The Rancher's Christmas Promise. Allison Leigh

water and shook out several antacid tablets from the economy-sized bottle sitting beside the water. “All right. As y’all ought to know by now, we’ll break at noon and not a minute before. So don’t bother asking. If you’re not lucky enough to be out of the court’s hair by noon, we’ll resume at half past one and not one minute after.”

      He eyed the line of defendants waiting to be arraigned. They sat shoulder to shoulder, crammed into the hardwood bench adjacent to the defendant’s table where Greer stood. After this group, there was another waiting, just as large.

      Judge Waters shoved the tablets into his mouth. “Let’s get started,” he said around his crunching.

      All in all, it was a pretty normal morning.

      * * *

      Normal ended at exactly twelve fifty-five.