Yesterday's Love by Sherryl Woods

opened, there are procedures we have to follow.”
    â€œYou probably never speed either,” she said wearily.
    â€œNot often,” he admitted, suddenly wishing he had at least a parking ticket he could tell her about.
    â€œHaven’t you ever wanted to break just one little rule?”
    â€œThere are reasons for rules.”
    â€œDo you always agree with those reasons?”
    â€œOf course not.”
    â€œThen what do you do?”
    â€œTry to get the rules changed.”
    Victoria tried to imagine Tate in the middle of a protest rally. Not even her vivid imagination could come up with an impression of that scene. He probably made an appointment, sat down and discussed things rationally, shook hands politely and waited for change to take place. The people he approached probably listened too. She had a feeling he could be a very persuasive man when he wanted to be.
    He was sitting at the kitchen table now, his hands braced behind his head, leaning back in the chair and watching her again, laughter dancing in his dark brown eyes. She had a feeling he found her amusing and that irritated the daylights out of her. Despite her misgivings about all of this, she’d wanted to be beautiful and sexy and alluring tonight. She’d searched her closet and found a lovely old dress with tiny sprigs of bright yellow flowers on a beige background. It had a scooped neck, edged with antique lace, that drew attention to her full breasts and a wide satin sash that emphasized her tiny waist. For once, her hair had cooperated and fallen into shining waves. And now this infuriating man was laughing at her. She felt like smacking him in the mouth. Instead, she sliced through a tomato with a whack that jarred the counter.
    Tate winced. “Remind me never to make you angry.”
    Victoria grinned. “You just did.”
    â€œHow?” he asked.
    â€œYou were laughing at me.”
    â€œI was?”
    â€œWeren’t you?”
    â€œI was smiling.”
    â€œAt me.”
    Tate’s head started spinning again. “Actually I was thinking about how unusual you are. I’ve never met a woman like you before.” At the moment, he wasn’t sure if that was good or bad.
    â€œAnd that made you laugh.”
    â€œSmile.”
    â€œWhatever,” she said airily. She hesitated for a minute, then confessed, “I was going for sexy.”
    â€œAhh,” he said softly as an even broader grin split his face. “Now I see.”
    The knife sliced through another tomato with a resounding thwack.
    â€œYou are sexy, you know,” he said almost casually. Victoria promptly nicked her finger with the knife.
    â€œDamn!”
    â€œWhat happened?” He was out of his chair and at her side in an instant.
    â€œNothing. Nothing at all.”
    â€œLet me see.”
    â€œIt’s just a little cut. I do this all the time,” Victoria lied. There was no way she was going to let him think that he’d rattled her by telling her he thought she was sexy. It wasn’t a complete lie, anyway. She did nick her fingers constantly. She had this dangerous habit of letting her mind wander while she was fixing meals.
    â€œLet me see it,” he repeated insistently, a look of steely determination in his eyes.
    Reluctantly, she held out her hand. The tiny cut had already stopped bleeding.
    â€œDo you have some antiseptic? And you’ll need a bandage.”
    â€œDon’t be ridiculous. It’s practically healed already.”
    â€œHave you had a tetanus shot?”
    Obviously he planned to ignore her protests and turn this into a case for a trauma unit, she thought resignedly. Maybe he was a frustrated paramedic.
    â€œI think so.”
    â€œWhen?”
    â€œI don’t know.”
    â€œThen we ought to take you to the hospital,” he said decisively, confirming her worst expectations.
    â€œTate McAndrews!” Victoria suddenly bellowed. “Sit