Anna Kathryn Lanier A Cowboy's Dream (pdf)

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up like some lovesick teenager wasn't the way he wished to
go about it. Now was not the time, this was not the place.
He lifted her hands off his shoulders, squeezed them and
took a step back. She looked well and thoroughly kissed. His
gut tightened, but he stood firm.
She pulled her hands free and lifted shaky fingers to his
chest. She splayed them over his heart as dark, passion-filled
eyes stared up. "Why not? We're both adults." She drew in air
with heavy gulps, just as he was doing.
"That doesn't have anything to do with it." His gaze
dropped to her open blouse and the tantalizing view of
creamy flesh revealed there. He drew in a deep breath.
She closed her eyes for a second, and the passion faded
from her face. "I understand."
Her hands shook as they quickly buttoned her blouse. She
glanced up, then dropped her gaze once more. "I really did
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A Cowboy's Dream
by Anna Kathryn Lanier
enjoy the dinner, Marcus. Thanks." Reaching behind her, she
pushed open her door.
No one had ever given him a cold shoulder before, but
that's exactly what Leah was doing. How can she turn off her
passion that quickly? What the hell was going on? "Listen, I
want "
The shrill of a phone pierced the air and Leah dug into her
purse. "That's my mom's ring. I need to take this." Her gaze
clashed with his for a moment, then she ducked into her
condo. "Thanks again."
Disoriented at the turn of events, Marcus stared at the
closed door. What the hell just happened? He blew out a
pent-up breath. One minute he was half-way to seeking his
dream, and the next, he was standing alone in the hallway.
He fisted his hands and glanced down at his feet. At least
they hadn't been squashed in the door.
Too bad he couldn't say the same about his heart.
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48
A Cowboy's Dream
by Anna Kathryn Lanier
Six
Hot cider simmered on the stove filling Leah's condo with
its spicy scent. A crescendo of voices nearly drowned out the
orchestrated Christmas music filtering through her stereo
speakers as Leah glanced into her living room and smiled.
Nearly a dozen of her friends milled around, waiting to
help her decorate her home for the Twelve Days of Christmas.
She watched her friends mingle, delighted that the tradition,
started several years ago, continued. Though it had sprung
up because she and several girlfriends discovered they'd be
alone for Christmas Eve, the gathering had grown to include
boyfriends and husbands.
The timer on the oven went off and Leah removed the
Angels on Horseback. She put the oysters wrapped in bacon
on toasted bread, then carried the platter to her dinning room
table, already laden with an array of food.
"Leah," Betsy called. "When do we get to exchange the
gifts?"
She grinned at the short, plump brunette who was
impatient when it came to the gift opening. "You know we
don't do that until the tree is decorated." Leah glanced at the
still bare evergreen. "And if you want to get to the good stuff
before midnight, I suggest you get the guys busy putting on
the lights."
Betsy grinned and hurried back to the group of men, who
inevitably congregated together to talk sports and cars.
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A Cowboy's Dream
by Anna Kathryn Lanier
Tessa, a good friend since their freshman year of college,
filled a plate with food and stopped beside Leah. "You've been
pretty quiet tonight. What's up?"
She knew Leah better than anyone, so it wasn't surprising
she couldn't hide her upset over Marcus from Tessa. Still, she
straightened the forks on the table to delay her reply. "I
haven't had time to tell you, but I had dinner with Marcus
Slade the other night."
Her friend's plate of food tipped and a couple of olives
rolled onto the floor. "What? Oh my God! You've been trying
to snag a date with him for a year now. What happened?"
Leah glanced around to see if anyone was listening.
Satisfied they wouldn't be overheard, she gave a quick run
down of the disastrous evening. When finished, Tessa gripped
her by the arm and dragged her into the relative quiet of the
kitchen.
"What the hell do you mean he stopped because of your
body?"
Leah gave her a scathing look. "Come on, you've seen
pictures in the society pages of the women he's dated. Well, I
saw several of them up close and personal. I'm not built like
they are and he was reminded of that when he, uh, felt me
up. That's when he stopped the seduction." She felt the heat
of a humiliation brush over her as she remembered how he'd
pulled away from her less than perfect body.
Tessa put her untouched plate of food on the counter top.
"So, you think he stopped seducing you because he was
reminded that, what is it you always say, 'your IQ is bigger
than your bra size?'"
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A Cowboy's Dream
by Anna Kathryn Lanier
"Why else? My gosh, if he'd asked me, I'd have invited him
into my bed right then and there. But he didn't, he pulled
away and told me we had to stop. With the constant
reminders of his other dates, can you blame him?"
"You're saying, he just wants to be friends?" Tessa pulled a
glass and bottle of wine off the granite bar and poured a
drink.
Leah didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "So it seems.
You know guys, it's sex or friendship ... no mixing."
She grabbed the drink out of Tessa's hand and gulped half
of the Charbonneau down.
"That was for me," Tessa said dryly.
"I needed it more."
"Yeah, you may be right there."
Leah stared at her friend and cracked a smile. "Chalk it up
to a nice dream while it lasted. At least I won't have to see [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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