A Contract of Honor
Copyright© 2025 by Megumi Kashuahara
Chapter 14: Interlude
The Rush to the Courthouse
The confrontation with Arthur Billings had served its final, volatile purpose. The instant the Special Guardian’s buggy disappeared over the ridge, Steward was in motion, galvanized by the threat to his family’s peace. He had tolerated the indenture, and he had countered the Deed Gambit’s caveat, but he would not tolerate the active, hostile interference of a bureaucratic third party in his home and business.
Steward left a hurried note for Maria, assuring her of their imminent legal counter-attack, and rode hard toward Tucson. The urgency of the matter eclipsed any consideration of dinner or fatigue; he felt only the raw, protective instinct of a father defending his young.
He arrived at Silas Kroll’s office just as the lawyer was preparing to close shop for the day, the setting sun casting long, dramatic shadows across the dusty street.
“Silas!” Steward’s voice was sharp, echoing off the mahogany walls, demanding immediate action. “We are filing the adoption petition immediately.”
Kroll blinked, startled by the intensity of Steward’s presence. “Steward, the courthouse records office closes in less than thirty minutes! And the petition requires specific documentation and a mandatory review period, typically weeks long—”
“I don’t care about the schedule,” Steward interrupted, stripping off his leather gloves. “Billings was on the ranch today. He is an unlawful intrusion attempting to dictate curriculum over constitutional property. His presence is a direct threat to the girls’ peace and the ranch’s operation. We are using his active interference as the basis for the urgency.”
Steward slammed the necessary paperwork onto the desk: a detailed affidavit of his moral fitness, the financial account of the Emancipation Trust, and the formal legal dissolution request for the indenture contract.
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