Flirting with Disaster by Sherryl Woods Read Free Book Online

sounded doubtful.
    â€œSweetheart, there are always going to be people who find fault with everything. Are their opinions more important than your kids?”
    â€œOf course not,” she said.
    â€œWell, then?”
    â€œI can’t stop thinking about the fallout for Caleb. He’s been such a good friend. I don’t want to repay him by causing him trouble.”
    â€œHe strikes me as a man who stands on his principles. He wants to do this for you and your family. I think you should respect his wishes.”
    She sat silently, her expression thoughtful. Josh waited, knowing that he’d pushed as hard as he dared. The decision was hers to make. He suspected when it came right down to it, she would make the only choice a good and decent mother could make.
    Finally she met his gaze. “Are you married, Josh?”
    He shook his head. “No.”
    â€œYou should be.”
    He shuddered at the certainty in her voice. “I don’t think so.” Curiosity got the better of him, so he asked, “Why would you say that?”
    â€œBecause it’s a shame to let all that compassion and sensitivity go to waste,” she said.
    She grinned and Josh saw a glimpse of the beautiful woman she must have been before tragedy had weighed her down.
    She studied him thoughtfully. “I think I’d better let you build this house for us.”
    He regarded her with suspicion, not feeling nearly as triumphant as he might have before she’d made that comment about him needing to be married. “Oh?”
    â€œIt’ll give me more time to find just the right woman for you.” She winked at him, then added, “I’ll go tell Caleb and the kids what I’ve decided.”
    Josh sat there feeling doomed. He’d seen firsthand just how stubborn and determined and principled Amanda O’Leary could be. Fortunately he’d had quite a few years to perfect his own stubbornness and determination. Amanda O’Leary wouldn’t get to first base with her matchmaking scheme.
    Besides, from what he could see in a glance around the parish hall, the few females there were already paired off and unavailable. He didn’t have a reason in the world to worry.
    So why the hell were his palms sweating as if he’d just made a pact with the devil?
    Â 
    Maggie slipped into a seat beside Dinah an hour after the organizational meeting had begun. “What did I miss?” she asked.
    â€œThe nail-biting when Amanda announced she didn’t want the house, after all,” Dinah said.
    Maggie was shocked. “Why? What’s wrong with her?”
    â€œDon’t blame her. She was trying to protect Caleb.”
    â€œAnd Caleb is?”
    â€œThe minister.”
    Maggie was confused. “Was he in some sort of danger?”
    â€œA few people think he ought to be fired over this project. It’s a long story. Bottom line, the deal is back on.”
    â€œAnd I thought this was going to be boring,” Maggie said to herself, settling back in her chair as Cord began to speak. Of course, Dinah didn’t hear her wry comment. All of Dinah’s attention was focused on her husband. It was disgusting, actually. All that rapt attention from a woman who’d once been in the thick of some of the world’s most important—and dangerous—stories. Now the most important thing in her life was a man. Of course, Dinah was barely back from her honeymoon, so Maggie supposed she ought to cut her some slack.
    Cord didn’t waste time getting to the point, which seemed to be introducing the man who would be in charge of building the house. “As long as you follow his directions, he’s going to make you all look like master carpenters,” Cord promised. “Josh Parker.”
    The man who walked to the podium looked embarrassed by the introduction. It must have been the combination of that hint of humility with the most gorgeous biceps and chest Maggie