Owen held the door open for me as I walked out of the barbershop, giving me a smile and a nod in farewell.

Then I drove straight to Willow’s house, interrupted her work like the selfish bastard I was, and made love to her until the ugliness of the morning faded into nothing but love and bliss.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Four

Willow

The little brick building that served as both the Town Hall and Alba’s municipal court was packed to the brim with just about every local who wasn’t tending their shop in the historic district.

Xander already had the home-field advantage, seeing as his office was right across the hall, and he looked more than comfortable in his suit across the aisle, sitting with Milton Sanders, his attorney.

I sat on the bench behind Cam and Simon, who had their heads together in a conversation I couldn’t hear, even four feet away.

“I’ve never seen so many people here,” Charity noted as she slid in next to me. She was dressed similarly to me, wearing a simple sheath dress and pearls, just like our mother, who scooted in next to Charity.

“Or heard so many,” Mom added. “They’ve got Scott Malone turning people away at the door.”

We weren’t exactly built or staffed for such a public case, considering that we had an active courthouse only because Dad was willing to split his time between here and Salida. No other judge was volunteering to come up the pass.

“Of course Genevieve is sitting behind Xander,” Charity said with a shake of her head.

“But Pat, Gideon, and John are behind us,” Mom reported after a quick glance over her shoulder.

“Good morning, ladies.” Walt slid in behind us with Dorothy Powers.

“They didn’t sequester you?” Mom asked with raised brows.

“Nope. Deposition yesterday,” Dorothy replied. “Art is finishing up with that psychologist, and then he’ll be in, too.”

“Again?” Charity questioned.

“They’re hoping he’ll be lucid enough to testify.” I kept my eyes forward and saw Simon shake his head. Cam didn’t look pleased at whatever that was the answer to. “He wasn’t all there the first time the doc interviewed him, but he was pretty lucid at last week’s appointment. Why don’t you guys come up here?” I looked back over my shoulder for the first time and saw they were closing the doors.

“I make him nervous.” Walt nodded toward his son with pride shining in his eyes.

Scott Malone let Art in, and Dorothy walked back to guide him up the aisle, where he eventually sat next to Cam, much to the muttering of the other side of the courtroom. I committed the image to memory, knowing I might not ever see Art take Cam’s side against Xander ever again.