Handsome Wrangler (Handsome Devils #6) - Lori Wilde Page 0,28

you sexy.”

“Well, don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Find me sexy. Snap out of it.”

Oh, now that was funny. And also easier said than done. Whether she meant it or not, Caitlin was driving him crazy. He rubbed his face with his hands and took a couple of steps toward the open garage door. “Why don’t I walk you home then?”

“That’s probably the best idea,” she said. Silently, they walked out of the garage, down his driveway, and across to her house. When they reached the steps leading to the apartment over her father’s garage, Brent stopped.

Caitlin glanced at him over her shoulder.

“I’ll stand here until you go inside,” he said.

“Fine.” Caitlin climbed the first step, then stopped.

She turned to face him. With the added benefit of the step, she was closer to eye level with him. “Thank you.”

At first he thought she was thanking him for the kiss, but then he realized what an idiot he was. She was thanking him for the ride tonight. “No problem.”

She continued to look at him, the dim outdoor lighting making it difficult for him to make out what she was thinking. Tension arced between them, so strong it practically crackled. But underneath that was the feeling of friendship they’d always had. Whatever ended up happening between them, he would always like and care about Caitlin.

Brent cleared his throat, willing his heart to stop slamming against his ribs. “Have a good night, Caitlin.”

She gave him the tiniest of smiles. “You, too.”

After she’d walked inside her apartment and locked the door behind her, Brent headed home. Tonight hadn’t helped anything. In fact, things were more confused than ever. Nonetheless, only one thought kept circling through his mind.

Caitlin had called their kiss bone-melting. That interesting comment would probably keep him awake half the night.

She and Brent were playing with fire, Caitlin decided the next day as she left the small grocery store in the center of town. Yep. No doubt about it. If they weren’t careful, they’d both get burned. Badly.

The problem was, she didn’t know what to do about the situation. She couldn’t simply avoid Brent until she moved, because he worked with her almost every day on The Honey Hive. And when she was around him, she had no luck turning off the red-hot attraction between them. They needed a plan. A good, solid, foolproof plan.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t think of one. As she walked to her car in the hot summer sun, she yawned. Maybe a nap would help her put this all in perspective. Since she and Brent had first kissed, she hadn’t been sleeping well. Maybe that’s why she couldn’t come up with a plan—her brain was simply too tired. A little sleep and she’d probably be dazzled by her own brilliance.

But before she could take a nap, she needed to head back over to the small Honey Hive office. There was paperwork to be done, and details to tie up.

Darn that Brent Stewart. Her sleeplessness was all his fault. Well, sort of. Every time Brent kissed her, he got her too riled up to sleep well. He needed to—

“Caitlin. Hi, Caitlin.”

Caitlin shifted the bag of groceries she carried and looked around. From across the street, she could see Olivia Mitchell, an elementary school teacher who had moved to town last year. Caitlin waved her friend over. She liked Olivia. The two of them had hit it off since the first day Olivia had agreed to deliver hot meals now and then for The Honey Hive.

As the young woman crossed the street, an idea took shape in Caitlin’s mind. Why hadn’t she thought of this before? Olivia was exactly the sort of person Brent was looking for. She was smart, fun, and attractive, with light-auburn hair and pretty green eyes. Most importantly, Olivia wanted to live in Honey, and based on her enthusiasm for her class, she loved children.

That had been her error last night. Caitlin had thought going out with Mason would make her forget about Brent. Instead, she needed to get Brent to go out with another woman. Caitlin smiled. It was so simple. If Brent were involved with someone else, then she certainly wouldn’t be attracted to him. She wasn’t that type. He’d be off-limits, and she could stop wanting him.

And Olivia was absolutely perfect for Brent. Caitlin pushed away the faint uneasiness that passed through her at the thought. Instead, she forced herself to concentrate on the positives. Brent deserved this. He was a special man, a kind, considerate, unbelievably sexy man.