Country Bride: Country Bride / Woodrose Mountain. RaeAnne Thayne

realized Eric, as a new man in town, was probably starved for companionship. That made her pride sag just a little, but she wasn’t about to complain. Within hours of declaring that she wanted to start dating, she’d met a man. An attractive, pleasant man, too. It didn’t matter that he’d asked her out because he was lonely or that he was obviously still embittered by his divorce. A date was a date.

      Kate showered and changed into a mid-calf burgundy wool skirt and a rose-colored silk blouse. She was putting the last coat of polish on her nails when her father strolled into the kitchen. Even from her position at the far side of the room, Kate caught a strong whiff of his spicy aftershave. She smiled.

      “You look nice, Dad.”

      “Thanks,” he said, tugging on the lapels of his tweed jacket, then brushing the sleeves.

      “Do you want me to wait up for you?”

      A flush worked its way up Devin’s neck. “Of course not.”

      Kate loved teasing him, and as their eyes met, they both started to laugh.

      “You’re looking awfully pretty yourself,” Devin commented. “Are you and Luke going out?”

      “Eric Wilson is taking me to dinner.”

      Devin regarded her quizzically. “Who? You’re kidding, aren’t you?”

      “No.” She gave him a warning frown. “Eric’s new here. We met in the frozen-food section at the grocery store this afternoon and he asked me to dinner.”

      “And you accepted?” His eyes were wide with astonishment.

      “Of course. It beats sitting around here and watching reruns on television.”

      “But...but what about Luke?”

      “What about him?”

      “I thought... I’d hoped after Clay’s wedding that the two of you might—”

      “Dad, Luke’s a dear friend, but we’re not in love with each other.”

      For a moment Devin looked as if he wanted to argue, but apparently decided against it. “He’s a good man, Princess.”

      “Trust me, I know that. If it wasn’t for Luke, I wouldn’t have survived the last couple of months.”

      “Folks in town have the impression that you two might be falling in love, and I can’t say I blame them after watching you at the wedding.”

      Kate focused her attention on polishing her nails, knowing that an identical shade of red had crept into her cheeks.

      “Luke and I are friends, Dad, nothing more,” she repeated.

      “I don’t mind letting you know, Kate, that I think very highly of Luke. If I were to handpick a husband for you, it would be him.”

      “I...think Luke’s wonderful, too,” she said, her words faltering.

      “Now that he’s buying the ranch, well, it seems natural that the two of you—”

      “Dad, please,” she whispered. “I’m not in love with Luke, and he doesn’t love me.”

      “That’s a real pity,” came Devin’s softly drawled response. He reached for his hat, then paused by the door. “I don’t suppose Luke knows you’re going out tonight, does he?”

      “There isn’t any reason to tell him.” She tried to act nonchalant. But she desperately wanted to avoid another showdown with Luke. Pleadingly, she raised her eyes to her father. “You aren’t going to tell him, are you?”

      “I won’t lie to him.”

      “Oh, I wouldn’t expect you to do that,” Kate murmured. She blew at the dark-red polish on her nails, trying to dry them quickly. With luck, Eric would arrive soon and she could make her escape before she encountered Luke.

      Kate should have known that was asking too much. She was standing at the kitchen window beside the oak table, waiting for Eric’s headlights to come down the long drive, when Luke walked into the house.

      Kate groaned inwardly, but said nothing. Her fingers tightened on the curtain as she changed her silent entreaty. Now she prayed that Eric would be late.

      “You’ve got your coat on,” Luke observed as he poured a mug of coffee.

      “I’ll be leaving in a couple of minutes,” she said, hoping she didn’t sound as tense as she felt. Then, a little guiltily, she added, “I baked some oatmeal cookies yesterday. The cookie jar’s full, so help yourself.”

      He did exactly that, then sat down at the table. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were waiting for someone.”

      “I am.”

      “Who?”

      “A...friend.” Her back was to him, but Kate could feel the tension between them.

      “Are you upset about something?”

      “No. Should I be?” she asked in an offhand manner.

      “You’ve been avoiding me all week,” he said.

      He was sitting almost directly behind her and Kate felt his presence acutely. Her knees were shaking, her breath coming in short, uneven gulps. She felt light-headed. It had to be nerves. If Luke discovered she was going to dinner with Eric, there could be trouble. Yes, she told herself, that explained the strange physical reaction she was experiencing.

      “Kate, love—”

      “Please,” she implored, “don’t call me that.” She released the curtain and turned to face him. “I made a mistake, and considering the circumstances, it was understandable. Please, Luke, can’t you drop this whole marriage business? Please?”

      His look of shocked surprise didn’t do anything to settle her nerves. A strained moment passed before Luke relaxed, chuckling. “I’ve broken stallions who’ve given me less trouble than you.”

      “I’m no stallion.”

      Luke chuckled again, and before she could move, his arms reached out and circled her waist to pull her onto his lap.

      Kate was so astonished that for a crazy moment she didn’t react at all. “Let me go,” she said stiffly, holding her chin at a regal angle.

      He ignored her demand and lightly ran the tips of his fingers along the side of her jaw, stroking downward to cup her chin. “I’ve missed you this week, Princess.”

      A trail of warmth followed his cool fingers, and a foreign sensation nibbled at her stomach. Kate didn’t know what was wrong with her—and she didn’t want to know.

      “I’ve decided to give you a chance to think everything through before we contact Pastor Wilkins—”

      “Before we what?” she flared.

      “Before we’re married,” he explained patiently, his voice much too low and seductive to suit her. “But every time we’re together, you run away like a frightened kitten.”

      “Did you stop to think there might be a perfectly logical reason for that?” She’d told him repeatedly that she wasn’t going to marry him, but it didn’t seem to make any differences. “I’m sorry, I truly am, but I just don’t see you that way.”

      “Oh?”

      He raised his hand and threaded his fingers through her hair. She tried to pull away, to thwart him, with no effect.

      “That’s not the feeling I get when I kiss you.”

      She braced her hands against his shoulders. “I apologize if I’ve given you the wrong impression,” she said, her voice feeble.

      He cocked his eyebrows at her statement, and his lips quivered with the effort to suppress a smile. That infuriated Kate, but she held on