Byron’s gaze tracked Lexi until she sat down. Then he glanced back to Devin. “What is it you’re hoping to get out of this?”

“Amelia,” Devin answered.

Byron’s skepticism came through in his squint. He leaned forward. “Just between you, me and the hitching post?”

Devin leaned toward him. “Amelia,” she repeated.

There was a long pause.

“And you think ol’ Steve can give you a hand with that.”

“We think he’s the only one who’s offered,” said Lexi, from the lounger next to Devin.

Byron stared first at Lexi and then at Devin. “And why do you supposed he’s offered to help?”

Devin kept her voice low since Amelia was drifting off to sleep. “I don’t particularly care.”

Steve’s lawyers were giving her a fighting chance against Lucas.

“Altruism?” Byron mocked.

“A concept you’re obviously unfamiliar with,” Lexi retorted.

Byron ignored Lexi and spoke directly to Devin. “He’s sidling up to you like some slick ol’ polecat. He helps you now. You help him later. If you know what I mean.”

Devin blinked. “Have I done something to make you think I’m stupid?”

Byron drew back in obvious surprise.

“I’m taking Steve’s offer at face value. I haven’t made him a single promise.”

In fact, she’d offered an outright deal to Lucas to manage the shares if he’d let her keep Amelia, but he didn’t trust her enough to agree.

And who was to say Steve was the bad guy in this little family drama anyway? So far, she’d put the black hat firmly on Lucas’s head. He was the one who’d plotted with Konrad to trick Monica and produce an heir to their grandfather’s company shares. Devin hadn’t forgotten that.

“Steve would steal your last dollar as soon as look at you,” Byron warned.

“As opposed to Lucas?” she asked.

“Lucas lets you see him coming.”

Devin gave a nod to that. Lucas had certainly been up front about the fact that he wanted to take Amelia away from her. He’d also been pretty clear that his interest in the baby was financial.