Cowboy in Her Courtroom by Kathy Zebert

Author:Kathy Zebert
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance, legal thrillers, Texas romance, murder mystery, cowboy, western romance, clean romance, clean romantic suspense, cowboy romance
Publisher: Words in Color Publishing
Published: 2015-10-04T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7: The Silent Heroine

THE FIRST DAY OF DOM’S trial finally came, and the jury pool was going to be in around 8:30 a.m. Callie set out for the courthouse a little earlier than usual, with a stop for Judge Hamilton’s special coffee. The one shining star this week was going to be having him sit on the bench for this case. Even though she couldn’t share the details of her very difficult circumstances, having someone kind and easy to work with gave her some solace. He was also the most respectful and knowledgeable member of the judiciary in the district, which would ensure Dom got a fair trial.

Judge Hamilton smiled as he reached for his coffee and looked down at Callie. “How’s my favorite court reporter this morning? Thank you, as always, for the wonderful coffee. It looks like it’s going to be a hard week for us.” He clearly had no idea what an understatement that was, Callie thought, and she simply replied, “Looks like it. So glad the coffee made you smile.”

Callie was set up and ready to go by 8:00 a.m., the prosecutor and defense attorney arrived a few minutes later, and the deputies brought Dom in and removed his cuffs. As he made his way across the courtroom to the defense table, Callie’s pulse began to race. He was in his gray pinstripe suit with a cornflower button-down shirt and the tie she’d bought for him in Ruidoso.

Callie began to feel breathless, so she took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling. She’d heard a tip many years ago that if you looked at the ceiling, it was nearly impossible for tears to show in your eyes. It definitely did the trick. She’d decided at this point that it would be important to remain focused on the large portrait in the back of the courtroom for the entirety of the trial. She couldn’t bear to look in Dom’s eyes.

Judge Hamilton asked for the jury panel to be escorted to the courtroom from the jury assembly room, and 50 were brought in and seated in the gallery. Voir dire went very quickly, surprisingly, and a jury of 12 plus two alternates were sworn and seated in the box by 10:30. After a 10-minute break, opening statements began. Callie made it through the voir dire, but opening statements were going to be difficult.

Stepping out the back door of the courthouse for a few minutes, Callie looked up to the heavens and began to say a prayer out loud. She needed every ounce of her faith to get through this. If she could make it through the first day, the dust would settle and she could maintain her composure for the rest of the week. Feeling slightly calmer, she waited in the hallway until she saw Judge Hamilton walking towards the courtroom. She took her seat and pulled up her machine just before he took the bench.

“Mr. Farber, ready for your opening statement?”

“Yes, Your Honor.”

“All right, sir.

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