Mending Hope (Contemporary Western Romance) (License to Love Series:Book 2) by Amelia Rose
Authors: Amelia Rose
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supposed to be getting ready to go to court and make a united front against this asshole?”
Now it was Clara’s turn to have the false smile. “I had almost tricked myself into forgetting,” she told them. “Part of me is glad to be getting this first confrontation since the attack over with, but a large part of me is still unsure.”
Shad stepped closer to her and put his arm across her shoulders, hugging her tightly to his chest before leaning down and kissing the top of her head.
“That’s why we’re all going,” he reminded her. “So this isn’t something you have to do alone. We’ll go with you every day as long as you need us, won’t we?”
Woody and Alyssa both nodded in agreement.
Ten minutes later they were heading for the door, and Woody noticed that even though Clara was putting on a brave face, her hand had started to tremble a little. He looked over at Alyssa and thought of what he would do if something like that had happened to her. When he realized how much anger started to bubble up even at the mere hint or suggestion of such a thing he knew that he could no longer keep his own pain from her.
She had told him everything about Kyle up front, but he hadn’t filled her in on his mother’s death. It was about time that was rectified. Once they were in the car, he turned to her.
“After we are through with court I would like it if you would go somewhere with me,” Woody asked of Alyssa. “There’s something I need to show you.”
Alyssa nodded. It was the slow understanding nod of someone who was unsure of what was going to happen, but she didn’t ask and he didn’t say anything else on the trip into town.
*
When they went into the courtroom they positioned themselves strategically around Clara with Shad on one side and Alyssa and Woody on the other. But when they marched Chuck Sanders into the courtroom wearing his orange jumpsuit as he shuffled in between two guards, Clara still grabbed Alyssa’s hand and clenched it in her sweaty fist.
This was the first time Alyssa had seen him, and while she had expected the crazed madman that Clara had described, what she saw instead was entirely different. It looked as if he’d had a recent haircut, because his black hair was trimmed neatly and brushed back away from his eyes. He was tall and thin, but together his features reminded her more of an Ichabod Crane type character than a psychopath.
But then he turned his eyes toward them and gave Clara a little half smile, and it was enough to cause her skin to crawl and her stomach to clench. In that brief moment she glimpsed how deep his insanity could run and she knew that the façade he was holding out for court was nothing more than a cheap mask that could be dropped at any moment of his choosing.
The judge entered shortly thereafter. He was a somewhat older, rotund man with black hair that was just beginning to grey at the temples. Everyone in the room stood when the bailiff called for all to rise. The disciplined uniformity of the move created quite a stir in the air. Even though there weren’t that many people in Stanhope, the county courthouse still managed to reach capacity as this trial was bigger than anything they had seen in ages. When they all sat again, the room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, even void of the occasional shuffling of feet or cough. Alyssa felt the walls closing in on her and for a moment she fought back the urge to flee in panic. Woody shifted in his seat and put his arm around her.
She leaned into him, glad that they could finally be open about their relationship. The only butterflies in her stomach now were about this trial, and whatever it was that he wanted to talk to her about afterward. She studied him from the corner of her eye, hoping to catch just a glimpse or a clue about what was on his mind, but she was pulled back to the situation at hand by the judge’s loud voice.
“Charles
Now it was Clara’s turn to have the false smile. “I had almost tricked myself into forgetting,” she told them. “Part of me is glad to be getting this first confrontation since the attack over with, but a large part of me is still unsure.”
Shad stepped closer to her and put his arm across her shoulders, hugging her tightly to his chest before leaning down and kissing the top of her head.
“That’s why we’re all going,” he reminded her. “So this isn’t something you have to do alone. We’ll go with you every day as long as you need us, won’t we?”
Woody and Alyssa both nodded in agreement.
Ten minutes later they were heading for the door, and Woody noticed that even though Clara was putting on a brave face, her hand had started to tremble a little. He looked over at Alyssa and thought of what he would do if something like that had happened to her. When he realized how much anger started to bubble up even at the mere hint or suggestion of such a thing he knew that he could no longer keep his own pain from her.
She had told him everything about Kyle up front, but he hadn’t filled her in on his mother’s death. It was about time that was rectified. Once they were in the car, he turned to her.
“After we are through with court I would like it if you would go somewhere with me,” Woody asked of Alyssa. “There’s something I need to show you.”
Alyssa nodded. It was the slow understanding nod of someone who was unsure of what was going to happen, but she didn’t ask and he didn’t say anything else on the trip into town.
*
When they went into the courtroom they positioned themselves strategically around Clara with Shad on one side and Alyssa and Woody on the other. But when they marched Chuck Sanders into the courtroom wearing his orange jumpsuit as he shuffled in between two guards, Clara still grabbed Alyssa’s hand and clenched it in her sweaty fist.
This was the first time Alyssa had seen him, and while she had expected the crazed madman that Clara had described, what she saw instead was entirely different. It looked as if he’d had a recent haircut, because his black hair was trimmed neatly and brushed back away from his eyes. He was tall and thin, but together his features reminded her more of an Ichabod Crane type character than a psychopath.
But then he turned his eyes toward them and gave Clara a little half smile, and it was enough to cause her skin to crawl and her stomach to clench. In that brief moment she glimpsed how deep his insanity could run and she knew that the façade he was holding out for court was nothing more than a cheap mask that could be dropped at any moment of his choosing.
The judge entered shortly thereafter. He was a somewhat older, rotund man with black hair that was just beginning to grey at the temples. Everyone in the room stood when the bailiff called for all to rise. The disciplined uniformity of the move created quite a stir in the air. Even though there weren’t that many people in Stanhope, the county courthouse still managed to reach capacity as this trial was bigger than anything they had seen in ages. When they all sat again, the room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, even void of the occasional shuffling of feet or cough. Alyssa felt the walls closing in on her and for a moment she fought back the urge to flee in panic. Woody shifted in his seat and put his arm around her.
She leaned into him, glad that they could finally be open about their relationship. The only butterflies in her stomach now were about this trial, and whatever it was that he wanted to talk to her about afterward. She studied him from the corner of her eye, hoping to catch just a glimpse or a clue about what was on his mind, but she was pulled back to the situation at hand by the judge’s loud voice.
“Charles
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