Courting Katarina. Carol Steward

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СКАЧАТЬ man laughed. “You’re too kind, Alex,” Bryan said as he opened the door. Ricky jumped into the cab of the truck. “Do you know how many newlyweds Kevin has sent off for their honeymoon in a decorated car?”

      Alex slid the wand into the tube and flipped the switch off. “Nice has nothing to do with it.” Alex winked. “I don’t want to take any chances of damaging the paint. I don’t need a repair bill hanging over me. Where are they going for their honeymoon?”

      The men climbed into the truck and closed the doors. “You don’t actually think he’s going to tell me, do you?”

      Alex turned the key in the ignition and pulled forward. “Well…” He paused, eyeing the orphaned little boy his brother and new sister-in-law had officially adopted at the end of the wedding ceremony. After all these years, it was a shock to see one of the MacIntyre brothers actually married. “Surely they told someone where they can be reached, didn’t they?”

      Silently Bryan raised his eyebrows and shrugged.

      As if the four-year-old understood, he interjected, “Auntie Kat is ’sitting me, Bryan, ’member? And Uncle Alex promised to take me for pizza. Can Katarina come with us? It wouldn’t be nice to leave her home alone.”

      Alex wanted more than anything to ignore the question. He was most likely the last person Katarina Berthoff wanted to spend time with after he’d snapped at her. It wasn’t like him to be so short of patience, but he’d tried to find out what had happened, and how he could help. She’d ignored him. How could he help if she wouldn’t talk to him?

      Of course, then he’d hauled her out from under the table like some brute and embarrassed her. “Well, Ricky, we’ll have to see how your aunt Katarina feels about that first.” He certainly wouldn’t mind a dinner with his sister-in-law’s charming sister, yet he wasn’t sure she’d agree.

      “She might get lonely.”

      The two men looked at one another and laughed, obviously of the same opinion that Katarina would probably relish a few minutes of solitude after two days alone with the talkative little boy. Alex pulled into the driveway that led to the exclusive restaurant perched on a bluff with a view of town. Emily and Kevin exited the Dutch-style building 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 СКАЧАТЬ