Lilly's Law

Lilly's Law
Dianne Drake

As an ambitious and dedicated law student, Lilly Malloy had been quickly rising before a disastrous affair with equally ambitious reporter Mike Collier short-circuited her career. Now, finally, she's a judge, but she hadn't planned on presiding over a subterranean traffic court, where parking ines tip the scales of justice. All thanks to him.So when two-time offender Collier saunters through her courtroom door, hoping to sweet-talk her out of a ine, Lilly has a chance to even the score. As fast as she can bang the gavel, she sends him to the slammer. Justice is definitely sweet.Or is it? Even if the judge in Lilly wouldn't dream about breaking the law, the woman in her just might need to test the boundaries….

Dear Reader,

Wow! My third book. It’s hard to believe that I’m doing what I always wanted to do—writing for Harlequin.

Before this, I used to give advice to my university students—all aspiring writers. On the first day of class I would tell them to give me a good Elvis snarl, growl, then say, “I can do that!” Surprisingly, I got a lot of resistance, but after a couple of minutes of good, solid growling I explained how that pit bull attitude is the start of achieving anything they want. It’s all about the attitude.

My friend Toni—who was the inspiration for Lilly, the heroine of this story—had that “can do” attitude. An immigrant from Italy, she went after what she wanted. Her dream was to be an attorney and later, a criminal court judge. She snarled, growled and she did it! Just like Lilly does. And you can do that, too. So let me see that snarl, hear that growl and say, “I can do that!”

I’d like to thank my editor, Wanda Ottewell, for letting me do that.

Wishing you love, laughter and a pit bull attitude!

Dianne Drake

P.S. There was only one time Toni didn’t succeed in her “can do” attitude and, sadly, that was in her battle with breast cancer. So, about those monthly breast exams and mammograms—let me hear you say, “I will do that!”

Disorder in the court!

“Do I get to speak candidly here, or are my rights forfeited the minute I step into your courtroom?” Mike Collier glanced around, shook his head in disdain, then added, “Such as it is.”

“By all means, be candid, Mr. Collier. I certainly wouldn’t want you leaving my courtroom—such as it is—feeling like you didn’t receive every opportunity to tell your side of the story before I make my judgment and tack on an extra hundred bucks for that little insult.”

Lilly dropped her gaze to the file containing copies of all nineteen tickets, not to peruse it so much as to stop herself from glaring at him.

Of course, she already knew what he looked like—in vivid detail, right down to the lips tattooed on his derriere. Right side, midcheek. A drunken college escapade. And of course she could conjure up that eye candy in minute detail—along with every other Collier detail—even when she wasn’t looking at him, which she was trying not to do, especially in court.

Jeez, where was an iceberg when you needed one?

Lilly’s Law

Dianne Drake

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

What’s life without a few pets? Dianne Drake and her hubby Joel have seven—four dogs and three cats, all rescued strays. In the few spare minutes her animals grant her, Dianne goes to the Indianapolis Symphony, Indianapolis Colts games and the Indiana Pacers games—can you tell she lives in Indianapolis? And occasionally, she and Joel sneak away and do something really special, like take in a hockey game.

Books by Dianne Drake

HARLEQUIN DUETS

58—THE DOCTOR DILEMMA

106—ISN’T IT ROMANTIC?

To Toni—an extraordinary judge, an extraordinary woman. The world is a little less bright without you.

And as always, to Joel.

Contents

Chapter 1 (#ua3d83959-8d15-5bbe-a392-a8614834e15f)

Chapter 2 (#uca13bf35-47d5-5f16-8e3c-32ef338bcaaa)

Chapter 3 (#ua546bab6-0672-5397-aa4d-a0533f84c1bb)

Chapter 4 (#u577d9a50-ffb4-5883-8efc-f43a04992755)

Chapter 5 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 6 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 7 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 8 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 9 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 10 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 11 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 12 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 13 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 14 (#litres_trial_promo)

1

Friday morning, and what a way to end the week!

“OH, NO!”

Lilly moaned the words louder than she intended, and his speedy response to what she’d meant to keep under her breath was, “Oh, yes! And I want a change of venue, Your Honor.”

“Change of venue, Mr. Collier? You’re telling me you want a change of venue?” She was struggling to preserve what was left of her judgely comportment. “This is traffic court, sir. We don’t do change of venue here.” Even though she’d like to have changed his venue to an iceberg somewhere way up in the Arctic, and personally paid for his one-way ticket to ride.

“But don’t I have the right to be tried in an impartial court?”

Big iceberg, she decided. Huge, with lots of freezing-his-butt-off jagged edges. “And you’re suggesting, sir, that my court isn’t impartial?” An iceberg at least as cold as her voice.

Mike Collier stepped away from the rickety wooden podium, which was scarred by fifty years’ worth of fist-pounding, pencil-gouging defendants, but he didn’t cross the yellow tape on the floor—the tape designating the one thin line separating the Honorable Judge Lilly Malloy from the accumulation of humanity on trial in her courtroom. The warning sign, posted clearly on the wall directly above her head, read Stay Behind the Yellow Line at All Times. Those Who Cross over the Line My Be Subject to a Fine and/or Arrest. Someone had doodled a happy face with devil horns on it. “What I’m suggesting, Your Honor, is that under the circumstances, I don’t think you’re the right person to hear my case. Wouldn’t you agree?”