Free For Love's Sake Only by Lena Matthews Page A

pleasantly plump figure accentuated in a two-piece forest-green pantsuit. “He must be king ding-a-ling, because you’re all kinds of sprung.”
    “I’m not ...” Pausing in mid-sentence Charlotte gave Tamara’s comment a bit of thought. “Well, maybe I am, but you just don’t know ...”
    “Know what?”
    Know what it was like to be in his arms. Know what it was like to be loved and made love to by one of the best men she’d ever known. There was so much Tamara didn’t know, and there wasn’t enough time in either of their lifetimes for Charlotte to fill her in. “He’s just great. Just wait, you’ll see.”
    “Hell, I’ve been waiting to see since the end of November, and if he’s not worth it, trust me, you’ll hear about it,” Tamara promised with a wink.
    Charlotte wasn’t worried about whether or not Tamara and Ty would get along. They were both such easygoing people that it would be hard for them not to like each other. “He should have been here twenty minutes ago. I wonder if something happened at the ranch.” A large grin spread across Tamara’s face, prompting Charlotte ask, “What’s so funny?” Spurs & Mistletoe: For Love’s Sake Only
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    “You are.” Leaning back against the rail, Tamara crossed her arms over her large chest.
    “You’re wondering if your boyfriend had problems on the ranch. The ranch, for Christ’s sake. That’s funny as hell.”
    “Shut up.” Charlotte was thankful for the low lighting that was hiding her flush. Saying it like that did seem sort of funny.
    “I mean, did you ever see a horse close up, before your visit with the Ingalls?” Tamara ribbed with a grin. “You’re the woman who won’t go camping unless you’re sleeping in a cabin.”
    “It’s not like we’re roughing it on his ranch, Tamara. He does have indoor plumbing, smartass.”
    “But can you see yourself staying out there, like forever?” Yes, her heart and mind answered at the same time, shocking Charlotte into silence.
    Looking over at Tamara who had lost all trace of her smile, Charlotte could only stare dumbfounded. She was in love with him, and she wanted to be with him forever. When the hell did that happen?
    “Charlotte,” Tamara’s voice held amazement and disbelief. “You’re not in love with him, are you?”
    “Charlotte,” a voice called from the open doorway, saving Charlotte from answering.
    Turning, she raised a questioning brow to her co-worker, Val, who was smiling broadly at her. “I think your guest is here.”
    Looking past Val’s shoulder, Charlotte saw Ty standing in the center of the room and almost swallowed her tongue. He was dressed in a dark suit like the majority of the men in the room, but unlike everyone else, he was wearing his black Stetson. Charlotte thought it was damn impossible for him to look any better than the way she had seen him in the past.
    She had been wrong. Dead wrong.
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    He didn’t just wear the suit. He wore the suit. His suit accentuated his large frame, making it seem as if it were molded for his body alone. And the hat that adorned his head, made him appear dashing and debonair. Ty looked fucking great.
    Tamara pushed up behind her, staring across the room. “Is that ... is that him?” The awe in her voice broke Charlotte’s hypnotic stare.
    “Yes,” Charlotte’s voice sounded almost as bad as Tamara’s did. “That’s my cowboy.”
    “Oh ... my ... God.”
    “You can say that again,” Val agreed, fanning herself with her hand. The blonde woman was eyeing Ty like he was a Prada bag on clearance. “I didn’t know they made men like that anymore.”
    “They don’t,” Charlotte said, pushing past the fawning woman and into the crowded room. “He’s a dying breed.”
    Ty was searching the room for her, giving Charlotte ample time to study him as she approached. Watching him with new eyes, eyes of love, Charlotte wondered what had taken her so long to realize what he meant to her. It wasn’t