Page 6 of Tyler

One of her protectors stepped forward and glanced up and then down the street before he turned to face the driver. “I don’t see anyone.”

“That’s because he drove off and didn’t stop like I did.” The poor man was growing pale now as his gaze bounced from each of her self-appointed bodyguards and then to her. “There was another car. I swear it.”

“One way to find out,” her neighbor stated, turning toward the alley where people spilled out of the ESI building that she’d been heading for in the first place. “Carter, check the feed.”

With a nod, a tall, cute, dark-haired man held up his hand from the back of the crowd. “I’m on it.”

The driver frowned. “You have security cameras facing the road?”

“Yes,” her neighbor replied. “We’ll see if you’re telling the truth.”

“Good, because I’m not lying.”

Having remained quiet long enough, Piper pushed past her breathing wall of security and stopped in front of the driver. “I believe you.”

Relief flashed through his eyes before he momentarily closed them. “Thank God.” When they reopened, they were a bit misty with emotion. “Thank you. I promise, I wasn’t trying to hit you.”

Taking a moment to replay the event slowly through her mind, Piper recalled a few details. “I think I saw that other car swerving to miss a dog or something.”

He straightened. “Yes, yes, that had to be why he swerved.”

“It was,” Carter said, returning to the alley with a few more people in tow, one of which was a new friend she’d made last night at her first wine and painting class.

Rylee had invited Piper for the “best coffee” in town that morning and was the reason she had been headed to ESI.

“My God. Piper, Ty, are you okay?” Rylee asked, rushing to them.

So, the hot guy’s name was Ty.

“I’m okay,” she replied, and as he echoed her response, Piper took the opportunity to study him.

He had dark blond hair, almost buzzed on the sides, but long enough on top to run her fingers through. Not that she would, of course. His gorgeous eyes were deep blue—unlike hers that barely had any color—and the scar near his left eye that traveled up to his temple was red, telling her it was fairly recent. He had a five o’clock shadow on his face, even though it was around seven in the morning. His lips had a nice shape, not thin, not overly muscled, perfect for…someone else to think about because she was not going there.

Her heart raced as if she were trying to outrun an out-of-control car. Piper held back a snort at the analogy. Not the best time. Or was it the perfect time?

Maybe she was more shaken up than she realized, because these were thoughts she never entertained. Not on a personal level, and not since she was widowed four years ago.

Ty.

A sexy name for a sexy guy. It suited him, and she was going to leave it at that. He had great cheekbones though, a strong jaw, and a gaze full of shadows. She ran her thumbs across her fingertips. They itched to get him on canvas.

Holy…what?

Piper’s heart skipped another beat. For the first time in years, she was actuallyinspiredto paint something, not that she’d ever really stopped. No. She put to canvas what people commissioned, but the deep-seated need, the itch to turn a feeling or essence into something she could see and touch…that had been missing in her life for far too long.

No wonder she couldn’t find her muse. It’d been here in Texas.

“Are you sure you guys are all right?” Rylee asked again, regaining Piper’s attention. “I mean, I watched the feed. That was some collision.”

One of the nearby men who’d been one of her protectors smirked. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure your brother fell hard.”

Brother?

Piper frowned, glancing from her unsmiling neighbor, then to Rylee. Her friend’s eyes were green not blue, but she did have similar cheekbones.

“I’m fine,” Ty grumbled.

“Where are your glasses?” Rylee asked.

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