“Oh, yes. Right. Need to talk before we—um—”
“Talk to the Chief Justice, exactly,” Rachel finished. “I hope we’ll get a chance to talk to him before we leave the conference.”
“OK, suit yourselves,” Cassie said, giving Brady a dismissive look.
Rachel and Cassie agreed to meet in an hour at the sauna in the recreational center next to the lodge. Cassie then excused herself; she went off and latched onto some unsuspecting man nearby. Rachel saw the man, who had his back turned before Cassie descended upon him, give her a shocked and not very happy expression, although Cassie greeted him as though he were an old friend.
“Quick thinking,” Brady said. “Thanks.”
“Had to get rid of her,” Rachel told him. They walked out of the lobby together and back to Brady’s SUV. Rachel looked over her shoulder before the left and saw Cassie staring at them as they departed.
“I’m sorry you have to spend time with her,” Brady said as they got back into his vehicle.
“Oh, well. Maybe I can learn something.”
“Like what?”
“Like how not to act. I didn’t appreciate how she treated you. I guess Hannah’s told her that you’re her opponent.”
“No doubt about that,” Brady said and put his SUV into gear. “I guess you need to be friendly with her.”
“I’d rather be friendly with you,” she teased.
“We can’t be that kind of friendly here,” he said and found a parking place near the lodge rooms.
“Perhaps we could sneak into the woods and get some time alone together while we’re here,” she suggested as they pulled their luggage to their rooms.
“Outdoors, huh?” Brady asked.
“No, not what you’re thinking,” Rachel said as they reached their rooms.
“What am I thinking?”
“You’re thinking about something that we can’t do until we’re back in Bourbon Springs,” she said. “And definitely something we shouldn’t do out in the open on public property. And with a bunch of judges around.”
They were standing outside the doors to their respective rooms in the open-air corridor. They were alone, but dared not risk kissing, touching, or going into the other’s room.
Rachel took a deep breath as Brady gave her a searing look. Her chest rose, and she found it nearly impossible not to reach for him.
“I think I’d better get in my room before I do something we both regret,” she said softly.
“I wouldn’t regret it,” he said, and went into his room, suddenly leaving her alone and very lonely outside her own.
Rachel spent a tiresome hour with Judge Claiborne in the sauna. She learned that Hannah had indeed told her of Brady’s candidacy, and that allegedly Brady wasn’t generally liked in Bourbon Springs. Rachel protested, albeit mildly, and said that she wasn’t aware of such widespread dislike, but that Brady did have a reputation as a tough prosecutor. Rachel also learned that Brady had been right: Cassie did see Hannah and her family as valuable supporters. Even though they were from different parts of the state, there weren’t any geographic restrictions on campaign contributions. And Cassie let it slip that she was hoping that a cousin of Hannah’s—Fuzzy Davenport, the former Craig County Sheriff—would put in a good word with her to the governor so she could indeed get that expected open seat on the Court of Appeals in the upcoming year.
So after getting steamed (literally and figuratively) in the sauna, Rachel was happy and relieved to enjoy dinner with Brady in the main dining room of the lodge. He secured a table for two near a window overlooking the lake, and they enjoyed a quiet and uneventful meal, content in each other’s presence. To their surprise there weren’t many diners, which made it all the more difficult for them not to touch or hold hands since they felt almost alone.
Over the next several days, Rachel was surrounded by a swirling mass of judges and other officials, rarely getting a moment to herself unless she retreated to her room. She attended more workshops, classes, and roundtables than she could count, although she knew that the programming was good and that she would be able to use what she learned when she returned to Bourbon Springs. But the cost of all that learning and judicial camaraderie was that she rarely saw Brady. During the conference, they exchanged several raunchy texts and managed to sit together in a few classes, but found it hard to be near each other under the restrictions their circumstances dictated.
For the last night of the event, the conference had completely rented out the dining room and closed it to the public. The event was ticketed with assigned seats, and there was to be an open bar and bourbon tasting followed by dinner. When Rachel and Brady checked their tickets against the master seating plan, they discovered that they had been seated at the same table, with Justice Nolan sitting between them. During the conference, they had both spoken with their mentor, although separately and briefly, and had received hearty congratulations from her on their judgeships. Apparently Justice Nolan wanted to spend some additional time with her protégés and had made the seating arrangements herself. They agreed to go to the cocktail party and dinner together, figuring they could easily justify being together as colleagues from the same town and as tablemates with Justice Nolan.
The dress for the night was casual, but Rachel classed it up a little. She wore a black linen skirt that hit just above the knee with a short matching jacket and lavender scoop neck short-sleeve top underneath. Her hair was up in a very loose bun and tendrils of her dark locks fell along the side of her face; the omnipresent humidity of a summer in the South had gently twisted the loose strands into soft, bouncy curls.
She was putting on her pearls when she heard a knock. Upon opening the door, Brady stood before her in black slacks and white button-down shirt.
Simple. Clean. Sexy.
“Oh, wow,” she rasped when she saw him.
For his part, Brady could only stand there with his mouth open.
She hadn’t dressed or primped for the evening to knock Brady’s socks off, but from his lack of speech she knew at once she’d gotten his attention.
Brady finally found his voice.
“We can’t get back to Bourbon Springs soon enough,” he said, turning his eyes from her form.
“No disagreement here,” she said. Rachel grabbed her purse from the bed while Brady waited outside her room and then they were off.
It felt strange to her to be walking alongside Brady, all dressed up and going to dinner, and not to take his arm. He hadn’t offered it to her, and she sensed it was just as hard for him not to make the chivalrous gesture as it was for her not to slip her arm under his and press against his side as they walked along.
“Want to go for a walk later?” she asked as they entered the dining room.
On one side of the room below them were the open bar and the bourbon tasting area, with most people crowded around the open bar. On the other side of the dining area were large circular tables which were set for ten diners each. The tables were draped with crisp white tablecloths and crowned with clutches of flickering votive candles, which provided a warm and welcoming glow.
“You read my mind,” he said as his eyes scanned the room. “But I can’t be held responsible for my actions if I get you alone tonight. And I won’t care whether we’re inside or outside, Judge Richards.”
She swallowed.
“I need a drink,” she said and walked away, leaving Brady to enjoy the view of her retreating backside as she departed from his presence.
Chapter 21
Rachel wandered over to the bourbon tasting tables in front of the windows overlooking the lake. She wasn’t looking for the buzz, she wanted the mellow.
That’s where the bourbon came in.
She encountered the Chief Justice at the tasting area, along with several judges Rachel had become acquainted with through the week.
“There’d better be some Old Garnet in this tasting or I’m not bothering,” Rachel said.
“Don’t you get
enough of that at home?” the Chief joked.
Rachel shook her head. “Can’t get enough Garnet,” she said.
“Spoken like a true native of Bourbon Springs,” said another judge whose name she could not remember. The judge raised a shot glass in Rachel’s direction and took a sip of the contents, which Rachel could see even at a distance was that warm brown color familiar to many a bourbon drinker.
“There’s a hometown girl for ya!” said an irritatingly familiar voice. Judge Claiborne had announced her presence.
Like a trapped animal seeking an escape route, Rachel instinctively scanned the room for Brady, but spotted him at the open bar far away talking with Justice Nolan. She hoped he’d come to her rescue, but no such luck. He was engaged in discussion with the justice and someone she thought was a judge on the Court of Appeals, Judge Amos O’Toole.
So Rachel suffered through the bourbon tasting without Brady. She never thought that such an experience could be ruined, especially when Old Garnet was amongst the offerings, but the irksome duo of the Chief Justice and Judge Claiborne put the lie to that belief. Rachel extracted herself from the tasting and headed for the open bar, still looking for Brady.
When she couldn’t find him amidst the other jurists, she became so frustrated she actually stomped her foot. It had been a long week: uptight judges surrounded her; the bourbon hadn’t made her relax; and she was so horny that she was about to spontaneously combust. She noticed that people were moving from the bar area across the room and into the space with tables. Time for dinner.
Rachel pulled her ticket from her small black clutch and checked her table and seat. Confirming the numbers, she began to migrate with the other diners to the other side of the room, and was happy to soon spot Brady standing with Justice Nolan near their assigned table.
Justice Nolan introduced Brady and Rachel to the others at their table, most of whom were staff attorneys at the Supreme Court. As a result, the justice, Brady, and Rachel, were the only judges at the table. Rachel found to her surprise that she was relieved not to be sitting—yet again—with a judge on both sides.
“I’m so glad we got to sit together tonight,” Justice Nolan enthused. “I wanted the chance to talk to you both.”
“About anything in particular?” Rachel asked and took a sip of wine. She had managed to snag a glass off a tray just as the open bar had been closing.
“Only to ask how things are in Craig County and how you two like being a judge.”
They filled her in on their judicial experiences to date, and inevitably the issue of Brady drawing an opponent came up. Justice Nolan was appropriately sympathetic.
“That happened to me when I first got appointed to the bench. It was tough. It was a friend of my family. The good news was that I kept my seat and haven’t lost a race since,” the justice said, knocking on the table with her knuckles. “But the bad news was that it damaged our friendship.”
“That’s too bad,” Rachel said. “Did you ever patch things up?”
“Yes, but the relationship was always strained after that,” Justice Nolan admitted as she brought her wine glass to her lips. Rachel caught Brady’s eye and saw him biting his lip before he looked away. “So who is this opponent?” Justice Nolan finally asked.
“Hannah Davenport,” Brady said.
“Not sure I know her, but I’m familiar with that last name. Wasn’t there a long term sheriff from your area by the name of Davenport?” Justice Nolan asked, and Rachel confirmed her memory was correct.
“Hannah Davenport happens to be Rachel’s best friend,” Brady revealed. Rachel glared at him, but he shrugged. “It’s true,” he said.
Justice Nolan looked from Rachel and then to Brady.
“Well, I’m sure that makes things…” she paused for several seconds, struggling to find the right word.
“Interesting,” Rachel said, finishing her thought and her sentence.
“That’s one way to put it,” Justice Nolan said, nodding.
The justice mercifully changed the topic and started chatting about a portrait unveiling in the Craig Circuit Courthouse later in the year. The subject of the portrait was Justice Nolan’s late predecessor on the appellate bench and her mentor, and she had naturally requested the opportunity to speak at the event, which was several months out. Rachel and Brady assured her they would both be there. Rachel realized, however, that the unveiling was scheduled after the election. She wondered whether Brady would be newly elected or a lame duck at the event, and the uncertainty made her anxious.
The food at state parks was usually quite good, but the dinner that night was forgettable, and only a shade above the level of rubber chicken. Dessert was a nondescript lemon pie, which Rachel refused, as did Brady. Justice Nolan partook, but only downed a few bites before she pushed her plate away and put her napkin on the table.
Other occupants of their table began to excuse themselves and Justice Nolan followed suit, with Rachel and Brady trailing after her out of the dining room. The trio broke up outside the main lodge when Justice Nolan lingered to speak with some of her fellow justices. Before they all said good night, the justice gave both of them hugs and wished them well.
“I am so proud of both of you,” she said, hugging Rachel and then turning to hug Brady. “I know you’re both going to be wonderful judges.” Rachel saw Brady’s face fall ever-so-slightly, and apparently Justice Nolan did as well. “Now, now,” she admonished. “Chin up. It will work out, Brady.”
“Thanks,” he said.
“And let me tell you right now—in the very unlikely event it doesn’t, I’ll be more than happy to pull whatever strings I can in the Attorney General’s office to get a job for you. I’m sure they’d love to have someone with your experience in their special prosecutions division.” Brady thanked her effusively before he and Rachel departed.
Rachel checked her watch. It was nearly nine, but there was still light in the summer sky in the far west. Still too bright to take a stroll together, so they walked in silence back to their rooms.
“Meet you in thirty minutes down by the southern hiking trail?” he asked as he swiped his keycard through the lock on the door without looking at her.
“Oh, yeah,” she said with an anticipatory sigh, and performed the same action with her own key. “But you bring the bug spray.”
Rachel wasn’t sure how she managed to beat Brady down to their little rendezvous spot, and had been surprised to see that she had arrived first. It was now mostly dark, with only the light of a half-moon overhead. As a result, Rachel felt exposed and nervous. Maybe this wasn’t such a smart idea after all. Woman going into the semi-dark woods, alone, to meet a co-worker with whom she’s having a secret affair; it had all the markings of a bad horror film.
She was standing near a tree stump at the beginning of the trail, realizing that she was an idiot for being out in the dark by herself, when she heard his voice.
“Hey,” Brady said from behind her, and she nearly jumped out of her skin.
“You scared the crap out of me!” she hissed.
“Sorry,” he said, “but I thought you expected me.”
“Bring the bug spray?” she asked. He held up the can and without further invitation began to spray her arms and legs. “Tell me again why we’re doing this.”
“Because we’ve not had a moment alone in almost four whole days,” he said, spraying himself. “And even if we can’t get in each other’s pants tonight, I’ll happily take a makeout session instead.”
The spray was used up, and Brady threw it in a trashcan at the head of the trail. When he held his hand out to Rachel, she took it.
“That feels nice,” she said. “Four days is a long time to be around you but not be together.” He pulled her hand to his lips and kissed it. Brady started to pull her to him, but she resisted.
“Not yet,” she said. “We’re still within sight of the lodge,” she noted.
“Then let’s get going, Judge Richards,” Brady declar
ed, and pulled Rachel by her hand into the forest.
The woods were alive with sound, with crickets, owls, and other various critters making their presence known in a low cacophonous symphony. Rachel liked the noises, provided she didn’t hear a growl or a roar. She’d read the park literature to learn about the wildlife, and had been relieved to see that bears were almost never spotted in the park. Rachel figured the most dangerous thing they could encounter was an irked raccoon.
“Where are we going?” she asked him. “I haven’t been this far down on this trail.”
“I have. I know where we’re going. Trust me.”
Rachel did, and after ten more minutes Brady directed her off the path and through the trees until they were in a small clearing. Through the opening in the tree canopy, the moon shone brightly, casting an eerie glow through the forest, and Brady bade her to follow him. Once she was back under the trees and out of the moonlight, her eyes adjusted to the dimness again and she saw a wooden bench.
Brady stopped before the bench and gestured to it. “Take a seat,” he requested.
“How’d you know about this place?”
“Just went exploring in the woods one day. Went off trail a little and stumbled onto it. I think this used to be part of the trail until recently, considering the decent condition of the bench, but for whatever reason they moved the trail or it got a little overgrown and they never tidied the area back up.”
Rachel looked around. “Do you have a picnic basket hidden away somewhere?” she asked hopefully.
“After tonight’s fare, that would have been a great idea. I wish I’d thought of it sooner.”
“Then I guess we’ll just have to settle for each other’s company.”
Wasting no time, he pulled her to him and kissed her hard and long, leaving her breathless and wanting more. “I hate not being able to kiss you,” he said.
“The feeling’s mutual,” she managed to whisper before her last word was muffled by another kiss.
She moved her hands under his shirt, causing him to groan and grind against her. Rachel felt how hard he was.
Secret Blend (Bourbon Springs Book 1) Page 18