LITMIR.BIZ

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estate,” Liz interjected with lawyerly calm.

      Judge Roy waved her hand, then drew her glasses farther down the bridge of her nose and peered at Chase. “Don’t tell me you’re happy about what happened to the ranch you grew up on. Armstrongs and the Broken Arrow have always raised beef cattle. Not dairy cows.”

      “That’s true,” Chase admitted with admirable candor. “What’s happened there would not have been my choice. But I do understand.” He turned to glance at Merri. “My wife had to raise these kids on her own and take care of the property. She’s done the best she could under the circumstances.”

      Unmoved, Judge Roy continued, “But you could do better?”

      Chase lifted his hands. “I’m a surgeon.”

      Sternly, the judge commanded, “Answer the question, please.”

      He released an exasperated breath and looked at her, squaring his shoulders deliberately. “Yes. I think I could do better. But that’s not the point, Your Honor.”

      “Actually, Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong, I think that is exactly the point. Mr. Armstrong is back in town and wants what was previously denied him by his mother’s estate—control of the ranch and its assets, which are currently held in trust for the children. To get that, he would have to be co-guardian of the kids.” Priscilla Roy paused meaningfully. “And to achieve that, at least in my courtroom, he has to be married to Merri Duncan. Which he has managed in very short order, with no prior courtship, at least that anyone in the county seems to know about.”

      Merri didn’t know what they could say to that, without breaking the promise she and Chase had made to each other to keep the twins’ biological origins private and hence protect the children from scandal. It was bad enough that they’d been orphaned at eight weeks of age, without making Scott and Sasha out to be conniving liars.

      Thank heavens the twins didn’t understand any of this. At four and a half, they simply wanted Merri to be their mommy, and hopefully soon, for Chase to be their daddy.

      “Judge,” Liz interrupted, “if I may… I have spoken at length with my clients. They both want what is best for these children. Jeffrey and Jessalyn need a father and a mother, and my clients are willing to make the necessary sacrifices and work together to provide that.”

      Judge Roy looked at Merri. “An early Christmas gift?”

      Wary of making a mistake that would put them in even deeper trouble, she admitted cautiously, “Something like that.”

      “Correct me if I’m wrong. You worked as a wedding planner before settling back in Laramie County?”

      Merri nodded. “That’s true.”

      Judge Roy rocked back in her chair. “And isn’t that a romantic profession?”

      Merri winced. “It’s a profession that provides romance. I don’t know how romantic it is for the planner at the end of the day.” She sighed. “Weddings can be very stressful. And a lot of time, the days leading up to the ceremony are anything but romantic.”

      The justice pushed her glasses back into place. “So in other words, your work left you jaded.”

      Merri shrugged and risked a tiny glance at Chase, who stood beside her, sober and strong. “Maybe. A little.” As had her personal experiences with relationships. “But also exceedingly practical.” She paused, searching for the right words. “I do want what is best for the children. And I think having Chase in their lives, as their dad, will provide that.” It was certainly better than splitting the children up, one night at her place, one night at his.... Which was the only other fair alternative.

      “Okay.” Judge Roy sat back, folded her hands on the desk. “You’ve convinced me to give you a chance. But that is all it is. An opportunity to prove that your marriage is a real one, not a sham, and what you are proposing is in the best interest of the twins. If I find out you’re misleading this court in any way, if this marriage is simply a means to an end, I’ll remove you both as guardians.”

      Remove? Merri blinked in shock.

      Judge Roy turned to her clerk. “Schedule another hearing, for January 3.” She banged her gavel, signaling their hearing had come to an end.

      Stunned, Merri left the courtroom with Chase and Liz, as the next case was called. Their lawyer guided them down the hall to a spot where they could talk privately.

      “Would the judge really do that?” Merri asked, her voice wobbling as badly as her knees. Clapping a hand over heart, she sank down on the closest wooden bench. “Take the kids away from us?”

      “It’s within Judge Roy’s power. But she’s not going to do that, as long as this is a genuine attempt to build a loving, supportive family that will benefit all of you in the long run.”

      “It is,” Chase said firmly, with laudable assurance. “Merri and I will make this work.”

      Merri only wished she felt as confident.

      “So much for our plans to divorce if things don’t work out,” she murmured as the two of them walked to the parking lot. She still felt shaky and at a loss. Chase, on the other hand, looked more confident than ever.

      “Judge Roy had a point. Nothing good was ever accomplished with one foot out the door.”

      Merri knew the words were truer than she wished. Still… “I’m scared.”

      He caught her to him as they reached the car. “Don’t be,” he murmured with both hands on her shoulders. He looked deep into her eyes. “We’re two very strong people, who want only the best for the kids. We’ll find a way to make it work.”

      Chase was as good as his word. He was there to help, with dinner and baths and story time. Jeffrey and Jessalyn still regarded him with wariness, but they were slowly warming to him, Merri could tell. As was evidenced by the last question of the day, as they were being tucked in for the night.

      “Is Chase going to be our daddy…now that you two are married?” Jessalyn asked.

      Merri looked at Chase. He waited, leaving the answer up to her. They hadn’t broached the subject yet, because they hadn’t wanted to rush the kids. “Yes, this makes him your daddy,” Merri said, with as much ease as she could muster.

      “Is that okay with you?” Chase asked.

      Jessalyn and Jeffrey exchanged looks. Two lower lips slid out truculently. “No,” Jeffrey said.

      “We don’t want a daddy right now,” Jessalyn added.

      Chase’s expression was inscrutable, but Merri could tell from the faint sheen in his eyes that he was crushed. As was she. “Why not?” she asked the kids, when she found her voice.

      “Because we already got a mommy, so we don’t need a daddy,” Jessalyn explained.

      “It’s okay,” Chase assured them, seeming to understand that he had upset the equanimity of the household.

      “You can change your minds anytime,” Merri felt compelled to add.

      Jeffrey sighed and hugged his teddy bear tightly. “We’re not going to.”

      Jessalyn nodded in agreement. And that, it seemed, was that.

      * * *

      “SORRY THEY WEREN’T MORE cooperative,” Merri said as she and Chase went down the stairs together.

      “They’ll warm up,” he predicted.

      Merri hoped so. Thanks to Judge Roy’s ultimatum, they didn’t have a lot of time to make this work.

      Unfortunately, Chase had an early call at the hospital. So the twins didn’t see him at all the next morning before preschool.

      “Try a lot of short visits,” Merri’s friend Paige said, when she talked to her later that morning. Paige was not only a dedicated

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