Page 44 of Claimed By the Cowboys
“Best fifty grand we ever spent.” Montana nodded. “Only, she’s back.”
“Does she want more money?” Piper asked, shaking her head in disbelief.
That was my question. I doubted she wanted anything else. Caroline had no interest in her actual child. The question was, how much money did she want this time? I had nearly bankrupted the ranch to pay her off before.
“She doesn't just want money." Montana grimaced. “In his rush to pay off last time, Clayton didn’t get her to sign any legal papers, so she still technically has a claim on Maisie.”
Piper shook her head. “She abandoned her. How can she have any legal claim?”
“Because—without a bonded omega, we technically aren’t a pack, and in those instances, the courts tend to favor the mother,” Zeke explained quietly. “Sure, they'll consider the fact that we've had Maisie her entire life, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't still look favorably upon Caroline. The system is fucked up.”
“We’ll have to pay her off again, or at the very least, end up in mediation before a suit could go to trial,” I said, shaking my head. “But this time we will get lawyers involved and ensure she signs her rights away. How much does she want?”
Montana scowled, his face drawn like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. “Clay, it’s not that simple. She doesn’t want cash—she wants the ranch.”
The ranch?
My legacy?
Our home?
The Blackwood Ranch had been in my family for generations; all my earliest memories involved the land and the animals we reared.
“There’s no way!” Dakota hissed. “She can’t take our home from us.”
“But she can take Maisie…” Montana trailed off. “We either give her the ranch, or she’s going to take her from us.”
“There’s got to be another way,” Piper said, her concerned gaze on Maisie. I knew exactly what she was thinking. There was no way our daughter would be able to cope with being dumped on her mother. At Blackwood Ranch, she had a loving home, where all her needs were met. If the courts gave Caroline custody, she wouldn't look after her at all.
“We need to look into our legal options, but from the sound of it, Caroline has some pretty powerful people backing her,” Montana said.
“How?” I asked, frowning.
He shrugged. “I have no idea, but we need to get on top of this.”
“Is there any way to get rid of Caroline's rights to Maisie?” Piper asked softly.
I sighed. “I’m not sure.” I glanced at Montana and Zeke.
“The courts would favor us if we were a fully bonded pack with an omega. There's no way they would remove a child from a fully formed pack to live with someone who they had never spent a night with,” Zeke said.
“But yanking our daughter from the only home she’s ever known would be okay?” Dakota whispered furiously.
“When it comes to children, the court system generally favors omegas. They don't even need to be biologically related. They are hardwired to be maternal, so they side with them. It’s not fair, but it’s true.”
“Mail-order bride?” Zeke chuckled ruefully, running his hand over the sleeping child’s hair.
“You really want to trust a stranger with the health and well-being of a child?” I asked.
“There is another possible solution,” Piper said, looking at us intently.
“Do tell, city girl,” I said, but my tone was more friendly than argumentative.
“You need an omega to be part of your pack to help protect Maisie, but you want it to be someone you know. I can't have children, but I want a child more than anything. I love Maisie, and you guys aren’t terrible. Why don’t we bond?”
I stared at the omega, trying to understand the words that just came out of her mouth. Had she really suggested we bond for Maisie? A lifetime commitment?
“B-but why? We hardly know each other. We’ve fucked, but that’s it.”
