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an undeniable attraction to this man, not to mention a sense of challenge and the exhilaration that came with it.In fact, she hadn’t reacted that strongly to anyone in…years. She didn’t understand the intensity of her own response.
    As she always did when she was upset or confused, Barbie phoned her mother. Lillie answered right away.
    “Sweetheart, where were you?”
    “I decided to go to the movies. I’m on my cell.”
    “I left you a message,” her mother said. “I was hoping you’d come by the house and have dinner with me.”
    Suddenly ravenous, Barbie remembered that she hadn’t eaten anything more than some toast and a few handfuls of popcorn all day.
    “Thanks,” she said. “Do you want me to pick anything up?”
    “No, I got groceries earlier today.”
    “Do you have your car yet?” Barbie asked. The red-hot convertible had gone back to the dealership for the same problem as before. The shop had worked on the steering mechanism twice now.
    “No, but I’m not worried.”
    “You’re so calm about all this.” Barbie marveled at her mother’s patience. She hadn’t complained even once.
    “Is everything all right, dear?” her mother asked. “You sound agitated.”
    “I am, a little.” Barbie went on to explain what had happened—without, for some reason, mentioning that the man was in a wheelchair. To her dismay, her mother laughed.
    “Mother!” she protested. “This isn’t funny.”
    “I know…. It’s just that I can’t imagine you being so clumsy.”
    “It was his fault,” Barbie insisted. “He’s just fortunate I didn’t land in his lap.”
    Instantly a picture appeared in her mind, and to her shock, it wasn’t an unpleasant one. Barbie saw herself sitting on Mark’s lap, her arms around his neck, their eyes meeting, their lips… She shook her head. She didn’t know where that vision had come from because the man was so…unpleasant.
    “You can tell me all about it once you’re here,” Lillie said.
    “See you in a few minutes, then.” Barbie was about to snap her cell phone shut when her mother’s voice stopped her. “Barbie, listen, I almost forgot. Jacqueline Donovan invited us to a small gathering next Monday. You’ll be able to attend, won’t you?”
    “Monday?” she repeated. “What time?”
    “Around six.”
    “Sorry, Mom,” she said, making her decision. “I’m afraid I’ve already got plans.”
    Mark Bassett wasn’t going to get rid of her as easily as he no doubt hoped.

Chapter 6
    A nne Marie had been in emotional free fall ever since her Friday-night dinner with Melissa. She’d tried to push the conversation from her mind but hadn’t succeeded. Robert’s unfaithfulness hung over her every minute of every day—the betrayal, the pain, the anger. It wouldn’t hurt as much if she hadn’t so desperately wanted her husband’s child. For him to adamantly refuse her and then fall into bed with another woman, a woman who now had a child that might be his, bordered on cruelty.
    Another complication was her stepdaughter. Anne Marie didn’t want to believe that Melissa had purposely set out to hurt and humiliate her, and yet she was suspicious. Still, she felt that Robert’s daughter was distressed by her father’s actions and had told the truth when she said she wasn’t sure where else to turn. Anne Marie didn’t understand, though, why Melissa hadn’t confided in her brother. Surely Brandon would’ve been a more natural choice. Had she come to Anne Marie because she wanted to talk to another woman? Because she knew that no oneelse had loved Robert as much? One thing was certain; the instant Melissa had seen how badly she’d hurt Anne Marie, she was genuinely regretful. In the end, Melissa had been the one comforting her .
    On Sunday Anne Marie hid inside her small apartment with only Baxter for company. She didn’t answer the phone, didn’t check her messages. How she managed to work even half of Saturday was a mystery. At about noon,