“Howler’s getting a court order to have Star put down.”
“What?” Her gaze shot to the barn. “He can’t do that! We have to stop him!”
Josh caught her shoulders. “Take it easy. We aren’t going to let it happen.”
“What can we do?”
“I’ll call Nate Temple, see if he’ll take the case or recommend someone who will.” He drew her into his arms. “It’s going to be okay.”
Tory pulled away. “Is it? It seems like no matter what we do, nothing is ever okay.” Turning, she went back inside the house.
Clara Thompson came out, said good-bye, and headed for home. A few minutes later, Tory and Ivy came out and went over to their trailer.
Josh wanted to follow them, make certain they were okay, but he wasn’t sure it was the right thing to do. Ivy had been terrified of Bridger. She had to be traumatized by what had just happened.
And watching a man be stomped to death had to have been terrible for Tory.
He wanted to give her the space she needed, the time she needed to heal.
The good news was when Josh called Nathan Temple, he agreed to take the case. Temple immediately filed a petition for a hearing to stop the sheriff from executing the stallion. It was scheduled for the beginning of next week.
Josh figured Tory would shoot the sheriff herself if he continued to insist on destroying the beautiful horse that had saved her life.
In the meantime, Josh needed to talk to her, straighten things out between them. Unfortunately, it didn’t look like that was going to happen anytime soon.
*
The day of the hearing arrived. Tory dressed in the black suit and peach silk blouse she had worn to Coy Whitmore’s funeral in Gainesville.
Before they left for town, Josh walked her out to the barn to say good-bye to Star, who nickered softly as she approached, then stood quietly as she fed him an apple, his leg already healing.
“Good boy.” Her throat tightened as she rubbed his ears and patted his glossy black neck.
Every day since the sheriff had made his threat, she had worked to gain support for their cause. She had talked to people, explained what had happened, asked them to write a letter in support of the stallion or at least sign her petition. She had even done an interview on KTEF, Channel 6 Evening News.
She wasn’t sure any of it would work. She slid her arms around the stallion’s neck and nuzzled his velvety nose. She couldn’t imagine the authorities killing such a magnificent creature. Not when she had deliberately incited him and he had only been trying to protect her.
Finally it was time to leave. Josh and Ivy waited for her next to the pickup. Tory had taken her daughter to see a child psychologist in Iron Springs, a doctor named Sharon Melrose. Ivy had liked the woman right away. The little girl was scheduled for a few more sessions, but the doctor had been confident Ivy would be okay.
Josh lifted the little girl into her booster seat and belted her in, then helped Tory into the passenger seat. Ivy was staying with Clara. Tory was happy to see the older woman had recovered well from Damon’s brutal assault.
Like most Texas women, Clara Thompson was tough and she was strong. It took more than a monster like Damon to defeat her.
“Good luck,” Clara said once she had Ivy settled and drawing at the kitchen table. “I’ll be holding good thoughts.”
“Thank you,” Tory said. “For everything.”
It was a quiet ride into town with both her and Josh worried. “You think we have a chance?” Tory asked.
“Temple’s one of the best. If anyone can win, he can.”
But the attorney had warned them that cases like this weren’t easy. Family members of the deceased were determined to make someone pay. In this case, Montgomery Bridger, Damon’s father, was adamant that the horse be destroyed.
The senior Bridger refused to believe his son had meant any harm. Damon had loved Tory, he said. His son just wanted to win her back, that was all. He didn’t deserve to die.
The ridiculousness of the statement infuriated Josh even more than Tory.
The pickup had almost reached its destination when she spotted the first group of people walking toward the big pink stone courthouse. Whimsical arches and towers made the structure, surrounded by manicured lawns, look like something out of a Harry Potter movie.
Another group of people walked past. Tory’s eyes widened as she realized what was going on. “Oh, my God, Josh!”
More people got out of their cars and started toward the courthouse, all of them carrying signs. SAVE STAR. SAVE THE HERO STALLION. WE DON’T KILL THOSE WHO PROTECT US. There were dozens of signs and even more people. The residents of Iron Springs had turned out in full force.
Tory’s eyes burned. She loved the town almost as much as the beautiful horse that its people were fighting to protect. Almost as much as she loved the man sitting beside her.
She didn’t want to think about Josh, didn’t want to think of the way he’d been avoiding her, how he’d begun to pull away from her, now that she was safe.
Josh parked the truck and helped her down. He took her hand and started toward the courthouse. Making their way through the milling crowd, they climbed the wide front steps and went inside.
Nate Temple stood in front of a long mahogany table looking polished and perfectly groomed, silver glinting in his light brown hair. Carly and Linc sat on the bench behind the railing. Noah and Natalie, Cole and Brittany sat farther down the row. Ty Murphy was doing his part by keeping an eye on the ranch.
Tory spotted Ben Rigby and Wes Turley, the vets from Pleasant Hill who had guarded the ranch at night. Billie Joe Hardie, the waitress from Jubal’s, was there; Cathy Miller and her husband from the mercantile; and Dr. Alejandro Nunez, the veterinarian. Howler and one of his deputies sat in the back row.
Tory and Josh took seats at the table next to Nate Temple, and the bailiff announced the arrival of the judge, a short, stout man with a fringe of hair around his bald head. The audience stood as he walked in, his long black robe fluttering around him as he took a seat behind his massive desk.
When the judge rapped the gavel, bringing the courtroom to order, everyone sat back down, and Josh squeezed Tory’s hand.
“Let me begin by saying this is an informal hearing. In this case, we have received testimony ahead of time from both parties.” He rifled through a stack of papers sitting on top of the desk. “As you can see, there’s been a great deal of local participation. I’ve received dozens of letters from all over the state.”
Representing both sides, she would imagine. Not everyone believed a horse who had killed a man should live.
“With so much input, I’m waiving the need for additional testimony. I have also received additional information from Phoenix that just came to light.”
The audience shifted and mumbled.
“Late last night evidence surfaced linking Damon Bridger to the brutal kidnapping and murder of Patricia Daniels, as well as the kidnapping, assault, and attempted murder of Lisa Shane.”
The courtroom erupted in complete pandemonium. The judge sharply rapped the gavel and eventually everyone quieted.
Tory felt Josh’s hand tighten around hers. Her heart was squeezing. She had always believed Damon was guilty.
“Under the circumstances and considering the testimony Ms. Bradford gave that she incited the horse to violence as a means of self-defense, the court has decided, with certain safety precautions which must be agreed on, the life of the stallion, Satan’s Star, shall be spared.”
He rapped the gavel. “Case dismissed.”
The courthouse went wild. Tory threw her arms around Josh’s neck and just hung on. She might not be there to see the great colts the stallion would produce, but the magnificent horse would live.
She smiled through her tears. It was enough.
Chapter Thirty-Seven