Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 104448 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104448 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
I hesitated but nodded.
“So then they pressured her to date, and she ended up with a string of total assholes.” Dev pushed Lellie through a few more swings before continuing. “She tried telling them again in college after she joined an LGBTQ student group, but her parents said she just hadn’t met the right man yet. They tried to get her to change colleges to get away from that ‘woke propaganda.’” He shook his head. “Thank god she had a strong personality.”
I knew how much her parents’ rejection had pained Katie. But I also knew she’d been rock solid about her own sexuality by the time she’d decided to become a single mom. “When she told them she was pregnant, they freaked,” I said with a grin. “She said it was kinda fun, actually. She told them in a coffee shop near their church where there were people from the congregation around.”
The edges of Dev’s lips turned up. “I would have liked to have seen that.”
“At first, she said she’d gotten drunk on a trip to Miami for a friend’s bachelorette party and slept with several men in the same night. She told them she had no idea the names of any of them and wouldn’t even know where to start searching for the father. They lost their minds. Then she admitted that it had actually been a very planned and careful decision made over the course of two years, which had included extensive counseling. She’d selected the kindest, smartest man she knew to donate his sperm, and then she’d used artificial insemination in a well-respected clinic. Pastor and Mrs. Scott calmed down a little, but not by much. I, ah, don’t know if they entirely believed the Miami thing was a lie,” I said, thinking of their reactions earlier this week.
He glanced at me. “Did she tell them it was me?”
I shook my head. “No. They didn’t find out until they learned you’d been given custody of Lellie.”
“They must have flipped.”
I gave him a look, confirming his assumption. “They remembered you as a ranch hand.”
He scoffed. “Hell, I’m still a ranch hand. They’d love that. I can’t imagine them allowing someone like me to raise their precious grandchild. Their only grandchild. I can guess how upset they are.”
“Take that and multiply it. They’re also big clients of my firm, which means my boss is keeping a close eye on this situation.” I hesitated. “I represent Katie, which includes Lellie now, but the managing partner, my boss, represents Pastor and Mrs. Scott. Needless to say, it’s a little… tricky.”
Before I could explain further, Lellie began fussing and wriggling to get out of the swing. Dev stopped its motion, allowing me to lean over and pull her out. “She’s probably hungry,” I said. “We should head back and feed her and then see if she’ll nap.”
While I was secretly enjoying playing happy family with Dev, I knew my time in Wyoming was short, and we needed to have some serious conversations about Lellie’s future. Whoever ended up with custody would have to decide what to do with Katie’s house and set up a new will for themselves stipulating custody of Lellie in case of their own death. I owed it to Katie to make sure her daughter’s future was fully protected, but those conversations wouldn’t be easy… and I wouldn’t attempt them while Dev was distracted with his vigilante toddler surveillance.
We loaded her up in the car and made our way back to the ranch. When we pulled up outside the barn, I heard a muffled curse come from Dev and noticed several unfamiliar vehicles parked out front. I glanced at him, but before I could ask what was going on, he threw the rental into Park and hopped out.
When I got Lellie out of the car seat, she immediately fussed to be put down so she could walk on her own. By the time we approached the barn doors at toddler pace, two of the men from last night were heading in our direction with a frustrated Dev in their wake. Thankfully, the sheriff wasn’t one of them.
“I’ll explain later,” Dev called to them, but it was clear no one was listening.
“Hey, sweetie,” a friendly-looking blond cowboy said, squatting down to meet Lellie on her level. “How’re you doing? I’m Uncle Waylon.”
A gorgeous man with short brown hair and an intense vibe gazed at the cowboy fondly. “Don’t get too close in case fatherhood is contagious, baby. First your sister, and now this.”
Lellie’s arm wrapped around my leg as she moved closer to me.
“You’re scaring her,” Dev said, shoving the brown-haired man back and nudging the cowboy. “She’s not fond of strangers.”
“Then introduce us,” the brown-haired man said, but he was looking at me instead of Lellie.
Dev’s annoyance was palpable. “Tully, this is Silas Concannon and Waylon Fletcher. Silas and Way, Tully Bowman. He’s… ah…”