The next morning at church, Chloe walked past the group of mothers trying to persuade people to sign the petition to remove the Cupid statue. Their opposition was one of the many reasons she decided the time had come to take a chance on the superstition and learn if she could meet someone and fall in love.

Only that completely backfired and she'd run into the one man in town she never would have considered as a potential mate. Last night's adventure left her filled with mixed emotions. Disappointment in who she met, fear of getting caught, and humor at the serious lawyer whose snappy one liners kept her on her toes.

She blushed as she remembered his last words. No, she shouldn't have said nice junk, but her curiosity overcame her inhibitions. Everything had been out there in the open for anyone to see.

Her experience with men's genitalia was from textbooks and last night she ogled his member curious as to what one looked like. From her limited perspective, his was not extraordinary, but wasn't bad.

Tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder, she was heading to the parking lot when she froze in her tracks, her breath catching, her heart racing. Drew Lawrence strode toward her in that determined stride of his that screamed confidence. What was he doing here?

A tantalizing smile crossed his face as he reached her inside the vestibule. "Good morning, sunshine. You look lovely today, though I did enjoy what you were wearing last night."

A trickle of alarm started at the base of her spine and traveled upward causing her lungs to seize. A frown drew her brows together. Oh my, she hoped he hadn't come here to rat her out. That would certainly create a stir among the members.

"Why are you here?"

"Why else, coming to church," he said indignant. "Listening to the word of God."

"Why? You've never been here before."

The man must have an ulterior motive and she prayed it didn't involve blackmail.

"I just moved back to town. My family attended this church many years ago, before my mother's death."

That was true. The recollection of his mother and all his brothers and sister attending when they were all innocent kids returned. Before her own mother passed away.

"Okay," she said, wondering at his real purpose for being here. "Welcome to the congregation."

"Thanks," he said. "Do you need a ride home? I'd be happy to take you."

Gazing at him. ”On Sunday, I dine with my father. It's kind of a tradition."

"Won't he question why you can't drive?"

A frown gathered between her eyes. The thought had occurred to her, but she didn't want to admit to her father why she didn't have her car. “This morning I walked to church. But I also have a spare key to my car.”

"It's raining outside."

She glanced out and sure enough a steady stream of rain came down.

"Well, rats!"

"If you need me to, I can take you home."

With a glance, she noticed the moms against cupid watching the two of them. At the memory of what she and Drew had done the night before, she wondered what the ladies would think of the two of them dancing naked around the statue. The image brought a smile to her face.

"Usually my father and I go out to lunch on Sunday."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her father walking up to the two of them. Reaching out, he shook Drew's hand, but she saw the telltale frown on his face and the glint of warning in his gaze. Drew would never be on the please date my daughter list of eligible suitors. And her father would never approve of her chatting alone to the known womanizer in town.

"Good to see you, Drew."

"Thank you, Reverend Kilian. I'm back in Cupid to stay," he said.

"Then we'll be looking forward to having you in church," he replied, taking Chloe by the arm. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," she said. "Nice to talk to you."

He smiled at her. "Hope I run into you again."

What could she say? She knew exactly what he was referring to and it had nothing to do with seeing him in church. The man's wicked streak ran like a river and according to the legend, he was her true love.

* * *

When they arrived at the restaurant, Chloe hurried inside out of the rain. The only sit-down eating place in town, the eatery on Sunday after church was always a busy time.

"Reverend," Judy Holloway called, strolling to her father. Chloe put on her best fake smile while cringing internally. The woman chased her father faster than a hooker on crack. Like the position of pastor's wife was a job application, she sidled up next to Chloe's father.

"Happy Sunday," her father said.

"The ladies and I would like to know if you would ask the members to sign the petition to remove the Cupid statue. We're still at least two hundred names short."

"Of course," her father said.

Turning to her, Chloe’s insides chilled like an artic front passing through. She didn't like this woman. Never had. And she realized before she ever opened her mouth, Holloway’s question and no one would like her response.

"Chloe, I was hoping you could take the petition into your Sunday morning class and ask everyone to get behind us."

Why did people assume your opinion was the same as theirs about things like religion, politics, and even personal choices? Wouldn't you find out their beliefs before you asked them to do a task like this.

"Judy, I restore historical homes and I'm a fan of historical events. That statue was placed in the city square by the founding father of our town. While you may not like the superstition attached to the boy in a diaper, the legend is part of the town's heritage. I can't condone removing our past."

The woman's eyes widened and she stared at Chloe like an extra head had grown from her skull, spouting evil.

"Our teenagers are stripping off their clothes and exposing themselves to one another as they dance around the statue."

"Maybe their parents need to have more control over them. Though, I have to say the human body was created by our Lord and Savior and we shouldn't be ashamed of what he's given us."

Her father cleared his throat, which was his signal she'd gone too far. "I'll mention it again next Sunday and we'll put it in the newsletter. This should be each member’s decision. We don't want our children doing harmful things that lead them into a life of sin."

Judy gave her a look that said Chloe owned a one-way ticket straight to hell.

After the woman walked away, her father sighed. "As my daughter, you should learn the art of diplomacy."

"So, I should lie and tell her I'll get her signatures when all I would do is throw them in the trash."

There was no way she would help this group of frightened women who feared their children might partake in the Cupid superstition. Several of the mothers probably danced around Cupid in their past. From first-hand experience, she knew it didn't work. It was a silly story that would get you into trouble. But she would not help them take down the God of Love.

"No, you just say, I'm sorry, but I don't want the statue removed. Leave it at that."

"You're right, but sometimes I enjoy watching the reaction when I say something they consider outrageous."

What would her father think if he knew about her Cupid dance? Growing up in the church, she was watched for any little indiscretion. After her mother died, Chloe suddenly had an army of women determined she would grow up correctly.

Which only made her rebel, but in her own private way. After college, she donned a pair of jeans, picked up a hammer and went to work restoring rundown houses. The love of transforming something downfallen into a beautiful living space gave her joy.

"My biggest fear has been you would decide to dance without your clothing around Cupid and get caught. The telephone would ring in the middle of the night and the sheriff would tell me my daughter has been arrested for public nudity."

Chloe had just taken a sip of water and she choked, her heart pounding loudly in her chest. What could she say? Your nightmare almost came true last night.

"If I thought the Cupid superstition would find me love, I'd do it in a heartbeat, especially with my luck with men."

Immediately, her father shook his head. "That's listening to the devil. That tale is not real."

Getting a reminder of who she met while she did the Cupid dance, she had to agree with her father.

"You can say that again," she said, not meeting his eyes. "Right now, I don't know where to meet good men."

"You've certainly dated some weird ones." Reaching across the table, he patted her hand. "My wish for you is to find the love and happiness your mother and I had. The only reason I asked those men to date you is that I prayed one of them would spark with you. That the two of you would fall in love."

"Stop," she said, holding up her hand. "It's not working, and in fact, it only pisses me off. I'm not attracted to the men you found."

"Shame Austin turned out to be such a cad. Associate pastor of my own church, dating my daughter and having an affair with a married woman."

For a moment, her chest clenched at the pain of the memory of walking into his office and seeing him creating coitus interruptus with a woman from their church family. How stupid and arrogant did you have to be to have sex in the church? While he was diddling a member of the congregation, he and she were talking rings.

Telling her father about Austin's affair had been difficult, but she felt blessed she learned of it before she walked down the aisle and promised him forever. Before they announced their engagement.

Still, it hurt.

"Let's see, Austin cheated. Bill and Tanner believed I should be grateful to be going out with them. George, Joe, and Griffith III, had mother separation anxiety and lastly, Tom, Rick, Henry, and Chuck, you set up on blind dates. Four God-fearing, church-going, men who wanted me to give up what I love, obey them, and walk ten steps behind them."

A grimace crossed her father's face. "You're exaggerating, as usual."

"Oh, really? Would you like to see a text I received from Tom?" Pulling out her phone, she read, "Dear Chloe, being a preacher's daughter I thought you would be relieved at my offer of marriage. Be willing to sell your business and become my wife. I'm praying you come to your senses and realize you need a Godly man to take care of you, Tom."

Somewhere between when her mother and father dated and now, men had changed, or maybe she lived a sheltered life protected from the ugliness in the world. At this moment, her dating scorecard sucked. Chloe zero, losers ten. Was her luck that bad or did she attract less than stellar men?

With a sigh, her father squeezed her hand. "Your mother and I were a team. We obeyed God's commandments, but we loved and respected each other. You should find someone you can experience the same kind of love with."

Right up until the day her mother died of a heart attack in her father's arms, her parents' union had been beautiful. Since then, her father and she struggled on, missing the buffer of her mother's gentle words and understanding. The glue that meshed them together into a family. Now, her presence was sorely missed.

"I want the same thing you and Mom had, but so far, I'm not finding it. Maybe I should consider moving," she said, thinking about the job opportunity she recently read about in Austin, Texas.

After reading about the company, she sent them her resume with pictures of some of her remodeled homes. The Victorian ladies, she helped make beautiful once again.

There was a house here in Cupid she tried to purchase, but had been rejected by the owner. She wanted to restore that grand old home to its former beauty, update the features inside, but maintain the elegant history of the building.

"What about that fellow you were talking to earlier?"

With a jerk her head came up and her chest constricted. "Drew Lawrence? The renowned womanizer of Cupid? Dad, like I've told you before, you have terrible taste in men."

"Maybe I'm a crotchety old man, but I don't want you moving away from me. I like having you close. People change and Drew was at church today. Maybe he's different."

It was all Chloe could do to keep from laughing out loud. What could she say?

Oh yes, Dad I bumped into him running naked around the statue last night. He's definitely reformed.

"Hardly."

"Well, I'm going to pray on this. Your mother and I always hoped you would marry a local boy and not leave Cupid. We dreamed of living next to our grandchildren."

"We have to consider I may never marry. What if I'm going to be one of those women who never finds a husband."

Shaking his head, her father said, "I'm not ready to accept that yet."

Running into Drew in the darkness, she wondered why the statue would put her with him? There was something so wrong about waiting for the right man to come along, and then he never showed up.

* * *

Drew glanced around the family dinner table with a sense of satisfaction he hadn't experienced in years. It was good to be home, surrounded by the people who cared and loved him. The only people missing were his mother and father.

A nagging guilt ate at him since the day his mother died from a blood clot in the brain. Nothing should have prevented him from being there at her side.

"Drew, Cody told me you did the Cupid dance," his younger sister Kelsey said with a grin. "Who was the lucky girl you met?"

For a moment he considered telling everyone, but then remembered his promise to Chloe. "Can't tell you."

"Why not," she asked.

"Top secret information."

"Awe," Shadow, his brother's fiancée, said. "That's so sweet. We know how Kyle and Tempe met and Kelsey and Cody, now it's your turn. Who is your Cupid love?"

Maybe so, but he wasn't sharing. Chloe asked him not to say anything, and he wasn't going to tell his sister or sisters-in-law.

They had finished their meal and sat around talking, drinking beer and catching up. "Sorry, I'm not saying. My family would descend on this poor girl, letting her know she's the chosen one. Me, I'm not brainwashed by the lure of the legend. Marriage is not in my future."

Laughter from the couples had him raising his brows. "I'm serious."

"We want to welcome her," Jim his oldest brother said.

Staring at his family members, he thought if he ever married, they would accept her with loving arms, but he couldn't imagine finding anyone who could meet his expectations.

"Besides, I don't believe in that tale. It's just a way to put our little town on the map and convince people to do crazy things that gets them in trouble with the law."

His brothers and Kelsey giggled.

"Now, where did I hear that before," Cody said, glancing around the table.

Drew watched his brothers not meet Cody's gaze. What were they not revealing to him? Sure, they'd met their girlfriends and fiancées recently, but he didn't believe the superstition brought them together. Circumstance just happened at the right time and place.

"Thanks for letting me borrow your car, Shadow. If Ryan had seen the Ferrari sitting outside the park, he would’ve had the entire force crawling all over the square. As it was, I still almost got caught. No, I'm never doing the Cupid Stupid dance again. Not even for a bet."

"You'll never have to," Kelsey said. She raised her glass. "A toast. To our new sister-in-law, whoever she may be."

The group clinked their glasses together, including Shadow who lifted her water glass. She and his brother Jim were thrilled to be expecting their first child, so alcohol was off limits for her. The wedding would happen in about three weeks and the baby would arrive in six months. The first grandchild, his first niece or nephew. Everyone could hardly wait.

"There is something else I need to tell you," he said, his tone somber.

The family stared at him, waiting. "Before I came back to Cupid, I purchased Grandmother's old house in town. My plan is to remodel the house and make it where I live and work. The downstairs will be the office, and the back of the house and upstairs will be my living quarters."

How would his siblings react to the knowledge he bought the house with the intention of turning it into his home and office?

"I love that old house," Kelsey said. "The house needs a lot of work. I thought about buying it for the boutique, but the cost was too much for me. That grand old house sits right at the edge of downtown, so it's perfect for office space. I'm happy the place is back with the family. Mother would be so pleased."

Drew's chest tightened at how his mother had loved her old homestead. His father, not so much.

Jim and Kyle nodded.

"Glad you bought Grandmother's place," Kyle said.

"That house is a wreck, right now," Jim said. "Who are you going to hire to fix it?"

Drew shrugged. "No idea."

Cody, his friend and fellow confidant about the Cupid dance smiled at him in a knowing manner.

"There's only one person you can hire," Kelsey said. "Chloe Kilian specializes in renovations of older homes. She'd be great for the job."

Cody turned his head and looked the other way, his face a dead giveaway. If the people at the table paid attention, they would be suspicious. Unable to mask his reactions, Drew understood why Cody hid his face. One look and they would realize, Chloe was who he ran into at the statue.

"Do you know Chloe?" Jim asked. "She's reverend Kilian's daughter. The most jilted woman in town."

Drew felt like someone slapped him as he stared at his brother, stunned. Chloe had been jilted? More than once? Could that be why she reacted so strongly when she realized it was him? Neither one of them discussed their reasons for doing the Cupid Stupid dance, only tried to get away from the sheriff.

Her logic for dancing was suddenly something he wanted to understand. And he intended to talk to her the next time he saw her.

"Why do you say that?" he asked Jim.

"Every man she dates rejects her. The last one created some kind of big scandal in the church."

Was this the reason Chloe danced around the statue? No wonder she appeared disappointed her companion was Drew. But he didn't believe in that nonsense and she needed to keep searching for a husband.

"What makes you think she's good at what she does?" he asked his family. "I'll consider who you guys think is the best."

"Easy," Kyle said. "Go by and ask the owners of some of the houses she's done. Gorgeous inside and out."

Why did this seem like he was being given a reason to work with Chloe? A way to get to know her better? An opportunity to explore the attraction he'd been denying. If the woman was known for being jilted, would she take a chance on him?

The thought shocked him. Chloe was completely opposite of his type, and yet, he wanted to spend more time with her.

* * *

Chloe sat reading a magazine on historical homes when her doorbell rang. Dressed in black yoga pants, T-shirt, with her hair pulled back in a ponytail, she'd not been expecting company. Glancing at the clock, it was after seven.

Peeking out the window, she saw Drew patiently waiting at her front door. Three days had passed since they ran the Cupid statue and every day he'd been on her mind, like a low hum in the background.

Opening the door, she smiled at him. Being polite and all.

"Good evening. May I come in?"

"Sure," she said, knowing her neighbor, Mrs. McCloskey habitually stared out her window and probably was on the phone with the women in her father's congregation rallying the troops to protect her from the bad boy in town. Her telephone should start ringing any moment.

Drew stepped into her house, a sack in his hand and glanced around at her place. "Nice. Did you remodel this house?"

Someone had told him she remodeled houses. In the heat of the moment the other night, her career seemed less important than staying out of jail.

"Yes," she said. "After college, I bought and rehabed this house. My very first job. Can I get you something to drink?"

"No," he said, stepping into her kitchen and nodding.

What was he doing here? First, he showed up at church, and now, he stood in her house while she did her best to forget about him and her disastrous run around the fountain.

"Would you like to sit?"

"Sure," he said and took a seat on her couch. "I'm sure you're wondering why I'm here."

"Curious," she replied, thinking she liked the way he defied convention with a dark shadow of hair above his lip, his eyes emerald as the mountains in spring. Handsome as sin, she appreciated why women were drawn to him. Sexiness oozed from his pores like a fine perfume.

Taking a deep breath to quiet her overactive libido, she reminded her hormones his reputation proceeded him. Yes, they shared the Cupid dance, and she was attracted to him, but she refused to become just another of Drew's exes. After all, the word ex was attached to her name more times than she cared to remember.

"Six months ago, I purchased the Perkins homestead. Originally, it belonged to my grandmother."

Instantly she perked up. The dilapidated house sat at the edge of downtown and she had coveted it for years. Just looking at it she knew, that in its day, it had been stately and beautiful and she wanted to restore the home's elegance.

"I'd grown tired of practicing law in the city, working sixty hour weeks and fighting to make partner. So, I made the decision to return to Cupid and open an office here. When my grandmother died, my father sold the house."

Sitting back, she understood his reason for returning and couldn't help but be intrigued. She loved that big old house.

"I've now seen three of the houses you've redone and I like your work. Would you take me on as a client?"

Staring at him, she felt herself getting lost in his gaze and that couldn't be healthy. If they worked together, she couldn't act upon this attraction. But again, she had no intentions of becoming involved with the bad boy of Cupid. Why would she let him have a chance at damaging her fragile heart even more?

And this house. For years, she had longed to get inside and see how she could refurbish the aging beauty. Yet Drew might be a hindrance. At the moment, her schedule could take on a new project, one she longed to do, but it would be wise to tread carefully.

"Tell me your ideas for the house."

"The front, I want to be my office, the place where I sit with clients and we discuss their issues. The back of the house, that area I want to be my living space, and upstairs the bedrooms. Two rooms downstairs should be offices. One for me and one for my secretary who I have yet to hire."

Oh, there would be women all over town vying for that position. A great paying job, a boss to drool over, and the opportunity to snag the bad boy. Who wasn't up for the hiring process.

"Why don't I meet you at the house tomorrow morning, say nine o'clock, and I'll walk the property and you can tell me what changes you want to make and I'll see if we're a good fit."

He grinned that lopsided smile that made women swoon and shed their panties. Automatically she placed her hand on her waist to keep her undies from sliding.

"Oh, I think we're an excellent fit, now we need to know if we share the same vision for the house and talk money."

"Exactly. I'll warn you, I don't compromise on structure, and if there are design elements I think will hurt the house, then I refuse to do them. These Victorian homes should strive to maintain their history, as much as possible, while serving a newer generation. Do you understand?"

Her reputation was built on quality and sound restoration. Even the bad boy in town was not going to jeopardize her skills or reputation.

"Yes, and I'll try to keep that in mind. Grandmother had beautiful wood in her home and I hope the oak hasn't been painted or rotted."

Chloe loved the dark, rich tones of hardwood in a home, so she hoped, as well. "Why has the house sat vacant for so long?"

"The people who owned it moved out of the area and kept hoping to come back. Finally, they realized the longer they waited, the more the house went to waste. So when I learned they wanted to sell, I jumped on the chance to bring the home back into the family."

"Tomorrow, we can walk through the house, talk design, and then I'll draw up plans and we can go from there."

"Sounds like a plan," he said. The easy, relaxed atmosphere changed and she sensed something else bothered him. "Are you doing all right? I mean after the Cupid dance?"

"I'm fine. Life goes on," she said, feeling let down. For some reason, she believed in the statue and the superstition and yet her emotions were no different today than the day she ran. In fact, she feared being worse off. Because now she was drawn to an athletic, completely wrong man for her. Drew Lawrence.

"My family asked me who I met after the dance and I didn't tell them. You don't need my sister and sisters-in-law hunting you down. Plus, I promised to keep it our secret. Cody is the only one who knows the truth. When the sheriff arrived, Cody picked up your clothes and mine."

Handing her the sack. "Everything is in there."

"Thanks for bringing these back to me."

"Nice underwear," he said and her cheeks flamed. He went through her things?

"Did you find anything else interesting?"

A grin spread across his face and she could almost see the naughtiness in his eyes. "No, but that brand I buy for my girlfriends all the time."

"You purchase them underwear?" she asked in shock.

"Yeah, a matching lacy bra and panty set. Most women love that gift," he said.

Shaking her head at him, she said, "I'd say you enjoy your playboy status."

"Definitely. One of the many reasons why I'm not a good match for dancing around the statue."

"Yet, I just happened to bump into you. I wanted to find the man of my dreams..."

"And I was dancing to fulfill a bet. Does seem a little unfair," he said.

"Ya think?" she responded clearly irritated. Not only was he not the person for her, everything he said proved he was a ladies’ man. She didn't need another boy child who had problems.

"Tell me why they call you the most jilted woman in Cupid."

A flash of anger rushed through her and her response came out harsher than she intended. "Isn't it obvious."

And then her phone rang.