My Cowboy Book 2

CORA

I focused on Hael while the bailiff was swearing me in.

I tried to pretend that there was no one else in the room but the two of us.

His blue eyes fixed back on me and held on tight. I was so grateful he had been granted permission to be there for my testimony. I couldn’t have done it otherwise.

But I could still feel Dodger’s eyes on every inch of my body. I refused to look at him.

I was afraid if I did, my resolve would crumble before either lawyer said a word.

Allisha seemed to sense my anxiety and placed herself in between me and Dodger. I managed to take a deep, shaky breath.

“Please state your name for the record,” she began.

“Cora Braelynn.”

“And your birthdate.”

“January thirteenth.”

These preliminary questions went on for about ten minutes.

Allisha asked me about my job, my move to Flake Wood Falls last year, and about my experiences there so far.

She asked several questions about Hael, to show the jury that our relationship was solid and trusting.

As I described how our relationship had begun, his smile helped ease my tension.

Next, the attorney asked about my previous encounters with Dodger, and I confirmed his unwanted advances in the past.

We’d gone over all of this before, so there were no surprises.

I tried to remember to keep breathing, to keep my eyes focused on Hael when I wasn’t looking at the lawyer or the jury.

Finally, Allisha nodded at me, and I steeled myself for her next question.

“Cora, in your own words, could you please tell us what occurred on the night of June sixteenth?”

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I tried to feel Hael sending love to me from the gallery.

Then I opened my eyes and fixed them on Dodger, who looked back defiantly.

I’m going to take you down, you chicken-fried fuck.

“I was at the fairgrounds. I had just texted Hael and was looking for him. That’s when Dodger came up to me. He made a pass like he’d done before, but I shut him down, like always…

But when I tried to leave, he grabbed my wrist. That’s when I smelled the whiskey on his breath.”

I could smell it now, the sickly sweet smell. My stomach turned over.

“And what happened next, Cora?”

“I tried to pull away, but Dodger slammed me up against one of the carnival trucks.”

BAM. I could feel the thud as I struck the metal.

I swallowed hard. “I screamed, but there was so much noise. From the rides. The music. The people. That’s when Dodger hit me across the face.”

My hand crept to my cheek, feeling the impact.

“Can you tell us, whenever you feel ready, what happened next?”

“Umm…he hit me and—I fell to the ground. Then he…climbed on top of me, and—”

My breath started to come faster.

“Take your time,” Allisha said softly.

The courtroom was completely still. Everyone’s eyes were focused on me.

But there was only one person I needed right now.

In the gallery, I found Hael. Locked my gaze on his.

He gave me a steady nod. You can do this, princess.

I nodded back. “Dodger climbed on top of me and began unzipping my pants. I struggled against him, but he held me down. And spat on me. Then he proceeded to place his fingers inside of my vagina without my consent.”

The lawyer had told me to use very specific words here. To make the jury understand, beyond a doubt, what had occurred.

“When I continued resisting, Dodger punched me directly in the face, leaving me stunned and unable to defend myself. He then continued removing my jeans.”

The whole time I spoke, I kept my focus on Hael. Tried to talk only to him.

“And what happened next, Cora?”

“I continued resisting Dodger’s non-consensual assault, and he began to choke me. Th-that’s when I blacked out.”

“What’s the next thing you remember?”

“Hael,” I answered. “Rescuing me. Saving me before Dodger could finish what he started.”

“Thank you, Cora, for your brave testimony today,” she said, giving me a small smile.

I felt like I’d just run a fucking marathon through the first circle of hell.

All I wanted was to climb out of the witness box and into Hael’s arms.

But my day in court wasn’t over yet.

Because next Darrow got his turn.

HAEL

The dirtbag defense attorney approached the witness stand.

Cora glared him down.

“Miss Braelynn, how old were you when you lost your virginity?” he asked.

She looked taken aback and cast a nervous look at the judge.

He nodded at her to continue, and I dug my fists into the wooden bench.

Cora sighed and turned back to the defense lawyer. “Sixteen.”

“Sixteen,” Darrow said as if he was giving someone bad news. “And, how many sexual partners have you had since then?”

Cora flushed red. “Are you seriously asking me—”

Allisha stood up. “Your honor, this information has no relevance to the case. My client is not the one on trial here.”

“I’ll allow it,” the judge said.

What the fuck?!

Allisha looked furious but sat back down.

Darrow smiled. “Well, Miss Braelynn?”

Cora glared hatefully at him. “Twenty-two.”

I blinked. I hadn’t known that.

The slimeball let out a low whistle. “Twenty-two? You’re sure that’s accurate? Could you have missed one or two along the way?”

“Your honor!” Cora’s lawyer objected.

“Watch yourself, counselor,” the judge said.

“Sorry, your honor,” Darrow turned back to Cora. “Have you ever engaged in anal sex?”

I could see Cora clench her jaw. “Yes.”

“What about bondage play in the bedroom?”

“Yes.”

The members of the jury exchanged glances.

“And do you enjoy rough sex?”

“Do I—”

“Objection!” shouted Cora’s lawyer.

“Let me rephrase,” Darrow said. “Have you ever engaged in sexual intercourse in which your partner intentionally and consensually gets physically aggressive with you?”

“Yes.”

My knuckles hurt where they were grinding into the bench. When I lifted them up, I saw I’d rubbed the skin raw.

Eventually, Darrow moved on to the night of Dodger’s assault.

“You and Mr. Gunners had an argument that day, correct?”

“We had a disagreement,” Cora said. She looked tired and pale, and I just wanted to get her home.

“And after this 'disagreement,’ were you angry?”

“Sure. We both were. But once I calmed down—”

“Sorry, can we follow the timeline? So you had a disagreement. You were angry. Maybe you were thinking you would get back at Mr. Gunners?”

“No. Never.”

“Or maybe that you were just bored of him and looking for something new. Then, when Mr. Gunners saw you and reacted with violence, you made up a lie to spare him from your immorality?”

“That’s disgusting. And completely false,” Cora sneered at him.

“Or maybe it was just more ‘research’ for this website of yours.”

“Your honor!” Allisha shouted.

“No further questions,” Darrow smirked.

CORA

Hael’s truck bounced unevenly on the unpaved road.

We were both silent.

I didn’t know what to say.

I’d been unable to meet his eyes the whole time Darrow was questioning me about my sexual history.

I couldn’t risk seeing the same judgment on his handsome, chiseled face that I’d seen from the people on the jury.

It was like I could hear the words written on their minds.

You’re a slut.

You asked for this.

You wanted it.

Hael’s hand crept to mine and gripped it tightly.

“Is there anything I can do?” he asked.

I appreciated his simple words because I knew how sincerely he meant them.

If I asked for anything, Hael would go to the ends of the earth to make sure I had it.

But this wasn’t something he could fix.

And it wasn’t even over. The next day, he would have to take the stand for the defense.

“Thanks, but I don’t think so. I just feel so—” My writer brain couldn’t think of a word horrible enough.

“Like you got hit by a tractor?” Hael suggested.

A tiny smile tugged at my lips. “Something like that.”

But honestly, I felt more wounded and broken than I had during the incident with Dodger itself.

All those people knew details about my sex life that I had never shared with anyone.

Not even Hael.

I wonder if the information changed anything for him.

That said, I was honestly too exhausted to worry about anything other than getting the trial over with.

Hael pulled the truck into the driveway of Cedar Ranch and hit the brake abruptly, causing the seatbelt to strangle my left breast.

Fuck! My tit!

I reached underneath the strap and massaged my aching boob.

“What the hell?” Hael muttered, almost dumbfounded.

Ignoring the pain, I followed his gaze.

A gleaming white horse trailer stood in our driveway.

Then I saw the logo emblazoned on the side of the tractor in mint-green letters.

Below the writing was a picture of a cute, furry animal with a long neck.

I groaned as I realized what was happening.

“Jesus-fucking-Christ. Of all the times to forget that someone gifted me an alpaca.”