sharpness in his blue eyes. Periodically he glanced at her from under his heavy brows. She decided that they made him look wise and that in middle age a pair of gold reading glasses would only add to his charm. His thick blond hair was becoming uneven and had grown over his ears; he should have it cut. Then she considered that such a thought-considering her long-haired boyfriend, and all her many wavy-haired colleagues-must be some kind of mental regression. Perhaps it was a throwback to the days when she would tell her father he needed a haircut. She caught herself smiling, on the verge of laughter.
Then she noticed some of her friends from the cafe looking at her and felt suddenly very uncomfortable. Almost ashamed.
'What?' he said, searching her face.
'Utterly nothing. Just nothing.'
Then the whole courtroom scene and his words overtook her again and she could feel her jaw set, angry with herself that she was acting like a schoolgirl.
As they finished penciling the settlement stipulation, Dan seemed to notice Maria's people gathering at a nearby table-and staring.
'This isn't real comfortable,' she said.
'Why? We're settling a case.'
'We already did that.'
'You'd rather be with them.'
'Dan, this isn't the twelfth grade. I'm heading to the John and then I'm going to go be with my friends and coworkers. I'll call you.'
'You're still mad about what I said in court.'
'You mean calling me an ass?'.
'Well, it wasn't personal. It was a debate over something we both have deep convictions about.'
'We can talk about it later.' As she rose, he followed.
''I suppose you're looking for some kind of apology about my 'ass' joke. And the attorney-client-privilege stuff.'
'Is that your idea or mine?'
Walking behind Maria, down the hallway to the rest room, he couldn't help but take in her appearance. Her suit, somehow both powerful and soft. The gentle, perfect sway of her hips.
'Great outfit,' he whispered.
Maria halted abruptly and turned, causing Dan to come within inches of running her down. There they stood, her nose eight inches from his chest. Dan wondered if he detected a slight change in her demeanor.
He felt both tired and irreverent. 'A beauty unlike any other.' He smiled. 'I am speaking, of course, of your oral argument.'
'Dan, there can never be anything between us,' she responded flatly.
He shrugged. 'I also thought you looked terrific on the counsel table.'
Her eyes betrayed nothing. 'You are a hopeless throwback to the Old West, when white people butchered Native Americans and destroyed everything in their path. Frankly, after that display in the courtroom, we shouldn't have anything to say to each other.''
'Going to battle together doesn't count?'
'It does and it doesn't. I'll call you.'
'Now that we've got a deal, I feel like maybe I could bend the rules and tell you what happened.'
'So now ethics don't matter?'
'For five minutes, why don't you just quit being a hard-ass?'
She stood with her weight on her right foot and crossed her arms. 'OK, spill your guts.'
'This is just between you and me. Nobody else.'
'Why should you trust me?'
'Because you may be a lot of things but you aren't untrustworthy.'
'Don't tell me anything about the future. Only tell me about the past. I'm only curious about what you did.'
Dan took a deep breath. 'All right. I fought them tooth and nail on the extra cutters. So did Otran's chief of forestry. To shut us up, Anderson led us to believe they wouldn't do any accelerated cutting. I thought they were doing the usual thing. So did Otran's foresters all the way up to the vice president of natural resources. Normal work on the weekends, nothing else.'
'You told them not to do anything out of the ordinary. No winks, nothing like that.'
'No winks. I thought it was in their own best interests not to do that sort of thing. So did Otran's people.'
'You know you'd be a real asshole to lie to me now.'
'I'm not lying to you. I was absolutely trying to keep you away from the Anderson logging show on Sunday morning. Everything you said about that is true. I suppose nothing will make this right between us?'
'More self-flagellation might be a start.' She turned to leave. 'I can tell you hate it,' she said over her shoulder.
'Hey,' he called out. 'We have to discuss the chemists and the zoologist. We gotta keep going.'
'Yes, we do.' She turned to face him. 'I was going to call you when I thought I could be civil. I have a zoologist who has spent his life studying bats. And he's rounded up a chemist. Perhaps I should go see them and give you a report.'
'Look, Maria, as one human being to another, I'm sorry about these trees. I know how important they are to you.'
She shook her head. 'You couldn't possibly know. You probably believe that the tooth fairy is a Rockefeller.'
'Peace.' He held out his hand. Even as she shook her head as if she had reservations, she took his hand in hers. 'So let's make an appointment for this zoologist.'
'I have a feeling, Dan. We're into something dangerous. You have a little boy. Are you sure you want to pursue this?'
'I'm sure.' He squeezed her hand. For a moment she squeezed back and then the touch was gone.
17
Other than security people everywhere, the next day people returned to the courthouse as if nothing had happened. Maria had not called Dan.
She first saw him standing in the courtroom doorway, watching her argue another case. Once again there were plenty of people in the gallery. A San Francisco attorney for Metco was opposing her, and she was in her element, showing the judge a six-foot blowup of a clear-cut. Although she knew Dan would label her argument as full of grand generalizations, simplistic and biased, she also knew she was effective. And on these ancient trees, she was certain she was right.
Maria began gathering her things on the counsel table. When she turned around, she noticed him; for a brief second, before she caught herself, she flashed him her trademark smile.
In the main hallway, the crowd was thinning. Maria watched as Dan greeted Nate and an attractive red- haired woman.
She slowed to say hello.
''Pepacita had to tend to a sick cousin for a few hours,'' Dan said. 'She left Nate with Lynette at the office, and he wanted to come see his dad.'
''Actually, my son is sick and I have to go home,'' Lynette said. 'I'm afraid if I take Nate, he'll get sick too. And then the boss will get sick.'
'Vicious cycle,' Dan said, smiling. 'There is the old expression that is too common for the likes of you, Lynette, but I'll say it anyway: 'I don't know what I would have done without you.' ' He glanced at Maria. 'She's my organizer, some days my sanity, and when Pepacita's gone and Katie's at work, she's my second backup child-care
