Larry Douglas was looking down at her, his dark eyes mocking her. “I can’t tell you
what a pleasure this is, Miss Alexander,” he said solemnly.
Catherine opened her mouth to speak, but she suddenly realized there was nothing
that she could say. Fraser was watching her, waiting for her to speak. All she could
manage was a nod. She did not trust her voice.
“Will you join us, Larry?” Fraser asked.
Larry looked at Catherine and said modestly, “If you’re sure I’m not intruding—”
“Certainly not. Sit down.”
Larry took a seat next to Catherine.
“What would you like to drink?” Fraser asked.
“Scotch and soda,” Larry replied.
“I’ll have the same,” Catherine said recklessly. “Make it a double.”
Fraser looked at her in surprise. “I can’t believe it.”
“You said you wanted to teach me some bad habits,” Catherine said. “I think I’d like
to start now.”
When Fraser had ordered the drinks, he turned to Larry and said, “I’ve been hearing
about some of your exploits from General Terry—both in the air and on the ground.”
Catherine was staring at Larry, her mind spinning, trying to adjust. “Those medals…”
she said.
He was looking at her innocently.
“Yes?”
She swallowed. “Er—where did you get them?”
“I won them in a carnival,” he said gravely.
“Some carnival,” Fraser laughed. “Larry’s been flying with the RAF. He was the
leader of the American Squadron over there. They talked him into heading up a fighter
base in Washington to get some of our boys ready for combat.”
Catherine turned to stare at Larry. He was smiling at her benevolently, his eyes
dancing. Like the rerun of an old movie, Catherine remembered every word of their first
meeting. She had ordered him to take off his captain’s bars and his medals, and he had
cheerfully obliged. She had been smug, overbearing—and she had called him a coward!
She wanted to crawl under the table.
“I wish you had let me know you were coming into town,” Fraser was saying. “I
would have trotted out a fatted calf for you. We should have had a big party to celebrate
your return.”
“I like this better,” Larry said. He looked over at Catherine, and she turned away,
unable to meet his eyes. “As a matter of fact,” Larry continued innocently, “I looked for