Karen Drogin - Perfect Partners (Zebra Bouquet Romances)

Perfect Partners

Carly Phillips

InkWell Publishing

To the perfect partner, my husband, Phillip, and to my special girls, Jaclyn and Jennifer.

A special thanks to Hudson Valley RWA for accepting me and helping me achieve my dream. And to Kathy, Renee, Janet, Bette, Claire, Terri, Eileen and Shannon ... May all your dreams come true.

is published in

eBook format

by

InkWell Publishing

521 Fifth Avenue, 26th Floor

New York, NY 10175

Original Copyright 1999 by Karen Drogin

eBook Copyright 2011 by Karen Drogin

Cover Design by Julie Ortolon, copyright Julie Ortolon, 2011

Cover Photo by Fenias, copyright Fenias at Dreamstime.com

eBook format by A Thirsty Mind

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Dear Readers:

Many of you have written and asked how you can find my older titles that have long been out of print. Almost all of my books have been available in eBook formatexcept for three books I wrote early in my career under my real name, Karen Drogin. Im thrilled to be able to bring you these books now.

PERFECT PARTNERS, THE RIGHT CHOICE, and SOLITARY MAN are stand alone books, not connected in any way. To be clearthese are OLDER titlespublished AS WRITTEN in 1999 and 2000 respectively. As a writer, I know I have grown and changed, but these books hold a very special place in my heart. They are more emotional and deeper than many of my more recent Carly books. But as fate or serendipity would have it, they are quite similar in tone to the series I will be putting out this year with Berkley, SERENDIPITY . I hope you enjoy!

As always, you can visit me at www.carlyphillips.com/ ; Id love to hear from you (Contact Carly at www.carlyphillips.com/contact-carly/ ). And follow me on Facebook ( www.facebook.com/CarlyPhillipsFanPage ), Twitter ( www.twitter.com/#!/carlyphillips ) and my Blog ( www.plotmonkeys.com ) for updates and all things Carly!

Happy Reading!

Carly Phillips

CONTENTS

Ive reached a decision. Will the parties please rise?

Chelsie Russell eased back her chair and rose to her feet, scrutinizing the white-haired judge who held her nieces fete in his hands. She didnt dare look at her mother and father seated to her left. She could barely face their lies and manipulations. For the first time in her life, Chelsie wanted to lose a case.

Representing her parents had been a foolish undertaking made under stressful, grief-filled circumstances. The untimely loss of her sister had been raw, the guilt for things not done, acute. Having grown up in their home, she should have known her mother and father werent cut out to be role models to a young child.

The judge cleared his throat. Rendering a decision between family is never easy. He turned towards Griffin Stuart, a man Chelsie had wronged in ways shed never intended. You lost a brother in that car accident, the judge said.

Griffin nodded. Chelsie swallowed over the lump in her throat. With his dark hair and strong features, the resemblance to her niece was unmistakable. So was his devotion. His earlier testimony proved his suffering ran deep. She clutched the edges of the scarred wooden table.

The judge turned towards Chelsies parents. And you lost a daughter, he said with compassion. Your desire to raise your granddaughter is understandable. Admirable even, but not at someone elses expense.

Chelsie agreed. She hadnt known her parents would breach the boundaries of fairness to obtain what they wanted. She only wished she had known. They all would have been spared this ordeal.

The judge continued. No one benefits by lying and deceit. Nor will it gain you the result you seek. As a result, I hereby award full and permanent custody to the childs uncle, Griffin Stuart, with liberal visitation rights granted to the Russells, who I hope have learned from this experience. He banged his gavel. Court is adjourned.

It was over . Chelsie laid her head in her hands as her parents stormed out of the room without a word.

Alone in the hallway, Chelsie leaned against the marble pillar and closed her eyes. Through her light silk blouse, the cold stone chilled her back and she shivered. Despite her relief over the outcome, common decency and her feelings for Griffin Stuart mandated she attempt to make amends.

She wondered if hed even listen. Having avoided family functions, Chelsies dealings with Griffin had been limited to professional affairs. They would pass one another at bar-related functions with a friendly nod and an occasional exchange of pleasantries. At times, she even thought shed been the recipient of a lingering look, but knew she had to be mistaken. Or perhaps shed just wanted to be. Though shed given him an admiring glance of her own, her chosen lifestyle left no room for any man, especially one whose ties to her family drew her into an emotional minefield.

And now? Theyd have to be civil for Alixs sake. Thanks to the judges ruling, Griff couldnt deny her or her parents visitation, but she no longer expected him to greet her with an easy smile or a casual laugh. His reputation labeled him as a formidable attorney with a quick temper which hed probably turn her way, given half a chance.

Tough morning?

Chelsie recognized that deep voice. Apparently, the endless day wasnt over yet. More than you can imagine, she said as she lifted her gaze.

Hazel eyes blazed with unspoken anger and his blatant disgust charged the air around him. She remembered a time when those eyes had gazed upon her with friendly warmth. Looking at him now, aloof, distant, and treating her with disdain, she regretted the change. But she met the challenge without blinking.

She understood Griffins contempt and wouldnt begrudge him his pain. Shed lost a sister. Hed barely gotten over the shock of losing his brother when shed served him with custody papers.

Shed nearly cost him his niece, the only family he had left, and Chelsie knew that pain firsthand. She was intimately familiar with losing someone precious. I just ...

Dont tell me. Its always difficult to lose a case, he said with undisguised hostility.

She shook her head. Not this time.

Really?

Really. I owe you an apology.

Save the Im sorrys for someone who cares. You did your job and you lost. Just be thankful you did, or who knows what kind of life my niece would have had?

Shes my niece, too.

A lot of good that almost did her.

She winced because he was right. Because her parents had lost their daughter, Chelsie had succumbed to her mothers tears and her fathers pleas, believing the couple would put their granddaughter first, before their active social life and status in the community. An orphaned little girl deserved more stability than one parent or guardian could offer. Chelsie had forgone fighting for custody herself because her single-parent home wasnt the best choice for her niece, nor was Griffins. At least her parents could afford to care for the little girl, and Chelsie had planned on her own influence to compensate for her parents shortcomings.

Lying, cheating, and attempted bribery. Theyd gone overboard this time. She shivered in disgust Given the choice between the carefree bachelor and her materialistic parents, shed gambled on hope and her parents ... and lost.

She shifted her attention to the man to whom she owed more than an apology. You have every right to be angry, but Im glad you won. Chelsie placed a hand on his arm. Searing heat and an unexpected jolt of awareness penetrated her fingertips. Warmth suffused her, awakening long dormant feelings. She shook her head, amazed a mere touch could ignite a flame so strong it threatened to consume her.