hope they choke on it.”
“Believe me,” Sam said dryly, “no one thought you meant it.”
“Alice looked skinny. Not happy. What did you think of her?”
“I think you’re worth a hundred of her.” Sam switched places to walk on the curb side.
“Then why did Kevin—” She broke off with an impatient shake of her head.
It took Sam a moment to answer. Not because he had to think of a reason—he already knew why. But Lucy had the damnedest effect on him, provoking odd rushes of tenderness and liking and a nameless sort of
“Kevin went for your sister because he feels superior to her,” he said.
“How do you know that?”
“Because he’s the type who needs a dependent woman. He has to be the one in control. He was attracted to you for obvious reasons, but it was never going to work out long-term.”
Lucy nodded, as if that had confirmed something she’d already thought. “But why rush into marriage? When I talked to Mom, she said that Alice had lost her job recently. So maybe Alice doesn’t know what else to do. But that doesn’t explain why Kevin’s going along with it.”
“Would you take him back?”
“Never.” A desolate note entered her voice. “But I thought he was happy with me, when he obviously wasn’t. Not great for the ego.”
Sam stopped at the street corner and turned her to face him. He would have loved nothing more than to take her back to the condo and show her a few of his ideas about how to restore her wounded ego. As he looked down into her small, sensitive face, it occurred to him that this was something new in his experience … an attraction that seemed to gather momentum from the weight of each second he spent with her.
But how much would he have hurt her, when it was over? With amused self- derision, Sam realized that his instinct to seduce her was equally matched by the desire to warn her away from him.
Smiling slightly, he lifted his hand to trace the delicate edge of her jawline. “You take life seriously, don’t you?”
A frown tugged between her brows. “How else am I supposed to take it?”
Sam grinned. Using both hands, he turned her face up and brushed a slow, soft kiss against her lips. Her skin was hot, the throb of her pulse a swift, strong tattoo against his fingers. The contact, limited though it was, aroused him more than it should have, faster than he could have anticipated. Lifting his head, he struggled to moderate his breathing, to will away the gathering ache of desire.
“If you’re ever interested in a meaningless physical relationship that’s heading absolutely nowhere,” he told her, “I hope you’ll let me know.”
They walked in silence until they reached Lucy’s art studio.
Lucy paused at the threshold. “I’m interested in the condo, Sam,” she said carefully. “But not if it’s going to lead to a difficult situation.”
“It won’t,” Sam said, having just come to the conclusion that as much as he wanted to have a fling with Lucy Marinn, there was no way it could end well. He offered her a friendly smile and a brief, platonic hug. “I’ll get the information from Mark, and call you.”
“Okay.” Drawing back, Lucy gave him an uncertain smile. “Thanks for lunch. And even more for getting me through the first encounter with Kevin and Alice.”
“I didn’t do anything,” he said. “You would have gotten through just fine on your own.”
“I know. But it was easier with you there.”
“Good,” he said, and smiled at her before leaving.
* * *
“It’s crooked,” Holly announced in the morning, entering the kitchen.
Sam looked up from pouring a bowl of cereal. “What’s crooked?”
The child turned around to show him the back of her head. She had asked Sam to arrange her hair in two ponytails, a painstaking process that began with drawing a perfectly straight part down the back. The ponytails could not be too low, too high, too loose, or too tight. Usually Mark was recruited to do Holly’s hair, since he had the knack for doing it the way she liked. But Mark had spent the night at Maggie’s house, and was uncharacteristically late getting back that morning.
Sam examined the part at the back of Holly’s head. “It’s as straight as a cat’s tail.”
She gave him a mildly exasperated glance. “Cats’ tails aren’t straight.”
“They are when you pull them,” he said, and gently tugged one of her ponytails. He set the bowl of cereal on the table. “You’re going to be late for school if I have to redo it.”
Holly heaved a sigh. “I guess I’ll have to go around like
Sam laughed, nearly choking on a swallow of coffee. “If you hurry through breakfast, we might have time to fix it.”
“Fix what?” came Mark’s voice as he entered the kitchen. He went to Holly and knelt by her chair. “Good morning, sweetheart.”
Her arms went around his neck. “Good morning, Uncle Mark.” She kissed him and pressed a grin against his shoulder. “Will you fix my hair?”
Mark gave her a sympathetic glance. “Did Sam do it crooked again? I’ll take care of it. But first eat your cereal while it’s still crunchy.”
“How’s it going?” Sam asked, while Mark emptied the coffeepot and strainer basket. “Everything okay?”
Mark nodded, looking weary and perturbed. “Great dinner with Maggie last night —everything’s fine—we’re just trying to figure out some tricky scheduling.” He paused, his dark brows drawing together. “We’re trying to set the wedding date. Maybe move it up a little. I’ll tell you more later.”
“Why the rush?” Sam asked. “It’s not like there’s a time limit on your engagement.”
Mark filled the tank of the coffee machine. He slid Sam a guarded glance. “There is, actually.”
“I don’t get it. Why…” Then it hit him. Sam’s eyes widened. “We’re talking about a nine-month time limit?” he asked gingerly.
A slight nod.
“Is Maggie going to have a baby?” Holly asked around a mouthful of cereal.
Mark turned away and swore quietly, while Sam gave Holly an incredulous glance. “How did you know what I was asking?”
“I watch the Discovery Channel.”
“Thanks, Sam,” Mark growled.
Sam grinned and gave him a back-slapping bear hug. “Congratulations.”
Holly leaped from her chair and bounced up and down. “Can I help take care of the baby? Can I help name it? Can I have a day off of school when it’s born? When’s the baby coming?”
“Yes, yes, yes, and we don’t know yet,” Mark said. “Sweetheart, is there any way we can keep this private for a little while? We’re not at the point where Maggie wants to start telling people yet.”
“Sure,” Holly said brightly. “I can keep a secret.”
Mark and Sam exchanged a rueful glance, knowing that everyone at the elementary school would know by day’s end.
After Mark had dropped Holly at school, he came back to find Sam staining the newly installed wainscoting in the living room. The smell of the stain, a dark walnut color, packed a hefty punch
