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)
“What’s the situation with the kidnapping charges against the Scotts? Could that affect their ability to get custody?”
He shook his head. “It’s easy to prove Franklin was unaware of his wife’s plans, so there’s no reason to withhold custody from him regardless of what happens with Paula. And I’m sure the charges against her will be dropped. The prosecutors know how impossible it would be to convince a jury that a soft-spoken, demure woman like her is a criminal mastermind. She runs vacation bible school at the Church of Heavenly Victory, for god’s sake. She just wanted to make sure her granddaughter was safe.”
He was right. Ladies like Paula Scott didn’t go down for kidnapping. Instead, they were seen as dedicated mothers only out to save poor, innocent children from evil men.
Orris leaned back and studied me. “Tell me how it’s going with Miles Dumas. I know he signed the letter of engagement, but have you been able to get a scope of the work?”
I nodded and proceeded to discuss Miles’s needs in the broadest and vaguest terms possible.
After surreptitiously turning off the video that had been recording in my shirt pocket the entire time.
It took me another few hours to meet with Tomas to determine how best to proceed without putting Susanna in a precarious position as Dev’s attorney.
Thankfully, Tomas had friends in high places and managed to get me an informal sit-down with one of his favorite law professors, who immediately sketched out the appropriate plan of action.
The following twenty-four hours were a whirlwind. I hadn’t known it was possible to deliberately implode your entire life in such a short period of time, but I’d done it.
I’d hired legal representation at the law professor’s recommendation, and they’d taken charge of everything. They’d tendered my resignation at Dunlevy, Pace, and Trumble before accompanying me to a meeting with the Texas State Bar’s Chief Disciplinary Council’s office. Once my attorneys got approval from them, they would determine what I could tell Susanna and when. I was under certain confidentiality agreements with Dunlevy, which meant I had my own legal situation to manage as well as Lellie’s.
If the approval didn’t come through soon, I would burst. It was killing me not to be able to tell Dev what had happened in Orris’s office, but I didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize the case or risk my legal license. I would try to be patient and get proper permission before telling anyone else involved, even the man I loved.
In the meantime, I was anxious to get back to Wyoming… and back into Dev’s arms. My assistant had hooked me up by having a stack of moving boxes delivered to my apartment, so at least I could keep busy while I waited for word from the attorneys.
While I packed, I imagined Dev’s reaction to my news. I was nervous that my moving to Majestic would be too much too soon for him. He already had enough upheaval in his life with Lellie’s arrival, and I didn’t want him to feel responsibility for my happiness, too.
But at the same time, I didn’t want to wait to be together. My plan was to move to Majestic and open a law practice. To tell Dev that I’d rent a little place of my own while I started my firm slowly. I’d have to apply for admission to the Wyoming Bar and take out a business loan to get started, which was a bit scary, but after careful consideration of my finances, I knew I could make it work. I’d been socking away money for years, and while it didn’t come close to making me a millionaire, I had enough saved to pay the balance for Nolan’s final year of tuition after his scholarships and to keep me afloat while I got my practice off the ground.
In the meantime, maybe it wouldn’t hurt if I got a part-time job in town to help meet people and establish trust with the locals. I couldn’t imagine folks in Majestic would trust an outside attorney easily, but maybe I was wrong. Maybe the fact I had big-city experience would work in my favor. And I did have a few ranchers as clients who would most likely be willing to give me business recommendations. I was pretty confident Way, Silas, and Dev would give me personal recommendations, too.
And I could help out with Lellie. It wouldn’t be easy for her to trust new people, so Dev would appreciate having another babysitter on hand he could trust.
I could almost hear her now, happily calling my name.
“Tuh-wee!”
I grinned as I yanked the packing tape across the folded ends of a box.
“Tuh-wee?”
It almost sounded like she was here in the apartment with me…
I whipped around and saw Dev standing in the open doorway of my apartment with Lellie on his hip. Susanna stood behind him, grinning.