Read Redress of Grievances for Free Online Page B

freely and completely, but never as less than an
equal.
    Alex
softly kissed Harriett's shoulders and back until she felt her body begin to
awaken. When she looked at Harriett's face, eyes still closed, a smile forming
on her sensuous lips, Alex said, quietly, "I didn't mean to wake
you."
    "Yes,
you did!” Harriett said as she rolled lazily onto her side, reached up and
lightly stroked Alex's face with her fingertips.
    WHEN
HARRIETT OPENED her eyes again, the sun was shining, and she had no idea what
time it was. She had refused to buy a clock for the cabin and always left her
wristwatch in the car. Alex wasn't in the bedroom, and Harriett swung her legs
over the side of the bed and found her robe lying next to her house shoes.
Wandering slowly through the cabin, Alex was nowhere to be seen. Next to the
coffeemaker, she finally found a note that read "Gone Fishing."
    Smiling
to herself, she poured a cup of coffee and returned to the bedroom to dress.
When they had first met, Alex hadn't been fishing since she was a child. Now
when they were at the cabin, she enjoyed sitting at the edge of the pier. Fish
big enough to keep rarely ventured that close to shore, but it was exciting to
catch the smaller ones that teased at your line and usually made off with the
bait before you could hook them. Alex had probably gotten to the cabin early
enough the day before to bait the area around the pier, and Harriett could
picture her as she tried to coax something to take a big enough piece of her
hook to make a catch.
    From
the porch, Harriett saw Alex casting her line. Carrying two cups of coffee, she
joined Alex, bending down to kiss her.
    "Catch
anything?" she asked.
    "A
couple of minnows and a guppy," Alex grinned as she took the cup.
    "Wow,
the big ones. Did you save any for me?"
    "A
few, but I thought you'd sleep longer. It's only..." Alex began.
    "Don't
tell me," Harriett said holding up her hand. "I don't care what time
it is until Sunday."
    MID-AFTERNOON
SUNDAY, Harriett walked with Alex to her car as she loaded her suitcase into
the trunk.
    "Too
bad this wasn't a longer weekend," Harriett said.
    Alex
looked out at the lake and said, "Too bad Gwen will be home tonight."
    Harriett
wished Alex hadn't brought up her partner but knew it was simply a statement of
fact.
    "I
wish I could stay longer, Harriett. I wish we both could," Alexis said
softly still gazing at the lake.
    "Next
time," Harriett said patting her on the shoulder.
    In
one last grand sweep, Alex wrapped her arms around Harriett and drew her into a
lingering, needy kiss. Alexis Dunne was a quiet woman, not given to bursts of
passion or enthusiasm, but there was something so spontaneous about the kiss
that it caught Harriett by surprise. As she released Harriett to get in her
car, Alex touched the younger woman's face and said, "I love you, Harriett
Markham."
    "I
love you, too, Alex," Harriett said quietly. It was all she could do to
get the words out of her mouth. In three years, it was the first time Alex had
spoken those words outside the bedroom.
    Alex
stopped with one foot in her car and smiled at Harriett.
    "By
the way, you're not the least bit submissive when we make love, and I thank God
for that."
    Harriett
left the cabin two hours later.
    Chapter
Five
    AT
SEVEN-FIFTEEN Monday morning, Harriett stepped off the elevator and walked
toward her office. No matter how early she arrived at her office, Eleanor was
always there first. Harriett had been tempted to stay at the office all night
to see whether the nightly janitorial crew packed Eleanor in a box somewhere at
night and unpacked her in the morning. Or maybe it was that Eleanor knew
Harriett always arrived early on Mondays.
    "Morning,
Eleanor," Harriett said as she approached her secretary's desk. "See
if you can get Clarence Wilkes on the phone. If we don't have the number, call
Accounting. They should have it. We'll need to set up a separate file for them
anyway. Then contact Todd Connor at the DA's office, and