and let him lead her into the trees for a little … nature hike.
It became a contest. A war. Yet another siege.
He should have known the woman was so filled with power that she’d withstand his sensual assault. Still, he could tell that he’d gotten to her. All that shifting she did in her seat wasn’t to help keep her balance.
When they finally crossed the Eternity Springs city limit, he heaved a sigh of relief. Forget her seat shifting. Sitting on this motorcycle with a log between his legs had grown downright uncomfortable. At least they’d be home in a few minutes.
With Spruce blocked off to traffic, he expected her to take Cottonwood on around the edge of town, and she did just that. But as they rounded the curve onto First and their route took them past the contest exhibit tents, she slowed.
She pulled off the road a short distance from the tents and said, “Let’s check the winners, shall we?”
He groaned. “Can’t it wait until tomorrow? The results aren’t going to change.”
“What’s the matter, Rafferty?” She switched off the motor and climbed off the bike. Removing her helmet, she shot him a saucy smile. “Are you afraid that this year I won the blue ribbon?”
Colt couldn’t take another minute of it. He yanked her into his arms, bent her over backward, and planted a blistering, extended kiss on her lips. Vaguely aware of the murmurs of the crowd, he realized they had an audience, and released her with a flourish. “Me, afraid, Sage Anderson? Not hardly.”
She stood with her shoulders back, her chin up, and that gorgeous hair glistening in the afternoon sun. “So, you really think your carving might have won?”
“Doesn’t matter.” Colt gave her a wink, and his grin flashed his dimples. “You might have won the blue ribbon, but darlin’, I won the prize.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
New beginnings are exciting things. For this one I’d especially like to thank my awesome, talented, oh-so-keen-eyed editor, Kate Collins, and my agents, Meg Ruley and Christina Hogrebe, for their support and guidance and belief in this series. You ladies rock. Also, to my dear friends Scott and Christina Ham, who knew just the motivation to give me to find my way to Eternity Springs, and to Mary Dickerson for being my reader, my red-liner, and most important, my friend.
Read on for a preview of
Emily March’s next novel
in her Eternity Springs series:
Heartache Falls
In the bedroom she shared with her husband, Ali Timberlake tucked her makeup case neatly into her suitcase, then zipped it shut just as her husband emerged from his closet, a duffel bag in one hand. “Are you sure about this, honey?” Mac asked, his brow knitted with concern. “We can still change the plan.”
“Right,” Ali replied, her tone dry. “And for the rest of my life I’ll get to listen to Stephen and Chase talk about the one that got away.”
“Hey, we can go fishing in Alaska another—”
Ali interrupted. “No, it’s okay. I’m glad you’re getting to go. It’s a minor miracle that your schedule and those of the boys meshed this time. If Caitlin wanted you with her, that would be different, but she’s flexing her wings and feeling independent and ready to take on Vanderbilt University.”
Her lips twisted as she added, “Frankly, I’m not sure she really wants me to go with her to Nashville. We haven’t exactly been getting along very well lately.”
Her husband tossed his duffel onto their bed, then gave Ali a rueful look. “She did tell me you packed her toothbrush three days ago. She thinks you can’t wait for her to go.”
“After the way she’s been acting lately, can you blame me?”
“Now, sweetheart.”
“Oh, I know.” Ali shrugged and waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “She’s emotional. I’m emotional. It’s not every day that your youngest child and only daughter goes off to college for the first time.”
“Exactly.” Mac grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck. “That’s why I think I should be there. The boys could go to Alaska without me. No reason why they couldn’t.”
He truly appeared torn, so Ali swallowed her own misgivings and pasted on a smile. “Actually, there is. This is a father-son trip. You can’t very well have a father-son trip if the father is a no-show. You went with me and Cait to orientation, and that was the important trip. This will be fun for me and Caitlin. An August road trip. A mother-daughter adventure. We’ll do just fine.”
He gave her a long, searching