Colton's Spring

Chapter 3

Sunshine Dixon looked back and forth between her two sisters. Kennedy was the psychologist and pseudo family matriarch now that their parents had retired and moved away from Mission City. Spring was along for the ride today, but Sunshine wouldn't know why. The three women were congregated in Kennedy's office at the Healing Horses Ranch where she ran her clinic.

"What is this all about?" Sunshine was looking bewildered. "I mean, Hawk picks me up from work and brings me here, it's a little odd, you know. Not that I don't always appreciate visiting my sisters. Does this have something to do with the wedding? I mean I know it's only a few days from now, but I thought everything was arranged. Or do you want us to hold it somewhere else? I can call Hawk's mother-"

"Hush, Sunshine," Spring said. "That's not why we brought you here."

As Sunshine settled, she turned to Spring. "It's Colton, isn't it?"

Spring wasn't surprised her sister had figured it out. Sunshine was a sensitive. She could feel the emotions of other people, even across great distances. She wasn't a psychic, but she was damn close.

"What's happened? He's not hurt," she said. "But he's hurting."

Coming to sit next to her sister on the couch, Spring took Sunshine's hand. "He's been arrested."

Sunshine's eyes widened. "But he didn't do it. Whatever they're saying he did, he didn't do it."

"Sunshine, you need to hear what Spring has to say," Kennedy said gently.

Still, Sunshine was looking bewildered.

"He's been accused of raping a woman," Spring said, wincing inwardly when Sunshine squeezed her hand. Her sister was much stronger than she looked.

"Well, they've sure made a mistake there," Sunshine said. "They're going to look really stupid when they have to let him go."

So simple, Spring thought. Sunshine had such faith in her ex-husband. "It's not that simple, Sun." Spring sighed. "There's evidence. Semen and bruises."

Sunshine's expression didn't change. "Well, then there's an explanation. Colton is incapable of violence."

"Sun," Spring began.

"Everyone is capable of violence, Sun," Kennedy said. "You never thought Logan could be violent, but you were wrong about that."

Logan was Sunshine's first ex-husband. In a fit of rage he had hit her. It had been a one-time thing as he had walked away from the marriage. On the rebound, Sunshine had married Colton, something which had always mystified Spring. Colton was as dark as Sun was light. How she had thought she could change the man, Spring would never understand. She supposed she could ask her sister, but she had always respected her privacy.

Sunshine was cringing. "Okay, but Logan had been in Afghanistan and that had changed him. He's not a violent person by nature either." She shook her head. "Colton fights for victims, he doesn't create them. This is wrong. We have to do something."

"I already have," Spring assured her. "I arranged for Chantale Byrne to represent him."

This time, it was Kennedy who drew in a sharp breath. "Is that really wise?"

"I didn't have a lot of lead time on this," Spring said. "I received a tape this morning from the victim recounting the rape. I went to Colton to confront him and he was, well, drunk."