Page 23 of Country Winds
Tucker was primarily absorbed in the game, but he couldn’t help but think about Ellie and their time together. She was beautiful, intelligent, and fun to be with. He liked everything about her and looked forward to spending time with her on Saturday.
The Diamondbacks scored two runs in the bottom of the first, tying the score.
And they were off.
His thoughts wandered away from the game again, his mind turning to the beautiful woman he’d only known for two weeks, yet it felt like it had been much longer. There was just something about Ellie that he’d never had with anyone else. He’d never experienced these feelings before—he felt excited about being with Ellie again and learning more about her. It felt like an adventure.
He blew out his breath slowly, trying to get back to baseball.
The rest of the game continued in much the same way, staying tied throughout. At the end of the top of the ninth, the score was eleven to ten, the Mariners leading.
“Come on, Diamondbacks.” Tucker focused intently on the game, willing the team to score two more runs.
The Diamondbacks choked, and they lost the game.
Tucker groaned and leaned back in his chair. He looked at Grady, who grinned at him. “Looks like you owe me a beer at the Gold Strike.”
The corner of Tucker’s mouth quirked. “I sure do.”
6
Ellie’s limbs tingled with excitement as she rushed around, ensuring her townhouse looked welcoming. She was dressed, hair and makeup done, and ready for Tucker’s arrival.
Hailee sat regally on the chair Ellie had set up for clients’ photo ops, watching Ellie run around the place with interest.
Ellie always kept her home neat and pretty, so she didn’t have to do more than straighten a few pillows, adjust a couple of photos, rearrange a few paintings, and adjust a couple of rugs.
Last night, she purchased a large bouquet of sunny yellow and orange flowers, with pops of bright pink and purple, to adorn her dining table and brighten up the space.
The doorbell rang, and she stopped to take a deep breath and blew it out slowly. Ellie forced herself to take her time getting to the door rather than rushing and flinging it wide. She opened the door and nearly lost her breath.
Tucker stood on her doorstep, dressed chiefly in black from his Stetson to his boots. Only his jeans were blue. He filled out his Western shirt with broad shoulders tapering down to narrow hips. The Wrangler jeans hugged his powerful thighs, and she looked forward to seeing how they framed his sexy ass.
His lips quirked in amusement, and she realized she’d been blatantly looking him up and down even before she greeted him.
She gave him a mischievous smile. “You look great.”
“I was about to say the same about you.” His moss-green eyes sparkled, and he gave her a blood-singeing smile. He didn’t look her up and down in an obvious manner, but she was sure he had taken her in from head to toe. Some people were good at being casual—she wasn’t one of them.
“Come in.” She stepped back, and he entered.
He was so big and tall that he made her townhouse look small and made her feel petite—and she was nowhere near being petite. He looked around before returning his gaze to her. “Nice place. It suits you.”
“Thanks.” She scooped up her cat, who had come to investigate the stranger. “Meet Hailee, my roommate.”
“Hi, Hailee.” Tucker studied the cat. “You’re a pretty girl.”
Ellie set Hailee on the floor, and the cat stared up at Tucker, like she was trying to figure out if she liked him or not.
“I need to run upstairs and grab my purse, and then we can go.” Ellie’s Western boots thumped on the carpeted stairs as she headed up. She wore black jeans and a white blouse with a princess neckline and had left her wheat-blonde hair loose around her shoulders.
She snatched her purse off her bed, headed back down, and smiled at the sight of the big man in her living room. He now held Hailee, who looked like she was comfortable in his arms.
Ellie smiled at Tucker. “She likes you. I’m sure you’ll be wearing some of her love.”
Tucker set the cat on the floor, and sure enough, white hairs clung to his black shirt.
“Hold on.” Ellie grabbed a lint roller and ran it over the front of Tucker’s shirt that stretched across his muscular chest. She sighed at the thought of touching all that hard flesh. “There. I should have warned you.”
