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)
When Lellie was born and Dev hadn’t initiated any contact—something I knew Katie didn’t expect from him but would’ve been open to—or even called to congratulate Katie, I’d figured I had my answer. Dev was a drifter. A wanderer. A kind man, sure. A beautiful man, without a doubt. But not necessarily a dedicated or responsible one.
As much as I hated to think of sweet Lellie being brought up by the influential Scotts in their hateful megachurch, I also wasn’t sure if a drifter—no matter how kind or beautiful he may be—was the ideal parent for her. And if he was an underpaid ranch hand, might he be tempted to keep custody of her simply to have the kind of financial security he’d never known before?
It was definitely possible.
I wanted to see Katie’s final wishes carried out—of course I did. It was the last tangible thing I could do for my friend. But as I thought over Orris’s words, a little bit of doubt crept in over the best way to achieve that.
Like most young, healthy parents, Katie had written up her will to protect her daughter against a theoretical worst-case scenario. In her case, though—my throat burned with unshed tears—it had become reality far more quickly and suddenly than Katie could ever have predicted. She’d probably chosen Dev as Lellie’s guardian because she’d wanted to assume the best of him and had thought he’d mature or settle down at some point, becoming the kind of person she’d actually want raising her daughter.
Maybe he had become that person. But maybe he hadn’t.
I loved Katie and Lellie enough to make sure that whoever became Lellie’s guardian would do right by her. Lellie deserved to have the kind of safe, stable, comfortable childhood I’d never had. One unburdened by worries about whether there would be food in the fridge tomorrow, or if the mortgage had been paid this month, or if, after celebrating the windfall of a rare cattle sale at the local bar, her father would come home in a roaring temper… or not come home at all. She deserved to have adults in her life who made her needs a priority and to be loved as much as Katie had loved her.
And, though I hated to admit it, that kind of stability was something the Scotts could give her… even if it wasn’t the situation Katie had wanted.
“You’ll bring the child to Wyoming, Tully,” Orris pronounced. “Along with the custody documents Grace will prepare.”
I started. “Me? Surely we should send someone else,” I tried, suddenly panicking at the idea of confronting Dev with a child he’d never met.
“The nanny can’t make the trip,” he reminded me, “and you’re the only person in the firm who knows the child personally. Would you prefer I assigned a junior associate to handle the matter?”
The thought of Lellie traveling so far with a stranger when she still called out for her mother in the night made me sick. “No. Definitely not.”
He nodded as though he’d expected no less. “Didn’t think so. You care about the child, and I trust you to do what’s best for her.” His eyes bored into me once again. “Do whatever it takes to prove Devon McKay is unfit, Tully. Beg, bribe, or bully him until he gives up custody. Do you understand?”
I could tell from his expression that there were words he’d left unsaid. I felt the weight of them regardless.
Your job depends on it.
I swallowed hard. “Yes, sir.”
TWO
DEV
I’d heard about the Final Night celebration for months. The street festival was a Majestic, Wyoming tradition—a chance for Majesticans to enjoy the final days of the low season before the hiking, fishing, and mountain climbing tourists took over the area around Memorial Day—and so far, just being here for it tonight had made me feel like a true local.
And I guessed, at this point, I was. Majestic had been my home now for almost a year. When I’d arrived to help my friend Silas and his new husband, Waylon Fletcher, with roundup on the Fletcher family’s ranch, I’d never expected to stay for long. But the wide-open space, the scent of horse and hay, and the utter lack of anyone other than Silas who knew my sad story had made it a kind of unexpected sanctuary. So I’d bought some land and put down roots for the first time in years. After the last thaw, I’d broken ground on my first house, and now I rode my horse, Trigger, over there nearly every day to oversee construction and bask in the natural beauty of the site.
For the most part, I had everything I’d ever wanted. A beautiful outdoor playground with never-ending trails to ride. A purpose in improving Fletcher Ranch’s horse breeding program and helping care for the herds. Good friends who reminded me to laugh and enjoy living in the present rather than stewing over the past. A secret billion dollars in the bank—a number that still terrified me sometimes but meant I’d never go back to my hardscrabble childhood. And soon enough, when construction was finished, I’d have a place on Earth to call my very own.