Free A Decent Proposal by Teresa Southwick

sensed more than felt her want to pull away, but she didn’t and he liked the feel of her fingers in his palm. Taking their relationship public was working for him in a big way.
    â€œLights, camera, action,” he said.
    They made their way along the path and greeted people. Burke was surprised how many he knew and Syd said hello to everyone. She stopped to chat with an older couple about their aging truck and he glanced up ahead. Violet Stewart, hostess at the diner and Syd’s former friend, was there with two kids and a nice-looking man who was probably her husband...and the guy who had dumped Syd years ago. Burke knew when she spotted them because he felt her tense.
    He leaned down to whisper in her ear. “We can take a detour.”
    â€œNot my style.”
    So they kept going and stopped by the young family. Burke nodded. “Hi, Vi.”
    â€œBurke.” There was forced cheerfulness in the woman’s voice. Her gaze drifted to Syd. “Hi.”
    â€œHey.” She looked at the man and it wasn’t hard to tell this was the first time she’d seen him since all the bad stuff went down. “Charlie.”
    â€œHow are you, Syd?”
    â€œGood.” She squeezed Burke’s hand, then let it go. “Charlie Stewart, this is Burke Holden.”
    The two men shook hands and said all the right things while tension flowed like a swollen river between the two women.
    â€œWell...we have to go meet my dad.” Syd angled her head in the general direction of the barbecues.
    â€œYeah.” There was a lot of regret in Violet’s voice. “It was good to see you. Have fun, you two.”
    â€œRight. You guys, too. Later.” Syd lifted a hand, then headed for the table near where her father was cooking.
    Side by side they sat on the bench. Their shoulders brushed and heat that had nothing to do with the Montana sun shining above shot through him. Burke did his best to ignore the sensation because of the tricky situation.
    Still, he was curious about something and they were far enough away from everyone not to be overheard. “How was it seeing Charlie again?” he asked.
    â€œWeird,” she said, glancing around at the people nearby watching her and the couple who had hurt her in the past.
    â€œWeird bad or good?”
    â€œNot bad,” she admitted. “It’s been a long time. I don’t feel anything for him. But Violet—”
    â€œShe seems nice,” he said.
    â€œAnd how do you know?”
    â€œI’ve seen her a lot in the diner. It’s what happens when a guy—”
    â€œHas to eat out in restaurants,” she finished for him with a grin. It faded quickly. And there was wistfulness in her voice when she said, “She is nice. And they look good together. Two beautiful kids. A boy and girl. The perfect family.”
    â€œThere’s no such thing as perfect.”
    â€œI know. And that wasn’t a bitter comment. Far from it.” She met his gaze. “I envy her. I’m envious of them.”
    â€œSo you want a family?”
    She shrugged. “It’s what my dad wants for me.”
    â€œWhat are you after?” he asked, really curious.
    â€œIt’s easier to tell you what I
don’t
want.” She glanced around and people looked away. “This is the downside of small-town life. Call me stubborn, but I’m not going to give them anything to talk about. I intend to talk to Violet, but not when it would be a public spectacle.”
    â€œGood for you.” He slung his arm across her shoulders and pulled her into a side hug, aware that she’d veered away from a thumb up or down on the topic of children and family. “Gossip may be a negative aspect of small-town life, but it works for our purposes. We’re all about making a public spectacle of ourselves.”
    At that moment Tom McKnight turned to smile and wave at his daughter. She leaned in to Burke and put her