Chapter 171

There was a crowd outside of the courthouse, and as soon as Hope saw it, her stomach lurched up into her throat. It might've only been twenty or thirty people, but she knew why they were there. The handful of lawmen keeping them at bay was only mildly reassuring as her father found a place to hitch the wagon and then came around to carefully lift her out of the seat. Her head was still aching, but her mother had given her some medicine, and it was helping. If it didn't make her sleepy or groggy until after she figured out what their next step needed to be, and until after she'd hopefully had a chance to speak to Judah, then she wouldn't regret taking it.

If the people in the crowd noticed her, their dispositions didn't change any, and Hope thought it was just as well until after she'd had a chance to speak to Judah. The last thing she needed was a rush of deputies trying to keep her away from his cell.