“Was there ever chemistry?”
“On his side. I figured that given time, I’d feel the same, but?—”
“That’s okay. I get the picture.”
“In other words, he was absolutely right to dump me and find someone else.” She took a chance and turned to look at him. He did understand. She could see it in the glow of his beautiful brown eyes.
Had he figured out the rest? That she’d never experienced the kind of heat he generated? “Long story short, at least I didn’t ruin Sean’s life and I’m determined not to mess up yours.”
He smiled. “I appreciate that, but you can’t do it all by yourself. I’d have to give you permission.”
“Well, don’t.”
He just gazed at her, the warmth in his eyes intensifying.
“Stop looking at me like that.”
“I want to kiss you and make it better.”
A wave of heat left her shaking. “You’re not helping.”
“I know. Let’s go have some lunch.” Breaking eye contact, he unbuckled his seatbelt and opened his door. “Since I can’t kiss you, I need something else to do with my mouth.”
CHAPTER NINE
Adam suspected Tracy had never told anyone what she’d just confessed to him. The implications gave him pause.
Would have been nice if her confession had scared him off, but it seemed nothing was going to cool him down. She’d lit one hell of a fire on New Year’s Eve.
Would she resume the discussion once they sat across from each other at the Raccoon? He’d let her choose.
After they’d ordered, she settled back in her chair. “Tell me what’s going on with this tunnel in the bookshop. Sounds like a great idea.”
Sounded like she wanted to table the subject of their relationship for now. Good. Gave him a chance to gather his thoughts. “Jodi’s the one who made me think of it.”
“Who’s Jodi?”
“Kendall’s two-year-old. Normally she brings her along but not this time.”
“A two-year-old? With all that power equipment and cords everywhere?”
“It’s something to see. Kendall marks out an area that’s hers and gives her a task. Mostly it’s hammering nails into piecesof wood, but she’s also learning to mark things with a tape measure.”
“She uses a real hammer and nails?”
“Yep. Kieran drills a series of shallow holes to get her started and then she goes to town pounding those nails in. She understands that she has her job and her mom, aunt and uncle have theirs.”
“Remarkable. I love nerdy kids. I was one. Let me know next time they bring her.”
“I will. She’s a hit with Mom, Grandma and the aunties. They’ll be disappointed she isn’t with them.”
“I didn’t realize they stay out at the ranch when they come for a few days.”
“We could put them up at the hotel, but why? Greta’s the only one still living in the main house so there’s room and they’re great guests. They pitch in fixing meals and they even wash and dry their sheets before they leave.”
“Nice. And on top of all that, they’ll be customers after they’ve finished this project. You tapped into a goldmine.”
“I did. All because M.R. Morrison turned out to be a woman living within driving distance of Mustang Valley.”
