Free The Charmer by Kate Hoffmann Page B

the one who rescued you and I found you attractive? Mostly because I wanted to see what you looked like naked and I figured if you knew who I was, you wouldn’t take off your clothes.”
    Alex thought about her explanation for a moment, then sighed. “I guess I understand. Is there anything else you’re keeping from me?”
    She shook her head. If she didn’t say the word
no,
then it wasn’t a full-fledged lie, was it? “My grandfather didn’t create that book, though. I run his gallery. I know his work. And that’s not his.”
    “I don’t get it. Why would someone send it in under his name? It doesn’t make sense.”
    Tenley jumped off the sofa. “I’m going to take care of the driveway before it starts to get dark. If the weather clears we could drive into town and see about your car.”
    “Are you that anxious to get rid of me?” he asked.
    “No,” she said. In truth, Tenley wished she could keep him for the rest of the week. Maybe even for the rest of the month. It was nice to have a man around, if only for the good sex. And the sex was really good. “But we don’t have much to eat for dinner. The snow isn’t going to plow itself. Besides, it will give you a chance to relax and read.”
    “I’ll come with you,” he said. “I can help.”
    “No, you’re the guest. I’ll be in soon. You can feed the dogs if you like.” She hurried over to the kitchen and retrieved two cans of dog food from beneath the sink.
    “You never told me their names, either.”
    “Dog,” Tenley said. “And Pup. The little one is Dog and the big one is Pup,” she said.
    “unusual names.”
    She slipped her bare feet into her boots, then tugged on her jacket. “They just wandered in one day and that’swhat I called them. Once they decided to stay, I didn’t see any reason to give them new names since they seemed quite happy with Dog and Pup.”
    “Do you always take in strays?” he asked.
    “I took you in, didn’t I?” She sent him a flirtatious glance, hoping that it might smooth over any ruffled feathers. He chuckled. So she hadn’t completely messed things up between them. If this revelation didn’t upset him, maybe he’d be fine learning that she was the artist behind the graphic novel he wanted.
    She zipped her coat up and pulled the hood tight around her face, then grabbed her gloves from her pockets. Sooner or later, he’d discover the whole truth. And after that, she’d have to try to explain her entire life to him. She could barely make sense of it herself.
    Her novel meant money to him. And he’d assume she’d want a share of the financial windfall. But Tenley wasn’t sure she wanted to turn a silly little scribble into a job. She wasn’t a decent artist. People would criticize and she didn’t think she’d be able to take that. Hell, there were a million reasons she could give him to go back to Chicago and leave her alone. But there was only one that made any sense to her.
    She was starting to imagine a future with him. Not marriage or children, but a relationship, a connection that went beyond what they shared sexually to something resembling affection and trust. She’d already wondered what it might be like to have him present in her life, to speak to him every day on the phone, to see him on weekends…to make plans.
    With a soft sigh, she trudged down the hill toward the shed. “I’ve spent less than twenty-four hours with the man,” she muttered to herself. “It’s a little early to confuse good sex with a relationship.”
    But would she even know a relationship if it dropped out of the sky and landed at her feet? She’d never been in love, never wanted to be with anyone for more than a night or two. Maybe after a second night together, she’d want him to go away.
    Tenley waded through a huge drift, then grabbed the shed door and slid it open. Her Jeep was inside, still coated with snow from the night before. The small tractor sat beside it. All these thoughts about the future