Page 23 of A Family With the Cowboy

He had to put Laura Anderson out of his mind and stay away from her. That was the only way he was going to get the pretty teacher out of his mind and dreams.

*

Willow picked Lauraup just after eight on Saturday morning, so by the time the shops opened in Bozeman, they were entering a mall.

Laura trailed behind Willow and Arlene. Coffee. She needed coffee. She hadn’t slept a wink last night. Every time she’d drifted off, there was Hayden, his hot mouth on hers, his lower body throbbing against hers. Oh, my goodness, that was so not something to be thinking about when she was with his mom and sister.

“Let’s try this store,” Arlene was saying as she motioned toward a boutique. “I usually get what I’m looking for here. Do you have something specific in mind, Laura?”

“I was thinking a little black dress.” Laura smiled, admiring the beautiful clothes in the shop. “Something I can wear again.”

“Surely we can do better than that!” Arlene exclaimed. “Oh, Willow, look at this gorgeous skirt!” she exclaimed as she took a skirt from the rail.

As Laura turned to walk to one of the other racks, she saw a dress hanging against a cupboard. In the palest of blues, the bodice of the classic A-line dress was cut in such a way that it would leave her shoulders bare. It was beautiful.

Before she even touched the dress, she knew this was the one she was going to buy. Because she could already see Hayden’s eyes darkening, could feel his warm lips on her shoulder…

“It’s a beautiful dress,” Arlene said behind her. “Are you going to try it on?”

“Ooh, and look at these heels,” Willow exclaimed as she rushed closer, a pair of silver heels in her hand.

“I don’t know…”

“Just try it on. We’ve found something to try on as well. This is so nice!” Arlene was all smiles as they walked toward the changing rooms. “We haven’t done this in a while.”

In the small changing room, Laura slipped out of her own clothes and tried on the dress. It was a perfect fit. So were the heels.

Logic started asking all sorts of questions: was this really the best idea? She was his son’s teacher, he was a widower, and surely the whole thing had heartache written all over it? She didn’t even know the man. But he’d kissed her again, her heart reminded her. And he’d told her he’d been dreaming about her. And those amber eyes had a way of looking right into her soul…

Her heart won. Of course. She quickly got out of the dress and put on her own clothes again. She was going to regret this at some point, but right now, she was following Janice’s advice—give love a chance.

Her breath hitched. Love? Nobody was talking about love. Hayden was an attractive man, a cowboy to boot, and he knew how to kiss. That was all. Besides, she was going to the ball with his brother. And maybe Hayden had changed his mind and was bringing another date besides his son to the ball.

She liked pretty clothes, and she hadn’t bought something new for herself in a long while. This dress was for her, not for anyone else.

Yeah, right. Logic had the last say.

Chapter Nine

By the timeLaura followed Cooper into the Graff Hotel, where the Winter Ball was being held, she was still berating herself for agreeing to his invitation. He wasn’t the problem, of course. Dressed in black jeans, a white shirt, and a jacket, he looked very handsome.

She liked him. He was nice. He was easy to talk to. Not one of her body parts misbehaved around him, and there were absolutely no sparks driving her crazy. But… within the next few minutes, she was going to see Hayden too.

Just thinking about him woke up the butterflies in her tummy.

“I can see Willow’s head,” Cooper said as he motioned toward the opposite door. “Our table is over there.”

As they passed other tables, they were greeted by other guests already sitting at tables. Most people who nodded and smiled in her direction were parents of the kids she was teaching. She hadn’t been here very long, but she already knew a few people.

“Miss Anderson, Miss Anderson!” several voices suddenly cried out, and three of the girls in her class rushed closer.

“You look so pretty, Miss Anderson!” Becky Taylor smiled shyly.

Birdie Abbott touched her dress with reverence. “I like your dress, Miss Anderson.”

“And I like your shoes,” added Lucy Jones, who had been staring at Laura’s shoes.

Laura crouched down and smiled at them. “Are you enjoying yourselves?”

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