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world…?”
    She bent over slightly to peer at whatever was impeding the knife’s efforts.
    “Good heavens! There’s something in here!”
    Excited chattering and laughter urged her to finish the task, and poor June was nearly pushed into the icing as the other guests crowded in to see the grand surprise of the evening. A moment later June extracted a small plastic bag, the cake crumbs which clung to the outside failing to obliterate the glitter from within.
    “Oh, my God!” June breathed as she held the plastic package in both hands and simply stared at it. Then her delighted, unbelieving eyes went to her proud husband. “Martin, you didn’t! I can’t believe it!”
    Elissa stepped back out of the way as Martin moved close to his wife to accept her grateful kiss. The diamond necklace inside the plastic wrapper was released and passed around the room as tiny tears of pleasure trickled down the guest of honor’s cheeks.
    “A nice touch,” Wade murmured, coming up behind Elissa’s shoulder and keeping his voice so low that only she could hear it. “You were quite determined to prove me wrong tonight, weren’t you, witch?”
    She shrugged, not without a sense of satisfaction. “You wouldn’t listen to me yesterday. But I figured even you couldn’t ignore the evidence of your own eyes. And this sort of visual proof is the only thing you trust, isn’t it?”
    “You look extraordinarily pleased with yourself, Elissa Sheldon,” he growled softly. She didn’t turn around to look at him, keeping her attention on the furor the necklace was causing as it moved through various hands. But she could feel his massive presence behind her, and the image of a stalking wolf again came to mind. “I suppose,” he went on coolly, “that you’re expecting an apology? Or did you think I’d tell Evelyn she couldn’t have the job, after all?”
    Elissa did turn around at that, shocked. “Don’t be ridiculous!” she charged, her eyes flashing at the suggestion. “You can’t possibly take that job away from her. No, an apology is the only thing I expect to get out of this mess, Mr. Taggert. But by rights it ought to be a good one!”
    “You expect me to get down on my knees?” he drawled interestedly, watching her with a deliberately provocative twist to his lips.
    “That wouldn’t be overdoing it one bit!” she vowed, aware of the excitement sparking through her as they neared the final confrontation.
    “You’d be satisfied with that?” he mocked.
    “Since I can hardly call you out for pistols at dawn, I shall have to be satisfied.”
    “In the old days defending a woman’s honor was the responsibility of the man who protected her,” Wade commented silkily, his eyes flicking briefly across the room to where Dean was busy admiring the necklace together with someone else. “I take it you’re not going to sic your friend Dean on me?”
    “I wouldn’t think of involving him in this disgusting matter. Besides, I can take care of myself, Mr. Taggert,” Elissa told him coldly.
    “Tell me something,” he invited almost casually, his eyes once again on her challenging gaze. “Have you been looking forward to the grand denouement all day long?”
    “I’ve been looking forward to it since it first occurred to me to invite you over here so that you could see how wrong you’d been,” she assured him tauntingly.
    “In that case, I wouldn’t want to spoil matters by acting precipitately,”
    he retorted calmly. “I’ll wait until after the party to let you know what I think of your efforts. In the meantime you can pour me a drink. I’m really not much of a birthday-cake eater.” He pushed the napkins he’d been holding into one of her hands and then took her wrist firmly between steel fingers and forced her along to the bar she had arranged at the far end of the room.
    There was nothing to do but allow herself to be dragged in his wake, Elissa realized with an inner sigh. She had no intention of creating