Texas Ranger Brody Calhoun is with his parents in west Texas when an unexpected attack injures the brother of Rebecca Morgan, Brody's high school sweetheart. The local sheriff, a good friend, asks for Brody’s help. At first, it seems like an open-and-shut case. As Brody digs deeper, he realizes the attack may be related to an organized crime trial Rebecca will be overseeing. With Rebecca's help, he compiles evidence involving cattle rustling, bribery, and dirty payoffs that shatter the entire community and put Rebecca directly in the line of fire. Brody expects to protect her. What he never expects is to fall for Rebecca all over again, or for a murder to throw the case wide open. Is Brody's faith strong enough to withstand not only deep-rooted corruption and cattle rustling, but also love? Can love survive even when everything else is blown apart? Margaret Daley, an award-winning author of eighty-five books, has been married for over forty years and is a firm believer in romance and love. When she isn t traveling, she s writing love stories, often with a suspense thread and corralling her three cats that think they rule her Tulsa, Oklahoma household. To find out more about Margaret visit her website at www.margaretdaley.com. Scorned Justice Book 3 of Men of the Texas Rangers Series By Margaret Daley Abingdon Press Copyright © 2013 Margaret Daley All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4267-1436-8 CHAPTER 1 The pain in her neck and shoulders sharpened its grip onDistrict Court Judge Rebecca Morgan as she left the courtroom.She headed for her office, welcoming the quiet in the corridor.Inside her sanctuary from the madness of this new trial, sheshed her black robe and hung it up in the closet. Finally, theend of the day—the weekend was here and she could escapeto the ranch. Two glorious days to spend with her brother andhis family. She could forget for a short time the case beforeher—the murder of a businessman by a high-level member ofthe Russian mob. With a sigh, she grabbed her purse and started for the door.The ranch was almost an hour away from San Antonio, and asit was, she would be in traffic for a while. Before she could reach for the knob, the door swung openand her law clerk stood in the entrance. A frown etched deeplines in the forty-year-old woman's face. Rebecca stiffened. "What's happened?" "You got a delivery half an hour ago from a florist." "I did?" She couldn't think of anyone who would send herflowers. It wasn't her birthday or any other occasion for acelebration. Then Rebecca focused on the deepening scowl onLaura Melton's face. "What's wrong with it?" "I'll show you." Laura turned into her office, which connectedwith Rebecca's, and strode to her desk. Lifting the lidon a long white box with Blooms and Such stamped on itsside, she tilted it toward Rebecca. To reveal a dozen long-stem roses—all dead. Rebecca gritted her teeth. "They are not going to succeed inruining this trial the way they did the last one." The first trial,under Judge Osborn, had been declared a mistrial when it wasrevealed there was jury tampering. "This new tactic will not betolerated." As she spoke, though, she tried to decide how shewould handle this. "Is there a card with it? Anything to give tothe police?" "Just this box. It was sitting on my desk when I came backin here right before you ended the trial for the day. I calledDetective Nelson. He's on his way over here." Rebecca checked her watch. "I need to leave. My brother'sbirthday party is in less than two hours. Can you handle it byyourself?" Laura's frown relaxed into a neutral expression. "Sure.Charlie has a special interest in this trial and wants to makesure justice is done here. And he isn't too bad to look at either." Rebecca laughed. "Leave it up to you to turn this intochecking a man out." "I could always give you tips if you're interested." "I appreciate the offer, but I'll pass." Especially a cop. She'dbeen married to a policeman who had died in the line of dutythree years ago. She wouldn't go through that again. She madeher way toward the door. "If Detective Nelson needs to talk tome, he can reach me on my cell. Otherwise, I don't want todeal with any type of business until Monday morning, whenjury selection continues." "Forget this place. I'll make sure the detective doesn't haveany questions for you. I'll use my womanly wiles on him."Laura winked. "You do that." As Rebecca hurried toward the elevator, sherealized how fortunate she was to have such a good law clerkand friend in Laura. She made her life so much easier, especiallynow, with this difficult trial. She would have to takeLaura out to dinner next week as a thank-you. * * * When Texas Ranger Brody Calhoun let himself into hishouse, Dallas, his black Lab, greeted him at the door, wagginghis tail and nosing Brody's hand. He stopped and knelt to petDallas, knowing if he didn't, his dog would hound him untilhe did it properly. "Did you and Dad get along all right today?" Dalla