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the questions, but couldn’t for the life of him figure out why the obvious wasn’t clear to Katarina. “May I ask you a question?”
    “Sure,” Katarina said, cheerful again. She brought in the plates and glasses, then returned to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.
    He hemmed and hawed for a minute, still uncertain if it was wise to push her. “Could you help me understand exactly how to correct my mistakes…um, so I don’t make the same ones with anyone else?”
    “Anyone else?” Katarina pulled out a cutting board and placed it on the counter between them. “I thought you weren’t interested in being ‘caught.”’ She raised her eyebrows and shot him a devastatingly beautiful grin as she chopped up a head of lettuce.
    “Who said anything about anyone catching me?”
    She scooped up a handful of lettuce and placed it into a bowl. “Ah, you’re just in it for the chase, huh?”
    He shook his head and leaned across the counter. “Never said that, either. I just don’t like walking on burning embers. I have enough of that in my line of work.”

    Katarina stifled a laugh, picking up each stray piece of lettuce. “I’m sorry for snapping at you.”
    “I wasn’t asking for an apology.” He covered her hands with his own and waited for her reply. There was none. “Why did that offend you so, offering to help?”
    “Are you always so pushy?”
    He smiled. “Yeah, I guess I am. Is that what’s bothering you? You don’t like people to ask too many questions? Or don’t you want to let anyone get too close?”
    She paused, staring him in the eye with a cool smile on her lips. “I simply don’t ‘need’ people the way a lot of other women do.”
    “Fiercely independent,” he said, assessing her. “You don’t want to be depended upon, or to depend on anyone else?”
    Silence.
    “Guess I hit a nerve.”
    “Are you a psychologist in the off-season?” Katarina pulled her hands loose and opened a brown paper sack in front of her. “Hmm, a smoke jumping shrink. Has a nice ring to it.”
    Alex chuckled.
    She took out two Italian tomatoes, washed them, quartered them and tossed them into the salad.
    “So, you think accepting help is a sign of weakness?”
    “Listen, Doc…”
    “That’s your sister. My crew calls me Mac, butI really prefer it if you’d stick to Alex. Bury the hatchet, Katarina. You don’t need anyone, and I’m not in the market to be needed. You’re as good as engaged—” he cocked his head “—though I don’t quite understand why you’re here, and he’s not.”
    She smiled. “Ron happens to believe in individual independence. He encourages it, in fact. He doesn’t want me to depend upon him any more than I want to.”
    “Probably believes in prenuptial contracts, too,” Alex muttered.
    “And what’s wrong with that?”
    He’d better stop before they were at each other’s throats again, he thought. What in the world had given her such a distorted view? All he’d done was offer a little help.
    “Alex? Why don’t you approve of prenuptial agreements?”
    His name rolled off her tongue like a breeze through the forest—soft, gentle and refreshing. “Never mind. Just a different view of commitment, I guess. But what do I know? I’m thirty-five and haven’t even been close to the altar. You on the other hand…are as good as engaged. Friends?”
    Her mouth twisted into a crooked grin. “On the other hand, I’m no expert, either. This will be my second engagement, and I’m not so convinced it’s a great idea, either.” She extended her hand. “Friends.”
    Alex took her graceful hand into his and met hercoy smile with one of his own. “Which aren’t you sure of, Katarina? The prenuptial agreement or the engagement?”
    Katarina thought for a moment.
    “Neither.”

Chapter Six
    K atarina looked out the window. “What is Alex doing here again?” Emily and Kevin had returned from their honeymoon less than an hour ago.
    Kevin moved their suitcases