Page 15 of A Match Made in Montana

Grinning, he nodded. “Yeah, but then someone suggested I help a certain B and B owner with her marketing.”

Aunt Janice grinned. “So, is that what you’ve been doing? Helping Annie? But shouldn’t you… I don’t know, be with her when you do that?”

“We spoke last night and I’ll see her tomorrow. She’s sent me the details I needed to get into her website; I’ve been working on that today. Hopefully, Riley will be able to arrive a few days before the wedding so she could take a few pictures in and around the guesthouse. There is so much more she could do but if we can at least help to get more visitors to her website, she should be halfway there.”

“I’m so glad to hear you’re helping her. Annie is such a special person and her cooking! You should know after last night.”

“Oh, yes, she’s one of a kind indeed,” he murmured.

“Interesting.” Aunt Janice grinned.

“What do you mean?”

She’d turned around and was walking out of the kitchen. “You haven’t said anything about her cooking.” Grinning over her shoulder, she left the kitchen.

Craig stared after his aunt, his thoughts back with Annie. She was all he’d been thinking about since this morning. He’d had emails from work, calls from clients, a few frantic messages from his team, but throughout, she’d always been somewhere in the recesses of his mind.

Countless times during the day, he’d picked up his phone to call or message her. In fact, at some point he’d actually written a whole message, asking her not to date anyone else, before he’d deleted it.

He couldn’t forget her scent, her smile, the way she chewed her lip, the way her eyes darkened when they’d kissed, the satiny texture of her long, slender legs…

Cussing softly, he picked up his laptop and made his way to his room. She wasn’t even in the same room as him and his body parts were misbehaving. Surely, the small town of Marietta would have some other females he could get to know in the next two weeks? Maybe that was the problem—he wasn’t used to not dating or having sex. Come to think of it, he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d dated anyone?

Frowning, he stared out of the window of his room, not really seeing anything. It couldn’t be since he’d been here, could it? His thoughts racing, he tried to recall his last date. It had been before he and Riley had decided to join Aiden in Marietta. So that meant he hadn’t dated anyone since he’d been here about two months ago. Since he’d met Annie. Surely, that couldn’t be the reason, could it?

Unbuttoning his shirt, he walked toward the bathroom. But, okay, he’d been busy at work, there had been the mad rush to make sure they impressed the client with the new coffee brand more than their competitors and the whole sordid aftermath after their triumph. There hadn’t really been time and, to be honest, there wasn’t anyone special he’d cared to be with.

He stilled before he stepped into the shower. A cold one. Leaning with his arms against the tiles, he waited for the water to cool down his body.

Minutes later, he closed the tap. Apparently not even a cold shower during the end of winter could keep his blood from heating when thoughts of Miss Annie Miller intruded.

*

Nervously, Annie pacedthe hallway. It was just before half past seven and she was dressed and ready for her date with Hunter. In the end, it hadn’t been necessary for her to message him, she’d run into the tall, lanky cowboy in town while in the pharmacy.

Like always, he’d grinned and suggested dinner and was dumbstruck for a few minutes after she’d agreed. But she had a date with him and hopefully his nearness would also lead to some beading of her body parts—she desperately needed to know whether her reaction to Craig was because simply she hadn’t dated for a while or whether he was the only man who had that effect on her.

Fortunately, Vivian had left for the hospital early this morning and Annie was dressing when she’d arrived earlier. She also hadn’t seen Mitch and he wasn’t back from school yet.

This was why she was waiting here, at the front door. She wanted to be gone before either Vivian or Mitch saw her. Her sister would have questions about last night, probably Mitch as well, and Annie really didn’t want to talk about it.

She’d been chastising herself all day. Craig and she had been supposed to work and from the little she’d understood from what he’d said, it was clear he knew what he was talking about. But what had she done? Like a sex-starved spinster, she’d just about jumped his bones. After another night of dreaming about her beading nipples and Craig’s deep blue eyes and warm hands, she was determined to enjoy her date.

A sound on her right made Annie look up.

Vivian was coming down the stairs.

Ugh.

Vivian grinned. “I hear you have a date with Hunter Grant?”

“How on earth do you know that?” Annie exclaimed.

“Well, let me see. Carol Bingley told…”

Annie held up her hand. “I don’t want to know! I suppose by now everyone in town will know.”

“Even Craig, I’m sure.” Vivian chuckled. “After last night, I honestly thought your first date in Marietta would be with him. The two of you looked awfully cozy on the couch.”

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