Dream a Little Dream

by Melinda Curtis

  Drew came forward. “Mr. Borrington stole a package delivered to his neighbor, all of which was captured on the victim’s video doorbell. When confronted about it, Mr. Borrington kept returning to the victim’s porch and shouting obscenities, daring the victim to call the authorities.”

  “All of which, I assume, is in the video evidence referenced.”

  “Yes, Your Honor.”

  “Objection.” Mr. Borrington seemed pleased to know court protocol. “I move that the video is inadmissible when considering an appropriate sentence.”

  “On what grounds?” Darcy asked.

  “I was being recorded without permission.”

  Oh, it was going to be one of those days. “I wasn’t aware that thieves had rights regarding being caught on camera. Overruled.”

  “But ma’am—”

  “You mean Your Honor?” Darcy’s fingers curled around her gavel handle.

  Jason, Rupert, Ken, and Iggy entered the courtroom and found seats together. Apparently, their case was coming before her today.

  Darcy gave Tina Marie a significant look, one that she hoped said, Next time warn me, and then turned her attention back to the issue at hand.

  “Your Honor, there was no sign warning that I was being recorded.” Mr. Borrington continued his amateur efforts at defense.

  “Your Honor.” Keli interrupted. “Mr. Borrington is raising arguments he presented at his hearing. These have already been addressed and dismissed by Judge Johnson.”

  Oliver, Tom Bodine, and his twin boys entered the courtroom and found seats.

  “Thank you, Ms. Connelly.” Darcy stared down the defendant. “Mr. Borrington, to my knowledge, no law has been passed in the state of Colorado regarding warning people they shouldn’t break the law because their crime will be recorded.” Darcy waited a beat. “In fact, a trespasser waives any expectation of privacy. I’m warning you that you’re coming very close to contempt by breaking with court protocol.”

  “But Your Honor.” Mr. Borrington rolled his eyes. “How can I be trespassing when I’m not inside Turly’s house?”

  This man was yanking her chain. He’d known the moment he’d crossed the sidewalk that he was on his neighbor’s property. That was Petty Crime 101.

  “Excuse me, Your Honor.” Rupert pushed through the swinging door from the gallery and came to stand beside Mr. Borrington. “My client pleads guilty and throws himself on the mercy of the court.”

  “I thought Mr. Borrington was self-represented.” Darcy gave the defendant a hard stare.

  He must have been related to the Jones family. He didn’t flinch. “My lawyer was late.”

  Or Rupert had taken pity on the man who stood alone in front of the hanging judge.

  Darcy narrowed her gaze. “This court operates under the sentencing guidelines allowed by law, which for this incident is up to six months.”

  Someone in the gallery gasped. Jason wore a concerned expression.

  Don’t look at Jason.

  “But my kids.” For the first time since stepping from the gallery, Mr. Borrington looked remorseful. “It’s not my fault. My wife left us last year. My boss downsized at the feed store. It’s unfair. And now this. Who’ll watch my kids while I’m in jail? It’s not fair that they’re punished too.” He pointed out his children—a girl of about eight and a boy of about ten.

  Tears fell down the little girl’s cheeks.

  Darcy remembered those days. Sitting in the courthouse hallway. Sitting at home waiting for her parents or someone to tell her what had happened. Sitting in school and being unable to concentrate because she didn’t know what home situation she’d face after the bell rang.

  Rupert remained silent, staring at Darcy. He knew something of her past. He knew it was much like that of the little girl sitting in the gallery.

  She flipped through Mr. Borrington’s file, searching for his criminal history. Petty crime. Petty crime. Drunk and disorderly. She turned her attention to Mr. Borrington, and in his face she saw her father, a man who wasn’t going to repent.

  “Tina Marie, call social services.”

  “What? No!” Mr. Borrington was livid. “Please, Your Honor.”

  “Yes, please,” Darcy said, feeling anger fill her chest. “Tell me how your children need a good role model in their life, someone who’ll stick around but teach them to be a bully and to cut corners by stealing.” Her voice strengthened. “Tell me how you don’t serve them vegetables or help them with their homework. Tell me how you always think about yourself first instead of what your actions are doing to their future.”

  “Your Honor.” Rupert tried to interrupt.

  She waved him off. “Tell me how you want your children to be upstanding citizens who never see the inside of a prison, much less a prison cell. Tell me why you shouldn’t have these innocent souls put up for adoption today, this minute, in the hopes that they can have a chance at a better life.”

  Mr. Borrington’s face was pale.

  “Objection,” Rupert said, although it wasn’t much more than a whisper.

  “On what grounds?” Darcy demanded, suddenly weary.

  Rupert glanced over his shoulder at the children in question. And then he swung his gaze back to her. “On the grounds that I need to speak to you privately in judge’s chambers.”

  He’d broken protocol. Rupert never broke protocol.

  The little Borrington girl tried unsuccessfully to stifle a sob. Darcy felt like sobbing herself.

  “Court will take a five-minute recess.” Darcy pounded her gavel, grabbed Stogey’s bag, and led Rupert into her chambers. She lifted Stogey into her arms. “You have four minutes, Counselor.”

  Rupert set his briefcase down on one chair. “I don’t think you want to hear what I have to say.”

  “I’m sure I don’t, but I’ve found that, as Judge Harper, I have to listen.” To him. To Henrik. To Tina Marie. Everyone with an opinion about Judge Darcy Harper. Everyone who seemed to have forgotten that she was still just plain old Darcy Jones underneath these robes. A woman who’d only ever wanted to be respected and make a positive difference in the world.

  “I miss my father.” Rupert seemed surprised those words had come out of his mouth. He stared at her blankly. “I miss the way he lorded over this court because it was rare that I got anything past him.”

  Darcy frowned. “I realize I’m a huge disappointment—”

  “I’m not finished.” Rupert didn’t pause to see if she’d give him the floor. He took it. “I miss his booming laughter and the way he could look at someone and know if they were remorseful for what they’d done and needed a second chance, if they needed a hard lesson, or needed to be put away.” He pointed toward the courtroom. “That man needs a hard lesson, and you know it. You’re about to let your past get in the way of doing what’s right.”

  The truth pressed on Darcy. But she waited to hear Rupert say the obvious: that she wasn’t fit for the bench.

  Rupert drew himself up. “Now, instead of feeling ashamed of where you come from, go back in there and present that man with a choice. The kind of choice you wish your father had been given.” Rupert grabbed his briefcase and returned to the courtroom.

  “I think he just respected me,” Darcy told Stogey. Respected, not disrespected.

  Stogey let out an awful stinker. Darcy didn’t care.

  Respect was all she’d ever wanted. Respect without feeling as if she didn’t deserve it. Passing the bar hadn’t given her respect, just as wearing a black robe hadn’t. The people closest to her—Jason, Avery, Lola, Mary Margaret, even Pearl and Bitsy. They gave her respect but she’d earned it by being a true friend, a loyal lover, a caring family member by marriage.

  She had to earn respect. Her way. By making judgments that made a positive impact in her community. By being honest and fair.

  What was happening to the Borrington family wasn’t fair or just. A mom who’d abandoned them. A place of business that had fallen on hard times and let him go. M
r. Borrington was a single dad trying to make everything work. Darcy could make a difference here. Suggest support sessions for single parents and that Mr. Borrington be evaluated for anger management. The alternative would be jail time but she was certain he wouldn’t take that route.

  She stared into Stogey’s big brown eyes. He licked her chin.

  Stogey wasn’t stately. He wasn’t entirely healthy. But he loved nurturing people. Hospitals and airports had emotional therapy dogs. Why couldn’t her courtroom have one?

  “Come on, Stogey. No more bag for you. You’ve got a job to do making friends in the gallery.” She just hoped the dog figured out how to do his job quicker than she’d figured out hers.

  * * *

  “Your ex had John Borrington’s nuts in a vise,” Iggy whispered in Jason’s ear as Oliver explained to Darcy the suit Tom wanted to bring against them. “Maybe we should have asked her to recuse herself.”

  Under the grinning gazes of the Bodine twins, Jason shushed his business partner.

  Jason had been surprised that Rupert had stepped forward in John’s case, more so when Rupert’s private conference with Darcy had resulted in her returning to the bench much calmer and kinder. Since when was Darcy on good terms with her stepson?

  It was bad enough Jason was in court, not the rodeo arena, and without his cowboy hat for this preliminary hearing. But if Rupert and Darcy were on friendly terms, he was unsure of anything. And the way Darcy looked—with her hair down and a glow to her cheeks—Jason wanted to patch things up with her now. Today.

  Iggy bumped his shoulder slightly. “Quit mooning.”

  “Let me see if I’m understanding you, Mr. Harper,” Darcy began in austere tones directed at Oliver. “Your client can’t prove whether he received the goods he paid for or not. Is that correct?”

  “Yes, Your Honor.” Oliver’s fingers drummed over his tie.

  “The suit claims suffering.” Darcy glanced down at the papers in front of her and then toward Tom. “The exact manifestations haven’t been listed in your brief. What are they?”

  “What are they?” Oliver also looked at Tom.

  Darcy leaned forward. “How have you suffered from this situation, Mr. Bodine?”

  “I’ve been angry,” Tom said at volume, as if he weren’t angry all the time.

  Oliver clenched his tie and looked pained.

  In the chair next to Jason, Iggy turned his head, eyes wide and mouth shut. But Jason bet he knew what Iggy was thinking. For once, things were going to go their way on this lawsuit.

  Darcy glanced toward Rupert. “And what efforts has your client made to address Mr. Bodine’s concerns or attempt to make reparations?”

  Rupert got to his feet. “Your Honor, my client offered to refund Mr. Bodine’s money. That was rejected. My client then offered to refund his money, provide him with replacement product, and provide free endorsements for one year by Mr. Petrie. That offer was also rejected.”

  “And the reason for rejection was…?” Darcy tossed the ball back to Tom and Oliver’s side of the courtroom.

  “Your Honor.” Oliver cleared his throat.

  “They’re idiots,” Tom said, loud and clear. “Why would I trust them a second time to provide me with quality sperm?”

  Someone in the gallery choked on a laugh, earning a stern look from Darcy.

  Small paws rested on Jason’s calf. Stogey gazed up at him adoringly. Jason picked the dog up and put him in his lap. Stogey stood on his hind legs and put his front paws on the table. He leaned over and licked Iggy’s cheek.

  Someone giggled. Darcy’s lips might have twitched upward but she didn’t look Jason’s way.

  “Mr. Bodine, it sounds as if you’re saying nothing Bull Puckey Breeding could do would be enough to make up for what may or may not have been a mistake. Would you agree with that statement?”

  “Objection!” Oliver choked out. “This isn’t a trial.”

  “But we’re determining if there is merit to this lawsuit or not.” Darcy had a confidence she’d lacked on her first day sitting the bench. Jason thought it was hot. “The very definition of a frivolous lawsuit is one brought for the sole purpose of harassing, annoying, or disturbing the opposing party.”

  “Took the words right out of my mouth,” Rupert murmured, sitting down.

  “But all lawsuits of this sort are compensatory, making up for damages incurred.” Oliver might have made a stronger case had he not been yanking his own tie.

  Darcy passed a hand in Tom’s direction. “By your client’s own admission, Mr. Harper, it’s less about damages and more about punishment.”

  “Are you saying I can’t sue your ex-boyfriend?” Tom demanded in his loudest voice yet. “I want a new judge.”

  The courtroom was quiet except for Stogey’s soft panting.

  “It won’t matter which judge you go before, Mr. Bodine. You can’t sue just because someone made you mad, especially when they made you generous offers of compensation.”

  Tom’s jaw worked. “But—”

  “And I’d consider what kind of example you want to set for your children.” Darcy nodded toward the Bodine twins, who were sitting in the front row. “If you’re a bully, your children will be bullies. I suggest the two parties return to the bargaining table. Legal representation will inform this court in one week of their progress.”

  Earlier, Jason had thought Darcy looked hot. Now she was smokin’.

  For once, the Bodine twins were somber.

  Tom’s face was ruddy. “But—”

  “Be careful, Mr. Bodine,” Darcy warned. “Your behavior is bordering on contempt. If you can’t come to an agreement, the court will rule in favor of the defendant.” She banged her gavel. “Next case.”

  Jason tried to catch Darcy’s eye on the way out, but she wouldn’t look at him.

  And then Iggy was pummeling his shoulder as they joined Ken in the hallway. “We won, we won, we won, we won.”

  “As usual, Mr. King,” Ken said, “your celebration is premature.”

  * * *

  Stroganoff was simmering on the stove when Darcy got home from work.

  The gate had been locked. Had Pearl let Jason in?

  Darcy half hoped that she had. The afternoon session of court had been…She’d been…Well, it’d been glorious to finally feel as if she knew what she was doing in terms of court procedure and sentencing. She was in the mood to celebrate with a hot kiss and a cold beer.

  Not that she should be celebrating with Jason. But that’s who first came to mind.

  Who was she kidding? That’s who always came to mind.

  Darcy set Stogey and her purse down. “Hello?”

  Pearl came in from the dining room. “Do you know how many magazines that man kept over the years? Don’t guess. I’ll tell you. All of them.” She washed her hands in the sink and then stirred the stroganoff. “It’s almost done. There’s a bowl of salad in the refrigerator. And a gift for you on the counter.”

  The box on the counter had a bra inside. Plain, white, and her size.

  “What’s this?”

  Pearl shrugged. “I owed you a replacement. I shouldn’t have gone through your drawers or taken it. I don’t know what I was thinking. Grief sometimes makes people—me—do stupid things.” She met Darcy’s gaze evenly. “I’ve been listening for George the way Jason encouraged me to and I…I’m sorry.”

  “Oh.”

  Stogey wagged his tail at Pearl’s feet, begging.

  “You’ll get some, Stogey, don’t you worry.”

  Her changed attitude broke Darcy’s stupor. “He shouldn’t. People food can upset his stomach.” And she didn’t need him tooting more than he already did. It made people in the gallery giggle and make faces. Darcy washed her hands and poked her head in the refrigerator. “Are you expecting company?” The salad was enough for two.

  “You think I don’t want salad?” Pearl tsk-tsked.

  “You’re eating with me?” Darcy was shocked.

&nb
sp; “I owe you an apology for the way I treated you.” Pearl slowly eked the words out of herself as if it cost her some pride. “I was like a wounded animal.”

  “A wounded honey badger,” Darcy muttered.

  “The love of my life slipped away from me.” Pearl didn’t raise her voice or stomp around. She tapped her forehead. “Here, as the man I knew slowly disappeared in character. And here.” She tapped a spot over her heart. “As he slipped from this earthly plane.”

  Her words touched Darcy, more so because she hadn’t thought she’d ever hear an apology from George’s ex. It sparked her own need to make amends. “I never should have accepted George’s proposal. I should have found another way to help him.”

  Pearl waved a hand between them. “Pfft. You were a baby.”

  “Not hardly.”

  “You were. And you carried your broken heart around in a basket for everyone to see.” Pearl framed Darcy’s face with her hands. “You married him a vulnerable young woman, and now you’re a judge. I heard what you did today with that Borrington fella. That’s what George wanted. For you to show people that Lady Justice has a heart.”

  “I didn’t get there on my own.” Darcy covered Pearl’s hands with hers. “You won’t believe this, but Rupert coached me.”

  “Really?” Pearl’s hands fell away. “George would be proud of that too. Good heavens. I miss him so very much.”

  Darcy’s heart went out to her. “Pearl.” She slipped off her wedding ring. It didn’t matter if she and Jason ever got back together. It was time to take the ring off. “George bought this for you. I think you should have it.” Instead of Stogey.

  Pearl gasped, accepting the ring with trembling fingers. “When George proposed, he surprised me. I thought he understood that I didn’t want to get married a second time. I said no but I should have realized that George was a better match for me. If only he’d told me he loved me. If only I’d have given it more thought. If I had, I might have given him a different answer.” She slid the big diamond on her finger. It glittered as if it had found the right home.

  “When George proposed, I told him he should ask you again,” Darcy said softly. “He said he’d only botch things up worse.”