by MJ Fredrick
“Mr. Braun? What do you have to say for yourself?”
Before he could answer, the door opened behind them. Miranda turned, expecting to see Noah, but Allison walked in, instead. Miranda opened her mouth to ask what she was doing there, when she sensed Ben had tensed beside her, and was motioning at Allison. Allison frowned at him and shook her head.
“Your Honor, may I please explain what happened that night?” Allison asked.
“Miss Bonner, what are you doing here? This is a hearing,” Judge Olivares
“I was there that night, and Ben was defending my honor.”
Ben’s swear word landed in a silent courtroom.
“What do you mean, he defended your honor?” the judge asked.
Allison walked up until she was standing by Miranda at the table. “I mean, I was at the Coyote Moon, and Patrick and his friends were a little out of control and weren't minding their manners. They got a little grabby, and Ben stepped in. Patrick took offense, thinking Ben wanted something that didn't belong to him. Ben did take the first swing, but that was the only way he could get Patrick to release me.”
The judge turned steely eyes to Sheridan. “Is that a fact. You had your hands on one of our finest young women and you refused to release her?”
Sheridan shuffled his feet. “We were just playing.”
The judge turned back to Allison. “Did you feel like they were just playing, young woman?”
Allison shook her head adamantly. “No, sir. I was afraid. There were a lot of them, and they were a lot bigger than me. And when Ben stepped forward, they seemed to take that as more of a challenge. I was afraid for both of us.”
“Now, I have to ask, Your Honor, what a sweet young woman was doing in the Coyote with a bunch of rowdy cowboys?” Mr. Casillas asked.
Oh no, he didn’t. “And you, sir?” Miranda asked as sweetly as she could manage through her teeth. “Don’t you go to the Coyote Moon? I myself just left there with the mayor, who’d just had lunch with the sheriff. Ben’s own sister, a woman you know has disabilities, works there. It’s a family place that no woman in our town should be afraid to frequent.”
Mr. Casillas flushed at the reprimand. “I just meant that if she saw all those rowdy cowboys, she should have left.”
“Are you blaming the victim?” She was glad the words caught on themselves in her throat or she would have shrieked them. As it was, the judge extended his hands toward her in a “calm down” motion. Shaking with fury, she turned toward him and waited for him to do the right thing.
Which he did. He picked up his gavel and brought it down hard. “Case dismissed.” Then he extended a finger toward Sheridan. “Don’t let me see you in my courtroom again, and if you lay your hands on any other woman in this town, I’ll break your other arm.” He then turned a gentle smile to Allison. “Are you going to be all right, Miss Bonner?”
“Yes, sir,” she said on a pent-up breath. “Thank you for listening.”
Still shaking with fury, Miranda turned to see Noah had come in, and was smiling, a full smile, as he approached them. She ground her teeth, walked past him and stormed down the stairs, her heels echoing in the limestone building.
“What happened? What’s wrong?” Noah asked as they emerged into the cold air.
She looked around, waiting for Sheridan and Mr. Casillas to emerge before she spoke. She watched the two men walk down to the corner by the bakery, shake hands, then turn back to look at the four of them in front of the courthouse before they walked off.
Only then did she whirl on Ben and Allison. “When were you going to tell me that my sister was involved in this?”
Ben raised his hands in front of himself as if warding her off. “I was trying to keep her out of it.”
Miranda jammed her hands on her hips. “Yeah, well, you didn't do a very good job. And if she hadn't come in when she did, I don't think I could have gotten you out of there. Plus I would have looked like a fool who didn't know the whole story. Mr. Casillas knew his client’s whole story enough to tell it for him! I didn't know anything and I didn't even realize it until we were standing in there. It’s one thing to want to keep things close to your vest, but there’s such a thing as lawyer-client privilege. I wouldn't have revealed the information you told me.”
“How would you have felt if your sister was involved in this?” Noah asked.
She spun on him. “Did you know? About Allison?”
“Ah.” He rocked back on his heels and pressed his lips together.
“Oh, hell.” She felt her hands ball into fists, and, well, she wasn't cold any more. “Did you know this last night?”
“Ah.”
“Oh, my God, you did.” She took a step back. “You came over to my house, spent hours, had so many chances to let me know.”
“Ben wanted to protect your sister. I was honoring his wishes.”
“Protect her from what? She was in the Coyote, so what?” Though it was odd that she was in there during the festival.
“From having her name dragged through every conversation in town,” Ben said.
Now he spoke.
“What did it matter? I can’t believe you didn't tell me, Noah. You showed no faith in me.”
“I figure it’s the opposite. I had faith that you could take care of this without knowing Allison’s part in it.”
“But I didn’t, did I? If Allison hadn't walked in to save the day, I’m pretty sure Ben would be on his way to jail right now. At the very least assigned a court date.”
“Is that what’s got you so upset?” Allison asked. “That I saved the day and you didn’t?”
Well. Maybe. If she admitted it to herself, that was part of it. A small part of it. Mostly she was mad that the three of them had kept this from her and expected her to win anyway. And she was mad that she hadn't brought a coat and was out here freezing her ass off with these ungrateful people.
“I’m upset,” she said slowly and through her teeth, “Because you asked me to do a job and didn't let me do it.” She wanted to let them know how much she’d stressed about it, worried about doing a good job, but she was too pissed. She strode down the steps to her car, this time appreciating the click of her heels on the steps, wobbling a little when she felt one weaken. But she gathered herself and stormed to her car. She tucked her briefcase under her arm and fumbled in her purse for her keys. By the time she unlocked her car door, Noah’s hand was there, blocking her from opening it.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice quiet. “I really was just honoring my brother’s wishes. I honestly didn't think it would matter to the case one way or another.”
“But you knew it would matter to me,” she said, jerking the door open.
He let her get in, probably because she was shivering, but maybe because he knew she was right.
Chapter Twelve
When Miranda got home, she saw large boxes on the porch in front of the door. She hadn't ordered anything online that hadn't already arrived, so she hurried up the steps to check the labels.
From New York. Just one nudge with the toe of her shoe told her they were her books. Damn it, she’d given Damien the address of her office, not her home. Now she was going to have to lug all these books to her car, up the stairs to her office. Just like Damian to ignore her wishes, just to get even with her. How had he gotten this address, anyway?
Grunting, she opened the door and pushed the heavy boxes of books through, one at a time, stacking them by the door and hefting her purse on top of them. The house was chilly and damn it, she was going to put on some yoga pants and get under a blanket somewhere. She’d been stressed all day. Time to unwind with a good book.
Not one of the ones in one of the boxes.
Riley and Jolie were in the living room, one on each couch.
“Hey, how’d it go?” Jolie asked.
“The case was dismissed.”
Jolie’s eyes widened.
“Turns out there were extenuating circumstances,” Miranda
explained, dropping onto the end of Riley’s couch and kicking off her heels. How long had it been since she’d worn heels? Not so long that they should hurt her feet after a few hours.
She could tell Jolie wanted to hear more, but Miranda wasn't willing to mention her sister’s part in the whole thing. Huh. Maybe Noah and Ben had been right on that accord.
“More importantly, how did it go with Noah last night? You looked really cozy here when I left.”
“It was fun.” Miranda leaned forward to pluck a leftover cookie from the plate on the coffee table. She was suddenly starving.
Jolie frowned. “You don't sound bowled over.”
“I’m a little put out with him and Ben right now for not telling me the whole story about what happened Saturday night. Yes, the charges were dropped, but it would have been nice not to stress about it all night.”
“Why were you stressed? I thought you were a big-time lawyer in New York?” Riley said.
“I wasn't criminal law, so I had to do some brushing up.” And then she’d barely said two words before it had all been over. “Sorry, just frustrated. So is this what you planned to do on your day off?” she asked Riley, nodding toward the talk show on the television.
“If it wasn't forty degrees outside, I’d be jogging off the cupcake I had for breakfast. Where’s your coat?”
“I need to order one, I guess.”
Riley looked pointedly at the boxes by the door. “I don't think the delivery man is going to be speaking to you for a while.”
“He’d better be glad Damian sent them here and not the office.” Miranda grimaced. Maybe she should burn off some of her frustration by taking the books over there. Yes, that’s what she’d do. She wasn't going to be able to sit and relax with the girls. She really just wanted to be alone. She hadn't realized, when she agreed to move in with them, that she was so accustomed to being alone. Damian had been home so rarely, she’d had the apartment to herself most of the time. She didn't know how to be a roommate, hadn't been one in years. “I’m going to change and take them over to the office.”
“All of them?” Riley asked, sitting up on the couch.
“What I can fit in my car, and then again what I can haul up the stairs before I tire out,” Miranda said with a laugh.
“Don’t do it. You know it will be cold in there.”
“I need to burn off some energy.”
“We’ll help,” Jolie offered, swinging her legs off the end of the couch.
“No, don’t. You’re comfortable, it’s your day off, and it’s my restlessness I need to work off.”
Jolie frowned, leaning forward. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. But thank you.” Maybe she would benefit from living with women, having girlfriends again. She hadn't made time for them in New York, because she’d saved her free time in case Damian had time for her.
He rarely did, so she’d sacrificed for nothing.
She hurried up the stairs and changed into a pair of jeans, sneakers, and a couple of long-sleeved shirts she used to wear to exercise in, since she hadn't brought any winter clothes. Riley was right, there wouldn't be any heat, and she hadn't yet overcome the chill that had soaked into her bones all morning. But the physical labor would warm her up, she knew.
She couldn't manage a full box, so she had to carry out armloads of books at a time. She loaded them first into her back seat, then into her trunk until she had no more room. After her fifth or sixth trip into the house, her roommates refused to take no for an answer, and helped her carry books to the car, both of them dancing against the cold air. But their assistance saved her about ten trips, so she was grateful.
“Are you sure you don't want us to come with you?” Jolie asked.
Miranda glanced at Riley, who was definitely less eager to help, and Miranda grinned. “No, thank you so much. I’ll get what I can get in the office, and if not, well, I’ll do more tomorrow.” She walked around the car and dropped into the driver’s seat, her arms already aching, but she needed the mindless work.
The office was definitely cold, but four trips up and down the stairs warmed her up. She was taking a breather, after stacking her books against the wall, looking out the window, when she saw Noah’s truck pull up next to hers. He got out and glanced up at the window. Her first instinct was to step back, out of his view, but he already knew she was there.
She turned toward the door, determined to be working when he came in. But she didn't think she could make those stairs one more time to carry up another load of books.
“Do you really need all these books?” Noah asked from the doorway, with a box sitting on top of another pile of books.
“You never know. But better to have them here than at the house.”
He looked around before setting the books down in another stack by the door. “I guess.” He straightened, lifting the box. “I brought a peace offering.”
“You didn't have to do that.” But curiosity overwhelmed her, and she stepped forward, rising on her toes to look into the cardboard and cellophane box.
“The bakery was closed, so I went over to the grocery store. I thought—you used to like doughnuts.”
She loved doughnuts. Not grocery store doughnuts so much, but the thought…she smiled up at him. “Thank you.” She took the box from him, propped it on a stack of boxes and plucked a chocolate frosted pastry and bit into it without hesitation. Okay, so it wasn't the best, but she’d worked off the calories up and down these stairs. She flicked her gaze back to his, unaware that she’d closed her eyes as she bit.
He was smiling at her, that lopsided smile. “We should have told you. I know we should have told you everything. I know we tied your hands, and that was our mistake. But can you understand why we did it?”
She set the remaining doughnuts on a stack of books and dusted off her hands. “I can, but can you understand why I was upset? This was my first case back here at home, and I wanted to have a good showing. I’m building my business, my professional reputation. I stayed up most of the night to prepare, and it turned out I wasn't prepared at all because my client didn't trust me.”
He blew out a long breath. “Yeah, I understand. And I am sorry. I will do whatever you need for me to do to help you build your client list.”
She sighed. “I appreciate that, but nothing will build it like my own competence. I mean, people might seek me out out of curiosity, but the clients I want will have implicit trust in me.”
“I have implicit trust in you,” he assured her, and she looked at him for a moment, seeing the old Noah behind his expression.
“If it had been another woman, not my sister, would you have kept it from me?”
“Ben would have kept any woman out of it,” Noah assured her. “He would have gone to prison with the secret, if she hadn't come forward. I owe her for that.”
“You don’t. It was the right thing to do.”
“But people may talk, and that’s on us.”
“She was in the wrong place at the wrong time.” She still hadn't worked out why Allison been there when there was so much work to do at the festival. She would talk to her sister later, but hadn't wanted to have the conversation when she was so mad. Her sister got defensive at the best of times, so Miranda knew not to approach her when she was pissed off.
She held the box toward him, and he considered a moment before selecting a glazed doughnut.
“We probably could be eating these somewhere warmer.”
She sighed. “Yeah, I need to talk to Sage again to make sure the heat works before I turn it on. I don't even know where the furnace is.” She propped her hip on the window ledge, which was probably the coldest place in the room, but also the only place to sit. “But nothing like a few runs up and down the stairs to warm you up.”
“You left the car door open after the last trip. I closed it for you. I think there’s another load or two in the back seat, though.”
“Thanks.” She didn't want to tell him the trunk was still
full.
“When does the furniture come in?”
“Should be some time this week.”
“Is it the kind that comes assembled, or will someone have to put it together?”
“Everything but the office chairs are already put together. Don't worry. I wont ask you to put anything together.”
He chuckled. “Nah, I was going to send Ben.” He dusted the glaze from his hands onto his jeans. “I’ll be right back.”
She should protest the need for his help, but honestly, she couldn't make another trip today, even with the sugar boost and he’d offered. She wandered into the other room, the one that would be her private office, when he walked out. A jitter of nerves ran through her veins. This was all hers. And all on her, hit or miss, succeed or fail.
She couldn't wait to get started.
*****
After Noah finished hauling books up to Miranda’s office, he headed over to his own office to check in, to see if he needed to prepare anything for tomorrow’s appointments. A couple of spays, and a cyst that needed draining from a dachshund, and a follow-up on a lab who’d had a splenectomy not long ago.
“Did we get the Ketamine in?” he asked Kayla as he looked over his appointments.
“Not yet, but you don't need that for tomorrow.”
“No, but I don't like not having it on hand. Did we ever find out when was the last time I used it? I thought it was on the Valadez’s mare Paloma. Could you verify that for me?”
“Maybe it expired,” Kayla said.
“But we would have ordered it right away,” he said. When they checked expiration dates, they always had a laptop handy so they could order replacements.
She shrugged. “Just a theory.”
“Yeah, it’s weird.” Despite the fact, or maybe because of the fact, that he was rarely in his office, he kept things very organized, and had systems for everything. That one of his medications got away from him really bothered him, but he hadn't had much time to think about it since Ben’s drama.
“You know, I read a book recently where the serial killer was using Ketamine to drug his victims before he murdered them,” Janie said casually from her place in front of the computer monitor.