CHAPTER 1
“I can’t do this.” Ean Fever closed the client folder. He leaned forward and laid it on Hugh Bolden’s imposing teakwood desk. Hugh was his boss and one of the principal partners with the New York law firm of Craven, Bolden & Arnez.
“Why not?” From the other side of the desk, Hugh’s laser blue eyes took aim at Ean’s face. His frown deepened the fine wrinkles between his thick gray brows. “It’s like all the other corporate litigation cases you’ve worked.”
“I can’t represent this client.” Ean steeled himself for his boss’s reaction.
“‘Can’t’ or ‘won’t’?” Hugh seemed more curious than confrontational.
“Won’t.”
The walls were closing in on him. Ean freed his gaze from the older man’s steely regard to take in the spacious office. It smelled like power and prestige. Thick silver carpeting complemented the teakwood furnishings—conversation table with four white-cushioned chairs, executive desk, cabinetries and bookcases. The entertainment center, including the high-definition television, was black lacquer. The picture window behind Hugh framed several Manhattan skyscrapers as they pierced the hot August sky.
Commendations and civic awards decorated the walls and shelves. But the partner’s office didn’t give any insight into the man: his loved ones, his hobbies, his beverages of choice. And after almost seven years with the firm, Ean knew the older man little better than on the day he’d interviewed with him.
Hugh shifted in his chair. He crossed his right leg over his left and adjusted the crease in the pants of his navy Armani power suit. “What’s on your mind, Ean? You haven’t been yourself for months.”
Six months. Since his father’s death in February, after a long illness Ean had been unaware of. Why hadn’t anyone told him? “I need a change, Hugh.”
“To what? Employment law? Contracts? Torts?”
Ean shook his head as Hugh rattled off the divisions within the firm. “I have to go home.”
Hugh’s gaze flickered. His frown deepened. “Is your mother sick?”
Ean appreciated his boss’s concern. “No.” At least, not as far as he knew.
“Then why do you have to go home?”
“I’m doing this for myself.”
Silence stretched. Hugh took his measure, much as the seasoned litigator did during meetings with opposing counsel.
Tension ebbed from Ean’s neck and shoulders as he gained confidence in his decision. He hadn’t made this choice lightly. He’d spent the past five months weighing the pros and cons, what he felt against what he knew. In the end, the two were the same. He felt the need to return to Trinity Falls, Ohio, and knew he had to make the move now.
Would someone like Hugh Bolden understand that? The firm appeared to be everything the partner wanted. Ean couldn’t allow that to happen to him.
Hugh sat back in the tall executive seat made of brown leather. His expression cleared. “Do you want a leave of absence?”
“No.” Ean rose, gathering his writing tablet and silver Cross pen from the table. “You’ll have my resignation before the end of the day.”
He checked his bronze Omega wristwatch. It was almost ten o’clock on the last Friday morning in August. He’d already put in more than four hours.
Hugh stood. Concern was evident in his expression. “You’re resigning? Isn’t this sudden?”
“I don’t think so.” Ean slid his hands into the front pockets of his dark gray Hugo Boss pants. “I appreciate the opportunities you’ve given me, Hugh, including the partnership two years ago.”
Hugh shook his head. “You earned the partnership. You’re a brilliant lawyer, Ean. I’ve enjoyed working with you. Are you sure you want to resign? Maybe you just need some time.”
His family or his career, those were Ean’s choices. He already knew how it felt to lose a family member. “Craven, Bolden and Arnez is one of the best firms in the country. But my life needs to go in a different direction.”
“Are you sure this is what your father would have wanted for you?” The question was surprisingly gentle coming from such a gruff man.
Ean tightened his grip on his writing tablet. No, he wasn’t. Was that the reason everyone had kept him in the dark regarding his father’s terminal cancer? Because his father was afraid Ean would risk his career to help care for him?
“I don’t know.”
Another long, silent scrutiny from Hugh’s sharp eyes. “I understand. I’m sure this decision wasn’t easy for you. But everything will work out. You’ll make sure of it.”
“Thank you.” Every m
uscle in Ean’s body relaxed with the other man’s words. “It’ll take me a few weeks to wrap up my open cases. I’ll get Wendy up to speed on my new matters.”
The second-year associate eyed his cases—and his office—with something close to lust. Would she be able to mask her pleasure at the announcement of Ean’s resignation?
“What will you do back in Trinity Falls, Ohio?”
Ean offered a weak smile. “I don’t know that, either.”
“Stay in touch.” Hugh extended his right hand. “If you need anything—a recommendation, your job back, anything at all—call me.”
Ean clasped the other man’s hand. His face eased into a smile. “I appreciate that.”
As he turned to leave, his black Bruno Magli shoes sank into the plush carpet. He had a lot to do, but his thoughts kept turning to his late father, widowed mother, childhood friends and the woman who’d broken his heart six years before.
“You’re full of energy.” Megan McCloud huffed a breath. She picked up her pace as she jogged with Doreen Fever through Trinity Falls’s Freedom Park Saturday morning. She’d thought they’d have an easy jog on the last day of August, enjoying the turning foliage and waning summer. Her friend must have had other ideas.
Doreen pulled back her pace. “Ean called last night.”
Megan’s heart hopped once at the name of her teenage crush. “How is he?”
“He’s quit his job. He’s coming home. Permanently.”
Megan tripped over nothing on the winding dirt path. She caught her balance and her breath. “When?”
“That was my reaction.” Doreen’s warm brown eyes twinkled with humor.
In her lemon yellow jersey and black running pants, Ean’s mother looked at least a decade younger than her sixty years.
Megan forced her numb limbs to keep up with Doreen as they continued jogging. “He’s coming back to Trinity Falls?” Seriously? “Why?”
“Didn’t say.” There was maternal concern in the older woman’s breathy voice. “He thinks it’ll take eight weeks—give or take—to finish his cases and move.”
Megan’s heart reacted like that fourteen-year-old girl she’d been as she called to mind the eighteen-year-old Ean. He’d been larger than life to her adoring eyes: long, fluid muscles, broad shoulders and a sexy smile. But his almond-shaped olive eyes had never noticed her. All he’d seen was her older cousin, Ramona.