Hoops and Hearts (Hearts in Hawthorne #5)

Prologue

DALLAS

Sawyer Montgomery listened as his opposing counsel addressed the jury in her final summation.

Like him, Elizabeth Pope sought to make a personal connection with each juror, looking them directly in the eyes.

She was a formidable attorney. Polished.

Prepared. Someone who fought passionately for her clients.

And she was the love of his life.

Usually, they tested their opening and closing arguments on one another, giving the other critical feedback.

They hadn’t been able to during this case since they were opposing counsels.

He had to admire his fiancée, though. She was convincing as she implored the jury to find the defendant not guilty.

Dispassionately, he took notes as she spoke, thinking of ways he could counter the points she was making in his own final argument.

Though Sawyer believed he had proven his case beyond a reasonable doubt, Elizabeth now chipped away at small pieces he had presented throughout the trial.

It wouldn’t surprise him if he didn’t receive the usual, unanimous verdict he was known for achieving.

Elizabeth thanked the jurors for their time and returned to sit next to her client, causing Sawyer to rise and move closer to the jury box, where twelve citizens were seated. They would begin their deliberations soon and determine the fate of Anthony Simpson.

He walked the jury through the state’s case, detailing each portion of evidence against the defendant and doing his best to negate the points Elizabeth had made. Still, his gut told him that his fiancée had done enough to place reasonable doubt in the minds of at least a few jurors.

Ending his summation, Sawyer told the jury, “I hope that you will carefully weigh the evidence the State of Texas has presented to you and find the defendant, Anthony Simpson, guilty in the murder of Jane Rockwell. Thank you for your time and your service. The citizens of Dallas County appreciate how much you have invested of yourselves in this case, and they are depending upon you to render a unanimous, guilty verdict and send Anthony Simpson to prison.”

Sawyer returned to the prosecution table without glancing at Elizabeth. He listened as Judge Johnson gave final instructions to the jury, who would first break for lunch before beginning their deliberations, and then they were led from the courtroom.

Now, the waiting game began.

He rose, as did Elizabeth, and they moved closer to one another.

All he wanted to do was run his fingers through her strawberry blond hair and kiss her beautiful, rosebud mouth.

Instead, he kept things professional, not revealing an inkling of their relationship.

To anyone watching them, they would merely see two attorneys chatting briefly about the case they had just tried.

“Nice job with your closing, Counselor.”

She gave him a half-smile. “Same to you, ADA Montgomery. I won’t say it was a pleasure going up against you.

You are a very tough opponent. You articulated your case perfectly, and your witnesses gave good testimony without seeming rehearsed.

” Her smile widening, she added, “Then again, I believe my arguments were solid and that my client will walk out of here a free man.”

“Want to grab some lunch?” he asked.

“I wish I had time to, but I have a new trial starting in two days. I need to finish interviewing a couple of witnesses before working on my opening statement. Maybe you can help me work on that later tonight,” she added huskily.

“Maybe I’ll hear it—and then help you out of whatever you’re wearing,” he replied, causing her to laugh.

“If I don’t see you back in court for the verdict later today, I’ll see you at home,” she told him.

He smiled at her. “Ditto.”

They had stolen ditto from the movie Ghost, a film where Patrick Swayze’s character Sam had trouble voicing words of commitment to Demi Moore’s character, Molly.

When Molly would tell Sam that she loved him, he would merely reply ditto, never speaking of love.

Then Sam was killed by a mugger—and it was too late to speak what was in his heart.

Sawyer and Elizabeth had begun using the word to convey their feelings without alerting others around them to their involvement.

No one at work knew they were dating, much less engaged.

If his boss had known about their relationship, he never would have allowed Sawyer to try the Simpson case against Elizabeth, citing it would be a conflict of interest. They both were passionate about their jobs, however, and had actually looked forward to finally having the chance to face off against one another in court.

After having attended law school with Elizabeth and coming in as salutatorian to her valedictorian, he knew what a powerhouse lawyer she was, one with a keen mind and attention to details that others often overlooked.

Occasionally, he sneaked into a courtroom to listen to her for a few minutes, but it had been eye-opening watching her as he tried an entire case against her. It made Sawyer proud of her.

He left the courtroom, opening the bottom drawer of his desk once he was back in his office and removing a package of peanut butter crackers from his stash. He ate them while drinking a Diet Coke and began working his next case, reading witness interviews from the police department.

Hugh James, the Dallas District Attorney, appeared in his doorway. “How did it go?”

“I think we had a solid case against Anthony Simpson. The evidence should speak for itself.” Sawyer paused.

“However, you know that juries can often ignore facts and vote based upon emotion. Elizabeth Pope is very skilled at manipulating a jury’s emotions.

Did she raise enough questions for there to be reasonable doubt? ” He shrugged. “We’ll soon see.”

“I wish we had Pope in this office,” the DA said. “She’s got a great track record. You know her, don’t you? Didn’t you both attend Baylor Law at the same time?”

He nodded. “She was the top of our graduating class and had multiple job offers from all kinds of big-name law firms. The fact that she went to work in the public defender’s office for peanuts speaks to her character.”

“Win or lose this case, Sawyer, see if you can draw her back from the dark side. This office could use a smart, thoughtful attorney like Pope.”

“I’ll see what I can do, Hugh,” he said solemnly, biting back a smile.

As passionate as Elizabeth was about defending the downtrodden, he was just as passionate about prosecuting criminals and bringing them to justice. He doubted he could ever convince his fiancée to join him in the DA’s office.

They had talked, however, about starting their own firm after they married.

Montgomery & Montgomery. They had brainstormed about the kind of law they might practice and the type of clients they wished to represent.

While nothing had been settled, Sawyer thought it would be amazing to go to work every day with his beautiful, intelligent wife and then be able to come home and spend his nights with her.

He received a text at four-thirty to return to the courtroom. The verdict was in after about four hours of deliberation, and he looked upon that as a good omen. The longer juries were out—especially on murder cases—the more likely they were to render a not guilty verdict.

He slipped back into his suit’s jacket, straightening his tie as he headed toward the elevators. He and Elizabeth had talked about whoever won this case, they would go out for a celebratory dinner, with the loser paying.

Entering the courtroom, he saw she was already at the defense table.

He nodded to her as he took a seat. The judge came in and called the courtroom to order, and the jury was led in by the bailiff and seated.

The judge asked if they had reached a verdict, and a Black man in his mid-forties who had been elected foreman rose.

“We have, Your Honor.”

He handed the results of the vote to the bailiff, who took it to Judge Johnson. He glanced at the paper handed to him, his face set in stone, not betraying anything.

Sawyer’s heart began thumping harder. He wanted this win. He truly believed that Anthony Simpson had murdered Jane Rockwell and should be locked away for his crime. Then again, Elizabeth had made a few excellent points in Simpson’s defense, so the door had been left open.

When he heard the not guilty verdict announced, he maintained his composure as the courtroom erupted.

Simpson’s family, seated on the first row behind the defense table, leapt to their feet, cheering.

Judge Johnson called for order, and everyone calmed down.

The judge then thanked the jury for their service, and the courtroom was dismissed.

Sawyer watched from the corner of his eye as Elizabeth hugged Anthony Simpson and then hugged his wife and two teenaged children.

He hung around until she turned to him, offering her hand.

“Counselor, it was a well-fought battle.”

As he shook her hand, he said, “Hugh James gave me the mission to try and lure you from the dark side into the light of the DA’s office.”

She chuckled throatily, causing desire to flare within him. He released her hand.

“Hugh James—and the DA’s office—is the last place I would ever want to work. You know that.”

“I do. I told him I would try, though. I’ll report back that I failed miserably. That the Angel of Justice has vowed never to leave the public defender’s office.”

Sawyer referred to the nickname a journalist had given Elizabeth after a particularly long and grueling murder trial. He loved to tease her about it every and now and then.

She leaned in. “Anthony Simpson really is innocent,” she insisted and then grinned. “I guess that means you’ll be buying dinner tonight since you lost.”

“Name the place. I’ll make a reservation.”

“You know I love a good steak dinner at the end of a long trial.”