almost made it, too, when Karen planted herself squarely in her path.
“Going somewhere, Lauren?” her friend inquired cheerfully, a glint in her eyes. “Don’t think for a second that I didn’t see you sneaking around the house and creeping upstairs hoping that we wouldn’t see you. Now, here you go again, trying to slip out the front door undetected.” She glanced toward Grady, who was watching the entire scene with amusement. “I think she’s trying to keep something from us, don’t you?”
“Looks that way,” he agreed.
“If I had to guess, I’d say she has a hot date,” Karen noted, surveying Lauren intently.
“I’m wearing old jeans and a T-shirt. Why would you think that?” Lauren demanded, totally perplexed by the assumption. “There is nothing remotely ‘hot’ about this outfit.”
“Maybe not on the average woman, but on you?” Grady said. “I’ve got to go with Karen on this one.”
Lauren frowned at him. “Oh, for Pete’s sake, I’m running over to grab a quick bite with Wade. That’s it. No mystery. No big romance. Just dinner.”
Grady’s eyebrows rose. “At his place?”
“Yes, why not? Is that some sort of big deal?”
Karen grinned and rolled her eyes. “She’s going to a man’s place and he’s cooking, and she wants to know if it’s a big deal? Girl, you have been out of circulation too long. It is a very big deal.”
“He’s fixing an omelette, not serving caviar and champagne,” Lauren retorted irritably.
Grady suddenly looked worried. “Lauren, is thatwhat it’s going to take to impress you? Caviar and champagne? I don’t think Wade’s that kind of guy.”
“He’s not, thank heavens,” she agreed fervently. “Now if you two will stop hovering, I can go over there before dinner’s ruined.”
“Seems anxious,” Karen teased.
“Very anxious,” Grady agreed.
“You know, as two people who spend every spare second sneaking off to their bedroom, you may not have the best qualifications to act like a couple of nosy chaperons,” Lauren pointed out. “If you’re not careful, Wade and I might decide to keep you company every single evening from here on out.”
Grady wrapped his arms around Karen’s waist from behind. “Let her go,” he said at once.
Karen laughed. “By all means.”
Lauren darted out the front door, pretending that she didn’t hear the hoots of laughter that followed her. That was the trouble with two people knowing her as well as Grady and Karen did—they thought they could get away with anything. After all, she had popped up repeatedly during their courtship. One of these days, though, Lauren was going to get even with them for tonight. She just had to come up with a plan diabolical enough. Maybe the rest of the Calamity Janes would help—although more than likely they’d be on Karen and Grady’s side. They were all born meddlers. Heck, she’d been one herself up till now.
As Lauren neared Wade’s house, her footsteps slowed. Memories of the heat she and Wade had generated earlier in the barn flushed her skin. Was she expecting a repeat of that tonight? Hoping for it?
“Dinner’s going to be burned if you stand out there too much longer.”
Wade’s voice carried on the still night air, startling her. She could barely see him in the shadows, his feet propped on the porch railing.
“Sorry, I got sidetracked by Grady and Karen,” she muttered as she joined him.
“Which doesn’t explain why you were just standing out here,” he teased. “Scared to come inside?”
The accurate accusation grated. A flash of temper came and went in a heartbeat. “That just makes me smart,” she said.
“Oh? How so?”
She forced herself to meet his gaze without blinking. “Because of what happened in the barn a little while ago. We agreed we were going a little too fast. Now here we are alone together again, with all that energy still charging around in the atmosphere.”
He grinned. “Then it is still charging
“Going somewhere, Lauren?” her friend inquired cheerfully, a glint in her eyes. “Don’t think for a second that I didn’t see you sneaking around the house and creeping upstairs hoping that we wouldn’t see you. Now, here you go again, trying to slip out the front door undetected.” She glanced toward Grady, who was watching the entire scene with amusement. “I think she’s trying to keep something from us, don’t you?”
“Looks that way,” he agreed.
“If I had to guess, I’d say she has a hot date,” Karen noted, surveying Lauren intently.
“I’m wearing old jeans and a T-shirt. Why would you think that?” Lauren demanded, totally perplexed by the assumption. “There is nothing remotely ‘hot’ about this outfit.”
“Maybe not on the average woman, but on you?” Grady said. “I’ve got to go with Karen on this one.”
Lauren frowned at him. “Oh, for Pete’s sake, I’m running over to grab a quick bite with Wade. That’s it. No mystery. No big romance. Just dinner.”
Grady’s eyebrows rose. “At his place?”
“Yes, why not? Is that some sort of big deal?”
Karen grinned and rolled her eyes. “She’s going to a man’s place and he’s cooking, and she wants to know if it’s a big deal? Girl, you have been out of circulation too long. It is a very big deal.”
“He’s fixing an omelette, not serving caviar and champagne,” Lauren retorted irritably.
Grady suddenly looked worried. “Lauren, is thatwhat it’s going to take to impress you? Caviar and champagne? I don’t think Wade’s that kind of guy.”
“He’s not, thank heavens,” she agreed fervently. “Now if you two will stop hovering, I can go over there before dinner’s ruined.”
“Seems anxious,” Karen teased.
“Very anxious,” Grady agreed.
“You know, as two people who spend every spare second sneaking off to their bedroom, you may not have the best qualifications to act like a couple of nosy chaperons,” Lauren pointed out. “If you’re not careful, Wade and I might decide to keep you company every single evening from here on out.”
Grady wrapped his arms around Karen’s waist from behind. “Let her go,” he said at once.
Karen laughed. “By all means.”
Lauren darted out the front door, pretending that she didn’t hear the hoots of laughter that followed her. That was the trouble with two people knowing her as well as Grady and Karen did—they thought they could get away with anything. After all, she had popped up repeatedly during their courtship. One of these days, though, Lauren was going to get even with them for tonight. She just had to come up with a plan diabolical enough. Maybe the rest of the Calamity Janes would help—although more than likely they’d be on Karen and Grady’s side. They were all born meddlers. Heck, she’d been one herself up till now.
As Lauren neared Wade’s house, her footsteps slowed. Memories of the heat she and Wade had generated earlier in the barn flushed her skin. Was she expecting a repeat of that tonight? Hoping for it?
“Dinner’s going to be burned if you stand out there too much longer.”
Wade’s voice carried on the still night air, startling her. She could barely see him in the shadows, his feet propped on the porch railing.
“Sorry, I got sidetracked by Grady and Karen,” she muttered as she joined him.
“Which doesn’t explain why you were just standing out here,” he teased. “Scared to come inside?”
The accurate accusation grated. A flash of temper came and went in a heartbeat. “That just makes me smart,” she said.
“Oh? How so?”
She forced herself to meet his gaze without blinking. “Because of what happened in the barn a little while ago. We agreed we were going a little too fast. Now here we are alone together again, with all that energy still charging around in the atmosphere.”
He grinned. “Then it is still charging
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