Doing It Over (A Most Likely to Novel Book 1) (27 page)

The woman allowed the assault of tongue and wagging tail before the puppy decided Hope was a better playmate.

Wyatt placed an arm over Melanie’s shoulders.

“I’m going to kill your dad.”

“No you’re not.”

“Okay, I’m going to
think
about killing your dad.”

He laughed.

“I know the perfect name for him,” Hope announced.

“What is it, darlin’?” William asked with his elbows resting on the top of his rental car as he watched her play.

“Sir Knight.” She looked into the puppy’s eyes. “Do you like that name?”

The puppy barked his approval.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

“The troublesome thing about court battles is the long waits of nothing happening. As lawyers, we try and hammer out as many of the details in private before bringing anything before a judge.”

“And did you get anything hammered out?” Melanie asked over her coffee.

“Hammered? No . . . figured, yes. I think I might have determined what is motivating Nathan to seek custody.”

“Don’t keep us waiting.” Wyatt sat across the table in rapt attention.

“As you know, Nathan is the third attorney in his family. In line with his father and grandfather. But unlike his predecessors, there isn’t a lot of respect for the youngest Stone. It took him three times before he passed the bar exam. When he did, he thought he’d immediately begin working with his father and those in his firm. Not so.” William sipped his coffee and continued. “Not in the complete sense in any event.”

“What does a lawyer do if not practice law?” Melanie asked. She couldn’t imagine the blow to Nathan’s ego after finally passing the test and not being able to do the job. Then again, he hadn’t really shown a lot of joy in pursuing law in the first place.

“He’s been shadowing a newer associate for the better part of a year. Word is, his temper is starting to flare at not being able to do more.”

“Sounds like Nathan.”

“How does all this turn back to Melanie and Hope?” Wyatt asked.

“A couple of ways. There’s a woman. Miss Gregory . . . who happens to be the daughter of one of Stone’s partners. I think he’s trying to ensure his place in the firm from a couple of different angles.”

Melanie lifted her hands in the air. “Okay, how does that fit?”

“Nathan needs a divorce.”

Melanie placed her palm on her own forehead. “We are
not
married!”

William reached under the table where he’d placed his briefcase and removed a folder. “Actually . . .”

“Oh, God, what did he do?”

William removed a paper with the words
Certificate of Marriage
on the top and twisted it toward her to see.

Her name was there, as was Nathan’s.

“I never signed this.”

“I studied the signature, it looks like yours.”

She peered close. It would have passed, no doubt. “I’m telling you . . . I never agreed to marry Nathan. I never said
I do
. There was no judge, no minister, priest, or rabbi.”

William tapped the paper. “This is a contract. Two people sign it, a court approves, and the paper is filed. The pomp and circumstance is nothing more than a party, I’m sorry to say. This is the part that Nathan needs to go away.”

“That’s karma slapping him in the ass then. He knows damn well we never got married. If he forged this, or somehow managed to get me to sign it when I wasn’t paying attention, then the joke’s on him.”

“Joke or not, he needs a divorce to marry Miss Gregory.”

She sat forward. “All right. Say we were married. Fine, file for a divorce. But leave Hope out of it.”

“He can’t.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Why?”

“Miss Gregory is from a big Catholic family, and when word got out that Nathan was a father . . . and quite possibly a deadbeat one at that, their future engagement was put on hold until he made a few things right.”

Wyatt turned to his father. “Why would Nathan forge this?” He tapped the marriage certificate with an index finger.

Unfortunately, Melanie had an answer for him. “I met Nathan’s parents once. I think they considered me a threat to him finishing law school. What they didn’t know was the only threat to that was Nathan himself. He told me his parents didn’t think he could commit to anything. When we found out I was pregnant he started telling everyone we were married. That he was settling down. A lot of that was all show for his parents.”

“Didn’t you say you only lived with him for a year?”

“Barely a year. After Hope was born he was gone more than he was home. Eventually he moved out altogether and I had to move to a smaller place I could afford alone.”

“Did you ever speak with Nathan’s parents after that?” William asked.

“No. I didn’t see the need to reach out. They weren’t my in-laws. They were about as interested in Hope as . . .” she was about to say her own parents, but didn’t. “They didn’t seem to care.”

“It certainly appears as if Nathan has wrapped himself in lies and is trying to dig his way out and earn some respect along the way. If he can prove you took Hope away from him, that he attempted to help you and you refused—”

“None of that happened.”

“He said, she said. Courts have to look at everything presented in front of them. The divorce is the easy part. It’s Hope Nathan needs for leverage. Proving you’re unfit gives him that leverage.”

“I’m not!”

“Of course you’re not, darlin’. We all know that. Let me tell you what a court is going to hear when it’s all in front of them.”

She waited, knew he wasn’t going to be kind.

“He will start with the marriage that you say never happened. The court will show you this,” he tapped the paper and continued, “and ask you to prove it’s a lie.”

“He said, she said,” Melanie muttered.

“Exactly.”

“Then he’ll say you left him . . . or moved when he was away . . . or whatever he needs to do to look good in court.”

“All a lie.”

“Did you move away?” William asked.

“Well, yeah, like I said. I couldn’t afford where we were without his help.”

“Nothing he can’t twist. Nothing I couldn’t twist if I were on his side,” he explained. “So you moved away, he continued with school, maybe he shows a little remorse about not trying harder to find you and his daughter. Or maybe he has something up his sleeve to make him look good at this point. Then you leave the state with his daughter without his knowledge.”

She was afraid of what he was going to say next. “I didn’t kidnap my own kid.”

“I doubt he’d use that. But it has happened. Nathan finds you here, decides you’re not doing right by his child. You have a home for Hope, but that has proven unsafe in the current situation. Your boyfriend.” William nudged Wyatt’s arm with a frown. “Your boyfriend here enjoys bar fights.”

“No charges, Dad.”

“Right . . . because the town sheriff is an old friend of Melanie’s. And small towns take care of their own. Lots of witnesses saw that the fight happened. And how safe is Hope in a house with a man who drinks in a bar and gets into fights.”

“Dad . . . it didn’t happen like that.”

“I know that. But the court will hear every detail of that fight from several people. The job of Nathan’s lawyer is to paint Melanie as a bad and unfit mom. Cases have been won on less.”

Melanie ran a hand through her hair. “How do I fight it?”

William tapped the marriage certificate. “We stop it here. If we can prove this is fraud, that Nathan is lying from this point forward, the rest will be easy.”

“How do we do that?”

William’s smile flattened to a straight line and a shiver went up her spine.

“You want me to talk to him.”

“Confessions are best obtained by those who know the truth.”

“Recordings without the other person’s approval aren’t admissible in court,” Wyatt said.

“Glad you’ve been paying attention. You’re right. But once the jury hears of a confession and are told to ‘forget’ about it . . . do they? No. That’s why lawyers let things
slip
from time to time.”

The last person she wanted to talk to was Nathan. “So when do we schedule this little meeting?”

“The sooner the better.”

That’s what she was afraid he was going to say.

Clouds were starting to roll in, and according to the forecast the rain would come and go for the better part of the week. The weather fit Wyatt’s mood.

Hope, Miss Gina, and Melanie were playing with Sir Knight in the thick of the lawn, while he and his father continued to chat.

“Has Jo had any luck with the investigation?”

“She’s been quiet lately. The Feds have a couple of things they’re following up on.”

“Anything you can share?” his father asked.

“The ink on Lewis’s arm came back. An Englishman . . . aristocrat kind of guy who served some time when he was younger but has evaded prison ever since.” Wyatt wasn’t convinced he was the same man they were searching for.

“Did Lewis have an accent?”

“No. Not that I heard. But he did seem to have a superiority about him. And according to Melanie his table manners stuck out as strangely elite.”

“You mean he had them?” his father asked with a half grin.

“Yeah.”

“So what was the man’s crime of choice?”

Funny how his father had a way of making a criminal sound like he was picking candy from a counter.

Wyatt closed his eyes briefly. “An early accusation of messing with his young niece had his hand slapped. Another incident had him booked but the charges were dropped.”

“Damn, son.” William glanced again at Hope. “You don’t think . . .”

“No. Hope remembers him pushing her down the hill in great detail but has said nothing about anything more.” As if trying to kill her wasn’t enough.

His father stared at her for a few minutes before asking, “Why are you staying here?”

“Threats against both Melanie and Hope,” Wyatt said. “Luke is here when I need to leave. The girls are going a little stir-crazy. I wish they’d just find this guy already.”

His father didn’t look too excited. “Problem with that is what follows. Charges, court . . . it won’t be over for a while. And with everything else on her plate . . .”

“Much as she’s gonna hate cleaning up after that thing, the dog was a really good idea.”

“I didn’t do it alone.”

“Oh?”

William nodded across the lawn. “Miss Gina suggested a four-legged playmate for a sad little girl.”

About then, Hope let out a contagious giggle.

“I’d say Sir Knight was a good call.”

“Labs are known to find one favorite owner and stick by them. The more time Hope spends with him, the higher the chances are he’ll stick by her. Not sure how much of a guard dog he’ll be, but you’ll always know where she is.”

Wyatt smiled. “I like how you think, Dad.”

“She’s brave, you know.”

“Hope is a smart girl.”

“I didn’t mean Hope,” his father said.

Wyatt watched his girls run around the yard, playing tag with a puppy that was sure to grow into those big paws.
His girls
. . . since when did he look at them and think that?

“You’re going to win this case, right?”

“Don’t I always?”

Wyatt glanced at him, then moved his gaze back. “I don’t know, do you?”

“I’m going to win. And even if she has to go through a divorce, this should all be tied up by the holidays.”

“Tell me you’re joking.”

“I’m pushing for action now. No guarantees. Chances are Nathan wants to move fast, too. My guess is he’ll only push for custody for so long. It’s the divorce he wants and the illusion that he isn’t a shit.”

“He is a shit.”

“Yeah, I got that the first time we met.”

The phone rang from inside the house and Melanie ran toward the back door. “I’ll get you for that dog later,” she warned, smiling as she passed to get the phone.

Wyatt heard her answer the inn’s phone with a pleasant voice, then she went silent. “Yes, I did.”

His radar went on and he turned to watch her from the back door. “I’d like to talk, Nathan.”

She’d left a message at his office shortly after Wyatt’s father had arrived, and apparently the call went through even on the weekend.

“You know I can’t do that right now. Hope needs me here.”

Wyatt saw her clenching the phone as she paced. “I don’t want to fight. We need to talk. This doesn’t have to get ugly.”

“No lawyers. No police . . . no, he won’t.”

Wyatt tried to figure out what the ass was saying on the other side of the line and only caught half.

“Fine.”

When she hung up the phone, she leaned against the counter and sucked in a deep breath.

Wyatt walked through the back door and stood opposite her. “You okay?”

“That was Nathan.”

“So I guessed.”

“He agreed to meet me.”

“That’s good.”

“Not in town, he doesn’t feel comfortable.”

Wyatt didn’t like that.

“No lawyers, no Jo.”

He narrowed his eyes.

“I need you to stay here with Hope,” Melanie told him.

“Yeah, that isn’t going to happen.”

Her eyes met his. “You have to. He won’t meet with me if you’re there.”

“I’ll stay in the car.”

“I need you here. Luke can take me, or Mr. Miller.”

Wyatt shook his head. “I’m not letting you go without me, darlin’.”

“Excuse me? You’re not
letting
me?”

Maybe that wasn’t the best way to put it . . . but damn right, he wasn’t letting her.

“Be reasonable. This guy is a threat.”

“Mr. Lewis is a threat. Nathan is just a prick. I’m going without you and that’s it. If you won’t stay with Hope, I’ll find someone else to do it.”

He ran both hands through his hair and felt his pulse race. “When is he coming?”