Parents Wanted!. Ruth Dale Jean

a moment her fingers clutched at his arms. But just as he was opening his mouth to tell her he thought she was just about the greatest thing since sliced bread, she yanked away, gave him a withering look and slapped him so hard his jaw still ached just thinking about it.

      Needless to say, there had been no more dates with Laura Gilliam, nor would there be. The slap said it all; you didn’t have to hit Matt Reynolds over the head with a two-by-four.

      But over the intervening months, he’d found himself reliving that incident and wondering what had happened. Because something still whispered to him that if she ever let herself go—

      Dylan stepped in front of Matt and yelled in his face. “Hey! You heard a word I’ve been sayin’?”

      “No.” Matt snapped out of his trip down memory lane. “Was it important?”

      Dylan grimaced. “I just asked you a question, is all.”

      “Care to run it by me one more time?”

      “I just wanna know if Brandee is your date today or are you free to get into trouble with the rest of us boys?” Dylan winked broadly.

      Matt sensed a friendly poker game in the offing and felt a moment’s regret. “Yeah, Brandee’s coming later.”

      Dylan did not look happy to hear it. “Isn’t that gettin’ just a little too serious?”

      Matt recoiled. “No! I got more sense than that. Dammit, Dylan, I just got tired of her chasin’ me. She’s been after me for years, although God knows why. I just finally got tired of runnin’.”

      “It’s probably the old ‘football hero and the cheerleader’ thing,” Dylan agreed. “Just watch your step, buddy. She can be real unpredictable.”

      Dylan led the way toward a group of men clustered around a horse someone had ridden in on, and Matt fell in beside him. But his thoughts were elsewhere, on the woman who seemed intent on tracking him down, and the other woman who didn’t even like to be in the same room with him.

      Damn but life was strange, and women were stranger still.

      “Hi, Miz Gilliam, can Zach come play with us kids?”

      Laura looked around to find Jessica Reynolds grinning at her. “Well,” she said, “I’m not sure—”

      “Please, Mama?” Zach inserted.

      Aware that she was frequently called overprotective, Laura tried to calm fears she knew were completely unfounded. Bravely she asked, “Will you keep an eye on him, Jessica?”

      “Sure!” The girl pushed all that long hair behind her ears. “We won’t go far.”

      “All right. Would you like me to put your hair up into a ponytail before you go?”

      “Would you?” Jessica’s eyes sparkled. “I’ve got a rubber band but I kind of get it tangled up when I try to do it.”

      “Oh, dear.” Laura took the rubber band from the girl, a plain one that looked as if it had come off a copy of the Rawhide Review. “This really isn’t the best kind to use,” she explained, carefully slipping it around the handful of hair at the back of Jessica’s head. “I’ll pick up the kind you need next chance I get.”

      “Thanks!” Jessica turned, rose on tiptoe, and planted a quick kiss on her benefactress’s cheek. “Come on, Zach!”

      Laura watched the two kids rush away to join the mob chasing after a soccer ball in the middle of the grassy area. What a sweet child. Matt was a lucky—

      She pulled herself up short. Thinking about Matt just annoyed her, and had since the one and only time she’d gone out with him. Was she holding out on him? Much more than an apple pie!

      The nerve of the man, to think she’d fall into his arms for the price of a simple dinner at the local gathering place a couple of years ago. Of course, it had been nice dancing with him. He moved with an athlete’s grace and his arms had felt strong around her. The brush of his thighs against hers as they moved in perfect unison sent little tingles running through her from the very first step. Matt Reynolds, she’d admitted to herself, was a very sexy man.

      Which didn’t give him any right to think he could grab her like some caveman while they stood before her front door. All right, the pressure of those firm lips on hers had made her... almost giddy for a moment. And maybe she’d clung to him a bit longer than she should have—in shock, nothing more.

      Apparently he wasn’t accustomed to dating ladies, because he’d looked absolutely stupefied when she slapped his face.

      After that—

      “Hi. What’s got you looking so serious?”

      Laura pulled herself together to smile at her best friend, Katy Andrews, city reporter for the Review. Black-haired and green-eyed Katy had the suspicious nature you’d expect of a news reporter. Laura herself lacked that attribute, so had settled happily into life-styles.

      “I was just thinking about work,” Laura lied. “I’ve got to go back in to write the Citizen of the Year story for Sunday’s newspaper, and I’ll have to make arrangements for someone to keep an eye on Zach.”

      “I’ll watch him for you.”

      “Really? I’d appreciate that. It won’t take me long.”

      “Take as long as you like. He’s a great kid and we always have a good time.”

      “Then thank you, I accept. Do you have any idea when they’ll get this show on the road?”

      “You mean, announce the Citizen of the Year? After we eat.” Katy glanced around. “There’s Matt and Dylan!” She waved and smiled.

      “Talk about looking for trouble,” Laura remarked dryly.

      Katy laughed. “With Dylan, yes, but Matt’s okay.” She winked. “You could do worse, you know.”

      “I’d rather go over Niagara Falls in a barrel,” Laura cried.

      “Okay, let Brandee have him, then. Why not? She’s been after him since second grade.”

      “With pleasure.” But Laura felt a shiver run through her at the thought of Matt at the mercy of Brandee Haycox, who seemed like a woman accustomed to getting what—or who—she went after.

      “Speaking of love and romance...”

      “Is that what we were speaking of?”

      “More or less. But speaking of it, what did you think about that classified in yesterday’s paper?”

      “What classified?”

      Katy’s green eyes widened. “Don’t tell me you missed it! Everyone in town’s talking about it.”

      “Don’t keep me in suspense.”

      “It’s from some guy who signs himself Prince Charming. He’s looking for a wife who’s pretty and nice and likes kids.” She grinned. “Is that cute or what?”

      “I’d call it strange. A newspaper ad is hardly an acceptable way to find a wife.”

      “Don’t be a spoilsport.” Katy wrinkled her nose. “I’m thinking about applying, actually.”

      “Katy!” Laura stared at her friend, appalled. “You wouldn’t!”

      “Why not? Hey, twenty-nine-year-olds have to grab the brass rings where they can find them. Besides, it’s probably someone I already know, just too shy to come right out and say he wants to get married and have kids.”

      “Maybe it’s Dylan,” Laura suggested with a laugh.

      “Maybe it’s not,” Katy shot back. “It could be Matt, I suppose, but he’s got more women than he can shake a stick at without putting an ad in the newspaper. I’ve come up with a few other