Page 11 of Texas Daze (Texas Montgomery Mavericks)

Maybe he should just admit that he might be a great doctor, but would never be even an adequaterider.

He made his way up onto the front porch and rang the bell. In a minute he heard the slide of awindow.

“Hey. I’m up here,” Marticalled.

He backed off the porch and looked up. Marti looked down at him, a wide grin on her face. How could a simple smile transform her from pretty to total knockout? She appeared to be wearing a towel and notmuchelse.

“Sorry, I’m running about ten minutes late. I had a stubborn bull who decided he wanted to jump afence.”

Eli gestured to the towel and then to his tux. “I might be a little overdressed comparedtoyou.”

She laughed, the sound ricocheting through him like a pinball. “I’ll try to see if I can come up with something more appropriate to wear. Door’s open. Let yourself in. There’s beer and wine in the kitchen, if you can find it. Bourbon, scotch and whatever in the living room. Help yourself to a drink. I swear. I won’t be but just aminute.”

“Or ten,”hesaid.

She gave him a thumbs up and disappeared back into thehouse.

The door was unlocked and he entered into a gleaming clean foyer. A flight of stairs leading to the second floor stood directly in front of him. He could probably march up those and find his semi-dressed date, not that he would, but the idea of Marti only partially dressed wasenticing.

The wood of the floors and walls gleamed under the ceiling lights. The main living room was to his right, so he wandered in there. A large, now cold, fireplace dominated the room. A pair of chairs and a worn overstuffed sofa suggested the room got a lot of use. He had no trouble believing that. He could envision a roaring fire on a cold night and snuggling onthesofa.

Now, he was being ridiculous. He needed help from this woman, not snuggling on a cold night. Besides, he would be heading back to New York in only three short months, as soon as that partnership camethrough.

He sat on the sofa—comfortable as advertised—and studied the stack of magazines on the coffee table. He’d expectedPeople, orCosmopolitan, or some other rag directed at female readers. Instead, he leafed throughTexas Cattlemen,Texas Women Ranchers, Whispering Springs’ local paper and today’sWall StreetJournal.

His brain chastised him.Sexist much,doctor?

He settled back to read the Wall Street Journal, but had gotten only a couple of pages in when he heard Marti’s footsteps on the stairs. Dropping the newspaper back onto the table, he rose. When she entered the room, his breathcaught.

Holy shit. The cowgirl was gone. In her place stood an elegant, poised woman who might grace any socialite event his parents attended on a regularbasis.

“Wow,” he said with a gulp of air. He twirled a finger in the air. “Do a three-sixty.”

Her dark auburn hair was up in a twist up the back of her head but curly pieces hung along her face. Her dress. Damn. What could he say? Black thin straps held up a satiny-looking long straight dress that draped around her curves. It dipped modestly in the front, but when she turned away from him, his heart leapt at the sight she presented. In the back, the dress dipped low to a vee just past her waist, leaving a luscious view of creamy, smooth skin. He gulpedagain.

“Wow.Justwow.”

She grinned. “You clean up pretty good yourself, doctor.” She imitated his finger twirl. “Yourturn.”

He turned in a circle and then faced her again. “Sorry. Nothing tantalizing in myattire.”

She picked up a small black clutch and pointed it at him. “You are so wrong. Men underestimate the power of a suit, especially a well-fitting tux. I’ll be pushing my friends away from you allnight.”

Chuckling, he walked to where she stood. “And here I was thinking the same about you, except I don’t know many people in Whispering Springs, so I’ll be dueling withstrangers.”

A flush pinked her cheeks. “Nicest thing I’ve heard in a long time. Shallwego?”

Holding out a bent arm, he said, “Let’s go rock thisshindig.”

Chapter4

Call her shallow,but walking into a black tie affair on the arm of a drop-dead handsome guy beat walking in alone. As they entered the elaborate ballroom of the Grand Manor Hotel, Marti smiled and waved to a couple of people she knew. Eli acknowledged a couple of doctors with headtosses.

“I was right,” hewhispered.

“Aboutwhat?”

“Walking in with the hottest chick in the room on my arm does make thiseasier.”

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