Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Carmen laughed shortly. "Like Josh would let me. Anyway, none of the guys are interested - and if they were, Josh would see to it that they became uninterested."

Katie stared at her. "You sound like you've given the idea a lot of thought." When Carmen didn't respond, Katie shrugged, "Anyway, there are plenty of guys interested. You are right about one thing, though. They figure Josh is tough competition - but do you really think Josh could scare them off if they knew you were interested?"

Who else was interested? Not that it mattered. She wasn't much in the mood for shopping around anyway. As a mater of fact, she was starting to think that her idea of the right man was nothing more than a pipe dream. Was she setting her sights too high? She sighed heavily.

"There aren't plenty of guys around here." She shrugged. "All of which is neither here nor there. The last thing I want is to have men fighting over me."

"Oh, great. Then stay single the rest of your life. You've got a good start on it now."

Carmen blinked. "I'm only twenty-five. What about your brother? He's what - thirty-five? He's not married yet. Harp at him for a while. Give me a rest."

"He's not quite thirty. And anyway he's not interested in getting married. You are. If you keep on waiting, you're going to be having children in your fifties, like your parents. That's why you're alone now." Katie shook her head in dismay. "What's so terrible about Josh, anyway? He just happens to be the most eligible bachelor in Benton County. Not to mention the best looking man I've ever laid eyes on. Lori's been drooling over him for years. If you don't want him, why don't you throw him back so she can have a chance at catching him?"

It wasn't that she didn't want Josh. But shouldn't there be magic in his kiss? Sure, she loved him, but not in the wild and crazy way girls did in the romance stories. Maybe that kind of love didn't exist. Or maybe that kind of excitement existed only in newfound relationships. She and Josh had always known each other. No, that wasn't the only problem. Josh wasn't exactly the romantic type - nor was she. Still, it sure would be nice to have someone open doors, send flowers, and compliment her on a nice dress or a job well done. Why couldn't Josh express his feelings for her in some way besides jealousy?