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Maggie said. “Watch your step, Ashley. You’re about to unite these men in a common cause. Something tells me it won’t be pretty.”
    “Doggone right,” Josh agreed, suddenly eager to stir the pot. “Men are not the problem. We think logically and rationally.”
    “Oh, please,” Ashley said. “What was logical or rational about letting me off the hook so easily?”
    “You were clearly shaken up. I was trying to be a nice guy,” Josh retorted.
    “Ha!” Ashley muttered.
    “Women hate that,” Rick advised.
    “They see it as a sign of weakness,” Mike confirmed.
    “Well, you can be sure I won’t make that mistake again,” Josh vowed. “I thought you were a reasonable woman.”
    “I am. You’re the one behaving like an idiot. You’re no more injured than I am.”
    He frowned at her. “You’re calling me an idiot?”
    “You bet I am.”
    As the exchange ended and her declaration hung in the air, Ashley suddenly blinked and looked embarrassed. “What just happened here?”
    Maggie grinned at them. “Offhand, I’d say we just witnessed an explosion of hormones. I, for one, found it rather fascinating.”
    “Stimulating,” Melanie added, casting a pointed look at her husband.
    Before Josh could utter a desperate denial, Ashleywhirled on her sisters. “Eat dirt,” she muttered, then stood up. “I have to go.”
    Josh was way too tempted to follow her. Instead, he merely winked as she passed. “Drive safely,” he murmured under his breath.
    She stopped and scowled at him. He waited for her to utter the curse that was obviously on the tip of her tongue, but she fought it and won.
    “Lovely seeing you again,” she said sweetly. Her voice, thick with Southern syrup, nonetheless lacked sincerity.
    “I’m sure we’ll cross paths soon,” Josh said. “Hopefully without colliding.”
    Though he had to admit, as he watched her walk away, that bumping into Ashley D’Angelo, literally or figuratively, was starting to make his life a whole lot livelier.

Chapter Three
    F resh from his second disconcerting, intriguing encounter with Ashley D’Angelo, Josh knew he couldn’t delay the inevitable talk with Stephanie for another minute. That explosion of hormones Maggie had referred to had been very real. It had been a couple of hours now, and he was still half-aroused when he thought about it. Stephanie had never had that effect on him. They’d been friends who’d understood what was expected of them and accepted that real passion wasn’t part of it.
    Even as he reached for the phone, he acknowledged that it was probably a conversation he should be having face-to-face. Since he didn’t plan on being back in Richmond for a while, though, he wanted to get it over with now, tonight. Something told him that by morning, orat least by the time he had his next encounter with Ashley, he should be totally free from the past.
    Fortunately, Stephanie was a night owl. Even though it was after eleven, he knew she’d be awake. What he hadn’t expected, though, was the sound of a party in full swing in the background when she answered. She sounded carefree and happy, happier than he could recall her being in a long time. Somehow when they were together, she always seemed subdued and thoughtful.
    “Steph, it’s me,” he said.
    “Josh, sweetheart, I wasn’t expecting to hear from you this late.”
    “Evidently.” He had no idea why he couldn’t seem to keep the edge out of his voice. He wasn’t jealous. No, if anything, he was relieved. Maybe this odd mood he was suddenly in simply had to do with the possibility that now wasn’t the best time to have this conversation, after all. “Look, you obviously have company. Maybe I should call back in the morning.”
    “Don’t be silly. It’s just a few friends kicking back on a Friday night. I’ll just go into the other room, where I can hear better.”
    The music and laughter grew more muffled. “There. That’s better,” she said. “How’s it going? Are