“Knock it off!” Judge Cooper yelled from the bench. Mrs. Westerly stopped her screaming and lay quietly on the ground. “If you had let me finish, then you would have heard that the charges are reduced from a felony to assault under extreme emotional disturbance, which is punishable up to 90 days in jail.”
Mrs. Westerly resumed her screaming prayers to Baby Jesus.
“But I find that during that particular situation, a person’s emotions rule them. By not contemplating any action, you simply acted out of emotion. Therefore, I sentence you to seven days of in-house confinement.”
Mrs. Westerly stopped praying and sat up. “You’re not going to send me to jail. I can still keep my babies?” she sniffed.
“That’s right. Report to the police station Monday at nine a.m. so that a tracking bracelet can be attached. You'll stay in your house for seven days and then will serve one year of probation. You'll also complete an anger management course. That’s all for the day.” Judge Cooper banged his gavel one more time. “Court is dismissed.”
Mr. Westerly, looking exactly as one thought a used-car salesman should look, jumped up in a somewhat awkward fashion since both arms were encased in casts. “But, Your Honor, she should be in jail! She attacked me!”
“Mr. Westerly, consider yourself lucky. If it had been my wife, you would've seen the barrel of a shotgun. Maybe it will help you keep it in your pants. If you continue your ways, some husband will do something far worse than two hits with a bat. Have a good weekend, Miss Mason,” Judge Cooper said as he walked into chambers.
Kenna walked out of the courthouse and went right to her car. All she wanted to do was relax with Will for a while, maybe go out to dinner. She drove to Will’s house, and Betsy pointed her in the direction of the barn after they exchanged hellos.
She parked next to the barn and walked inside. She paused for a moment to let her eyes adjust and then paused a second more to enjoy the sight of Will shirtless. He was wearing heavy leather gloves and jeans that rode low on his hips. He reached over to grab a bale of hay and moved it into a stall. He took his arm and wiped his brow. Turning to reach for his water bottle, he saw Kenna standing by the door.
“Hey! How was court today?” he asked, taking a slug of water. He walked over to the tack room, grabbed a towel, and used it to wipe away the sweat and hay.
“It was pretty straightforward until the last case. I’ll tell you all about it over dinner.” She walked toward him, ran her hand down his chest, and stopped at his stomach. Will put the towel down and put both hands on her cheeks. He slowly leaned down and kissed her with an aching gentleness that had her melting into him.
“Before we head out, there's something I want to show you. You mind going for a short ride?” He reached around her and grabbed a white button-up shirt and put it on.
“That’s fine. Do I need to change?”
“Nope, you’re perfect. Come on, my truck is out back.”
He buttoned up his shirt and tucked it in. He rolled up his sleeves and then took Kenna’s hand in his. She smiled as he opened the door to his truck for her to jump in. Four months of living in Kentucky, and she was a pro at hopping in and out of huge trucks while wearing heels and a straight skirt.
Will pulled the truck out of the barn’s lot and went down a road beside the barn. The road led further away from the main house and was surrounded by pastures. Some were full of horses, some with only a single stallion. They passed a field used for growing their own hay to help with the cost of feeding such a large operation.
“Where are we going?”
“We’re about a mile from the main road. See that over there?” He pointed to a gate in the middle of a fence. “That’s a path to Mo’s property. We own this side of the fence. He owns that side.”
They took a turn that curved away from the gate and went slightly uphill. They reached the top and Kenna looked down at a beautiful two-story, white brick house with a one-story glassed-in sun room to one side. The driveway straightened out and newly planted trees lined both sides of the drive leading up to the house. The drive emptied into a big yard with a little red truck sitting in the circular drive.
“Where are we?” Kenna asked as she got out of the truck.
The house was amazing. It was so quiet and the house was perfect. There was a little strip of land that looked like it was being tilled for a garden, and the little red truck seemed to just fit in to complete the picture of country bliss.
“Will, who lives here?” she asked again.
Will shuffled his feet and stuck his hands into his pockets. He looked up into her eyes then and smiled. “I live here. Actually, I was hoping we’d live here.” Will went down onto one knee and pulled a purple velvet box out of his pocket. Inside sat the most amazing four-carat, emerald-cut diamond Kenna had ever seen. “McKenna Mason, I love you so much. You bring such joy to my life and nothing would make me happier than if you agree to be my wife. Will you marry me?”