A Family Kind of Wedding by Lisa Jackson

your homework and don’t abuse the privilege, I’ll bring in the little TV set that’s in the kitchen.”
    â€œReally?”
    â€œMmm-hmm. But homework comes first. School’s just started, so we don’t want to get behind.”
    â€œâ€˜We’ won’t,” he promised with a grin.
    â€œI can take care of that.” Luke went back to the kitchen and returned to Josh’s room with the thirteen-inch TV. Balancing the TV on the top of an already crowded bookcase, he adjusted the rabbit ears and found a baseball game in progress.
    â€œAwesome.”
    Luke tossed Josh the remote control.
    â€œNow, you promise to do everything the doctor says and keep up with your schoolwork?”
    â€œâ€™Course.” Josh nodded vigorously. For the first time since they’d picked him up, Josh smiled as he leaned back on his twin bed and immediately clicked the remote control to a different channel and one of his favorite sitcoms.
    Blue, eyeing Luke suspiciously, slunk into the room and, after circling a couple of times, settled on the rug beside Josh’s bed. Resting his graying muzzle on his paws, he glared up at Luke as if he were the devil incarnate.
    â€œYou be good,” Katie warned the old dog, and he managed one thump of his tail. She turned her attention back to Josh. “Now, kid, is there anything else you need? How about something to eat?”
    Josh’s dark eyes sparkled. Already he was getting used to being waited on. “Pizza?”
    â€œTomorrow, maybe. If we get the car back.”
    â€œPapa Luigi’s delivers.”
    â€œAs I said, tomorrow.” She winked at her son. “Right now, I think I’d better scrounge something up from the refrigerator.”
    He pulled a long face, which she ignored. “How about you?” she asked Luke. “I’m going to whip up some sandwiches if you’re interested.”
    â€œYou don’t have to—”
    â€œOf course I don’t. But I do feel like I owe you.” He hesitated, then lifted a shoulder as they stepped into the hallway where the door to Katie’s room was half open, almost inviting. Inside, a Tiffany lamp burned at a low wattage, reflecting on the windows and spreading a warm pool of light over the lacy duvet and the pink and rose-colored pillows that were piled loosely against the headboard of her bed. The decor was outrageously feminine, with antiques, scatter rugs and frills. Oddly, she was embarrassed that he was looking into her private sanctuary where she worked on her columns, worried over Josh and dreamed about her career; a room where no man had ever dared sleep. She felt her heart pound a little, and when Luke’s eyes found hers again, she realized she was blushing.
    â€œSo, how about ham and turkey on white bread?” she asked blithely, as if men looked into her bedroom every day of the week.
    â€œSounds great.”
    â€œGood.” She walked briskly away from her room, and, once she and Luke were in the kitchen, she let out her breath again. Why seeing him so close to her most private spot in the world disquieted her, she didn’t know, didn’t want to know. But there was no doubt about it—this easygoing Texan put her on edge.
    He looked awkward and big and out of place in her kitchen. “I’ll make the ice bag the doctor ordered,” he offered, as if he, too, needed something to do. “Just point me in the right direction.”
    â€œGood idea.” She handed him the tools he needed, then spread mayonnaise on slices of white bread. He found ice in the freezer, cracked the cubes from a tray and smashed them into smaller chunks with the small hammer she’d dug out for him. Once the ice was crushed, he rustled up a couple of plastic bags, put one inside the other and brushed the ice shavings inside.
    â€œYou’ve done this before,” she observed, slapping ham, turkey, lettuce and tomatoes on the