Cowboy Untamed. Vicki Thompson Lewis

thinking of all the ways he could do that. Kissing would be a major part of the plan.

      The next morning he dressed in his old scuffed boots, well-worn jeans and a faded chambray shirt. Leaving the black dress hat on the dresser, he picked up his everyday brown Stetson and left the Radcliffes’ house after politely declining breakfast. They’d offered to fix him some, but that would have made him late.

      He figured she’d be feeding the cats at seven. Ben and Molly had called it a feral cat colony. Although he wasn’t familiar with the term, he could figure it out. The cats living in the woods weren’t completely civilized, but they weren’t completely antisocial, either. He could relate to that. There were times he longed to retreat into his studio and never come out. Other times he craved human companionship.

      He wondered if other artists felt the same. This week would be a great time to find out if he was crazy or not. He was very different from his brother, a guide for white-water rafting trips. Liam was extremely social and even after all these years didn’t totally understand Grady’s need for solitude.

      Dew sparkled on the grass when he pulled into the Art Barn parking lot a good thirty minutes early. Sapphire’s purple truck wasn’t there, so he sat with the windows rolled down and waited. The air smelled great and he wondered how often these days he took the time to simply be.

      The sudden fame had taken him by surprise. Within a year he’d gone from living a somewhat solitary life in Alaska to being the darling of the Western art world. He was a beer-and-barbecue guy thrown into a champagne-and-caviar crowd and he still didn’t quite have his footing. Being in Sheridan for this fund-raiser offered him the small-town ambiance he liked, maybe even needed.

      Sapphire drove in and his body tightened. He couldn’t remember ever wanting a woman this much. Maybe her reluctance to become involved with him played a part in that—the old forbidden-fruit ploy.

      Because she didn’t know him that well yet, she might be worried that he’d take off if the two of them had a spat. Raising money for the shelter was very important to her and she wouldn’t want to jeopardize that. He wasn’t sure how to convince her that he wasn’t the kind of selfish SOB who would ruin her cherished event because they weren’t getting along. Besides, they would get along. Oh, yeah, they certainly would.

      Grabbing his water jug for later, he left his truck and closed the door with a minimum of noise. This time of the morning, traffic was light on the road that ran past the Art Barn, so birds chirping and warbling provided the only soundtrack. He liked sharing this peaceful setting with her.

      Yet when he joined her as they walked to the front door, he could tell she was nervous. She gave him a quick smile and a breathy “Hi,” but her hand quivered as she tried to open the door. Today she’d worn embroidered jeans and a tie-dyed blouse. Her colorful glass earrings reached to her shoulders and they tinkled as she worked with the key.

      “Let me.” He took the keys and got the door open. He fought the urge to cup her earrings in one hand to quiet the music while he nibbled on her tender earlobe. He’d read somewhere that earrings were a sexual invitation and he was more than ready to accept.

      “Thanks. I must have had too much caffeine.”

      He hadn’t had a drop but he was as wired as if he’d mainlined a whole pot. “Speaking of that, if you’ll show me the coffee routine, I’ll make some.”

      “I’ll put some on. I’m sure you want to start setting up your equipment.” Her gaze met his and skittered away.

      “How about if I help you feed the cats first?”

      “You don’t have to.” She gave him another quick glance, this one more pointed, as if silently warning him to back off.

      “Are you worried that I’ll scare Fred?”

      She opened her mouth and then closed it again. Her tiny sigh of resignation was almost too faint to hear. “If you come out with me and keep still, it should be fine.”

      “I can do that.” He wasn’t about to stay away from her, even though that was clearly what she thought she wanted. “Since they’re the reason I’m here, I’d like to get better acquainted.”

      Her smile said she didn’t quite believe that, but she nodded. “You can make the coffee while I fill the food bowls.”

      “Sounds like a plan.” He followed her into the small space. Close quarters, which made it a great spot for a seduction, but he wasn’t going to attempt one. He could feel the tension radiating from her. If he remained patient, she might surrender to it and seduce him, instead. Not this morning, but maybe before the week was over.

      “The coffeepot and coffee are down there at the end. It’s a basic model.”

      “Good. I like basic.” He filled his water jug before making the coffee. He’d need the hydration once he started welding. “Ben and Molly said to say hi.”

      “They’re good people.” She got out the bowls and opened a bin of fishy-smelling dry cat food.

      “They think the same of you. They’re excited about this event to generate donations for the shelter.”

      She smiled at him. “Glad to hear it.” She began scooping food into the bowls.

      “Did you get your paperwork finished?”

      “What paperwork?”

      “You know, the paperwork you rushed home to work on last night.”

      “Oh...yeah.” Her cheeks turned pink. “I didn’t finish but I made a sizable dent in it. Thanks for asking.”

      He started the coffee perking and turned to watch her. “Actually, I didn’t know until last night that the event is to raise money for the cat shelter and the work they do with feral colonies. Ben and Molly filled me in.”

      “I didn’t tell you?”

      “You might have. I wasn’t focused on that aspect.”

      She paused and looked over at him. “Are you saying you only agreed to be here because of me?”

      “Yes, ma’am.” She might as well know it.

      She groaned. “I didn’t mean to give you the wrong idea.”

      “Or maybe you gave me the right idea. Three weeks ago I glanced in the rearview mirror as I was driving away from here and you were standing there watching me go. I extrapolated from that and figured we might have a good time when I came back.” He held her gaze. “I still believe we can.”

      Her breath caught and desire shimmered in her turquoise eyes. He’d bet good money that if he tried kissing her again, she’d let him. They weren’t in a public parking lot anymore, either. He imagined lifting her to the counter and unbuttoning her blouse.

      The image was followed by thoughts of openmouthed kisses and intimate caresses as he sought the moist recesses of her trembling body. By the time he was finished loving her, they’d have bowls and cat food scattered everywhere and a mess to clean up. The cats still wouldn’t be fed.

      He took a calming breath. “We need to feed those cats.”

       3

      SAPPHIRE COULDN’T DECIDE whether she was relieved or disappointed that Grady had passed up the chance to kiss her. Her thoughts had run in circles all night long, but one intriguing concept kept coming back around. What if they could have sex without any emotional entanglement?

      The idea had merit. He lived in Cody, after all, and he was a very busy guy. She’d made the mistake of becoming emotionally invested in those other men and that had seemed to bring out the worst in them. If she didn’t allow that to happen with Grady... Yeah, getting involved with him would still be somewhat of a risk, but he could be worth it.

      She was touched that