Courting Katarina. Carol Steward

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      “You don’t like Ron, do you?”

      Katarina looked at Alex. He leaned one shoulder on the doorframe and crossed his arms over his chest, his muscles fighting the constraints of his sleeves.

      “No.”

      She was shocked by the lack of hesitation in Alex’s reply. “You’ve never even met him. How can you make that kind of judgment?”

      “I don’t like anyone who steals that smile from your face,” he said without pause.

      Katarina hesitated, momentarily baffled. Her heartbeat quickened, and she found herself breathing faster. “That kind of comment, Alex MacIntyre, could get you into a heap of trouble.”

      One side of his mouth curved into a resigned smile as he raised an eyebrow. “I think I already am.”

      CAROL STEWARD

      lives with her hero/husband of twenty years and three teenage children in Greeley, Colorado. When she isn’t busy caring for preschoolers in her home, she keeps busy with the activities of her daughter and two sons, and with volunteer work for various organizations. A retired cake decorator, Carol enjoys camping, restoring antiques, tole-painting, needlework, gardening, traveling, sewing and collecting Noah’s Ark items.

      She loves to hear from readers. You may write to her at: Carol Steward, P.O. Box 5021, Greeley, CO 80631-0021.

      Courting Katarina

      Carol Steward

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      Delight thyself in the Lord and He shall give you

      the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the

      Lord, trust in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.

      —Psalms 37:4,5

      Thanks to Bob, and his wife, Vicki,

      for their help in understanding the extraordinary

      demands of smoke jumpers and wildland

      firefighters. What a truly heroic line of work

      and special people, to carry it out year after year.

      To my brother, Randy,

      who doesn’t know a stranger.

      And to my sisters, Mindy, Cathy and Cindy, for

      inspiring me to write a series about that incredible,

      indelible relationship only sisters can understand.

      Dear Reader,

      Some of you may have read Second Time Around and fallen in love with Katarina and Alex just as I did. When I finished writing Emily and Kevin’s story, I realized there was more to this extraordinary story of God’s everlasting love than one book could ever tell. I wondered how the other two sisters, Katarina and Lisa, would handle the pain of their father’s abandonment, and how it would mold not only their earthly lives, but their spiritual lives, as well.

      And these MacIntyre men—they’re pretty special, too. Alex, the daring smoke jumper, Kevin, the charming builder and Adam, the rugged cowboy, are all men of integrity. Men you can count to steal your heart, mold it and give you one incredible ride in the process.

      I hope you enjoy this series of two incredible families and how God has brought them together through three totally unique love stories that draw on the individual needs and personalities of each couple. We have all been created in His image, with faults, weaknesses and special gifts that are as unique as our own fingerprints.

      I love to hear from my readers. Please write to me at P.O. Box 5021, Greeley, CO, 80632-0021.

      Contents

       Chapter One

       Chapter Two

       Chapter Three

       Chapter Four

       Chapter Five

       Chapter Six

       Chapter Seven

       Chapter Eight

       Chapter Nine

       Chapter Ten

       Chapter Eleven

       Chapter Twelve

       Chapter Thirteen

       Chapter Fourteen

       Chapter Fifteen

       Chapter Sixteen

       Chapter Seventeen

       Chapter Eighteen

       Chapter Nineteen

       Chapter Twenty

       Chapter Twenty-One

       Chapter Twenty-Two

      Chapter One

      Katarina Berthoff dabbed the tears collecting in the corners of her eyes. Her sister was married. After eleven years, Kevin and Emily had finally gotten it right. Pictures had been taken, the reception was running smoothly and her bridesmaid’s obligations were finished. Until the bride and groom left for their honeymoon and Katarina began to take care of their newly adopted four-year-old, she was free to relax with the other guests.

      Laughter and the murmur of voices from the crowd created a constant echo in her ear, so she discreetly removed her hearing aid, placed it in the case and dropped it into her purse. She hated to wear it in large gatherings. She’d pay nearly any price, even this deafness, to avoid the drone from all the background noise, and the headache that always followed. She didn’t need anything else to deal with today. One of these days, I’m going to have enough money to buy one of the new models that won’t be such a problem.

      Bypassing the assortment of cheeses and luncheon meats at the banquet table, Katarina studied the chafing dishes filled with mushrooms,