Second Time Around. Carol Steward

      He let go of her silky-soft hand, and she stepped back as if giving up without a battle. He should have remembered, their arguments always made her nervous, the tragic remains of a broken home. She lowered her head, and he could no longer see her face through her veil of red curls.

      She glanced at him, then away.

      Was that a tear? He yanked his tie from around his neck, unfastened the top button, and dragged in a quick breath, inhaling the sweet smell of her perfume. The last thing he had expected was that she would cry.

      She cleared her throat and looked at the tie dangling in his hand. “You know, Kevin, I didn’t notice you trying to contact me, either. The final decision was yours,” she said with renewed determination.

      Kevin backed away. The old Emily wouldn’t have made a scene. Especially not in a public place. “There was no choice,” he said quietly.

      “No choice?” she repeated. “Funny, isn’t it? You’re here in Springville now. Yet the family’s business that couldn’t manage without you then, isn’t.”

      He wondered if he should tell her why, then decided against it. It was best to leave things as they were. She was the one who had walked away. Let her think what she wanted. Their future was long gone.

      Raw pain glimmered in her misty eyes.

      He felt the rapid beating in his chest and wondered if he could have been wrong, then immediately pushed the thought away. He had his business to consider now.

      “Fate is a funny thing for sure.” He studied her puzzled look and laughed softly. Forcing the question away, he added, “Who would ever have guessed we’d wind up here together?”

      “‘Together’ is a bit presumptuous, isn’t it? We’ve managed to avoid each other up until now—that shouldn’t be too difficult to continue. After all, we have no reason to see each other.” She walked into the main reception hall, stopped by the crowd gathering around the bride and groom.

      He wanted to tell her he was bidding for the project on her clinic, but couldn’t risk placing her in an awkward situation. And because the bids were closed, he didn’t want to jeopardize his chances, either. This is business. Strictly business.

      Crowding in behind her, he whispered in her ear. “Face it, Emily, we will see each other. I assure you.” He chuckled, then quickly chastised himself for entertaining the thought of walking into her office on a daily basis to prove his point. You’re playing with fire, Kevin, said a voice inside him.

      She spun around.

      Gazing into her eyes was a mistake. He forced away the sudden image of kissing her and putting that wedding ring on her finger—for good this time.

      He turned to see what the commotion was behind him, just in time to see the bouquet bounce like a volleyball from one female to the next…and into his own hands. Cheers and laughs filled the room.

      “Sorry, ladies, I’m out of the running.” He shrugged his shoulders and smiled, then tossed the bouquet back into the air.

      Emily had sidestepped her way past him and was escaping into the crowd. But the bridal bouquet arched toward her. Obviously surprised, Emily reached out and caught it.

      She spun around and shot Kevin a cold, hard stare. Then she threw the flowers back at him, turned and ran.

      Chapter Two

      Emily frantically chopped the onion, tears rolling down her face. “Who does he think he is?”

      “Sounds just the same as I remember him.” Her younger sister looked at the cutting board. “Are we going to eat that onion, or drink it?”

      Emily glanced at the pile of pulverized white mush. “When did you get so picky?”

      “Well, normally I wouldn’t argue, but we’re making salad, not stew.” Katarina scraped the mess into the garbage disposal, rinsed the wooden slab, then walked across the kitchen, drying the cutting board with a towel. “So Kevin still looks great, huh?”

      “I didn’t say anything about the way he had looked—did I?” Emily was certain she hadn’t told her sister he looked so devastatingly handsome that she had even failed to notice what color of dress the matron of honor was wearing. She didn’t tell Katarina Kevin’s hair was blonder than before, his skin more bronzed and his laugh even huskier. She hadn’t, and she wouldn’t. She didn’t dare.

      Katarina disappeared into the other room, but her raised voice more than made up for the distance. “You may have the M.D. behind your name, sis, but I’m the heart specialist.” Her sister’s honey-blond head momentarily peeked around the corner. “And trust me, that onion was not strong enough to warrant that river of tears.”

      When Katarina reappeared from the living room, soft music floated in behind her swaying body. “Maybe ocean waves will help you relax. You really do need to lighten up, sis.”

      Her sister was right. She was too serious. Emily pulled another onion from the hanging basket and chopped a couple of slices, then set the cutting board in front of her cheery sister. “There is your onion.”

      “Why are you mad at me?” Katarina shrugged her shoulders, hands palms up in front of her. “I didn’t tell you to break your engagement with Kevin to become a doctor for my sake. In fact, if you’d asked, I’d have said you were crazy to let Kevin go. My hearing was already damaged—nothing anyone could have done, including you. The job of Savior has already been filled—in case you need another reminder.”

      “That’s not even funny, Katarina.”

      “Lighten up, sis. I was joking!”

      Emily’s focus instantly moved to the hearing aid tucked into her sister’s right ear. “Oh, Kat. I’m sorry. I don’t blame you.” Emily set the knife on the ceramic-tile counter and rinsed her hands, then hugged her younger sister. “No, sweetie. It wasn’t just because of you. It was for families like ours who grew up without the money to get proper medical care. If you’d only had the medicine for your ear infections, you’d be fine now.”

      Katarina’s eyes clouded, and Emily saw sudden visions of their impoverished childhood. She leaned back and tucked a stray hair behind her ear, remembering arguments she and Kevin had had regarding family finances. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “Guess I haven’t let go of my past after all, have I? I hand it to God, then I yank it back. Bet He thinks it’s a yo-yo by now.”

      Kat reached out her hand and held Emily’s, her ornery smile erasing the look of hurt from her blue eyes. “I think there’s one part of your past you’d better examine very carefully before letting him slip away a second time.”

      Emily turned her sister’s head and spoke into her ear. “Is your hearing aid on?” she teased.

      Katarina nodded.

      “Good, because I don’t want you to miss what I’m going to say. I don’t care about Kevin MacIntyre.” Emily tugged the unruly curls to the top of her head and fastened a barrette, then continued. “I don’t wish him any harm, but…I don’t need him. I am perfectly happy on my own.”

      “Right. I don’t believe a word of it, but the time will come when you’ll realize what he still means to you.”

      Emily watched her sister dance to the back door and pull the Victorian lace curtains closed, seemingly mocking Emily’s problems. Katarina was the only sane person she knew who could switch moods as easily as turning pages on a calendar.

      “I am curious,” Kat continued. “How do you plan to avoid him when both of you are friends with Laura and Bryan?”

      “They’ll understand.” Emily placed the ivy-trimmed dishes on the antique table and added two glasses of iced tea. She thought of Kevin’s promise that they would see each other again, and the seething anger started anew. “Oooh, he’s so sure of himself.”

      Katarina