Stories of family and romance beneath the Big Sky!
If he kissed her again, every sensible thought she possessed would flee.
âColby.â His name was spoken on a ragged breath.
âItâs not fair,â he said in a voice that sounded rougher.
Was it possible that sheâd made him feel as if the earth had rocked? Thatâs how sheâd felt. âWhat isnât?â
Featherlight, he kissed one corner and then the other of her mouth. âHow wonderful you taste.â
âI have to go inside.â She gestured over her shoulder.
âWhy?â
A quiet challenge stretched between them.
âBecause I donât know what I want,â Tessa said honestly.
With reluctance, he released her. Before she turned, he touched her chin, forced her eyes to meet his.
âI do,â he whispered. âI want you.â
Centuries ago sheâd have been called a witch. Colby Holmes remained undecided about Tessa Madisonâs psychic abilities or if she was loony or not, but she didnât look the way heâd imaginedâa bohemian type with frizzy hair, too much makeup, too many bracelets and beads. No, that wasnât how she looked at all.
âMan, itâs hot, ainât it, Colby?â
With effort he dragged his gaze away from the raven-haired woman and nodded at the teenager, a sixteen-year-old who loved rodeo and often displayed a hint of hero worship. âReal hot.â
Heat, a sultry warmth that belonged in the tropics instead of Big Sky country, had made Montana temperatures soar. The unseasonably warm July air carried no breeze. Even while he stood still, doing nothing, sweat dampened the back of his shirt.
Yet she looked cool. So damn cool, Colby mused. She wore some gauzy-looking, pale blue dress that skirted her ankles. He eyed the sandaled heels, the toenails painted a frosty-looking pink color. The sheen on her bare arms.
Petite, she had an easy stride that slightly swayed the subtle curve of her hips. Shiny black hair curtained an oval-shaped face as if protecting the fairness of her skin. She appeared fragileâdelicate features, small hands, slim body.
Heâd heard she lived alone, had no relatives near. Independent, he assumed. And heâd heard talk. Some people wanted her gone from town. But here she was. He admired people who knew how to hang tough.
Heâd been told she was twenty-four, had moved to town two months ago. Sheâd opened her store in a Victorian that was painted a crisp white with dark green trim and shutters. Called Mystic Treasures, it was right around the corner from Main Street and other businesses. It catered to people who were lured to the mystical world of palmistry and astrological readings and believed in extrasensory perception and premonitions.
Colby braced a shoulder against an upright near the arched, flowered trellis the bride and groom had stood beneath moments ago. Along with moonlight, the malibu lights strung along the back of the ranch house fell on the guests gathering around Sylvia and Larry Hardy.
For another moment, Colby watched Tessa Madison inch her way around the buffet table, which was draped with a white linen tablecloth and filled with serving dishes. He gave no conscious thought to his actions. When he moved near to reach for a plate from the stack, she faced him. Her delicate fingers cradled a piece of bacon wrapped around something green. With her other hand, she reached for the plate, handed it to him. âDo you want one?â
Instead of taking the plate right away, he stared at her hand, thin-fingered, the nails tipped with clear polish. âThanks.â It was dumb, but he wanted to stare at her eyes. Haunting eyes. Gray, fringed by long, dark lashes, they held a smile as they met his. âIâm Colby Holmes.â
Her smile widened. âI know,â she announced in a tone that conveyed he hadnât needed to tell her.
She knows? Colby watched her turn away, stroll across the grass. What does that mean? Nothing. Itâs nothing.
âColby.â At the sound of his fatherâs voice, he swung around. Strands of gray weaved through brown hair the same color as Colbyâs. More than once, Colby had been told that he looked like his father when Bud Holmes had been younger, trimmer. âAre you listening to me?â
âNo, I didnât catch what you said, Dad.â I was drooling over the townâs resident eccentric.
âSo will you bring the car around?â
âRight.â He began working his way toward the cars.