Campaigning for Love Read Online Free

judge greeted them.
    “Thank you, Your Honor,” they both said.
    Katherine gave background on Susan’s case and made her recommendations. But Nick had studied Susan’s file. He presented alternate housing and placement solutions and questioned her recommendations. Apparently, the “Unreachable Katherine Harper” didn’t like having her choices questioned. Well, she’d see he took his job as the state’s representative as seriously as she took her position as the child’s advocate.
    “What are you doing?” She hissed after his latest counter-suggestion.
    “My job. That’s why I’m here.”
    “You don’t have a job here. You’re doing penance!”
    The venom in her voice had him jerking his head around to face her. “Maybe so, but I care about these kids just as much as you do.”
    The derisive roll of her eyes had him praying for patience.
    * * *
    The insistent tapping of the gavel forced Katherine’s gaze away from Nick in time to catch the frown on Judge Pierce’s face. Great. What had she missed?
    She followed the judge’s gaze toward Susan. The little girl had her doll clutched to her chest. Her lower lip was quivering and her big blue eyes sparkled with unshed tears.
    Burning shame washed over Katherine. She scooted over and pulled Susan into her lap, cradling her in her arms. “Oh sweetie, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. It’s okay. Everything is fine.”
    She glared at Nick, who at least had the decency to look shamefaced.
    Disgust rolled within her for losing sight of what was most important and upsetting this sweet little girl. “I’m so sorry, Your Honor. I don’t know what came over me. I lost my focus. I won’t let it happen again.”
    “Your Honor, it was my fault,” Nick interrupted. “I tried to speak with Miss Harper about something that could have waited until after session. I apologize for distracting her and disrupting your courtroom.”
    His attempt to deflect blame away from her was unexpected. She glanced over at him before she looked back at the judge.
    The judge watched both of them, his eyes searching, assessing, before he spoke. “Bailiff, please bring Mrs. Davis in and ask her to take Susan back to Trinity Care. We’re finished with her hearing for today. Miss Harper, you and Mr. Delaney meet me in my chambers in ten minutes.” Bam!
    They both jumped.
    Katherine ignored Nick. She didn’t answer him when he called after her on the way down the long hall to Judge Pierce’s office. She walked as fast as she could without breaking into a full sprint, putting as much distance between them as possible.
    That scene in the courtroom. She’d never been so out of control. Forgetting what she was doing. The child’s welfare came ahead of everything else—always. She’d been so engrossed in taking Nick down a peg, she’d forgotten where she was, what mattered most. She’d forgotten about Susan.
    “Kat. Katherine, wait. Talk to me. Why are you so upset?” He was gaining on her.
    She paused in front of the judge’s door and let him catch up. “My life has been just fine for the past thirteen years without you in it.” She took a deep breath. “I don’t see any reason to change that. What could we have to say to each other after all this time? I mean, seriously, Nick?”
    Before he could respond, the door swung open.
    “Come in, Katherine, Nick. Take a seat.”
    Once they were inside, Judge Pierce pinned both of them with a heated glower. “Would someone like to explain to me what just happened in my courtroom?”
    “Well...”
    “You see...”
    He held up a hand. “One at a time, please. Better yet, I’ll start. Do you two know each other?”
    She looked at Nick, unable to keep her temper from flaring. “We, um, we went to the same high school for part of a semester our senior year. We haven’t seen each other since then. Not until last week in your courtroom.”
    “I see. Were you friends?”
    “Not really. We had a class together. I—I was