Across the room she spotted her parents chatting with a TV sitcom star and his wife. Somewhere in the growing crowd Francesca was probably breaking hearts (assuming she’d chosen to dress like herself for once) and Brenna would be tasting the wine Katie had ordered. While Zach had extended an invitation to her entire family, she’d given them strict orders to stay out of the upscale party. No fishing for diamond bracelets.

In the kitchen she found controlled chaos. Rolling carts filled with trays were moved into position. As she watched, members of the serving staff lined up to take them to the various grilling stations. Mia was already manning one of the dessert tents, where she would no doubt charm everyone into dipping with a smile.

She crossed her fingers and gave a little prayer that somehow disaster had been averted.

Three hours later the party seemed to be doing well. Katie cruised through the smaller ballroom and watched CEOs and multimillionaires bob for baubles or try a ring-toss for the chance at a ski trip. She calculated how many prizes were left, then figured there would be enough for an impromptu auction later.

Zach caught up with her by the doorway.

“How are you doing?” he asked.

“Good.” She wasn’t going to mention the fact that while her shoes were stylish, they hadn’t been designed for anything close to comfort. After tonight she would probably walk with a limp for the rest of her life, but at least she knew her ankles looked slender.

“There’s something you have to see,” he said, taking her arm and leading her out into the garden.

“Should I be nervous?” she asked.

“That’s up to you.”

He led her toward the bright blue tent illuminated by several spotlights. Her heart sank. “What’s she doing?”

Zach laughed. “Being wonderful.”

Katie appreciated the kind words, but she wasn’t convinced. Sure enough as they entered the tent, she heard Grandma Tessa demanding,

“So, young man, what do you do for a living?”

The “young man” in question had to be pushing fifty and wore a suit that cost close to the GNP of Nebraska. Katie winced.

Her wince turned into a moan when the “young man” answered, “I run a movie studio.”

Grandma Tessa’s gaze narrowed. Katie braced herself to perform some kind of intervention when her grandmother went off on a tirade on R-rated movies with too much sex and bad language.

Instead she leaned across the counter and smiled. “So tell me. Why aren’t there any stars like Sophia Loren anymore? She is such a beauty, even now. These kids today-they’re nothing like her.”

The studio executive slid onto a stool in front of the counter and nodded earnestly. “I agree. The stars from the old days had something really special.”

Grandma Tessa used a pair of tongs to slide several fried raviolis onto a plate, then scooped up marinara sauce into a small bowl. She handed the man both.

“I remember the first time I saw her in a movie. Or Cary Grant. He was really something. Not Italian, of course, but still a very nice-looking man.”

Zach drew Katie back out of the tent. “She’s been doing that all night,” he murmured in her ear. “It doesn’t matter if the guests are part of the cleaning staff or billionaires. She has something to say and they love her. It gets better over here.”

They walked toward one of the dessert tents. Katie had nearly relaxed when a very loud, very drunk-sounding chorus of “Irish Rover” drifted through the night. She swallowed hard.

“Grammy M’s been serving whiskey, hasn’t she?” she asked in a whisper, already knowing the answer.

“For at least the last hour.” Zach grinned. “Everyone’s plastered. They’re having a terrific time.”

Before she could figure out what she wanted to do, Zach led her away. “There’s someone who wants to meet you,” he said.

“I’m not sure I can take any more.”

Which was true. The combination of no sleep and tremendous stress was catching up with her. Even as they walked down one of the twinkle-light-lit paths, she could feel her brain dissolving.

“Just over here,” he said.

They entered one of the private spaces created by trimmed hedges and trees. Several couples sat around a large table. When Zach and Katie appeared, a man stood, then turned to help his very pregnant wife to her feet.

“Hello,” the woman said as she waddled over. “You must be Katie. I’m Sara.” She patted her stomach. “As you can tell, I wasn’t faking the whole baby thing to get out of doing the work.”

Katie may have murmured a greeting, but she couldn’t remember exactly what. The woman looked pregnant enough to be having an entire basketball team. Were there really only two babies in there?

John shook her head. “Wonderful job,” he said. “Simply wonderful. We’ve heard nothing but compliments.”

“It’s true,” Sara said. “I loved all the grilled food and that fried ravioli. I don’t want to think about the calories, but you must get me the recipe. It was divine.”

She nodded at her husband, who led Zach away. Sara slipped her arm through Katie’s and drew her close. “I was wondering,” she said confidentially. “Do you arrange smaller events? John and I would like to host a couple’s shower for the babies, and I would very much like you to plan it.”

19

The last guest left shortly before two, and the staff had cleared out by two forty-five. Katie sat at a table by the kitchen door and punched numbers into her calculator. The problem was she was almost too tired to see the answer. She squinted, then scribbled down a number.

It looked way too large, so she did the math again. The results didn’t change. If her weary eyes were reading things correctly, the fund-raiser had exceeded expectation by more than thirty percent.

“Wow,” she said, exhausted but pleased. She had a feeling that the auction for the extra prizes might have been what pushed them over the edge. Well, the auction taking place after Grammy M did her best to get everyone drunk hadn’t hurt, either.

To cap off the evening, she had fourteen business cards in her small but tasteful satin clutch. She’d been asked about planning everything from a wedding to a restaurant grand opening. Organization Central had arrived in the big league.

She allowed herself a brief fantasy about a larger staff, new quarters, and an on-site day-care center when she realized her feet didn’t just hurt, they throbbed. She shifted so she could ease off her shoes. Unfortunately the pain didn’t go away, which wasn’t a surprise. What she needed was to get to her car and drive home. Once there she could collapse.

Of course, that meant actually walking out of the hotel, not something she wanted to do. But before she could whip herself into a frenzy and try to move, Zach stepped into the ballroom and headed toward her.

“Do you ever plan on leaving?” he asked.

“Sure. Right now.” She handed him the paper with her scrawled figures. “If I can still add correctly, the fund-raiser was a success.”

“I already know it was. Come on.”

He collected her papers, her shoes, and her purse, then pulled her to her feet. She winced and they headed for the door.

“You’re too tired to drive,” he said. “I’ll take you home. We’ll deal with getting your car tomorrow.”

“Okay,” she murmured, because it was too much trouble to argue. “It was really nice of the hotel manager to put up my family for the night.”

“I’m sure he’s going to regret it. Last I saw, he and Granny M were drinking in the bar. I suspect come morning, he’s going to wish he was dead, while Grammy M will chuckle all the way home.”

Katie smiled at the visual. “I do have a great family.”

“Yes, you do.” He glanced at her. “They came through for you.”

“I know.”

“Were you surprised?”

She thought about the phone call she’d made and that her mother hadn’t hesitated. “When I was dialing the number, I would have told you I was terrified. But the second I heard my mother’s voice, I knew she’d do anything she could. They’re my family.” She glanced at Zach. “Like you and David are family.”

“Only yours is louder.”

They made it to the front of the hotel, where the valet had Zach’s car waiting. Katie climbed inside, secured the seat belt, then curled up in the seat and rested her head against the window.

“I think the party was really good,” she said sleepily. “I did a good job.”

Zach laughed as he started the car. “I agree. I’m happy to write you any recommendation you’d like.”

“Okay.” She sighed. “I’d never done a job that big before. I was a little scared, but then I got the hang of it. But when Jerome called me, I thought I was going to die. I could see my whole career going up in flames.”

“You don’t have to worry about that now.”

“I guess not.”

She didn’t know if they continued talking, nor could she remember what was said if they had. One minute they’d been pulling out of the hotel; the next they were turning into her driveway.

Before she could open her door herself (when exactly had door handles gotten so tricky?), Zach came around and helped her out. But instead of letting her walk to the front door, he picked her up and carried her.

The combination of floating and sleepiness made her head spin. Katie wrapped her arms around his neck and breathed in the scent of him. The man was clever enough to have fished her key out of her purse, because the door opened without her having to do anything.

She smiled to herself. She liked that Zach was clever. She liked many things about him. She-

“Thank you,” he said as he bumped the front door closed with his hip, then slowly lowered her to the floor.

“What?”

“You said I’m clever.”

She blinked. “I didn’t actually say all that aloud, did I?”

“I don’t know what all you were thinking, but you mentioned that I was clever and that you like that…along with other things. Care to talk about specifics?”

She chuckled. “Not even for money.”

“But I like it when you compliment me.”

“That’s because you’re the center of your own universe.”

“Absolutely. Yet another of my charming features.”

“Charming? You?”

“You adore me.”

She was saved from having to respond by his kiss. A good thing, because she did adore him. How could she not?

He’d turned out to be a whole lot more than just a pretty face. He wasn’t just smart, successful, and a great father. He was also warm and caring. Under that cool sharkskin beat the heart of a genuine nice guy, although Zach would be furious if he knew she thought that.

Whatever else happened, she would always remember how he’d stood up to her family for her, how he’d been there afterward. How he’d cared about her.

The kiss deepened and all rational thought fled. Her exhaustion faded, as if it had never been, leaving behind only growing desire. She curled her fingers against his head, feeling the cool silk of his hair. Their heartbeats seemed to be pounding in a rhythm of sensual desire. Her breasts swelled, and between her legs she felt the telltale ache of liquid need.

All this and he hadn’t even made it to first base. She had a feeling that if the man did something wild like touch her bare skin, she might actually start to unravel.

“Katie,” he murmured, then licked her lower lip.

He eased lower, nibbling his way to her jawline, then moving toward her ear. He licked the sensitive flesh under her lobe, which made her cling hard and forget how to breathe.

He traced the outside of her ear, which both tickled and delighted, then returned to her mouth, where he entered without warning. He claimed her with deep, passionate kisses that empowered her into responding in kind. She circled his tongue with hers and followed his retreat to claim him.

Somewhere along the way she remembered to breathe again, because when he broke the kiss, she found herself panting.

Tension filled her. Every place they pressed together made her want more. She felt the hardness of his erection and longed to slip her hand between them so she could touch him. She wanted to be naked, in bed, making love. She wanted the night to never end.

“So,” he said, cupping her face in his hands and staring at her with his deep, dark blue eyes. “This is where I stop so you can tell me you’re too tired?”

She kept her gaze on him. “I’m not wearing any underwear.”

Instantly his pupils dilated and his breath caught in his throat.

“Just checking,” she said casually, pulling free of his embrace and heading for her bedroom. “Actually I am wearing underwear, but I trust you’ll know what to do with it.”