Heart of Gold - B.J. Daniels Page 0,4

hall she heard voices. One voice. Amanda’s. It sounded as if she was on the phone. Darn, so she hadn’t left.

Charlie cursed her bad luck. She had no desire to run into her. Amanda had never seemed to like her from the start. Charlie had never understood it entirely. After the morning she’d had, she didn’t want to have to deal with the woman this evening.

As she hurried down the hallway, she saw that Amanda’s office door was open, which would make it even harder to slip past. But with relief, she noticed that Amanda had her ear to the phone and her back to the hallway. Charlie figured with a little luck and if she was really quiet, she might be able to slip past without the woman noticing her.

She moved stealthily down the hall, keeping her gaze ahead of her. As she passed the open door, she heard Amanda nearly purring on the phone.

“Baby, I know. But I can’t. I want you, too. It’s been too long.”

Charlie felt an eyebrow shoot up. She’d never understood what a nice guy like Greg saw in Amanda. According to office gossip, Greg had gone through a bad relationship a few years ago. When everyone had heard that he and Amanda were dating, a shock wave had gone through the building. It was far worse when they heard about the engagement.

“He can’t know what she’s really like,” Tara had said when she heard the news. “Like on those television bachelor shows where all the women know that the man is about to make the biggest mistake of his life, but he won’t listen. You should try to warn him. He likes you.”

Charlie had been adamant about staying out of it. She needed this job and she had enough trouble with Amanda. The woman threw fits if Charlie was even two minutes late in the morning, not aware that Charlie was often among the last out of the place at night.

Now, if she could just get past the door and out of the building without being spotted... She did not want to hear any more of this particular phone conversation.

“Royce, I’m an engaged woman.” A chuckle. “Oh, if you really can’t live without me, okay. But just for a quickie. I told Greg I had to work late, but he’s no fool.” Another snicker. “Not that much of a fool.”

Charlie felt shock and distress ricochet through her. Amanda was cheating on Greg? She increased her step, wanting to run as she tried to ignore what she’d heard, but the words were echoing in her ears.

She heard Amanda disconnect from her call, and the woman’s chair squeaked as she turned around to face her desk and the hallway.

Almost to the exit, Charlie felt the woman’s gaze pierce her back as if Amanda had picked up a gun and shot her. She practically ran the last few steps, shoved open the door and fought looking back for fear the woman would chase her down—literally. At the last moment before the door swung shut, she couldn’t stand it any longer. She looked back.

Amanda had risen to her feet, her face completely drained of blood, her blue eyes wide and hard as ice chips. She was staring at Charlie with a deadly glare.

The door slammed shut. Charlie rushed down the street, cursing her luck. She hadn’t wanted to hear any of Amanda’s phone conversation and wished she could expunge it from her memory. She had enough problems with the woman without this new information.

She couldn’t help her surprise. Amanda was cheating on Greg—just when Charlie thought she couldn’t dislike her more.

* * *

WESTLY “SHEP” SHEPHERD had just finished picking up his classroom for Christmas vacation when he looked up in surprise to find Judge WT Landusky silhouetted in the doorway.

Years ago, he’d found his troubled teenaged self standing before the toughest judge in Montana. To say he’d been quaking in his boots was putting it mildly. Much to his amazement, the judge had found something worth saving in the troubled youth before him and made an offer no one in that position could refuse. Landusky had saved his life and they both knew it.

“Come on in, Judge,” Shep said as he finished packing up the papers he hoped to grade over the Christmas holiday. He tried to hide his shock at not just seeing the judge after all this time, but now seeing him here. He wondered when was the last time the judge had been in