Page 4 of Whispers Of Horses

As I looked at him, he started to turn, and I found myself being equally perused by a pair of familiar hazel eyes. So, the man my eyes had been instantly drawn to was the very man I’d come to meet, how…interesting. Don’t get me wrong, I’d been attracted to other guys before, but that seemed so insubstantial compared to the fierce surge of lust I felt every time I was in the same room as this dreamy-eyed cowboy. He smiled at me, his eyes traveling over my body, and I tried to ignore the look of desire I was pretty sure I saw in them.

When he stood and came to me, I smiled, doing my darndest to downplay how nervous I was, and to hide my bodies response to him. “Hi.”

He grinned. “Hey. You look…wow. You look amazing. I thought maybe we could grab a table?”

I smiled. “Thank you. You look pretty wow, yourself. A table sounds good.” I waited while he hurried to the bar, said something to the bartender, and then came back to me. Placing a hand in the small of my back, he ushered me further into the dimly lit pub, where a waitress was setting up the table in the farthest corner.

As he pushed my chair in for me, a gesture I found incredibly charming, I said, “You know, I realized that I don’t even know your name.”

His eyes surveyed me, and his smile was playful. “Well, that is a dilemma, isn’t it, Callie?”

I found myself smiling back at him. “Yes. Are you going to tell me what it is?”

His grin widened, causing my stomach to flutter. “Mathis Eaton, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss. Callie…?”

I watched as he reached his big hand across the table. With a stupid grin, I placed my hand into his, and shook it. “Callie Hamlyn.” The feeling of his work-calloused hand holding mine-well, let’s be honest, it enveloped mine-was so intensely arousing I was certain I was blushing. What the hell was wrong with me? I couldn’t breathe until he finally released my hand.

“Mathis…that’s an unusual name.”

“Yeah, my mom’s a bit of an old-west worshipper. She’s apparently related-distantly-to Wyatt Earp, so she has taken it upon herself to collect western paraphernalia, and also to name all of her kids after gunslingers and such.”

His eyes did this enchanting crinkling thing at the corners as he spoke, and I couldn’t help noticing how much that added to the whole appeal of him. If I didn’t stop imagining him naked, I wasn’t going to make it through this date. The fact that his mother sounded oddly similar to my own was…unsettling.

Instead of admitting that, I said, “That’s cool. Do you have many brothers and sisters?” I glanced at my menu for a moment, but the magnetic pull of his gaze which I could feel on my face like a hot iron, was irresistible and I lifted my eyes-only moments later.

“Yes. I’ve got two brothers, Wyatt-the oldest-and biggest pain in the butt, and Hayden, the youngest. Then there’s two girls, both younger than me. Eliza and Mildred.”

I couldn’t help smiling. His mother really did have a thing for old country names. “Wow, that’s a big family.”

He laughed softly. “Sure is. Growing up was pretty crazy. Seems there was always something going on at home. My poor Ma was always running around, never resting. I think she liked it though.”

Smiling, I glanced back at my menu. After our waitress returned and we ordered, a steak plate and a beer for him, and a salmon and glass of Moscato for me, I looked back at him, finding myself the object of his intense gaze. “So, Mathis…where are you from?”

“Great Falls, Montana. How about you, Callie?”

The way he said my name made it feel like a caress, and I couldn’t help but feel disoriented for a moment. “Uh…sorry. I grew up in Durango Colorado.”

He smiled, tilting his head to one side. “Huh.”

With a little laugh, I sent him a stern look. “Huh? What’s with the huh?”

He looked chagrined, almost as though he’d done something wrong. “Sorry, it’s just, how the heck did you end up out here, in New York of all places after growing up in a western loving town like Durango?”

“So, I take it you’ve been to Durango? It’s not really that small you know.” I waited for his reply, watching the interest kindle in his eyes.

“Yeah, I have, a few times. I have…had an uncle that lived near there.” his golden eyes were boring into me, and I found it disconcerting.

“Oh. I’m sorry, did he…”

With a nod, he replied, “Yeah, he passed away about six months ago. That’s what I’m doing here in the city. Had to meet with his proprietors and stuff for the reading of his will.”

“I’m really sorry Mathis…I had no idea.” I felt a little uneasy, him being here due to a death in the family, while I was fantasizing about getting him naked.

He waved a hand. “It’s all right. I didn’t know him really well. I went and stayed with him a couple of times during the summer, but I can’t say we were really close. Still, he was family. So, Callie, tell me about yourself.”

I fiddled with my napkin. “Oh, there isn’t much to tell. I work at a bookstore…I’m from Colorado…” I trailed off, not really wanting to go into detail.

His eyes held mine, refusing to look away. “I think there’s a lot more to tell. What did you used to do in Durango? Did you go to college? What made you come here?”

---