Return To Rose Cottage: The Laws of Attraction

Maggie’s expression brightened. “What a good idea! We’d love to.”

“It is not a good idea,” Ashley said emphatically. “Go away. If you don’t, I will.”

“Okay, fine,” Maggie said as she and Melanie stood up. “We’ll leave you in Josh’s capable hands.” She turned to him. “Remember our advice. And forget about that stupid bet.”

Ashley stood watching them until they were out the door. Then she sat down opposite him. “What advice did they give you?”

“They think I need to ask you about what drove you down here,” he said. He searched her face, watching for a reaction. She managed to keep her expression totally neutral. “Do I?”

“Absolutely not. I don’t want to talk about it,” she said fiercely.

He sighed. “Which tells me it is exactly what we need to discuss.”

She regarded him plaintively. “Why?”

“Because it’s apparently the key to getting to know who you are.”

“You know who I am.”

“I know what you’ve allowed me to see. It’s all pretty superficial, Ashley.”

She gave him a sour look. “Am I boring you?”

“Hardly.”

“Then think of it this way—there are layers and layers yet to be peeled away. One of these days I may let you get started on that, but not now, okay?”

“You can’t solve problems if you hide from them,” he commented. Not that he was a sterling example of someone who paid attention to that particular advice. Wasn’t he as guilty of avoiding things at the moment as she was? He hadn’t given one moment’s thought to his future once he’d resolved things with Stephanie. He was letting it all percolate on the back burner in the hope that things would work themselves out eventually without any effort on his part.

Ashley frowned at the unsolicited advice. “I can only learn one new trick at a time. I’m still having trouble with the relaxation thing. This other business would pretty much set me back by a month.”

Josh laughed. “Okay, okay. We’ll stick to relaxing for now. And speaking of that, what would you like? I could use another cappuccino. I’ll go up to the counter and order.”

“A cappuccino sounds good,” she said. “I’ll look at the paper till you get back.”

It didn’t take Josh more than five minutes to order their coffee and take the drinks back to the table, but something had obviously happened while he was away. Every bit of color had washed out of Ashley’s face, and she was clutching a balled up chunk of newsprint in her fist.

“Ashley?” he asked, scooting into the booth next to her. “What is it?”

She shook her head, looking dazed.

Josh tried to pry the paper from her hand, but she refused to release it. He racked his brain trying to recall anything that had been in the paper that might have had this obviously devastating effect on her, but nothing came to him. Besides, she had no ties to Richmond that he knew of.

“Talk to me, sweetheart. Something’s obviously upset you.”

“I can’t,” she whispered, her voice choked. “Let me out of here. I think I’m going to be sick.”

She ran from the café with Josh hard on her heels. He caught her at the corner. She was bending over, holding her stomach, gasping for breath. He rubbed her back, murmuring soothing nonsense, until she finally shuddered and turned to him, burying her face against his shoulder. He’d never before in his life seen anyone with such a stricken look in their eyes. It made him want to kill whoever was responsible for putting it there.

“Tell me, please,” he pleaded. “I can’t help if I don’t know what’s going on.”

“Can we take a break from the bet?” she asked.

Josh almost laughed that she would think of their bet at a time like this. “Okay, we’re on a time-out,” he assured her. “Now tell me.”

She lifted her gaze to his, her expression drained. Finally she seemed to reach some sort of conclusion because she held out her hand and let him take the piece of newspaper.

Josh smoothed it out as best he could with one hand, while still keeping one arm firmly around her waist. He had a feeling she needed the contact far more than he needed to get immediate answers.

The first side of the page was nothing but part of an ad for a Richmond department store. When he turned it over, he saw that it was from a column of national news briefs. The dateline was Boston.

Freed Killer Strikes Again, the headline stated. He glanced at Ashley’s face. There was guilt and shame in her expression as if she were somehow responsible.

“What do you know about this?” he asked quietly.

“I know that man,” she said after what seemed like an eternity. “I represented him at his last trial for murder.

I just got him off a week ago. My firm’s still representing him.” Oh, dear God in heaven, Josh thought, his heart aching for her. That was what had brought her to Rose Cottage, the knowledge that she had helped to free a murderer. And now the man had almost killed again. Only quick police intervention had stopped him. It would devastate any lawyer, but especially one who took such evident pride in her courtroom skills. She’d obviously been duped by the man into believing in his innocence. She wouldn’t be the first lawyer to be fooled, or the last, but she obviously held herself to exceedingly high standards.

“It’s not your fault,” he said firmly.

“Of course it is. That disgusting creature wouldn’t have been back on the streets if it hadn’t been for me. Maybe I didn’t know he was guilty when I defended him, but I should have seen it. He would have been in jail now if I hadn’t been so aggressive in that courtroom.”

“Was the prosecution’s case airtight?”

“No,” she admitted. “The forensics evidence was sloppy as hell.”

“Did you do anything unethical?”

“No.”

“Did you follow the law?”

“To the letter.”

“Then it wasn’t your fault,” he repeated. “Remember, our legal system is based on the principle that it’s preferable for ten guilty people to go free than for one innocent person to be convicted. The jury is instructed not to convict if there is reasonable doubt, and it’s up to the prosecutor to remove that doubt from the jurors’ minds.”

“Justice wasn’t served,” she insisted. “Not even close. I have a reputation for picking my cases very carefully. I blew this one.”

Josh couldn’t argue with that. He knew all too well how cases could sometimes be won or lost not on the evidence, but based on the comparative skills of the lawyers involved. It was one of the reasons he was questioning his own commitment to the law. Maybe now was the time to tell Ashley that, to commiserate with her in a way that told her he really did understand. Somehow, though, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. This was about her feelings, and he didn’t want to divert the conversation away from that for even a moment.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I know how this case must eat at you. My saying it’s not your fault doesn’t really help. You have to get there on your own.”

“I don’t know if I ever will.” She eyed the article he was holding as if it were a serpent. “Especially now. I’ll never be able to practice in Boston again.”

“Of course you will,” he said. “If that’s what you want to do. Good people, honest people, innocent people, get accused of crimes, and they’re going to want an attorney who fights with passion and conviction on their side. Those are the ones you’ll help.”

She regarded him with a sad expression. “But don’t you see, Josh? I can’t tell the difference.”