Free 1. That's What Friends Are For by Annette Broadrick

comfortable relationship." When he didn't reply she went on to say, "I never got around to thanking you for your help today. I don't know what I would have done without you."
    He held her hard against his chest, unable to resist her lips so close to his. Gregory kissed her, feeling her warmth pressed against him.
    When he finally released her he smiled at the picture she made—her cheeks flushed, her eyes sparkling, her mouth slightly swollen. "I was glad to help, but you would have done just fine without me. You handled yourself extremely well in the emergency, never losing your head."
    "Oh, no. I almost drowned you in my tears at the hospital."
    "Yes, after the crisis was over. But when you needed to be strong you managed to give Brad first aid, then got him home. I was very proud of you today. I want you to know that."
    "Oh, Gregory. Your ability to understand me is one of the things I love about you," she said, her arms still around him.
    He was quiet for a few moments, then said, "It's interesting, isn't it, the many different ways we can love. Some people seem to have a larger capacity for love than others. You seem to have grown up giving your love to people—your parents. Brad, his parents; later the people who live in Payton. Now me."
    She smiled at him.
    "I always had trouble understanding that emotion they called love. I've seen some of the tragedies that have occurred in the name of love, witnessed selfishness and possessiveness that have been given the label of love, but until I met you, I never truly experienced what it all meant—the generosity of love for its own sake, and what a difference it could make in life." He looked down at her, trying to memorize the beauty that was in her. "Thank you for showing me how unselfish love can be, how generous."
    "It was my pleasure," she said with a mischievous grin. "You've shown me a great deal, too, you know."
    "Have I?In what way?''
    "You didn't treat me like some fragile doll sitting on a shelf. You've always treated me as an equal, with respect and admiration."
    "Hasn't everyone?"
    "It's hard to explain. But living in the same small town all my life has meant that everyone has preconceived ideas about me. Until you came along, nobody would even ask me out for a date!"
    "Why do you suppose they didn't?"
    She grinned. "Because all the eligible men already knew me too well, I guess.''
    "It couldn't have anything to do with Brad, could it?"
    She frowned. "What does Brad have to do with my not being asked on a date?"
    "Perhaps everyone thought you two were a pair," he suggested.
    Penny rolled her eyes. "That's quite possible. I know everybody acted surprised when you and I announced our engagement. I just assumed they thought you'd been tricked into proposing to me."
    Gregory threw his head back and laughed and she began to laugh with him. "Oh, Penny, what an innocent you are!" He studied her for a moment, the light of laughter gradually disappearing out of his eyes. "Then you admit that people saw you and Brad as a couple."
    She shrugged. "I can't very well deny it. Since he's been home everyone I've seen has made some comment. But that's their problem. It doesn't really concern you and me. Once we're married, they'll get those silly ideas out of their heads."
    "So you don't really wish that it were Brad you were marrying instead of me?"
    "Brad and I don't have that sort of a relationship. We never did. You are the man I'm going to marry." She sounded very final.
    Gregory smiled. "I'm glad to hear it." He carefully unwrapped her arms from around his neck. "However, at the moment I think I'd better let you get some rest. I've still got to pack and get ready to return to St. Louis."
    Penny hated to see him leave. She enjoyed his companionship so much. She felt safe and secure whenever he was around. In particular, she needed his presence this final week before she married him, especially now that Brad was here. She couldn't explain it. She just knew it was true. But she