Page 28 of Choosing the Montana Cowboy

“And I would still like to come and see Madison’s petting zoo sometime. Maybe this weekend.”

“Why are you doing all of this?”

She paused to look back. Sam was coming down the steps, confusion on his brow.

“I told you, I’d been wanting to do some sightseeing while I’m in town. Now that the public hearing will be pushed out at least another week if not indefinitely, I figure I’ll have a little extra time to spare.”

“But… you’re not mad? Last night, after Madison showed you that video, you looked upset.”

Natalie looked to the ground, trying to think of the right words without getting too personal. “It’s true, the whole ferret sighting caught me off guard. And it’s adding complications to some other things I have going on at work. Could I have kept quiet about it to corporate? Yes, but that wouldn’t have been the right thing to do. Plus, I couldn’t stand the thought of this resurfacing after I move on to my next project, and no one would be here to help stick up for you and your family.”

“You care about my family?”

“Of course I care.” She ran a hand through her hair and turned away. “Probably a little more than I should, but I blame that on—”

A hand clamped on her arm and then she was spinning around, stumbling to stay upright as she crashed into Sam’s chest. Before she could process what was happening, his lips claimed hers. Not teased, not feathered over. Claimed. Surprise lit her veins, replaced quickly with desire. She’d been fighting this attraction since first laying eyes on him, and now she was in his arms.

Natalie let herself get lost in the kiss, wishing the moment would never end. But all too soon he was drawing back, his forehead resting against hers.

“Thank you.” His voice was rough yet gentle. “For caring.”

She offered him a small shrug. “It’s who I am. I just can’t say it will be enough.”

“Together, we’ll make sure that it is.” Sam released her and stepped to open her car door, hope shinning in his eyes. “Go get some sleep. We’ve got a busy weekend ahead of us.”

“But Neil’s not coming until next weekend.”

He offered her that classic, cocky grin. “Yes, ma’am, which means we have this weekend to get you acclimated to Montana and Big Sky country. I’ll text you tomorrow with details.”

Oh Lord. What had she just gotten herself into?Nothing yet, she acknowledged. Whatever ideas were swirling in his head, she was under no obligation to follow. Only, every fiber in her sure wanted to.

Natalie climbed into her car and watched Sam watch her as she backed out and steered for town. The minute he was gone from view, there, in the safe, dark depths of that base model Chevy, reality began to set in. She’d come here tonight playing messenger for her company, and then gone and let things get a little out of hand. And unprofessional. Yes, the kiss had been entirely his doing, but she probably shouldn’t have been here to begin with.

And she definitely hadn’t pushed him away.

Good God, how could she have? That kiss! Her lips still tingled, swollen from the way his had claimed hers. What had she gotten herself into? Unable to process it all, she did what any woman would do.

She used her hands-free dialing to call the one person she trusted with this information. Surely, her bestie could help her think things through.

“Hey, girlie, what’s up?” Cyn asked.

Natalie scanned the horizon, deep navy with a million twinkling stars. So beautiful, yet filled with so much of the unknown. Just like her current stage of life.

“We have a situation.”

Chapter Ten

Sleep eluded Nataliethat night, her mind replaying those few moments outside with Sam. And that kiss. Whoa, baby. She awoke wanting another and then some. Which was bad.

Bad, bad, bad.

This was not how professional women were supposed to think. At least, she’d never gone through such an emotional wringer before. But then, there’d never been a Sam to walk into her line of work before, either.

Cyn had been of a completely different mindset, encouraging Natalie to run with it. “When was the last time you allowed yourself to immerse in something other than work?”

Sadly, Natalie hadn’t been able to come up with an exact length of time. Because it’d been forever and a day—something that hadn’t bothered her until Cyn brought it to light. And now she found herself wanting to see more, feel more, which both thrilled and terrified her.

She wasn’t a one-night stand kind of girl. Nor had she ever had a work fling. And yet… curiosity made her suddenly reconsider both.

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