Carol Steward - Courting Katarina

As long as he was fighting fires, he wasn’t husband material. Six-month stretches away from home were no way to make a marriage work. No way to raise a family. Not for him, anyway. In his eight years as a smokejumper, he’d seen more marriages fall apart than stay together. “Don’t count me in for Christmas. Who knows where I’ll be by then.”

“Bachelors, gather around,” called Kevin. “Your turn.” With much ado, Kevin seated Emily in the wicker chair, retrieved the garter from his wife’s leg, turned around and tossed it over his shoulder.

Adam slapped Alex on the back. “It’s headed right for you, bro. Better run quick.”

Alex shook his head and laughed as he saw the blue-and-white lace sailing directly toward him. “No way! You’ve got the wrong guy.” The last thing I need is a woman to complicate my life right now. “Wrong guy,” he repeated, staring at the frilly garter in his hand.

The competing bachelors gathered around. With Adam in the lead, they not so gently “guided” him to Katarina. “Now you put it on her,” Adam explained.

Katarina’s eyes grew huge and the color drained from her cheeks. Someone gave Alex a blatant shove and he stopped short of running into her. He looked at Katarina and shrugged. “Do you mind?”

She leaned forward, lifting her ear closer to his mouth. Wildflowers. She smelled like a forest before a fire. Was it the bouquet in her hand, or some carefully concocted perfume? Or his imagination? He didn’t dare explore the answer.

“What did you say? I didn’t hear you over all the noise.” Katarina’s voice held a mixture of shyness and teasing. There was something warm and enchanting about her. If he didn’t get this over with, the crowd wouldn’t give him a minute of peace for the rest of the afternoon. Katarina was trouble with a capital T. He could tell that already.

She was too young. Too sensitive. Too beautiful to be alone all summer long while he jumped out of planes, wondering where the next forest fire would take him. Worried that he might not make it home at all.

He wouldn’t be the man responsible for placing worry lines on that innocent face.

“I asked if you mind?” he said into her ear, inhaling deeply. It was definitely her perfume.

Katarina nodded slightly, obviously too startled by the suggestion to offer any objection. She paused, lifted her chin and met his gaze. He nodded, and she sat down. Her flowered skirt flowed around her feet and dusted the ground.

Alex knelt on one knee and swallowed the lump in his throat. His heart raced as if he’d just bailed out of the Twin Otter at fifteen hundred feet. He’d take jumping into a forest fire over this any day.

She lifted the edge of her skirt little more than an inch above her ankle, challenging him to go through with it. The crowd roared, hooting and hollering suggestions. He had no intention of following any of them. He just wanted this to be over.

As he slid the garter over Katarina’s ankle, he watched a dim flush return to her pale and beautiful face. He stopped at her calf, noting the heated gaze that passed between them. Trying to mirror the light mood of the crowd, he forced a smile.

“You’re off the hook,” Katarina leaned close to say. The glint of humor shone in her blue eyes as she tucked a stray blond hair behind her ear. “I’m as good as engaged already,” she added with a coy smile.

“And what makes you think I want to be on the hook?”

The wedding festivities ended and the family dispersed. Alex watched Katarina with mixed emotions. She and her sister gathered the last of the flower vases from the tables and placed them in a crate. He should have his head examined for flirting with her.

What exactly does “good as engaged” mean, anyway? He pushed the question aside and concentrated on figuring out a way to make peace with the bride’s sister. He strolled over and stopped in front of her. “Can I carry that to the car for you?”

“I can manage.” Katarina stacked the crate on a flat box, then deliberately turned away. “Lisa, would you find Mom and Ricky? We’re ready to go.” Katarina’s voice held a tone of defiance.

He had obviously made her plenty mad. Who knew exactly what it was this time? There were more options than hamburgers on a fast-food menu.

Lisa eyed the load her sister had prepared. “You sure you can handle all that?”

Katarina hoisted the teetering load off the table. “I do it all the time. No problem.”

Her feistiness reminded him of a kitten—delicate, adorable and determined. She rested her chin on the edge of the crate to stabilize it.

“Okay, I’ll be right back,” Lisa said, eyeing Alex. Lisa hesitated, shrugged her shoulders, then disappeared around the corner.

Sidestepping to get out of Katarina’s way, Alex matched her gait step for step. “There’s no reason for you to carry all that. I’ll be glad to help.”

“I don’t need any help. But thanks anyway.”

Despite her protests, he took the crate of wildflowers from the stack and waited for her to lead the way. “I’d rather carry it than clean up the mess when all this crystal breaks.” He took a deep breath and realized the wildflowers weren’t aromatic. Certainly not the inspiration for Katarina’s perfume.

“It would have been perfectly fine.” Katarina marched past him, her flowered skirt billowing in the breeze. She stepped outside, and her hair glistened in the sunshine.

She shoved the box into the back of her station wagon. Alex set the crate into the one empty space left. The remains of Katarina’s gown hung in the back seat.

It wasn’t his fault, he reminded himself. Nonetheless, he felt responsible. “I hope your dress isn’t ruined.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. “Here, at least let me pay to have it mended.”

She laughed softly. “Trust me, it’s beyond repair.” She stood straight and met his gaze. “However, nothing’s ever a total loss.” Katarina waved her hand, as if to shoo away his guilt and his wallet. She reached into the car, grabbed a box marked Cake Top and moved it to a more secure spot. “The dress will be much more practical once I shorten it, anyway. I can always use the scraps of fabric for my dolls.” She rambled on while rearranging supplies inside the car.

Alex watched Katarina tuck a strand of her chin-length hair behind her ear. He could almost imagine smelling her perfume, and took another whiff, disappointed that he couldn’t pick up the scent again. As Katarina chattered on about possibilities for that piece of fabric, she almost convinced him he’d done her a great favor in tearing the gown.

“I hope I didn’t embarrass you today. I wasn’t sure how to get out of that ridiculous garter charade.” He chuckled. “Who makes up these traditions, anyway?”

“These traditions are fun, for one thing.” A momentary flash of disappointment crossed her face. “And once in a while the predictions actually come true. Just look at Emily and Kevin.” She slammed the hatch closed.

“What did I say this time?” Why it mattered that he understand why she was so irritated he didn’t know. He’d be gone in a few weeks and they’d probably never see each another again. He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m sorry.”

“For what? Ruining a perfectly beautiful day and turning a joyful celebration into a circus?” She choked out the words, then cleared her throat and forced a smile. “Don’t think another thing of it. It was a no-win situation. We survived.”

Though he’d meant the comment as a joke—to make light of the awkward situation—she’d taken his ridicule seriously. Couldn’t she see that he’d been kidding? It was impossible to deny his attraction to the icy-blue-eyed, honey-blond woman who could brighten any day with her cheerfulness. Which made it even worse that he was the one person who’d taken her smile away. “I was joking.”