Just a Little Bit Guilty by Deborah Smith

and a striped sweater under a man's hunting jacket. Her hair hung halfway down her back in a thick mane.
    "You must be Vivian Costa," Marleen said.
    "The one and only."
    Jake cleared his throat. "Viv, this is Marleen Burcher. Marleen, meet Viv."
    Marleen smiled at him. "I just dropped by to say hi. I left Donny in October, you know. The kids and I have moved in with Mom and Memaw temporarily. I'm back in college. Should finish up my nursing degree in a year or so."
    "That's good to hear."
    Marleen gazed down at Vivian. "I've known Jake all of his life. We dated in high school. You should see my picture of him in a tux at the senior prom. Hot stuff." 101
    Just a little Bit Guilty
    by Deborah Smith
    Vivian drew herself up to at least five-foot-five. "I've know Jake all of four weeks. But I feel like we've spent years together with this cow."
    Marleen smirked.
    "Marleen, why don't you show Vivian how to milk?" Jake said gallantly. "She's a little leery of Claire." Vivian shot him an amazed look. He had no comprehension of this competitive female situation.
    "Nothin' to it," Marleen said cooly. She plopped down on the milk stool, slapped Claire's rump to let her know who was boss, and immediately coaxed long streams of frothy white milk into the bucket. Vivian squatted on her heels to watch, praying that Claire would kick the highlights out of Marleen's blonde 'do. But Claire contentedly munched the sweet feed in her trough. Traitorous bovine angel.
    Tiger, Aunt Vanessa's gray tabby, crawled into Vivian's arms and meowed.
    "Wanta see a neat trick?" Marleen asked suddenly. "You'll like this, Vivian. Here you go, Tiger." She aimed a stream of milk at Tiger, and he expertly caught it in his mouth. He slurped and swallowed while Vivian held him delicately away from her. She was staring at the cat when the thick jet of milk moved. It trailed over the left side of Vivian's hair and hit her squarely between the eyes.
    "Whoops! Ohmygawd. Vivian, I'm so sorry." Vivian dropped the cat and dashed milk off her eyelashes.
    "The milk facials at this spa could use some re-thinking." Jake knelt down beside Vivian and tried to help, but one of his hurrying fingers poked her in the eye.
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    Just a little Bit Guilty
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    Marleen stood up. "Well, Jake, I'll be runnin' along. Don't see me out. I can tell you've got your hands full. You always did have a soft spot for helpless women." With that parting shot, she stomped off. Jake frowned while Vivian muttered obscenities in Italian and wiped her face on her sleeve. "Marleen's not the spiteful type," he murmured. "We broke up after graduation and she married Donny. We've had no history since. I don't understand what just happened here."
    "The only females you understand have horns and an udder." Vivian stopped cleaning her face long enough to stand up. He stood, too, and she glowered at him. "She left Donny. She's on the make again. I'm crowding her action."
    "Okay, but why get mad at me ? I'm not encouraging her."
    "I just got served , Coltrane. Capiche ? That was a womanly throwdown and I lost . I'm not a farm girl, okay? I can't milk or do anything else farmy. And I'm seriously buffaloed by this freakin' cow. I admit it."
    "Viv," he said quickly, his voice deep and soft. His arms went around her "I don't give a rap-crap whether or not you can milk a cow."
    "You probably say that to all the teat-challenged girls."
    "I just thought you'd like to learn about farm life."
    "I got a real kick out of it," she said dryly. He looked at her somberly, from under his eyebrows. She gazed up at him just as somberly. They started snickering at the same time. He bent his head to hers. She gasped as the tip of his tongue flicked her skin. He was licking the milk off her cheeks.
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    Just a little Bit Guilty
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    "You taste good," he murmured. Remarkable sensations began to drift down Vivian's body.
    She leaned against him and slid her arms inside his open jacket, curving them around his