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because her first words were…‘Merciful heavens, there’s finally a man in my niece’s bed.’”
    â€œI’ll kill her.”
    â€œI get the impression that your aunt would like to see you married.”
    â€œThat’s the understatement of the century. She’s fixed me up with meter readers, shoe salesmen, a fat fifty-two-year-old butcher, and last week she scared the bejeebers out of John Farrell.”
    â€œWho’s John Farrell?”
    â€œMy accountant.” Chris waved her hand in a dismissing gesture. “As soon as Aunt Edna found out John was single she did everything but produce my dental records and promise a dowry. I love Aunt Edna, but she’s entirely guileless, andshe gets more outspoken as she gets older. She says she hasn’t got much time left, so she’s not going to spend it pussyfooting around.”
    â€œEdna ever find John Farrell in your bed?”
    â€œNo!” Chris rolled her eyes at the thought. She couldn’t imagine pleasant, innocuous John Farrell in her bed. She took a stealthy breath and reluctantly admitted to herself that she could easily imagine Ken Callahan there.
    Edna trotted in with a plate of cookies. “Are you talking about that John Farrell?” She narrowed her eyes at Ken. “What a wimp. Had him over to dinner and he picked at his roast beef. Didn’t eat his peas at all.” She shook her head in dismay. “That man had no spirit. No backbone.” She winked at Ken and smiled broadly at Chris. “Now this one here is more like it. This guy’s got something to him.”
    Chris sighed and selected a cookie. Once Aunt Edna got started there was no stopping her. Might as well sit back and watch him squirm, she thought, taking a perverse delight in the possibility that Ken and Edna deserved each other. After all, it wasn’t as if she had any future plans for Ken Callahan. She wouldn’t ever see him again—might as well let Aunt Edna have some fun with him.
    â€œAre you married?” Edna asked.
    â€œNope.”
    Edna looked appalled. “A big, strapping man like you—not married? And you’re not getting any younger. How old are you?”
    â€œThirty-six.”
    Edna took an Oreo. She broke it in half and nibbled the white icing off one of the wafers. “You’re not one of those men that prefers boys, are you?”
    Ken choked on his Ovaltine. “No ma’am! I’m…uh…old-fashioned about that kind of stuff.”
    Chris covered her mouth to keep from laughing. This promised to be even better than the demolition of John Farrell.
    Edna leaned forward in eager anticipation. “You got a steady job?”
    Ken turned to Chris; his eyes danced with diabolical delight. The silent message was blatant: Feed me to the wolves, will you? When he turned back to Edna his face was a solemn mask. “I was supposed to start a new job today, but as you can see…” He waved his arm pathetically in front of him. “I’ve got a broken arm. I can’t work with this cast on.”
    Edna sucked in her breath. “And all because you stopped to help my niece. Isn’t that noble? Don’t that beat all?”
    Chris pressed herself deeper into the sofa cushions and surreptitiously made a motion that said she might gag. “Noble,” she croaked.
    Ken stole a smug look in Chris’ direction. He toyed with a vanilla wafer.
    â€œWhat a pity,” Edna went on. “How will you get by?”
    â€œI have some savings.”
    â€œA man with a savings account. Now that’s character,” she told her niece. “Seems a shame to have to dip into your savings on account of us. I feel just terrible about this.”
    A knot was developing in Chris’ stomach. This wasn’t taking the usual course. By this time Aunt Edna should have had him in a sweat, but Ken was looking more pleased by the minute. And he was