Autumn Rose

"Get rid of her."

Matthew Warren tossed his pen aside. "You know what I’m facing in court this afternoon. The woman has a lot of damn nerve waltzing in without an appointment. She’s Kris’s teacher? She wants a conference? Now? Why? Probably has nothing else to do. She’s probably a long-winded old maid who doesn’t know a lipstick from a piece of chalk.

Having seen his unexpected visitor, Kerry Abbott, his secretary smiled to herself. "You’re prepared for this afternoon. Take a break. Get your mind off the case for a while."

Rising to his six feet two inches, Matt shuffled some papers into a folder. "I’ll give her ten minutes. If I have any calls, let me know. Don’t hesitate."

Moments later, as a tall, slender woman approached him, Matt judged her to be in her mid to late twenties. He sure called this one wrong. Her subtle makeup was proof enough that she knew how to use lipstick...and more. Her long wind-mussed hair added to instead of detracted from her natural beauty. Maybe having every hair in place was not high on her list of priorities, a definite plus in her favor. He’d had enough of women who were mostly show and no substance.

Her flax blazer, pleated taupe skirt and creamy blouse spoke of good taste. A single pearl fit her earlobes; a strand caressed the valley between her breasts. All things considered, she was a thoroughly modern, appealing female who most like had other things to do, but took her job seriously. Another plus. Why else would she be here?

She hadn’t been present during the summer when he enrolled Kristen at Strawberry Farm academy. Regret washed over him for not making the first move to meet her. As he shook her cool, soft hands, the scent of her perfume evoked memories of fresh-cut flowers. His pulse flipped a beat, the muscles in his stomach tightened. He reminded himself who she was and wondered again why she was here. "It’s a pleasure meeting you, Ms. Burrows. Please have a seat."

"I’m Mrs. Burrows," she said, sitting on the chair he indicated.

Sure enough, a diamond-studded wedding band circled the fourth finger of her left hand. Nice touch, Matt, you would have known she was married if you had listened close when Kris talked about her instead of being preoccupied with this case. His glance shifted to one of several photos atop his desk, that of his almost-five-year-old. "What brings you to my office this morning, Mrs. Burrows?"

"Kristen is having problems in school."

So, the why was answered, to his chagrin. He leaned forward, his gaze intense. "What kind of problems? School began just a couple of weeks ago."

"That’s true, but it’s important that you and I talk about Kristen’s unacceptable behavior."

Taking hold of his gold pen, Matt turned it as if reading its inscription. Unacceptable? How so? In his eyes his daughter was well adjusted and well behaved. He was proud of her and the job he was doing as her only parent. Wait a minute! Maybe this woman was here to check him out and lay blame at his feet. His hackles raised, an edge entered his voice. "What’s unacceptable about my daughter?"