Chapter 8

EIGHT

DEV

I was torn between the very fine view of Tully’s ass as he walked away and the need to keep an eagle eye on Lellie as she patted Buttercup’s nose.

“Foss,” she repeated happily. The hippie stoner Way had stuck me with smiled at her.

“You like horses, dudette?” he asked in a gentle voice. “My sister loves horses, too. She’s a tiny nugget, not much bigger than you. How old are you, sunshine?”

Why in the world did everyone need to know the age of random kids they had no relation to?

“She turned one in February,” I said before changing the subject. “Tell me about your experience working on a ranch.”

Indigo’s eyes blinked twice before he took a breath. “Well, ah… I don’t have ranch experience, per se, but I know horses. Like, me and horses… we vibe on the same wavelength, if you feel me.”

I fantasized about throwing a bucket of ice water on Way and Silas early the next morning while they were still comfy-cozy in their bed. “Do you know how to cut horses?”

“Cut!” His eyes went wide. “Oh, my dude, no …”

“I mean wrangle,” I snapped. “Cut one horse from the rest of the herd in order to move that horse to a different pasture.”

“Oh, that .” His shoulders dropped, and his goofy grin reappeared. “Sure. I know how to capture and lead a horse. Our polo ponies were, like?—”

Polo ? I blocked out the rest of his words. I played polo, too, but comparing it to ranch work was like saying that experience painting walls meant you’d be talented at painting pictures.

Was it possible to find anyone less qualified than Indigo in all of Wyoming? Surely if I went into town tomorrow and threw out a handful of pebbles, I’d hit several locals who knew more about ranching than Indigo. “Tell Way to get you on a horse and show you a few things before Friday,” I barked over my shoulder as I turned and walked away. “And meet me back here at four thirty for the afternoon feed.”

“Sick. But, like, what should I do in the meantime?” he called after me.

“Find a pair of boots and muck some stalls… dude ,” I called back.

I refused to look toward the rental car in search of Tully. Instead, I headed straight up to my apartment in hopes of finding food I could serve a toddler. Was Lellie allergic to gluten? Would she choke on strawberries? Could the internet possibly help keep me from accidentally killing her with lunch?

Thankfully, Tully was already there, and he’d unpacked the little booster seat we’d bought for the kitchen table. After I set Lellie down and she toddled over to him, he picked her up and got her buckled in. “Your new hand seems like a helpful guy,” he began. “ My dude. ”

I saw the twinkle in his eye and grunted in response. “Helpful if you need to lose track of your herd, maybe. Or find spiritual enlightenment with the help of exotic mushrooms.” I closed my eyes and exhaled. “It’s my own fault.”

“How’s that? I thought Waylon hired him. Waylon’s your boss, right?”

“Sort of. Yes, Way owns the ranch with his siblings. And yes, he hired the guy without consulting me. But…” I finished washing my hands and opened the cabinet with the bread and peanut butter. “It’s complicated.”

Tully’s voice held a hint of annoyance. “Complicated? Gee whiz, Professor. I can’t imagine little ole me would be able to understand something complicated . I barely graduated top of my class in law school.”

I looked up at the ceiling, but there was a noticeable lack of patience up there. I’d have to find my own.

“Way’s been trying to hire more ranch help all year. I pushed back. Hence, the stoner.”

He took the seat next to Lellie and used a package of wet wipes to clean her hands. “Were you touching the horse, sweetie? Was she soft? Yeah, I bet,” Tully said as she babbled happily in reply. “Let’s get those hands cleaned off before you eat, though, okay? No yucky germs. And let’s get your bib on so we don’t ruin your pretty shirt.” He glanced up at me, which was when I realized I’d been staring at him. “Why didn’t you want Way hiring more help?”

“We had a guy here named Taza. He was good. Is good. But he got a better opportunity. It took me a long time to get used to him, and the man’s a talker. I didn’t want to have to break in someone new.”

Tully nodded thoughtfully as he cleaned his own hands with the wipes and smoothed down the front of his shirt. “Which would be fine if you didn’t have a couple hundred head of horses to manage, right?”

I didn’t want to appreciate the firm abs under the shirt that probably cost more than my entire wardrobe back in high school, but I couldn’t deny how sexy he was. I simply didn’t have time for that temptation. “Right. There’s no way that kid can wrangle horses.”

“I told you I can help. When is roundup?”

The last thing I needed was this city boy attorney with his styled hair and germ-free fingers trying to play cowboy. “Friday. And you’ll be a big help if you keep Lellie safe and entertained, like I asked.”

He huffed out a breath. “Fine. But stop complaining about needing experienced riders when you’re not willing to listen to me and you’re not willing to give your boss the benefit of the doubt about hiring someone capable of doing the job.”

I ignored him to focus on finding the jelly in my fridge and fixing lunch. After finishing the stack of sandwiches, I cut one of them up into tiny bite-sized pieces and added it to one of the new plastic plates I’d washed, alongside some cut-up strawberries. I brought the plate to the table and handed it to Tully before returning for the other stuff.

When I placed a plate of sandwiches, chips, and fruit in front of him, he glanced up at me in surprise. “What’s this?”

“What’s it look like? Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.” I frowned. “Unless you’re allergic?”

“Not at all. I just haven’t had anyone make me a PB&J in…” He laughed lightly. “I can’t remember how long. Maybe ever.”

Yeah, for all that he claimed not to have “wealth,” I could easily imagine that Tully Bowman wasn’t the peanut butter-on-white-bread type. But he gamely reached for the sandwich anyway.

“Can you tell me more about Katie’s will?” I asked as I took my own seat. “What else do I need to know?”

He took his time before answering, wiping his mouth with a paper towel and then taking a sip of water first. “Her parents are suing you for custody.”

“Wait. You mentioned they weren’t happy. You didn’t say…”

“I just heard the news from my assistant. They’ve officially filed suit. My assistant said they’re pressuring my office for your address so they can serve the papers.”

I bit back a string of curses. The news shouldn’t have surprised me. And maybe it didn’t, exactly. But it sat heavily in my gut nonetheless. “Oh.”

Katie’s parents were controlling, sanctimonious assholes, but I couldn’t fault them for fighting for custody of their own granddaughter over a single dad they’d only ever known as a scruffy high schooler from the poor side of town.

I felt Tully’s eyes on me, but he didn’t say anything. Not for the first time, I wondered exactly whose side he was on. Was he trying to protect Lellie’s best interests? I hoped so. He didn’t need to be on my side necessarily, but I sure as hell hoped he wasn’t on the Scotts’ side either.

Lellie finished eating and started fussing. Tully wiped her down again with wet wipes, which were beginning to seem like a miracle product. I understood now why Connie had suggested them.

Once she was clean, I took her into my bedroom and laid her down on the bed, cuddling with her and reading a picture book from her suitcase. Thankfully, her eyes began to close at the sound of my voice about halfway through the short book, and before long, I felt comfortable moving her to the portable crib and escaping back to the main room. Tully had finished cleaning up after our meal and was sitting on the sofa with his phone in his hands.

He glanced up when I entered. “So. What are you going to do?” he asked abruptly.

I didn’t pretend to misunderstand. I needed to make a decision, for Lellie’s sake. “That’s a very good question. She needs a good home. Better than the Scotts. And better than me.”

Our eyes met. As much as I hated to admit it, I really wasn’t the pathway to happiness for Katie’s beloved daughter.

“But I’m accepting custody… until I can find the best situation for her,” I went on. “Custody of my daughter will be on my terms, and the Scotts are not in the running.”

“I’m not sure that’s how it works, Dev. Anyone can make a case for custody, and biological family gets an automatic serious consideration, especially in Texas. The Scotts have excellent attorneys.”

I eyed him. “I guess I need a good attorney, too, then. Can you recommend a family lawyer in Texas?”

“I know a woman who’s passionate about LGBTQ family law,” Tully said slowly. “She’s the one…” When he trailed off, I shot him a questioning look. He sighed. “She’s the one I recommended Katie use for a contract when I learned she was using a sperm donor.”

“But we didn’t have a contract.”

“I know. I thought that was…” He ran his tongue over his teeth as if searching for the correct word. “Ill-advised.”

I bristled at the implied insult… which was foolish, considering Tully and I hadn’t even met at that point. “I told Katie I’d never wanted kids. I wouldn’t fight her for custody. She trusted that.”

“Clearly. But people change their minds.” He shrugged. “It’s fairly common. Enough to make it worth protecting against. Trust is all well and good in theory, but sometimes the people you think you can trust are the least trustworthy of all.” He smiled without humor. “I wouldn’t put my future in someone else’s hands like that, still less my child’s future.”

“And in the end, Katie trusted me with her child’s future anyway,” I said hotly.

Tully looked troubled, but he nodded. “She did,” he agreed reluctantly. His gaze caught mine. “But you don’t want her.” The words which shows I was right remained unspoken, but I still heard them.

I narrowed my eyes. He made it sound so easy. “I told you, it’s not a matter of want , it’s a matter of what’s best for Lellie, and I’m not the right person?—”

“So be the right person,” he shot back.

“You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”

Tully rolled his eyes. “Then for god’s sake, explain it to me.”

“Explain that I have family issues I don’t want to saddle my child with? That I never want to repeat the same mistakes my own parents made? That I could never forgive myself if I—” I broke off and ran a hand through my hair.

What the fuck was I doing? In my anger, I was giving him evidence to use against me in the custody case.

I tried to soften my words and my tone. “Anyway. That was before I met Lellie, when Katie was around to be a better parent than I could ever be. I care enough to make sure Lellie finds a good situation with a loving family.”

Tully seemed to be making a supreme effort to keep his own temper under control. “Do you have the resources for this fight? It’s not something you’ll be able to use Lellie’s money for?—”

“I wouldn’t.” I gritted my teeth. “Don’t worry about the money.”

Tully’s eyebrows lowered even more. “I’m just saying?—”

I knew what he was saying. That I was a simple ranch hand living in someone else’s apartment, sleeping on my boss’s furniture, barely making ends meet. There was no way for him to know I’d fixed up this place myself, had made sure it was professionally decorated and fitted out so it would increase Way’s property value as my way of thanking him since he wouldn’t let me pay rent. But I didn’t owe Tully any explanations. As long as I could pay my legal bills, it was nobody’s business how.

“I get what you’re saying. And I’m telling you, it’s none of your business. Can’t make it clearer than that, Tully.”

“Fine,” he bit out.

“Fine,” I repeated. “And while we’re at it, I’d like to see a copy of Katie’s will, please. Along with any other documentation I’m entitled to, including trust documents, bank statements, et cetera.”

Tully’s fingers flexed like he wanted to hit something—possibly me—but he didn’t argue. He simply got up and retrieved his computer bag before returning with a large legal-sized folder full of paperwork.

After handing it to me, he returned to his spot on the end of the sofa and watched as I began to go through it. I felt like I was a bug under a microscope and he was recording every tiny tic or change in my expression.

I spoke without looking up. “Feel free to take a walk.”

“You’re kicking me out of your apartment?” His tone was light, but his words carried a definite edge of hurt.

I blew out a breath. Tully didn’t deserve my anger. He’d been looking out for Katie’s interests two years ago and was looking out for Lellie’s now. I had no right to be annoyed that I instinctively wanted him to be on my team.

Hell, I wasn’t sure I was on my team.

I finally glanced up and met his eyes. “No. I’m not. I’m just having a hard time figuring out whether you’re here to gather evidence for them or whether you’re here to successfully transfer custody to me according to Katie’s wishes.”

Tully’s shoulders slumped slightly. “That’s fair.” He paused. “I’m here to transfer custody. But it’s my job both as Katie’s attorney and her friend to make sure that Lellie is in good hands. Transferring custody to you just to have you give her away to strangers wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.” He hesitated. “I know not to believe what the Scotts say. I know they’re biased against you. I know there’s… bad blood there?—”

I snorted. “No shit.” I felt like we were saying things that had already been said. “I know you think they’re an option for Lellie because they’d love her. Well, forgive me if I don’t think their idea of love is all that great.”

Tully set his jaw. I could practically see steam rising off him as the things he wasn’t letting himself say boiled behind his closed lips.

I refocused on the pages in my lap. Katie’s will was straightforward, and her wealth didn’t surprise me since I’d known she had a trust fund. What did surprise me was discovering she had several rental properties, including one with a very familiar address.

“Is she fucking kidding?” I murmured, flipping through the pages in search of any additional information.

“What?”

“Did you know she managed rental properties?”

He looked surprised. “Yes. She invested some of her trust fund in them as a way of transferring the money away from her parents’ reach at first. That was before she met her wealth manager and let him move it into various financial instruments. Why?”

I handed him one of the pages. “That’s my parents’ house. She owns my parents’ house.”

More accurately, Lellie owned my parents’ house, which meant I, in effect, was now their landlord. And the reminder of my parents served to completely ruin my day even more than learning that the Scotts might have a strong case for custody.

I tossed the rest of the papers on the sofa and stood up. “I’m going for a ride.”

Anger sparked under my skin, and I couldn’t get downstairs and out of the barn fast enough. Because it suddenly occurred to me that Pastor and Mrs. Scott weren’t the only biological grandparents who might decide Lellie was better off with them than me.

There was no doubt in my mind my own parents would fight me for her tooth and nail.