As it was, Colin fought the urge to run from the situation and let Corinne cope with the consequences on her own. For the first time, his feelings kept him someplace instead of driving him away. His feelings for Rina.

"I think it's time you and Joe talked. Is he up to it yet?" Logan asked.

"After that second stroke, they want to keep him stress free. But he's doing well and should be up to talking soon."

"Well, whenever you get the green light from his doctor, I suggest you do just that." Logan leaned forward in his seat. "As a friend, I'm going to put myself out there on this one."

"Go on." Colin waited.

"I understand that Fortune's is breathing down your neck and if you don't get Corinne back on track, the paper will fold. But I've known you for years, and my gut tells me there's something else going on. Something more personal between you and Joe." Logan raised an eyebrow Colin's way.

He flinched because Logan had hit a nerve. "I was always grateful I didn't have a pain-in-the-ass brother."

Logan laughed. "Then you met me. You're talking to the expert on parental grief and aggravation. All I'm saying is that I think Joe's betrayal is bothering you a hell of a lot more than Corinne's change in format." At Colin's glare, Logan added, "Or at least equally as much. Talk to Joe. Then if you still want to go ahead with any kind of lawsuit, you know I'm on your side. It's just that it'll get messy and probably destroy your family."

"Thanks," Colin muttered. Knowing his friend meant well, he stowed Logan's advice in the back of his mind. "And you don't have to worry. I'll make sure Emma has a job no matter which direction this mess goes." The least he could do was guarantee Emma a return to her desk job, even if she did have to lose her column.

Logan slapped Colin on the back. "Thank you. You know if she's at loose ends, the Judge will go back to plotting her relocation to an old-age home."

So Rina's hunch was right, Colin thought. Another reason weighing against him. His head pounding, Colin rose, ready to go over to the hospital.

"How's Rina?" Logan asked, taking him off guard.

"Who?" Colin asked, but a grin came easily despite the gut-churning circumstances. Dammit all, the woman made him smile, regardless of what was going on in his life.

"That answers that question. But it doesn't deal with what'll happen to her column if you have your way."

Unwilling to deal with that yet, Colin focused on a more immediate issue. "Are you and Cat busy Friday night? You could get a sitter for the rugrats and come clubbing with Rina and me."

Logan rubbed his hand over his eyes. "It's been forever since we've gone out like-"

"Single people?" Colin asked. But despite his ribbing, a part of Colin envied what Logan had. A wife he loved, kids, a family.

Colin's childhood had been shattered when his parents died. And though Joe and Nell had given him everything, a part of him had always felt as though something was missing, something that would fill an empty part of his soul.

He'd traveled far in search of that elusive thing, to no avail. Now he'd come back home and was faced with a telling question. Was it possible one woman could complete him? He shook his head, knowing he sounded as if he was parroting the movie Jerry Maguire. But the question remained. Could one woman provide his solution?

It was a tall order for anyone to fill. As tall as saving Rina's job and Joe's paper.

CHAPTER SEVEN

IT WAS FRIDAY NIGHT in Boston, the weekend before Christmas and this particular club was hopping. The dance floor was full, the bar packed, yet Logan's wife, Catherine, had managed to snag them a table because she'd arrived early.

"So when do I get to meet this girlfriend of yours?" Cat asked Colin. Her green eyes shimmered with curiosity. "I was so busy avoiding a business crisis at the family party, I missed meeting her. So? Where is she?"

"You always were persistent, Cat. She'll be here. She had a business meeting first." Something suddenly came up, Rina had told him, so instead of Colin picking her up, she was meeting him here.

"Mmm. She works hard." Cat glanced at her watch as Logan studied his wife, a combination of adoration and amusement in his gaze. "Newspaper business at nine-thirty on a Friday night?"

"I don't know. She didn't say what she had to do." And that drove Colin insane, which he figured had been Rina's point. To build the anticipation between them. That, or to get even with him over leaving her last Saturday, though he had to admit she seemed to be over it.

"She didn't say why she'd be late?" Cat raised an eyebrow. "Then let me inform you. She wanted to make an entrance." She nodded her head. "Yep, Rina wants to impress you, so she plans to walk in fashionably late."

Colin waved a hand in the air, dismissing the idea. "You don't know Rina." She was up-front and honest about her intentions, something Colin admired.

"And you obviously don't know women." Cat glanced over his shoulder, then leaned forward in her seat, warming to the subject. "Didn't you read Rina's column? She talked about sex appeal. She said women like to be noticed and she's right. Especially in the beginning of a relationship when things are uncertain. No woman wants to be easily forgotten, so it's important to make that dynamite impression. What better way than to sashay in a little late, looking amazing?"

"This week she said that attitude is equally important," Logan added.

"You've been reading her column?" Colin asked his friends.

Logan nodded sheepishly and Colin wasn't sure if his embarrassment stemmed from the fact that he was aware of Colin's intentions for the column or because he'd been caught reading a relationship article.

"All my employees have been reading 'Hot Stuff.' Rina's making quite a name for herself in our little town," Cat said.

Colin couldn't help feeling proud of Rina, and wondered if he could use the column's popularity in his favor, to get the advertiser to extend that January first deadline.

"Anyway," Cat said. "I think she's taking her own advice. And you have to admit, it's a flattering notion for you. A woman wanting to make you sit up and take notice."

Colin shook his head, disagreeing. "Rina doesn't have to work to impress me."

Logan laughed. "Out of curiosity, if she did make an effort, you wouldn't hold it against her, would you?" He glanced around.

Colin followed his stare and there stood Rina, decked out in a sleeveless red wool dress and matching stiletto heels, doing exactly what Cat had said she would. Making one hell of an impression-on him and, if the other patrons' stares were any indication, on every male in the room.

He couldn't wait to see her, and he'd promised himself he'd put the paper out of his mind and just enjoy the weekend. If Rina's outfit was any indication, she had the same intention. And already his body was reacting to her gorgeous appearance. He wanted her and hoped like hell tonight would be the night.


* * *

RINA WANTED to make an entrance. Corinne's last-minute meeting had helped her do just that. Even better Rina was still riding an adrenaline wave from her boss's news. Reader reaction to the first few issues of "Hot Stuff" had been phenomenal, surpassing Corinne's expectations. Giddy with success, Rina was beginning to believe in herself and her ability to make this new career succeed.

She knew her positive attitude transferred into the glow in her cheeks, the straightening of her posture and the excitement rushing through her veins. Okay, so did the anticipation of seeing Colin.

All three people at her table turned her way. Drawing a deep breath, Rina walked over. "Hi, everyone. Sorry I'm late but I had a meeting with Corinne." She settled into her seat, aware that Colin's gaze hadn't left hers. Or rather, hadn't left her body, which had been her plan.

The fact that he'd brought his friends along told her he was letting her into his life in a way that surpassed the superficial, something she realized she'd needed in order to take that next step with him. He'd accepted her, and that was enough to allow her to act on the desire that had been growing between them.

Colin rose, as did Logan.

"And they say chivalry is dead," Rina joked. She settled in more comfortably beside the woman who had to be Catherine. Rina had caught glimpses of her rushing around at the Christmas party, but they hadn't officially met. "I'm Rina Lowell."

"Catherine Montgomery."

The blonde, who Rina would love to hate for her beautiful face and perky disposition, smiled, making her feel welcome.

"I've been dying to meet you," Catherine said. "But I was running around like a crazy person at the party. I'm so glad you invited us tonight. And now I guess I should shut up and let you talk." Catherine grinned.

Rina laughed. "Colin's said wonderful things about you. It seems like he was right."

Catherine shook her head. "The man's a charmer. He'd say anything that suited him."

Beneath the table, Rina felt someone kick their foot out hard.

"Ouch," Cat muttered. "Sorry. I have a big mouth. I meant that Colin is a charmer of the best kind. I'm really shutting up now." She deliberately clenched her jaw tight.

Rina laughed again. "Don't worry. I know who and what Colin is." Her gaze met his and the fire she saw burning there warmed her inside and out.

They shared an enjoyable round of drinks and appetizers, Rina learning she could judge a lot about a man by his friends. Whereas Robert's friends were colleagues, stuffy attorneys more full of themselves than she could bear, Logan was the opposite. Warm and full of fun like his grandmother. In his eyes, Rina saw Emma's spunk and mischievous nature. She also saw that both he and Catherine cared for Colin, treating him more like family than a friend.