Erica Spindler - Cause for Alarm

"We usually see some cool days in October."

She picked up her menu, her lips curving into a shy smile. "You're teasing me."

"I wish I were." He smiled. "Just imagine the days before air-conditioning."

That was too horrible to even contemplate, and they fell silent as they studied the menu. No sooner had they laid them aside, than their waitress appeared to take their lunch orders.

Richard watched Julianna while she ordered, thinking again of the similarity between her and Kate. He cocked his head and drew his eyebrows together. It was almost uncanny.

She caught him staring and flushed. "What?"

"You remind me of someone," he said.

"Who's that?"

"As crazy as it sounds, my wife."

"Why would that sound crazy?" she asked.

He laughed. "Because you look nothing alike." The waitress brought their iced teas. He watched as Julianna added two sugars, and he shook his head. "She adds two sugars to her tea, too."

"I don't mind being compared to her," Julianna said softly. "Judging by the picture of her on your desk, she's very attractive."

"Yes, she is." He took a sip of his tea. "You'll have to meet her sometime. I'm sure you'll like her."

"You don't have any children?"

"Pardon?"

"I didn't notice any pictures-"

"I have a daughter," he said quickly. "She's three months old." Even as he said the words, they sounded awkward on his tongue, cumbersome, as if he were telling an untruth. "Emma Grace, that's her name."

"You need to put a picture of her on your desk." She smiled. "Show her off a bit. I'm sure she's gorgeous."

"Of course she is." He cleared his throat, anxious to get off the subject of Emma and down to business. "I'm going to be tied up at the courthouse all afternoon with pretrial motions and thought we'd better go over a few things before it gets too crazy."

"Fine with me." She bent to retrieve her notebook and pen from her purse on the floor. She flipped it open and laid it on the table. "Shoot."

"You've called the local Shriner's and confirmed my speaking engagement?"

"Done." She referred quickly to her notes. "The president, a Jay Summers, will introduce you. I sent over a brief bio. I also reconfirmed the content of your speech, that you would be discussing the district attorney's place in the legal system and your platform. He asked me to remind you to leave twenty minutes at the end for Q and A."

"Good." Richard took another sip of the tea. "As you know, I go to trial next week. It's going to be nuts, you probably won't see me at all. I'll check in with you as I can, but I'll mostly go through Nancy. If anything urgent comes up, let her know."

Julianna nodded, taking notes as he went on. He asked her to contact the people in charge of several upcoming festivals and to reserve a booth at each. He also asked her to query printers about bumper stickers, refrigerator magnets and flyers.

"Got all that?" he asked, when he had finished.

She nodded. "One question, though. How long do you anticipate the trial lasting?"

The waitress brought their sandwiches. When she walked away, Richard began again. "My guess is two to three weeks. There's a lot of evidence to be presented, some of it tricky DNA results."

"So, no speaking engagements, dinners or anything until the trial concludes?"

"Exactly."

She took a bite of her chicken salad sandwich, then washed it down with a swallow of tea. "It must be difficult having to review all the evidence for a crime like this." She shuddered. "I mean, isn't he the one accused of hacking his girlfriend to pieces?"

The media had dubbed his client Dr. Death because of the nature of the crime and because Dr. Robert Wellever was a renown New Orleans surgeon. "Some of it is pretty gruesome," he agreed. "But it's my job and it has to be done."

"Do you think you'll get him off?"

"I hope so. He's an innocent man."

"But what if-" She bit the words back, shaking her head. "Never mind."

"Go ahead, Julianna. What were you about to say?"

"But what if he isn't innocent? Or rather, what if you thought he was guilty?"

"I'd still represent him. In this country, you are innocent until proven guilty. Every American has the right to a fair trial and unbiased representation."

He met her eyes and saw the eagerness there, the admiration and awe of youth. He had to admit, he liked seeing it directed at him. It made him feel young again and on top of the world. "All that said, that's precisely the reason I'm running for D.A. I want to be on the other side of the courtroom for once. I've defended guys who were guilty as sin, I knew they were because they'd confessed to me. Even so, I presented the smartest case I could, given the evidence, and I got them acquitted.

"I didn't like the way that made me feel. Like maybe I needed a bath." He laughed a bit self-consciously, surprised at the way he was confiding his thoughts to her. "A couple times I wished I could turn the sick bastards in myself. Just walk up to the jury and tell them the truth."

"Wow." She leaned toward him, eyes sparkling. As she did, the front of her blouse parted slightly, revealing the curve of one breast. Desire kicked him square in the gut, and he dragged his gaze away, guilt rushing over him in a storm. She lowered her gaze, then looked up at him through dark lashes. "It's such an honor to be working for you."

He laughed. "That makes me sound like some ancient Supreme Court justice. Wrinkled and arthritic."

She joined his laughter. "You're not like that at all. You're the sexiest man-" She brought a hand to her mouth, embarrassed color flooding her face. "I can't believe I…that I said that. I am so sorry."

"Don't apologize, for Heaven's sake. I may be old, but I'm not dead. A compliment like that from a beautiful woman is damn nice." Better than nice, he admitted silently. Exciting. Exhilarating. It seemed ages since anyone had looked at him the way Julianna did. Even Kate. These days his wife looked at him as a father first, husband second. He wasn't sure if sexy would even make the top ten.

"Thank you," she murmured. "For the beautiful part."

"You're welcome." He grinned, realizing that he was flirting with her. And not in a small way. Even as he told himself to steer the conversation back to professional matters, he angled his body toward hers. "Tell me about yourself, Julianna. You've been working for me for two weeks and I know nothing more about you than I did the day we met."

She pushed her half-eaten sandwich away. "What do you want to know?"

Everything, he realized. The things she liked, the ones she didn't; what her childhood had been like, the qualities she looked for in a man.

He swallowed hard, uneasy. He hadn't had thoughts like these about a woman since he had said "I do." Sure, he had admired a woman's chest or ass, had wondered, briefly, what she would be like in bed. There wasn't a heterosexual man, married or not, who didn't do the same from time to time.

But this was different, he acknowledged. This was real interest-in Julianna, the person. This was an attraction that went deeper than a tickle of arousal over a short skirt or a glimpse of skin.

Interest in a person-who just happened to be a pretty secretary-wasn't a crime. It didn't mean he was a snake or a sneak. It didn't mean he was going to cheat.

He wasn't that kind of man anyway. He was the kind who loved his wife and believed in the sanctity of his marriage vows. The kind who had sown all his wild oats before taking the nuptial plunge.

And it was a good thing, too, he thought. Because if he hadn't, being around Julianna Starr day in and day out could prove to be dangerous.

"Come on, sweetheart," Kate murmured to Emma, who was swinging her arms and legs for all she was worth. "We want to be pretty for our company, don't we? And for Daddy?"