Mending Hope (Contemporary Western Romance) (License to Love Series:Book 2) by Amelia Rose Page B

they were in the courthouse.
    The rest of the time was spent hashing out the details for Sander’s schedule.  The hearing concluded with the announcement that the court would reconvene the case in two weeks after he’d been through a full psychiatric workup.  While nothing else eventful happened, Alyssa spent the remainder of the time thinking about that look of pure rage.  She could only imagine what he would have done to Clara if Shad, Woody and the guards hadn’t been there to intervene.
    Without realizing it, she moved in closer to Woody and firmly rested her head on the side of his shoulder as the hearing ended.  When he pulled her tightly to him, she sighed, content in knowing that she was finally finding her way in the world. 
     

Chapter 7
     
    Even as the final gavel bang echoed through the room, Woody found that he couldn’t relax completely.  He had seen evil today, and for the first time in his life he found himself completely on edge.  As they filed out of the courtroom, he took Alyssa by the hand and led her off to the side. 
    “I told Shad that we would meet up with them after a little bit,” Woody told her.
    Alyssa brushed a stray piece of hair back behind her ear and nodded.  “Does this have to do with what you wanted to show me?” she asked.
    “Yes,” was all he said, but when he turned and went to the car, she followed.  He wasn’t sure what he was going to tell her. 
    As they drove out to the cemetery they passed the place where Shad had first found Clara on the side of the road.  Woody knew Shad had been visiting the graveyard that day even though he’d never told Woody.  The only reason they were ever on this road was to visit the cemetery, so when Woody had come out to tow the car, he’d gone ahead and checked to find fresh flowers on the headstones.
    Now as he pulled up, he noticed there were more flowers in front of the joint headstone for their parents’ graves.  It was not that Woody didn’t like to come out here, but every time he did so he had to come to grips with the date on his mother’s headstone.  As they pulled up to the row where his parents were buried he took a deep breath and got out of the car.
    He didn’t look back to see if Alyssa got out as well, but he let out a pent up breath when he heard the car door close behind him.  His vision blurred as the date came into view. Her death, his birthday intricately bound to each other.
    There were no words that would come to him, nothing he thought he could say that would help ease the problems his mother’s death had inflicted on his family.  Because she had died giving birth to him, every mean word their father said, every time Melinda had to give up something to mother them, he had felt responsible. 
    It was hard to mourn someone you didn’t even know and yet he had, every day of his entire life. 
    Alyssa knelt down next to him in front of the tombstone and put her hand over his.  She said nothing.  After a few moments of silence Woody cleared his throat.  He wasn’t sure where to start, so he pointed to the death date on his mom’s grave.
    “That’s my birthday,” Woody started. “My mom died from a hemorrhage and bled out shortly after I was born.  The doctor didn’t find it until it was too late.”
    Woody fought back the tears as he continued.  “It was always so hard seeing what my family had to give up, seeing what they went through because of me.  I always felt like I was more of a burden to them than anything else.” 
    Woody looked into Alyssa’s eyes and took her hands as he told her the next part.  “That fear of what happened to my family when I was born is why I have never considered having children.  Every time I get in a relationship and the talk turns to family and kids, I cannot think of anything else except this date.”
    “Well then, I guess it’s good that we found each other,” Alyssa smiled and squeezed his hand.  Instead of saying anything else or asking him