But here she was taking some of his weight, and he’d do his best to take some of hers.
She patted his chest.“It’s a pretty tiny shower.Hope you’re flexible.”
“I’ll figure it out.”One way or another.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The Bennet Ranch
Cal stood infront of the mirror in the little apartment off the main house.He straightened his tie and feltalmostlike his old self.Getting ready for court.A man who knew what he was doing.
Because he knew the case, backward and forward.He knew what he needed to say, how he needed to say it to sway the jury.He knew what the cross-examination would go over, because he’d led enough cross-examinations to do them in his sleep.He was prepared, better than most.
He knew Landon and Aly had struggled with theirs.Felt guilty that they hadn’t been able to put any nails in the Benjamin Bennet coffin, but that wasn’t their job.
It was Cal’s.Nate’s testimony, and even Sam’s to an extent had laid the groundwork.Now his would bring it all home.
He had to be with it.He had to be strong.He couldn’t afford any of the things that had been fucking up his mental state lately.He had to hold up under this shitstorm, because it was bigger than all of them.It was putting Dad away for good.
Everything required to fix thirty-five-plus years of Dad’s shit started with Cal.He couldn’t fail.He couldn’t falter.
He’d been afraid the weight of this would break him even more, but in a weird way it gave him a purpose.A goal to hang on to.He felt steady, almost.And what he would admit to no one was that helping Landon around the ranch had helped him too.The physical act of ranch work left him feeling less like his body was falling apart along with his mind.Something about the sun and the cold and the fresh air helped smooth out those jagged edges inside of him cutting him to ribbons.
He just hoped it would hold.
He walked out into the kitchen.Aly and Landon were already there.Landon sipping coffee standing leaning against the counter, while Aly wrapped up something in foil.
She had circles under her eyes she’d tried to hide with makeup.She hadn’t done a very good job, but smiled at him when he entered the room.Landon nodded.
“We should get going,” Cal said by way of greeting.
Because he didn’t want to belabor any points until this was all over.
“You should eat something,” Aly said, so very predictably.“I wrapped up some muffins whenever you’re ready.”She shoved them at him.
He knew he couldn’t possibly stomach anything just yet, but he smiled at her.“Thanks.”
In silence, they got their coats on and walked into a frigid, cloudy morning, another inch or two of snow on the ground.It was starting to feel routine, and that sucked.But it wouldn’t last forever.
Nothing lasted forever.
He tried to hold on to that thought as a positive talisman.
As they approached Landon’s truck, they all heard the sound of an engine.It was coming fromup, so it had to be Jill.
Cal glanced at Aly, who had a concerned frown on her face, so clearly it wasn’t a planned visit.Landon cleared the snow off his windshield, but he watched their approach too.
Jill’s truck pulled up right next to them.She rolled down her window.She didn’t look like she usually did.There was something more… put together about her.Hair pulled back, maybe she was wearing some makeup.
“Grandma really wants to go to court today,” Jill said, her expression pained.“I tried to talk her out of it, but she’s being… very insistent.Still, I told her it would have to be okay with all of you.I’m not taking her to the courtroom unless you all are okay with it.”
Landon and Aly turned their gazes to Cal.Like it was his decision.He looked at Glenda sitting in the front seat, dressed for court and clutching her purse.She gazed right back at him, and he couldn’t read anything in her expression.
Could he ever?
But if she wanted to be there… “I’ll ride with you guys,” Cal said, opening the back door of Jill’s truck.
He could tell everyone was surprised by that, but no one mounted any objections.
