Fate has reunited themâ¦but for how long?
Life took a detour when Delainey Talbot became a mother. Thereâs no better job but that doesnât mean she isnât excited about finally becoming a lawyerâa dream sheâs this close to fulfilling. So when the partnership at Baileyâs Coveâs only law firm goes to Hunter Morrison, sheâs devastated.
Hunter and Deelee havenât seen each other since their ill-fated romance ended suddenlyâhe doesnât even know about six-year-old Brianna! Deelee wants him out of her town and her job. Too bad her heart says this could be their chance at the life they were meant to have.
âShamus told me you got accepted to law school. Congratulations.â
Delainey didnât look up. She didnât smile as he thought she would.
âWhatâs the matter?â Hunter asked when she didnât say anything either.
âStraight and unvarnished?â
âStraight and unvarnished.â
She pinned him for several seconds with her smoky gray eyes and nodded once. âYou took my job. Shamus was supposed to stay for a few more years. Harriet would take over and Iâd step in on the bottom rung and someday, Iâd be able to buy into the practice.â
âI can see from the active cases there isnât much use for a third attorney at that office.â
âI have to live, eat, take care of my daughter and repay college loans. I wonât be in a position to open an office or to work in one that can barely pay me.â
âIâm leaving.â
She stiffened. âOf course, you are.â
Dear Reader,
Weâre back in Baileyâs Cove, Maine!
For Delainey Talbot many things are true. She is a great mother. She will be a great attorney if she just gets the chance to go to law school. Baileyâs Cove, Maine, is the best place to raise a child and sheâll live there forever.
When Hunter Morrison, now a high-powered, big-city lawyer comes back into town, the rock-solid truths of Delaineyâs life are shattered.
I hope you enjoy Delainey and Hunterâs romance as they face their past and find silver linings neither could have ever imagined.
And is there truly a treasure long ago buried by the pirate Liam Bailey?
Iâd love to hear from you. Visit my website at www.marybrady.net or write to me at [email protected].
Enjoy the Harlequin Superromance authors blog at www.superauthors.com. Comment and you just might win treasures.
Thank you so much for reading my books.
Warmest regards,
Mary Brady
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mary Brady lives in the Midwest and considers road trips into the rest of the continent to be a necessary part of life. When sheâs not out exploring, she helps run a manufacturing company and has a great time living with her handsome husband, her super son and one cheeky little bird.
To all my relatives.
Itâs very comforting to know there are so many of you out there!
CHAPTER ONE
THE BLUSTERY WINTER morning had started well...
But when Delainey Talbot let herself into the side entrance of the old redbrick building of Morrison and Morrison Attorneys, the office was eerily quiet. No morning chatter greeted her. No clicking of keys or rustling of papersânot even the smell of coffee.
Since her workday didnât start until she dropped off her daughter at school, there should be at least five people here by now.
The excitement of her long-awaited acceptance into law school faltered as she crept forward in the unnatural silence, and a sharp edge of worry seeped into her joy.
Then she heard quiet murmuring from behind the closed door of the office Carol and Shirley, two of the legal assistants, shared.
She tapped on the door and opened it slowly. Five people stood in a clump in front of Carolâs desk, and as one, they looked at her with a mix of sadness, insecurity and maybe hope.
That was not helpful.
âWhat? Whatâs going on?â Delainey asked, directing the inquiry to Carol.
âShamus is retiring,â cried Patty, the gray-haired sixtyish receptionist, as she rushed over, not quite teary but close, and grabbed Delaineyâs arm. âWe hoped youâd know whatâs happening. Why would he do that to us?â
Since Pattyâs reaction was usually to panic first and seek information second, Delainey decided to remain calm. âHeâs been making those plans for years. Heâs going to start pulling back in a couple of years and be gone in three or four.â
Patty just looked at her.
âToday,â said Shirley, red haired, the youngest office employee and granddaughter of the retiring Shamus Murphy.
âHeâs retiring today?â Delainey looked at each of them. âThat canât happen.â
âHe was here when I arrived, sitting right here drinking that awful tea he likes,â said Carol as she leaned back against her desk. âHe didnât say he was quitting soon and not even today. He said yesterday was his last day as partner.â