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kitchen and made the worst cup of
coffee he'd ever tasted. But at least it was hot.

The weather was beautiful when he walked outside into the early morning
painter's sky. It wasn't until
he stretched, his hand running down his bare chest, that he saw Katie
standing just beyond the cottage, her hair wild, dirt smudging her
face. She stood frozen, staring at him, her eyes wide, as she held a
bucket of gardening tools in her hand.

Kate tried to get her brain to function, with little success.

He was gorgeous.

Like a god.

Better than Adonis.

Despite every good intention, despite the fact that she had learned
firsthand that he was a ladies' man of the worst kind— more than once !—her gaze drifted
low over his sculpted chest, following the thin path
of hair that disappeared beneath the waistband of his shorts. She
imagined where the path led.

Bad Kate.

A strange squeak sounded in her throat, and she nearly dropped her
bucket of tools.

He took another sip of his coffee before a smile cracked his face.
"Morning, sweetheart."

She raised a brow. "I believe sweetheart belongs to the woman from the other night. Your publicist. Gwen.
Glad to know you don't mind mixing business with pleasure."

Jesse chuckled, a rumbling sound of easy confidence.

"What's the point of working if you can't have fun while you're at it?"
He winked.

She reached down and grabbed a second bucket filled with potting soil.
"I've got to go," she said with
a shake of her head, then started for the workroom.

But Jesse stopped her. His hand on her arm startled her and her breath
caught. He stared at her, yet
again seeming confused by what he saw.

"What?" she asked self-consciously.

He studied her, and after a second he smiled, though all he said was,
"Let me help you with the buckets."

She raised her chin. "I don't need your help."

He laughed out loud as he set his cup on the window ledge. "I don't
doubt it." He took the buckets anyway.

She watched him as he headed for her back door, watched the way he
moved with the sleek grace of an athlete. She was staring so intently,
so mesmerized— damn it—that she was surprised when someone called out
from the back gate.

"There you are!"

She whirled to find Parker Hammond.

"Parker!" she yelped, guilt ticking through her at her errant thoughts.
"What are you doing here?"

The man answered with a confident smile as he pushed through the gate.
"Good morning to you, too."

He held a large bouquet of light pink peonies and white roses. Seeing
him standing in the sunshine, Kate couldn't deny how handsome he was,
though a complete contrast to Jesse. Parker was everything light, with
his sandy blond hair and green eyes, while Jesse was dark and brooding,
sensuality seeping through him. The boy next door versus the boy who
was every parent's nightmare.

When Parker saw Jesse, he blinked in surprise before his smile returned.

"I heard you were on Kate's show," Parker said with good humor as he
came forward to shake Jesse's hand. "I wish I hadn't missed it. But
it's great to see you now."

"It's great to see you, too, but you didn't need to bring flowers,"
Jesse joked with a grin.

Jesse and Parker had been good friends in junior high school, falling
out of touch during high school
when Jesse had started getting wild.

Parker laughed. "As a matter of fact, I didn't. I brought them for
Kate." Parker turned to her. "I'm sorry
I missed the first segment of Getting
Real . But I hope these will make up for it. I heard the show was
a hit."

"You are so sweet," she said faintly.

"I remembered that you love peonies. I've been calling all weekend, but
you haven't been home."

"You brought flowers for Katie?" Jesse asked, interrupting, glancing
back and forth between them.

"Yes, I did." Parker's sunny smile was wonderful and sexy at the same
time. No question he was a
catch. As tall as Jesse. As well defined. But where Jesse was the bad
boy of golf, Parker had continued
in his path of respectability and was