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absently took the twenty his ex-best friend handed over as he passed.
"Yeah, I guess." He stuffed the money into his front pocket
Cat didn't sound as if she were packing her bags anytime soon. Something inside him unwound a little.
"I'll make some calls and round up more people," he said. "We can make a day of it."
Cat glanced at her watch. "Well, an afternoon, anyway. You bet on Allan, did you?" she asked, then
glanced at Nick. "Who was your call?"
"Ted."
"You should have told me. They both asked me out today."
"That would be cheating," Luke informed her, not amused that she was amused.
"Oh. Excuse me. I didn't realize there were rules." The doorbell rang and she disengaged from Nick.
"That's Allan. Get the lead out, Van Buren."
She handed him the dumb fishbowl and went to the door.
Chapter 6
^
Nick had given him a two-by-four. To beat back the guys who were going to swarm over Cat. No
kidding. At the rate things were going Luke was going to need it. He didn't like the ratio of men to
woman: three to one. In Cat's favor.
He liked women, and considered flirting one of life's greatest pleasures. But it was one of his unwritten
laws that he never strung them along. Luke made no secret of his opinion of marriage or any long term
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commitment.
The second Cat had left on the arm of good old Allan, Luke called a woman he hadn't seen in months.
Suzette was an attractive, petite brunette. Intelligent and witty, she made no bones about being available
and she liked his rules just fine.
Half the twenty or so people spread throughout the house were working. The others had taken the grill
across the street to the beach for an impromptu barbecue. Luke had posted a work schedule, and
despite the moaning and groaning from his press-ganged crew, work was actually being accomplished.
Cat and Allan were painting the guest bedroom. They'd been in there for hours with the door closed. Of
course, Luke thought, digging in one of the coolers for a liter bottle of soda, there was no furniture in
there yet. But how long could it possibly take two people to paint a small room?
"Trying to use telekinesis to open the door?" Nick strolled into the kitchen and caught him glowering
down the hall. Nick levered himself up onto the counter. "I thought you came in here for sodas."
"On my way." Luke held up the bottle and a short tower of paper cups. "Ladies getting twitchy?"
"Suzette and Kirsten wonder why everyone else is slaving serflike while you wander from room to room
bossing us around."
"Meticulous planning." Luke shot another look toward the closed door down the hallway. "Bad idea
leaving the two women unsupervised, Stratton. Who knows what devious plot they'll hatch while we're
not paying attention? Back to work."
Nick slid off the plywood-topped counter. "Has Catherine said anything about leaving since we got
here?"
"Nope."
"She and Allan look good together. What'ya think?" It had been Luke's ridiculous reaction to Cat
dragging Allan along that had induced him to invite five million people here in the first place. The house
was overrun with bodies. Feeling incredibly beleaguered, he had to be in seven places at once to oversee
what everyone was doing. "I think Allan's been in there with her long enough to paint the Sistine Chapel."
"Yeah? Go in there and supervise, then."
Luke swore. "Here, take these in to the ladies, I'll be right back." He handed Nick the soda and cups,
then stalked out of the kitchen and down the hall.
Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Catherine glanced over her shoulder as the bedroom door flew open.
Luke. She groaned dramatically and rolled her eyes, making Allan smile.
"He'sback! Quick, look busy before he gives us another project."
"Har-dee har-har." In one glance, Luke assessed the freshly painted walls and half-painted trim. "Looks
good. Nice job," he told Allan, then said to Catherine, "Can we talk a minute?"
She put her paintbrush down on the edge of the paint pan, then flexed her fingers as she rose. "Anything,
as long as I can rest my poor abused arm."
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absently took the twenty his ex-best friend handed over as he passed.
"Yeah, I guess." He stuffed the money into his front pocket
Cat didn't sound as if she were packing her bags anytime soon. Something inside him unwound a little.
"I'll make some calls and round up more people," he said. "We can make a day of it."
Cat glanced at her watch. "Well, an afternoon, anyway. You bet on Allan, did you?" she asked, then
glanced at Nick. "Who was your call?"
"Ted."
"You should have told me. They both asked me out today."
"That would be cheating," Luke informed her, not amused that she was amused.
"Oh. Excuse me. I didn't realize there were rules." The doorbell rang and she disengaged from Nick.
"That's Allan. Get the lead out, Van Buren."
She handed him the dumb fishbowl and went to the door.
Chapter 6
^
Nick had given him a two-by-four. To beat back the guys who were going to swarm over Cat. No
kidding. At the rate things were going Luke was going to need it. He didn't like the ratio of men to
woman: three to one. In Cat's favor.
He liked women, and considered flirting one of life's greatest pleasures. But it was one of his unwritten
laws that he never strung them along. Luke made no secret of his opinion of marriage or any long term
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
commitment.
The second Cat had left on the arm of good old Allan, Luke called a woman he hadn't seen in months.
Suzette was an attractive, petite brunette. Intelligent and witty, she made no bones about being available
and she liked his rules just fine.
Half the twenty or so people spread throughout the house were working. The others had taken the grill
across the street to the beach for an impromptu barbecue. Luke had posted a work schedule, and
despite the moaning and groaning from his press-ganged crew, work was actually being accomplished.
Cat and Allan were painting the guest bedroom. They'd been in there for hours with the door closed. Of
course, Luke thought, digging in one of the coolers for a liter bottle of soda, there was no furniture in
there yet. But how long could it possibly take two people to paint a small room?
"Trying to use telekinesis to open the door?" Nick strolled into the kitchen and caught him glowering
down the hall. Nick levered himself up onto the counter. "I thought you came in here for sodas."
"On my way." Luke held up the bottle and a short tower of paper cups. "Ladies getting twitchy?"
"Suzette and Kirsten wonder why everyone else is slaving serflike while you wander from room to room
bossing us around."
"Meticulous planning." Luke shot another look toward the closed door down the hallway. "Bad idea
leaving the two women unsupervised, Stratton. Who knows what devious plot they'll hatch while we're
not paying attention? Back to work."
Nick slid off the plywood-topped counter. "Has Catherine said anything about leaving since we got
here?"
"Nope."
"She and Allan look good together. What'ya think?" It had been Luke's ridiculous reaction to Cat
dragging Allan along that had induced him to invite five million people here in the first place. The house
was overrun with bodies. Feeling incredibly beleaguered, he had to be in seven places at once to oversee
what everyone was doing. "I think Allan's been in there with her long enough to paint the Sistine Chapel."
"Yeah? Go in there and supervise, then."
Luke swore. "Here, take these in to the ladies, I'll be right back." He handed Nick the soda and cups,
then stalked out of the kitchen and down the hall.
Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Catherine glanced over her shoulder as the bedroom door flew open.
Luke. She groaned dramatically and rolled her eyes, making Allan smile.
"He'sback! Quick, look busy before he gives us another project."
"Har-dee har-har." In one glance, Luke assessed the freshly painted walls and half-painted trim. "Looks
good. Nice job," he told Allan, then said to Catherine, "Can we talk a minute?"
She put her paintbrush down on the edge of the paint pan, then flexed her fingers as she rose. "Anything,
as long as I can rest my poor abused arm."
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