Free Willow in Bloom by Victoria Pade Page A

actually, it had been Willow who had done the shopping, and he’d mostly just watched her. Which was why he’d had such a good time.
    She’d taken pains to study each piece of furniture, and that had given him the chance to study her. To watch the signs of approval or disapproval, of pleasure or displeasure, play across that flawless face, brighten those dove-gray eyes, turn the corners of her full lips up or down.
    That he’d liked.
    He’d liked all the views of her as she’d taken in all the views of the furniture. The back view of that terrific tush, which had just the right amount of curve to it. The side view of breasts that were not too big, not too small. The full-on front view of long legs, curvy hips and narrow waist.
    That he’d liked.
    He’d also liked watching her try out the furniture. The way she’d sat so gingerly in one of the overstuffed chairs, then wiggled around a little until she was as cozy as she might be sitting in it on a cold winter’s night in front of a fire.
    He’d definitely liked that.
    Oh, yeah, shopping with Willow was a whole lot better than shopping any other way he’d ever been shopping before. And it had set the stage for the rest of the evening. For dinner with her. For walking around town with her. For going up to her apartment with her. It had all been more fun because he’d been with her.
    Because what he really liked was Willow.
    And that was pretty much the rub.
    He’d come to Black Arrow to find something he’dlost—his mystery woman and the memories that went with her. And he wasn’t doing that if he was with Willow.
    Sure, he was getting out when he was with her. He was meeting other people, seeing faces in the distance—any one of whom might be the woman he was looking for, the woman who could jog his memory and bring everything back for him.
    But the problem was that when he was with Willow he was with Willow. So completely that he wasn’t thinking about anyone else, wasn’t noticing anything else and certainly wasn’t focusing elsewhere.
    Which meant that, even if he did come across his mystery woman while he was out with Willow, his mystery woman might not register the way he hoped she would. The way she might if he came face-to-face with her without Willow.
    So being out with Willow could actually be detrimental to his goal.
    But still he’d asked to see her tonight.
    Because there he’d been the night before, in Willow’s living room, knowing it was getting late and he should leave, but not wanting to. Not wanting their time together to end. Not wanting to go without knowing when he might see her again.
    And out had popped the words to make sure he would see her again. Tonight.
    But ever since then he’d been wondering what the hell he was doing.
    Spending time with Willow was time not spentlooking for his mystery woman. Which was the main reason he’d come to Black Arrow in the first place.
    Plus he wasn’t sure if he was being unfair to Willow when he was supposed to be looking for his mystery woman. When he hadn’t given up the ghost of his mystery woman. When Willow didn’t know there was a mystery woman…
    Tyler raised his arms into the air and stretched until his back cracked, realizing he wasn’t doing anything productive by staring at the figures he’d put on paper. Figures he wasn’t even sure were right, since the entire time he’d been trying to work through them, his mind had been on other things.
    Like the way Willow’s coal-black hair fell around her shoulders in a silken curtain. Like how much he wanted to run his hands through that hair. How much he’d wanted to find out for himself if it felt as smooth and sleek as it looked. How much he’d wanted to play with it, bury his face in it….
    Maybe his mind had been more than half on other things. Things like how much he’d wanted to cup her lovely face in his