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  No More Fear

  A Town Without Pity Series

  Sandy Appleyard

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  ISBN 978-1-989427-48-4

  ISBN 978-1-989427-49-1

  Copyright © 2021 Sandy Appleyard

  All rights reserved.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  No More Time

  Other Books in the Series

  Keep in Touch

  Also by Sandy

  Did you Enjoy This Book?

  Author’s Note

  Chapter 1

  Rachel

  Eight Weeks Ago

  It’s probably because I’ve been brought up in a house full of males, with mama the only exception. This is the reason I wager with myself as I’m asked by a client why I mix so well with all the men I work with. Being the only female in an all male legal firm looks a little strange to some, and this isn’t the first time I’ve been asked this very question. Surely it won’t be the last, either. My brothers are all mama’s boys, which helps a little. I was a daddy’s girl, before he passed, that is.

  As this woman looks at me for legal advice, she has an air of curiosity to her as well, and I can’t quite figure it out, which pisses me off to no end. Reading people is what I do best, that’s why I sit behind this desk and defend people for a living. What’s even more disconcerting is the new guy that’s starting today. This firm is getting larger and larger, which isn’t the part that bothers me, what does irritate me is that this Chad person, who is joining us, is from Dallas. I mean, why did he come all the way to goddamn El Paso, anyway? I have yet to meet someone from Dallas that I like.

  Two of my brothers live practically next door to the major city, in a small town called Huttonville. They started out here at what was once mama and daddy’s ranch, but now my brother Hawk runs it. Mama still busts Hawk’s ass and my other brother’s asses, too, when they aren’t keeping the ranch in tip top shape, but that’s another story. Nonetheless, this new guy, just the thought of him makes my skin crawl. Normally, I don’t feel this way about people I haven’t met, but something tells me that this guy is going to be bad news.

  My client, who is looking to sue a company for wrongful dismissal, hasn’t got a leg to stand on. And as I sit in my chair, listening to her weak story, I see, through the corner of my eye, my partners Robert and Stan standing by the door through the frosted glass insert. I can’t see who they’re talking to, but I can only guess that it’s the new guy. We’re to meet in a half an hour for an introduction, and as much as I’m bored listening to this client drone on, part of me hopes that this consultation with run past the time that she’s paid for. No charge, lady, I think to myself.

  “Missus Barry.” I start.

  “Marjorie.” She corrects.

  “Marjorie.” I pause. “It sounds to me like your former boss gave you a decent retirement package with ample compensation for your troubles. Most companies wouldn’t give half that.”

  “But he let me go because of my age.” She argues. “Isn’t that ageist?”

  “Ma’am, with all due respect, you were having memory issues, and you’re well passed retirement age.”

  Marjorie is nearly seventy years old, and frail looking. The company gave her nearly a year’s pay plus they’re keeping her benefits active for the next six months. That’s a hell of a deal if you ask me or anyone.

  “But I should be able to decide when I’m ready to retire.” She rebukes.

  “Yes, but if your age is effecting your job performance enough to be noticeable, then the company has a right, especially when they give you such a remarkable package.”

  “This is crap!” Marjorie shouts, startling me. She rises, hanging her large, leather, old lady purse on her arm, but I swear she’s going to hit me over the head with it first, and stomps out the door. Fortunately, clients pay to play, so my bill is already in the bank. As much as I hate having a disgruntled client, I also hate defending people who have no defence. If Marjorie was adamant, I could pull out some stops, but chances are, based on how frail she looks, she won’t live past the first draft of documentation.

  I follow her out to the waiting room and watch her scurry out the front door as fast as her old lady legs can carry her. Part of me feels badly for letting an elderly person down, but the other part of me feels that she’s a fool. The company was in their right mind to let her go, and they gave her more than enough to say goodbye. I can’t rightfully defend her bearing that in mind. Hearing footsteps behind me, I turn around. Robert, one of our other partners, is approaching.

  “Are you ready?” he asks. Robert is twenty years my senior, but despite his short, salt and pepper hair, he’s as fit as a fiddle.

  “Yes. Ready when you are.”

  He gives me a terse smile and gallantly lets me walk ahead of him, as we head towards the boardroom. It’s large and imposing, with a cherry wood oblong table in the center of the room, a roll-up screen hung on the wall to the left of the table, and a built-in oak shelving unit with old legal volumes, mostly leather bound, lining them. Inside the room are all the partners, who nod hello to me as I walk in, and I have to lock my jaw so it doesn’t drop to the floor.

  …because the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen is sitting with the partners.

  It’s like a rose between two thorns. I’m introduced to Chad Hedger, and he rises, giving me a warm smile with his full, pouty lips. Chad has short, brown, curly hair, huge blue eyes, one of those cleft chins that I absolutely get weak in the knees for, and he’s taller than me by at least a foot. His tasteful three-piece suit is tailored to fit like a glove. His teeth are perfectly straight and white, but he’s not arrogant or conceited, like most men who are as handsome as Chad is. I can tell because he doesn’t wiggle his brows at me. Instead, he dips his forehead in a respectful nod, keeping his eyes fixed on my eyes, not down my chest.

  Chad sits back down between Kevin and James, and I take a seat next to Robert. My palms are suddenly sweating, and it’s taking every ounce of energy not to stare at him. But he’s so beautiful, I can’t help it. I notice that his gaze comes to me as he converses with Stan and James. Of course, the topic that we interrupted was sports, I mean, what else is there with a room full of men? Because I’m practically lost, and not because I don’t engage in sports events, since I do have four brothers, but rather, I’m lost because of him…Chad.

  “Sorry, Rachel.” Chad chuckles. “You must be bored as hell with us talking jock talk.”

  I smile. “It’s okay. I have four brothers. I’m used to it.”

  “Hey, same here.” He grins. “Are you the oldest? Youngest?”

  “I’m somewhere in the middle.” I explain, appreciating that he is trying to include me in the conversation, and trying to steer the topic for my benefit.

  “Yeah, me too.” He says. “I hear your family owns a ranch?”

  “That’s correct, yes. My brother Hawk runs it.” I tell him which ranch and where it is.

  “My family owns a ranch in Dallas as well.” He volunteers.

  “Really?” Things are really looking up.

  “Yeah, I grew up there. Left to go to law school, as I’m sure it’s the same for you.”

  “That’s right.”

  James intervenes, addressing me. “And how come you didn’t stay on the ranch with your brothers, Rachel?”

  “For the same reason as you didn’t work at your family’s restaurant, James.” I say honestly. “I wasn’t cut out for it.” My eyes are back on Chad. “I fell in love with legal programs and nobody could ever win an argument with me, and once I started law school, I knew that was my destiny.”

  “Same here.” Chad admits.

  “And how come you came to El Paso?” I ask.

  “Change of scenery.” He says, but his tone says that there is way more to that answer than he’s willing to reveal now. I’m intrigued. He frowns. “I lived there all my life. It was time for something new.”

  I’ll bet. There’s probably a slew of women crawling all over him in Dallas and beyond. I bet he had to run away because of a broken heart, or maybe because he broke someone’s heart. Probably the latter. It’s never the men who suffer. Always the women. At least, that’s been my experience. Why am I fixating on this? It’s none of my business. “I understand.” I concur. “Do you get back to Dallas very often?”

  He nods once. “I hope to.”

  “So, are you here in El Paso permanently?” I ask, prying. And then I make up my mind to not ask any more questions.

  His speech is tentative. “If I make partner, yes.” He smiles at Kevin and James beside him.

  James intervenes, and I’m not sure if it’s to sidestep the topic of Chad becoming partner. “And how long have you been in El Paso now, Chad?”

  “I just came a week ago. I’ve been staying at this cheesy motel until I find a place.” He admits with a chuckle.

  Now it’s Kevin’s turn. “Are you planning to rent or to buy?”

  Chad gives him a look. “Well, rent, of course.”

  “Certainly.” Kevin purses his lips together, realizing how dumb that question was.

  Chad addresses
me again. “And do you still live on the ranch?”

  I shake my head. “No. I moved out when I went to law school. All my brothers are still there though.”

  “Were you living on the ranch up until moving out here?” I ask him.

  He shakes his head. “No, I was the same. Moved out with a buddy of mine when I went to law school.”

  We both share a tight smile. It gives me a delicious shiver. James and Robert look bored. Stan is playing with his pad and paper, doodling, having lost interest. Robert lifts his head with the pause. “So, what was up with that two-bit bitty who stormed out on you there a few minutes ago?”

  I roll my eyes. “Oh, who let that poor woman in here?” I demand, only half-joking. “She didn’t have a chance in hell of building a case.” My voice is flat. Chad is intrigued. He’s leaning forward, with his elbows resting on the table, and his hands are clasped together, as he listens intently. “This seventy-year-old woman got a very generous golden handshake and she’s trying to sue the company for ageism!” I shake my head.

  “They don’t give you all the crappy cases around here, do you?” Chad teases playfully. I like his sense of humor already.

  Robert interjects. “It was probably a walk-in.” he looks at me. “That’s what happens when you have a break in your schedule, Rachel. You should know that by now. Block them off. Make sure that Leslie can’t book you for any of those.”

  “And then how are we supposed to see these people?” I ask, my tone suggesting that that’s cruel.

  Stan smiles. “We give those to the new guy.”

  Chad looks at him and shrugs. “I would have taken the case.”

  I raise my eyebrows at him. “You would have defended a seventy-year-old woman on an ageism case? You would have supported her suing a company that gave her more than fifty thousand dollars, plus benefits, for her quietly leaving after likely fifty years of service?”

  He smiles without showing me his teeth. He’s being cocky. I like it. “No…but I had you going, didn’t I.”

  I sneer at him playfully. “You would get along great with my brothers. You’re lucky we’re not related. I’d come over there and cuff you one upside of the head.”

  He winks at me. “I could take you.”

  Kevin, James, Robert and Stan are watching us like it’s a tennis match.

  “Not on your best day.” I’m sitting in the chair, wearing a pair of white dress pants and a red blouse with matching pumps. I turn sideways and raise my heel up high enough that he can see them. “With these, sweetheart, you have no chance.”

  James chuckles. “I’ve arm wrestled her for a client before.” He nods. “She won.”

  I sit back, satisfied.

  Kevin and Robert start talking about the game again, but I notice that Chad’s gaze stays on me, and mine stays on him. His eyes twinkle under the pot lights in here, and I can feel a certain charge in the air, something I’ve never felt before. Never one to be forward or presumptuous with a man, I haven’t so much as checked a guy out in my life. It’s usually the other way around, and I’ve been on more dud dates than I care to admit to. Save for one relationship while I was in law school, and a brief one at that, I have never had eyes for anyone…until now. And it looks like Chad is feeling the same. This has never happened to me before, and my hormones are all over the place. I don’t know what to do.

  I mean, is this lust? It can’t be love at first sight…that’s a farce. Lust has never been a factor for me, so this is unchartered territory, and it’s so overwhelming that I find myself lost. I can’t be doing this. I can’t be ogling a new co-worker, and he certainly can’t be ogling me. We’re professionals and work for a prestigious, well-established law firm. Kevin and Robert have picked up on the electricity between us, judging by the blank looks on their faces, and it makes me snap out of whatever spell I was under.

  My eyes dart to Stan. “I’ll have a brief discussion with Leslie when we’re done here. Shall we take turns looking after walk-ins? This way it takes the pressure off Chad and anyone who has a break in their schedule. What do you think?” I ask tactfully, whether Stan was speaking in jest earlier or not.

  “Sure. You took this one. We’ll do a rotation.” Stan agrees. I look at the rest of them with a slight nod, and they reciprocate. Chad has taken the hint, as his face is now impassive again.

  I nod. “Okay. Are we done here?”

  “I think so.” Kevin grunts as he rises from the chair. We each shake Chad’s hand, welcoming him officially. And as I take my turn, the lusty, lovestruck gaze that was there a few moments ago is now gone. Did I imagine that?

  He says nothing to me, and he follows the guys out of the boardroom, as we all make our way back to our respective offices. As I promised, I have a little pow-wow with Leslie, and then I return to my office. Hours later, Leslie pops her head into my office, after knocking softly. “I noticed that you didn’t eat lunch. There’s some leftover wraps from Kevin’s lunch with clients if you want some.”

  I smile, not realizing until now how hungry I am. It’s almost four o’clock and I haven’t eaten a bite since breakfast. “Oh, thanks so much, Leslie. I’ll go grab something now.”

  “You bet.”

  When I rise, I actually feel myself a little light-headed. Too many times I skip meals for this job, and my mama’s constantly telling me that this will be the death of me. Problem is, I love it. Nothing makes me happier than being a lawyer. Helping people is what I do best. There is nothing more satisfying than picking the pieces from a case to build its strength, putting them all together, and presenting it to a jury and judge. My courtroom feeling is unsurpassed. People actually come to see me defend, and it feels great.

  As I walk into the lunchroom, I open the fridge and grab myself what looks like a turkey on spinach wrap. Planning to grab it and eat it on the way back to my office, not missing a beat, I stuff the first corner of it in my mouth, and that’s when I hear Chad’s voice behind me. “Hey, I see you got the memo, too.”

  Chewing, I nod. When I swallow, I say. “Leslie just informed me of the buffet in here. I skipped lunch.”

  “Story of my life.” Chad says, opening the fridge, grabbing himself a wrap.

  “Yeah? Dallas law firms are just as rigid as El Paso law firms, huh.”

  He nods. “Pretty much.”

  “And you never thought about starting your own firm out there?”

  His eyes widen, but he’s smiling. “Sure. Yeah. One day when I have a bazillion dollars, I might. But until then, I’ll just defend from the comfort of my borrowed office.”

  “Oh.” I understand.

  “Have you considered starting your own practice?” he asks after taking a small bite, chewing and swallowing.

  “Until about a year ago, no.” I answer honestly.

  “Oh yeah? I take it you have the bread to do something like that.”

  “I could if I wanted to.” I state. “But then I worry that maybe I’m still a little bit too green for something like that. My clients still ask me to see a piece of identification for proof when I tell them how old I am.”

  “Well, to be honest, you could pass for Robert’s daughter. The other guys look like they’re pretty up there, too. You and I are definitely the younger ones of the bunch here.”

  “Did you think I was his daughter?” I bark, disbelieving.

  He nods. “Yeah, actually. When I saw that your surname didn’t match his, I just figured that was your married name. But then, most women who are lawyers keep their maiden name if they get married after becoming a lawyer, so I wasn’t sure.”

  “Well, I’m not married.” I say flatly. “And I’m certainly not Robert’s daughter.”

  “I know that now.” He says fairly. “How long have you been here…at this law firm, I mean.”

  A sigh. “Almost ten years.”

  “Jesus. That’s about how long I was at the other place.”

  “It must have been painful to leave.”

  He gives me a look that I can’t decipher. “Not so much.”

  “Ah,” I give him a tight smile. “It’s one of those two drink minimum stories, I take it.”

  “Something like that.”