Rebecca Atkins: Attorney At Love (Lonely Cowboy Series)

by Susan Leigh Carlton

  “I think that would be a good idea,” she said.

  He left.

  “Damn it,” she said.

  CHAPTER 11: A JOB OFFER

  Like any other job hunter, Rebecca had submitted resumes to several large law firms in the District. She had not heard from any of them up until today.

  Today there were three. All of them asked her to come in for an interview. She contacted them and scheduled the interviews. They asked her to come in for a follow up interview with a partner at two of the interviews. The third had arranged an interview with a partner immediately following the initial interview.

  Jerome Rawson, a Managing Partner at Rawson and Eggers in Washington spoke first in the interview. “Miss Atkins, you have quite an impressive list of credentials. Please don’t take this wrong, but are they verifiable?”

  “Yes sir, they are. Georgetown will release transcriptions upon request. I was number one in my class and headed the Law Review my senior year and was on it my junior year.”

  “Why did you leave your last position?”

  “I was there for two years and was assigned nothing but menial cases and family domestic disputes. I had people fighting in the office. I once had a gun fired in my office and I received threats. What really hurt was seeing graduates that had been in my class given more lucrative offers and being assigned litigation duties. They were moving on the partner track and I wasn’t even on one. I was putting in 90+ hours per week and receiving no benefits or recognition for it.”

  “Why do you think that was, Miss Atkins?”

  “Sir, I was the only female on the staff. I can’t believe it was any other reason. I beat everyone that was hired in mock court during my senior year.”

  “What are your plans if you don’t find something suitable, Miss Atkins?”

  “Sir, I have a standing offer from Atkins Holdings in Texas as their corporate attorney. It is a very lucrative offer. I also have an offer from them to be their Washington representative.”

  “Why haven’t you accepted one of these offers?”

  “My father owns the firm. I want to make it on my own. I have two half brothers. I will someday own at least one third of Atkins/Kleburne Holdings.”

  “You are a relative of the Kleburne family?”

  “My mother’s maiden name was Kleburne. She is heiress apparent to a large portion of Kleburne interests.”

  “Miss Atkins, I will have to verify your credentials. I presume you passed the District Bar?”

  “Yes sir, and Maryland and Virginia.”

  “When we get verification of your credentials, I think it is a fair assumption you will receive an impressive offer from us. We would like to have you with our firm as a litigator.”

  “Thank you sir. I feel I must tell you I have interviews with two other firms this week.”

  “Thank you for being honest. I don’t blame you for waiting to compare. Miss Atkins, may I ask you a personal question?”

  “Certainly.”

  “Why did you wait so long before bailing out on the firm you were with?”

  “I kept waiting and expecting them to do the right thing. Finally, the stress became so high, I needed a change.”

  “Miss Atkins, didn’t I see you at the White House two weeks ago?”

  “Yes, sir. A friend of mine invited me as his guest. It was the experience of a lifetime.”

  “Is your friend an attorney also?”

  “Yes sir, he graduated from Harvard Law.”

  “We’ll want to talk with you about him also. Thank you for the opportunity to talk to you. You will hear back from us within the week.”

  “Yes sir. Thank you Mr. Rawson. It was my pleasure.”

  “On your way out, please make sure my secretary knows how to reach you.”

  “Yes sir. Thank you, sir.”

  * * *

  Rebecca was elated with the results of the interview she had with Jerome Rawson. She felt as if her years of training were finally going to pay off with a legitimate job. When she got home, she called Charles, anxious to share the news with someone. Anyone.

  When he did not answer, she was not surprised. He was probably meeting with a client. She had to be content with telling Bandit about it. He didn’t seem as excited as she was. Nevertheless, she was still excited.

  She had the first followup interview the next day. It went well, but not as well as the previous one. The partner she met with, had read her resume. He said they already had them verified with Georgetown. He asked what type of law she was interested in, to which she said she would like anything except divorce cases, but she was very interested in litigation.

  The partner told her they would offer her a position with a mentor, the details of which would be forthcoming in a letter. It was a large firm with a lot of names on the door. “Have you finished your interview process?” he asked.

  “I have one more scheduled,” Rebecca replied.

  “You should have our offer by the time you finish with your interviews,” he said.

  The final interview was held the next day. She talked with the partner for an hour. “I was very impressed with your academic record at Georgetown,” he said. “I also spoke with your previous firm and they spoke highly of you. I have two specialties here,” he said. “They are estate management and family law. I would like to have you join my group. We are expanding along with the growth of the District.” He probed the depths of her experience with her previous firm. “We have need of someone with your background. We are prepared to offer you a position in my department as a junior associate.” He named an amount that was a goodly amount more than she was making at the previous firm.

  “When could you start?” he asked.

  “I would say right away, however I have another firm to which I will owe a response.”

  “Why can you not make a decision right away?” he asked.

  “They implied they would make an offer as soon as they verified my resume information.”

  “We are interested enough to have made an attractive offer beginning immediately, he said.

  “I realize that, sir, but I gave my word to the other firm, and I don’t give it lightly.”

  “Miss Atkins, that is a good answer. I respect integrity and it appears you have it. I will hold this offer open for thirty days. Please let us know within that time frame.”

  “Yes sir, I will and thank you for understanding. I do have a question that is largely a matter of curiosity. Are there other female attorneys with the firm?”

  ”You would be one of three. The other two are first year, one from Georgetown and the other from Virginia,” he answered.

  “At least I wouldn’t be lonely then. Thank you again for the offer and the opportunity to interview.”

  Rebecca was disappointed the offer was in family trust and estate law. She hid her feelings well.

  One nice thing had come out of the day. She had a job. If she wanted it.

  On Monday of the following week, she received a special delivery letter from Rawson and Eggers, signed by Jerome Rawson, Attorney At Law. It said in part, “We are pleased to offer you a position in our litigation department as an associate.” The letter didn’t name a figure. It further read, “Would you please contact our office upon receipt of this correspondence.”

  She called Rawson and Eggers and said, “I received the letter from Mr. Rawson asking me to call.”

  “When would you like to come in and meet with Mr. Rawson?”

  “I am available anytime that is convenient for Mr. Rawson.”

  “Would you be available at one o’clock tomorrow afternoon? Mr. Rawson will be in court tomorrow morning.”

  “I will be there at 1:00 tomorrow afternoon. Thank you for your assistance.”

  Rebecca tried calling Charles but again received no answer. On her walk with Bandit, she knocked on the door but there was no sign of anyone around, so she continued her walk.

  “I guess he went to Atlanta as planned, Bandit.” B
andit didn’t respond. “I’ve got to get a life…”

  The next afternoon…

  Rebecca went to the offices of Rawson and Eggers, arriving shortly before the appointed time of 1:00p.m.. She was directed to Jerome Rawson’s office, where she was greeted warmly.

  “Miss Atkins, it is good to see you again.”

  “Thank you. It is good to be here again.”

  “Have you completed all of your interviews?”

  “Yes, I had the last of them yesterday.”

  “We received verification of your references and education. We are prepared to make you an offer.”

  “I have really been looking forward to this,” she said with a smile.

  “As have I,” Rawson said. “We have prepared an offer for you. In essence, we are offering you the position of Associate Litigator. You would be on the partner track. It would involve a lot of hours, but not, I suspect, as many as you were having at your former firm. As an associate, you would be expected to work whatever your case requires. We have assistants that help in research when they aren’t being utilized by a partner.” He named a salary considerably higher than the previous offer she had received. “I don’t expect an answer today but would like to know your level of interest.”

  “Mr. Rawson, I’m prepared to give you my acceptance right now. I think I will really like working for your firm. When would you like for me to start?”

  “Well, I must say I’m pleased. We will need time to have an office prepared for you. I will be your mentor and direct your caseload. I am going to be taking my family on vacation and you would be at loose ends while I’m gone. Will you need to find housing?”

  “I have a house in Georgetown so that is not a problem. The first of the month would be perfect for me. I will have an opportunity to visit my family before I start.”

  “Welcome aboard Miss Atkins, or may I call you Rebecca?”

  “Rebecca is fine.”

  “Please see Mrs. Johnston, my secretary. She will give you the papers and the agreements you will need to sign. We will see you on the first of the month then.”

  “I’m looking forward to it very much.”

  When Rebecca returned home, she found a letter with a return address of Atlanta. As she had thought, Charles had gone to Atlanta to visit Atlanta to relax and get away from the stress he had encountered. He would be returning to the Washington area the first of the month.

  Rebecca had thought everything was coming together perfectly. Then the business with Charles and Cynthia had come up. That really rocked her. She believed Charles’s version but hated the weakness in him. She wasn’t sure what her next step would be, other than going to Cimmaron and home.

  She went to Union Station and arranged for tickets to San Antonio and back. She also checked on arrangements for Bandit. He would be required to travel in the baggage car but with the time of the year, the heat would not be a problem. She would need to get a crate for him. She would be able to check on him during the trip.

  Her next task was to notify her parents of her plans. Her mother answered the phone when she called. She didn’t receive long distance calls from anyone other than Becky. She voiced pleasure at Becky’s new job and said, “Your father is going to be pleased no end when I tell him you’re coming. Thomas and Josh will both be pleased also. They haven’t seen you in over a year. You’ll get to see your nieces and nephews too. Will Charles be coming also?”

  “Mother! I don’t know what he’s going to do. He’s in Atlanta and I received a letter today. I’m not very happy with him right now.”

  She gave her mother her schedule. Her mother said, “Becky, it is going to be good having you here even if it is only for a couple of weeks. We’ll have to have a party. Please let me know if you have a change of plans. We love you darling.”

  “I love you too, Mother.”

  CHAPTER 12: A VACATION AND THEN A NEW JOB

  Rebecca was all set for her vacation trip back to the Bar S in Cimmaron, TX. She had arranged for a neighbor to look after the house while she was gone. She had purchased a crate for Bandit on the trip. She had given her mother the arrival information. She was good to go.

  Left on her “To Do List” was a letter to Charles. She gathered her writing materials and sat down to write. She told Charles how pleased she was to hear from him and agreed the time away from the District would be beneficial for him.

  She told him she had accepted a job offer, but didn’t say from whom or when. She told Charles she was returning to Texas for her first trip back in several years and how much she was looking forward to it. She said she was taking Bandit but Bandit didn’t seem as excited as she was.

  She signed it “Sincerely yours, Rebecca.” She stamped it and left it for the mailman to pick it up. Her “To Do List” was complete. She would leave on the 8:00a.m. train. She would arrive in Cimmaron in just over 100 hours. She had booked a drawing room due to the length of the trip.

  She had arranged for a carriage to pick her up at 7:00. The carriage was on time and she was on her way. She had taken Bandit into the yard before they left so he was good. She would be taking him off at the various stops for him to do his business.

  At Union Station, Rebecca tipped a porter to take Bandit personally to the baggage car. After she got on board and put her things away, she made her way to the baggage car, where she found a friendly and most helpful clerk who would be with the train as far as San Antonio. This pleased Rebecca no end and tipped him generously in advance, ensuring Bandit’s trip was not a strain on him.

  Rebecca would be taking her meals in the dining car, at the suggestion by her parents. The food was varied and tasty.

  Her trip was uneventful but tiring and dusty. By the time she reached San Antonio, she felt as if she had never bathed. Somehow, the cleansing she had been able to do, just didn’t leave her feeling clean.

  Her train from Washington was named Washington & Southwestern Vestibuled Limited. It would take her from Washington to New Orleans, where the car would be dropped and picked up by the Sunset Limited on to San Antonio. She had been lucky enough to secure a compartment with a bath for $45 each way.

  Rebecca was met in San Antonio by her father. “Becky Darlin, it is surely good to see you here in Texas, where you belong.”

  “It’s good to see you too Pa. Are you feeling well in your old age?” she asked.

  “I’m well enough to thrash that young man I met when we visited. Are you still seeing him by the way?”

  “Aren’t you the nosy one?” she asked in the teasing voice she frequently used with her pa.

  “Darlin, I’m always nosy when it comes to you. He knows what will happen if he hurts you.”

  “Oh Pa, you leave Charles alone. He’s in Atlanta by the way, visiting his family.”

  “What kind of business are they in?”

  “They are very big in cotton. Charles told me they want to establish an office in the District and have him head it. He didn’t sound to interested in it to me.”

  “Are you serious about him, Becky?”

  “I could be. We were getting along really well after he got his ex-girlfriend out of his life. He’ll be back in Washington a few days before I get back, but I’ll be pretty busy I imagine, settling in with my new job and all.”

  “Tell me about it,” he said, so she did.

  The rest of the trip was spent in idle chatter. Rebecca sensed her father had asked the questions in which he had the most interest.

  She was greeted equally as warmly by her mother and her two brothers with their families. It was the first time the entire family had been together in several years. Both brothers had children she had never seen.

  Rebecca was surprised to find in herself a yearning for motherhood. She talked with her mother about it. Her mother said, “Becky, you are one of the warmest, kindest people I know. You will make a wonderful mother.”

  “I hope I’m young enough to enjoy it. I remember all of the good times we had as a family. I r
eally gave my brothers a hard time. Pa too, I guess.”

  “You were a very loved and loving child. They were all protective of you.”

  “Pa still is. He was quizzing me about Charles, asking if we were still seeing each other and if I was serious about him.”

  “Are you? Serious, I mean.”

  “I’ll tell you what I told Pa. I could be. It all depends on whether Charles has well and truly gotten over Cynthia. He’s got one more chance.”

  “That’s kind of harsh, don’t you think? How can you draw a hard line like that?”