Parents Wanted!

“Then thank you, I accept. Do you have any idea when they’ll get this show on the road?”

“You mean, announce the Citizen of the Year? After we eat.” Katy glanced around. “There’s Matt and Dylan!” She waved and smiled.

“Talk about looking for trouble,” Laura remarked dryly.

Katy laughed. “With Dylan, yes, but Matt’s okay.” She winked. “You could do worse, you know.”

“I’d rather go over Niagara Falls in a barrel,” Laura cried.

“Okay, let Brandee have him, then. Why not? She’s been after him since second grade.”

“With pleasure.” But Laura felt a shiver run through her at the thought of Matt at the mercy of Brandee Haycox, who seemed like a woman accustomed to getting what—or who—she went after.

“Speaking of love and romance...”

“Is that what we were speaking of?”

“More or less. But speaking of it, what did you think about that classified in yesterday’s paper?”

“What classified?”

Katy’s green eyes widened. “Don’t tell me you missed it! Everyone in town’s talking about it.”

“Don’t keep me in suspense.”

“It’s from some guy who signs himself Prince Charming. He’s looking for a wife who’s pretty and nice and likes kids.” She grinned. “Is that cute or what?”

“I’d call it strange. A newspaper ad is hardly an acceptable way to find a wife.”

“Don’t be a spoilsport.” Katy wrinkled her nose. “I’m thinking about applying, actually.”

“Katy!” Laura stared at her friend, appalled. “You wouldn’t!”

“Why not? Hey, twenty-nine-year-olds have to grab the brass rings where they can find them. Besides, it’s probably someone I already know, just too shy to come right out and say he wants to get married and have kids.”

“Maybe it’s Dylan,” Laura suggested with a laugh.

“Maybe it’s not,” Katy shot back. “It could be Matt, I suppose, but he’s got more women than he can shake a stick at without putting an ad in the newspaper. I’ve come up with a few other possibilities, though....”

Laura listened politely to Katy’s list of prospective Prince Charmings but her attention kept wandering to the group of men clustered around the red horse, and to one tall, broad-shouldered man in particular....

“Attention, everybody! Your attention please!” Mayor Marilyn Rogers stood on the bandstand, hands held up to quiet the crowd milling around below. When the level of sound had dropped to a murmur, she went on. “As you know, the purpose of this community picnic is to announce the selection of our Citizen of the Year, a great honor that goes to the man or woman who best exemplifies the unselfish ideals of service....”

Laura, standing unobtrusively near one corner of the bandstand, zoned out This was the third such event she’d covered and she pretty much knew the mayor’s spiel by heart. Not that she didn’t take it seriously; she did. She considered community service to be the sacred duty of every good citizen, and always tried to do her part.

But at the moment, she just wished Marilyn would announce the winner because Laura had to interview him or her, then rush back to the office and—

“—this year’s coveted award goes to the man who spearheaded efforts to revitalize the downtown area...the man who chaired revision to the city’s general plan...the man who headed up the fund drive to refurbish the gymnasium at the Rawhide Boys and Girls Club. Ladies and gentlemen, Rawhide’s Citizen of the Year...Matt Reynolds!”

Laura’s heart stood still. Not Matt! She didn’t want to interview him. But automatically she turned toward the spot where he’d been standing. He looked as stunned as she. Dylan slapped him on the back and gave him a shove. Reluctantly Matt moved forward to accept his plaque to the sound of enthusiastic applause.

Now he’ll probably say some arrogant thing about how it’s high time he won, Laura thought disapprovingly. Some people were just too sure of themselves.

Marilyn handed him the plaque, which was actually a leather-wrapped slab with all the particulars burned into it—get it? John had asked with delight the first time she’d seen it. Rawhide!

When Matt looked up to face the applause, his expression was serious, not arrogant at all. In fact, it looked as if he had to swallow hard before he could find his voice.

Even then, all he said was, “Thank you—thank you all. I don’t deserve this but I appreciate you folks giving it to me.” He sucked in a deep breath. “I know it’s a cliché but...” His gaze wandered over the faces in the throng, settling in on Laura’s for a heart-stopping instant that made her catch her breath.

After a moment he went on in a low, even humble, voice. “This town has given me so much that it’s only fair for me to try to give back what little I can. It takes all of us to make Rawhide the kind of place where we’re happy to live and bring up our kids. If I’ve helped at all, I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity. And for this.”

He waved the plaque above his head, grinned and stepped off the bandstand.

Laura stood fro

en to the spot for a moment Then her background and training surged to the fore. She stepped in front of him when he would have returned to his spot.

“Excuse me,” she said through the tumult of sound, “but I need a little information for the Review. If you have a moment...?”

For an instant, she thought he might turn her down. But then he grinned and said a cocky, “Sure. I try never to disappoint a lady.”

She could have kicked him for that.

It was easy enough to get the who-what-where-when-why of it—the classic five W’s of journalism. But getting to the man beneath was considerably harder, for a variety of reasons.

For one thing, the interview was conducted sitting side by side on the edge of the bandstand, with well-wishers feeling free to wander past to admire Matt’s plaque and offer congratulations. For another, he’d reverted to his old sardonic self. Only when Jessica and Zach rushed up to give him hugs did he relax into soft good humor again.

Jessica beamed. “I’m proud of you, Daddy!” she announced.

Zach parroted her: “I’m proud of you, too, Da—” Stricken, he glanced at his mom and hurriedly changed it to, “Mr. Reynolds.”

The near miss was like an arrow to Laura’s heart but it didn’t seem to faze Matt, who sent both children on their way with hugs and kisses. When they were gone, Laura couldn’t help observing, “You’re very good with children.”

He shrugged. “I like ‘em, that’s all.”

“At least we have one thing in common.”

He looked at her through suddenly narrow blue eyes. “I think we have considerably more than that in common.”

Her heart skipped a beat. “Not a chance. Tell me, have you lived your entire life in Rawhide?”

He nodded. “Except for a few years at the University of Colorado.”

“Your family...?”

He looked thoughtful. “My dad died four years ago and my mom moved back to Oklahoma City, where her people are. You know my grandpa and my daughter.”

She couldn’t miss the pride in his voice at mention of his daughter. Softly she asked, “And your wife?”