Page 82 of Claimed By the Cowboys
Caroline Ross—the woman Clay and the others had referred to as “Maisie’s egg donor.” Montana mentioned that Carolinehad threatened Pack Blackwood with legal action backed by a team of high-powered businessmen. Never in a million years had I considered that she had the support of Pack Adamar behind her.
“That little girl living alone with a bunch of rough and tumble ranch hands and some rando nanny?” Kyle sighed with feigned concern. “She deserves a better, more financially stable living situation—a mother and father’s who can provide for the level of care that the little princess deserves,” he concluded gravely.
I could feel the anger heating my face, the tears threatening to spill from my eyes as I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek to keep me from blurting out the string of hateful profanities that waited on the tip of my tongue.
“What’s the matter, Piper?” Ralph chimed in, a cruel smile twisting his lips.
I didn’t say a word. Everything Pack Adamar had said was horrible, but it also showed more of their hand than they realized.
They didn’t know that I was pregnant with Maisie’s sibling. And they didn’t know that I’d been bonded into the pack, details that could majorly change how they intended to approach the custody situation.
If Caroline and Pack Adamar focused their arguments for the court around the fitness of Pack Blackwood as guardians… Much like Clay and the others had mentioned, a fully bonded omega pregnant with Maisie’s sibling as her mother figure was in stark contrast to a birth mother who had accepted a payout after walking away from her own newborn only six weeks after birth.
“You’ll never get away with it,” I sniffled, allowing my tears to fall, doing my best to play into their assumptions, my swollen belly hidden beneath the diner table and Dakota’s sweatshirt and my wild auburn hair doing a stellar job of keeping my bonding bites from view.
“On the contrary.” Lance smirked. “As we speak, our lawyers are setting up dates for required mediation ahead of going to trial.”
Even though I knew Clay and the others had anticipated this, my heart jumped into my throat as Lance more clearly outlined Caroline’s and Pack Adamar’s threats.
“Yeah, and knowing Caroline, she can beveryconvincing.” Ralph leered, the subtext obviously being that Caroline could have Clay literallyby the ballsif she so desired.
I sniffled down my white-hot frustration as Pack Adamar seemed to bask in my tears.
“So you might want to think about figuring out a plan C.” Kyle gave a fake pout. “’Cause you’re going to be out of a job and a place to stayreal soon,” he taunted as my tears fell into my empty sundae glass.
“Why are you telling me all of this?” I wiped my eyes with the backs of my hands.
“We thought we would give you the courtesy of an early warning.” Lance shrugged, his eyes roving over my body. “Figured we’d look you up while we stopped through town and see how you were getting along…” He trailed off, his nose lifting into the air as if he’d caught the smell of something rotten.
“Since you’ve apparently let yourself go—”Ralph sucked air through his teeth as if in pain,“I—think that we’re probably done here.”
Kyle nodded in agreement, only adding injury to their insult. Had they really just insinuated that they had intended on dropping a line to me for a casual booty call while they were in town, but were so disgusted by my current state that they had changed their minds?
Tears blurred, then completely eclipsed my vision as I sat in the booth in silence, sobbing softly until Emmy suddenly appeared at my elbow with a gentle touch of her fingers.
“Is everything all right over here?” she quipped acidly, clearly looking for a fight.
“Yes, everything is fine—we were just leaving,” Lance scoffed, motioning for Kyle to scoot out of the booth so that Pack Adamar could be on their way.
Clearly late to the game, Lucas appeared from behind the counter, his order pad clutched in his hands. “You gents sure I can’t interest you in a piece of my granny’s key lime pie? It’s a summer favorite here in Sweetwater!”
Kyle shouldered past Lucas roughly without a response, Ralph stopping long enough to say, “You couldn’t pay me to eat anywhere in this backwater town.” Then he unfolded his sunglasses and placed them back onto his cold, beautiful face.
Lucas stood stunned as he watched Pack Adamar shuffle out the door, Emmy sliding into the booth beside me, a wad of napkins in her hand already moving to dab at the corners of my eyes.
“What in the hell was that about!? Do I need to go out back and get Granny Evelyn’s baseball bat? ’Cause I can—those bastards are still sitting out front in their fancy car,” Emmy chirped angrily, ready to defend my honor at a moment’s notice.
“That was them, Em—my old pack,” I admitted on a sob before Emmy folded me against her in a tight hug.
“Those bastards? You’re kidding!” she tutted as she smoothed my hair and gave me a soothing squeeze. “Snakes like them could never deserve you!” Emmy proclaimed as the two of us watched their Range Rover pull out of the lot.
As if on cue, Montana’s blue truck pulled in.
Lucas nearly tripped over his own feet as he ran to the door to intercept Montana.
Through my watery tears, I watched Montana remove his white Stetson before his head snapped around, his blue eyes finding me cradled beneath Emmy’s arm.
Before I knew it, I was up and out of the booth, wrapped in the safety of Montana’s arms as I sobbed with relief.
