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Now my mouth was hanging open. Men like him didn’t give out their number after a one night stand hoping the girl would call…did they? I was confused and suddenly found myself standing on uneven ground, so I did the only thing I could. I changed the subject.
“What are you doing here in Colorado?”
Mathis shrugged. “Bit of a long story, but basically my uncle-the one who had passed away-left me his ranch here in Durango.”
I recalled him telling me of an uncle who lived here. “Oh. Well, what are you doing in Mrs. Blumberry’s yard?”
Mathis smiled. “Eleanor? She’s my neighbor. I come over every Thursday to have tea with her and help her clean up and weed her gardens.”
Suddenly, it all clicked into place. Mat was actually Mathis, and he certainly was no adolescent boy as I’d first thought. I was at such a loss. I didn’t even know how to react to this new development.
“So, where is she?”
“She had an appointment in town today. The woman who looks after her came and picked her up at nine.”
Great. This was just my luck. I nodded. “Okay, well I should get going then. Can you tell her I stopped by?”
I didn’t wait for a reply. Like a dog with its tail tucked, I scampered away as quickly as I could without making it obvious. I needed to get the hell outta there. My palms were sweaty, my lady-parts fully awake, and if I didn’t leave, I might just jump Mathis right there in the old lady’s garden. Wouldn’t that be a spectacle? I had just opened the door to my truck when a big, tanned hand grabbed hold of my arm and pulled me around.
“Callie wait. Why are you rushing off like you never wanted to see me again…”?
His words were cut off when I lost my balance from the momentum of him pulling me around and I crashed up against his chest, our bodies coming into full contact with one another. My breath whooshed out of my chest from the impact, and my breasts tingled where they were crushed against the rigidness of his upper body.
My mouth went dry, and I looked up to find Mathis staring at me with a look of animal hunger that nearly undid me. Why was my reaction to him so strong? Why did my body betray me so much where he was concerned? The next thing I knew, Mathis was staring at my lips in a sensual way, and then he lowered his head, taking my lips in a reckless kiss that made my legs weak. Our lips locked, our tongues mingled, and his teeth grazed my bottom lip as his hands slid up my sides, flickering over the side of my breasts until I heard a moan escape me. Geez, I was acting like an animal in heat! Slowly, I ran my hands up his chest and gently pushed until he backed away from me.
The two of us stood there, breathing hard, fully aroused. I could see his arousal as clear as day through his tight jeans, and my will power nearly dissipated. He was gazing at me in a way that made me feel beautiful and vulnerable at the same time.
“I should go.”
Mathis’s expression changed to one of desperation as he held onto my arm. “Wait, Callie, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have kissed you like that…I just…I…”
I gave him a weak smile. “It’s okay Mathis. But really, I should go.”
I said the words, but my body seemed unable-or unwilling-to move. We seemed suspended, both of us lingering.
“Would you at least have lunch with me?” Mathis’s golden eyes bored into mine, and for the life of me, I couldn’t seem to look away. I felt myself nodding yes even as I told myself it wasn’t a good idea.
Mathis smiled again, seeming relieved. “Cool, why don’t you follow me down the road to my place, and we’ll leave your truck there.”
So, I found myself, ten minutes later pulling up in front of a house that could have come only from my dreams. In true Colorado ranch homes style, the sprawling house was made of redwood and large rocks. A deck made of the same stones wrapped around the house, and I stared in stunned jealousy at the large angular beauty of the two story home. It made my little white farm house look like a cottage. The house was breathtakingly perfect, and I itched to see the inside. Stepping out of my older Ford beside his big shiny black Chevy, I cringed a little. It wasn’t that I was embarrassed, but I hadn’t expected Mathis to have such a nice place.
I was so distracted by the house itself, it took me several minutes to register the rest of the ranch. Welded pipe fences crisscrossed the majestic valley below the house, and horses grazed quietly here and there. A large barn built in the breezeway style stood off to the right of the house, and it all looked so pristine, so perfect, I didn’t know how to adjust to what I was seeing, and then his voice pulled my attention back toward the house. Standing on the stone deck, he grinned down at me.
“My uncle put a lot of time and money into this place while he owned it. I’m very fortunate to have inherited all of this, but I have to say, it gets a little overwhelming at times.”
I chuckled softly. “I guess so.”
“Would you like a tour of the house?”
Just the thought of being in that house alone with him sent a shudder of sexual awareness down my spine, and I knew it would be a bad idea, yet I nodded and followed him like a puppet without a mind of her own.
The house was, of course, as nice inside as it was from the outside. I was like an awestruck child, oohing and ahhing, glancing this way and that. Mathis showed me the entire house, from the kitchen all the way up to the bedrooms, watching my youthful enthusiasm the entire time, and often making me feel all too self-conscious. At the window in the upstairs loft which overlooked the entire expanse of pasture to the west side of the house, Mathis moved beside me, smiling down at me.
“How is it, being back in Durango with your family, Callie? I have to admit, I never thought I would run into you here…although, I did hope.”
I couldn’t for the life of me, imagine why this man, this apparition of a woman’s fantasies would be so interested in me. I didn’t say that, of course. “It’s been okay. Been catching up, looking after Dad’s breeding program. Mom…” my voice broke, and I felt a blush stain my cheeks.
I turned away, embarrassed that I couldn’t contain my emotions. Apparently, I couldn’t even talk about my mom yet without getting emotional over her diagnosis. Swallowing a lump of thickness, I started for the stairs. “I really should just go.”
