“No, but he made a spectacle of himself.That’s what we were going for.”Cal had a strong arm wrapped around Glenda.“Come on.We’ve done our part.Let’s let the professionals take care of the rest.Vanderbilt will keep me updated.”
He kept a strong arm around Grandma all the way out to her truck, but Jill looked back at the courthouse praying it would all be enough.
Chapter Thirty
The Bennet Ranch
Nate had notdone a ranch chore in over fifteen years.Some things came back easily, kind of like riding a bike.Some things felt as foreign as if he’d been born in New York City and never seen a cattle ranch before.
They didn’t go to the courthouse for the rest of the trial.Everyone agreed they’d done all they could do.Now it was just waiting for the sides to rest, and then jury deliberation.
The five of them met up at the ranch every afternoon, waiting to hear from Mr.Vanderbilt what it would be.
For three days after both sides had rested, no answer came.
Nate didn’t have a case for Honor’s Edge at the moment, so he’d offered to lend a hand at the ranch to work off some of his excess energy today.
Mostly because Sam had suggested it, because she’d said if he didn’t stop spending his day pacing or trying his hand at fixing things around the Honor’s Edge building, she was going to tie him to a chair.
He smiled in spite of himself.It had feltnormal.After all these weeks of just being mired in shit.Waiting wasn’t normal.It was nerve-racking as hell, but there were pockets of time in the wait, now that they weren’t chained to court every day, that almost felt like real life.
He’d really like the whole thing to just beover, but there was still a chance the jury hadn’t seen what they’d all seen.That they thought Ben was just overwrought.That what he’d done wasn’t enough to keep him in jail forever.
Nate blew out a breath, tried to blow out the tension with it.Tension didn’t change anything.
Cal, Landon, and Aly appeared on their horses outside the stables Nate was working in.Nate hadn’t quite made the return to riding.He’d once loved it, but he wasn’t sure his leg, no matter how healed, could handle it these days.
So he’d been relegated to grunt chores.He hung the shovel in its spot as Cal and Landon led their horses, and Aly’s horse, into the stable.She’d no doubt gone to the house to start dinner.
“I think I’m done shoveling shit.Not just for the day, but for good.”
Landon studied him with his mouth curved upward, ever so slightly.“Suit yourself.You’re almost a decent enough grunt though.You could give up investigating things, work your way up the Bennet Ranch hierarchy.”
“Yeah.Pass.”
Landon laughed.
The three of them worked in some silence to get the horses stabled.It was still early to head in for dinner, but Nate figured they were all hoping for a call from Vanderbilt.
When they stepped outside, he noted Sam’s car was coming to a stop in front of the house.Aly had paused on the porch to watch her approach.
“She’s early,” Cal said.
Nate wondered if that meant news.But she got out then pulled some pizza boxes out of the back seat.Just bringing dinner.He blew out another breath as they started to walk through the snow toward her.
Cal slapped him on the back.“So, you going to ball and chain it like our old Landon here?”
“Jesus,” Nate muttered, striding for Sam at a quicker pace.Leaving his brothers laughing behind him.
Yeah, he was definitely not ready to think aboutballsorchains, even if he didn’t mind hearing his brotherslaughtogether.
When he approached Sam first, she grinned up at him.Definitely no real news or he’d see it in her eyes.
“Don’t you three make a handsome trio,” she said.
Nate just grunted, but he knew she was glad they were all laughing too.
“I’ve got a bag in there with some salads and bread.Can you grab it?”
