Summer Days (Fool's Gold #7)(52)

On his Nina-arranged date, he and the other woman had discussed wine because they’d had little else in common. That conversation had been slightly tedious and filled with “I know more than you” stories. He found he preferred Heidi’s honest assessment of wine.

“Tell me if you like it,” he said. “That’s what matters.”

“Do I swirl? Red wine drinkers like to swirl.”

“It aerates the wine.”

“I thought oxygen hurt wine.”

“In the bottle, yes. Once it’s opened and ready for drinking, oxygen opens up the flavors.”

She dutifully swirled her glass, then took a sip. She let it sit on her tongue for a second, then swallowed.

“Oh.” Her green eyes widened. “That’s nice. Smooth, but with a lot of flavor. I thought it might have that weird bite, but it doesn’t.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

They walked out onto the porch and sat on the steps.

They were a couple of hours from sunset. The days were getting longer and warmer as they inched toward summer. Buds had given way to leaves and flowers.

He and Heidi had brought the goats back for the evening. He could see the sheep and llamas grazing contentedly. He’d resisted coming to Fool’s Gold, but looking around now, he had a hard time remembering why.

“It’s Saturday night,” Heidi told him. “What would you be doing if you were back in San Francisco?”

“Working.”

“Not out on a date?”

“If I was dating, I wouldn’t need Nina.”

“There must be tons of women where you work or hang out.”

He shifted on the step, uncomfortable with the topic, but unclear on how to change it. “I’m not interested in going out with someone I do business with. I also won’t date an employee. There aren’t a lot of other women in my life.”

“You have a lot of rules.”

“I’m not looking to get sued for sexual harassment.”

“Good point. No likely candidates at your monthly tycoon meetings?”

He grinned. “No. All the good ones are married.”

“What about your season tickets to the opera or ballet?”

“I’m more a baseball guy. But I do like theater.”

“Musicals, where people randomly break into song?”

“Sometimes.”

“You’re full of surprises.” She put down her wine and grabbed his free hand. With her fingertips, she traced the calluses on his palms. “What will your tycoon friends say about these?”

“To tell you the truth, they’ll be envious.”

Heidi released him, which made him want to put his arm around her and pull her close. He liked when they touched. Lately he wanted to do a lot more than just touch, which made for some timing issues. He did his best to be gone before she stepped into the shower in the morning. The last thing he wanted was to spend fifteen minutes listening to the water running and imagining her naked. Not that leaving the house erased the image, but it made dealing with it easier.

“You’re a better cowboy than I would have thought,”

she admitted.

“I like the work. I can look out and see what I’ve accomplished in a day. I don’t get a lot of that in my regular life.”

“Be careful. This kind of life can be seductive.”

He glanced at her and found her looking at him. She had beautiful eyes, he thought, staring into her green irises. A great smile. Her blond hair hung past her shoulders, all wavy from the braids.

He found himself wanting to touch the soft-looking strands, to pull her close and kiss her. But kissing would lead to other things, and that would be a mistake. Heidi might not be the enemy anymore, but she stood in the way of what he wanted. Sleeping with her would make an already complicated situation more difficult. But, damn, she was a temptation.

“Coals,” he murmured, not quite ready to turn away.

“What?”

“I should check the coals.”

“Oh, right. I’ll get the burgers.”

For a second, neither of them moved. Rafe knew he was seconds away from not caring about the consequences. But just as he was about to set down his glass and reach for her, she scrambled to her feet and walked into the kitchen.

Probably for the best, he told himself, ignoring the need building in his body, and the voice in his heart that whispered he was a fool to let Heidi be the one who got away.

* * *

HEIDI HAD A HARD TIME with dinner. The meal was great—there was no bad with hamburgers and potato salad—and she enjoyed the wine. Rafe was his usual, charming self. A funny, intelligent companion who could speak on any number of topics and still surprise her with his unexpected views on everything from the British royal family to his belief in renewable energy.

Her confusion came more from wondering why on earth any woman would have left Rafe. He was the kind of guy she would hold on to with both hands. Which led to the second problem… Unruly girl parts.

She’d moved past the tingling-in-anticipation stage and was firmly in “take me now.” Every time he smiled, she felt a tug in her belly. When his hand casually brushed hers, she wanted to whimper. If the man took her in his arms and kissed her for longer than thirty seconds, she would probably have an orgasm.