Lana couldn’t ever remember being this tired. All she wanted was to go home, put up her feet and relax. Unfortunately, she’d worked on the nursery over the weekend instead of picking up groceries. It was either live on fast food, which wasn’t a bad idea once or twice but not for the entire week, buy groceries, or starve. That was how she ended up pushing a cart through Sterling Foods during the dinner hour.
To her surprise, for once the busy grocery store was quiet. With any luck, she’d zip in and zip out and be home in no time. Eager to get the job done, she wheeled her cart toward the produce at warp speed.
Until she rounded the corner and spotted Sly. Abruptly she stopped. He was loading a huge sack of potatoes into his cart. A clean denim shirt hugged his broad shoulders, faded jeans showcased his long, powerful legs, and those cowboy boots... He looked good. Really good.
Two days ago, he’d kissed her senseless. The sight of him now brought it all back—the feel of his strong arms around her, his solid chest against her breasts, his warm, soft mouth on hers...
Her lips tingled and every nerve in her body began to hum. She was about to move away and find a different aisle when he spotted her. A slow smile spread across his face, and her heart tumbled over in her chest.
“Sly...hi.” Mustering a smile, she wheeled slowly toward him.
“I was just thinking about you,” he said.
He was? “I didn’t expect to find you here. I mean, it’s the dinner hour, and isn’t this a super busy time of year for ranchers?”
“You wouldn’t believe how busy. But my housekeeper’s husband sprained his back yesterday, and she’s taking a few days off to take care of him. Monday happens to be her grocery day, and a man’s got to eat, so here I am.” He spread his hands. “She made a list of what to buy—a long list. I didn’t have a chance to shop until now.”
“I’m usually here on Saturdays,” Lana said. “But you know how I spent that.”
“I sure do.” He was close enough that she could see the silver flecks in his eyes aglow with heat.
Her whole body reacted, aching for what it wanted. She cleared her throat. “I was talking about the mural. I worked onit Saturday night and all day Sunday until I left for dinner at my parents’.”
“Did you finish it?”
“There are a few little touch-ups left, but it’s basically done.” She was pleased with the results. “I’m going to call Sophie tonight and invite her over.”
“Excellent plan. Call if you need me.”
Sly tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. As if they were together. The humming in Lana’s body increased.
She barely registered his words. She was too lost in his heated gaze, the familiar scent of his spicy aftershave, the warm caress of his fingers.
His eyelids dropped to half-mast, and she thought he was going to kiss her. Yes!
Her body screamed for her to step into his arms. But voices warned her that a mother and a young child were approaching.
Stepping away from Sly, she snatched a head of lettuce from a nearby display. “I’ll, uh, keep you posted,” she said, as she pivoted the cart around and hurried away.
Chapter
Ten
“I keep running into your brother,”Lana told Dani on Wednesday night. They were sitting at Coffee, Tea + Treats in the heart of downtown, sipping tea and eating pie.
She’d seen him Monday at the grocery, and again yesterday at the post office—she’d been on her way inside to mail brochures to the parents of several prospective preschoolers. Sly had been on his way out. He’d lingered to chat and tempt her with his smoldering eyes yet again.
“That’s interesting,” Dani said. “I met my brother for dinner last night, and the sly dog never said a word about it.”
“There isn’t much to say, except it’s weird that we ran into each other twice in two days. I accused him of stalking me, and he said that he wondered ifIwas stalkinghim.”
Lana laughed, but there was nothing funny about her feelings. Each time she saw him, the heat simmering between them seemed to grow more intense. Even talking about him made her feel restless. She shifted in her chair.
Dani frowned. “You’re fidgety tonight.”
“Am I?” Lana forced herself to sit still.
“Prosperity isn’t a small town, but sometimes it feels that way,” Dani said after pausing to eat her pie. “I run into people I know all the time. What if you and Sly have been doing that for years, but didn’t realize because you hadn’t met each other yet?”
