Luke’s eyes narrowed on Jori for a microsecond before slipping back into political mode. “Right.” His gaze shifted to Jori and away then back, as if he couldn’t decide if by looking too long he might imply something unwholesome. “Glad to see you looking so well, Jori.” He held out his hand.
Jori forced herself to smile but she wasn’t about to shake hands in a staged photo op with the man who’d helped put her in prison. “Hello, Luke.”
Luke glanced at the photographer and smiled. “I understand. I’m probably not your favorite person. But in all fairness, I was junior counsel and only doing my job. You’ve paid your dues and I’m hearing great things about how you’ve turned your life around. See, I do keep up. I always thought you were a decent person who took a momentary wrong turn. You’re now working as a trainer for Warriors Wolf Pack. Am I right?”
“Yes.” Jori let the word hang as Law’s hand moved from her waist up to her shoulder. The implication: Take it easy. But she was out of the cage of wanting to simply be left alone. Now she wanted, no, needed answers. And she wasn’t going to play nice to get them. But Luke was still talking.
“So then you’ll be happy to hear that I’ve been talking to my dad about Tice Industries making a sizable contribution to so worthy a cause. Training dogs to look after our wounded vets. Can’t think of a more noble aspiration. Glad to know you’re part of it. We here in northwest Arkansas take care of our own.”
Jori felt as if she were going to choke. He was using her to make political points with the reporter who had joined the photographer.
“I’d like to talk with you, Luke.” Law moved one aggressive inch toward the politician. “I can call you Luke?”
“Absolutely. Call my office and we’ll get you set up. Always a pleasure to talk with a veteran.”
“Privately would suit me better. You, too, probably.”
Luke stared for a second then glanced around, seeking an out. “Ah, that’ll be my aide looking for me. You’ll have to excuse me. Jori, Trooper Battise, a pleasure.” Not waiting to see what Erin might do, Luke pulled her along with him.
The minute they were abandoned by the photographer and reporter, who trailed after the candidate, Jori turned on Law. Her voice was low but full of heat. “Oh my God. I can’t believe you said that about me to Erin. My reputation is ruined.”
He glanced down at her, his cop face in place. But there was a glint of gold in that implacable stare. “What reputation?”
As always, his raw brand of honesty carried a punch. This time it punched a breath of laughter out of her. He was right. At this point, what else did she have to lose? As long as her parents never heard about his remark. “What happened to cool and professional?”
“Shock and awe.” Law steered her toward a more private corner of the room. “It’s a cop tactic, too. I wanted to rattle her. I also made her jealous as hell.”
Jori crossed her arms to keep him from taking her hand. “What makes you think that?”
Law’s mouth stretched just short of the smile as he reached out to entangle his fingers in the lacing at her waist. “I might not know much about social graces. But I know when a woman’s coming on to me.”
Jori’s eyes widened. But then, how could she be surprised? Erin always wanted to be the center of all men’s attention. It seemed as if marriage hadn’t changed that.
Law lightly pinched her elbow and nodded in another direction. “Friend of yours?”
Jori turned to the group of people her age casting glances in their direction. One of them, a redhead, waved. Jori looked away. Her nerve had completely deserted her. She just hoped Law wouldn’t notice how rattled she was.
“Chelsea Bennett. We were once friends.”
“Then let’s go over there and let her be your friend now. You need one.”
He had noticed.
Half an hour later, as the guests drank and waited for the bride and groom to appear at their reception, Jori had had enough. Even though her friends were being nice, the strain of them not asking where she’d been or what she’d been doing made everyone’s smile brittle and the conversation as stilted as if English were not the first language for any of them.
Law was just plain furious. He wanted to wad the group into a ball and drop-kick them into Beaver Lake. He couldn’t for the life of him understand why Jori had cared so much what any of them thought about her. None of them had half her character or courage. But then, he supposed, it must be about her parents. She cared for their sake. So he’d remain on his best behavior as long as Erin Tice stayed away from him.
Finally the bride and groom appeared.