Chapter Twenty-Two

Evelyn

 

The courthouse halls were empty as I took a seat outside the courtroom doors. My briefcase was organized for once, and I was ready to win this battle for James. He deserved the win.

The new clerk was shuffling papers in the small window, a female, older and soured in the face. I laughed at the thought of Jill sending John to Amarillo to seduce this clerk.

James walked through the large double doors wearing a black dress shirt with a blazer and gray slacks. His cowboy boots clomped with each step he took towards me, sending an echo through the open courthouse.

I stood to greet him, a handshake even though I wanted a hug and a kiss. The woman behind the small window glared in our direction as we took our seats on the bench.

“Where is everyone?” James asked.

“No idea. I thought the kids would be waiting at the doors when the court opened,” I rolled my eyes as I spoke.

“So, what happens today?” James asked.

I explained the process to him again, even though I’d gone over it at least a half dozen times before. His hands clenched together as I told him we would sit down with the judge, an informal hearing that would basically determine if we would fight it out in court or not.

“Don’t worry. There’s nothing they can say that would make any sane judge believe they have any rights to the land,” I assured him, checking my watch once again.

It was getting late, and it was strange that not even the kids had arrived.

“I’m going to ask what is taking so long. Maybe the kids were already here when I arrived, already in the chambers with the judge?” I questioned.

The clerk looked up as my heels clanked across the tiles floor. Her eyes were cold and uninterested as I approached her window.

“Can you tell me when to expect the judge to arrive?” I asked politely.

The woman wrinkled her nose as she pushed her thick-rimmed glasses down from her eyes.

“Name?” she asked.

“Evelyn Pierce. I’m representing James Laurie in the Martin Jasper estate case,” I explained.

“There’s nothing on the books,” she sighed as if I were wasting her valuable time.

“I’m afraid that’s a mistake; check again,” I insisted.

“There’s no need to check anything. No cases are being heard until this afternoon, and yours isn’t one of them,” the woman sneered.

I hustled back to the bench where James looked pale as his eyes watched me grab a document from my briefcase. I snapped my heels hard against the tile as I made my way back to the clerk’s window.

“Here,” I slammed the paper onto the counter, pushing it towards the rude clerk.

“What’s this?” she yawned.

“It’s the summons for the court date, and as you can clearly read, it is for this morning, thirty minutes ago,” I growled.

“Well, like I said, there’s nothing on the books here,” the clerk smirked.

“Get the judge on the phone right now. This is unacceptable, and I’ll not sit and watch more corruption take place while entries, documents, and testimonies go missing,” I roared.

The woman pushed her glasses back to her eyes and sighed as she picked up the phone. I watched as she dialed a number, waited while she held it to her ear. Nothing was happening. Why wasn’t something happening?

“This is Mary. I hate to bother you on your morning off, but if you could be so kind to call me back when you receive this? There is an Evelyn Pierce standing here in front of me with a paper that states she has a hearing this morning with you, but there is nothing on the schedule here,” the woman hung up the phone and puckered her lips in a grimace.

“You can wait for him to call me back, but I doubt he will anytime soon,” she snorted.

“I’ll find out what’s going on myself,” I gripped my paper from the counter and swiftly turned away from the clerk.

James’s eyes were wide and his face even paler than before. My heart sank, giving wind to my anger and strengthening my determination to get to the bottom of this.

“Let’s go,” I snapped, grabbing James by the arm as I stormed through the courthouse. Obscenities spewed from my red painted lips in short huffs and under my breath.

In the parking lot, I directed James to my office, and then led the way. He followed me inside as I continued dialing numbers on my phone. I was determined to find someone who could give me some answers.

James took a seat across from my desk as I finally got the district attorney on the phone.

“Sir, I hate to bother you, but I need to find the judge,” I insisted.

I dropped to my chair as I listened to the man on the other end of the phone. My face must’ve displayed my shock, looking at James, his was suddenly filled with fear.

“Okay, thank you,” I hung up and stared across my desk.

“So, the judge was in a car accident and is in the hospital,” I gasped, finally taking a breath.

James’s face twisted as he looked for more answers, more assurances.

“It’s good at least, that the judge didn’t just stand us up, but still bad that the hearing wasn’t scheduled with the clerk,” I sighed.

“And the Jasper kids weren’t there, so they obviously didn’t have it on their schedules either,” James pointed out.

“You’re right. That is strange,” I agreed.

“I’m sorry I took you away from the ranch for nothing, but I’ll get to the bottom of this, that you can count on,” I assured him.

James’s smile was crooked, sexy, and for a moment made me forget how angry I was.

“Head on home, and I’ll call you as soon as I find something out,” I rushed him off before he became a distraction that would make me forget where we were, and possibly get us into serious hot water.

James leaned in, hugging me tightly before leaving. He smelled so good that I sucked in hard through my nostrils in hopes to keep his scent with me the rest of the day, and possibly throughout the night.

With James gone, I called Axel, hoping that someone in his fire department would have responded to the wreck and have some details about the Judge’s condition.

I knew whatever was going on, the Jasper kids were behind it.

For the first time, I was truly worried that they may be able to outsmart me, and somehow get to take James’s ranch away from him forever.