She slid Tom’s poached eggs onto a plate with his bacon. He gave a what-the-hell shrug and ate with gusto.
“I’ve got a busy day ahead,” he said. “Stoddard’s decision to contest the will makes a lot of extra work. I want to make sure I cover all bases for the probate court. Knowing Stoddard, he’ll fight dirty.”
Maddy stared at her piece of toast, suddenly completely without appetite. “Like he already has with that stuff about me in the newspaper.”
“And me. I’ve got over most of the hurdles to make partner. But the senior partners didn’t care to see a photo of me kissing a beneficiary of a controversial will splashed all over the front page.”
Maddy flushed. “The photographer must have been in the car that drove by and yelled at us.”
“These days anyone with a cell phone can be a paparazzo.”
“Tom . . . I’m sorry.”
He paused, fork halfway to his mouth. “About kissing me?” He held her gaze. “I’m not.”
“You don’t wish you’d never heard of Walter or Brutus or me?”
He put down his fork. The look he returned her was heart stoppingly serious. “No. It’s my job, Maddy.”
His job.
It always came back to that. Was she crazy to think it might become something more personal for him?
“I guess . . .” she said, her voice trailing away.
“Though I never thought I’d see the day I’d stand up in court to defend a canine client.”
“You’re kidding me? Will Brutus have to go to court?”
“Of course. And so will you. The probate court hears any challenges to a will.”
She could feel the color draining from her face. “I was afraid you’d say that. Tom, I’ve never been near a courthouse.”
Tom leaned over the table. She thought he was going to take her hand but his rested on the table halfway between them. “Don’t worry. You won’t be on trial.”
“Oh yes, I will. I’m already on trial by the press.” She couldn’t help the note of bitterness from entering her voice.
“The court hearing won’t be about whether you had sex with Walter. It will be about whether you used sex to coerce an old man into making you a beneficiary of his will.”
She winced. “That sounds so ugly.”
“It’s best that you’re prepared for what they’ll throw at us. Stoddard’s attorney will also try to prove Walter was mentally incapable at the time he signed his will.”
“But that’s a lie.”
“And I’ll prove it to be a lie. Maddy, I don’t want you to worry about the hearing. Walter’s will was always going to be controversial.Trust me, I anticipated a challenge and I worked to bulletproof that will from the word go.”
“You mean you’re sure we’ll win?”
“We can’t be sure of anything until we hear the judge’s decision.” His eyes narrowed. “But that jerk Jerome will be in for a shock.”
She smiled. “This is a battle for you, isn’t it?”
“You bet it is. And I intend that the best man—or in this case, dog—will win.”
“So Brutus has to testify?”
“He just has to sit there and look cute. Uh, as cute as Brutus can look, that is. Walter’s love for his dog is what this defense is all about.”
Maddy looked across at the forlorn little figure by the window. “Then I’d better get him groomed so he makes a good impression on the judge.”
“Correction.You groom him yourself. You and Brutus are in hiding, remember.”
“As if I could forget.” She pulled a face. “Okay. I’ll do my best.” Hmm. Shampooing Brutus in Tom’s immaculate bathroom would be fun. Not. “I guess his red bandanna could be cute to wear in court. I—”
“No red bandanna.”
“But he looks adorable in it.”
Tom groaned. “Maddy, we’re talking a court of law here. A witness doesn’t look”—he made quote marks with his fingers—“ ‘adorable.’ He looks sober, reliable, trustworthy.”
“Even if he’s a dog.”
“Especially if he’s a dog involved in any kind of litigation.”
She could not help her mouth from twitching upward in the corners. “So no bandanna.”
Was that a twinkle in those chocolate brown eyes? “When a young hoodlum stands in front of the judge, he’s not wearing his baggy jeans with half his underpants showing, is he? His counsel puts the defendant into a respectable suit and tie.”
“So we’re talking the criminal canine equivalent of a gray suit?”
Tom nodded. She thought she caught a glimpse of dimple but could not be sure.
“So . . .” she said. “I’m thinking plain black collar. No studs. No bling.”
“Think corporate.”
“Discreet, good-quality leather. Simple silver buckle.”
“Now you’re talking,” he said. And this time the dimple was well in evidence.
“And how—as Brutus’s attorney—are you planning on getting him to behave in a courtroom?”
“I’ve decided to give him some personal training.”
She laughed. “You seriously think you’ll succeed where puppy school professors failed?”
“If there’s anything to this alpha-male thing . . .”
“Maybe you’ll surprise me. But right now you’d better finish those eggs before they get cold.” She got up from the table. “Let me top off your coffee.”
Tom finished the last of his breakfast and pushed away his plate. “Today I want to organize some security at Walter’s house.”
All humor at the thought of dressing Brutus for court fled. Maddy felt chilled at the thought of guards patrolling her home. She swallowed hard. “Security. I hadn’t thought of that.”
“I have a bad feeling about Stoddard. There’s something not right about that guy. He’s dug for dirt on us, so I’m digging for dirt on him.”
Maddy swallowed hard. “What kind of dirt?”
“Maybe a criminal record in England. Outstanding warrants. That kind of thing.”
“A criminal record?” She felt a cold shiver down her spine.
“Just a hunch.”
Tom’s eyes were drawn and she noticed how tired he looked. As if his job wasn’t pressure enough, now he had to worry about her and Brutus. And that was besides the poodle paternity suit.
She vowed to look after him as best she could while she was hiding out in his home. “Tom, I feel bad that I took your bed last night when you have to go to work.Tonight I’ll sleep on the sofa.”
“No, Maddy, it’s fine. Honestly. I’m used to the sofa. My sister stays in my room when she comes to visit.”
“Your sister?”
“Anna. She lives in Big Sur with her husband and my two nieces.”
“The ones who like
The Lion King
?”
“Those are the ones.” Tom suddenly looked serious. “You know, Maddy, I was thinking about my sister when I told you that for some women a career isn’t as important as it is to men. Remember, you seemed to get upset about it.”
Upset about it? She’d chalked up a big black mark against him because of it. “I thought—”
His dark eyes were intent. “You took it the wrong way. Anna and her husband both had high-flying careers working all hours. Some days she only saw the girls for fifteen minutes. Ultimately, she decided that spending time with the girls was more important than her career.”
“I can understand that but—”
“I’m not saying that’s for everyone. But it works for her.”
Maybe he wasn’t the chauvinist ogre she had thought him. And he had been prepared to stop shrugging his shoulders just to please her.
“I . . . I think I get your point,” she said. “I’ve only got this new job because the former food editor wants to spend more time with her baby.”
“Yeah. Your job is everything to you now, and I understand that because it’s the same for me.”
“But maybe I might feel differently in the future.”
“You might, you might not.”
“Having kids might change things.” She dashed from her mind the sudden vision of a little boy with chocolate brown eyes and unruly dark hair.
Tom looked thoughtful. “If we beat Jerome and Brutus inherits, you won’t need to work at all.”
“We
have
to beat him. If he were a nice nephew who’d been good to Walter and would love Brutus, I wouldn’t mind. But Jerome doesn’t deserve a cent. Not after what he tried to do to an innocent little animal.”
“As the custodian of the millionaire mutt you won’t lack for money.”
She’d dreamed a little about Walter’s money and moving into the big house; she wouldn’t be human if she hadn’t. “But I can’t imagine not working. I’m passionate about my work.”
“I think you match me on that score.”
But he wasn’t the one who would be bearing the children when and if he ever married. “I guess there’s nothing about babies in your five-year plan?”
“There isn’t. However, I’ll be writing a new plan at the end of this five years.”
But nothing would change in his current plan, she thought, unable to stop herself from feeling wistful. No serious girlfriend, no fiancée, no wife.
No her.
Her heart contracted in an unexpected spasm of pain.
“What about your sister’s husband?”
“He needed some convincing to give up his job in San Francisco, but now he’s living his dream and running a small sound recording studio.”
“That sounds like happy endings all round,” she said. “So what’s your dream, Tom?” Did he have any ambitions that didn’t relate to work?
His mouth set tight. “To make partner at Jackson, Jones, and Gentry. I’ll do whatever is necessary to reach that goal.”
Maddy took a deep breath. “Well, Brutus and I will do our best to stay out of your way.”
She was so grateful to him for giving them refuge here. It was nothing to him that Brutus survived the twenty-one days. He was just hiding them out of kindness. To make things easier for her.
“You don’t have to stay out of my way, Maddy.” He leaned across the table and this time he took her hand. She trembled at the memory of how exciting him caressing her body had felt last night. “In fact, the closer you are the happier I’ll be.”
She met his eyes and was stunned by the warmth she saw there. He wasn’t offering anything permanent. But was she sure something permanent was what she wanted or needed? And she still hadn’t ascertained whether Tom expected his underpants to be ironed.
She answered the pressure of his hand with her own. “I’ll keep that in mind, Tom,” she murmured. In fact, his words would probably never be far away from her mind. They might help her decide how far to take things the next time he kissed her.
Fifteen
“Don’t let anyone in, okay?” Tom told Maddy as he left the apartment for his office.
“Yes, Grumpy. I’ll be on full alert for witches with shiny, red poisoned apples.”
“Be serious, Maddy. Please.”
But she noted a hint of dimple as he spoke that told her he appreciated the joke.
“Can I go out if I’m very, very careful not to be seen? I love the gourmet food stores at the Ferry Building and it’s so close.”
Tom’s hand dropped from her shoulder. “Go to the Ferry Building? Maddy, haven’t you heard anything I’ve been saying? Think of those headlines. You need to stay out of sight of reporters. Not to mention Jerome.”
“You mean I’m confined to quarters? It isn’t just Brutus who’s behind bars?”
“I wouldn’t put it that way but that’s exactly what I mean.”
“But there’s no food in this apartment except the stuff I brought with me for Brutus. I guess you wouldn’t want canned dog chow served up to you on toast for dinner. I couldn’t guarantee it’s low fat.”
“Ha-ha,” he said with a complete lack of dimple. “Order food on the Internet. Use my computer. The password is Buzz20.”
“Buzz?”
“As in Buzz Lightyear.”
“So your nieces like
Toy Story
?” She injected a teasing tone to her voice.
“They do,” he said, refusing to be drawn.
“How can I get stuff on the Internet when I can’t let anyone into the apartment? You know, on Grumpy’s orders.”
“The doorman will call up so you’ll know the delivery is okay.”
“But you said I’d be safe here.”
“Yes, but why risk being seen? You’ve been on national television now. Someone might recognize you.”
“Okay, Grumpy,” she said, conceding defeat.
Tom put his finger under her chin and tilted her face upward. “You know it’s only in your best interests—and Brutus’s.”
But before she could say anything in reply he kissed the breath from her and was gone.
Maddy showered and dressed. The apartment seemed very quiet without Tom. She wandered aimlessly through the rooms. Brutus trotted along behind her, his tags clinking companion-ably.
Hmm. Should she sneak a peek and see if Tom’s boxers were neatly ironed and folded? No. Raiding his underwear drawer would definitely be an invasion of privacy. More important, careful as she would be, he might know she’d done it.
Finally, she settled herself at his computer. She accessed the Internet and ordered the stuff she needed for the next few days. Including a selection of corporate-style dog collars.
Then she opened up a document to jot down notes and recipes for the audition.
Annie
was a young women’s magazine and she assumed that the readers didn’t have much time to cook. They cooked to impress, with as little effort as possible. Recipes had to be fast and easy but look fantastic. How could she give that a different twist?
Brutus came up to her, nudged his head against her leg, and whimpered deep in his throat. Poor little thing. He was used to Walter’s garden. And the freedom of the streets whenever he got the chance. Becoming a millionaire wasn’t much fun for him so far.
She tickled him behind his ears and he snuffled his appreciation. He must be bored. Maybe she could think up some dog-friendly new recipes for him. If truth be told, she wasn’t happy with feeding him stuff from cans and packets all the time.
But that was distracting her from the main game. The audition. Competition would be tough. It would be a matter of luck if she hit on something that would appeal.