The Cowboy's Girl Next Door: A BWWM Cowboy Romance (5 page)

Chapter 7

The process server came four days later. Jess stared at the notification to appear in Judge Halloram’s chambers in two days, bewildered that things had gone so horribly wrong. His lawyer dismissed the whole thing, telling him to just “pay the claim and let her be,” but Jess wouldn’t have it. He would pay what he needed to, he’d already told her that, but if she wanted to drag this out into full view of the small town, he’d see it through, come what may.

Halloram was another matter altogether. He’d never forgiven the Hardys for purchasing his family’s farm some three decades earlier. The farm had been in financial straits for years, and having to sell was the last thing that Judd Halloram had wanted to do, but in the end, he had no choice. His only son, Trenton, wasn’t interested in carrying on the family business, and his daughters had all married and moved away.

Only his brother, Clyde Halloram, wanted to keep the property in the family, even though he, a newly minted lawyer, and wasn’t much interested in farming, either. Instead, he’d considered turning the land into commercial property, and had even lined up a corporate buyer interested in building a factory on the property. It would have brought money, jobs, and growth to the community.

The citizens of Kerrville were farmers and ranchers through and through, and they opposed his attempts at every turn. When Randy Hardy finally came to an agreement with Judd, Clyde had actually spit on the ground at Randy’s feet, telling him he was backwards and going to ruin the future of the town.

He’d stayed in Kerrville, though, committed to the area in his own way, and eventually he’d become the judge for the small community, doing his best to make decisions that would keep order and peace while working in his off time to bring in small businesses and industry.

Clyde’s grudge against the Hardys held, though, and Randy and Jess both learned to steer clear of him as best they could. Lacey had come closest to brokering a truce, finally getting Jess to agree to take Clyde’s daughter, Patricia, on a date  to see if they’d hit it off. They did, for a while, but Jess quickly figured out that the girl was more interested in getting to the city than staying on the ranch, and that was the end of that. Nope, the only way to get past Clyde Halloram’s wrath was to outlive him, and that was what Jess intended to do.

He wanted to talk to Claire. He thought if they could talk, now that she’d perhaps calmed down, they could settle this between them, but his lawyer insisted that he leave her alone. Jess couldn’t help himself, though, from peering in on her whenever his work took him onto the part of the property that ran alongside Heart’s Home, a circumstance that Jasper remarked seemed ridiculously frequent of late. Sometimes he’d catch a glimpse of her out riding Thalia or Calliope; other times, he’d see her and her mother drive past the front of the ranch on their way into town, the sleek black sedan out of place in the rural landscape.

He thought about her in the tack room, too, remembering the straining muscles of her arms and shoulders as she snapped the leather strap taut. Sometimes he allowed himself the pleasure of lingering over her image in his memory, the dark curly ponytail swaying as she tugged the leather, brushing back and forth over her smooth dark skin.

At night, he would dream of her riding free in the fields and pastures and sometimes he’d dream that he was there, too. He’d wake in sweat and groan from the frustration of this woman who’d destroyed the peace of his days.

On the day of the hearing, he dressed carefully, choosing a trim navy suit, crisp white shirt, and burgundy tie. He wore his best boots, black and polished. He’d had Jasper cut his hair, too, at Lacey’s insistence, and when he looked in the mirror, he thought that he’d easily fit into the sort of firm Claire had worked in prior to her move, except, of course, for his choice of footwear.

He stopped in the kitchen for a cup of coffee and toast before he left. Lacey was working on the ranch’s books, and she let out a whistle as she peered at him over the top of her reading glasses. “Looking good, little brother. Too bad ol’ Halloram’s already married.” She chuckled, amused by herself, then added, “Or maybe you’re hoping for a settlement from our new neighbor?” Lacey removed her glasses and stared at him.

“Whatever you do, try to make amends. I’m dying to actually meet her, and Cella hasn’t been able to talk to Pauline for days, now that she’s working at Heart’s Home.” She rose and walked over to adjust Jess’s tie and brush some crumbs from his jacket. “She’s gonna be here for a long time, so make this right.”

Jess scowled. “She’s the one who refuses to settle, not me.” He finished the coffee and placed the cup in the sink. “Still, big sister, I’ll do my very best. I know you’re dying to find out more about her to share with your buddies at church.” He winked at her surprised expression, put on his hat, grabbed his keys, and left the house.

The drive to the courthouse took about thirty minutes, and during that time, he thought about what he’d done wrong. Yes, he could have done a better job of securing Horatio, but the horse was going to get what he wanted; the damage to the corral was plenty enough evidence of that, and yes, he shouldn’t have made light of the incident.

After all, Claire had invested a great deal in her horses and the ranch, and to have such an unfortunate welcome to Kerrville must have thrown her.

Deep down, though, he knew that the real offense had come from his implication that Horatio and he shared similar desires. She’d made it clear, hadn’t she, that she wasn’t interested in romance, and he’d just run off at the mouth, regardless. He might not know a lot about women, but he knew that he’d gone a step too far in that.

It started raining right when he pulled up at the courthouse, a light drizzle that was more an annoyance than anything. He grabbed an umbrella from behind the seat bench and stepped out of the pickup. The black sedan pulled in right behind him, and as she emerged, he got his first real look at Claire since this had all happened.

In a trim black suit skirt and jacket, white silk blouse and pearls, she looked sternly beautiful. Her hair was tamed into a tight bun, small pearl and gold earrings dangling delicately at the nape of her neck. He was overcome with the urge to kiss her there, but when he saw the anger and hurt still in her eyes, those feelings were tempered.

He watched as she walked around to the passenger side of the car and helped her mother get out of the vehicle. Carmen smiled warmly at him, then gave him a conspiratorial wink as she let her daughter lead her past him on the sidewalk and into the courthouse. Jess was puzzled by this, but somewhat comforted as well, and he followed them through the door.

It had been a few years since he’d been in the old courtroom. The dark paneled walls and benches gleamed from the tender care they had been given for years by Alma Jones, the court secretary. This was Alma’s house no matter what Clyde Halloram thought, and she’d trained her son, Andy, to be just as scrupulous in his bailiff’s duties as she was in hers.

Jess settled into his seat next to his lawyer, Bill Watson, as Claire took her seat next to her own attorney, some fellow named Clifton Shackleford, who seemed totally bewildered to find himself in a small town courtroom in Texas.  Within minutes, Judge Halloram was announced, and the trial began.

Forty minutes later, after they’d each presented their sides of the case and answered all of the lawyer’s questions, they found themselves waiting in the marbled hallway outside the courtroom while Halloram made his decisions. Carmen took advantage of Claire’s bathroom break to walk over to Jess.

“Don’t give up on her, son,” she said, giving him another wink. “She can be stubborn, has every reason to be, with what she’s been through lately. Just give her time, and all will turn out right as rain.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Jess stammered, surprised by her words and the wink. She patted his arm before she walked away and joined her daughter’s lawyer. Jess looked at Bill, who shrugged and shook his head.

When they were called back into the courtroom, Jess kept his eyes focused on Claire, as the judge rendered his verdict. She was regal and composed. He wondered what sort of work she had done before, this woman who seemed equally as comfortable in the courtroom as the corral. If she felt his eyes on her, she didn’t show it, he noticed. Whatever the outcome of this ridiculous trial, he hoped he’d have a chance to get to know more about her.

“It is incumbent upon those who wield great power and wealth to be fastidious in performing their civic duty,” Halloram began, his voice droning on slowly. “For what is the worth of law, if we cannot expect those in the highest positions to be held to the same standards as those beneath them.”

At this statement, Jess noted that Claire recoiled, and he had to suppress a laugh. At least she found Halloram as ridiculous as he did. His attention returned to the judge, however, when he loudly said “Jess Hardy, who seems uninterested in the decisions of this court, might find this proceeding trivial, but as a horse rancher himself, he can certainly understand the grievous injury he, through his careless management of his stock, has caused to Ms. Robinson’s interests.

“To help him better understand his true role in the community, I find for the plaintiff and order him to make full financial and physical restitution to Ms. Robinson and Heart’s Home. In addition to paying for the full cost of the repairs to the damaged fence and the medical bills to be incurred should the horse, Calliope, become pregnant, I also order him to provide Heart’s Home with a new barn, which Margy tells me it desperately needs.

“In addition, he is to perform all repairs to the property himself to the satisfaction of Ms. Robinson or her proxy.” He banged his gavel and glared at Jess before exiting the chamber.

Claire was stunned at the outcome, but she composed herself and shook her lawyer’s hand, then walked over to where Jess and Bill were discussing the verdict. She extended her hand first to Bill, then to Jess, saying, “I won’t hold you to the work requirements. Payment will be enough.”

Jess held her hand a little longer than was necessary and looked straight into her eyes. “Oh, you don’t understand, ma’am. Judge Halloram is a stickler for the rules. He won’t rest until I’ve been over every square inch of the damage to your property, and I intend to be very thorough.”

Those eyes of hers: he wanted to dive right into them, plumb their depths and find out who she was. The blush slowly creeping into her cheeks at his intense gaze told him that her mother might be right yet, and he slowly released her hand. “I’ll be over at 7 a.m. to start work, my lady,” he said. He tipped his hat to her mother and strode from the courtroom.

Carmen walked over to Claire, who was now standing stock still in the middle of the courtroom. “Now you’ve done it,” she said. “I’m sleeping in tomorrow, so you make sure you’re up bright and early to make that man a proper cup of coffee.”

Claire continued to stare at the courtroom door, not quite believing what had happened, but determined not to let it, or him, get the best of her. “Don’t worry, Mom. I will.”

True to his word, Jess came knocking at her kitchen door at 7 a.m., and true to hers, Claire had coffee ready on the stove. She invited him in and motioned for him to sit at the table where he found a list of damages to be repaired, an estimate for the vet’s bill, and plans for a new barn, much larger than the one that currently stood on the property. He sighed as he looked over the paperwork and thanked her for the cup of coffee she brought over to the table.

“I’ll be honest with you, ma’am. The repairs will take a day or two at the most, and I can do those all myself, but this barn job…”

“I’ve already spoken to Halloram. He sure hates you, but he’s not entirely heartless. You’re allowed a crew to build it, but you have to work just as hard as they do.”

Jess nodded in agreement. “Fair enough. I know just the guys, and I’ll pay for it all, right down to the good red paint that lasts for a century.” He grinned at her, hoping to see a bit of a smile at the corner of her mouth. Instead, he was met with stony silence. He stared awkwardly at the half-empty cup in his hand before drinking the contents down in one gulp.

“So, guess I’d better get to work on that fencing.” He rose and placed the cup on the counter. “I’ll let you know when I’m finished,” he added, “so that you can check my work.” When she said nothing, he let himself out and headed toward the stables.

Claire sat silently, her fingers circling the rim of the mug. Did she have to be so cold? The man was here as promised, ready to work and make good on the judge’s ruling, a ruling that she’d wanted. She was getting a new barn out of the deal, too, making her legal fees an even better investment than she’d thought they would be.