Falling for Owen

by Jennifer Ryan

  She took the phone without a word and did what he asked.

  “What’s all this?” he asked.

  “Your assistant comes in on Saturday and orders a double-shot nonfat latté with an apple cinnamon muffin. Since you already had breakfast, I put a double fudge caramel brownie in the bag for you and”—she put her hand on the other cup—“this is an Americano. You’ll love it.

  “Thank you for everything you did last night and this morning.”

  Touched she remembered his favorite treat and made him a coffee, he took a sip of the drink and smiled. “It’s good. Thanks.”

  “You’ll score points with your assistant when you bring that in.” He didn’t say anything, so she cocked her head and studied him. “You won’t tell her you got it for her. You’ll tell her I sent it.”

  “See, you’re getting to know me already. Stay off your feet as much as possible. You don’t want to tear any of those stitches.”

  They stood together and the awkward moment stretched.

  “I really want to kiss you goodbye,” he whispered.

  “But you won’t because everyone is watching, even if they’re pretending not to.”

  “Exactly. I’ll see you tonight. What time do you get off?”

  She cocked an eyebrow, but didn’t comment on the double meaning of that sentence. Still, her mind aligned with his, and she was thinking about sex. He wanted to make another suggestive remark about what time he’d get her off, but held back, waiting for that playful time they’d banter like that and fall into each other’s arms.

  “Since Gayle opened, I close at seven. What about you?”

  “I’ll get off whenever you do.” He let that hang between them, because he’d love to see her writhing in passion. The thought made him hard and aching just thinking about it. “I’ll pick you up for dinner. I’ll make the reservation for seven thirty just in case you’re running late. If we get there early, we’ll grab a drink at the bar.”

  “See you tonight,” she said with an easy smile, though her hands remained knotted together on the counter.

  “Please don’t go anywhere alone today. Call me if anything happens. Promise.”

  “I promise. I have no intention of making myself an easy target.”

  “You weren’t an easy target last night. You frightened off Dale and pulled a knife on my brother.”

  “Don’t remind me. He must think I’m nuts.”

  “Let’s hope Dale thinks you are. My brother thought you were tough and brave. That’s a lot said coming from a guy like him.”

  He gave in and put his hand over hers on the counter, giving them a quick squeeze before he turned and left, every eye in the place on his back. He didn’t care what anyone said or thought.

  He drove to his office, worried about her safety and missing her already.

  Chapter Ten

  * * *

  OWEN PARKED HIS truck outside his office, got out, grabbed his suit jacket draped over the seat, and put it on. He grabbed the drinks and bag of goodies from Claire and walked up the steps to his office door.

  Janine smiled when he entered, but he didn’t get a word of hello out before someone slammed into his chest. Trying to avoid spilling the hot coffee and dumping his briefcase on the floor, he held his arms out wide, only allowing the dark-haired woman to burrow in close to his chest. Pressed down the length of him, he stood stock-still, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

  “You’re okay,” the woman sobbed.

  “Mrs. Monoghan, turn him loose before you break him.” Janine came around her desk and took the coffee tray, bakery bag, and his briefcase, leaving him with his arms in the air, wondering what to do with them now that he wasn’t holding anything and his client had attached herself to him like an octopus.

  Her arms had slipped inside his jacket and her hands gripped his shirt at his back. Her face pressed to his chest and he swore she snuggled up against him, despite the tears choking her words.

  “I thought he did something to you. You didn’t call me back last night, or this morning, and I thought the worst.”

  Owen’s gaze met Janine’s and she shook her head in dismay. “I told you he had other matters to attend to and nothing happened to him.”

  Finally coming to his senses, he gently took Shannon by the shoulders and tried to set her away from him, but she held tight, tilting her head up to meet his gaze.

  “You’re so hard.”

  Janine nearly choked on the laugh, but coughed to cover. He didn’t find this one bit funny. Yeah, five minutes ago he’d been hard as stone, standing talking to Claire at her place, but not now. For the first time, he wanted to shove a woman away. Shannon had crossed the line, coming here and throwing herself at him like this.

  Okay, maybe he was overreacting.

  She worried about him, and rightfully so with Dale involved. He reined in his temper and used only as much force as he needed to make her release him and step away. When she did, he took another step back to add more space and give him room and time to think. She didn’t deserve his anger. She didn’t do anything wrong. Dale hurt Claire and his anger should be directed at him, not his client.

  “Shannon, aren’t you supposed to be working at the pet store?”

  “My shift starts in twenty minutes. I needed to see you and make sure you were okay.”

  “I’m fine. Dale hurt my neighbor last night. Maybe you should be concerned about her.”

  “Oh, well, of course I am. It’s just Dale threatened you and he thinks we’re . . .” Her voice trailed off and her cheeks pinked with embarrassment.

  Owen frowned, catching the mocking look from Janine.

  “Come into my office. We need to talk.”

  He led her down the short hallway, past the library to the back room that had once been the dining room of the old house he converted several years ago. He purposefully stood behind his desk and waited for her to take the seat across from him before he sat. She did so, but gave him a confused look he ignored.

  “Tell me what happened when Dale stopped by your house last night.”

  “Well, um, he pounded on the door and demanded to come in. I told him I had a restraining order and that I’d call the cops if he didn’t leave.”

  “Okay. Then what?”

  “He kept pounding, saying he got you good, and that you had a woman in your bed, and I was nothing but a cheap afternoon fuck for you.” Her gaze fell away and the words came out soft, touched with her embarrassment. “You don’t have a girlfriend, so he must have got it wrong.”

  “He did. He tried to run down the woman who lives down the road from me with his car. Luckily, he didn’t hit her square, but grazed her. She’s got some scrapes and bruises and a goose-egg knot on her head and a massive headache, but she’s okay.”

  “Well, that’s good.”

  “Is there any reason Dale would believe you and I are sleeping together other than the fact I’m your lawyer and he’s seen us together at the courthouse?”

  “Who knows why Dale gets something in his head? I can tell you this, once it’s in there, he won’t let it go. He’s like that, coming at me all the time with the same old thing, true or not. Like a dog with a bone, he’s not going to just give it up.”

  “When he left your place last night, did he still believe you and I are sleeping together and that woman is my girlfriend?”

  “Nothing I say will convince him we haven’t slept together.”

  Funny, he almost heard the word yet come after that sentence. She made it sound like they weren’t right now, but the possibility lay in the future.

  Not a chance.

  He’d found something with Claire and he couldn’t wait to see her tonight to explore it more deeply. And yet the nagging feeling that getting close to her would only feed into Dale’s delusion that he was sleeping with Shannon, had a girlfriend, and that Dale could hurt Claire to get to him left him unsettled. He hated that Dale’s assumption about Claire was right.


  He’d work on making the girlfriend part true no matter what. He refused to give up Claire because of some asshole’s twisted mind. He’d protect Claire and see Dale in prison for hurting her, but nothing and no one would keep him away from her.

  “If he calls you, I want you to contact me. If he comes by your house or work, call the police immediately. Do not take the time to try to talk him down from whatever crazy thing he’s got in his head. Promise me you won’t take any chances.”

  She beamed him a huge smile. “I won’t. I’ll call you if I hear from him at all.”

  “And if he comes by, you’ll call the police.”

  “Yes, of course. So, why didn’t you call back last night?”

  “I stayed with Claire at the hospital until they released her, then drove her home.” Tired to the bone, he scrubbed his hands over his face. “I helped clean up her house after Dale broke a window, then I stayed with her to make sure Dale didn’t come back.”

  “Oh,” she said, not conveying a bit of sympathy. “Well, I guess she was grateful for your help. You’ve done so much for me, and if she needed you to help her, well, that’s so nice of you.”

  He didn’t know what to say, so he kept his mouth shut.

  “So, Claire. Do you know her well?” she asked.

  “Met her last night. Dropped her off at her shop down the street this morning.”

  He kept it vague. He didn’t want anything getting back to Dale, and he certainly didn’t want to discuss his personal life with a client. Especially when his client had a thing for him. Oh, he’d ignored it in the past, thinking she’d get over it once his involvement in her life waned. No such luck. The more Dale interfered in Shannon’s life, the more his involvement with her.

  “Shannon, one more thing. Our relationship is strictly professional. I hope you made that clear to Dale.”

  “Of course. We’re friends.”

  Why did that of course sound like a placating statement that went with a wink? Like, of course our relationship is strictly professional. Wink. Wink.

  He gave up. If she wanted to think there was some double meaning behind his words, what could he do? He told her the truth.

  “If you’ll excuse me, I have some work to do before court this afternoon.”

  “You had such a difficult night. Let me make it up to you and take you to dinner.”

  He opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off before he said one word.

  “If you’re not up to going out, I could cook for you at my place. We’ll have a nice relaxing evening.”

  “Shannon, I appreciate the offer, but I don’t think it’s appropriate. Besides”—he softened his refusal—“I have other plans.”

  “Oh, well, some other time. I’ll leave you to your work. I’m off to the pet store,” she said, cheerily refusing to hear what he said.

  She held out her hand to shake. Not wanting to be rude, he took it and shook, but she didn’t let him go. Instead, she took his hand in both of hers and held it.

  “Thank you, Owen, for always looking out for me. It means so much that you would take such an interest in your client.”

  He pulled his hand free and stood to show her out, since she seemed inclined to dawdle. “You’re welcome.”

  He led the way out of his office, feeling her eyes on his back. She hurried to catch up, but in the cramped hall with his wide frame she brushed up against him. He thought she’d give him some space, but she didn’t and walked a few steps beside him. He shortened his stride and let her go ahead with a wave of his hand.

  “You’re such a gentleman.”

  The woman didn’t see the obvious. He wondered if she’d missed all the bad vibes and signals from Dale and married him anyway, hoping he was the dream in her head. Maybe she’d believed she could change him. No such luck. People were who they were, and they didn’t change unless they wanted to or had a compelling reason. Dale proved time and again he didn’t want to change to keep Shannon. He thought of her as nothing more than a possession.

  Janine sat at her desk, drinking her coffee and eating her muffin. She popped a bite into her mouth and gave him a huge smile.

  “Thanks for stopping by, Shannon, I’ll see you later.” The words left his mouth, her eyes lit up, and he wondered why he said anything. Everything he said, she took the wrong way. He held back a groan and pretended to sort through the files on Janine’s desk, his back to Shannon, dismissing her.

  “I’ll call you if I hear anything from Dale.”

  “K.”

  The door closed behind him and Janine winked. “Wouldn’t surprise me if she encouraged Dale back into her life just to get your attention.”

  “She hasn’t had a good life. Lord knows being Dale’s wife only brought her pain and hardship. She’s looking for kindness.”

  “She’s found it in you and laps it up like a kitten at a bowl of milk.”

  “Once Dale is back in jail, she won’t have a reason to come around. She’ll feel safe again and fall back into her routine.”

  “She has a thing for you.”

  “She’s my client. That’s all. Why do I have to keep explaining that to people?”

  “I never said she was anything more to you than a client. I’m just warning you that she’s got tender feelings. She likes you and a harsh brush-off may not be the way to keep your distance. In fact, it may do the opposite and make her try harder to get your attention.”

  “I see your point, but after what happened and her showing up here today, I thought firmer words were needed.”

  “How did that work out for you?”

  “She didn’t hear anything I said the way I intended.”

  Janine laughed. “Well, as you said, she’s been through a lot and doesn’t want to give up the one person who has been kind to her. Stick with gentle but firm and eventually she’ll hear you.”

  “Let’s hope.” He took his coffee and drank deeply. Even lukewarm, it tasted like heaven.

  “Thanks for the coffee and muffin.”

  “You’re welcome, but Claire is the one who sent them.”

  She gave him another knowing smile. “How is Claire?”

  He had called Janine early this morning to give her a heads-up that he’d be in to work late.

  “Tired and hurting, but at work, trying her best to put on a brave front.”

  He hired Janine after he fired his last assistant-slash-paralegal because she spent far too much time hitting on him and trying to get his attention. At sixty-two, Janine was looking for a steady job after going from one temp position to the next after a huge firm in Colorado Springs laid her off during the economic downturn that gave the firm an excuse to let go of many of their older staff members. Their loss, his gain. Janine was a whiz with a computer and an even better paralegal. She saved him hours of research and taught him something new every day they worked together. He wouldn’t trade her for ten young, eager, fresh-out-of-school assistants.

  “Do you think she’s pretty?”

  “No.” He kept a straight face, took a sip of his coffee, pretended to think on the matter. “I think she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

  “Took you long enough to notice. How many times have you taken the girls to her shop?”

  “I noticed. She didn’t seem interested in more than serving me tea and cookies.” He remembered his conversation with her last night. “Actually, she thought I was married or at least involved with Rain and that the girls were mine. I set her straight on that score.”

  “I’m sure you did.”

  He bet Janine gave up the fight not to laugh at him any second. “Do you know her?”

  “As well as anyone in town knows her. She keeps to herself. We’ve exchanged small talk at her shop while she puts my order together. She’s smart and kind. She loves children. You can see it in the way she talks to them and plays, the way she’s set up the store to include them. While she sells some pretty knickknacks, nothing is ever hands-off for the little ones. If some
thing breaks, she brushes it off like it’s nothing.

  “She’s worked hard to get her shop up and running. She does a good business, though I think many of the men steer clear because they think it’s all tea parties and ladies clubs. For the most part it is, but she makes some wonderful lunch specials. Her pastries and desserts are to die for.”

  “You got that right. I love her brownies.”

  “You should take your clients there for meetings. It’s quiet and there’s a private table in the back of the book section. It overlooks a small garden she planted out back to make the perfect sitting area.”

  “Really? I guess I never paid much attention.”

  “Well, two little girls can be very distracting.”

  “That’s for sure.”

  “Next time you go in, take a look around. Everything in the shop is observed, down to the tiniest detail. As a whole, you don’t notice all the little things about the shop, but look closer and there are surprises here and there. It’s a treasure trove of things you don’t know you need or want until you see them.

  “I’ve been in the store a few times and discovered one gift or another that was just perfect for a friend’s birthday, wedding, or a get-well present. At Christmas it’s not uncommon to see ladies sipping tea and filling out their Christmas cards from the lovely selection of cards and handmade paper she sells.”

  “It isn’t just one shop, it’s several little ones tucked inside that building. She gives people a place to gather, talk, read, write a letter, buy a gift, and share a meal.” Owen summed up Janine’s observations and thought he understood Claire a bit better. She may have kept to herself over the last year, but she’d made a place for people to come and gather around her.

  “Ask me, she’s looking for friends. She keeps herself apart while drawing people to her. She still doesn’t feel quite a part of this community, but she’s getting there. Meeting you, being a part of your life and the vast number of people you know in this town will anchor her here even more, if that is what you want.”

  “She hasn’t decided to stay. That’s why she’s quiet and distant. She’s afraid people won’t accept her.”