Flirting With Disaster

“Friends might disagree, but they’ll patch things up. As for Caleb, who said anything about firing him?”

“Some anonymous caller left a message for me yesterday, and I heard a few people talking about it this morning. Word’s getting around that George Winslow wants Caleb gone. He’s not going to let this drop, not as long as he has my father whispering in his ear. He’s determined to stir up trouble if we go forward. Caleb doesn’t deserve the aggravation.”

“People talk about a lot of things. It doesn’t mean they’ll act on it. I’m sure whoever left the message figured you’d cave in, because they knew instinctively that you’d back away from a fight.”

Her eyes flashed. “I’ve never backed away from a fight in my life,” she said indignantly. “But George is as rich as my daddy and just as powerful. He and Big Max are allies. When it comes to me and my father, there’s little question about whose side he’d take. He’ll happily bring down anyone who tries to help me, and he’ll consider it a favor to my daddy.”

“He doesn’t seem to scare Caleb. Isn’t that what counts?” Josh asked.

“I’m not willing to take that chance.” Her gaze narrowed. “Besides, didn’t you just say it wasn’t much fun being the object of pity? Maybe I’ve thought it over and decided I don’t want to be in that position, either. I’ll be indebted to these people forever if I let them build the house.”

“I could certainly understand it if you were to come to that conclusion,” Josh agreed.

“Then we’re agreed. I’m doing the right thing.”

“No, we’re not agreed,” Josh said. “Because I don’t think that’s what happened. I think you got scared off, just the way this Winslow person—or your daddy—wanted you to.”

Despite her earlier indignation, she didn’t seem to have enough fight left to argue. “Does it really matter?”

“I think it does. There’s a big difference between being proud and being scared,” Josh told her. “And even if you think this is all about pride, I’m not sure you’re in a position to let pride get in the way of doing what you need to do for those kids of yours.”

She studied him intently. “Something tells me you would have thrown this offer right back in their faces, too, especially once it got complicated.”

“Possibly,” Josh agreed. “But I like to think that I’d have taken another look at it if someone had offered my mom the one thing that might have made a real difference to us.”

“What was that?”

“A home,” he said simply. “I’m not just talking about four walls and a roof over our heads, Amanda, but a real home with a community of people who cared enough to build it for us. That’s what you’ve got happening here. I’m not sure you should be so quick to turn your back on it, especially not just to protect Caleb, a man who doesn’t seem to think he needs your protection.”

“But there are a lot of people, not just George Winslow, who think building this house for me is the wrong thing to do. Maybe they’re right.”

“Thumb your nose at them,” he advised. “After all, what do they know? You have your reasons for not asking your daddy for help, and those reasons are none of their concern. If they knew, they might just admire your gumption. I do.”

“I suppose,” she said, though she still sounded doubtful.

“Sweetheart, there are always going to be people who find fault with everything. Are their opinions more important than your kids?”

“Of course not,” she said.

“Well, then?”

“I can’t stop thinking about the fallout for Caleb. He’s been such a good friend. I don’t want to repay him by causing him trouble.”

“He strikes me as a man who stands on his principles. He wants to do this for you and your family. I think you should respect his wishes.”

She sat silently, her expression thoughtful. Josh waited, knowing that he’d pushed as hard as he dared. The decision was hers to make. He suspected when it came right down to it, she would make the only choice a good and decent mother could make.

Finally she met his gaze. “Are you married, Josh?”

He shook his head. “No.”

“You should be.”

He shuddered at the certainty in her voice. “I don’t think so.” Curiosity got the better of him, so he asked, “Why would you say that?”

“Because it’s a shame to let all that compassion and sensitivity go to waste,” she said.

She grinned and Josh saw a glimpse of the beautiful woman she must have been before tragedy had weighed her down.

She studied him thoughtfully. “I think I’d better let you build this house for us.”

He regarded her with suspicion, not feeling nearly as triumphant as he might have before she’d made that comment about him needing to be married. “Oh?”

“It’ll give me more time to find just the right woman for you.” She winked at him, then added, “I’ll go tell Caleb and the kids what I’ve decided.”

Josh sat there feeling doomed. He’d seen firsthand just how stubborn and determined and principled Amanda O’Leary could be. Fortunately he’d had quite a few years to perfect his own stubbornness and determination. Amanda O’Leary wouldn’t get to first base with her matchmaking scheme.

Besides, from what he could see in a glance around the parish hall, the few females there were already paired off and unavailable. He didn’t have a reason in the world to worry.

So why the hell were his palms sweating as if he’d just made a pact with the devil?

Maggie slipped into a seat beside Dinah an hour after the organizational meeting had begun. “What did I miss?” she asked.

“The nail-biting when Amanda announced she didn’t want the house, after all,” Dinah said.

Maggie was shocked. “Why? What’s wrong with her?”

“Don’t blame her. She was trying to protect Caleb.”

“And Caleb is?”

“The minister.”

Maggie was confused. “Was he in some sort of danger?”

“A few people think he ought to be fired over this project. It’s a long story. Bottom line, the deal is back on.”

“And I thought this was going to be boring,” Maggie said to herself, settling back in her chair as Cord began to speak. Of course, Dinah didn’t hear her wry comment. All of Dinah’s attention was focused on her husband. It was disgusting, actually. All that rapt attention from a woman who’d once been in the thick of some of the world’s most important—and dangerous—stories. Now the most important thing in her life was a man. Of course, Dinah was barely back from her honeymoon, so Maggie supposed she ought to cut her some slack.

Cord didn’t waste time getting to the point, which seemed to be introducing the man who would be in charge of building the house. “As long as you follow his directions, he’s going to make you all look like master carpenters,” Cord promised. “Josh Parker.”

The man who walked to the podium looked embarrassed by the introduction. It must have been the combination of that hint of humility with the most gorgeous biceps and chest Maggie had ever seen that made her snap to attention. This was a man made for blue jeans and tight T-shirts.

“My, my,” she whispered to Dinah. “Where has Cord been hiding him?”

Dinah chuckled. “In Atlanta mostly. I met him when I went looking for Bobby when you and Cord refused to tell me where he was.”

“Ah, yes, your failed quest for your backup guy. Yet even after seeing Josh you still came back here and married Cord,” Maggie said with exaggerated amazement.