Page 23 of A Match Made in Montana

“Coffee? Tea?” Annie asked and without looking at him, she picked up the kettle, filling it with water.

“Whatever you’re having,” he said, his eyes taking in everything about her. His instinct was telling him to go to Annie, put his arms around her and kiss her, but he valiantly tried to hang on to the last bits of his self-control.

His eyes, though, had a will of their own and took in the way her ponytail bobbed as she moved, the way the jeans hugged every curve of her sexy ass and legs, the slender line of her neck as she turned.

Damn it, he wasn’t here to ogle Annie, he was supposed to help her. Forcing himself to look away, he sat down and opened his laptop.

*

By the timeAnnie had made tea, the butterflies had settled to a low buzz in her tummy. She placed the plate of scones Vivian had buttered in the middle of the table before she put Craig’s cup in front of him.

Moving to the opposite side of the table, with a pad and pencil in one hand and her cup of tea in the other, she didn’t look up. If she could manage not to look him in the eye, she might succeed in not saying something completely inappropriate again.

“So, what other ideas do you have for me?” she asked, keeping her eyes on her tea.

When he didn’t react immediately, she quickly looked up.

Blue eyes were intently staring at her. He opened his mouth, shut it again, and pulled his laptop closer. “Ideas. Right. I have a few. By the way, Riley is finished with what she needed to do for her exhibition. She’ll probably arrive Monday or Tuesday to help with new photos. As I’ve mentioned, you are the brand you want to sell. I’ve made a list of what backgrounds and poses I think could work. I’ll email it to you. Your email?”

Trying to keep her breath even, Annie rattled off her address, opening the pad and picking up the pencil.

Craig cleared his throat. “You had quite an elaborate setup travelers have to use to make a booking, I’ve made it simpler. It’s difficult enough to compete for traveler attention, there are so many options. Riley’s photographs will also go a long way to showcase your uniqueness and the beauty of the surroundings.”

Annie was scribbling as fast as she could, but the words she was writing down had no meaning. The mere sound of his voice was driving her crazy. Husky? Exactly as described in the romance novels. She was probably imagining it. Gnashing her teeth, she tried to focus on what he was saying instead of listening to the tone. Swallowing the groan, she tried to focus.Focus, Annie, focus.

“You should also partner with online travel agents…” Craig said.

Was it her imagination or was the husky even huskier? She was not going to look up. The pencil hovered over the pad. What had he just said?

“You’d probably have to pay commission fees, but it would be a sure way to put your B and B in front of more travelers,” Craig continued.

Annie made a note and waited for his next suggestion, but none came. She was not looking at him again. She waited.

Clearing his throat again, he finally continued. “The sad truth is, of course, it’s getting harder to get repeat customers, so what you should focus on is to get referrals and online… Annie, I want to kiss you. That’s all I can think about.”

Her hand froze, the butterflies in her tummy went crazy, her blood heated, and her heart just about jumped out of body. Had she heard him correctly or had she been dreaming his last sentence? For long minutes, she didn’t move.

Finally, she looked up. “You can’t say things like that. We both know this can’t go anywhere. You’re leaving, I have hang-ups and you… I don’t even know you, let alone know what hang-ups you may have. This thing between us, is…”

Craig had stood up and was moving toward her. “Have you had wine?”

“It’s not even ten o’clock yet!” she cried out. “Of course not.”

Slowly, his eyes never leaving her face, he approached her and sat down on the table close to her. “Read any science fiction since I saw you last?”

She glared at him. “It’s not helping. All those phrases from all the love stories I’ve read are still running through my mind!”

“We seem to have a problem then,” Craig said. “Number one…” He lifted one finger. “You’ve dated another man. You even kissed him, but no beading. Number two…” he said, lifting another finger. “You’ve read a murder mystery and also a science fiction novel, but you’re still thinking about the lines from the love stories you’ve read. And then there’s number three…” He held up a third finger. “We are both stone-cold sober and all I can think of is kissing you.”

The gasp slipped out before she could stop it. Shoving her chair back, she also got up. She had to try and explain to him why kissing was not a good idea. “Okay, say we kiss and then what?”

He chuckled. “That’s not a very difficult one to answer. Then we go to bed. We do have the house to ourselves.”

“That’s not what I mean!” she cried out. “One time would never be—” Just in time, she swallowed the rest of the words. She couldn’t tell him one time with him would never be enough. “Okay, tell me this—do you want to get married?” she asked.

He raised an eyebrow. “Are you proposing?”

She rolled her eyes. “Of course not. I’ve told you I’m not interested in the wedding-thing again.”

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