Reclaim My Heart

chapter TWO

Summer sunlight heated the crown of Lucas’s head as he weaved his way through the tourists and business people crowding the sidewalk. Cars, taxis, and buses rumbled along Market Street, sending dust swirling in the sultry air. One perk he loved about working in Philadelphia was that his office was within walking distance of the court house. He thrived in the outdoors, and the trek he made sometimes several times each day offered him the opportunity to be out in the open air rather than cooped up inside.

Rain, snow, sun, it didn’t matter. His colleagues thought he was nuts. They simply didn’t understand his affinity for nature.

Today his steps were lighter than usual. The petition he’d just filed would assure victory in the Jamison case. Winning the complicated litigation would be a feather in his cap. No one in the office had thought it could be done, and that’s exactly why he’d accepted the challenge. Life was good. No, he decided as he entered the revolving door of his office building, life was great.

He whistled as he crossed the high-ceilinged atrium and stepped into a waiting elevator that shot him toward the top of the high rise. He shifted his briefcase to his left hand as the doors slid open and he entered the bright and ultra modern vestibule of Young and Foster.

“Martha.” He nodded at the firm’s receptionist, pausing at her desk.

“So—” excitement dripped from her sneaky whisper “—did you do it?”

He offered up a mischievous grin.

Her brown eyes glittered. “You’re in, Lucas. You’re going to be the youngest partner this firm has ever seen.”

More importantly, the first of Native American descent too. The idea gave him a great deal of satisfaction, but he said nothing.

Martha beamed and Lucas gave her shoulder a warm pat.

“I hope you’re right, Miss Martha.” He picked up an envelope that had his name scrawled across the front of it. “Any calls?” he asked.

“Six. Two need immediate attention. Three can wait.” Her tone lowered. “One can be tossed into the circular file.”

Lucas accepted the slips of paper. “You know I appreciate your skillful memorandum triage.”

Martha flushed to the roots of her bleach-blond hair. “Larry and Nate are waiting for you in Larry’s office. You’ve got an appointment in twenty minutes with the parents of the Reeves girl. They wanted to personally thank you for helping Shannon. I’ll call the minute they arrive.” Without batting an eye, Martha continued her list. “You’ve got a court appearance at eleven-thirty. Lunch with the Jamisons at twelve-forty-five. And you’re booked solid until seven, but we can go over your afternoon appointments later.”

Not only was she an extraordinary office manager, Martha made a great mother hen. She juggled the schedules of the entire ‘minor league,’ as the two senior partners referred to the group of attorneys in their employ. Lucas didn’t know how Martha accomplished the copious tasks that would have surely overwhelmed anyone else, but he was glad she did. He’d be lost without the woman.

“Thanks, Martha. I’ve got to stop by my office; then I’ll go talk to—”

“Oh, wait. There’s someone here to see you.”

He frowned. “I don’t have time today.”

“I know, I know.” Martha looked apologetic. “I tried to explain that your schedule is packed, but she insisted on waiting—”

“She?”

Martha glanced down at a pad on her desktop. “A Ms. Whitlock. Tyne Whitlock.”

Lucas stared. Blinked. Then he reached up and tugged at his tie, wondering who the hell shut off the room’s air supply.

“She’s waiting in your office. I tried to tell her your schedule was full, but…” Concern sharpened Martha’s tone. “Are you all right? She said she knew you. That you were old friends. That she’d only take a minute of your time. Should I not have let her in?”

Martha droned on and he watched her lips move, but he didn’t hear a word of what she said. A blind-sided punch wouldn’t have stunned him more than hearing that name. He lifted his hand and nodded at Martha to let her know everything was okay even though he had no idea if it was or not, then he turned and headed down the corridor.

“Don’t forget Larry and Nate. They’re waiting!”

Martha’s warning sounded like a distant echo.

Tyne. Here. In this building. In his office.

What had it been? Twelve, thirteen…‌no. Sixteen years. He scrubbed his fingers across his jaw.

He turned the corner and came to an abrupt halt. At the end of the corridor, the door of his office stood ajar. He saw Tyne’s perfect profile as she sat in a straight-backed chair staring at something out of his line of view.

In an instant, Lucas was catapulted into the past.

Darkness surrounded them like a cloak. Tyne’s soft sobs tore at his heart. Of all the girls he’d dated—and there had been more than a few—only she brought out in him a fierce compulsion to protect.

He swiped away her tears, the dark color of his thumb a stark contrast against her creamy white skin.

“I don’t understand them, Lucas. I never will.”

“Don’t worry,” he crooned. “It’s going to be all right. Trust me, babe. They can’t keep us apart. You’ll be eighteen soon too. We can do what we want then. Go wherever we want.”

He cradled her, his back supported by the massive pin oak. And when she stopped crying, she pulled away from him and gazed into his eyes. Her sweet face wrenched his heart and caused heat to spark his desire. Never had he wanted a girl the way he wanted Tyne. tooanted TRaw need coursed through him.

She cradled his face between her palms and drew him to her. Her lips were hot against his. The kiss grew hungry, their breathing labored.

“Our love will last forever,” she whispered against his mouth.

He heard the question in her quavery tone, responded to her need for reassurance.

“Forever,” he groaned, tugging her down onto the mossy ground.

Lucas tilted his head to stare at the carpet in front of his shoes and gulped in the artificially-cooled air as he dragged his way out of the past. The grip he had on his attaché case made his hand throb almost as much as the memory had caused his groin to go all achy and needful.

Of course, their love hadn’t lasted forever.

He was within steps of the door when Tyne glanced in his direction. Nuances of various emotions passed across her face. And it was a striking face, Lucas couldn’t deny it. The years had refined her features—

She stood, smoothing her palms across the fabric of her skirt.

—and ripened her body. Her eyes were the same vivid blue he remembered, and her white-blond hair was still long and straight. He could easily recall the silky feel of it brushing against his bare chest. As teens, he’d thought of them as the perfect juxtaposition: she, all sunshine and light, he, dark like the night.

He forced his gaze back onto her face.

“Tyne.” He entered his office, puzzled by the strain in his voice. What really confused him was the fact that he couldn’t seem to get his tongue to form anything more.

“Hi, Lucas. It’s been a long time.” Her lush mouth pressed into a nervous smile, and his gut tensed.

He wanted to smile back. He truly did. With every fiber of his being. To let her know that he’d survived the sprawling interim since they’d parted just as well as she obviously had. But he couldn’t smile. Couldn’t speak. Couldn’t think.

Time dragged.

Damn! Move, man! The harsh command was nothing more than pure, self-preserving instinct, and he thanked heaven for blessing him with a healthy dose of it, which never failed to kick in just when it was needed. This time was no exception.

Lucas took several steps and set his briefcase, mail and messages on his desk. He said, “Yes, it has been a long…‌long time.”

“I know you’re very busy. The woman at the front desk told me so. But I was hoping you could give me some time. Just a moment or two.”

Grateful for a reason to break contact with her mesmerizing cobalt eyes, he snatched the opportunity to study his wristwatch. “I’m due in a meeting right now. And I’ve got clients coming—”

“Five minutes.”

“My day really is jammed, Tyne. But I’ll have Martha check my schedule. I’m sure I could fit you in within the next couple of—”

“Please, Lucas.”

He couldn’t dismiss the tone of those two small words, nor could he ignore the magnitude of emotion clouding her expression. He had no choice but to relent.

“Sit down,” he murmured. He closed the door of his office and then returned to perch himself on the corner of his desk. He steeled himself before asking, “What’s on your mind?”

She seemed to shrink a little as a thousand thoughts ran though her head. Seconds passed, and still she didn’t speak.

Lucas witnessed the phenomenon almost on a daily basis. The people who wound up in his office often felt as if they were carrying the world on their shoulders. He knew her anxiety would eventually discharge, and from the looks of it, he wouldn’t have to wait long.

Finally, she pressed her hand to her chest. “I can’t breathe.”min breath

“Relax. Do you want some water?”

She shook her head, a lock of her long, platinum hair falling over her forearm. “No. I need to get this out. I promised you I’d hurry.”

He couldn’t keep his brows from arching a fraction. She hadn’t kept her promises in the past. Why would he expect her to now?

Tyne ran her tongue along her full bottom lip, hesitated another moment, then blurted, “I need a lawyer.”

Lucas closed his eyes and stifled a sigh. He could have guessed as much, of course. He’d worked hard to get himself into the privileged position of being able to pick and choose his clients. The last person he wanted to represent was Tyne Whitlock.

“A good lawyer, Lucas.”

Common sense told him Tyne wasn’t attempting to flatter him. She was speaking purely out of desperation.

“Look, Tyne—” Something made him stop. He sighed, and then he stood, taking his time rounding his desk and sitting down. The leather-upholstered arms of the chair were cool and smooth under his fingertips.

“I know some of the best attorneys in the city.” He plucked a pen from the cup on his desktop. “And many of them owe me a favor or two.” He reached into his inside jacket pocket, pulled out one of the business cards he always kept handy, and turned it over, poised to write. “Let me give you some names and numbers—”

“I don’t want just any attorney.” Her chin lifted. “I want you. Why else would I have come here?”

His gaze lowered to the small white card in his hand. With much deliberation, he set down the pen and the card, and then he looked her directly in the eyes.

Every muscle in her body appeared board-stiff.

“Listen to me—” he kept his tone calm “—when people find themselves in trouble with the law, or victimized, or wrongfully sued, or unjustly accused, they tend to get lost in a strange, I don’t know, franticness. A recklessness that they almost always regret. Believe me when I tell you that no situation is hopeless, and circumstances are rarely as desperate as they might be perceived. Whatever trouble you’re in, don’t let panic and fear haze your thinking.”

“You don’t understand.”

“I think I do,” he rushed to assure her. “I see it every day. Honest, hardworking people finding themselves in dire straits. And this unfamiliar territory throws them. They grasp at help from the first source that comes to mind.”

“But—”

“Just like that old adage warning that only a fool acts as his own lawyer, it’s also foolish to choose an attorney in haste. You and I have a past, Tyne, and even though all of that took place years and years ago, the fact remains that we have a history. I don’t believe I would be the best person to represent you in a court of law. You need someone who’ll be totally unbiased. Let me give you some names. I’ll make some calls for you myself—”

“Stop!” She lifted her hands and scooted to the edge of the seat. “You don’t understand. And I can’t make you understand if you won’t shut up for a minute.”

His eyebrows arched and the frustration in her statement had him leaning back a bit.

She frowned. “I’m sorry. Really, I am. I had to stew all day yesterday.” She fisted her hands in her lap. “I didn’t expect to reach anyone on a Sunday, but do you know that your firm doesn’t offer an emergency number on the answering machine?” She exhaled with force. “I’m a nervous wreck just being here. Seeing you. But all that aside, I shouldn’t have snapped at you. Please accept my apology.”

He didn’t react, didn’t move. He just waited for her to continue.

“The thing is…‌what you need te ft you no know…”

Once again, she grew terribly cautious, and Lucas found that extremely curious. What the hell was it she found so hard to tell him? What kind of trouble was she in?

She blanched, but then her spine straightened. “I’m not the one who needs a lawyer. I want to hire you, yes. But I’m not the one needing representation. It’s my son who’s in trouble.” A nerve at the corner of her eye tic





ked, but her gaze never veered from his as she added, “Our son, Lucas.”