Chapter One
Cassidy stood up and stretched. “I’m starving,” she said to Gina with a grin. “Do you want to hold down the fort here while I run to the coffee shop to get us some lunch?”
“Sure. It’d do you good to get out in the fresh air, even if it is only for a walk down the block.”
Cassidy made a face. “Don’t start again, Miss Outdoor Adventurer. It’s easy for you to go off wandering in the mountains with your camera and call it work. I have to sit here at my easel. And when I’m not painting I’m working our connections to get the word out about this new line, or to keep the gallery going.”
“I’m just saying it’d do you good to get out more.”
Cassidy shrugged. “I’ll give you that. I will, when I get time. For now I’m going to go grab us a sandwich.”
She smiled at the feel of the sun on her back as she walked down the street. Gina was right. She did need to get out into the fresh air more. She’d been so busy working on their new line and setting up marketing channels for it, she was spending all her time inside. She never made time to get out and appreciate the mountains and all the natural beauty that surrounded her. Even walking through the middle of town like this she could see the snowy peaks of the Crazies towering above the buildings to the north. Maybe this weekend, she thought as she pushed her way into the coffee shop. She should take a drive down to the park at least. Yellowstone was beautiful at this time of year, and hopefully, it was still early enough that the place wouldn’t be completely swamped with tourists yet.
She stood in front of the display case at the back of the coffee shop. Today felt like a good day for a dessert. She eyed the cakes, a smile spreading across her face when she spotted a chocolate mousse. That would do nicely. As she reached for it, a big hand came down on her shoulder.
“Got a craving for something sweet, do we?”
Shane Remington! She’d know that sexy voice anywhere, not that she needed to hear it. She’d known it was him from the feel of his hand on her shoulder. The damned man had the same effect on her every time he came close. He sent tingly shivers racing through her, leaving excited goose bumps in their wake. She couldn’t let him know that though. “I don’t know if we do, but I certainly do,” she replied, without bothering to turn around.
His chuckle sent fresh shivers down her spine. “Well, darlin’, you know I certainly do. Have done since the first moment I laid eyes on you.”
She spun around to face him—mistake, biiig mistake, she realized as soon as she did. He had her cornered against the display case, his huge frame blocking her view of the rest of the coffee shop. It didn’t matter what or who was behind him though. His presence and the raw energy he emanated enveloped her. They may as well be the only two people in the whole state of Montana. He filled up all her senses, making her oblivious to everything but him. Big, gorgeous, sexy—infuriatingly cocky—him.
She presented him with the mousse. “Here. This should take care of it.”
He grinned down at her. Damn, he was so irritatingly good-looking! His hazel eyes glimmered with amusement as he took hold of the dessert, making sure he closed his fingers over hers as he did. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of pulling her hand away. Instead she coolly met his gaze.
He winked at her. “It isn’t exactly what I had in mind, but thanks. I’ll take it.”
She couldn’t drag her gaze away from his. “I hope you enjoy it. Now, if I could just have my hand back, I need to get going.”
He laughed and brought her hand up to his lips. She was so surprised she still couldn’t pull away. All the muscles in her belly and lower clenched as he kissed her knuckles then slowly trailed his tongue over her wrist, holding her gaze the whole time. “Mmm, sweet,” he murmured. “This is what I have in mind, sweet Cassidy. What do you say?”
Oh God! What did she say? What she wanted to say—actually, more likely scream—was Yes! Yes, yes, yes! The things the feel of his tongue on her skin did to her! But no. She withdrew her hand from his grasp while she still had the willpower to do so. She shook her head. “What do I say? I say not only no, but hell no! Now, if you’ll excuse me.” She pushed past him and made her way straight for the door. If she didn’t escape him now, she’d be dragging him out of there to give him exactly what he wanted, and more besides.
“I’ll be seeing you,” he called just as she pushed open the front door.
She turned back and shook her head at him with a grin. “Not if I see you first.” She didn’t miss his wink in the second before the door closed behind her.
~ ~ ~
“What the hell did you say to her?”
Shane’s grin faded a little as he turned to his brother. “I just said hello. That’s all.”
Mason gave him a stern look. “I don’t believe just ‘hello’ would send her scampering out of there like a scalded cat.”
Shane shrugged. He’d blown it yet again, and he knew it. His grin returned as he looked down at the chocolate mousse he was still holding. “She wants me, Mase.”
Mason laughed. “Dream on. She couldn’t get away from you fast enough.”
Shane shook his head. “I might need to up my game—change tack a little—but she wants me. I know it.”
“Whatever you say. Now are we going to get some food, or what?”
Shane nodded and joined the line at the counter to order sandwiches. He groaned when the coffee shop door opened and Katie Bell came in. She smiled when she saw him and came straight to him, standing on tiptoe to kiss his cheek.
“Shane! Where have you been hiding?”
“I’m a busy man, Katie. The dude ranch is in full swing for the season now. I have guests to take care of.”
She pouted at him, her shiny pink lips reminding him of the several nights he’d spent with her. “Ranch guests, huh? When are you going to take care of me again?”
His eyes fixed on her plump breasts as she folded her arms underneath them. Man, he needed to pull himself together. He forced himself to drag his eyes away and look up at her face. Her smile said it all. “So what do you say? Take me out to dinner tomorrow?”
He considered it. He could, it’d be a great night…once they got dinner out of the way. He pursed his lips. She was cute and great in the sack, but she wasn’t having the same effect on him that Cassidy had just had. In fact, remembering Cassidy’s long, honey-colored hair and the twinkle in her honey-colored eyes while she’d brushed him off yet again, Katie looked kind of ordinary. He shook his head slowly. “Sorry. No can do.”
She shrugged. “Your loss. You know where to find me when you change your mind.” With a toss of her hair she flounced away toward a table of local girls in the corner.
“I don’t get it,” said Mason.
“Don’t get what?”
“You. I mean, she wants you. No mistake about it. But you’re not interested. Cassidy won’t give you the time of day, yet you keep going back for another shot. What happened to a bird in the hand and all that?”
Shane chuckled. “How many women were trying to hook you and you had no interest? Gina wouldn’t even set foot in the same town as you while she had a choice, yet you kept going back for more. What’s the difference?”
“I love Gina. Always have, always will. I knew if I got any say in the matter, Gina was going to be my future, my wife.” He raised an eyebrow. “Are you really telling me there’s no difference?”
Shane turned away, relieved to have reached the head of the line. “I’ll take a patty melt with everything but pickles,” he said to the girl serving.
Mason dug him in the ribs. “What are you saying, Shane?”
He laughed. “Of course I’m not saying it’s like you and Gina. That’d be crazy. I like the thrill of the chase that’s all. Katie’s a fall back option, like she said herself, I know where to find her if I want her. Cassidy…Cassidy is…” He paused to think about it, then shrugged. “I don’t know, she’s a new challenge that’s all.”
Mason nodded, looking thoroughly unconvinced. “Whatever you say, Shane. Just do me a favor and bear in mind that she’s working with Gina. I don’t want you to piss her off and mess things up.”
Shane laughed. “Nothing I could do would mess things up between the two of them. They’re thick as thieves.”
“That’s true. Between Gina’s photographs and Cassidy’s paintings it looks as though they’re going to be raking it in soon.”
That reminded Shane. He’d offered to put the two women in touch with some of his dude ranch guests in the hopes of helping sell their artwork. “And I’m going to see if I can help them along with that.”
Mason gave him a puzzled look, but had to order his own sandwich before he could ask any questions.
Shane grinned. “I told them I’d hook them up with some of the guests. They’re the girls’ ideal buyers. People who love Montana and have very deep pockets.”
“That’s true. Just…” Mason looked uncomfortable.
“Just what?”
“Just don’t fuck it up all right?”
Shane shook his head. “I told you. I wouldn’t do anything that would mess things up for Gina. I…”
Mason shook his head. “I mean don’t fuck it up for yourself, Shane.”
Shane stared at his brother who turned away to pay for both their sandwiches. Was he for real? Did he have the same weird feeling about Cassidy as Shane himself did?
“What do you mean by that, Mase?” he asked once they were back out on the street.
Mason shrugged. “You tell me, Shane. You tell me.”
~ ~ ~
Cassidy let herself in through the back of the gallery. She closed the door, and then leaned back against it. She’d practically galloped down Main Street away from the coffee shop. She’d even ducked into the alleyway to come around the back. Why? She shook her head. Why hadn’t she been able to keep her cool? Shane was just a cocky…horny…ugh! She put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot as she scowled to herself. He was walking temptation—that was what he was. She’d promised herself no more messes made with men. Shane was a man-mess waiting to happen. She needed to control herself, forget about him. Nothing good could ever happen between the two of them, she was sure of that. Well, the sex would be amazing, she was pretty damned sure of that, too! But it wasn’t worth it. Shane was a manwhore of the first order. She bit the inside of her lip—so, now she thought about it, wouldn’t that make him perfect? He wouldn’t want anything more from her than sex. He wouldn’t present any of the problems that came with men who wanted a relationship. She drew in a deep breath. Did that make sense? Or was she just trying to find ways to justify sleeping with him because he made her so damned horny?
She looked up, startled when Gina popped her head around the door that led from the gallery into the back. She cocked her head to one side. “Err, am I allowed to ask?”
“Ask what?” Cassidy tried to sound nonchalant, even as she struggled not to laugh.
“What the hell you are doing back here, pressed up against the back door like a fugitive, when not ten minutes ago you headed out to the coffee shop with the promise of bringing me back some lunch.”
Cassidy pushed herself away from the door and straightened up. She made a fuss of straightening her shirt and patting her hair down. “I ran into a little obstacle. That’s all. I’ll go back for our lunch once I’m sure the coast is clear.”
Gina shook her head. “Let me guess. That little obstacle was really a big obstacle? About six feet four inches big?”
Cassidy rolled her eyes. “How do you know? Did you send him in there after me?”
Gina laughed. “I did not. I just know the look you get whenever you run into Shane.”
“Oh, and what look is that then?”
“It’s the only time I ever see you flustered. Go on, admit it. For all your put downs, you like him, don’t you?”
Cassidy nodded slowly. “I’ve told you before, I find him far too attractive.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“There are two problems, Gina. I am the first problem, in that I made a promise to myself not to create any more man-messes in my life. And your friend Shane there is the second problem. He is a complete and utter manwhore.”
“Oh, he’s not. He’s a….”
Cassidy laughed. “Don’t, Gina. I know he’s been one of your best friends your whole life and everything, but even you can’t look me in the eye and deny that he’s a manwhore, can you?”
Gina sighed. “Okay, no, I can’t. But he’s an absolute sweetheart. He is the way he is because he hasn’t found the right woman yet, that’s all.”
“Well, let me assure you I am not the right woman!”
“But how do you know? You might be.”
Cassidy shook her head. Gina meant well. Hell, it’d be cute for anyone to pair off two of their friends. But Gina didn’t know the whole story. “I am not the right woman. Not for Shane. Not for anyone. I already figured that out. Trust me, okay? No more man-messes in my life and certainly not with someone who is so close to my business partner. Okay, partner?”
Gina nodded, but she looked sad. “Why though?”
“Ugh! I’ve told you before. It would take a whole evening and a really good bottle of wine or three to explain it all.”
“So name your evening. I want to know what your problem is with men, in general, and Shane, in particular. I’m not going to give up. I can be stubborn, you know. If you don’t believe me, just ask Mason.”
Cassidy was saved by the sound of the doorbell buzzing as someone entered the gallery out front. “Saved by the bell,” she said with a grin. “How about I go take care of that and you do the lunch run? You might actually make it back here with some food.”
“Okay, but don’t think you’re getting off the hook that easily. I want an explanation, and I want wine—good wine. Name your day, but it is happening.”
Cassidy waved a hand over her shoulder as she went out into the gallery. Did she really want to talk to Gina about what a failure she was with men? She was too strong, too independent. Hard. She resented that word, but more than one guy had called her that. Men just had such brittle egos—that was the real problem. Once she figured that out, she’d determined that she wasn’t going to allow herself to be set up as the wicked bitch of the west ever again. No matter how strong a guy might seem in the beginning, it was guaranteed that she’d bruise his ego at some point—just by being strong, being herself. She had no intention of giving up who she was; it was easier to give up on men.
