Page 16 of Any Cowboy of Mine
That’s where he knew her. It all came back to him—her hair was much longer now, and if he remembered right, she used to have glasses.Sophie.
“It’s Sophie, right?”
Her eyes—a beautiful, deep, chocolate brown—brightened and her smile widened.
“Yeah. Wow, I can’t believe you remembered. It’s good to see you again.”
She moved out of the crowded line of people bellying up to the bar, carrying a long-neck beer bottle, and ended up shoulder to shoulder with Brad. He inhaled, suddenly aware of his own body in a way he hadn’t been in a while. Sophie smelled of plumeria, one of his favorite smells from childhood. His mom insisted on growing a small plumeria plant in their home, despite living in western Montana, which wasn’t exactly prime growing weather for the tropical plants. It was somehow still thriving, despite the frigid chill that had infiltrated the farmhouse.
“You, too,” he said, his voice almost a whisper. Steve hip-checked him again, this time sending him toppling into Sophie, who caught him in her arms, their faces centimeters away from each other. “Sorry,” he muttered, wishing it was at all appropriate for him to slug Steve in the arm. But as he extracted himself from Sophie’s embrace, his body tingled where it had collided with hers, a feeling that sent goose bumps shooting across the rest of his skin.
“So,” Sophie said, breaking the awkward tension, “where have you been since college? Tell me everything. You were an English major, weren’t you?”
Wow. How did she remember that?
“I was, yeah. I taught high school for a while, then went back for my master’s in fiction. Since I taught as a graduate student, they offered me a full-time lecturer position in the department when I graduated. I was there until just recently, actually.”
“Oh no, why’d you leave?” Sophie’s eyebrows were pulled up in legitimate concern.
It dawned on Brad that the way she’d asked him meant she had no idea who he was now, what he’d accomplished. Which meant… she wasn’t just talking to him because he was Banberry’s newest rising star.
“Well, I got picked up for a book series, so I figured I should concentrate on that for a while.” He left it at that, not wanting to sound like he was bragging about his success.
“That’s incredible. What do you write?” Sophie had her elbow on the bar, her chin in her hand, intently looking at him like he was her star already. Suddenly, it was as if all the other people in the room, including Steve and the woman he was talking to, faded away. He found himself wanting to tell her everything and in turn find out everything he could about her. He also realized that he’d seen her before, recently. Again, though, he couldn’t figure out where.
“I’ve shifted my focus recently. I used to write literary fiction, you know, the kind that’s only printed in obscure journals, but I dunno what happened. I decided one day that wasn’t fun anymore, not especially when I had to grade lit fic from my students. So I’ve been writing campy crime novels ever since. I’m actually in the middle of the fifth book in a six-book series. It was in the local paper,” he added, regretting it as soon as he had. Now he sounded like a pompous ass. When he mentioned the paper, though, a newspaper cover image flashed across his subconscious. Oh, yeah, that’s where he’s seen her recently. “But hey, didn’t I see you in theTimesa few months ago? Something about you and some guy as a power couple?” He held his breath as he waited to hear her answer.
Please be single.
“Um, you did. But it’s not relevant anymore. We broke up.” Brad exhaled slowly. He could have skipped laps around the bar. “That’s pretty fantastic about your books, if you ask me.” She changed the subject. “Is any of it published so I can get a hold of it? I’m secretly into campy crime novels—it makes me forget work drudgery and just have fun with the whodunit. I feel bad I haven’t heard of yours, but truthfully, the day job doesn’t really allow for much outside reading.” Her hand rested on his arm, and his pulse raced at the gesture.
“Yeah, well, um, you can find the first three books on Amazon or in bookstores and the others are close behind it. The first is calledThe Treaty Bargain, part of theJewel Thiefseries. But, um, what’s the day job? I mean, what are you up to now?” he asked, wanting the attention off of him. He longed to hear her talk, and wished she’d never stop touching his arm like she was right then.
As if he jinxed himself, Sophie took her hand from his arm and ran her fingers through her hair, letting the bouncy tendrils rest on her shoulder. His gaze followed her every movement, and it was then he noticed Sophie wore a strapless black lace dress that went to just above her knees. Her thighs were toned but somehow still curvy, and the same applied to her hips, her stomach, her shoulders. She was strong and sexy—naturally beautiful—whereas Julia had been more concerned with things like her hair and makeup and nails.
God, how had this woman escaped his vision in college? Most likely because he’d only had eyes for Julia. Yet another example of what a waste that had been in other ways now. Who knew what opportunities he’d missed by perpetually trying to keep her happy. Brad took a long pull from his beer, never taking his eyes off Sophie.
“I’m a lawyer. Well, I was a lawyer. Actually, I guess I still am, just an unemployed one at the moment.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Did you do trials and all that?”
“I did. I was a trial attorney for a big firm in the city, but only the past five years. Honestly, after college I went to law school because it was interesting, but I had no idea what I wanted to do when I graduated. I, um, got persuaded to study for the bar after a couple years of being out, and I passed, got picked up at a firm, and stayed there until just about a month ago. It’s crazy how things work out sometimes.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Brad said solemnly. His mind flashed to the moment he decided to come to the wedding.
As if she could read his mind, Sophie said, “I know it can’t be easy being here, speaking of how things work out, but I want you to know I’m glad you came. I was hoping I would run into you—if not here, then somewhere in town.”
The way she smiled at him made another part of his anatomy wake up and start paying attention.
“I’m honestly just surprised you knew who I was,” he admitted.
“Are you kidding? I had the biggest crush on you all through college,” Sophie said, her cheeks turning a deep shade of crimson as she spoke. “Aaaand, that’s the beer talking,” she added, laughing.
Brad stood there, stunned. He tried to recover, to chuckle along with her, but his mind couldn’t stop repeating her telling him she’d had a crush on him. Onhim.All through school.He could be daft sometimes—especially when it came to women—but damn. Sophie, the stunning, successful woman in front of him, had liked him, even if it’d been a decade earlier. The high of selling his first book barely topped this.
“Um, so what happened at the law firm? How could they let you go?”
“Oh, well, that’s a long story,” Sophie said, downing the last third of her beer in one long gulp. Brad was impressed. “Let’s just say they made me an offer that was easy to refuse. I was insulted and quit. Maybe not the smartest play financially, but you know what? I’ve never felt happier.”
