Page 73 of My Best Friend's Mardi Gras Wedding

And that was sexy.“I’m really sorry.”

“For?”

“Not…following through on…things.”

He gave a soft huff of laughter.“Tori, you have nothing to apologize for.When it happens, I want you all in, feeling every bit of it.If there’s even a niggle of doubt, then…we wait.”

She felt heat snake through her.She was quite sure she would feel every bit of it.In fact, that was the whole problem.She was sure she’d feel things that she might never feel again.

Thank goodness Andrew hadn’t hesitated to interrupt them.She’d been caught up.She’d been in a lusty, fun, excited haze.She’d been throwing herself at Josh.In front of all of Andrew and Paisley’s guests.She’d kissed him when she’d first seen him.She’d suggested the over-the-shoulder thing.

But she needed to dial it back now.She just needed a date to the wedding.She needed people here—okay, mostly Paisley—to believe that she and Josh had a relationship.But that didn’t mean they had to make a spectacle of themselves.She’d had her heart—or at least her hormones—on her sleeve.Being overly emotional and demonstrative was not always welcomed by people.That was why she stuck with animals.There had never been a dog who didn’t want to be cuddled and loved.

Josh was a fun guy from a big, crazy, effusive family.He was going to go right along with all of this for the wedding weekend.And Tori appreciated that.But it wasn’t necessary.

She cleared her throat.“Okay, Fiona.”

He gave a low chuckle, and Tori had to squeeze her legs together to reduce the sudden tingling between them.

“She’s a fainting goat.I got her from a guy in the next town over when he was selling his place and moving to be closer to his daughter.I already had Fergie and I figured he could use a friend.”

“And no one else wanted her, right?”Josh asked.

Tori smiled in the dark.“That’s what the guy said, anyway.”

“So either it was true or someone tipped him off that that was the surefire way to get you to take her.”

She could hear the smile in his voice and it made the tingling worse.Or better.Stronger anyway.“Well, whatever the case, I ended up with Fiona in my family,” she said.“I would put her and Fergie out in my east pasture.But every day I went out to feed them, Fergie was there by himself.Fiona had wandered off.I found her, every time, down by the fence that ran along my neighbor’s property.I had no idea why she kept going to that same place, but getting her back up to the barn was a battle.Then one day when I went to find her, there was this other goat on the opposite side of the fence.Another fainting goat.They were just standing there on either side of the fence grazing together.This kept happening day after day until finally I called my neighbor and told him I thought our goats were in love.Turns out, he’d gotten his goat about the time I did…from the same farmer.”

“No way.They knew each other?”Josh asked.

Tori grinned even though he couldn’t see her.“Yep.And they were definitely in love.They’d found each other even after being taken to separate farms and with all that distance between them.I don’t know how they knew where the other was, but Don, my neighbor agreed that they should be together and gave Frodo to me.”

“So now they’re together.”

“Now they’re together.”

They lay there, not talking for several long moments.Tori felt herself relaxing.At least, not feeling like she had to lie totally still.It was…comfortable.

Except for the tingling in her panties, of course.

“Okay, so now tell me about Valentine’s Day 2006.”

Ah, crap.

And everything had been so nice there for a bit.

She blew out a breath.“I don’t want to.”

“It was what Andrew said to remind you that red dresses and hot Louisiana bartenders aren’t your style.”

She laughed.“Not sure Andrew thinks you’re hot.”

“I don’t really care what Andrew thinks of me.”

There was no humor in his tone now.

“Fair enough,” she said.

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