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“I believe I got the message already,” he said.

She hadn’t meant to get into this on the phone, but she couldn’t stop now. “You should never have talked to Amiee the way you did without consulting me first. We were enjoying our time together and then all of a sudden you and my daughter are talking about the two of us as if it’s understood that you and I were involved in a serious relationship.”

“That wasn’t the way I intended the conversation would go,” he admitted, “and you’re right it was premature to be discussing my intentions with your daughter. But remember, after the Hoedown I’d thought we were on the same page.”

“I know and I’m terribly sorry. We can resolve this, Steve. I do care about you.”

“I know.”

Something else was troubling her. “The thing is, I can’t have you using Amiee …”

“Using Amiee?” he shot back. “I wouldn’t ever …”

It had been a mistake to bring this up now. “Not intentionally you wouldn’t,” she agreed. “Let’s not get into this now.”

Silence followed. “You sure you want to wait to finish this conversation?” he asked.

“Yes. Let me clear my head first.”

He hesitated for an uncomfortable moment and then asked, “The night of the Hoedown was a fluke, wasn’t it?”

“No,” she cried. “It wasn’t. That was the most romantic night of my life. It would be so easy to fall in love with you based entirely on the way I felt with your arms around me on the dance floor. I’ll never forget that closeness, the connection. It seemed like … I don’t even know that I can find a way to tell you everything I felt that night.”

“Cherished,” he suggested.

“Yes.” That was the perfect word to describe it.

“Seriously, Cassie, I don’t see a problem,” he said, sounding all the more confused. “If you feel the same way about me as I do you, then why all this angst? You want to go slow, that’s fine by me. I have my own issues to deal with, but we both know where we’re headed, right?” He didn’t wait for her to answer. “There’s no need to rush into anything. I’m with you,” he said.

Cassie let his words soak in before she responded. While he claimed to be on the same page, she still wasn’t convinced that he was.

“The problem, in a nutshell,” she said, gripping hold of the phone so tightly that her fingers ached, “is that I’m not emotionally ready for this. You have to understand I’m carrying a full set of baggage. It’s only been in the last three or four months that I’ve been able to get my life together. I’m not looking for a hero to ride in on a white steed and rescue me—not when, for the first time in my life, I’ve succeeded in getting things on track.”

“Okay, point taken.”

“Although you claim to understand my concern and you’re content to take matters one day at a time, I feel … like … like you’re pressuring me.”

“That was never my intention,” he returned.

“I know. I think you’re a good man, Steve.”

“You think …”

“Yes, you have to admit that my judgment about men to this point hasn’t exactly been stellar …”

“So now you’re comparing me with Duke?” He sounded angry.

She returned fire just as quickly. “Unfortunately, Duke’s the only comparison I have. He was loving and romantic, too … in the beginning.”

“I don’t believe this,” he muttered, sounding disgusted.

“It was a bad idea to discuss all this now. It’ll be much better when we can talk face-to-face. We’ll clear the air Saturday night,” she promised.

Steve ended the conversation shortly afterward and that was probably for the best. It didn’t come as any surprise that he didn’t call her again that week.

Saturday morning, Cassie woke with a mixed bag of feelings. She was dreading the date and at the same time was eager to see Steve again. She really wanted to be with him, but she felt anxious about making a mistake.

That morning she was able to work three hours of equity time at the construction site before she arrived at Goldie Locks for her beauty treatments. Rosie had an entire crew assembled. Cassie reluctantly submitted to their fussing.

At one point she had three people working on her at the same time. They circled her, one with a comb and a hairspray can, another with fingernail polish; the third was busy painting her toenails. It was utterly ridiculous. Forcing down the urge to demand that her friends stop, Cassie smiled and did what she could to look excited and happy.

“Steve is smoking hot,” Rosie said. She mimed jerking her hand up, making a hissing sound as if she’d bounced cold water against a red-hot griddle. “You’re going to have a good time tonight.”

Cassie forced a smile.

“My guess is that man’s got a fat diamond ring burning a hole in his pocket.”

“No, no, I’m sure that’s not the case,” Cassie insisted, fighting a rising sense of panic.

Teresa agreed with her cousin. “If not tonight, then soon. He’s not the kind of man to dally with a woman’s feelings. He’s solid, you know.”

“You hold on to that man,” Bridget advised. “You know what they say about a man with a truck like his. Big truck, big—”

“Bridget!” Teresa broke in. “We get the point.”

“Yes, but does Cassie?” Bridget asked, speculative, cocking one finely shaped eyebrow.

Cassie didn’t answer one way or the other. Her mind continued to whirl at a frantic pace. By submitting to all this fuss and bother, she was suddenly wary. By allowing her friends to make such a big deal out of this date she might be undermining her credibility on everything she’d claimed earlier. Her head started to pound, and the urge to leap out of the chair and escape was nearly overwhelming.

“She gets it,” Rosie insisted.

Bridget stared at Cassie with such intensity that Cassie became unnerved. Her friend frowned and lifted Cassie’s bangs from her forehead. “What?” Cassie demanded.

“Your eyebrows,” Bridget muttered disparagingly.

“What about them?” Cassie was in no mood for a tweezers attack.

“When was the last time you had them shaped?”

Cassie frowned. “I have no idea.” Right away she recognized that was the wrong answer.

Bridget took immediate control. “It’s time, girlfriend. In fact, it is long past due.”

Before Cassie could protest, the back of her chair was lowered and strips of hot wax were pressed against her eyebrows. She yelped when Bridget ripped off the tape. Then, with tweezers in hand, plucking away, Bridget chastised her for letting herself go so long.

By the time her friends were finished with her, Cassie had been prodded, pinched, plucked, and polished. She was exhausted and frankly not in the best of moods. At this point all she could think about was the burning need to escape.

“You’re beautiful,” Teresa said, stepping back to judge their work. She had her index finger tucked under Cassie’s chin as she examined her face and her hair.

“If he proposes tonight, we want full credit,” Rosie said, beaming with pride. “Steve’s going to take one look at you and swoon. You’ll have him eating out of your hand in no time. Don’t you take second best, either, understand?”

Cassie blinked with eyelashes thick enough to swat flies. “Second best?”

“Don’t you dare move in with him without something sparkling on your finger. Call me old-fashioned if you want, but we didn’t go through all this trouble for nothing.” Rosie stood with her hands folded as if she were about to take out her rosary and pray.

“You don’t need to worry,” Cassie assured her.

Rosie looked more than pleased. “That’s what I thought. Now go out there and bring that man to his bended knee.”

“He’s going to be salivating for sure,” Teresa commented.

This was ridiculous, Cassie thought, yet again.