Foxfire by Carol Ann Erhardt Page A

her hand between his,
sending warm currents up her arm and into her stomach. “Tonight.
I'll pick you up at six. And dress casual.” He gave a lop-sided
grin.
    Muffin pranced into the room and leaped
gracefully into the chair Grace had vacated.
    They laughed when Tiffany, who’d been lying
on the floor, scrambled to get out of her way.
    Grace left the clinic floating on a cloud of
euphoria, but it took a nosedive when she noticed the car in her
driveway. The dark blue Jaguar looked out of place and so did the
angry face of the man behind the wheel.
    Connor.

    Chapter Five

    “We need to talk, Grace.” Connor slammed the
door on the Jaguar and walked toward her.
    Tiffany growled and the hair bristled on her
neck.
    He stopped. “Keep the dog away from me.”
    “You're trespassing. She's protecting
me.”
    Connor threw up his hands. “Protecting you?
God, Grace, I'd never hurt you. You know that.”
    He took another step in her direction, and
Grace grabbed Tiffany's collar. “You'd better stay back, Connor.
She's trained to attack and I'm not sure I can control her.”
    Connor's face blanched. He glanced uneasily
at the growling dog. “Look, can we go inside and talk for a few
minutes?”
    “No. Say whatever you came to say. Then
leave.”
    Connor's eyes narrowed. A muscle jumped along
his jaw. Finally, he relaxed his stance and backed toward the car.
He leaned against the door, his feet crossed at the ankles. His
lustful gaze swept her from head to toe.
    Why had she thought she could marry this
egotistical clod? She knew he'd never loved her. And, God help her,
at one time she'd been willing to settle. She'd wanted the dream
more than anything.
    “You're as beautiful as ever, Grace. I miss
you.”
    “Too little, too late.”
    “Admit it, honey. You miss me, too. We had a
good thing going. It doesn't have to end, you know. I have a
proposition.” He waved his hand in the direction of the cabin. “We
don't have to part ways completely. We can meet here where no one
will see us. What do you say?”
    Grace gritted her teeth to keep her tongue
from spitting out every curse word she'd ever learned. Connor
seemed to take her silence as a positive sign.
    “I'll make it worth your while.”
    That did it. “You know what, Connor? You can
take your sleazy proposal elsewhere. I'm not interested in anything
you have to offer.”
    “Given your past, you should be glad I'm
still interested.”
    She wanted to drive her fist into his
sneering face. Tiffany tugged, straining to break free. Connor
smiled his toothy lawyer smile and Grace was tempted to let go. She
took a step toward him with a smile pasted on her face.
    Connor straightened and held out his
arms.
    Good grief, he actually expected her to throw
herself into his embrace. “I'm not for sale, Connor. You've got to
the count of three to get in your car and leave. Otherwise, I turn
my dog loose.”
    Tiffany lunged, and Grace's arm jerked. “Good
girl,” she said.
    “You never used to be so particular.”
    Fury ignited her. “You know nothing. Your
mind is a cesspool. One.”
    “All right. I'm going.” Red anger suffused
his face. Connor wasn't a graceful loser, neither in nor out of the
courtroom. “But you better think over the offer. I doubt you'll
find another as generous.”
    “Two.”
    “And don't talk to the press. About anything!
Your little fiasco at the police station shows just how off-balance
you are. I think the media will sympathize with me when I tell them
how devastated I was to learn you're a drug addict.”
    “Tell them anything you want. Your threats
can't hurt me.”
    He sneered. “You don't know how powerful I
am.”
    “Three.” Grace released her hold on Tiffany's
collar.
    If she hadn't been so angry, she'd have
laughed at Connor's scrambling slide into the sports car. He bumped
his head against the roof. Tiffany reached the car just as the door
slammed shut. She jumped, paws clicking loudly against the window.
Then she dropped,