Her Favourite Holiday Gift

“Are you out of your mind?” Colleen asked, her blue eyes molten.

Eric sighed. “Listen. Join me for lunch. We can discuss this like reasonable professionals.”

She blinked in surprise. “You…you’re asking me to lunch?”

“Why wouldn’t I? We used to be friends.” He imbued the last word with a meaning only she’d understand.

Her face pinkened. “Those days are long over.”

His brain flooded with memories of a different Colleen. A night he absolutely had to put out of his mind during the case. Sleeping with Colleen had been one hell of a beautiful mistake, one he’d never forgotten…

Would never forget.

Despite the fact that she was back in his life, he aimed to keep everything strictly professional. When it came to Colleen Delaney, that was his only choice.

Lynda Sandoval is a former police officer who exchanged the excitement of that career for blissfully isolated days creating stories she hopes readers will love. Though she’s also worked as a youth mental health and runaway crisis counsellor, a television extra, a trade-show art salesperson, a European tour guide and a bookkeeper for an exotic bird and reptile company—among other weird jobs—Lynda’s favourite career, by far, is writing books. In addition to romance, Lynda writes women’s fiction and young adult novels, and in her spare time she loves to travel, quilt, bid on eBay, hike, read and spend time with her dog. Lynda also works parttime as an emergency fire/medical dispatcher for the fire department. Readers are invited to visit Lynda on the web at www.LyndaLynda.com.

Her Favourite Holiday Gift

Lynda Sandoval

MILLS & BOON

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To Susan Litman, for graciously inviting me

to join the project, and Charles Griemsman,

just for being awesomely you.

Chapter One

Colleen Delaney strode from the executive conference room, shoulders back and head held high…barely. She’d gone a full ten rounds in the ring of office politics and taken her fair share of cheap blows. But in the end, she’d prevailed. The Ned Jones case was all hers.

She should feel triumphant. Exhilarated. Vindicated.

Instead, anger rolled through her veins like spilled mercury, fluid and shining and toxic. The sting of unshed tears burned her eyes and the mere notion of letting them fall deepened her anger. Showing weakness within the palatial walls of McTierney, Wenzel, Scott and Framus?

Not an option.

Not for her.

Not ever.

After all these years of grinding through the grunt cases, winning the unwinnables, never uttering a complaint, she’d still had to beg the partners for a boon assignment that should’ve been hers without question. Unbelievable. She’d devoted her entire law career to this firm, had more than earned their respect—or should’ve, considering her impeccable track record in the courtroom, her professionalism, her team attitude. The partners should’ve acknowledged all that and rewarded her for it with the Jones case—minus the battle. Because she deserved it, plain and simple. But there was that one small detail….

She was female.

Her jaw tightened.

It wasn’t exactly a secret that women weren’t welcome in this boys’ club, not even when the woman in question kicked the boys’ butts all over Chicago’s legal system and proved herself more than worthy.

Repeatedly.

McTierney, Wenzel, Scott and Framus, Attorneys-at-Law, had a long history of pressing female lawyers against that glass ceiling until they couldn’t breathe anymore. Until they lost their fight. Until they simply…left. Ironically, it was the main reason Colleen had sought out this firm in the first place, which sometimes made her wonder about her sanity. But that infamous glass ceiling lured her as the penultimate challenge. She wanted to punch her fist straight through it in honor of all the excellent female attorneys who’d come and gone, who’d been treated like dirt, who’d given up.

Colleen Delaney didn’t give up.

She would be the one who busted through to a full partner position if it killed her. The boys could smell her single-minded ambition like prey scenting a hungry lioness on the hunt. It only made them scramble even harder to prevent her from succeeding. Maybe that was her problem. She was too good at her job, too unwilling to be placed into some societal box, too much of a fighter. Yeah? Well, too bad. The old boys could try to keep Lioness Delaney in her place all they wanted. It wouldn’t work.

What if you get married?

What if you decide to have babies?

What if you put the firm at a disadvantage because of your damn biological clock?

A new wave of fury crested and broke over her as she recalled the numerous times she’d heard carefully phrased versions of those inconceivable questions while being told some pimple-faced male junior attorney had leapfrogged her for a promotion that should’ve been hers, for a career-making case that should’ve landed on her desk. The partners couldn’t state outright that she wasn’t getting ahead because she was female, of course. But somehow they always managed to drive the point home without crossing any discriminatory lines.

Her conservative Prada pumps echoed like combat boots on the stark marble hallway that led to the cramped, windowless office where she planned to spend as many hours as it took to win this all-important case. Because one thing was certain:

They could give her the worst office in the entire building.

They could downplay her talents and use her reproductive system or the fact that she had the occasional pedicure as an excuse for holding her back.

They could ignore her achievements and treat her like a junior law clerk.

But if she succeeded in winning Ned Jones versus Taka-Hanson, aka Working Man versus The Corporate Monster? No way in hell could Mick McTierney, Richard Wenzel, Harrison Scott or Bill Framus justify not making her partner, and they damn well knew it. This time, she held the reins.

Safely behind the locked door of her claustrophobic cube of an office, she chucked the case files into a messy manila fan on her marred desktop, sank into her chair, rested her forehead in her uncharacteristically shaky hands.

Deep breaths. Calm. Cool.

Regardless of what it took, she’d end up on top this time. Screw the glass ceiling. This case was her golden opportunity to shatter it to hell, once and for all. She’d show them. At this point in her career, she had no choice. She didn’t want to start over when she was this close to making partner, making history in the firm.

And—sad but true—she’d rather die than end up with a life like her mother’s, molding herself into the perfect little wife when the right man—or any willing man—came along. Colleen loved her mother, but she didn’t respect her. Couldn’t. Sure, she felt guilty about that, but what could she do? The main thing Colleen had learned growing up with her mother’s example? She’d rather be hated but respected than loved and pitied.

She didn’t need love to thrive.

She needed success.

Autonomy.

So there it was. She would win this case, damn it, and nab the partner position she should’ve had years ago. And, now that her goal was in sight, nothing, absolutely nothing on earth, could throw her off course.

Eric Nelson was staring slack-jawed with disbelief at the paper he held when the door to his temporary work space—a rarely used conference room at Taka-Hanson headquarters—opened. He glanced up to see his old friend Jack Hanson shoulder halfway past the doorjamb and pause.

“Am I interrupting?” Jack gripped the edge of the door. “I knocked, but—”

Eric shuffled the papers aside and shook off his preoccupation. “Not at all. What’s up?”

“Wanted to run something by you.” Jack crossed the room and sprawled in the chair on the opposite side of the expansive table. He pulled his chin back and studied Eric for a good long stretch. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost, pal. Everything okay?”

No. Everything was the opposite of okay. Eric glanced out the window at the gray Chicago skyline. Snow had begun to fall in fat, wet flakes.

Perfect backdrop for his mood.

He hadn’t hesitated when Jack asked him to represent Taka-Hanson for this trumped-up wrongful termination case. The two of them went back to their law-school years, and Eric never said no to a friend in need. The high-profile status of the case didn’t hurt either. He relished the challenge.

Or, he’d thought so until he’d read the name of the counsel for the plaintiff. Turning back from the window, Eric shook his head, aware he’d been lost in his own thoughts. “Yeah, I’m…Actually, let me ask you something.” He shoved his fingers through his already uncooperative hair, blew out a breath. He couldn’t bluff Jack Hanson. Did he really want to? “You remember much about law school?”

A wistfulness passed over Jack’s expression like swift-moving cloud shadow. Eric knew Jack still missed practicing law, though working for the family business had been the right move after the Hanson patriarch had passed away a few years ago. Losing Jack had been a blow to the law firm, though. One they still felt.

“Every minute of it,” Jack said. “Best years of my life, until I met my lovely wife, that is. Why?”

Eric grimaced. “The name Colleen Delaney ring a bell?”

Jack barked a short laugh and interlaced his fingers behind his head. “Your three-year headache?”

“Migraine,” Eric said, but it wasn’t the entire truth. She was also the woman who’d stolen his heart, then crushed it. But he’d ignore that aspect of the problem. “That woman was a pain in my—”

“Hot, though,” Jack pointed out, aiming a finger Eric’s way. “You have to admit that. And you did start out as friends, if memory serves.”

Eric shrugged, not about to touch on the topic of Colleen Delaney’s “hotness,” or what could’ve been a long-lasting friendship…maybe more…if things hadn’t spiraled horribly out of control. “Not for long.”

“What happened with that? You never told me.”

And he never would. I fell for her and she unceremoniously dumped me? Uh, no. That wasn’t an admission one guy made to another. “Our personalities didn’t mesh,” he said instead. “Butting heads with an obstinate woman isn’t my idea of a good time.” Making love to Colleen by the glow of the streetlight streaming into her apartment window? That had been a good time. Better, actually. It had been an emotional epiphany—or so he’d thought.

Jack nodded slowly. “You two did fight like an old married couple. You know, I always suspected there was something between the pair of you.”

Eric’s ears flamed. He tried to forget that magical night. One of their typical beer-infused legal debates had escalated into something more. So much more. Something amazing—until it all crumbled.

Talk about a colossal mistake.

After one unforgettable night spent in her bed, her personality had done a complete one-eighty. Before that, they’d debated in a friendly way, hung out, studied together and shared a mutual, sizzling attraction. Afterward, her steel walls had slammed down, leaving him strictly on the outside and without a key.

Clearly, he’d been a one-off. If only he’d known that before his heart had gotten involved. Oh, well. Once the sting of the dismissal eased, he’d realized it was for the best. Opposites may attract, but he and Colleen were more like water and electricity than yin and yang. Their kind of opposite was never good. At least, that’s what he told himself. “An old married couple who despised each other and never should’ve gotten hitched in the first place,” he said.

“Indeed.” Jack cocked his head to one side. “But why the blast from the past?”

“Seems the past is going to explode into the present.” He spun the paper he’d been reading around to face Jack. “Delaney’s representing Ned Jones.”

“You’ve got to be—” Jack leaned forward and scanned the paper, a slow grin spreading on his face. “I thought that old tight-ass Framus was at the helm?”

“So did I, but she works for the guy. Who knows what happened there.”

Jack chuckled. “What are the odds? That’s fantastic.”

“Fantastic?” Eric spread his arms wide. “The woman hates me. She made every day of law school a living hell. I was never so happy to bid someone a permanent farewell,” he said, unsure whether he was trying to convince Jack or himself. Colleen had always been headstrong. But after they’d spent the night tangled up in each other, Colleen Delaney, aka She Who Must Be Right, started to remind him way too much of his loud, competitive family. Almost as if she wanted him to think of her that way. Granted, she was physically beautiful, and he’d always felt a pull toward her. But her penchant for getting in your face and refusing to back down until she could claim victory dimmed her outward attributes and left him cold. He got his share of that sort of stress every time he had dinner at his parents’.

While he could admire her tenacious drive to succeed, he didn’t approve of her no-holds-barred tactics. Never had. It wasn’t his style and he didn’t like to be around people who played the game that way. Despite the fact they both practiced law in Chicago, he’d managed to steer clear of her for years. To face her on opposite sides of a high-profile case now? Hell on earth. “I can’t believe she popped up. Couldn’t be a worse time.”

“Like I said,” Jack repeated, “what are the odds?”

“It’s a nightmare I don’t need, Jack. I don’t think you understand the problems she’s going to cause with the case, simply because I’m on the other side.”

Jack let his hands drop to his lap as he studied Eric, a line of worry bisecting his brows. “You want out?”

“Hell, no. That’s not what I’m saying.”

“Thank God.”

Eric frowned. “I wouldn’t let you down like that. I’m deep into research and I think I’m onto something big. I’ve got an angle on this thing.”

“Care to share?”

Eric preferred to have all his facts checked and double-checked before sharing theories with a client. Even when that client happened to be a friend. “Let me follow a few more trails. I’ll give you a full report once I’m sure I’ve covered everything pertinent. We’re in good shape, though. Stand down all the worriers.”

Jack gave a quick nod. “Excellent. As for the Colleen Delaney curveball, you have my sympathy. All I can say is, everything happens for a reason.”

Right. Eric wasn’t so sure about that. There was no reason beyond karmic cruelty why fate would throw the two of them together again. “Enough of your philosophical rhetoric. I’ll handle Delaney. You wanted to run something by me?”

“Yeah. I need your opinion.” Jack rubbed the side of his hand against his jawline. “We’re bringing Robby Axelrod back from Tokyo to head up the latest hotel project here in Chicago. Any thoughts on how that decision might impact the case?”

Eric sat back, tapping his Mont Blanc pen on the stack of paper in front of him as he methodically puzzled through the myriad of possible ramifications. Ned Jones had filed a wrongful termination suit after having been fired from Taka-Hanson. He’d been about to blow the whistle on Axelrod’s—and by extension, Taka-Hanson’s—alleged shady construction practices. He claimed they cut corners to save money, skimped on safety, among a litany of other complaints, all at the direction of Robby Axelrod on behalf of the company.

Frankly, Eric thought Jones was full of it. Gut feeling. The guy reeked of disgruntled employee sniffing for a payout. Taka-Hanson needed to present a united front and hide nothing. Hence, bringing Axelrod back served their purpose. “It’s a good idea,” he said, finally. “Show the world Taka-Hanson backs Axelrod one hundred percent.”

Jack’s alert posture softened. “I hoped you’d say that. I feel the same way, but you’re the boss on this one.”

“Giving the man the reins on a massive new hotel project is a genius strategy, actually. Wish I’d thought of it.” Colleen Delaney wouldn’t agree with the decision, but he didn’t much care. “It reinforces our position that Ned Jones has a self-serving, ulterior motive unrelated to the company’s business practices.”

“Excellent.” Jack stood. “I’ll let you get back to it then. I know you’ve got other cases besides ours.” He headed for the door but turned back, one hand on the brushed-metal handle. “Not that you asked for my advice, but as far as this thing with Colleen Delaney? Deal with it just like you did in law school, pal.”

Eric snorted. “What—argue with her incessantly, then drink beer with my friends and complain?”

Jack grinned. “That’s one option. Before that route, though, try killing her with calmness. So to speak. No actual killing, of course.”

Eric cocked his head in question.

“Don’t you remember how that used to go down?”

“Guess I’ve blocked it out.” He’d blocked a lot about Colleen out because thinking of it, of her, of what could’ve been hurt too much.

“Delaney’s fueled by a fight,” Jack said. “Your Zen attitude? That’s her kryptonite. She never knew what to pull out of her arsenal when you went the chill route.”

Eric hadn’t held on to those particular memories, but come to think of it, true enough. Calmness had always doused the fire of Colleen’s argumentative nature. It was as if she didn’t know how to handle someone who wouldn’t rise to her bait, which worked out great for him. He had no desire for the constant clashing. Lucky for him, he’d had years of practicing law his way—balanced, level, calm. Years of being away from the woman who got under his skin, in more ways than one, and challenged that. Years to forget.

“I suppose it’s worth a try.”

“Definitely. In fact, go all out and blindside her.”

“Meaning?”

“Rekindle the old friendship.”

Danger zone. He’d handle her with calmness this time, just as Jack suggested, though he wasn’t so sure about befriending her. The rest, though, it could work.

Hopefully.

If not, he’d do his best to ignore her, suffer through the case, then move on with his life once he’d cleared Axelrod and Taka-Hanson, which he had no doubt he could. He hiked his chin toward Jack. “Thanks. Good stuff. I’ll take it under advisement.”

Jack smiled, smacking his palm on the door a couple times. “If it doesn’t work, you know I’m always available for that beer.”

Chapter Two

Eric cut a quick path out of the courthouse building. The hearing had gone well enough, which was to say, he hadn’t had to speak directly to Colleen. At this point, that constituted a victory.

The moment he’d seen her, his resolve collapsed, telling him without a doubt that he wasn’t over her. She’d matured from a hot law student into a fiercely sexy woman. And, despite what she might think, her conservative, man-tailored blue suit and precisioncut, swingy black hair couldn’t quite hide her assets.

The broken-glass personality, though? Still as sharp.

When she’d made a motion to bar Robby Axelrod from working on the Taka Hotel project, Eric felt the fury radiate from her like snapped electrical wires. When the judge had denied her request, those wires sparked and exploded in his direction. No chance of putting the calm, friendly approach into play today. Clearly she needed time to cool off. Delaney the Debate Diva was not at all happy about that first loss, the first of many in this case if Eric’s research panned out. He had no desire to face her wrath today.

He’d almost made a safe escape when he heard:

“Nelson! Hang on. I need to talk to you.”

The click-clack of her determined, angry footsteps approaching brought him to a reluctant stop. He swore under his breath, then remembered Jack’s words of wisdom and turned to face her. Calm, cool, confident. Cordial. At least on the outside. He wished Jack had given her the same advice.

She stormed up, chin raised for a fight.

“Colleen,” he said in a mild tone, trying not to notice her smooth, touchable skin. Trying desperately not to inhale her signature powdery scent. “Good to see you after all these years. How have you been?”

“Are you out of your mind?” she asked, her blue eyes molten.

Deep breath in, slow release. Apparently being susceptible to nostalgia wasn’t one of her faults. “Nice greeting.”

She flicked away his attempts at semipolite conversation as if his words were a mosquito swarm. So much for Jack’s plan. “Make your clients take Axelrod off the new hotel project until this case is settled. I mean it.”

Oh, she meant it. Good to know. “I’m not talking to you about this here, Colleen. Not when you’re tossing off demands without so much as a hello.”

He turned and casually walked away.

After a stunned moment, she followed.

“How can you defend those corporate monsters, Eric? That’s not your style.”

“You know nothing about my style. We haven’t spoken in almost a decade.”

“Do you have any idea how many lives are potentially at stake thanks to their shoddy construction?”

“Yep.” A beat passed. “Exactly…none.”

“None?”

Her hand closed around his forearm, a tiny viselike grip of self-righteousness. Resisting the urge to yank away, ignoring the tingles a simple touch sent through his body, he stilled. Stared down at her hand on his arm in relaxed silence until she got the hint and pulled back.

As he looked into her zealous, heart-shaped face, a pang of compassion struck him for how clueless she seemed to be. She had a pit-bull grip on a fight she would lose, and she didn’t seem to have a clue about her client or the big picture. Hard to believe she’d let her lack of research into the case show through her porcupine quills of ire, but as far as he knew, she’d only recently been assigned to it. Maybe she hadn’t had adequate time to delve in. Still. No excuse. She needed to do her research and find out what she was dealing with.

Harsh, Nelson.

Eric’s overactive conscience kicked in, his emotional pull toward this woman. He didn’t want to embarrass her; he simply wanted to exonerate his clients. Sharing what he’d dug up about a possible connection between her client and his client’s key rival before she humiliated herself in front of the entire Chicago legal community felt like the right move. He wasn’t violating privilege; Jack Hanson didn’t even know Drake Thatcher might be involved yet. Contrary to the reputation of most attorneys, he wasn’t about putting on the best show in the courtroom. He was about truth and balance and justice.

Fairness.

That meant bringing Colleen up to speed, like it or not. He sighed. “Listen. Join me for lunch. We can discuss this like reasonable professionals.”

She blinked in surprise. “You…you’re asking me to lunch? Are you crazy?”

He tapped the face of his watch. “Strangely, no. Lunch is what people do around this time of day. It’s one of the three widely recognized meals.”