A Legal Affair Read Online Free Page A

matter.”
    Daniela smiled softly, thinking of her seven-year-old niece and nephew, fraternal twins who’d both inherited their mother’s intolerance for tardiness. “Give KJ and Lourdes my love. And thank you so much for coming to the rescue with Mom today, and for agreeing to come back tomorrow. I really appreciate it.”
    Janie waved off the gratitude. “Believe me, looking after your mom, flu and all, beats picking up after the twins any day of the week.” A wistful note in her tone made Daniela wonder, not for the first time, whether Janie Roarke regretted her decision to quit her job in exchange for full-time motherhood. With an MBA from the Wharton School of Business, Janie had been climbing the ranks at a top advertising firm when she learned she was pregnant—with twins, no less. She and Kenneth had decided it was best for one parent to stay home with the children, and Janie had been the unanimous choice.
    She hugged Daniela, retrieved her purse and paperback, then moved toward the front door. “Oh, that reminds me,” she said over her shoulder, “call Kenny whenever you can. He’s been trying to reach you all day—he wants to know, of course, how everything went this morning. He kept complaining because you weren’t answering your cell phone. Guess that’s because you accidentally left it on the kitchen counter this morning.” Janie’s wicked grin told Daniela that she’d enjoyed making her husband sweat it out.
    Daniela chuckled, getting up to follow Janie to the door. “Serves him right. If he thinks I’m going to be checking in with him every minute of the day like we’re on some episode of Charlie’s Angels , he’s got another think coming.”
    Janie laughed all the way to her white SUV parked in the driveway.
    Long after she left, Daniela stood at the window thinking about Caleb Thorne and the impossible mission she’d embarked upon. She hadn’t been lying when she’d told Janie that she felt like she was in over her head. A man like Caleb would not be easy prey, despite what she may have secretly hoped. He was shrewd, tough and powerfully seductive. When he looked at her with those midnight eyes, she could hardly remember who was supposed to be the hunter, and who the hunted. Her attraction to him was a weakness she couldn’t afford.
    One way or another, she’d have to find a way to keep sight of her goal. Buying a dream ranch for her mother was the goal. Falling victim to Caleb Thorne’s animal magnetism was not .
    As long as she stayed the course and remained focused, she would escape from this mission unscathed.
    Failure was not an option—not when her mother’s future happiness hinged on the successful outcome.

Chapter 3
     
    I t was after seven o’clock by the time Caleb Thorne steered his black Dodge Durango through the heavy iron gates of the C&C Ranch.
    His last class had ended before two, and although today marked only the first day of the semester, his office had seen a steady flow of foot traffic from students seeking everything from academic counseling to career advice. There had been a few “suspect” visitors, girls who seemed more interested in perfecting their come-hither looks than actually tapping into Caleb’s legal expertise.
    Afterward he’d hung around a little longer than his scheduled office hours dictated, telling himself his reasons had nothing whatsoever to do with a certain dark-eyed, exotic beauty whose image had invaded his thoughts more times than he cared to admit.
    Scowling, Caleb shoved aside the unsettling reminder and downshifted. The sturdy rig climbed uphill, the grind of wheels against gravel sending clouds of dust through the open windows. Once outside city limits, Caleb never ran the air conditioner. He preferred—no, needed —to soak it all in as he drove: the scent of earth and pine from the mountains, the call of elk grazing in pastures so lush and green they seemed artificial, the shimmering hues of ponds and lakes he knew