Chapter 32
“I need to talk to you,” Noah mutters when we arrive at the courthouse on Friday morning. His eyes pass over Willow, sharp and unreadable.
If he wasn’t the best damn lawyer in the state, I’d fire him just for that.
I slip my hand out of hers, leaving her with Dad and Silas by the benches in the hall. They both made it a point to be here today for support. Wilder and Rose are at the house with Ellie.
We kept her home from school today. Ginger’s there too. This dumb hearing’s putting everyone at the ranch on edge.
I hate this. It feels like some kind of cruel joke, to give a man a child and then threaten to take her away again three months later.
I shake my head, jaw tight as I follow Noah further down the hall. “I don’t need another rundown of how this is gonna go. Heard you the first time.”
“You know it’d do you some good to take this more seriously,” he tells me, stopping near a water cooler, a healthy distance away from the people I arrived with.
I look over at Cole, sitting by himself on the wooden bench, fighting the urge to check on him, see how he’s been holding up.
“Noah, the man’s hurting. Last thing I want to do is go into battle with him.”
“Glenda’s the one going into battle.” He looks to the side, jaw tightening. “Look, there’s something I came across I think you should know about.”
I narrow my eyes at him suspiciously. “Came across?”
He barely flinches at my glare, then glances back at Willow. “I know you think this is the real thing with her.”
“Excuse me?”
“Just hear me out.” He slips his hands in his pockets. “Dallas, I don’t think she intends to stay.”
My lips press into a thin line and I glance away. “Son of a bitch, you looked into her.”
“You ripped up the prenup,” he hisses. “I needed something to make sure your assets are protected.”
My jaw clenches. “I told you she was off the table.”
“Look, we’re running out of time. This is important.”
“If it was important, she’d have told me.” I walk away from him just as Glenda walks in. Her eyes sweep over me briefly, then she greets Cole and sits beside him, leaning in, voice low and measured.
I move to stand next to my family.
“Everything all right?” Willow asks.
I meet her eyes for a moment. They’re etched with concern and tenderness.
It’s a few seconds before I respond, pulling her to my side and kissing her temple. “It will be. Soon as this is over.”
“That woman looks wretched,” she murmurs, resting her head on my chest.
Silas nods, sizing up the tall middle-aged blonde. “Agree. And don’t take this the wrong way, but how is he affording her?”
Dad glares at them. “Either that woman offered free services to add a win to her books against the Thornes. Or he’s got no idea what her billable hours look like.”
I eye Cole’s well-pressed but worn suit, his scuffed boots, his sad eyes. “I can’t worry about that right now.” My eyes flick to the guard motioning to us. “Looks like they’re ready for us.” I nod toward Noah who gives me the signal before heading toward the open double doors.
Willow squeezes my hand. “I’ll be right behind you.”
We’re ushered in and take our seats before the judge enters.
“Thought you said this was a hearing. Why’s it so formal?”
“It’s just a courtroom,” Noah says in a bored tone. “Not like there’s a jury or anything. Odds are nothing will be decided today. They’ll have you, Cole, and—” He glances behind him as a few familiar faces enter. “Maybe a few character witnesses.”
I’m getting nervous and I don’t know why. For the past month I’ve been more than confident that any judge looking at this case would grant full custody to me, the only living parent, more than ready, willing, and able to provide. End of story.
Now I have doubts.
Rachel, our social worker, is the first one on the stand.
She answers a few questions from Glenda, then a few from Noah.
Her responses are pure facts, giving background on the mutually agreed custody arrangement.
That guardianship of Ellie would be transferred to me—her biological father.
And the request she received a few weeks ago to cease the transfer until the hearing.
I’m next on the stand with Noah asking the questions he’d prepped me for.
“Mr. Thorne, would you remind the court when you found out about Ellie?”
I clench my teeth. No matter how many times I answer this question, it always boils my chest the same. “This past summer.”
“How old was she?”
I glance at Cole. “Six.”
“And what town has she been living in all these years?”
“Same as me. Right here in Blue River Springs.”
“Fascinating. What do you do for a living?”
I sigh, growing tired of this and we’ve barely begun. “My brother Wilder and I own Blue River Ranch. Everyone knows it. Everyone knows where and how to find me.” I look over at Cole’s side of the room.
“Objection. That wasn’t the question and Mr. Thorne can’t speak for everyone,” Glenda interjects, dryly.
“Thank you.” Noah turns to me. “And I apologize in advance for this, but could you remind us of your state of mind earlier this year? Before you found out you had a child who lived right here in town.”
I take a breath. He told me he’d ask about Millie. And my . . . state of mind, the bar fights, neglecting my ranch. Because Glenda will point it out. And it’s better to beat her to the punch.
“I lost my fiancée in the spring. She died in a fire.” I swallow.
“I was grieving.” I look at Willow, her eyes misting, watching me relive it all.
“Pretty hard. I lost myself.” My eyes flick to Cole.
“At the time, I thought she was all I had. But there were people—on the other side of my bedroom door—waiting for me. There for me.”
“And how would you describe yourself after you found out you had a six-year-old daughter you never knew about?”
“I wanted to meet her. And the second I did, I knew she was mine.” I grin.
“And can you confirm for the court if you immediately wanted her in your life?”
“More than my next breath. Still do.”
Noah nods. “Thank you. So fast forward, as the court already heard, Ellie has been living with you ever since. And you’re now married, is that right?”
I look at my wife, my heart easing instantly. “Yes.”
Noah pulls out a few colorful papers from his folder and hands them to the judge.
“And based on these drawings your daughter let me borrow, she seems to adore Willow. If you’re wondering, Willow’s the larger stick figure with the red-crayon curly hair—not the smaller one, who also ironically has curly reddish hair. ”
The judge flips through the pages and hands them back to Noah, who takes them and sits back down.
Glenda stands, approaching me. “How did your wife die? I didn’t quite catch that part.”
My jaw clenches because she does know. “Millie was my fiancée. In a fire.”
“That’s tragic. Where?”
I swallow, my gut twisting. “On my ranch.”
She nods. “Where you’ve now brought your daughter to live.”
“Objection,” Noah calls.
“Strike the comment,” the judge orders the stenographer.
Glenda continues unfazed. “Tell us more about Ellie’s mother. How long were you two together?”
Another one Noah knew was coming. “Our relationship was casual.”
“In other words, a one-and-done kind of thing?”
“Objection,” Noah says. And he doesn’t need to say more.
“Strike it. Counsel, get to your point,” the judge orders.
“I’ll move on. Last question.” She steps toward me. “Mr. Hartly ceased the custody transfer to you after his wife’s death, claiming you’re unfit to raise a little girl by yourself. What day was that?”
“It was a Sunday. October fourteenth.”
“And what day did you—out of nowhere—announce your engagement to Willow Brooks?”
I inhale through my nose.
She moves to her desk and picks up a photocopy of the Blue River Ranch newsletter. “I’ll refresh your memory. It was Wednesday, October seventeenth. Three days later.”
I look at Noah but he doesn’t seem concerned.
The silence seems to irritate her. “Do you really expect this court—and your town—to believe this is anything but a performance?”
“Objection,” Noah shouts. “We’ve already given the court proof of the legal marriage.”
Glenda stretches her arms wide. “I’ll rephrase . . . anything but a marriage of convenience.”
“I don’t expect anything,” I answer. “I married the woman I love. End of story.”
Glenda smirks like my response means nothing to her. “No further questions.”
Noah stands, approaching me. “Mr. Thorne. In my experience, when a marriage was, say . . . temporary, for whatever reason, I’d highly recommend and insist on a prenuptial agreement. Did Ms. Brooks sign one?”
“We do not have a prenuptial agreement in place.”
Noah grins. “Thank you.”
There’s a short recess where I call Wilder to check on Ellie, then return to the courtroom, taking my seat next to Noah.
Despite the tightness in his jaw, I toss him a smirk as I lean in. “Bet you’re happy that I destroyed the damn thing.”
“She doesn’t want your money,” he mutters back.
“Then why are you being a jackass?”
His head snaps to me. “She’s leaving you, Dallas. My job as your attorney is to protect your assets. My job as your friend—is to protect your heart.”
My brows shoot up at his sincerity. “Well, I appreciate that.” Willow takes a seat behind me and winks. I flick my gaze back to Noah and lean in, my voice low but firm. “But you’re wrong.”
The doors shut and Judge Walker is re-announced. We stand briefly.
Cole is called to the stand and Glenda goes through her questioning.
Poor guy looks nervous even as his own attorney questions him.
To my surprise he downplays the state of mind I was in when he came to me.
And my abrupt dismissal of him. But he doesn’t hesitate to throw accusations that Willow and I are a sham and he knew it from day one.
She grips my shoulder from behind, squeezing gently.
I catch Noah’s arm when he stands to question Cole. “Take it easy on him,” I warn.
He rolls his eyes and moves forward.