Once Bitten, Twice Shy

There was no good time for Katie's brother to visit, but this had to be the worst. Frozen water pipes and unheated bedrooms had to be something new for a wealthy socialite. Surely Katie must realize he would be slumming it - and why. Carmen grabbed a chunk of wood from the box and jerked the stove door open. She tossed the fuel in and slammed the door before sparks could hop out on the stove pad.

"If he had the sense God gave a goose, he'd stay in Houston until spring."

Katie rolled her eyes. "Spring will be too late to witness the kidding. Anyway, he studied veterinary medicine for three years. All that education might come in handy if we have trouble."

Carmen eyed Katie sourly. "That was nearly seven years ago. I imagine he's forgotten half of the information, and the other half is probably outdated. I don't want him practicing on my hand picked stock. I can't afford to loose any of them at this point. If we need help, we can hire a real vet."

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Carmen, they're goats, not race horses." At Carmen's sharp look, she shrugged. "Anyway, we could use a man around the place for a while."

Alex wasn't likely to be much help with the farm, but it wouldn't do any good to argue the point with Katie. Let her find out when he arrived. Carmen ran bluntly manicured fingers through her cropped off curls as her tongue explored a new crack in her dry lips.

"Josh is all the help we need, and he's right down the road." Actually, Josh was more than she needed, and Katie was more than she could afford.

Katie gnawed on her lower lip and let her gaze shift to a watermark on the yellowed wallpaper. "Yeah, but you two haven't seen much of each other lately, and . . ."

"That's what I thought," Carmen interrupted caustically, and gave the wood box a swift kick. "You're trying to play matchmaker again, aren't you?"

Blue eyes flashed in a face staining quickly with red. "Of course not. I told you it was his idea to come up to see me."

Carmen pushed away from the warming stove and stood. "And if you'd gone down there one of the zillion times he's invited you in the last two years, he wouldn't feel obligated to come up now."

Katie scowled. "I wish you'd get out of this black mood you've been in lately. Last month you said it would be fine if he came up for a visit. Don't you think it's a little late to back out now? He's probably already on the plane."