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attraction on hold for a while but, Anna, it is not just going to go
away.”
    Anger boiled in her but she refused
to let him see it.  He was right but she didn’t need him to point it out
to her.  Coldly, she responded, “Fine, but I meant what I said.  I need
time and you need to back off.”
    She watched with satisfaction as a
matching anger flashed in his eyes.  She didn’t know why it pleased her to
make him loose his temper but it did.  However, he said nothing but simply
turned and walked out.
    Anna sank slowly into her chair and
noticed that her hands were shaking.  How could one man make her shake
with anger one minute and passion the next?
    She wasn’t proud of herself. 
She didn’t like the cruel way she had handled the situation.  Anna knew
their attraction was something she was going to have to deal with at some time
but she just wasn’t strong enough now.  She also didn’t like the thought
that she might not see him again.
    She need not have worried. 
Steven returned the next day only this time he accompanied Julie.  He was
friendly but never over stayed his welcome.  He didn’t try to see her
alone and gave her the breathing room she had asked for.  Anna was
grateful but a little cautious.  Steven watched her and the look in his
eyes would not let her forget the passion that had flared between them.
    They established an uneasy
truce.  Anna tried to treat him with a cool indifference.  She was
polite but distant and Steven never said a word but was as charming and kind as
ever.  He treated her with respect and Anna began to enjoy his visits.
    She knew that Julie found the
situation amusing.  Thankfully, Julie managed to refrain from
commenting.  Andrew joined them one day and Anna was beginning to
relax.  She enjoyed the new friendships she was forming and liked being
part of a group.  She began to believe that she and Steven could build a
relationship that she might be able to handle.
    On Friday, she realized she might
have been wrong.  The first sign of trouble came from Julie’s reaction to
the news that Anna had a date.  Steven had not joined them for coffee that
day.  Anna had been secretly relieved.  She had to tell Julie about
her date but had been uneasy about saying anything in front of Steven. 
Anna knew her friend would be hurt if she didn’t tell her and in a town the
size of Holton, there was no way Julie wouldn’t have found out later.
    Several times during the week, a
man named Jake Carr had visited Anna.  He was a salesman for a real estate
company and was in town trying to convince the Holton City Council to sell some
of their land just on the outskirts of town.  He had talked to several of
the merchants in town including Anna hoping to gain their support.
    Jake and Anna had talked business
only a few minutes before Anna explained that she was new to town and couldn’t
make any decision about what was best for Holton.  Their conversation had
soon turned to other things and Jake and Anna discovered that had attended the
same college although not at the same time. 
    Like Anna, Jake was
African-American.  The African-American population in Holton was small so
with something in common, the two of them had formed a light friendship. 
Anna found Jake to be amusing and fun and she was relaxed in his company so
when he asked her to have dinner with him his last night in town she had
quickly agreed.
    Although afraid to admit it to
anyone other than herself, Anna was hoping that dinner with a charming man
would keep her mind off of Steven.  She had been thinking about him far
too much.  In her heart, she knew it was an act of desperation but she
couldn’t face another long evening all alone with Steven on her mind. 
Jake was safe.  He didn’t stir up all the emotions that Steven did.
    She didn’t try to explain any of
this to Julie, as she knew her friend would not understand; however, Anna never
expected Julie’s reaction to the news that she was having