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“No, but I’m trying,” he said.
Madison couldn’t ask for anything more than a caring employer for her aging parent. Well, maybe one more thing.
“Heard you walked away from Norma Jean last night,” Garth, the youngest of the six brothers, said.
Adrian sighed. “How in the hell do you learn this stuff?”
Garth laughed. “Facebook. It was filled with pictures of the ball and the two of you dancing. And then someone posted that you were still available. That you had walked away from her.”
The man growled. “No, I’m not available. No girlfriend. No dates. Nada. These women are so eager to catch a man with money. Once you receive your inheritance, you’ll have the same problem.” Picking up another cookie, he gazed at it longingly. “Before the next ball, I’m calling a professional service to send someone over.”
His brothers roared with laughter. “Wait until that gets out. Adrian Landry resorts to hiring women.”
That wouldn’t be good. Not at all.
“Is it wrong to just want a woman to take to functions and nothing else?”
“No, women expect more,” his youngest brother said. “You’re a catch, and they have their hook, line, and sinker out trying to reel you in.”
It was easy to see that could be a problem.
Then an idea struck her. For a moment, she let it roll around in her brain looking at it from all angles. She could help him, and he could help her.
“The season is just getting started,” Dakota, one of the twins, said. He and Evan looked so much alike, it was hard to tell them apart, except that Evan was so devilish and loved to create trouble.
“Yes, that’s why I need a permanent, non-committed date. An escort. No attachments. No strings, just a good time.”
Taking a deep breath, Madison gazed at him. “I could help you.”
All heads turned simultaneously toward her, including her mother’s.
“We’re friends. Nothing more. I’m in the process of opening my own law practice here in town,” she said as her mother gasped. “I need clients for it to be successful. You let me handle some of your legal affairs, send me five clients, and I’ll pretend to be your girlfriend, your fiancée, whatever it is you need. No emotional attachments. Once the party season is over, we break up.”
The kitchen was silent as she gazed into the deepest dark brown eyes. Funny, she’d never noticed that about him before. They’d grown up together, attending the same schools, but she’d lived in town while his family had their ranch.
“Madison, when did you decide to open your own office here?” her mother asked.
“I’ve been wanting to get out of Dallas for quite some time. When you had the stroke, I decided it was time. Today, I rented an office in downtown Oakdale. In less than two months, I hope to be living here and working in my own place full-time.”
Adrian had not responded to her offer.
She glanced at him. “If you don’t want to, you don’t have to do this. But while you were talking, I thought we could help one another. I’m not after your money. I just want to move back to Oakdale and be close to Mom and run my own practice. And Lord knows I don’t want a man, even a rich one. You men are nothing but trouble.”
After her college sweetheart and her father’s indiscretions, she’d given up on trusting men.
Shaking his head, a smile crossed Adrian’s face. “Do you have any idea what you’re getting yourself into? Norma Jean is a mean bitch and she’s determined that I’m going to be hers. Plus, half a dozen other women like to throw themselves at me. It’s this way every time I attend these things.”
She wasn’t afraid of the blonde bombshell. In fact, they’d not gotten along in school. She’d been a real bitch to Madison.
“I’m not afraid of her. In school, I slapped the fire out of her for being a bully. There is only one way to deal with people like her, and I know just how to put her in her place. And no, it won’t be a catfight.”
A grin spread across Dakota’s face. “Damn, this could get interesting.”
“Not really,” she replied. “In law school, you learn how to handle difficult people.”
“I want to go to the next ball,” Garth, the youngest, said.
“No,” they all said at once.
