Page 73 of Second Start: Family
“Why shouldn’t I be? She’s myaunt.”
“You don’t know her.”
“Didn’t know her,” he flung at Hall. “We talk about Mom.”
“And about you wanting to go to high school in Cheyenne?”
“Why shouldn’t I?” he repeated. “Everybody knows I want to. It’s no secret. And now I will. Aunt Naomi has money, big lawyers.”
It was the moment to ask if Dan had known what his aunt planned.
“How would you even pay a lawyer?” His son’s question — asked quickly and sure to turn the flow of their exchange — could indicate Dan didn’t want to be asked that question.
Damn. Damn, damn, damn.
Hall tried to keep all that out of his voice or expression. “Sell acres if I have to, but—”
“You can’t.”
Dan’s immediate and heartfelt horror at the possibility sent a rush of warmth through Hall. Relief, if nothing else. Because it was the reaction of a true ranch kid. The instinct ran through his veins.Hold onto the land, always hold onto the land.
“I hope not to, because Eric Larkin said he’d work with … us—” Dan didn’t react to the inclusive pronoun. “—pro bono. That means—”
“I know what it means.
“Good. Okay. I’ll need to spend time with him getting ready and he might have questions for you. So the next week or so—”
“Why don’t you save everybody a lot of trouble and let me go?”
“Because you’re my son.”
After a short pause, Dan stood. “I’m going to bed.”
“You can stop this. You can stop this right now,” Hall said. “Tell them you don’t want the scholarship.”
Dan didn’t look at him. After a pause, he went upstairs.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
The judge insisted this was a discussion in her chambers, not a formal hearing, making it sound a hell of a lot cozier than it felt.
But Hall had seen movies and TV news about trials and a formal hearing was sure what it felt like. Hell, it felt like a death penalty trial to him.
With the scholarship test coming up, they’d expedited the process.
The past week had been a blur of consultations, phone calls riddled with questions and legalese. Eric came to the house for a full day of it Sunday, bringing his girlfriend, K.D., to Lizzie and Molly’s delight.
Now, he and Eric had chairs angled at one front corner of the judge’s massive desk, with Naomi and her lawyer positioned the same way at the opposite front corner.
Chairs had also been set, one to each side of the desk, but pushed back and angled so the judge and the rest of them had a good view of them.
He knew more people had arrived, filling in the dozen or so chairs ranged behind him and even into the anteroom farther back. But he hadn’t turned to find out who.
All his attention was on the door where the judge and Dan had exited minutes after they’d arrived.
They’d been told to get here before the official time and to bring Dan. No one else had been here when they arrived.
When the judge started to lead Dan out, Hall stood. “Wait a minute. You can’t—”
