wasn't afraid to disagree, to stand up for what she believed
in. She had strength and conviction and heart. And the memory of the kiss
they'd shared continued to linger in his mind and haunt his dreams.
Of course, she was a lawyer, and that was a pretty big
stumbling block as far as he was concerned. He wouldn't get involved with
another lawyer—he'd made that mistake once already. He'd met Jenna while they
were both attending law school at Harvard, and the attraction between them had
sparked from the first. She was everything he'd ever thought he wanted in a
woman: beautiful, sophisticated, intelligent, ambitious. He'd thought theirs
was a love of the happily-ever-after variety; he hadn't anticipated that her
ambition would override all else.
He didn't blame Jenna for walking out on him. She'd
always been honest about what she wanted, and she'd made no secret of the fact
that she did not want to stay in "Small Town Pennsylvania," as she'd
dubbed his hometown. It was Shaun who'd made the mistake of assuming she could
be happy there, that her love for him would override her plans for her career.
He'd been wrong.
When she'd received an offer from a high-profile
criminal defense firm in Boston, she hadn't even hesitated. She had asked him to
go back to Boston with her, but just as she'd known she'd never be happy in Fairweather , Shaun knew he'd never be happy anywhere else.
Maybe he hadn't loved her as much as he thought he
had. If she'd really been "the one," he would have gone. And if she'd
really loved him, she would have stayed.
He'd reached two conclusions as a result of his
experience with Jenna. One, similar goals and expectations were more important
to the success of a relationship than either sex or love: Two, he would not get
involved with another lawyer. The next time he fell in love it would be with a
woman who could love him back, who would be willing to put their relationship
above all else.
Which proved that he shouldn't even be thinking about
Arden Doherty. By her own admission, Arden was committed to her career; her
clients were the focus of her life.
Then again, just because she was the wrong woman from
a relationship perspective didn't mean that they couldn't be friends. Except
that he'd never found himself so preoccupied by thoughts of a
"friend" before.
When the phone on his desk buzzed, Shaun picked up the
receiver, grateful for the interruption. "Yes?"
"There's a Ms. Doherty here to see you," his
receptionist informed him.
He felt his lips curve. "Send her in,
Claire."
"She doesn't have an appointment," Claire
said pointedly.
"It's okay," he said. "She's a
friend."
"All right." But the receptionist didn't
sound pleased by this overt breach of office policy.
Shaun didn't care. Arden was here.
He cleared his throat, banished the grin from his face
and grabbed one of the files that was stacked on the corner of his desk. He
flipped it open, pretending to be hard at work.
When he heard the knock and saw Arden peek around the
door, the smile that returned to his lips was completely natural. He'd carried
a mental picture of her in his mind all week, but it didn't compare to the
reality of her. There was something about Arden that reached him on a basic
level and stirred his most primal urges.
Today she was wearing a dark-green skirt and jacket
with a cream colored blouse. Her hair was twisted into some kind of fancy knot
at the back of her neck, but a few strands had escaped to frame the clear
creamy skin of her face. "Arden." He stood up from behind his desk. "This
is a surprise."
"Next time I'll make an appointment."
His smile widened. He liked to think that Arden would
have reason to come by his office again—as any friend might. "Claire takes
her job seriously," he apologized.
"Well, obviously you're busy—"
"Not too busy," he interrupted to assure
her. "Have a seat."
She hesitated, then moved over to one of the chairs
facing his desk. She perched herself on the edge of the seat, the
in. She had strength and conviction and heart. And the memory of the kiss
they'd shared continued to linger in his mind and haunt his dreams.
Of course, she was a lawyer, and that was a pretty big
stumbling block as far as he was concerned. He wouldn't get involved with
another lawyer—he'd made that mistake once already. He'd met Jenna while they
were both attending law school at Harvard, and the attraction between them had
sparked from the first. She was everything he'd ever thought he wanted in a
woman: beautiful, sophisticated, intelligent, ambitious. He'd thought theirs
was a love of the happily-ever-after variety; he hadn't anticipated that her
ambition would override all else.
He didn't blame Jenna for walking out on him. She'd
always been honest about what she wanted, and she'd made no secret of the fact
that she did not want to stay in "Small Town Pennsylvania," as she'd
dubbed his hometown. It was Shaun who'd made the mistake of assuming she could
be happy there, that her love for him would override her plans for her career.
He'd been wrong.
When she'd received an offer from a high-profile
criminal defense firm in Boston, she hadn't even hesitated. She had asked him to
go back to Boston with her, but just as she'd known she'd never be happy in Fairweather , Shaun knew he'd never be happy anywhere else.
Maybe he hadn't loved her as much as he thought he
had. If she'd really been "the one," he would have gone. And if she'd
really loved him, she would have stayed.
He'd reached two conclusions as a result of his
experience with Jenna. One, similar goals and expectations were more important
to the success of a relationship than either sex or love: Two, he would not get
involved with another lawyer. The next time he fell in love it would be with a
woman who could love him back, who would be willing to put their relationship
above all else.
Which proved that he shouldn't even be thinking about
Arden Doherty. By her own admission, Arden was committed to her career; her
clients were the focus of her life.
Then again, just because she was the wrong woman from
a relationship perspective didn't mean that they couldn't be friends. Except
that he'd never found himself so preoccupied by thoughts of a
"friend" before.
When the phone on his desk buzzed, Shaun picked up the
receiver, grateful for the interruption. "Yes?"
"There's a Ms. Doherty here to see you," his
receptionist informed him.
He felt his lips curve. "Send her in,
Claire."
"She doesn't have an appointment," Claire
said pointedly.
"It's okay," he said. "She's a
friend."
"All right." But the receptionist didn't
sound pleased by this overt breach of office policy.
Shaun didn't care. Arden was here.
He cleared his throat, banished the grin from his face
and grabbed one of the files that was stacked on the corner of his desk. He
flipped it open, pretending to be hard at work.
When he heard the knock and saw Arden peek around the
door, the smile that returned to his lips was completely natural. He'd carried
a mental picture of her in his mind all week, but it didn't compare to the
reality of her. There was something about Arden that reached him on a basic
level and stirred his most primal urges.
Today she was wearing a dark-green skirt and jacket
with a cream colored blouse. Her hair was twisted into some kind of fancy knot
at the back of her neck, but a few strands had escaped to frame the clear
creamy skin of her face. "Arden." He stood up from behind his desk. "This
is a surprise."
"Next time I'll make an appointment."
His smile widened. He liked to think that Arden would
have reason to come by his office again—as any friend might. "Claire takes
her job seriously," he apologized.
"Well, obviously you're busy—"
"Not too busy," he interrupted to assure
her. "Have a seat."
She hesitated, then moved over to one of the chairs
facing his desk. She perched herself on the edge of the seat, the
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