Carol Steward - Courting Katarina

“You don’t like Ron, do you?”

Katarina looked at Alex. He leaned one shoulder on the doorframe and crossed his arms over his chest, his muscles fighting the constraints of his sleeves.

“No.”

She was shocked by the lack of hesitation in Alex’s reply. “You’ve never even met him. How can you make that kind of judgment?”

“I don’t like anyone who steals that smile from your face,” he said without pause.

Katarina hesitated, momentarily baffled. Her heartbeat quickened, and she found herself breathing faster. “That kind of comment, Alex MacIntyre, could get you into a heap of trouble.”

One side of his mouth curved into a resigned smile as he raised an eyebrow. “I think I already am.”

CAROL STEWARD

lives with her hero/husband of twenty years and three teenage children in Greeley, Colorado. When she isn’t busy caring for preschoolers in her home, she keeps busy with the activities of her daughter and two sons, and with volunteer work for various organizations. A retired cake decorator, Carol enjoys camping, restoring antiques, tole-painting, needlework, gardening, traveling, sewing and collecting Noah’s Ark items.

She loves to hear from readers. You may write to her at: Carol Steward, P.O. Box 5021, Greeley, CO 80631-0021.

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Delight thyself in the Lord and He shall give you

the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the

Lord, trust in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.

—Psalms 37:4,5

Thanks to Bob, and his wife, Vicki,

for their help in understanding the extraordinary

demands of smoke jumpers and wildland

firefighters. What a truly heroic line of work

and special people, to carry it out year after year.

To my brother, Randy,

who doesn’t know a stranger.

And to my sisters, Mindy, Cathy and Cindy, for

inspiring me to write a series about that incredible,

indelible relationship only sisters can understand.

Dear Reader,

Some of you may have read Second Time Around and fallen in love with Katarina and Alex just as I did. When I finished writing Emily and Kevin’s story, I realized there was more to this extraordinary story of God’s everlasting love than one book could ever tell. I wondered how the other two sisters, Katarina and Lisa, would handle the pain of their father’s abandonment, and how it would mold not only their earthly lives, but their spiritual lives, as well.

And these MacIntyre men—they’re pretty special, too. Alex, the daring smoke jumper, Kevin, the charming builder and Adam, the rugged cowboy, are all men of integrity. Men you can count to steal your heart, mold it and give you one incredible ride in the process.

I hope you enjoy this series of two incredible families and how God has brought them together through three totally unique love stories that draw on the individual needs and personalities of each couple. We have all been created in His image, with faults, weaknesses and special gifts that are as unique as our own fingerprints.

I love to hear from my readers. Please write to me at P.O. Box 5021, Greeley, CO, 80632-0021.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Katarina Berthoff dabbed the tears collecting in the corners of her eyes. Her sister was married. After eleven years, Kevin and Emily had finally gotten it right. Pictures had been taken, the reception was running smoothly and her bridesmaid’s obligations were finished. Until the bride and groom left for their honeymoon and Katarina began to take care of their newly adopted four-year-old, she was free to relax with the other guests.

Laughter and the murmur of voices from the crowd created a constant echo in her ear, so she discreetly removed her hearing aid, placed it in the case and dropped it into her purse. She hated to wear it in large gatherings. She’d pay nearly any price, even this deafness, to avoid the drone from all the background noise, and the headache that always followed. She didn’t need anything else to deal with today. One of these days, I’m going to have enough money to buy one of the new models that won’t be such a problem.

Bypassing the assortment of cheeses and luncheon meats at the banquet table, Katarina studied the chafing dishes filled with mushrooms, meatballs and tiny quiches. She stopped at the elaborately decorative platter of fruit and filled her plate with melon, strawberries and grapes, then studied a pale yellow star-shaped fruit.

A deep masculine voice interrupted. “Katarina?”

She turned and nearly dropped her plate. There stood Alex MacIntyre. Her heart skipped a beat and she felt her cheeks flush. “Hello. We meet again, finally.” With all the last-minute decorations and reception preparations to take care of, Katarina hadn’t had a chance to visit with anyone at the rehearsal the night before. She’d met the groom’s brother only once, at Kevin and Emily’s first engagement party eight years ago. The college graduate had made quite an impression on her as a high school senior. When Kevin and Emily broke their engagement, Katarina had lost hope she would ever see Alex again.

He nodded. “It’s been a long time. When Kevin told me who you were last night, I could hardly believe you’re the same woman I met eight years ago. You’ve…changed.”

And you haven’t. Alex was even more attractive than she remembered. Suddenly overcome by a gamut of perplexing emotions, Katarina glanced quickly away, then back to him. Did he approve of the changes? “Do I hear ‘thankfully’ in that remark, Alex?”

He smiled in a leisurely way, looking a bit chagrined. “It’s definitely meant as a compliment. I wasn’t sure you’d even remember me.”

Like I could actually forget those gorgeous blue eyes? Not a chance. “It amazes me how much you and Kevin look alike.” When Alex had come to Springville a few weeks earlier to help run Kevin’s business after Kevin’s accident, Emily had wasted no time informing Katarina of Alex’s availability.

Though already dating someone, Katarina had to admit she’d been curious to see if Alex had changed. Only for the better, she realized.

Now she wished she’d taken time to meet him before he returned to his own job and life, wherever that might be.

Alex’s smile was white against his bronzed skin. “Don’t hold it against me—that’s where the similarities end. Care to sit with the wild bunch?”

Katarina furrowed her eyebrows. “The wild bunch?”

“Any time you get the entire MacIntyre clan together, it’s chaos.” He tipped his head toward the table nearest the cake, where his siblings appeared to be seated. “I’d love for you to join us.”

Love for her to join him? She couldn’t resist. No wonder her sisters had nicknamed her “the heart specialist.” Despite her older sister, Emily, actually becoming a doctor, Kat’s honorary title remained. When it came to matters of the heart, she was a romantic in the purest form.

She felt color flush her cheeks as she recalled the crush she’d had on Alex MacIntyre—business major, football star and all-around nice guy. She glanced at the happy faces around the table. Did she dare tempt herself twice in one lifetime? I’m practically engaged. There’s no harm in making friends with my sister’s new family. Besides, after the honeymoon Alex will return to his life. No harm done.