Courting Katarina. Carol Steward

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 in front of the bride and groom, opening his door just as Emily invited all eligible women to gather for the bouquet toss. Alex unbuckled Ricky’s seat belt. “What a ridiculous tradition,” he muttered. “They don’t actually believe catching a bouquet can predict the next bride-to-be, do they?”

      Bryan chuckled, “Need I remind you, Emily caught Laura’s bouquet merely five months ago?”

      “Coincidence.” Alex tried to ignore the shrill screams of excitement and pleas for Emily to throw the wildflowers. As she did, he stole a quick glance at Katarina. When had the gangly teenager turned into an alluring young woman?

      Alex tugged at the knot of his tie and unfastened his collar button, then looked up. The wildflowers were caught in the tree. On the other side of the truck, his brother jumped up and knocked them loose.

      Alex batted the bouquet away when it dropped in front of him. The screaming resumed as the bundle glided directly into Katarina Berthoff’s hands.

      She stared at it as if it were a kiss of death instead of a prediction of marriage. He couldn’t help but smile as Lisa, the bride’s youngest sister, arched her eyebrows and gave Katarina a hug.

      Wishing he could crawl back into the truck and drive away, Alex walked over to his youngest brother and repeated his earlier question. “They don’t actually believe this stuff works, do they?”

      Adam laughed. “Doesn’t really matter, does it? Takes two to tango, and I’ve had enough toes stepped on to stay off the dance floor permanently.”

      “Those city women are what made you run back to Granddaddy’s ranch?”

      His brother looked indignant. “You must be kidding. That ranch has been my dream forever. You should know that. But there’s one thing a guest ranch doesn’t need. Women.”

      Alex chuckled. “Give it time, and you’ll be singing a different tune.”

      He glanced at Katarina again, imagining her in a white lace gown, holding her own bouquet. Would the owner of Kat’s Kreations put together as fancy a wedding for herself?

      Adam’s voice pulled Alex from his daydream. “So, brother, what’s kept you from tying that proverbial knot? Will we be adding one more plate to the Christmas table this year? Or are we going to hold strong to our bachelorhood?”

      Alex looked around at the variety of couples in the crowd. If he were only in a different line of business, the first thing he’d do was find himself a wife and start a family. After all, he was thirty-five already. Where had the time gone?

      As long as he was fighting fires, he wasn’t husband material. Six-month stretches away from home were no way to make a marriage work. No way to raise a family. Not for him, anyway. In his eight years as a smokejumper, he’d seen more marriages fall apart than stay together. “Don’t count me in for Christmas. Who knows where I’ll be by then.”

      “Bachelors, gather around,” called Kevin. “Your turn.” With much ado, Kevin seated Emily in the wicker chair, retrieved the garter from his wife’s leg, turned around and tossed it over his shoulder.

      Adam slapped Alex on the back. “It’s headed right for you, bro. Better run quick.”

      Alex shook his head and laughed as he saw the blue-and-white lace sailing directly toward him. “No way! You’ve got the wrong guy.” The last thing I need is a woman to complicate my life right now. “Wrong guy,” he repeated, staring at the frilly garter in his hand.

      The competing bachelors gathered around. With Adam in the lead, they not so gently “guided” him to Katarina. “Now you put it on her,” Adam explained.

      Katarina’s eyes grew huge and the color drained from her cheeks. Someone gave Alex a blatant shove and he stopped short of running into her. He looked at Katarina and shrugged. “Do you mind?”

      She leaned forward, lifting her ear closer to his mouth. Wildflowers. She smelled like a forest before a fire. Was it the bouquet in her hand, or some carefully concocted perfume? Or his imagination? He didn’t dare explore the answer.

      “What did you say? I didn’t hear you over all the noise.” Katarina’s voice held a mixture of shyness and teasing. There was something warm and enchanting about her. If he didn’t get this over with, the crowd wouldn’t give him a minute of peace for the rest of the afternoon. Katarina was trouble with a capital T. He could tell that already.

      She was too young. Too sensitive. Too beautiful to be alone all summer long while he jumped out of planes, wondering where the next forest fire would take him. Worried that he might not make it home at all.

      He wouldn’t be the man responsible for placing worry lines on that innocent face.

      “I asked if you mind?” he said into her ear, inhaling deeply. It was definitely her perfume.

      Katarina nodded slightly, obviously too startled by the suggestion to offer any objection. She paused, lifted her chin and met his gaze. He nodded, and she sat down. Her flowered skirt flowed around her feet and dusted the ground.

      Alex knelt on one knee and swallowed the lump in his throat. His heart raced as if he’d just bailed out of the Twin Otter at fifteen hundred feet. He’d take jumping into a forest fire over this any day.

      She lifted the edge of her skirt little more than an inch above her ankle, challenging him to go through with it. The crowd roared, hooting and hollering suggestions. He had no intention of following any of them. He just wanted this to be over.

      As he slid the garter over Katarina’s ankle, he watched a dim flush return to her pale and beautiful face. He stopped at her calf, noting the heated gaze that passed between them. Trying to mirror the light mood of the crowd, he forced a smile.

      “You’re off the hook,” Katarina leaned close to say. The glint of humor shone in her blue eyes as she tucked a stray blond hair behind her ear. “I’m as good as engaged already,” she added with a coy smile.

      “And what makes you think I want to be on the hook?”

      Chapter Three

      The wedding festivities ended and the family dispersed. Alex watched Katarina with mixed emotions. She and her sister gathered the last of the flower vases from the tables and placed them in a crate. He should have his head examined for flirting with her.

      What exactly does “good as engaged” mean, anyway? He pushed the question aside and concentrated on figuring out a way to make peace with the bride’s sister. He strolled over and stopped in front of her. “Can I carry that to the car for you?”

      “I can manage.” Katarina stacked the crate on a flat box, then deliberately turned away. “Lisa, would you find Mom and Ricky? We’re ready to go.” Katarina’s voice held a tone of defiance.

      He had obviously made her plenty mad. Who knew exactly what it was this time? There were more options than hamburgers on a fast-food menu.

      Lisa eyed the load her sister had prepared. “You sure you can handle all that?”

      Katarina hoisted the teetering load off the table. “I do it all the time. No problem.”

      Her feistiness reminded him of a kitten—delicate, adorable and determined. She rested her chin on the edge of the crate to stabilize it.

      “Okay, I’ll be right back,” Lisa said, eyeing Alex. Lisa hesitated, shrugged her shoulders, then disappeared around the corner.

      Sidestepping to get out of Katarina’s way, Alex matched her gait step for step. “There’s no reason for you to carry all that. I’ll be glad to help.”

      “I don’t need any help. But thanks anyway.”

      Despite