Marriage certificate, proof of income, character witnesses. It'll help your case. " He tipped his hat and left, leaving Elias and Nora standing in the yard, the custody papers heavy in Elias's hand. "He knew," Nora whispered. "Somehow he knew we'd get married, and he waited just long enough to make it look suspicious. He played us. " "Maybe, but we're not beat yet. " Elias's voice was hard, determined.
"We've got 2 weeks to build a case, to show we're a real family, not some hastily arranged fraud. And we will. Because I'll be damned if I let that man take your son. " Nora looked at her husband, her husband, and saw something burning in his eyes. Not just determination, not just protective instinct, something deeper, something that looked almost like the love he'd claimed he could learn. "He's hers," Elias had said to Vincent weeks ago, "and he's mine by choice. " Now they'd have to prove it, in a courtroom, in front of a judge, with Vincent doing everything in his power to tear them apart.
But as Elias's hand found hers in the darkness, his grip strong and steady, Nora allowed herself to believe they might actually win. They had to. Because the alternative, losing Tommy, losing this fragile family they'd built, was unthinkable. The battle was just beginning. The 2 weeks before the hearing passed in a blur of preparation and growing tension.
Elias threw himself into building their case with the same methodical focus he brought to everything. He rode into town the day after the papers were served and returned with a lawyer, a sharp-eyed woman named Margaret Hale, who'd built her reputation defending homesteaders against land companies. She wasn't cheap, but Elias paid her retainer without hesitation, drawing from savings he'd kept untouched for years. "Tell me everything," Margaret said that first evening, sitting at the kitchen table with papers spread before her. Every detail of how Mrs.
Ward came to be here, your marriage, the boy's condition, Vincent Gray's character. Everything. " So they told her. Nora recounted the desperate walk across Oklahoma, Tommy's illness, Elias's intervention. Elias explained the practical arrangement, his need for an heir, the mutual benefit. Margaret listened without judgment, taking notes in quick, precise handwriting.
"The timing looks bad," she said finally. "I won't sugarcoat that. Vincent's lawyer will paint this as a fraudulent marriage designed solely to block his custody claim. We need to prove otherwise. " "How? " Nora asked, her stomach knotting. "By showing you're a real family.
That means documented evidence of cohabitation, joint decisions, shared responsibility for the child. Character witnesses who can testify to your fitness as parents, financial stability. That works in your favor, Mr. Ward. The ranch is successful and debt-free.
But we also need to undermine Vincent's claim that he's acting in the child's best interest. " "He's not," Nora said flatly. "He wants control of Tommy's inheritance. James left money for his son's future, and Vincent thinks if he has custody, he can access it. " Margaret's expression sharpened. "Can you prove that? " "No, but I know my brother-in-law. He's never shown interest in Tommy before, never visited, never sent money after James died, never offered help when we were starving on the streets.
Now suddenly he wants custody. It's about the money. It has to be. " "Knowing and proving are different things, but I'll dig into his finances, see if there's evidence of debt or gambling or anything that might suggest financial motivation. " Margaret closed her notebook. "In the meantime, you two need to look like a married couple. That means appearing together publicly, being seen as a unit.
No more sleeping in the barn, Mr. Ward. " Elias's jaw tightened. "That's not" "We agreed. " "I don't care what you agreed. A judge who hears the husband sleeps in the barn will question the legitimacy of this marriage instantly. You need to share a bedroom, or at least appear to.
Can you manage that? " The silence stretched uncomfortably. Nora's face burned, but she forced herself to meet Elias's eyes. "We can manage," she said quietly. "If it helps Tommy, we can manage anything. " Elias nodded stiffly. "Fine.