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The Defender Chapter 1 | page 1 | page 2 | page 3 | excerpts
(continued...) When Bob sighed again, Theo lifted his feet off the railing, rose and started moving toward the shoreline. One thing he did know. He had to put Sandra Linton behind him. She’d been arrested, and he’d contacted the public defender’s office and requested that they assign the case to Sadie Oliver. Theo strolled out onto the dock and sat down. Bob stretched out beside him. For a moment, he let his mind empty and fill with nothing more than the soft sound of the waves and the sight of the sky turning red in the west. Behind him, insects murmured in the grass. Watching the sun sink into the water, he let his thoughts return to Sadie Oliver. She’d been on his mind a lot lately. She was the sister of his brother Kit’s best friend. Roman Oliver had mentioned both of his sisters on occasion. He was very proud of the fact that Sadie had gone east to college and had edited the law review at Harvard Law School. His other sister Juliana who was twelve years his junior had been sent away to a boarding school for high school. Theo had been aware through Kit that both sisters were back in town and that Sadie worked in the legal department of Oliver Enterprises, a multi-million dollar real estate development company that her father and her brother Roman ran. Theo set his wine glass down on the dock beside him. His curiosity had been piqued when Kit had mentioned that Sadie was also doing some pro bono work for the Public Defender’s office, and he’d been intrigued enough to sit in on one of her trials. She was very good. His mouth curved slightly. Her style was more conservative than his, but she had a logical mind and a cool unflappable manner that played well with a jury. An aloof, controlled ice princess was the way he’d summed her up in his mind. Not his type or his style. And then he’d seen her address the jury and for the first time caught a hint of the passion that lay beneath the cool exterior. The next time he’d seen her name on the docket, he’d gone back to watch her again. It was only natural that when his stalker was arrested, he’d thought of Sadie. And when the trial commenced, he’d dropped in to watch her work again. Theo frowned as he picked up his glass and sipped his wine again. Something had happened when he’d talked to her after that trial. Actually a few things had happened and they’d given him pause. As the bottom edge of the sun disappeared into the Pacific, he let his mind drift back to that meeting. When he’d approached her, the courtroom had emptied and Sadie was packing papers quickly and efficiently into her briefcase. He’d had plenty of time during the trial to take in the details of her appearance. She was taller than average and she always wore a conservatively tailored suit and plain black pumps. Her long dark hair was pulled back into a neat braid that fell below her shoulders. She wore small gold hoops at her ears and a gold watch on her wrist. There was nothing in her appearance to hint at the passion he sensed when she was pleading a client’s cause. For some reason, the contrast appealed to him. He was about to speak to her when his gaze came to rest on her hands and he felt that first inexplicable tug of attraction. Her fingers were long and slender, the nails short and painted with a clear polish. They moved competently to secure the lock on the briefcase. Theo imagined them pouring tea into delicate china cups. He could also imagine them moving over his skin. With no more warning than that, desire had snaked up his spine and settled in his gut. Where in hell had it come from? Her cell phone rang, and as flipped it open, Theo took the opportunity to gather his thoughts. “Yes?” Even though he could only see her face in profile, he noted the frown and the way her grip tightened on the phone. “Michael, I told you I had a trial today.” She glanced at the watch on her wrist. “I’ll be back in half an hour, and I plan on working late. You’ll have my report on your desk first thing in the morning.” Her shoulders had tensed and one of her feet had begun to tap. Whoever this Michael was, she wasn’t happy with him. Still she kept her tone cool. He wondered what it would take to chip through her control and what would he find? There was definitely passion there. He could see it in that tapping foot. A man couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like when it was released. “I’m sure that you and Daddy and Roman can mingle at mayor’s fund raiser without me. The Olivers will be well represented.” Then she snapped the phone shut and stuffed it into her purse. She was reaching for her briefcase when he said, “Ms Oliver.” She jumped and turned to face him. Theo looked into her eyes, and for a moment his mind went totally blank. All he thought of was her. He took in the fact that her skin was a golden shade, her scent something floral, but it was those almond shaped eyes in a deep shade of chocolate brown that he felt he was sinking into. “Mr. Angelis, I’m...surprised to see you here.” She secured her purse on her shoulder and reached for her briefcase. Theo reined in his wandering thoughts and took a step to the side so that he blocked the aisle that led to the door. “You know me?” “I’ve seen your picture.” Theo thought with embarrassment of the one that had appeared in the most eligible bachelor article. Was he never going to be free of that? “The one in the paper?” “Well, yes, I did see that one. But I was thinking of the one Roman has in his office. In it he’s just beaten you at tennis.” Theo winced. “He’s the best I’ve ever been up against. So far he hasn’t agreed to a rematch.” “When he does, take advantage of his back hand. That’s what I do. It’s his Achilles heel.” Fascinated, Theo eased his hip onto the edge of the railing that separated the lawyer’s tables from the rest of the courtroom and studied her for a moment. “You’ve beaten him then?” She smiled at him. “Once. Just a few weeks ago. And I intend to do it again.” It was the first time he’d seen her smile, and in the slanted light pouring in through the narrow courtroom windows, Theo realized she was beautiful. Desire struck again like a punch low in his gut. He had to put some effort into speaking. “Aren’t you betraying family secrets by telling me something like that?” “Perhaps, but I figure I owe you one.” “Why?” She met his eyes very steadily. “I know that you recommended me for this case. But you can’t be pleased about the way it’s ended.” “Because you got the woman who was stalking me psychiatric treatment instead of jail time? I was hoping that you would do just that.” It was Sadie’s turn to study him. “She shot you.” Theo shrugged. “It wasn’t a fatal wound, and she’s a very sick woman.” If he’d sensed the problem in time, he might have prevented it. “Jail time won’t help her. Mind if I ask a question?” “Go ahead.” “Why are you doing pro bono work for the public defender’s office? Don’t they keep you busy enough at Oliver Enterprises?” He thought he saw a shadow flicker into those brown eyes, and he recalled the conversation she’d just had with this Michael. “I want the trial experience.” Then she extended her hand. “I have to go, but I want to thank you for the recommendation.” He took her hand in his. In that first instant of contact, they both went perfectly still. Theo was glad that he was still half-sitting on the railing because his knees went weak. It was at that moment he knew just the way he “knew” a lot of things: his path and Sadie’s were going to cross again. As the memory faded from his mind, Theo drained the last sip of wine and watched the sun disappear into the sea. He’d been very careful not to go back and watch her in court again, but he hadn’t been able to get her out of his mind. Was it Sadie Oliver who was interfering with his ability to make a decision about the Los Angeles job, he wondered. Was she the cause of the restlessness that had been plaguing him lately? It was a long time before he got up from the dock and went back into the cabin. |
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