The Sheriff's Mail-Order Bride (The Watson Brothers #2)(36)
“Okay, here’s the deal from what I could garner from the paperwork.” Layla’s voice took on a professional tone as she summarized the case. “Aden Richard Woods Bellingham was the only child of Richard and Arabella Bellingham, heir to a massive fortune which includes real estate, business interests here and overseas, seats on numerous boards, etcetera, etcetera. They are claiming full custody of his child, now their only heir, sighting Gina Taylor as an unfit parent. For proof they are holding documents that go back to her early childhood. Her father was a drug addict and a drunk, in and out of court, finally dying when she was seventeen leaving her alone. The courts decided she was able to look after herself and didn’t require her to go into foster care.”
She paused and Rory heard papers being shuffled. “Apparently she dropped out of school and went to work as a waitress which is where she may have met Aden, the golden child. He was flexing his wings and got in with a bad crowd, so they claim. Anyway, that’s where his parents lost sight of him. It’s taken them this long to track him down and well, we know what they found.”
There was silence for a moment and then Rory heard the click of her tongue. “Basically what they’re trying to say is that Gina was a bad influence, and got him hooked on drugs with the intention of getting her claws into the family money. As a drug addict, they say she is incapable of raising their grandson the way he should be raised and therefore should not retain custody.” She let out a sigh. “I’m telling you, these guys are ready to play hardball and they have the money to back themselves up. I hope your girlfriend is worth it because you’re all going to get dragged through the mud if this gets to court.”
Rory pinched the skin between his eyes and gripped the phone. “Believe me, Layla, we are going to fight this. I don’t care how much money these people have, there is no way they’re taking that child. And I doubt his mother is a drug user, either.”
“Well now, if we can prove that, then we have a starting point. I want you to be prepared for this to get dirty ’cause it will, I can guarantee you of that unless we come up with something that will halt them in their tracks. The press is going to have a field day with this one.”
He leaned back in his chair. “Have at it, I say. They have no grounds to take Fisher away from us.”
“Us? Does that mean you are in a somewhat permanent relationship with her?” Hope sounded across the phone.
“Yes, we got engaged this week.” He tapped his short-cut nails on the edge of his desk, wondering if he’d ever see his wedding day now this had come to surface.
“Well, now that I can work with. When did you lovebirds meet?”
A cold spike of dread followed those words. “Do we have to get into that? Isn’t it enough that we’re living together and engaged?”
“No. They’ll dig around and find out so you may as well tell me the truth now. Listen, tell you what. I’m going to catch an afternoon flight down there. Get this all sorted out in person. It’s the least I can do for Chance anyway.” She paused as though thinking. “I can meet you both and we can work out where we’re going from here.”
“Are you sure?”
“Definitely. I could use a day or two in the country anyway. This damned city is getting so busy, some days I just want to walk away, but I still love the fight too much. See you later on. I’ll call you when I get to the airport before I board my plane.”
Rory put the phone down and looked aimlessly out the window. How would it go down when Layla found out that theirs was an internet hookup that turned into an arranged marriage of convenience? It might not come across too well as a solid relationship where a child could grow and be happy compared to what his rich grandparents could offer. Last night they’d all managed to convince Gina that this would all work out. After listening to Layla and what she’d found out, he wasn’t so sure anymore, which only added to his personal doubts creeping back in.
Dealing with petty complaints and traffic violations didn’t help his day go any faster, so when he got the call from Layla to say her plane would be arriving before the end of his shift, Rory was keen to pick her up. When he told Chance she was coming to town, he found out that they’d spoken earlier and he’d already offered her a room while she was there. It made sense to have her at the ranch to sort things out, according to his brother.
Standing in the line at the arrivals gate at Bozeman Airport, Rory held his hat in his hand. He was anxious about meeting this lawyer and introducing her to Gina. He kept his eyes on the people filing out the gate and looked for a person to match the voice over the phone. His mind had been too full of facts and legal jargon to ask her what she looked like.
A petite blonde in a killer red suit with matching mile-high shoes headed his way. He smiled and looked away, not for a moment thinking this was Gina’s lawyer. She appeared far too young. When she paused in front of him, he raised an eyebrow. “Can I help you, ma’am?”
“Rory Watson?” She held out her hand. “Layla Cox. Nice to meet you.”
It took him a moment to gather himself. From the glowing references Chance had given her, he expected a middle-aged woman with lines of experience on her face, not the glowing model of perfection standing in front of him.
“Yeah, I get it all the time. Under this pretty package is a steel trap you don’t want to get caught in, believe me.” She looked around for the baggage carousel. “I only have the one case.”