“I’m not fighting you off,” he said.
And there was the happiness she’d been waiting to hear. “Good. Tell me about the conversation with your mother if you don’t mind.”
“I told her about you.” Her jaw might have just hit her desk, her eyes blinked a few times, and all the thoughts scattered out of her brain as if a herd of rhinos were chasing her and it was mass chaos. “Gale, you there?”
“What? Sorry. Did you just tell me you told your mother we had sex last night?”
The laughter on the other end made her smile. “Hardly that. I just talked more about you and how much you and your family are helping me. I told her you remind me of Rene some and... I’m struggling with it.”
“Phew. I mean, I’d never tell my family what I did with you yesterday.” Not that they wouldn’t be able to figure it out at some point. It’s just she didn’t talk about sex to her brothers! “What did your mom say to that?”
“That I need to stop feeling guilty for wanting to live. She’s worried about what is going on here and the threats.”
“I wasn’t sure if you’d tell her.”
“I didn’t want to, but I can’t always keep it from her either. She told me to come home and leave it to Ford to figure out. As much as she wants answers, she doesn’t want to lose her remaining child, that nothing will bring Rene back, but she still had me.”
She blew a breath out. “So you’re telling me you’re leaving?”
“No. I’m telling you what I told my mother. This is it. I know it, I feel it so deep inside my body it aches in places I didn’t know existed. The more I’m told to leave, the more I dig my feet in. I’m not just going to shake trees, I’m going to cut them down.Starting with the McGregors because I know damn well they are connected. Don’t you?”
The racing of her heart came for another reason now.
He wasn’t leaving just yet. He was staying. He was fighting. And she was going to be right there next to him for it all.
“I feel it too. All those things. But I also know not to make any snap decisions on anything. Especially when it concerns the McGregors. What do you plan on doing next?
“I’ve got a few things in mind. I’m thinking them through some more, but you’ll be the first to know when I’m ready to make my move.”
Her phone was ringing on her desk. She’d been talking long enough and had more work to do before she had to be in court.
“I’ve got to run. I’ll keep you posted and talk to you later.”
“Bye,” he said and hung up.
“Yes, Kathy,” she said to her assistant.
“Judge Rooney is on the phone for you.”
“Oh,” she said. “Thanks.” She didn’t normally get a call from the judge directly. She picked up. “Hi, Judge Rooney, how can I help you?”
“Gale,” Judge Rooney said. “How are you doing?”
“I’m well.” This was odd. “How about you?”
“I could be doing better. I just got a call from Daniel McGregor.” Her teeth clenched. “He’s concerned about a case that you’re looking into.”
“I wasn’t aware that any caseload I had made its way to him, nor that it’s any of his business.”
“I made that very clear to him. I’ve also told him one too many times to stop bugging me, I didn’t care how much money he had, or what he owned, I’m here to do my job and not play nice. The law is the law, end of story.”
She smiled. Judge Rooney was one tough woman that Gale had always looked up to, even if she feared her in the courtroom. Not always a bad thing.
“I apologize if I’m confused over this. Did he say what case he was talking about? I’ve got a lot of them.”
“He was beating around the bush, but making comments about keeping the past where it belongs for the community. That no one needed to be riled up again. He and Kane have a few ventures in the works and it’d benefit everyone not to be fearful of old news.”
“That doesn’t say a whole heck of a lot,” she said.
