The Rancher's Redemption
Miranda ignored Lizzie and kept her gaze on Henry. “I will be in touch. Thank you for your time and attention.”
She went out, slamming the door behind her as Lizzie stared helplessly at Henry.
“Can she really take me to court about this?”
“Unfortunately, yes, in California she can.” Henry grimaced. “Now that we have established Roman’s parentage, she can use the evidence in court to gain access to him.”
“That’s so not fair,” Lizzie gasped. “She and Ray have done nothing to help or support me, and suddenly she gets to see my son just because she feels like it?”
“If she does take you to court, her previous neglect of you, and her son’s lack of financial payments toward his own child, will certainly not reflect well on them. You are still Roman’s mother, and the courts tend to favor the full-time caregiver.” Henry sighed. “But you must prepare yourself for the fact that the court might allow her visitation rights.”
“Not on her terms,” Lizzie responded.
“We can offer our own solutions to such issues, and we will be heard. It’s not as if she can throw any mud at you in return now, is it?”
Lizzie bit her lip. “CPS came to see me a couple of weeks ago. I think Coretta set them on me.”
“Oh dear.” Henry frowned. “Did they file a negative report against you?”
“Not that I know of. But I got the sense that they wouldn’t be telling me anything anyway.” Lizzie paused. “And there’s been a private investigator following me around as well. I’m beginning to wonder whether that was Miranda’s doing.”
“You’re suggesting it’s possible she has been gathering evidence to use against you?” Henry frowned. “Which means she probably didn’t intend to negotiate with you in good faith after all.”
“Bingo,” Lizzie said.
Henry rose and came around his desk to pat Lizzie on the shoulder. “Don’t despair, my dear. We still have plenty of ammunition to fight back with. You are well-known and loved in this town. I’m certain we can gather lots of character witnesses to support your side of the story.”
“But I don’t want to fight,” Lizzie whispered. “I just want my son to be happy.”
“I am afraid that if you want to keep Mrs. Smith in line you’re going to have to,” Henry said gently.
* * *
Lizzie took Roman home in something of a daze as she tried to grapple with what had just happened in the lawyer’s office. Had she been too unwilling to compromise with Miranda? If she’d agreed to her terms, would the specter of a court case not be hanging over her? But she couldn’t have allowed Ro to go to San Francisco alone with a woman he’d never met. Miranda must have known that. Maybe she’d only said it to provoke a negative response from Lizzie as justification for taking her to court.
Her cell buzzed, and she took it out of her pocket, relieved to see that it was only her mom calling.
“Hey, where are you?”
“We’re about fifty miles away. Your father has decided he’s too tired to drive any farther so we’ll see you in the morning. Is everything all right?”
Lizzie looked down at Roman’s head. He was going on his first vacation with her parents, and they were all looking forward to it immensely. This wasn’t the time to worry her mom about Miranda Smith. She could tell them all about it when they returned from their trip.
“Everything’s good, Mom,” Lizzie replied cheerfully. “We’re both looking forward to seeing you very much.”
Chapter Seventeen
Lizzie’s mom, Angela, had not only brought new clothes for Ro, but for Lizzie, too, which meant she had a new dress to wear for the Turner wedding. It was strange having time to get ready and put on her makeup without being constantly interrupted by her son. She’d waved him off with her parents that morning, and was expecting him back in just under two weeks.
He’d seemed happy to go, his focus entirely on everything Disney. Lizzie had no doubt that if he did get tired and miss her, her mom would step up and give him all the comfort he needed. She’d already made sure to arrange several video calls so she could see how he was doing.