With Valor And Devotion. Charlotte Maclay

be the wiser and the burn center will still be five hundred dollars richer.”

      “That wouldn’t be honorable. I gave my word I’d go out with whoever bid the most for me—or her surrogate in this case. Your friends would be disappointed in us both if we didn’t go through with it after all the trouble they went to.”

      “I’ll explain to them it just wasn’t possible—”

      “Not good enough. How ’bout Friday night? There’s a great place in Pismo, good food, a small dance floor. We could—”

      “No,” she gasped. “I’m busy that night.”

      “Really?”

      “Absolutely. Very busy.” Friday nights she collapsed after a hard workweek, rarely able to stay awake late enough to watch a movie on TV. And that was typical for her social schedule every night of the week.

      He gave her a skeptical look, though his intense scrutiny didn’t let up an iota even as he tipped his head to the side, shifting those wavy curls off his forehead slightly. “Do you like scuba diving?”

      Without thought, she nodded. Too late to take it back, she stammered, “I, well—”

      “Great. I’ll pick you up Sunday morning at—”

      “I’m perfectly capable of driving myself,” she said hastily. “But I have no intention of—”

      “You know the marina at Morro Bay?”

      “Yes, but—”

      “Perfect. Meet me there at ten. My boat’s moored in row 57A—the Lady Be Good. I’ll bring a lunch and I’ve got gear for you if you need it.” He bent down, brushed the same familiar kiss to her cheek as he had with Addy, and gave Kristin another wicked grin. “We’ll have a great time.”

      In stunned silence, Kristin stood in the middle of the aisle as Mike walked away. She wasn’t sure which was more irritating—his arrogant assumption that she’d go out with him, despite her refusal, or the fact that the quick brush of his lips had been a flashpoint of reawakened desire. Heated messages radiated through every nerve ending from that simple contact, speaking of possibilities and forbidden cravings. Low in her body she felt an unwelcome response, an ache of wanting she’d long denied herself.

      Damn, if Mike Gables was that potent with only a peck on the cheek, how much more damage could he do to a woman’s willpower if he set his mind to it?

      Turning, she spied her friends loitering near the exit, looking as smug as truants who’d made a clean escape from the school principal. She stalked toward them.

      “What on earth possessed the four of you to—”

      “It was for a good cause,” Holly Mae said, grinning like a fool.

      “You spent too much money, for one thing. For another, I have no interest in—”

      “You needed a date,” Addy said.

      Not someone like Mike Gables, she thought wildly. “I could use a new car, too. Why didn’t you buy me one of those?”

      Connie hooked her arm through Kristin’s. “We’ll work on that for next year.”

      “But, you work hard for your money. You shouldn’t be spending it on me.” She whirled back to Holly Mae. “You’re single. You can go out with Mike. I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful—”

      “Hon, just hush up and enjoy, have fun,” Addy ordered. “This is our way of thanking you.”

      “Thanking me?”

      “There isn’t another social worker in the county who cares about kids as much as you do. We figured it was high time you got a reward for all your hard work.”

      County employees got a certificate of appreciation for extra effort. Or if they were lucky, a two-percent cost of living increase in their salary.

      Kristin groaned.

      They didn’t get a date with a studly firefighter who could trip-hammer a woman’s heart with a single sexy smile and an all-too-brief kiss on the cheek.