chair and spread the pictures out on her desk. Shelby studied them, one by one—Shannon and Jayce holding up a huge fish, laughing so hard they looked about to drop the creature on the ground; Aaron and Jayce flexing their muscles over a pile of wood they’d chopped for the campfire; all three of the kids setting up tents, faces intent on the task at hand.

When Jayce Dalton showed up at Master’s Touch, he qualified as poster boy for the consequences of too little, too late. No one could get through to him. Not even Shelby. But a few months with the Justice clan and that belligerent, bleak bad boy was all but gone. In his place was a boy whose ready smile won people over before he spoke a word.

Shelby picked up a picture of the three kids standing near a canoe, arms draped across each other’s shoulders. Clearly, Jayce and the Justice family were devoted to each other.

Her eyes fell on another picture, and picking it up she sat back in her chair with a heavy sigh. Dan Justice smiled out at her, eyes crinkled at the edge of mirth, and she could almost hear his deep voice cutting loose with that rich laughter that seemed to come from his very core. She loved hearing him laugh.

You love hearing him, period.

She didn’t deny it. There was no reason for it. Heaven knew, the man hadn’t given her any encouragement. And yet, Dan had somehow worked his way into Shelby’s heart. Just the sight of him sent a surge of warmth through her. And when his eyes met hers … it was like coming home to a place she’d never known.

So comfortable, so peaceful—she never wanted to leave.

So maybe you’ve found the perfect family for the one you forgot, too.

Shelby gripped the picture, muttering under her breath, “Name one person I forgot! Go ahead. I dare you.”

Shelby Wilson.

“Oh!” The word sucked in on a startled breath. Shelby looked down at Dan’s picture and suddenly felt like weeping.

Yes, okay. She’d forgotten one person. Herself. All

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