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)
The low rumble of his laugh made me smile. “No. Don’t get me wrong, it was a good day… until she had a meltdown in the car on the way home. But before we went to the mountains, I stopped at the sports store to get a hiking backpack to carry her in. It’s owned by a couple I’ve gotten to know fairly well. Nice guys, both of them.” He paused. “I was surprised to find out they’re trying to adopt. And they’re having a hard time of it. They’re the world’s most perfect couple. Smart, hardworking, kind. They’re super involved in the community and well-loved by everyone. They’d be the perfect dads for her, but…”
He trailed off, and I waited patiently while he gathered his thoughts.
“It made me nauseous to think about handing her to them,” he said roughly. “And if I can’t imagine giving her to them…” His lips tightened, and his nostrils flared. I could tell he was overcome with emotion. His voice came out in a whisper. “How could I give her up, Tully?”
I shifted over to give him a hug, holding him tightly and hoping it made him feel supported and less alone. His arms tightened around me as he tucked his face into the side of my neck.
After a few moments, he pulled back and met my eyes. “If I can’t give her to Jackson and Lake, then I sure as hell can’t let the Scotts take her from me. They probably think they’re dealing with someone who can’t afford to fight them, but they’re wrong. And I will spend every last cent fighting for her.”
We talked about the necessary visit to Dallas, about dealing with Katie’s house and personal effects, and about the most likely methods the Scotts would use to try to discredit him. Surprisingly, Dev didn’t seem worried about them succeeding. I got the feeling from a few things he said that he had friends in high places, as well as deep pockets and never-ending commitment.
What he didn’t seem to realize was that the playing field wasn’t always fair, especially if judges were old friends with the plaintiff or biased against single parents and/or gay men. I’d seen plenty of situations where the legal system didn’t adhere to the principles of justice and fairness.
I refrained from mentioning them to him—Dev needed all the encouragement he could get, and he needed to stay focused—but there was nothing to keep me from doing a little legwork in the background. I’d made a name for myself in law school for my ability to research the hell out of things very quickly.
I knew his attorney in Texas would be glad to receive any relevant case law research I could find. Susanna was known for being smart, focused, and relentless. Her brother Tomas was a friend of mine from law school, which was why she’d been willing to take Dev’s case on such short notice.
Susanna charged what she was worth, though, and I found myself wondering again about Dev’s financial situation. He said he had a lot of money… but how could a ranch hand, even one who was careful with money, save up enough to save his horse and his daughter in the same week? I knew I couldn’t ask, but I worried about it anyway.
What I wasn’t going to do was worry about my own situation right now. Technically, doing research on Dev’s case was in my purview as Katie’s attorney, but I was pretty sure Orris wouldn’t see it that way. Which meant I would simply make sure he didn’t find out.
Despite mentally preparing arguments against the Scotts in court over and over—a futile practice since I wouldn’t be making them—I managed to fall asleep quickly. As usual, morning came early on the ranch, and I was awakened by Dev’s attempts at sneaking out of bed.
“Fuck,” I grumbled. “It’s still full dark.”
“You sure you grew up on a ranch?” Dev’s sleep-roughened voice was sexy as hell, especially since I could hear the smile in it.
“I left it for a reason,” I grumbled into the pillow.
His warm hand caressed the back of my head and down between my shoulder blades. “Go back to sleep.”
I shook my head and stretched. “Nah. I’ll get up and help.” But when I stood, I felt the residual soreness of the previous night’s amazing sex. “Maybe no horse riding, though,” I muttered.
Dev looked back over his shoulder and grinned at me. “Yeah?”
“Don’t look so smug. It’s just because it’s been a while.” I moved toward the living room, where my stuff was heaped in a corner.
“How long?” he called from the bedroom, where he was pulling clothes out of a dresser drawer. My eyes lingered on the pale muscles of his ass.
I thought back. “God. Probably three years? I dated a guy a few years ago, but we’d been broken up for a while before I met you.” I didn’t add that I hadn’t liked anyone enough since then to do more than swap quick orgasms before going our separate ways.