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“I think your daughter would want her son to know his father,” Bella snapped, drawing a surprised sneer from Charlotte.
“Well, you didn’t know Dee like I did. And if she had known who Grant really was, she wouldn’t have sent him those letters.”
“And just who is Grant? What is so wrong with him that you think it would be best to take his son away from him?”
Charlotte took a step toward Bella and looked down her nose at her. “Alcoholics are notoriously terrible parents. They value their booze more than their children. Don’t you worry, the judge will never allow Nick to live with an alcoholic. Custody will be awarded to me.” She lifted her chin and flashed a smile. “I’m running late, but I’ll probably see you in there. Thanks for coming the other night. I couldn’t have done this without you.”
Charlotte brushed past Bella, leaving her reeling.
Dizziness and sparks burst behind Bella’s eyes. She couldn’t breathe. Why would Charlotte think that Grant was an alcoholic? All the other ranch hands knew Grant didn’t touch the stuff.
Her thoughts darted around, connecting the dots. The bottles in the back of Grant’s truck. He’d been drugged. No one had been informed about the bottles, not even Eli. All he’d known was that Grant had gotten sick.
The anonymous call about someone driving impaired! How did she forget that? The call had gone to the local police number and the call hadn’t been recorded. They’d tried to find the person who made the call, but had been unsuccessful.
Bella’s head snapped around as she watched Charlotte disappear inside. Charlotte had been the one to drug Grant. Everything was coming together. The picture had become clear. Charlotte wanted Grant out of her life and Nick’s, but she needed a reason to prevent Grant from gaining full custody.
The woman was a real witch!
She pulled out her phone and made a call. If she was lucky, someone would be able to bring her case files to the courthouse and she’d be able to give them to the judge before it was too late.
As soon as she got off the phone, Bella stormed toward the courthouse. This wouldn’t stand. It was time to right everything that had gone wrong.
She entered the courtroom just after the proceedings had started. Quietly, she took a seat in the back and watched Charlotte’s lawyer give all the evidence they had stacked against Grant.
Charlotte was being touted as a concerned grandparent. She had raised a daughter successfully. She had a steady job. The life she could provide her grandson would be stable and full of love in a place he was familiar with. Nick wouldn’t even have to change schools. All of that on top of the fact that her daughter wished for her to raise Nick made for a pretty strong argument.
Grant’s lawyer stood next. “Your Honor, this case isn’t about who Dee Bradley chose to raise her son. This case should strictly be focused on the fact that Grant Shaw is the father of Nick Bradley.” He motioned to Grant. “The blood test we have submitted in the documents confirms it. But given Montana law, a paternity test isn’t required when the child was born before his parents were divorced. When Mr. Shaw learned he has a son, he dropped everything to come take responsibility for him.”
The rebuttal was well-worded and thought out. Grant was described as being a loving father who would do anything for his son.
When Charlotte was asked to take the stand, the whole room seemed on edge. She lifted a tissue to her teary eyes and told a story of her broken-hearted daughter. “When Dee found out she was pregnant, she was so excited. She’d thought Grant would be excited as well. But that’s not how it was. He left her.”
Grant shot out of his seat. “That’s not how it was, and you know it! She confessed to keeping it from me in her letter.”
A hush went through the room and Grant was shoved back in his seat by his lawyer, who then turned to the judge.
“There is evidence that Ms. Shaw did indeed keep her pregnancy a secret.”
The objection was sustained, and Charlotte continued speaking.
“The problem isn’t whether Nick loves his father. A child would love anyone who spends money on him. Grant has got to be blowing through the money from my daughter’s life insurance policy. He doesn’t make nearly enough to pay for the things I’ve seen him buy. Frivolous purchases of alcohol can also lead to accidents on ranch property. I am simply standing here before you to beg you to think of the child. No child should be raised in a household where there is access to copious amounts of booze.”
Grant turned toward his lawyer and muttered something. His face had turned such a dark red he could have passed for a strawberry. Bella would never fully comprehend how he felt. The woman was dragging him through the mud—mud that she’d mixed and poured all on her own while she was coming out of this smelling like a rose.
Bella itched to jump to her feet and charge down the aisle to tell them exactly what Charlotte was up to, but it was Grant’s turn to speak.
“I love my son,” he vowed. “I would never do anything to jeopardize that. There are witnesses who can corroborate my side of the story. And as for the money, I can have documents brought forward to prove I haven’t touched a dime of Nick’s money.”
Charlotte huffed from her seat.
“My son is… everything… to me.” Grant turned to the judge. “I used to think that being the best dad meant I would give Nick everything he wanted—everything he couldn’t have when I was gone. But I’ve learned it’s so much more than that. It’s about not missing his firsts. It’s about teaching him how to tie his shoes.” His eyes found Bella’s. “It’s about protecting him from people who wish him harm and never giving up on being there for him.”
“That’s a wonderful sentiment, but unfortunately, we can’t give you sole custody when you weren’t listed in Ms. Shaw’s will.” The judge rifled through the paperwork. “Until I look into this alcoholic accusation deeper, I can’t in good faith offer you more than supervised visits.”
Grant’s shoulders slumped.
Bella’s heart stopped.
