“Oh, probably to some extent, but he’s been here longer, and now he’s involved with Tracy, who’s very popular, I gather. They may be giving him a pass because Tracy likes him.” Her phone chirped, indicating she had a text. “Will you excuse me a minute? I should get that. It might be from work.”
“On a Friday night?”
“Oh, yeah. My assistant is dedicated.”
“By all means, see what’s up.”
Jeannette checked her phone, hoping for good news from Erin, her paralegal assistant. Instead Erin confirmed that they had a big hole in their research on the current case. She promised to work through the weekend to plug that hole, which made Jeannette feel guilty. She should be there helping Erin dig up the information they needed to build a solid defense.
But she wasn’t there, and so all she could do was text her sincere thanks for Erin’s effort. With a sigh, she put her phone back in her purse. Maybe she should change her flight and go back on Sunday, after all.
“Problems?”
“I was afraid we hadn’t thoroughly researched a contract dispute, and sure enough, we haven’t. The client expects an open-and-shut case, but at this point, there’s no guarantee that we’ll prevail.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Why?”
“I might be able to help.”
She was touched, but if he made his living as a cowhand, he wouldn’t be of much use in this capacity. She didn’t want to insult him, though. “I can describe the case, and I appreciate your offer, but I’m not sure that you—”
“I may not be able to help considering that you’re in Virginia and every state is different. But it’s worth a shot. Contract law has similarities all over the country.”
“Yes, but I still don’t think—”
“Look, nobody besides Jack knows this, and I’d rather not broadcast it if you don’t mind, but...I was an entertainment lawyer in Hollywood for thirteen years. Contract law is my specialty.”
She stared at him. “Well, that sure as hell explains this fancy truck.”
JEANNETTE OUTLINED THE CASE, which involved a contract for the sale of a registered Thoroughbred foal. Even though he’d never dealt with the intricacies of Thoroughbred racing, he knew contract law. He grasped the essentials fairly quickly and they debated the merits of the case all the way to Jackson.
He’d thought his interest in contract law was dead. Maybe not. The lively discussion with Jeannette was more fun than it should have been if he’d abandoned his profession. In his heart he knew he hadn’t totally given up on practicing law.
But his job at the Last Chance satisfied something basic in his nature. He loved working with the horses, repairing things around the ranch, even shoveling shit. The idea of going back to a desk job didn’t appeal to him at all.
Before they’d reached the outskirts of Jackson, Jeannette had texted several suggestions to her assistant, Erin, and had received an enthusiastic response. Jeannette laughed and turned to Zach. “She wants to know if I’ve stumbled upon a hidden law library up in the hinterlands.”
He couldn’t pretend that wasn’t gratifying. “Just tell her you met a burned-out lawyer who still has a few tricks up his sleeve. Maybe none of them will pan out, either. You have a complicated deal there.”
Jeannette sent the message and got back an instant reply. “She says I should lasso you and bring you back to Virginia as...” She stopped.
“As what?” Luck was with him and he found a parking space on the square near the Western-wear store. He pulled into it.
“Never mind.”
“No fair.” He shut off the engine and turned to her. “What did she say?”
Even at this hour, the summer sky was bright, so her blush was easy to see. “As my, um, love slave.”
He laughed. “How did she come up with that? I thought we were talking about lawyerly things.”
“I might have said that I met a sexy burned-out lawyer.”
“Oh, yeah?” More and more, he regretted that she was leaving on Monday.
“You know you are, Zach. I mean, look at this truck. It oozes testosterone.”
“Well, that’s good. A manly truck was what I was going for. I just didn’t figure on the dust.” He surveyed the crowded square. “Which will it be, food or shopping?”
“Food. I’ll shop better on a full stomach. Besides, now that I know about your background, I have millions of questions about why you’re here and not there.”
“It’s simple.”
“I doubt it.”
He opened his door. “I promise you it is, but now that you know I have resources, will you let me buy dinner?”
“Absolutely not. If your suggestions work, then you saved my bacon on this case.”
“Don’t jump to any conclusions. I might have sent you and your assistant down the wrong bunny trail.”
“Or not. Assuming you set us on the right track, I owe you way more than a dinner.”
“Oh?” He couldn’t resist teasing her. After all, she was the one who’d called him sexy. “And what exactly did you have in mind that would repay that enormous debt?”
She met his gaze with a deadpan expression. “My eternal gratitude.”
“Damn. Guess I’m not quite sexy enough, even driving this big-ass truck.”
“Hold on.” Her green eyes danced with mischief. “You don’t know what my eternal gratitude might inspire me to do.”
Lust arrowed through him and centered in his crotch. He took a steadying breath. “Good point. Guess I’d better take your eternal gratitude for now and see how things work out. Let’s find some food.”
Twenty minutes later they were finally seated in a little Italian restaurant a block off the main square. It was the only place that didn’t have a two-hour wait. He should have anticipated that Jackson would be hopping on a Friday night in August, which was still officially tourist season. At least a table for two was easier to snag than if they’d had a larger party.
He ordered a bottle of Chianti and poured them each a full glass. They were on the far side of the square from the Western-wear store and the truck. By the time they ate, walked back around the square and shopped for her clothes, he’d be fine to drive.
Picking up his glass, he raised it in her direction. “Here’s to settling your case
