The Virgin's Proposal. Shirley Jump

who looked like Madonna and had never had trouble getting a man, was jealous of Katie for her grades? Her store? Had that spurred Barbara to steal Steve, the one thing Katie had that was stealable?—

      “Anyway, Steve forgot to ask Katie something earlier,” Barbara said. Steve shot Barbara a look of protest, but she nudged him with her elbow. “Go ahead.”

      He cleared his throat. “I still feel bad about the way things ended,” he began. “You said there were no hard feelings and so, Barbara, well, I mean Barbara and I, want to invite you to the wedding.”

      “My father’s managed to pull together quite a bash on short notice,” Barbara said. “We’re going to have—”

      “You stood me up at the altar in front of half the town to run off with my bridesmaid and now you want me to come to your wedding?”

      Matt put a hand on her arm and leaned to whisper in her ear. “It might be a good idea to go,” he whispered in her ear.

      “Are you insane?” she whispered back.

      “It would be a hell of a way to get closure.” He grinned.

      This man could read her like a book. He’d pushed the right button, the one that triggered her compulsion to show the town she’d moved on, despite what Steve had done to her. But go to their wedding? Wasn’t that a bit much?

      Then she thought about seeing Steve squirm in front of the minister, if he made it that far this time, of seeing Barbara eat her words about Katie being a recluse. And then there was the store—a bit of talk might spur some business. This was an opportunity, not an insult.

      She turned to Barbara and Steve. “We’d love to come. Both of us.” The new Katie was brave, but she wasn’t quite up to doing this alone.

      Barbara’s mouth dropped open. “Both of you? How wonderful. It will be so nice to have one of the Websters at our wedding,” she said.

      “What a coup,” Matt said dryly.

      Steve eyed Matt. “You aren’t planning on pulling one of your famous stunts at the reception, are you?”

      “And just what is that supposed to mean?”

      “I know who you are.” He leaned into Matt’s face, his voice low. “You tore up this town when you lived here, and you got arrested so many times, the sheriff had to hire a deputy just to keep an eye on you.”

      “Yeah, well I’m older and wiser now. And a lot bigger.”

      Katie saw the storm brewing between the two men. She scooted off the stool, grabbing up a handful of darts from the dish on a nearby table. She put a hand on Matt’s shoulder and tugged him away from Steve. “Come on, play darts with me.”

      Matt backed up and accepted the darts she handed him. “I think that’s a good idea.” His gaze never wavered from Steve.

      “We were on our way to the dining room to pick up some pizzas for the fight anyway.” Barbara grabbed Steve’s hand and started leading him toward the swinging door that separated the two halves of the Corner Pocket.

      “One more thing.” Steve pivoted back to Matt. “Katie’s a good person. Don’t hurt her.” Then he walked away, leaving Katie stunned. Barbara was jealous of her? Steve was being protective? Had the world just turned upside down?

      Then Barbara called over her shoulder, “See you next Saturday,” and the world flipped upright again.

      “I wouldn’t miss it for anything,” Katie grumbled.

      When the door swung shut behind the couple, Matt released a gust of air. “A few years ago, I would have knocked a guy like that clear across the bar, just for the hell of it.”

      “And why didn’t you today?”

      “I’m not who I used to be.”

      “Well, that makes two of us.” She smiled. “Thanks for coming to my rescue. Again.”

      “It was my pleasure. Both times.”

      “I don’t usually kiss strangers at the corner grocery,” she said. “I was trying to…”

      “Make him jealous?” Matt supplied.

      “No, not jealous. I wanted him to see I’ve gone on with my life.”

      “And have you?”

      “Of course.” That was mostly a lie. All Katie knew now was she didn’t want to go back to who she was before, no matter how safe and comfortable it felt.

      Matt twirled a dart between his fingers. “I don’t want to be mean, but what did you see in him in the first place?”

      Katie snorted. “The better question is what did he see in me? I was the class geek, complete with the glasses and the physics books. He was the captain of the football team.”

      “Let me guess. You tutored him in geometry?”

      She let out a laugh. “Algebra.” Something about the chase, or the bonus of good grades, had kept Steve with her throughout high school. She’d been the one who could have used a tutor—in how not to be fooled by the illusion of a relationship. Steve had dumped her at graduation—for the hot cheerleader who’d given him the time of his life under the bleachers.

      “You’re a beautiful woman, you know,” Matt said. “You probably could have had any guy in high school.”

      “They weren’t exactly lining up for dates.”

      “Well, they were stupid.”

      She shook her head. “I was the stupid one. I went away to college and when I came home, Steve was there. He told me I was good for him, that being with me kept him from getting into trouble. I guess he believed that, too. Maybe I had an extra-bad case of homesickness or jet lag or something, because I took Steve back, even knowing he’d cheated on me. I was still half in love with those high-school memories. Mostly, though, I was half idiot. I believed him when he said he wanted to marry me and be faithful. I thought he’d changed.” She scowled. “A bona fide Oprah moment.”

      Matt gestured toward the door to the restaurant. “And that’s when Babs there came into the picture?”

      Katie dropped her gaze to the darts in her hand. “On my wedding day, no less. He sent me a letter afterwards that summed up all my shortcomings and defended his choice of Barbara.”

      Matt cursed under his breath. “I ought to—”

      “Don’t. It’s over, in the past.” She fidgeted with the darts. “Anyway, thanks again for helping me out.”

      “Are you trying to get rid of me?” He moved closer, a breath away. She could feel the warmth of his body, smell the scent of leather mixed with musky cologne.

      “Should I? After what I’ve heard, maybe it would be in my best interests.” Katie’s heart began racing at triple-speed, her pulse hammering through her veins.

      It was as if a rocket had launched itself in her midsection. She’d wanted a little spice in her life—a dash of pepper, maybe—not a truckload of red-hot chilies roaring through her at the speed of light. He was too handsome, too desirable and way too dangerous. She would be crazy to get involved with him. He seemed to be a lot more than even the new Katie could handle.

      “Don’t you feel the connection between us?”

      “A single kiss doesn’t make us soul mates,” she countered. Each breath caught in her throat. The memory of that encounter, and all its deeper implications, still quivered within her.

      “If it were an ordinary kiss.” He traced along the edge of her bottom lip and she inhaled, resisting the urge to taste the tip of his finger, to do much, much more. “Which that most certainly wasn’t.”

      “No, it wasn’t.” She wanted him to touch her, kiss her again. Anything to