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“Ang and I hadn’t seen the baby yet till today. I wanted to see her.”
Harper melted a little. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”
“Without a doubt.” Rafe’s black eyes softened as he looked at his wife. “I hope we have some good news soon.”
“You’re certainly putting a good amount of effort into it,” Angie teased.
Harper tensed. He didn’t need to think about his big sister having sex. Or his little sister for that matter. Though baby Violet was a wonderful result.
“Whose idea was this couples shower, anyway?” Rafe asked.
“Mine,” Amber piped in. “It’s really just an excuse for a big party, and Catie sure has the spread for it. Plus we all get to welcome Violet and pay our respects.”
“It doesn’t sound so bad when you put it that way,” Rafe said with a chuckle. “I’m always up for a good party.”
“Me too,” Angie agreed. “Amber, we’ll be here a few days. Can you get me in on Monday for a mani-pedi?”
“Absolutely.” Amber took the last sip of her cosmo and looked up at Harper. “I see yours is nearly empty too. Can I get you another?”
“I’ll get them.” He took her glass, glad to be gone from the conversation. When his sister started talking mani-pedis, nothing interesting could possibly come of it.
* * *
Harper Bay was one fine-looking man. The second most eligible bachelor in Bakersville, behind mechanic Joe Bradley. At least that’s what the local gossip columnist touted. Joe was handsome, no doubt, but Harper had a tousled sexiness—that mane of walnut hair that was always in disarray made Amber’s heart patter. Judy talked all the time about how she’d love to get her fingers in it.
Amber’d love to get her fingers in it too. She eased away from Rafe and Angie and watched as Harper stood at the bar getting their drinks. She wasn’t looking for a relationship. Nope, keep it simple—that was her motto. That’s why she’d come to this small town, and she wasn’t about to complicate her life with a man. Still, she couldn’t ignore the sizzle that raced over her skin whenever Harper Bay was near.
“There you are, darlin’.”
She turned to see Blake Buchanan. Also good-looking, but more refined with slicked back black hair and gentle brown eyes. A refined cowboy. That was a hoot.
“Hey, nice to see you again,” she said.
“You know, I can’t shake the notion that we’ve met before. Have we?”
Amber shook her head. “No. I’d definitely remember you. Besides, I’ve only lived here for a little over a year.”
“Yeah? Where’d you move from?”
“San Antonio.”
“Hmm. I spent some time there off and on. Is it possible we could have made each other’s acquaintance at a party?”
“I wasn’t the partying type.” She didn’t want to think about the life she’d left behind. Not when she’d found such a nice new one here in Bakersville. She was rodeo queen for goodness’ sake.
He smiled. “I never forget a face. I’ll definitely figure this out. We’ve met.”
Amber’s nerves skittered under her skin. What did he mean?
“So about your interest in barrel racing,” he continued. “What are you looking for?”
Icy black fingers gripped the back of her neck. Stay away, her inner voice warned. This guy will hurt you. Her inner voice rarely surfaced, but when it did, she’d learned to trust it.
She cleared her throat. “I’ll let you know on that. I haven’t decided yet if I really want to get into racing.”
“But Catie said you were chompin’ at the bit.”
Amber let out a nervous giggle. “She must have been exaggerating. Don’t worry, I’ll call you if I’m interested.”
