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confused as he was? Had her pulse lurched into overdrive, too? His gaze dropped to her lips. Was she fighting the same surprising and powerful urge he was?
    Cal had no idea. All he knew was that he was glad he was holding the box of dishes. Because as he said a very rapid good-night and escaped into the hall, he knew that if his arms weren’t otherwise occupied, he would be very tempted to put them to another use. And he didn’t think that would be wise at all.

Chapter Four
    â€œA my? Have I caught you at a bad time?”
    Amy smiled and grabbed her tea as she headed for the couch. “Not at all. It’s great to hear your voice, Kate.” She sat on the couch and tucked her feet under her. “How’s St. Louis?”
    â€œIt’s too soon to tell, after only a week. But it doesn’t matter where we live, as long as I’m with Jack.”
    â€œStill crazy in love with that handsome hunk you married, I see,” Amy teased.
    â€œAbsolutely. You should try it sometime.”
    â€œWell, when I meet the right handsome hunk, I just might do that.” For some reason, an image of Cal flitted through her mind, and she frowned. How odd. If ever two people had different philosophies of life, it was them. Though they did agree on some things, their basic priorities and motivations were at opposite ends of the spectrum. Not a good omen fora long-term relationship—even if they were interested in pursuing one. Which, of course, they weren’t.
    â€œI’m sure you meet all kinds of handsome men in your business,” Kate scoffed.
    â€œWith egos to match, too,” Amy countered dryly.
    â€œOh, come on. You must meet some guys who aren’t self-centered.”
    Again Amy thought of Cal. “Actually, I did meet one recently.”
    â€œWell, that’s more like it! Tell me all.”
    â€œI bought a date with him.”
    There was a beat of silence on the other end of the line before Kate spoke. “Do you want to explain that?”
    Amy grinned. “I bought a date with him at a charity auction.”
    â€œYou’ve resorted to buying dates? Things must be worse than I thought!”
    This time Amy laughed. “I had an ulterior motive. He’s the prosecuting attorney in a high-profile case I’m covering, and I was hoping he’d let something slip that would give me an angle.”
    â€œOh.” The disappointment in Kate’s voice was obvious. “So it was just a business thing.”
    â€œYeah. But I actually had a good time.”
    â€œDid you get your angle?”
    â€œUnfortunately, no. But he was surprisingly pleasant, considering that we’d clashed in every previous encounter. And he was a really good sport.” Amy recounted the story of the mugging.
    â€œHe sounds nice,” Kate commented. “Are you sure you don’t want to pursue this?”
    â€œTrust me, Kate. I am the last person Cal Richards wants to see again. He admitted himself that he was dreading our date, so the odds of—” The ringing of the doorbell interrupted her. “Can you hold a minute? There’s someone at the door.”
    â€œSure.”
    Amy set her mug down and strode toward the door, pausing to peer through the peephole. All she could see was a large, green blob, so she cautiously cracked the door, leaving the chain lock in place.
    A face appeared around the blob, which Amy now realized was a flower arrangement wrapped in green paper. “Amy Winter?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œThese are for you.”
    Amy gave the young man a puzzled frown. “Are you sure?”
    He recited the address, and her frown deepened. “Well, you’ve got the right place,” she conceded. She closed the door and slid the chain across, then opened it. The young man grinned and placed the vase in Amy’s hands. “Enjoy.”
    As he disappeared down the steps, she stared at the cloud of green tissue. Who in the