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pulled a letter from inside his suit coat and handed it to Kate. "Your father left this for you."
    She stared at the letter, then jammed it into her jacket pocket. Julia and the lawyer departed, leaving Donovan alone with Kate. She stalked to the window and gazed out, her back rigid.
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    What the hell had gotten into Sam, Donovan wondered? To the extent that he'd thought about it since Sam's death, he assumed that Julia would inherit the company, and put Donovan in charge. Even if Nick Corsi hadn't already left to start his own company, Donovan would have been the best choice. He'd worked endlessly to master demanding technical skills until he was as good as Sam, maybe better. He'd developed new methods to drop structures that at first glance had looked impossible, and spent much of what spare time he had earning an MBA.
    He sure as hell hadn't worked his ass off to end up as one of Bud Marchetti's employees. But because of Sam's whim, the firm would be lost, and Kate would have still more reasons to hate her ex-husband.
    Breaking the silence, she said without turning from the window, "It's starting to snow. Time for you to go home."
    "You can't get rid of me that easily," he said, trying to lighten the mood. "I have four-wheel drive."
    She wrapped her arms around her waist, shivering. "Surely you can't want to take part in this...this travesty, Donovan. It would be sheer hell."
    "At first," he agreed. "Still, maybe...maybe we should at least consider doing it."
    She spun around, horrified. "You can't be serious!"
    Starting with the one thing he was sure of, he said, "I want Phoenix Demolition, Kate." He began to pace about the room, keeping his distance from her. "I've given PDI most of my time and energy for a dozen years. We're the best in the world at explosive demolition. With Sam gone, no one can run the company better than I."
    "I also have a business that I've sweat blood over, and it's three thousand miles away," she shot back. "I can't just walk away from that, or let down my partner, Liz."
    "It's a bitch, Kate, and far more disruptive for you than me." He stared into the fire. "But forget PDI, forget the arrogance in what Sam is trying to do. The real issue is exactly what Julia said--the fact that you and I are still hung up on the past." He glanced at her, hoping she would understand what he couldn't bear to put into words. "At least I am. You probably are. too, or you'd have settled down years ago. You...you were good at marriage."
    "Maybe my mother has a point. But if I ever decide I need help, I'll go to a good therapist, not move in with you . We almost destroyed each other before, Patrick. We'd be mad to get so close again."
    "Not necessarily. Through most of our marriage, you and I were good friends. What broke us up was all related to the fact that we were also mates. Man and wife. This would be different. If we can become friends again, maybe we can get beyond what happened. It's worth thinking about."
    Dear God, Kate thought. Yes, they'd been friends, sharing laughter and cooking and the creation of a home. But did he really think they could spend a year falling over each other and not end up in bed? Had the red-hot frenzy they'd called love died in him?
    As she studied the sharply planed face of the man she'd loved and hated, adored and feared, her mind slid back to the night when it all began.

 
    Chapter 4

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    "Did you see that gorgeous guy parking cars?" Laurel Clark, the only one of Kate's closest buddies to share the debutante game, rolled her eyes meaningfully as she freshened her lipstick in the ladies' room.
    "Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome?" Kate replied with a grin. "I told my parents that I wanted him washed and fluffed and brought to my tent. Dad was not amused."
    Laurel chuckled. "He's taking this debut business more seriously than you are."
    "It's a symbol of worldly success. Not only has he done well with his business, but he married a woman from the Baltimore Blue