Chapter Eleven
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Locked in a cell at the sheriff’s station, Courtney McCallum was having a very hard time controlling her temper. Though she knew yelling and throwing things would have no affect on the sheriff or his officers, the fury rising up inside her was about to explode. But as she heard the door to the cell block being unlocked, she felt her seductive side coming to life.
“Miss McCallum, your lawyer has arrived. A man by the name of Joe Meyer,” an attractive deputy declared, stopping at her cell. “Please stand up and turn around. I have to handcuff you.”
“You can cuff me any time. What’s your name?”
“Deputy Cartwright.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Deputy Cartwright. You can call me Courtney,” she continued, executing a perfect twirl on her toes before stopping with her back to him. “I love a man in uniform.”
She felt the cuffs being placed around her wrists, but he didn’t say anything. Feeling rejected, her temper suddenly flared and she wanted to spin around and whack him on the side of the head.
“Are you always this unfriendly?” she demanded as he guided her down the short hall and through the door.
“Mr. Meyer is in here,” he replied curtly, ushering her into a small room.
Stepping inside she found her lawyer standing behind a table with only two chairs, one on each side.
“Thank you, deputy,” the lawyer said politely. “Is it possible to take those cuffs off her while we talk?”
“I’ll be right outside the door if you need anything,” the young man replied, quickly removing them.
“Okay, Courtney, what the hell were you thinking taking drugs to a horse show?” Joe asked sternly. “Never mind, I already know the answer. You got off on the risk and stood to make a bunch of money. Well I hope you’re happy. You’re screwed.”
“I’m never screwed. I’ve been in worse situations than this.”
“Yeah, I know, and I’ve been there for every one of them. But I don’t know how I’ll be able to keep you out of prison his time.”
“Are you out of your mind? I’m not going to prison. Just negotiate a big fine.”
“First, I assume you stopped taking your medication.”
“That stuff just messes with my head. I can’t think straight.”
“It’s the other way around. You can’t think straight when you’re off it. I’ve brought you a fresh supply. You’ll be watched as you take your daily dose to make sure you do.”
“Fuck. This is such bullshit.”
“Courtney, we wouldn’t be here if—”
“Just stick to the legal crap. I don’t need any of your stupid lectures, but there’s something I need you to do for me. I sold King Henry to a girl called Heather Hunt. Her trainer is a guy named Blake Coleman.”
“And...?”
“His place is at the base of Smoky Hill and it’s called Three Oaks Ranch. There are three big oaks in the middle of one of the larger paddocks, you can’t miss it. I need to know where Heather Hunt lives. You might have to wait on the road and follow her home.”
“Hold on, Courtney. What’s this about?”
“Just do it. Now get me out of here.”
* * *
Though Joe made an excellent living working for Courtney he often wondered if it was worth it. But whenever he was about to walk away he’d suffer pangs of guilt and couldn’t abandon her.
And he was profoundly in love.
He’d known her since their childhood. She’d always been difficult and always in trouble, and he was always there to help. As time passed he pursued a law degree, and she’d grown into an exceptionally beautiful young woman sought after by modeling agencies. Much to his dismay they’d lost touch. When she’d called out of the blue asking him to negotiate a prenuptial agreement, he’d been both disappointed and thrilled.
He’d often fantasized they’d one day be together and now she was getting married. But there was comfort in the fact that she’d reached out to him and not someone else.
The meeting had been bittersweet.
She’d looked stunning.
He’d wanted to throw himself at her feet and beg her to leave the man she’d agreed to marry and be with him. In the days, weeks and months that followed, his love for her continued to grow.
He likened it to a disease for which there was no cure.
But she’d put him on retainer to represent her in anything and everything crossing her path.
Her fiancé was twelve years older and extremely wealthy.
The agreement became effective after two years.
She filed for divorce twenty six months later.
Though he was delighted she was single again, her behavior became erratic.
As the weeks passed he’d stood silently through her violent fits of rage, and held her when she’d sobbed. After finally convincing her to see a therapist his fears were realized. He couldn’t comprehend the complicated diagnosis, but she had serious mental health issues, and he became her legal guardian.
Though they lived together they had separate bedrooms, but there were nights she would crawl between his sheets and take him to paradise. He was optimistic about their lives and future until one afternoon a new problem came into their lives.
Courtney decided cocaine helped her more than the prescription drugs. Try as he might, she refused to listen. Then to his horror he discovered she was dealing. When she announced she’d met a client at a barn and would be taking riding lessons, he thought being around horses might help her. But her only interest was supplying those in the equestrian community with the adult candy of their choice.
She entered shows, but only as a cover, and when a client couldn’t pay, she’d take their horse and sell it—which was how she’d ended up with King Henry and was happy to move him on.