The warmth of his body heat traveled through her and she breathed in his scent, leather and rain. He held her to him a moment longer than was necessary as their gazes met.
Her thoughts were as unsteady as her feet were when he released her just enough that he had a grip on her. He scooped up her purse and briefcase—that she had totally forgotten about—and he helped her out of the mud slick and guided her toward the house. Somehow he managed to pick up her shoes with one hand, despite the briefcase and purse, and guided her up the stairs. When she stood at the screen door, he released her and she managed to breathe again.
Hinges squeaked as he held open the screen door and opened the door to the house letting warm light spill onto the porch. He gestured for her to enter and she looked down at herself and back at him.
“I can’t go in like this.” She held her hands up. “I’ll make a mess.” This time Joe did grin. “Honey, you’re on a ranch. You’re not the first mud pie to come in through that door and you won’t be the last.”
She let him draw her into the house without any more protests then paused in the foyer as he closed the screen followed by the wooden door behind them. Water dripped off her, forming a puddle on the Saltillo tile beneath her feet.
For the first time she got a really good look at Joe and met his brilliant blue eyes. He was tall with a cowboy’s build, a lean but muscular form that showed he worked hard and probably played just as hard. He had a tough look that might be intimidating to some or even most. His eyes were beautiful but she could tell they could go from amused to pissed in two seconds flat.
What would it be like to kiss those firm lips, to taste him? To feel his hard body against hers, only this time skin to skin, nothing between them.
She bit her lower lip, hoping she wasn’t transparent enough for him to tell what she’d been thinking. She forced herself to turn away and surveyed the room she hadn’t seen since she was four years old when her mother had packed up and headed east with Brianna.
“I don’t remember much.” The leather furniture just looked worn and the coffee and end tables gleamed from years of furniture polish and were free of dust. “This really isn’t familiar to me.”
“Come on into the guest bathroom and I’ll grab some extra towels for you.” He nodded toward a hallway on the other side of a large family room.
For a guest bathroom it was roomy. When she caught a look at herself in the mirror she groaned. She looked even worse than she had expected.
Joe reappeared with stack of towels. “Get on out of those wet clothes and you can take a warm shower while I get your things from your car.”
“Thank you, Joe.” She tried to smile but likely didn’t do a very good job of it before she shut the bathroom door behind him.
After she stripped out of her dirty clothes, she tossed them into a pile then started the shower. Before climbing in, she held her hand under the running water until it was warm. Being under the spray felt so good that she wasn’t sure she even wanted to get out when she was finished. She hadn’t realized just how muddy she was until she saw the amount of dirt that washed down the drain.
When she was finished she got out then rubbed herself dry before wrapping a towel around her body. She towel dried her hair the best she could.
A knock at the bathroom door startled her and caused her to jump. She opened it to see Joe with her overnight bags under each arm and her suitcases in hand.
His gaze swept over her in a slow, lazy perusal. Heat flushed through her as she felt warmth engulf her from head to toe even more than it had earlier. And she raised her chin. He worked for her and had no business looking at her like he was. She should probably set him straight, but something about the cowboy’s look stirred her.
“I’ll set these in the guestroom.” He gave a nod toward the hallway. “Come on and I’ll