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A Case for Love

By Kaye Dacus

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A CASE FOR LOVE
© 2009 by Kaye Dacus

Alaine stared into the camera lens as if she were talking directly to a person instead of a machine. “The publicist for Bonneterre Lifestyles reported that participation in voting for this year’s Most Eligible Bachelors was up more than 200 percent over last year. And they expect the July issue, which hits newsstands Monday, will be the top-selling edition in the magazine’s thirty-five year history.”

Much more so than the June issue, on which Alaine’s photo appeared as the number one old-maid in town.

“Tonight at ten o’clock, I’ll reveal the winner and give you a preview of the magazine’s cover, which will be announced after the dinner feting the twenty-five nominees. Live from the Plantation House restaurant, this is Alaine Delacroix for Channel Six News.” She stood still, smiling, until receiving an all-clear.

Instead of mingling and making small-talk with everyone gathered in the exclusive second-floor dining room of the most expensive restaurant in town, Alaine walked around followed by her cameraman and stuck her microphone in people’s faces, asking them silly questions so she could file a story which no one would remember three days from now.

A frisson of excited whispers in the group near the entrance caught her attention. She turned to find the source, and her jaw almost unhinged. In walked one of the most gorgeous men she’d ever seen—and he looked vaguely familiar. His hair was a cross between brown and auburn, and he looked better in his tuxedo than Fred Astaire ever had. But could he dance like the sliver-screen legend?

“That’s Forbes Guidry.”

“I can’t believe he actually came.”

“He’s been on the list for five years in a row.”

“I heard he drives a Jaguar and lives in one of those fancy townhouses in Old Towne.”

Alaine focused on the last whispered comment from the women behind her. One of those townhouses in Old Towne? Of course! That’s where she recognized him from. They lived in the same community, and she’d seen him out running almost every morning on her way to work.

While she’d toyed with the idea of trying to meet him, she’d never followed through, assuming someone that good looking must be married. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t connected her eye-candy jogger with the infamous Forbes Guidry. He was what her mother would call a “confirmed” bachelor—or, in other words, a hopeless case other women had long-since given up on trying to make settle down.

Which meant he was definitely not the man for her. But to tide her mother over until Mr. Right came along? It was worth a shot.

Alaine turned to motion Nelson over—but he wasn’t behind her. She scanned the room and saw him chatting up the woman who’d been second behind Alaine on the old-maid list. She started toward him, but before she got there, the microphone on the dais at the far end of the room squawked, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Ladies and gentlemen, bachelors and bachelorettes, if you would find your seats, dinner service will begin in just a few minutes.”

Alaine had arranged a seat and meal for Nelson ahead of time, so she sent him to go eat, and went to find her name on one of the tables.

Paying more attention to the place cards than anything else, she gasped and jumped when she stepped on someone’s foot.

“I beg your . . .” Though her four-inch heels brought her up to five foot six, the close proximity to the man forced her to crane her neck to see his face. His gorgeous face—and grayish-blue eyes looking into hers with such intensity, her whole head grew hot.

“No apology necessary, Ms. Delacroix. I believe this is your seat.” Forbes Guidry pulled out the chair he stood behind.

“Thank you.” She sat, hoping he would walk away with no further conversation so she could compose herself before she had to speak with him again.

He pulled out the chair to her left and sat in it. “I’m Forbes Guidry.”

Excerpted from A CASE FOR LOVE: Brides of Bonneterre, Book 3 © Copyright 2009 by Kaye Dacus. Reprinted with permission by Barbour Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

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