Page 41 of Operation: Chosen

“You’ve already had two days since I sent the first email. How much more time do you need? This is your job. What’s gotten into you? You’ve never left work undone before. You’ve never resisted taking on clients.” Amelia’s brow furrowed.

She was looking at things differently. She had to. All at once, the courtroom seemed just as foreign as Wayside Ranch had and Wayside seemed much more welcoming. “Because this is the man who made me move. My ex wasn’t even as derogatory and awful as Gene was.” And he’d turned so many men and their wives against her. All because he was trusted and she was just a lawyer. And a woman lawyer, at that.

“I know that’s hard. But you can’t refuse a case that’s been handed to you. You know what that means.”

Her nerves bristled. “Of course I can refuse. I have too much of a past with this man. I cannot defend him the way his case needs. Someone else will have to do it.”

Amelia slowly shook her head. “You know that we take cases we are assigned. It was already determined that, despite the connection to your past, you are the best person for the case. I can argue another week for you. That’s it. You’d better be back here in one week, or you may not have an office to return to. I’m not kidding when I say this is huge. You might not want to defend this guy, but he could unwittingly make a name for you like you never dreamed. Wouldn’t that be the icing on your cake, for the man who forced you to leave be the one who makes a name for you as the best and brightest of JAG?”

A week ago, that would’ve thrilled her. There wouldn’t have been a question. She’d have leaped in her car and rushed home. She would’ve jumped at the chance to make her name bigger, making her rates rise and earning more money per hour billed. But now she had to choose between staying and seeing what could happen between her and Eric or keeping her career. One was the security blanket she’d always clung to; the other was the dream she’d wished for.

“I’ll let you know before the week is up.”

“I can see by the look on your face that you are actually considering not returning. What in the name of all that is good is making you hesitate? You can’t like ranch life that much. Not you. So, what?”

Ranch life didn’t appeal to her. At all. That was good to remember. Eric was a fixture of Wayside Ranch and would never leave, and she didn’t necessarily want to stay. “I have to think about this. Not just for my future, but for my mental health. Notoriety does nothing for me if I’m too drained to do anything about it.”

“Turn your feelings off. This job isn’t about feelings, history, right or wrong. You know that. Snap out of this. You cannot afford to let any of those things distract you from the goal.”

Ali’s screen blurred as she focused on her thoughts more than Amelia. On the surface, her friend was right. That’s how lawyers got the job done every day. They were experts at compartmentalizing, military lawyers even more than others. But this would test her.

“I can’t just shut this off. Not without some mental preparation. So, I’ll let you know as soon as I’ve made a decision.”

“So be it.” Amelia stopped the video call before Ali could say goodbye.

Ali stared at the black screen but saw nothing. Her mind swirled with a knot of memories, both from growing up unwanted, then becoming unwanted through divorce. Being an advocate for others had always steadied her. She could draw on that when she got down. Life had been hard, but she’d made it and become successful.

Now all that success tasted like a bitter pill. If she didn’t go back and pretend this case was just like any other, she’d probably lose her position. Even if she didn’t lose it outright, she’d lose the trust the rest of the office had in her abilities. Next time, they’d find someone else to give the tough case.

If she didn’t go back, she had nothing. Wayside was temporary. Staying here was a short respite to her busy life. It couldn’t ever be more than that. Her lips tingled with the memory of Eric’s kiss. They weren’t close enough to start anything, but they’d opened a door. A door that she would close firmly if she went back early.

Life was never easy. Every stage of her existence had taught her. She’d had hardships she’d had to overcome with her own will and power. When could she just rest and be…happy? Lacy’s question played through her head again. Was she happy? Could she sit alone and just be pleased with life?

Standing, she went to the window and held the lacy curtain out of the way. Green rolling hills spread out her front window beyond the parking area where her red car waited for her. The little sporty car looked downright silly in a parking lot full of sedans and dusty pickup trucks. She’d have to have it towed to a repair shop before she drove it again.

Letting the curtain fall, she closed her eyes. She wasn’t foolish. Feeling that way made her angry. She liked to be the most knowledgeable and fashionable no matter where she was, but out here she didn’t feel like she could be either. Even trying had shown how out-of-place she was. It hadn’t been until she relaxed that she’d begun to feel at home here.

Her skillset was useless here. What did she know about human trafficking? Other than that it was a global issue of epidemic proportions…nothing. Would a lawyer even be able to offer anything to people who had suffered? Even if victims were called to testify against their traffickers, they wouldn’t need a lawyer of their own. She might be able to counsel them on what would happen, but there was little else of value she could offer.

Her computer screen went to sleep, and the processer silenced, drawing her attention back to it. She’d lived more than a whole week without doing much with the thing. She had money saved, maybe even enough to move somewhere new. She hit the enter key, and the screen woke up.

With quick keystrokes, she looked at all the available houses online within an hour radius of Piper’s Ridge. There were a handful of places. Two were small homes in town that appeared to have been built in the fifties, and all the others were ranches or rural properties. None of them interested her.

Cheyenne was an hour away, but even that looked more rural than what she would consider. Maybe Wyoming just wasn’t the state for her. Her phone buzzed, interrupting her thoughts. She tugged it from her purse hanging on the back of her chair and flopped it on the table.

Amelia’s text stared at her for a few seconds before disappearing.

I refuse to believe you’re going to give up all you’ve worked for over Frank. He wins if you don’t take this case. Prove to him you’re stronger than this. You’ve got this.

She wanted to believe that. A week ago, that would’ve been all the pep talk needed. Actually, she wouldn’t have even needed that. She wouldn’t have let anything stand in her way. This was a job, and that made it the most important thing in her life.

Maybe…just maybe…it was time to make something else important.

* * *

Eric led allthree boys along the fence toward the horses, feeling like this was the biggest mistake he’d ever made at Wayside. The horses were his job, his to care for, his to keep safe. He’d already lost the one that meant the most to him, and there hadn’t been a single report since the theft.

Terrell walked at his side, silent for a change. Eric wasn’t complaining. Talking to the boys all morning about rider safety and what they would be doing had sapped his store of words for the day. Unfortunately for him, he’d have to train them again, and he knew it. There wasn’t a rider who came to Wayside who didn’t need to go over rules and safety more than once.

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