Page 7 of The Cowgirl's Secret Love
Instead of doing what he wanted, which was to kiss the living daylights out of her, he held forward the wildflowers. “Welcome to Heart Falls.”
A second passed—maybe three, while shock lingered—before her eyes flashed and she stepped back.
The door slammed in his face.
Laughter threatened to burst free, but he hesitated in silence to make sure he wasn’t mistaken.
The very clear sound of a window opening echoed across the quiet morning air, and that’s when Finn let his grin rise.
Clever woman. Beautiful, wonderful,cleverwoman.
He trotted around to where the back porch faced to the west. The window off the dining area was open, but so was the sliding glass on the porch door. He took the easy route this time, stepping up to the doorway and easing back the screen.
Karen stood in the teeny kitchen area with her arms crossed over her chest. Dark brown hair hung over her shoulders, loose and sexy. Her chin was high, and her expression was anything but welcoming.
But she’d let him in. She’d opened a window and unlocked the door, the same way she had all those summers ago. Finn would take that as a good sign.
He paused. “Permission to enter?”
Karen let out a muffled growl. “Should have made you climb in the window, but yes. Now that you’re standing outside my door, I suppose there’s no use pretending you’re not around.”
“Is that what you’ve been doing?” Finn stepped in, stopping with his boots on the welcome mat just inside the door.
He knew better than to go walking across a ranchwoman’s floor with his outdoor boots on. But he wasn’t sure he’d be staying for long enough to take them off.
Karen rolled her eyes and gestured toward the living space. “Come all the way in. It’s not as if you’re a vampire and need permission to cross my threshold.”
He used the bootjack tucked against the sidewall, placing his boots carefully aside before stepping toward her, the rough bouquet outstretched again. “Nope. Not a vampire, but a real life, flesh and blood cowboy hoping to make a good impression on a certain cowgirl. That means minding my manners.”
Karen rummaged through the cupboards. She found a plastic pitcher, filling it with water before taking the flowers from him. She carried the bouquet into the small living space and put it on the coffee table.
Then she deliberately sat in one of the single-seat armchairs on the far side from where he stood. All of it without saying a single word, just turning her attention on him when she was ready, her gaze firm and noncommittal.
Finn joined her, settling in the middle of the couch opposite her. He had expected it wouldn’t be easy—not at first, anyway—but it would be worth it.
He just had to out-silence her to begin with.
Which gave him time to look her over, and it was time well spent. That initial flash had been like glimpsing a sweet memory. The thorough examination was about appreciating changes.
She was older, obviously, yet three years younger than him at thirty-two. Her long hair was loose for once, lying over her shoulders to midway down her chest. Her curves were pronounced, the buttons of the flannel shirt undone far enough to reveal the edge of one of the sexy camisoles she liked wearing.
Contrast. Karen had always been about the contrast. Rugged jeans and working boots with silky camisoles and brightly painted toes.
Tough as nails as she’d fought to work in the fields, even with her broken leg. Soft inside, caring too much about what other people thought.
There was a bit of tightness in her eyes, and a sense of wariness around her that was understandable, all things considered.
He leaned forward, elbows on his knees and hands clasped. “How do you like the place? Got everything you need?”
She opened her mouth to respond, but then her jaw dropped.
What followed was one of those exasperated glances. The ones that all the Whiskey Creek women were really good at delivering. “Let me guess. You own this place.”
No use in denying it. “I own the cottage, the main house, the outbuildings, and about five thousand acres between Heart Falls and the edge of the wilderness reserve to the west.”
“Excuse me while I make a note to kill my sister the next time I see her. Her and her conniving boyfriend, Josiah.”
Finn shrugged. “Well, my buddy Zach just reminded me we’ve got enough land to hide the bodies if you really think that’s the best way to deal with this. I’ve got a backhoe as well, if that will help.”
