The Cowboy's Temptation Page 0,47

she’d known and move out here to the wilderness?

Absolutely, she thought. There was nothing waiting for her back in New York except for some very angry, shallow men.

Elissa changed into a pair of stretch pants and a tee-shirt, then headed downstairs to make something for dinner. It was almost six o’clock so she’d wager that Ronny had already eaten.

Surveying the supplies in the pantry and refrigerator, she wondered if Jake would be hungry. Taking out a box of pasta, she decided to make some spaghetti. If he wasn’t hungry, he could just put it in the refrigerator for another meal.

Elissa turned on the stereo to the country music station, then put a pot of water on the stove to boil. She was chopping up vegetables and tossing them into a pan for the sauce and dancing around the kitchen. She loved the rock-a-billy tune and started humming to the chorus, amazed that she already knew the words to the song after only two weeks out of New York.

After the sauce was set up on the stove to simmer, she put the pasta noodles in, then dug through the contents of the refrigerator once again for salad ingredients. She bounced to the beat of the music and bumped her hip against the refrigerator door to close it, then bounced back to the counter to deposit her vegetable treasure.

“Darlin’ do you have any idea what you do to my blood pressure?” Jake asked, walking up to the counter and stealing a baby carrot. He had been in the middle of buttoning a shirt but stopped with four buttons still undone, revealing his muscular chest with its light, sprinkling of hair.

Elissa jumped and almost dropped a tomato onto the floor. “Jake!” she yelped. “How long have you been here?” she asked.

“Long enough to know that you’re sexy as all get out,” he said and pulled her into his arms. Without another word, he kissed her, thoroughly ravishing her lips with his. When the kiss was over, he released her, leaving her breathless and confused.

“What do you want me to do to help?” he asked and stole another carrot.

Elissa blinked and looked up at his smiling features. “Help?” she asked, still holding the tomato in each of her hands.

“Cooking? I’m guessing you’re making dinner, right?” he asked, his chest swelling with pride that he could so completely confuse her this way. She definitely moved him, he thought as he considered his painful erection after just one, simple kiss.

Elissa glanced around at the kitchen and countertop filled with food. “Oh! Yes. Yes, dinner. I wasn’t sure if you were hungry or not, but thought pasta might be good.”

Jake nodded his head. “I’m starving and pasta sounds great.”

Taking a deep breath, Elissa tried to get her thoughts in order. “Okay then. Stop stealing the carrots and move out of my way,” she smiled, not daring to step closer to the counter until he was farther from her work area. She couldn’t think clearly with him so close.

“Can’t I do anything?” he asked.

“No. You can go sit down somewhere,” she said.

Jake moved around the counter and sat down in a chair that was tucked under the counter. “How’s this?” he asked.

Elissa didn’t think it was far enough away but at least she could think now. “Fine, for now,” she said and put down the tomatoes.

“Where did you learn to cook so well?” he asked, grabbing a slice of tomato she had just sliced for their salad.

Elissa ignored the warm glow of pleasure she felt at his words. Stay cool, girl, she told herself. He was only a man. Surely she could keep her wits about her for one evening. “I don’t know. I learned from school and from my mother, I guess but I haven’t had a chance to cook in a long time. I really enjoy it.”

“So do I,” he said and smiled at her as she glanced up at him.

“Where’s your mother?” he asked.

“She lives in Virginia. She and my father retired about two years ago and travel all over the world.”

“Where did you go to school?” he asked.

“Ronny and I went to college together. She was my college roommate,” Elissa explained, remembering some of Ronny’s antics in college.

“What made you decide to major in math?”

“I didn’t. Ronny majored in math. I studied economics,” she explained.

“Is there a difference?”

Elissa smiled. “Yes. Economics is more about theory and sociological phenomenons surrounding how people spend and think about money. Math is more concrete. Ronny tried to take