Free A Decent Proposal by Teresa Southwick Page A

hand on his jeans-covered thigh. Yeah, this arrangement was working for him in unexpectedly awesome ways.
    When the coast was clear, she put some distance between them and removed her hand, curling her fingers into her palm as if it was scorched. Count him in on that.
    â€œSo,” she said, clearing her throat. “You certainly have lots of acquaintances in town.”
    â€œThere’s a good reason for that.”
    â€œWhat might it be?” she asked sweetly.
    â€œI’m dating the sweetheart of Blackwater Lake and everyone has gone out of their way to make my acquaintance. They’re watching over you. The only hitch in the plan is that when we break up, they’ll want to cut my heart out with a spoon.”
    â€œOnly if you elope with my best friend.”
    â€œAnd who would that be?”
    â€œI don’t have one anymore.” Her gaze was wistful when it shifted to the young family not far away. “But in the plus column we can consider this date number two.”
    â€œHow do you figure? By my count this is our first.”
    â€œDon’t forget dinner with Dad and Loretta.”
    â€œAh.” He didn’t want to count that one because it was a double date and they hadn’t been alone. Mostly it annoyed him to be counting down the times he would see her.
    The depth of his reluctance to put a finite number of meetings on their arrangement was surprising. More and more he was realizing that she was the most intriguing woman he’d met in a very long time.
    * * *
    â€œHow pathetic did you have to look to get Cam to invite you to dinner?” Syd asked Burke.
    â€œNo more than usual.” He glanced over at her and grinned.
    The day after the park dedication she was in the car beside him again. This was getting to be a habit and it was unclear as yet if that was a good thing or not. On the good side, he looked awfully sexy behind the wheel of this expensive, sporty car. She debated whether or not to tell him when winter arrived, which could be a matter of weeks because Montana weather could be unpredictable, he was going to want a four-wheel-drive vehicle. Knowing how he loved this car, she decided to keep the comment to herself.
    She was more curious about something else than what car he would choose to drive on icy roads. “How do you feel about having Sunday dinner with my family?”
    â€œI’m looking forward to it,” he said.
    â€œSo how did the invitation come about?”
    â€œAfter I dropped you off at home yesterday and came back to the lodge, I ran into Cam. She invited me then.”
    â€œHer idea?” Syd asked, teasing. She’d been with him in the bar when her sister-in-law talked to him about setting a date to meet her husband and daughter. “You didn’t plead for a home-cooked meal?”
    â€œI would have if I’d thought of it. But the word on the street is spreading about us and it was high time I met the rest of the McKnights.”
    â€œOkay, then.”
    Syd listened for even a tiny trace of nerves in his voice but heard nothing. Ice water in his veins, she thought. Probably for the best since she was nervous enough for both of them.
    â€œYou do know my brothers will be there, right? With their wives? And children. Small ones. Babies, really. Just adorably toddling around.”
    â€œYou left out your dad and Loretta.”
    â€œThey’re not the ones I’m concerned about since we already had dinner with them. It’s Alex and Ben. My brothers are no one’s fools.”
    â€œYou think they’ll suspect we’re trying to pull a fast one?”
    â€œDad is wary and he’s probably said something to them.”
    â€œThen we’ll have to lay it on thick.” Something in his voice said he wouldn’t mind that a bit.
    Syd couldn’t help the small ripple of pleasure at the thought. If she was being honest, getting cozy with him was a very appealing option.
    Burke