he’d ever seen and he had to hesitate halfway down the stairs and referee the war his emotions were going through at the sight of her.
“ She’s gorgeous ,” one side of the argument went. “ Think how soft she’d be in your arms. Think how good her mouth would taste, how she’d melt to your touch and how those long, slender fingers would tangle in your hair, and how her body would slide beneath you and—”
“ She comes attached to a horde of kids , you idiot ,” retorted the other side. “ She’s not alone. She’s taken, body and soul, by responsibilities. You can see it on her face, read it in her eyes. She’s got no time for you, and you haven’t got what it takes to satisfy her need for a daddy for those kids. Give it up. Don’t do something that will just make everyone involved miserable.”
“ Stay. See what happens .”
“ Get out while the getting’s good .”
“ You wouldn’t want to be rude .”
“ Tell her you ‘re expecting a long distance call .”
And then he’d almost reached the bottom of the stairs and found himself within inches of her and the voices faded away, leaving him to follow his instincts. His instincts told him to smile—guardedly.
“Thank you so much,” she was saying, looking up at him. “You’ve been such a help.” She watched his reaction, wondering why he looked slightly wary. She was the one trying to keep this short and sweet. Wasn’t she?
“I’d— Have you had any dinner?”
Whoops.
She bit her lip. That wasn’t what she’d planned to say. It had just slipped out without warning.
But what the heck. She owed him at least a meal after all he’d done tonight.
“Not really,” he answered, almost wincing, as though he knew he was caught and was beginning to lose sight of an escape plan. “I was cooking, but dinner plans got interrupted.”
Cathy nodded, remembering what he’d said to his date when he’d advised her to go on home.
“I saw you go over to say goodbye to your friend before you started on the window,” she said, and in spite of her wariness, she knew her eyes were brimming with silent laughter. “Did she leave you any steak?”
Scott grinned. “Are you kidding? She took the steak, the corncobs, even the onion dip. When I got over there she had everything in a laundry basket she was ‘borrowing.’ I’m surprised she left me coffee for my morning meal.”
“Ouch.”
He shrugged. “I probably ruined her plans, showing up like I did, before she’d completely filled the basket.” He pretended to look sad for her. “The coffee business must nag at her. If only she’d had time to get it all!”
She found herself grinning back at him. He was cute. And she did like a man who could laugh at himself.
“Serves you right,” she teased.
He pretended to be taken aback, one eyebrow raised. “How so?”
Glancing over her shoulder at him, she started for the kitchen. “Like they say, you get what you pay for.”
He came after her, only a step behind. “Are you implying I have to pay for women to date me?” he demanded.
She laughed at his outraged face. “No, silly. Of course not. But what you get out of a relationship is proportional to what you’re willing to put into it.”
She opened the refrigerator door and leaned in.
“And I have a feeling this young lady was just a name in a phone book to you when you asked her out.”
“A name on a locker room wall is more like it,” he muttered, leaning back against the counter and watching her trim figure as she reached for a large pot.
“What?” She straightened, placing the pot on the stove and turning on the flame.
“Nothing.”
His eyes met hers and she looked away a bit too quickly, reaching for a cloth to wipe at the already spotless ceramic-tiled counter. The blond oak cabinets, the gleaming appliances, the butcher-block island, all created a setting that seemed to suit her.
But he couldn’t help wonder what she
“ She’s gorgeous ,” one side of the argument went. “ Think how soft she’d be in your arms. Think how good her mouth would taste, how she’d melt to your touch and how those long, slender fingers would tangle in your hair, and how her body would slide beneath you and—”
“ She comes attached to a horde of kids , you idiot ,” retorted the other side. “ She’s not alone. She’s taken, body and soul, by responsibilities. You can see it on her face, read it in her eyes. She’s got no time for you, and you haven’t got what it takes to satisfy her need for a daddy for those kids. Give it up. Don’t do something that will just make everyone involved miserable.”
“ Stay. See what happens .”
“ Get out while the getting’s good .”
“ You wouldn’t want to be rude .”
“ Tell her you ‘re expecting a long distance call .”
And then he’d almost reached the bottom of the stairs and found himself within inches of her and the voices faded away, leaving him to follow his instincts. His instincts told him to smile—guardedly.
“Thank you so much,” she was saying, looking up at him. “You’ve been such a help.” She watched his reaction, wondering why he looked slightly wary. She was the one trying to keep this short and sweet. Wasn’t she?
“I’d— Have you had any dinner?”
Whoops.
She bit her lip. That wasn’t what she’d planned to say. It had just slipped out without warning.
But what the heck. She owed him at least a meal after all he’d done tonight.
“Not really,” he answered, almost wincing, as though he knew he was caught and was beginning to lose sight of an escape plan. “I was cooking, but dinner plans got interrupted.”
Cathy nodded, remembering what he’d said to his date when he’d advised her to go on home.
“I saw you go over to say goodbye to your friend before you started on the window,” she said, and in spite of her wariness, she knew her eyes were brimming with silent laughter. “Did she leave you any steak?”
Scott grinned. “Are you kidding? She took the steak, the corncobs, even the onion dip. When I got over there she had everything in a laundry basket she was ‘borrowing.’ I’m surprised she left me coffee for my morning meal.”
“Ouch.”
He shrugged. “I probably ruined her plans, showing up like I did, before she’d completely filled the basket.” He pretended to look sad for her. “The coffee business must nag at her. If only she’d had time to get it all!”
She found herself grinning back at him. He was cute. And she did like a man who could laugh at himself.
“Serves you right,” she teased.
He pretended to be taken aback, one eyebrow raised. “How so?”
Glancing over her shoulder at him, she started for the kitchen. “Like they say, you get what you pay for.”
He came after her, only a step behind. “Are you implying I have to pay for women to date me?” he demanded.
She laughed at his outraged face. “No, silly. Of course not. But what you get out of a relationship is proportional to what you’re willing to put into it.”
She opened the refrigerator door and leaned in.
“And I have a feeling this young lady was just a name in a phone book to you when you asked her out.”
“A name on a locker room wall is more like it,” he muttered, leaning back against the counter and watching her trim figure as she reached for a large pot.
“What?” She straightened, placing the pot on the stove and turning on the flame.
“Nothing.”
His eyes met hers and she looked away a bit too quickly, reaching for a cloth to wipe at the already spotless ceramic-tiled counter. The blond oak cabinets, the gleaming appliances, the butcher-block island, all created a setting that seemed to suit her.
But he couldn’t help wonder what she
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