Beauty And The Best Man. Maureen Child

the urge to hurl herself at his manly chest, Matt had taken that as a direct challenge.

      For the next two months, every time they were together, Matt had found a way to touch her, be close to her. Even when they were arguing, which was most of the time, there was a sexual tension humming between them that wound tighter and tighter. Naturally, inevitably, that tension exploded one night after the four of them had gone dancing. By the time Evan and Angie had left to go home, Matt and Kayla had been ready to tear each other’s hair out.

      Of course, she remembered, they’d ended up tearing each other’s clothes off instead, but Angie didn’t need to know that.

      Just like she didn’t need to know that that one explosive night with Matt Hollis was still haunting Kayla’s dreams.

      As was the fact that a few days later, he had left for the California offices of Lassiter Media where he had stayed for the past nine months. Now he was back for the wedding and to smooth out some local Lassiter Media business and Kayla really didn’t want to see him again. Well, she did, but she didn’t.

      It was all very complex.

      But she couldn’t very well say any of that to Angie. “He’s just not my favorite person, okay?”

      “I’m getting that. But the wedding’s two weeks away now so can you just pretend you don’t hate his guts for now?” Angie lifted her coffee cup in a salute. “Once Evan and I are off on our honeymoon, Matt will go back to the L.A. office and you two can return to avoiding each other, okay?”

      “I didn’t say I hate his guts,” Kayla muttered. This would be so much easier if she did hate him.

      Instead, like a complete crazy person, she still wanted him. In spite of everything—including the fact that after their one unbelievable night together there had been...nothing. He hadn’t called. Probably hadn’t given her a second thought. Oh, she had known that he would be moving to California, but he hadn’t even bothered to say thanks for the good time. And now he was back. However briefly. For the sake of her pride, she was going to have to pretend that nothing had happened between them.

      Oh, the next couple of weeks were going to be so much fun!

      “Enough about Matt,” Kayla said abruptly, not wanting to give him any more of her time. “What’s going on with you and Evan?”

      Angie shrugged. “Wedding stuff. You know. Counting down to the big day, so we’re both really busy.” She checked the slim, gold watch on her wrist, took a quick, last sip of coffee and set the cup down. “Evan’s great. We’re great. Look, I’m sorry, sweetie, but I have to run. I’ve got a meeting in twenty minutes and if I don’t leave now, I’ll be late.”

      Frowning slightly, Kayla said, “Okay, sure. Are you still coming to the showing tonight?”

      “Wouldn’t miss it. I know you’ve been working for weeks to set this up.” Angelica slid out of the booth, grabbed her brown leather bag and smiled. “We’ll be there. All of us.”

      Kayla went still. “All?”

      Angie winked at her. “Me, Evan and Matt.”

      Kayla’s stomach did a quick, discomfiting twist that she really didn’t want to think about. “Why are you punishing me?”

      “Because it’s so much fun!” Angie grinned and added, “Besides, after the showing, Evan wants to go and listen to a new band he heard about for the reception.”

      “I thought you already chose the band.”

      “I did.” Angie wrinkled her nose. “Evan wants something different.”

      “Getting kind of last minute, isn’t it?”

      “Really feels that way.” She checked her watch again and started walking. “Gotta go. See you later.”

      Kayla watched her friend hurry from the diner and couldn’t help thinking that more and more often lately, her lunches with Angie were cut short by business. Angie had always been the heir apparent to Lassiter Media and had devoted herself to helping the company grow and expand. But ever since her father J.D. Lassiter’s health had taken a serious downturn a few months ago, Angie’s devotion had pretty much taken over her life. She’d been splitting her time between Cheyenne and the L.A. office for years, but lately, she’d spent more time in Wyoming in order to be closer to her father—along with putting the finishing touches on her wedding. In fact, Kayla thought, Angie was just too busy.

      Not that Kayla had an issue with a woman loving her career or being good at it. She herself loved every minute of managing the gallery. But it seemed that lately Angie was letting her life slide by unnoticed. Heck, she and Evan were hardly ever together anymore and that worried Kayla. It worried her even more that Angie wasn’t worried about it. Used to be that Angie and Evan were inseparable, but those days had gone.

      She didn’t want to see her friend lose the man she loved because she’d been seduced by her own success. Okay, not a very feminist attitude, but everyone was entitled to their own opinion, right?

      Idly, she picked up her coffee, took another sip and stared out at downtown Cheyenne. The wind was howling, pedestrians were huddled into their coats and the sky looked ready to spill snow down onto a city that was more than ready for spring. But that was Wyoming weather for you. They could have snow clear into May and beyond.

      “But oh, please don’t,” she murmured. Having to deal with Matt Hollis was more than enough. She didn’t need a blizzard on top of it.