The Calamity Janes: Cassie & Karen. Sherryl Woods

      * * *

      The Calamity Janes had spread a half dozen quilts across the grass. Each of them had brought a cooler filled with drinks, sandwiches and a variety of desserts. There was more than enough food for themselves and most of their class, but none of them had eaten a bite.

      “I can’t believe it,” Gina said. “Your mom was always such a skinny little thing. She looked as if a strong wind would blow her away, but she had this unmistakable strength.”

      “And that’s exactly what’s going to get her through this,” Karen said, giving Cassie’s hand a squeeze as she shot a warning glance at Gina. “No more talk of gloom and doom. I’m so glad you’re going to stay to help out. I know how much that must mean to your mom.”

      “She fought me on it,” Cassie admitted.

      “And we all know why that was,” Lauren chimed in. “Sweetie, I know you feel you need to be here, but let’s think about this. What about Jake and Cole?”

      “I’ll just have to do whatever I can to keep them apart,” Cassie said. It was going to be more easily said than done, given Cole’s determination to help out with her mom’s treatment in any way he could. She doubted that meant merely writing a check and steering clear of the house or whatever hospital she went to.

      “You’d barely been in town for a day, and they almost ran into each other,” Gina reminded her. “How can you help your mom if you’re worried every second about Cole figuring out that Jake is his?”

      “I think she should just tell Cole and get it over with,” Karen said.

      “Tell Cole what?” the very man in question inquired, making Cassie’s heart thump wildly.

      “Where did you come from?” she asked irritably. “You shouldn’t sneak up on people when they’re having private conversations.”

      “If you don’t want anyone to overhear, then you shouldn’t be having a private conversation in the middle of an event in a public park,” he retorted mildly. He sat down beside her, deliberately crowding her, deliberately ignoring her scowl.

      Her friends exchanged knowing looks, then one by one excused themselves to play badminton or horseshoes or baseball. Even Lauren, who’d never had an athletic bone in her body except when it came to horses, declared a sudden urge to join the women’s baseball team being formed to challenge the men.

      When they were all gone, Cassie looked Cole squarely in the eye. “Don’t you want to play? I’m sure the men could use you.”

      “I’m where I want to be,” he said, picking up an apple and taking a bite.

      Cassie was suddenly struck by an image of Adam in the garden of Eden, tempted into sin by a seductive Eve. “Cole, you aren’t imagining that you and I...” Her voice trailed off as color flooded her cheeks.

      He grinned. “That we’re going to have ourselves a fling for old-time’s sake?”

      “I wouldn’t have put it like that, but yes.”

      “Would it be so terrible?”

      “It would be a disaster,” she said with feeling.

      “Why? We’re consenting adults now. It would be nobody’s business but ours.”

      She knew he probably wasn’t even serious, that he was deliberately baiting her, but she couldn’t let it pass. “Do you actually think that would stop anyone from making it their business? You’re the one who said it last night. This is still a small town. People love to talk. Just seeing us sitting here together now will raise eyebrows. It won’t be five minutes before someone makes a call to your father to report the latest.”

      He seemed totally unconcerned. “Let them. My father doesn’t run my life.”

      “Since when?”

      “A lot’s changed since the last time we were together,” he said mildly. “We’ll get into it one of these days.”

      “No, we won’t. This is impossible.”

      “Nothing’s impossible if you want it badly enough.”

      She frowned at him. “My mother’s already been through enough. I won’t have her embarrassed by my actions ever again, especially not with everything else that’s going on.”

      “So it’s only because of your mother that you’re turning me down?” he inquired, a glint of amusement in his eyes.

      “No, of course not,” she snapped. “It’s a bad idea all the way around.”

      “Then you don’t find me the least bit attractive anymore?”

      She knew she could never lie convincingly enough to tell him no, so she settled for saying, “It doesn’t matter whether I do or I don’t. Nothing is going to happen.”

      He shrugged. “If you say so.” An infuriating, smug smile tugged at his lips.

      “I say so,” she said firmly.

      “That’s that, then.” He tossed his apple toward a nearby trash can. It went in neatly. An instant later he was on his feet, his hand held out. “Come on. If we can’t have sex, we might as well play ball.”

      Ignoring the outrageous comment and his outstretched hand, Cassie stood up, but before she could take a single step, he snagged her wrist and held her still. His gaze locked with hers and sent her heartbeat tripping.

      Before she could guess his intention, his mouth settled on hers, the touch as light as a butterfly’s, as devastating as ever. The world went spinning, but when she would have reached out to steady herself, he was already stepping away, apparently satisfied that she was completely off balance.

      “Interesting,” he commented, as if it had been nothing more than an experiment.

      Still shaken, she stared at him. “What?”

      “You taste exactly the way I remembered. I guess there are some things in life we can’t forget, no matter how hard we try.” That odd note of regret was back in his voice again.

      “Try harder,” she snapped, then stalked off to the sound of his laughter.

      There was just one problem with that advice, she conceded as she joined the others on the ball field. There wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that she could forget it, either. Cole’s kisses were as memorable now as they had been ten years ago. Hard and demanding or soft and sweet, they had always taken her by surprise, always sent her senses reeling. Time hadn’t dulled that.

      Okay, she admitted, she might not be able to forget. That didn’t mean she couldn’t steer clear of any more stolen kisses, minimize the risk, prevent disaster from striking again. It would just take some fancy footwork and plenty of polite excuses for never spending a single second with him alone.

      “You okay?” Karen asked, studying her worriedly. “You look a little flushed.”

      “It’s hot out here,” she said with an unmistakable trace of defensiveness.

      “It’s cloudy and barely seventy,” Karen pointed out.

      “Do you always have to take everything so literally?” she grumbled.

      Karen grinned. “Ah, this is about Cole, then. I should have known.”

      “Oh, go suck an egg.”

      “Can’t. I’m next up to bat. If you want to get in the lineup, see Emma. She’s managing the team.”

      Despite herself, Cassie chuckled. “Why am I not surprised?” Despite the rough time they had given her, Emma had always taken charge. Now that she was a big-shot attorney, no doubt she was more of a control freak than ever.

      Cassie glanced at the field and reacted with amazement when she saw that Lauren was on second base. “Lauren got