by Chloe Lang
She scanned the man’s research and nearly jumped for joy when she read, “many Creoles and Cajuns migrated to Southeast Texas, and in especially large numbers in the Beaumont and Port Arthur area.”
“We’ve been looking in the wrong state, Jena.” She showed her the article.
Jena nodded and went to work. Most states required a fee to get a copy of a birth certificate, whether electronic or in print. Texas was no exception. But Jena had skills to get around that. Two minutes later they were looking at the birth certificate of the man they’d been trying to find for weeks.
“Text Nic.” Ashley jumped out of her chair. What they’d found wasn’t enough to win the case, but with the right cross-examination of the imposter, it could be. “Tell him I’m coming.”
“I will. Go.”
She nodded and ran out the door. Her mind was racing as fast as her feet.
Walter David Steele, not Walter Leon Steele.
She passed the Black Dragon statue and continued running through the park.
Born February 9th in Beaumont, not August 11th in Destiny.
The man suing Jennifer for the ranch was an imposter. It all fit now. Trollinger had found the man in Florida. Only three years older than Bill Steele’s brother, so the age wouldn’t be hard to disprove. He also had very few records on file. The only difference was their initials, and that wouldn’t have been found out had she not printed a copy of the property tax record with the man’s real initial. Trollinger must have realized the mistake and corrected it. How she was able to get official records changed still baffled Ashley, but Jena assured her it could be done.
But even with this new birth certificate, we won’t win unless we can trip the man up during the cross.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the Green Dragon statue, which was said to bring luck. Ashley whispered a prayer for Jennifer as she ran out of the park, crossed East Street, and hurried up the courthouse steps.
* * * *
Nic saw Ashley, a little disheveled, enter the courtroom. He’d shown Jena’s text to Sylas and Phoebe a moment ago. Ashley and Jena had found a birth certificate that gave them a reason to hope.
“Mr. Steele, why did you leave your hometown of Destiny and your brother?” The plaintiff’s lawyer looked so smug.
Walter Steele smiled. “I was just a young man and thought I knew everything.”
Ashley moved next to Phoebe and placed a copy of the birth certificate on the table. She whispered, “Did you get Jena’s text?”
“We did.” Phoebe scanned the certificate and passed it to him and Sylas. “This isn’t an official copy, Ash.”
The imposter continued to drone on and on. “I decided to take off on my own. I moved to Florida and started my life. My brother and I were close. Very close.”
“We could ask the judge for a stay on the grounds of this new information,” Sylas suggested quietly. “We could get an official copy by tomorrow. It’s new evidence.”
“I doubt the judge would grant us a stay, and even if she did give it to us I believe it would ruin our advantage,” he told them.
Phoebe leaned forward. “How would it ruin our advantage, Nic? Our position isn’t very good right now.”
“We’d have to disclose this to his counsel and what do we really have? How do we prove that this birth certificate is the plaintiff’s?”
Walter Steele slammed his fists on the rail. “And then suddenly my brother stopped calling and writing. I never knew why until recently when I learned he married her.” The man pointed his crooked finger at Jennifer.
“Please let the record show that Mr. Steele is referring to the defendant, Mrs. William Steele,” his lawyer said. “Please go on.”
There was fire in Ashley’s eyes. “The best way to prove this is that bastard’s certificate is to get him to admit it, Phoebe. During your cross you could trip him up.”
Phoebe’s eyes narrowed. “My cross?”
“Yours, or Nic’s, or Sylas’s. Whoever. Just hit Trollinger’s imposter hard and don’t let up.”
Nic was impressed at the passion Ashley was showing.
The bastard on the stand shook his head. “That woman must’ve been the reason my brother never reached out to me again. I wouldn’t have known that he died if I hadn’t tried to look him up on the Internet at the library last year. That’s when I realized why she’d kept us apart. She wanted my family’s ranch all for herself.”
“Objection, your honor.” Phoebe stood. “Conjecture.”
“Sustained,” Ethel said.
“No further questions, your honor.” The attorney took his seat. “Your witness.”
“One moment, your honor, while I confer with my associates.”
“Do you need a recess?”
Phoebe shook her head. “No, your honor. Just one moment.”
Ethel nodded.
Phoebe turned to Ashley. “You’re up.”
“What? Me?”
“You clearly have an idea of how to cross the man. You’re the one who found this certificate.”
“But Jennifer is depending on this,” Ashley said.
“And that’s exactly the reason you’re going to do the cross.”
Ashley turned to him and Sylas. “You agree with this?”
“She’s the boss, but yes,” Sylas said. “You’re ready.”
Jennifer smiled. “Ashley, I would be honored to be the first client you represented in court.”
“Go, baby.” Nic grabbed her hand and squeezed. “Win this case.”
“I’ve very nervous, but okay.” Ashley walked around the desk and stepped up to the stand.
Nic leaned forward, all his focus on the woman of his dreams.
She smiled. “Hi, Mr. Steele. That was quite a sad story, losing your family like that.”
“Yes it was, miss. Very sad.”
“Are you nervous, Mr. Steele? I certainly am. You’re the very first person I’ve ever addressed in court. I just got my license.”
“Good for you. I feel honored that I’m your first one, and yes, I am a little nervous.”
“We’ll just go through this together. I understand you and your brother were very close.”
“We sure were.”
“What did you all do when you were kids?”
“Objection,” his attorney said. “Relevance, your honor.”
“Your honor, my line of questioning is important and will become clear if I’m allowed to continue.”
“I’ll allow it, counselor, for the moment. Overruled.”
“Thank you.” Ashley turned back to the plaintiff. “Where were we, Mr. Steele?”
“You asked me what my brother and I did when we were kids?”
“That’s right.”
Nic was so impressed by how Ashley had control of the man. He was repeating her words back to her. He leaned over to Sylas and quietly said, “Our girl is one helluva good lawyer.”
Sylas nodded. “She sure is.”
“Bill and I did the normal things. We fished. Camped out. Rode bikes.”
“You fished?”
“We sure did.”
“What kinds of things did you fish for, Walter? Perch, crawdads, crappie?”
“Yep. All of them.”
“Objection, your honor.” His attorney stood.
“Overruled,” Ethel snapped back.
“But, Your Honor—”
“I said ‘overruled.’ Now sit down.” Ethel glared at the man.
He shrugged and returned to his chair.
“Continue,” she told Ashley.
“Mr. Steele, you and your brother didn’t use fishing poles to catch the crawdads, did you?”
He laughed. “No, young lady. You need a net for crawdads.”
“There’s nothing better than a crawfish boil, is there, Mr. Steele?”
“I’ve got an envie for some crawfish, sha.”
“I detect a little Cajun accent there. Did you live in Louisiana or Beaumont?”
&nbs
p; “Beaumont…I mean…I visited Beaumont before.”
Nic saw the man was rattled. Good job, baby. Now take him out.
Ashley leaned forward. “Your name is Walter David Steele, correct?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I’m confused.” Ashley stepped to the desk and got a copy of the original filing of the case. “It says here your name is Walter Leon Steele.”
The man wiped his brow. “That’s my name.”
“Wait. Which is it?”
“Leon.”
Nic was so proud of Ashley. He’d never seen any attorney conduct a cross exam as well as she was. This is her first time. Wow.
“You just had a birthday, Mr. Steele, didn’t you?”
“I shore did.”
Ashley smiled. “You turned fifty-seven, didn’t you?”
“Yes, ma’am. Lived a long life, I did, sha.”
“What day is your birthday?”
“February 9th.”
Ashley’s sweet demeanor changed and she glared at the man. “You, sir, are not William Steele’s brother. William Steele’s brother was born August 11th and if the real Walter Steele were still alive he would only be turning fifty-four. That’s three years younger than you are, sir.”
“Objection, your honor. Leading the witness.”
“Overruled.”
“Mr. Steele, you are under oath. You can be sent to jail for lying.”
“I don’t want to go to jail, young lady. I’m sorry. She told me if I would say these things she would buy me a condo. And she did, sha.”
“Who told you to lie?”
“Ms. Trollinger.”
“Objection, your honor.”
“Overruled. Sit down now or you will be in contempt.”
“Mr. Steele, would you please tell the court your full name and where you were born.”
“I am Walter David Steele. I was born in Beaumont, Texas, fifty-seven years ago. I have no claim to the Steele Ranch, sha. I’m sorry.”
Ashley addressed Ethel, and in a confident tone said, “Your honor, in light of Mr. Steele’s admission that he is not Walter Leon Steele, I ask that this case be dismissed.”
“Granted. Because of the plaintiff’s own testimony, this case is dismissed.” Ethel pounded her gavel.
Ashley turned around.
Jennifer was the first to get to her, wrapping her arms around Ashley. “You did it. Thank you. Thank you.”
Phoebe shook hands with the opposing counsel and then moved to congratulate Ashley. “Ash, you blew me away. You were wonderful.”
“I’m just glad we won.” Her smile was so beautiful to behold.
“I’ve seen more seasoned lawyers crack under lesser cross examinations, but you held your own with Mr. Steele.” Sylas kissed her on the cheek. “How does it feel to have won your first case, sweetheart?”
“I really did win it, didn’t I?”
Nic pulled her in tight. “You shore did.”
Chapter Nineteen
Enjoying another wonderful meal at the Colorado Skies Steakhouse, Ashley sat between Nic and Sylas in the private room Jennifer had reserved for the crowd. And what a crowd it was.
Jena and her two husbands, Matt and Sean, were to their left. The O’Learys sat to their right. Across from them were Phoebe and her three husbands, Jason, Mitchell, and Lucas. And rounding out the group were Jennifer and Erin, each sitting at opposite ends of the table.
Brett and Adam, who she’d seen on the date with Nic and Sylas, walked in with the champagne Jennifer had ordered.
“Jennifer, this is too much.” Phoebe shook her head. “Five bottles of Dom Pérignon?”
Jennifer laughed. “To start with. This is a celebration. I also ordered a bottle of sparkling apple juice for you, Phoebe.”
The entire town was thrilled with the news about the Wolfe’s twins. Keeping secrets in Destiny was difficult, but she was glad that Phoebe still hadn’t found out about her surprise baby shower.
Adam filled their glasses.
Jennifer stood. “A toast to the amazing work of Phoebe and her team. I want to especially thank Jena for all the work she did and Ashley, Destiny’s newest lawyer, for getting the imposter to confess on the stand. You saved Bill’s and my ranch. I will be forever grateful. Please raise your glasses with me.”
“Here. Here,” they all said in unison, and took a sip of the delicious beverage.
Sam stood. “A toast to the expectant parents. All of us in this room can’t wait to meet your twins.”
“Don’t rush it, Sam.” Phoebe smiled. “I still have a wedding dress I need to fit into next week.”
Everyone laughed.
Sam grinned. “To your babies.” He lifted his glass.
“Here. Here.”
Patrick tapped his knife to his glass. “Before you sit, I’d like to give a toast as well.” He turned to Ethel.
The love in his eyes for his wife warmed Ashley’s heart.
“Sweetheart, I have to say you sure looked sexy in your judge’s robes today.”
“Patrick Michael O’Leary, can you be serious?” Ethel grinned.
“Thank you for putting up with Sam and me all these years. Our love continues to grow each and every day. To the love of my life.”
They all toasted them.
Ethel kissed her husbands and looked at Ashley. “Since we’re all toasting, I’d like to offer one for this amazing young woman. Congratulations on your first victory in the courtroom. I have no doubt that there will be many more. Only one other attorney has ever impressed me as much as you did today, Ashley. And she happens to be the senior partner at the newly named Wolfe and Vaughn Law Offices. Ashley. Phoebe. I expect great things from both of you.”
Everyone cheered and took another sip of champagne.
More toasts followed until everyone was honored.
“I don’t know about the rest of you,” Erin said, “but can we slow down on the toasts? I’m getting a little light headed.”
“Just one more,” Sylas said.
He and Nic stood and turned to Ashley.
“Sweetheart, you are the most wonderful woman in the world,” Sylas said.
“Guys, I’ve already been toasted tonight.”
“We know,” they said in unison.
“But this is really important to us, baby.” Nic sat his glass down on the table, and he and Sylas got down on their knees.
The shock caused her to bring her hands up, covering her mouth. “Oh my God…you’re not…?”
“We are,” they answered, once again in unison.
Each of them took one of her hands.
“As I was saying before,” Sylas said. “You are the most wonderful woman in the world. I fell in love with you in Chicago, but it was here in Destiny that I realized that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. Your dreams are my dreams. Your wants are my wants. We belong together.” He squeezed her hand. “I love you with all my heart, Ashley. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
“Yes, Sylas. I will marry you. I love you so much.”
He kissed her deeply.
“Ashley, I almost lost you,” Nic said in a serious tone. “I love absolutely everything about you, baby. The way you crinkle your nose when you’re thinking. How your eyebrow shoots up when I’ve teased you too much. And I never tire of seeing how passionate you are when you are fighting for a just cause. What a fool I was back in Chicago, but no more. Like Sylas said, your dreams are my dreams. Your wants, my wants. I’m a better man because you are in my life. I followed you to Destiny, not realizing that you were my destiny. Spend the rest of your life with me and Sylas. I love you, Ashley. Will you marry me?”
“Yes. Of course I’ll marry you. I love you, honey.”
As he kissed her, she could hear the cheers from the others.
Sylas held a ring in front of her. Nic held her hand up and he slipped it on her finger.
“It’s beautiful.” The diamond sparkled in her eyes. “When
did you find time to get this? We’ve been so busy with Jennifer’s case.”
“We bought it when were in Chicago,” Sylas said. “We knew that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives with you, sweetheart.”
“Together,” Nic added with a smile. “I may be an old dog, but you can teach me new tricks.”
“Me, too,” Sylas said. He leaned in close and whispered, “And Nic and I can’t wait to show our bride-to-be some of the tricks we’ve been learning at Phase Four.”
A delicious shiver ran up and down her spine.
Everyone congratulated them as Adam brought in their first of many courses.
As they enjoyed the meal, Ashley kept glancing at her ring. I’m engaged. She looked at her two fiancés. My husbands-to-be and my Doms. I can’t wait to see what they’ve learned.
* * * *
As the three of them stepped up to Ashley’s front door, Sylas cupped her chin. “Give me your keys, sub.”
“Yes, Master.” She reached in her purse and produced the keys.
“Look at the red in her cheeks, bro.” Nic stood next to him. “She’s excited about what we have in store for her. My God, our fiancée is beautiful.”
“Yes, she is.” Even though they’d only been engaged for a couple of hours, Sylas knew their whole world had changed—changed for the better. She was his and Nic’s future. They were a family. He unlocked the door and swung it open. “Go to your bedroom. Take off everything but your stilettos. Then I want you to come out to your living room and give Master Nic and I a parade. Do you understand?”
Her sexy grin appeared on her face. “Yes, Master. I understand.” She rushed into her bedroom and shut the door.
“How do you think I’m doing, Nic? Did I sound commanding enough?”
“I think so, but I’m not a sub, bro.” Nic laughed. “When she comes out, I’ll give it a try. See how I sound.”
“Good idea, Nic.” Sylas couldn’t contain his excitement. “She’s wearing our ring, bro.”
“Yes, she is. She’s going to be our wife. This night just keeps getting better and better.” Nic frowned. “Shit. I forgot the satchel. Be right back. Don’t start without me.”
Nic ran out the door to retrieve the bag they’d filled with sex toys.
