'Joseph…' she whispered upon the wings of surprise. 'You mustn't do that.' She treated him once again to that unconscious one-eyed blink that made him believe her the most charming creature he'd ever laid eyes upon.
'No one ever calls me Joseph. To my friends I'm Jo-Jo. To my brothers, Joey, and to most people, Joe. But I love the way you say it-Joseph.'
Inanely she repeated her words of a moment ago, struggling for composure and a return of calm heart. 'Joseph, you mustn't…' Pressing his chest, she felt his heart thudding.
'I know. But you mustn't move your lips along with the wedding vows when they're being pronounced and stare at a man with those irresistible blue eyes, either.'
'I didn't…' Again she blinked, a slow-motion flutter of a single eyelid that captivated him. But she tipped her head aside slightly as a newborn smile began to play upon her lips. 'Did I?'
He dipped out from under the brim of her hat but kept one arm around her shoulders, his other hand gripping her upper arm, keeping her turned partially his way. The shadows from the wide-brimmed bonnet flickered beguilingly across her nose and forehead. A strand of hair rested in a gentle coil against her temple. He inserted his finger into the lazy curl, and it gripped him like the clinging finger of an infant. 'And who were you thinking of as you whispered the words?'
Her lips parted, and the tip of her tongue peeked out to wet the full upper one, but she remained silent, staring up at him.
'Paul Hildegard?' he prompted.
'Hildebrandt,' she corrected in a rather dazed breathless voice.
'Hildebrandt, then.'
'No, not Paul Hildebrandt.'
He touched the end of her nose with a fingertip. 'How naughty of you, Miss Gardner, and only three months before your wedding to the man.'
She pressed her palm firmly against his lapel and eased away. Though he released her, his shoulder still curved in her direction. 'Who?' he insisted quietly.
She dropped her eyes to the flower basket on her lap. 'I wasn't thinking of anyone. I was concentrating on the words. They're very beautiful.'
His left hand moved. Its forefinger curled, then pressed lightly beneath her chin until she was forced to tip it up. For a moment his eyes danced merrily into hers, then he accused, 'Why, you little liar.'
'There are times, kind sir, when lying is the wisest choice.'
His eyes darkened thoughtfully. He stroked the hollow beneath her lower lip with his thumb-slightly rough on her fine skin-then his hand fell away, and he turned to put the car into gear. The road was clear, and he headed back toward town.
'You're right, of course. So will you lie to him about what just happened?'
'I… there'll be no reason. He'd have no reason to ask.'
'Was he there this afternoon?'
'Yes.'
'And he'll be at the reception?'
'Yes.'
'Then I'd better be careful around you, hadn't I?'
She didn't know what to reply or what to make of him. He was utterly direct. She'd never encountered a person as straightforward as he before. It seemed impossible to combat the barrage of reactions he could unleash by such blatant innuendos as his last. Even though such words rolled from his tongue as glibly as quicksilver and sounded like the practiced lines of an actor, he was devastating, this best man with whom she'd been paired for the day. And Winnie knew, she, too, had best watch her step.
'You'll be pleased to know Paul isn't the jealous type.'
'What type is he?'
She mused while they cruised southward on Zane Avenue. 'He's logical. Computer nuts tend to be that way. If he can't feed the facts into his terminal and come up with a black or white answer-either yes, there's reason to be jealous, or no, there's none-he'll take the logical sensible route and not be.'
'God, he sounds like a bore.'
'I should resent that, Joseph Duggan.'
'And do you?' He turned to chart her expression as she answered.
It rattled Winnifred to realize she'd had to think for a minute before deciding. 'Yes. Yes, I do!'
'Wonderful! That's the first sign of a healthy relationship between you and your fiance that I've seen yet.'
'Don't make assumptions. You don't know anything about our relationship since you've never even met him or seen us together.'
'But I will on both counts before the day is over, won't I? What do you say we pick up this conversation at the end of it and see where we stand on the subject?'
'I'll be with him at the end of it, so don't wait around for me when the dance is over.'
'In that case, remind me to steal a kiss sometime in the middle of the evening when he's not looking. The one I just got wasn't nearly good enough.'
Her jaw dropped, and she smacked him on the arm. 'Why, you arrogant, assuming… rake!'
His head dropped back, and he laughed with full-throated amusement.
'That hand, Mr. Duggan, is wearing another man's engagement ring.'
'And I'll turn you over to him as soon as we get to the reception. But in the meantime, quit pulling away.'
She stopped resisting and let him hold her gloved hand palm down on his right thigh. His leg was firm and warm, and she knew she should withdraw, but it felt very pleasant, if very naughty, experiencing the flesh of a different man beneath her touch. He was much, much harder than Paul, and his thigh was larger in circumference, yet shorter in length. Realizing she'd been measuring the difference was unsettling. She tried to free her hand, but to no avail. He held it firm.
'Does he dance?' Joseph's eyes never left the road.
'Divinely.'
'That won't work.'
'What won't work?'
'I was thinking about stopping in there and catching a quick dancing lesson so I'd be one up on him in that department, anyway.' He nodded toward a sign for the Gloria Allen Dance Studio as they passed it, then asked abruptly, 'Does he smoke?'
'No.'
'Mmm… we're even on that score. Is he rich?'
'He will be someday.'
'Shot down again!' He eyed her askance. 'Just how handsome is he?'
She growled suggestively, and he muttered a curse.
'Is he a good kisser?'
'Mmm… the best.' She applied a slight pressure to his thigh for good measure.
'And how is he at-' His hand slipped from hers to clasp her thigh.
'Joseph Duggan, you cut that out!' She returned his hand to his own thigh, ignoring the pleasant tingle his teasing touch had brought.
They arrived at the church parking lot then. The other three cars were already there as Joseph pulled to a halt and killed the engine. He hooked an elbow through the steering wheel and turned to her.
'All right, then, a last resort-does he like dogs and cats and babies?'
'Babies, and that's all that matters.' She was enjoying herself immensely by this time. They laughed
