Courting Katarina. Carol Steward

      “Other than my bruised ego, I’m fine.”

      A light tap on the door, followed by their younger sister’s voice, startled Katarina. “Is there a damsel in distress in here?” Lisa opened the door just enough to slip inside with Katarina’s other outfit.

      The facade of Katarina’s humor faded. She tossed both shoes into her bag and sighed. “Why do these things always happen to me?”

      Lisa turned Katarina around and unzipped the gown, then helped tug it over her shoulders. “What things? It’s not your fault the chair broke into smithereens.”

      Katarina buttoned the flowered rayon skirt at her waist, pulled the camisole over her head, then slipped into the coordinating sweater. “Like when I fainted at the all-school concert in sixth grade. Like tripping over the base in kickball. Like dropping my brand-new hearing aid into my punch at the prom. Why is it always me… Klutzy Katarina?”

      “This isn’t the same, Kat. Your ear infections were to blame for most of that.” Emily smiled as she gave her sister a hug. “If you wanted to meet Alex, why didn’t you just ask? We’d be glad to set the two of you up.”

      “No, thank you.” Her sister’s medical explanation soothed her ego, and she felt the fear subside. “That’s not the issue, and I don’t want to hear about this again.”

      Her sisters’ smiles returned. “Well, you can dream on. This is a classic. The tall, rugged, single and not to mention drop-dead-gorgeous hero hauls you, the ‘heart specialist,’ out from under the table, stands you up and you collapse into his arms.” They giggled harder.

      Lisa and Emily did a poor imitation of the accident. “You looked like a flamingo balancing on one foot,” Lisa added.

      Quelling her own laughter, Katarina crossed her arms over her chest and glared at her sisters until they quieted. “Ha ha ha.” Though she tried to remain cross, just the sight of their fake restraint made her see the humor of the entire situation.

      “Why did it have to happen in front of Alex, though?” she whispered, shaking her head.

      The room turned silent. Realization hit Lisa. “Ah, yes, Alex.”

      Katarina placed the bridesmaid dress on the hanger and zipped it, then turned to help Lisa and Emily with the wedding dress and veil. “I mean, it’s been eight years since I had that childish crush on him, and of course I’m long over that, but still…”

      “Of course,” both sisters said simultaneously with mirroring smiles.

      “Come on, don’t do this. I’m as good as engaged to…to…”

      “Ron?” Lisa suggested.

      “Of course, to Ron,” Katarina snapped.

      Emily groaned. “Oh, please, Kat. You’ve been ‘engaged’ so many times we quit counting. Don’t try to convince us that you’re serious about marrying Ron. Need I point out you just moved four hundred miles away from him?” The bride slipped the green dress over her head.

      “This will only be my second official engagement. Besides, the move is temporary.” She looked at them, putting her hands up in front of her. “It’s all part of a logical, strategic plan. Ron understands my need for financial security.”

      “Strategy, my foot. Admit it—the thought of settling down with him bores you to death!”

      Katarina looked at Emily—with her hands on her hips—and tried to argue the well-made point. “As does the idea of chasing a man almost ten years older than myself, Dr. Know-it-all.”

      “Alex is only nine years older, Katarina.”

      “Close enough. Needless to say, I discovered that mistake with fiancé number one. I made it this far without a father in my life. I certainly don’t need some older man to act as a substitute now.”

      Just the mention of the father who had abandoned his three little girls sobered them all. Katarina looked at her sisters. “I’m sorry. I didn’t need to bring that up today. I really didn’t mean to. Open mouth, insert foot.”

      Lisa remained silent.

      As usual, Emily was the first to forgive and console the younger two sisters. “It’s okay, Kat. You can’t have a wedding without missing the father of the bride.”

      A loud knock resounded through the room. “Mrs. MacIntyre,” came the groom’s seductive voice. “Are you ready to toss the bouquet?”

      Emily opened the door and greeted her husband. “Don’t forget, you have to toss the garter, too.”

      Kevin gave his wife a lingering kiss. “Then we’d better get back to our guests.” Kevin looked at Katarina as she passed through the door. “You okay?”

      Katarina looked at Kevin, suddenly seeing Alex instead. She blinked the image away, then set her shoes on the floor and stepped into the flats as she walked. “I’m just dandy, thanks.”

      Chapter Two

      Alex washed shaving cream from the windows of Kevin’s hunter-green pickup with the wand at the car wash while his new nephew and the best man, watched.

      Bryan looked at his watch. “We’d better hurry—they should be ready to leave soon. I think Alex got it all off, don’t you, Ricky?”

      “Yup, looks pretty clean.”

      The best man laughed. “You’re too kind, Alex,” Bryan said as he opened the door. Ricky jumped into the cab of the truck. “Do you know how many newlyweds Kevin has sent off for their honeymoon in a decorated car?”

      Alex slid the wand into the tube and flipped the switch off. “Nice has nothing to do with it.” Alex winked. “I don’t want to take any chances of damaging the paint. I don’t need a repair bill hanging over me. Where are they going for their honeymoon?”

      The men climbed into the truck and closed the doors. “You don’t actually think he’s going to tell me, do you?”

      Alex turned the key in the ignition and pulled forward. “Well…” He paused, eyeing the orphaned little boy his brother and new sister-in-law had officially adopted at the end of the wedding ceremony. After all these years, it was a shock to see one of the MacIntyre brothers actually married. “Surely they told someone where they can be reached, didn’t they?”

      Silently Bryan raised his eyebrows and shrugged.

      As if the four-year-old understood, he interjected, “Auntie Kat is ’sitting me, Bryan, ’member? And Uncle Alex promised to take me for pizza. Can Katarina come with us? It wouldn’t be nice to leave her home alone.”

      Alex wanted more than anything to ignore the question. He was most likely the last person Katarina Berthoff wanted to spend time with after he’d snapped at her. It wasn’t like him to be so short of patience, but he’d tried to find out what had happened, and how he could help. She’d ignored him. How could he help if she wouldn’t talk to him?

      Of course, then he’d hauled her out from under the table like some brute and embarrassed her. “Well, Ricky, we’ll have to see how your aunt Katarina feels about that first.” He certainly wouldn’t mind a dinner with his sister-in-law’s charming sister, yet he wasn’t sure she’d agree.

      “She might get lonely.”

      The two men looked at one another and laughed, obviously of the same opinion that Katarina would probably relish a few minutes of solitude after two days alone with the talkative little boy. Alex pulled into the driveway that led to the exclusive restaurant perched on a bluff with a view of town. Emily and Kevin exited the Dutch-style building and looked around for the truck. Alex paused for a minute, enjoying the momentary look of panic on his brother’s face.

      Alex slowly pulled forward and stopped just