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.Not that he was in any particular rush to get married and start a family, but someday.So he'd approached the problem like any other legal dilemma: with reason and research.He'd even made a list of the attributes he wanted in a wife: nurturing personality, good with kids.He would prefer to find a woman who'd be willing to stay at home to raise their children.His practice was successful enough that they wouldn't need a second income, but he was willing to be flexible.His wife could work, so long as her choice of career wasn't too demanding.His sister-in-law had laughed when he'd explained his criteria to her.Nikki had accused him of trying to pencil love into his Daytimer like a court appearance, of wanting a woman who would be his subordinate rather than an equal partner.Shaun couldn't deny there was probably some truth in that.After all, it had worked for his parents.And his experience with Jenna had shown him how easily conflicting ambitions could destroy a relationship.He wasn't looking for love.He didn't want passion.No, thanks.He'd tried that before, and although fun while it lasted, it hadn't lasted long.He wasn't prepared to go through that heartache again.Still, he couldn't deny that he was attracted to Arden.Which made him wonder why he'd ever suggested this friendship thing.It would be a lot easier to get her out of his mind—and out of his fantasies—if he wasn't spending time with her.But, no, he had to propose that they be friends.Yeah, like that was likely.And they had a date scheduled for the annual ball in December.Not a date—a contract.An exchange of service for consideration.He frowned.He'd never had to bribe a woman to go out with him before.He might try to convince himself he was sticking close to Arden to look out for her, but the truth was that he just wanted to be with her.* * *Shaun didn't like to admit how often his thoughts wandered to Arden throughout the following week.How many times he picked up the phone, tempted to call her.Just to see how she was doing.He told himself it was because he was concerned about her, but he knew it was more than that.He was attracted to her.He wanted her.And he had no idea what to do about it.She'd made it clear she wasn't interested.She wasn't looking for a relationship, and she didn't want to get involved with him.He'd have to be a complete idiot not to get the hint.He wasn't an idiot.He also wasn't able to turn down a challenge.Arden challenged him.It wasn't a macho thing.It wasn't that he wanted to get her into bed just to prove to himself that he could.He did want her in bed—after all, he was a healthy, fully functioning man—but it was more than that.He liked that they had so much in common, and that they argued.Arden wasn't afraid to disagree, to stand up for what she believed in.She had strength and conviction and heart.And the memory of the kiss they'd shared continued to linger in his mind and haunt his dreams.Of course, she was a lawyer, and that was a pretty big stumbling block as far as he was concerned.He wouldn't get involved with another lawyer—he'd made that mistake once already.He'd met Jenna while they were both attending law school at Harvard, and the attraction between them had sparked from the first.She was everything he'd ever thought he wanted in a woman: beautiful, sophisticated, intelligent, ambitious.He'd thought theirs was a love of the happily-ever-after variety; he hadn't anticipated that her ambition would override all else.He didn't blame Jenna for walking out on him.She'd always been honest about what she wanted, and she'd made no secret of the fact that she did not want to stay in "Small Town Pennsylvania," as she'd dubbed his hometown.It was Shaun who'd made the mistake of assuming she could be happy there, that her love for him would override her plans for her career.He'd been wrong.When she'd received an offer from a high-profile criminal defense firm in Boston, she hadn't even hesitated.She had asked him to go back to Boston with her, but just as she'd known she'd never be happy in Fairweather, Shaun knew he'd never be happy anywhere else.Maybe he hadn't loved her as much as he thought he had.If she'd really been "the one," he would have gone.And if she'd really loved him, she would have stayed.He'd reached two conclusions as a result of his experience with Jenna.One, similar goals and expectations were more important to the success of a relationship than either sex or love: Two, he would not get involved with another lawyer [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]