Page 71 of A Baby for the Texas Cowboy
“They’ll leave soon. Cruz needs to pick up her son. And I want Catalina and August’s opinion on the appetizers. She knows the wine the best. I’ve done a lot of thinking and researching about this, and I want to make sure I get it right. Verflucht already had one disaster hit it with the tour bus going through the front of the tasting room. I want these first opening weeks to go well, and I want to grow the wine club for them, make all their hard work and huge capital outlay pay off.”
“This sample appetizer menu thing is important to you?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.” He pulled off his hat, ran his fingers through his shaggy dark hair, making it spring up in front more than usual, giving him almost a curly, out-of-control pompadour. “What do you want me to do?”
“That gives me a lot of power and ideas.” She laughed and headed back to the kitchen.
“Me too. And the idea holding the most appeal is tossing my brothers their keys and telling them to get lost.”
“Where’s all the famous Texas cowboy charm and hospitality I’ve heard so much about?”
He laughed. “The Wolfs are well known in town for many things. Hospitality ain’t one of them.”
“That’s about to change,” Tinsley said.
*
A couple ofhours later after they had worked together to serve a cheese, nut, olive and bruschetta plate along with some squash flatbread and a charcuterie tray to his brothers, and then cleaned up, Anders retrieved his duffel from his truck, locked up the tasting room and walked Tinsley upstairs, helping her to turn off all the lights.
She locked up the office opposite her upstairs apartment and then unlocked her door. She hesitated for a moment and then walked inside, leaving the door open behind her.
“I’m going to take a shower.”
She hurried into her bedroom, only partially closing the door. Another invitation or miscalculation? Why did she keep squatting on the fence? She’d refused to be indecisive since she’d walked away from her old life and built a new one. All her caution and worry was driving her crazy. Anders was not John. She had to exorcise her ex from her head like she had from her heart and her life.
She yanked on the water and turned the knob to hot.
Her child deserved to know its father.
Her child. For a moment, her hand hovered over her abdomen. A life was growing there, and she needed to be ready. Closing her eyes, she pressed her hand over her stomach. She hadn’t gained more than a pound or two, but she felt different. Softer, rounder. But she wasn’t ready to look at her body in the mirror yet.
She let the straps of her new Free People Holiday Hero maxi dress fall off her shoulders and pool on the aquamarine-colored glass tile bathroom floor. She’d kicked off her ankle boots at the door. Tugging off her lace panties, she pinned up her hair in a messy bun using the elastic around her wrist and stepped into the steamy, heated water. Her sigh felt as if it was dragged from the depths of her soul.
Tinsley leaned against the cool ceramic tiles of the shower and let the water fall over her back. Such a lovely sensation, hot and cool. And in just a minute or three she would smear some bath gel on her body, rinse off, wrap a towel around herself and climb into bed.
She didn’t even realize Anders had joined her until she smelled her bath gel and felt his large, callused hands smoothing the scented body wash over her shoulders, down her arms and then in long strokes down her back. He squatted beside her and began to clean her legs.
Had she shaved this morning? Please let her have shaved.
“I can shave you.” Anders looked up at her, blue eyes wide and innocent and only a touch of laughter in their beautiful, oceanic depths.
She turned around to see him on his knees.
Perfect.
“I have a big mouth.”
“I’m very partial to your mouth. As well as other parts of you—parts I can shave all over if you’d like, although I’d miss your little breath of fire right here.”
He kissed her small thatch of curls. “I love that your red is natural. Hot A.F., baby.”
She’d gone from exhausted to aching with hunger. “Going to prove that, cowboy?”
She saw the answering fire in his eyes. Both hands gripped her thighs.
“You’re not too tired?”
