As soon as they arrived back at the beach and she got off his back Fergus transformed. “You enjoyed yourself.” It was a statement, not a question, and she nodded.
“Yes. Thank you both. It was enormous fun.”
“So, do you want to ride us back to the parking lot?” asked Cam.
“I don’t think it’ll be practical unfortunately. I’m not yet confident enough not to hold on, and I’d have to carry all your clothing. But I did enjoy it and I’m glad I’ve seen you in your werewolf forms. It was a privilege. I know that, and I’m thankful you entrusted it to me.”
And she was. All her ambivalence had disappeared. She’d loved seeing them as wolves and knew she could trust them in that form just as she could in their human form. The better she came to know them the more she appreciated them as deeply caring and considerate people, yet men who challenged her on so many levels. But even when they challenged her, and expected her to live up to their high standards, they were still thoughtful and kind and they still looked out for her. Fergus had said he’d jump with her if she hadn’t been willing to jump by herself. That was a very telling comment. It meant he expected she’d be willing to jump alone, but that he was willing to rearrange his plans of she wasn’t.
“Do you mind walking? You’re not too tired?” asked Fergus.
“No, I’m not tired. I’ll enjoy walking with you even if the scenery won’t be so spectacular this time.” And she meant it. She was really coming to enjoy time spent talking with the men. She could never predict what topic they’d tackle next, but she knew they’d converse intelligently and interestingly on whatever it was.
It was just a damn fucking shame, she needed to devote so much of her time to earning her partnership, but she had to. If she wasn’t made partner by age thirty her chances of ever being made partner would start going downhill so fast she’d become a has-been by the time she reached forty. And that was without considering the fact that coming out about being in a ménage relationship would kill her future stone dead. Too many men would take the moral high ground and castigate her as some kind of uncontrolled nymphomaniac. Her career would be dead in the water five minutes after she announced she was seeing two men.
Her decisions were obvious. She could keep seeing the men as she wanted to, but not publically appear to be in a relationship with them. And not so often her work was left undone.
* * * *
“Sierra, it’s Oscar. I’ve received another letter from George’s attorney. Since it’s just as confusing as usual I’m sending you the scan of it right now.”
“What’s the key point in it this time, Oscar? Could you decipher that much?”
“He said there were deed restrictions on my property put there by the home association, but I don’t actually know what that means. I’m much better at figuring out whether or not to remove a dodgy appendix than dealing with a dodgy cousin.”
That goatish, fly-bitten maggot pie of an attorney! What’s he doing now?
Even though she was angered by his cousin’s antics, she had to smile at Oscar’s good attitude to the hassles he was facing. “Thanks, Oscar. The e-mail is coming through now. I’ll look into it and get back to you.”
“He’s not going to give up, is he?”
Sierra thought Oscar sounded a little stressed despite his light-hearted comment just a sentence previously. Immediately she hid her own annoyance and replied gently, “The law is on your side, Oscar. We’ve won each battle so far and we’re not going to give up this time either. He may well be grasping at straws.”
“Thanks, Sierra. If anyone can defeat him, it’ll be you.”
“Us.”
Sierra clicked open the document and began wading through the endlessly long and convoluted sentences. The legal fraternity wasn’t known for using simple English, but this man was worse than most.
Well damn and double damn. George’s attorney had convinced the local authorities there were restrictions against having a clinic in the area. She knew that was incorrect, but proving it could be tricky, especially if George had paid them off to get them on his side.
Fuck. This battle just got a whole lot harder and potentially a whole lot dirtier. Now she needed to find some precedents in law that supported her side of the argument as well as disproving George’s.
Well, if you want a fight, my friend, you’re going to get one. I’m not giving up any time soon. I always win my cases and this one is more important than most. It’s not just about being seen as a rainmaker. It’s about the clinic and all the people who need it. And right now they’re relying on me to ensure Oscar stays in charge and that the clinic survives!