Page 12 of Cowboy's Christmas Wife

Daryl nodded. “Of course,” he said, though she detected a hint of disappointment in his tone. “Let’s head back.”

SEVEN

Laura couldn’t stop bouncing her knee; Daryl had reached over more than once to steady her. “Sorry,” she mumbled as his hand brushed her knee once more.

“Don’t be nervous,” Daryl told her. “Jeanette told us this was bound to happen, right?”

Thiswas the injunction hearing that Clark filed when Jeanette made the motion for him to be removed from Laura’s trust fund. Clark was furious. He’d sent her dozens of emails that ranged from disbelieving to outright threatening. She hadn’t responded, saved all of them, and forwarded them to Jeanette. “Hopefully this will be over after today,” she said.

“Exactly,” Daryl told her.

Despite the smile they shared, her nerves crept in again, and she reached out her hand to him, palm up. His palm slid over hers; their fingers entwined together. His warm hand in hers helped to anchor her. She looked at him, met his eyes, and smiled. “I’m glad you’re here,” she said.

His smile was dazzling, and he squeezed her hand. “Me too.”

Jeanette arrived a few moments before their case number was called. She walked into the courtroom carrying Lily, bracketed by her lawyer and her husband, and kept her head held high. She had been waiting for this day, and she would face Clark with a smile on her face, not cowering like a kicked dog, the way she had so many times before when he let his temper loose.

Her ex-husband stood with his expensive lawyer on one side of the aisle, and they slid in behind the table on the other side. Clark wore a three-piece suit and leather dress shoes that probably cost more than most people’s entire wardrobe: it made the simple, mint-colored dress that she had picked out for today seem wholly inadequate. She tried to keep her eyes away from Clark’s side of the courtroom, but when she broke and finally did look over, he was sneering at her, full of pomp and self-importance. She broke eye contact with him to hand Lily over to Daryl, and she saw Clark’s flinch from the corner of her eye.

Judge Jeffrey Morrison—one of only two judges in Windy Creek—entered the courtroom, and they settled into their seats. The judge looked over the papers. Laura could see his mouth twist in thought. “So, counselor,” he said, looking at Jeanette, “your client is here today to remove her husband—”

“Ex-husband, Your Honor,” Jeanette interrupted gently and with a smile.

Judge Morrison looked at her like he couldn’t decide whether to tell her off or not. He stared at her for a moment and then harrumphed. “Ex-husband,” he conceded. “Your client would like her ex-husband removed from the position as joint trustee of the trust fund set up by her grandfather.”

“Yes, Your Honor,” Jeanette said. “Mrs. Rivers has been remarried, and the trust fund is clear: her grandfather wished for her and her husband to make decisions for the allocation for the funds together.” She gestured to Clark. “Mr. Longbottom no longer fits the role of ‘husband.’”

The judge nodded. “I do see the marriage license here,” he said before looking to Clark and his lawyer. “This all seems in order, counselor. I’m not sure I see the problem?”

Clark stood up, barely contained rage coming off him in waves. “The problem, Your Honor,” he said, ignoring his lawyer’s attempts to stop him, “is that this marriage is so obviously a sham! She’s been here less than a month, and she’s married? What a load of horseshit.”

Judge Morrison banged his gavel down once, a sharp rap of wood on wood. “I’ll thank you not to use that language in my courtroom.”

Clark didn’t have the decency to look ashamed. “She’s only filing this motion in this hick town because the courts in Denver already told her that they won’t remove me from the trust. Laura—” He looked her way, and his expression was that of possession. He wanted to own her, and it made him crazy that he didn’t. “She needs to accept that her grandfather wanted what was best for her, and that meantmemaking the decisions about how her inheritance should be handled.”

Laura almost burst into laughter.Is he serious?There was no way he said what she just heard. Did he not realize how insulting he sounded? Judge Morrison looked absolutely gob smacked for a moment, and Jeanette was trying to control her grin and failing miserably. “Well, Mr. Longbottom,” the judge said, folding his hands. “I’ll admit, I might just be a ‘hick’ small-town judge, but I don’t remember ever seeing your name specifically on the trust fund documents.”

A laugh bubbled in Laura’s throat, but she pushed it back down as forcibly as she could. “Your Honor,” Clark’s lawyer started, almost pleadingly, but Judge Morrison raised his hand in astopgesture.

“Nowhere does it say that Mrs. Rivers has to be married to your client in order to access her trust fund. If you have a legitimate argument as to why the trust should stay as it is, then I will welcome hearing it at the appointed time, when the motion is reviewed. But for now, I see no grounds for this injunction.” Laura could crow. Then, the judge’s head swiveled to her. “But Mr. Longbottom does raise a point,” he said. “If you have married this man simply to loophole your way out of complying with the official mandate of a seated judge, if we find reason to believe that you’re making a mockery of the courts, you will not like the consequences.” Her jubilance sank like a stone into the pit of her stomach.

“Of course, Your Honor,” she stammered and did her best not to fidget while he scrutinized her.

Judge Morrison continued to stare at her for a long moment, and then he said, “Mr. Longbottom, your request for an injunction is denied. The motion will proceed.” Clark let out some kind of primal yell, and his lawyer had to grab him to keep him in his chair, but the judge didn’t even blink. “As I’m sure you’ve both been notified, the hearing will be in eight weeks. At which time,” he added, with a glare at Clark, “I will expect you all to be on your best behavior.”

The threat that if they weren’t convincing they would face the consequences hung over them like a dark raincloud. Daryl reached over and put a hand over hers. “Thank you, Your Honor,” Laura said.

Court adjourned for now, and she and Daryl stood together. “Ready to head home?” he asked. Lily was asleep on his shoulder. He hadn’t really held Lily all that much before now, but Laura had to admit that he lookedgoodlike this.Too good, she thought.

“Yes,” she said. “Home sounds great.” She turned and thanked Jeanette, who was worrying at her bottom lip slightly between her teeth. “I’ll talk to you later?”

Her friend nodded. “You still owe me breakfast.”

Laura laughed softly. “I always do.” She hugged the blonde, and then she and Daryl made their way back up the aisle to the doors that led out of the courtroom. She hoped that Clark would have the common decency to stay away from her, but of course, he couldn’t do that. He stepped in front of them before they could get to the doors.

“This is ridiculous, Laura,” he all but snarled at her, “and I won’t let it stand. You’remywife and that’smydaughter—”

She could feel Daryl tense beside her. “She is my daughter, Clark,” she told him as calmly as she could manage, “and I haven’t been your wife since the day the courts set me free. Second to Lily’s birth, that was the best day of my life—until I met Daryl again.” She looked at Daryl. “I’ve found someone who appreciates me and encourages me, and I’m happy.” She was surprised by how sincerely she said those words. Her and Daryl weren’t anything to each other, besides friends, but she hadn’t been so happy in a long time. Maybe it was just being independent after spending so long under, first her grandfather’s, and then Clark’s thumb. She looked back at Clark; he was standing there with his mouth hanging open.How did I ever find him attractive?“I want you to be happy too, Clark,” she told him, “but not at my expense anymore.”

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