Sweet Montana Christmas by Casey Dawes Read Free Book Online

moments in her presence would brighten a dull day. She
was
interesting ... in an odd way.
    “Sure,” she said. “Let me change first. I’ll meet you there in a few minutes.”
    “Okay.”
    She was already seated when he reached the juice bar, handing the fit-looking counterman one of her business cards.
    “It’s going to be the best chocolate in Montana,” she said. “Come by for a taste. We’re opening next week—just in time for Valentine’s Day.”
    “Sounds great.” The counterman gave her a genuine smile. “I’ll make sure to stop by.”
    “I’ll have a banana-blueberry protein,” Zach said as he slid onto the stool next to her. “Are you going to be ready?” he asked Sue Anne. He’d never owned a business. The mechanics of getting started intrigued him.
    “I think so. Right now we’re living, breathing, and sleeping chocolate and accessories to have enough inventory. We’ve got a few more things on order, including a hot chocolate machine. Good on a cold winter’s day, don’t you think?” Her enthusiasm put a glow on her face, and a sheen of pink highlighted her lips.
    Desire tickled him.
    “That is, if we pass the health inspection,” she added.
    “Well, there’s no danger of not passing, is there?”
    The counterman slid the drink to him.
    “Well, I think we’ve gotten everything ready. I upgraded where I needed to—the refrigerator, dishwasher, all our equipment.” She bit her lower lip. “There is one small problem. There was this leak. And I tried to fix it.”
    Was she batting her eyes at him? He could almost hear what was coming next. How was he going to get out of her plumbing problem? Fix one thing for the woman, and he’d be one of her frequently called numbers.
    Then they’d get to know each other too well. She’d depend on him, and when he left, she’d be hurt.
    Her lower lip pushed out in something resembling a pout, but not quite. “The plumber was supposed to come out today, but he forgot. That’s why I came to the gym.”
    “You came to the gym to find a plumber?” How ditzy could this woman get?
    “No, silly.” She put her hand on his arm.
    The touch made his mind, which was yelling “No! No! No!” yield to his hormones, which were saying, “Hot damn!”
    “I came here to work off the stress. He says he’ll come out tomorrow, but what if he doesn’t? The health inspector is due Thursday.”
    “I can take a look at if you want,” he said.
Shit, shit, shit!
That’s not what he meant at all. He needed to concentrate on building a reputation at the airport, not fixing this girl’s plumbing problem.
    Too bad Sue Anne was so damn good looking. Especially now that he’d seen her in her workout clothes.
    “You’re a plumber?” She cocked her head, a half smile on her face, her slightly dilated pupils staring at him like he was her hero or something.
    He was committed now. He’d explain his situation to her while he fixed her pipes. That way everything would be out in the open.
    “Well,” she said, “are you?”
    “Of sorts. I grew up on a farm in Iowa. My dad fixed anything that needed it and taught my brothers and me how to take care of most everything.”
    “Brothers? How many?”
    “Two. One older, one younger.” Family was a good topic. Much better than plumbing. He should invent a girlfriend, too.
    His gaze went back to her lips. What would they taste like a second time around?
    “No sisters?” she prompted.
    “Nope. After the third boy came along, my mother gave up trying for a girl.” He smiled. His mother was his rock. She’d let him pour out his heart about the Denver mess up, then coached him back on the road to follow his dream.
    “Your poor mother.”
    “Nah. She does okay. She has a t-shirt with the saying, ‘She who must be obeyed.’ That’s pretty much how it runs in my house.”
    Sue Anne’s laughter filled him with lightness and transformed her eyes into sparkles.
    “My mother would like the world to run that way,