Page 29 of A Match Made in Montana

For long moments, they stood like that. She slowly pulled away. “I firmly believe most things can be solved over a cup of tea. How about it?”

He shook his head. “It’s something I have to figure out myself, but thanks. Do you need more time to think?”

“Our last kiss? That was when I’ve stopped thinking.”

Smiling, he slipped a hand under her hair. “And you didn’t tell me? I’m very glad to hear that.” Pulling her closer, he kissed her.

He’d meant to only tease her lips before he turned back home, but the moment their mouths met, desire reared its head and, with his fingers tangled in her silky hair, he lost himself in her softness.

Somewhere a car started and, out of breath, he lifted his head. Smiling, he combed back her hair, his fingers not quite steady. “Damn, Miss Annie, kissing you is fast becoming addictive.”

He had to take a deep breath before he could continue. “Unfortunately, our date will have to be postponed till Tuesday. Riley is arriving tomorrow morning. I thought we could start the photo shoot as soon as she arrives. We should be able to finish Tuesday, though. I can pick you up that evening for our first date? That is, if you’re sure you’ve thought about it long enough?”

One of her brilliant smiles lit up her face. “I’m sure. Thank you.”

It was all he could do not to grab her and kiss her again. He took her hand instead. “Let me walk you to the front door. Hopefully, this craziness between us would’ve run its course by the time I have to leave.”

Annie didn’t answer. She opened her front door, he gave a step back. If he touched her now, he wouldn’t be able to stop.

*

The euphoria lasteduntil Annie got into bed. Then all the worries and doubts were back. Craig was a hotshot marketing guru from Portland, she was the owner of a struggling B and B in a small town. They had absolutely nothing in common.

Would they have anything else to talk about besides the way their bodies reacted to one another? More importantly, would the obvious spark between them peter out when they spent time together as Craig had predicted? Neither of them was looking for anything permanent, so what would happen when he left and she still wanted him as desperately as she did at this moment?

Looking down at herself, she cupped her breasts. Although, how these could possible react more, she had no idea. They were still happily beading and she’d left Craig about an hour ago.

Dropping her hands to her sides, she stared at the roof. What was the alternative? Tell Craig she didn’t want to see him again? That wasn’t going to help either. Marietta was a small town, and with the Spring Arts and Crafts Festival next weekend and the wedding right afterward, she was bound to run into Craig.

Her phone bleeped. A message from Craig.

Really like kissing you

And immediately, the beading increased, the butterflies were back, she was just about hyperventilating. Irritated with herself, she rolled her eyes.Seriously.

He didn’t even want to tell her what was bothering him. She understood that—whatever was going on between them was purely physical. Sighing, she quickly typed a word before she turned off her phone and slid under the covers.

Hopefully, two weeks would be enough time to let the fires the two of them seemed to ignite, slow down and die.

*

Craig stared atAnnie’s message.

Ditto.

A chuckle escaped. Damn, the woman turned him on with a word. Throwing his phone down, he opened his laptop. He wasn’t going to sleep; he might as well see what else he could do to help Annie with her marketing.

He’d contacted a colleague on his team who specialized in social-media marketing to ask about the current trends. It had dropped in his inbox sometime today, something he wanted to forward to Annie. Or maybe he should rather talk to her… Chuckling again, he quickly forwarded the email to Annie.

Talking was the last thing on his mind when he was with Annie. Both of them would rather kiss than talk. Not that he had a problem with that. At all. Trouble was, he wasn’t sure how he’d ever be able to leave here, knowing he’d never be able to kiss Annie again.

He’d probably see her around when he’d be visiting Aiden and Vivian, but by his next visit, Annie could be with someone. At the moment, she was adamant about not ever getting hitched again, but the right man could change her mind, could persuade her to get married. Annie was meant to have a whole bunch of kids with dogs and a few cats to complete the picture. She was a giver, happiest when she could make others happy.

He leaned back on the bed, stared at the ceiling. Married life. Exactly when he’d taken the decision not ever to get married, he wasn’t sure. All he knew was somewhere along the way, he’d realized he wouldn’t ever want to do to a kid what his parents had done to him—dropped him off with family without even looking back. He still remembered how long he’d stood on the porch of his uncle’s house, waiting for them to wave or look back or something.

And now, according to his father’s text he’d received earlier this evening, they were retiring, coming back to Portland. They wanted to see more of him.

Why now? They’d happily lived their lives without ever giving him a second thought. His aunt and uncle were the ones who were there when he’d celebrated a birthday, when he’d fallen and hurt something, who’d never missed a game he’d played in high school, who’d cheered him on from the sides and encouraged him, loved him, and had been there for him.

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