Free Kissing the Bull by Kerri Nelson Page A

since she’d had a
fast-food break on the way into town, but she’d never tell Aunt Melba.
    “Duane, please put some clothes
on,” Melba reminded him as she good-naturedly popped him with the rolled-up
dish towel she was wringing in her hands.
    “Okay…all right…I’m going,”
Duane muttered as he sauntered off in the direction of the family room.
    “Baylor, you just run on
upstairs and get freshened up then, sugar. We’ll help you get settled after
supper.”
    Aunt Melba disappeared into the
kitchen and Baylor headed for the staircase. She smiled to herself as she took
the stairs two at a time, just as she had done as a kid. She’d spent a couple
of summers out here with her cousin Chris. They’d had so much fun back then.
But Baylor hadn’t spoken to him in years. She felt a little guilty that she’d
come here for help but had totally lost track of their son.
    After washing up and taking a
much-needed stretch from her long drive, Baylor found herself at the den’s big
bay window overlooking the ranch. She caught the sun setting and couldn’t help
but appreciate the sight. The red, purple, pink, yellow, and orange was just
amazing as it blended into the blue sky. This was a beautiful place and she was
glad to be here. She took a deep breath and let out a long sigh.
    “I just hope I can be happy
again,” Baylor said out loud to herself, and then turned to head toward the
dining room to see if she could help Aunt Mel with supper.
    That was when she ran into the
hard, muscled chest of a tall cowboy who was propped against the doorframe to
the den.
    “Oh, I’m sorry.” Baylor put her
hand over her chest in surprise, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. “You
scared the daylights out of me.” She attempted a warm smile at the stranger
despite her embarrassment.
    He nodded at her but remained
silent as he studied her intently with his deep hazel eyes. Baylor found herself gazing into the depths of them and was suddenly at a
loss for words.
    A jolt of heat and sexual
awareness surged through her, making her feel both giddy and stupid at the same
time.
    Clearing her throat in an
attempt to snap herself out of the trance, Baylor extended her hand. “I’m
Baylor Stivers .”
    He studied her a moment longer
and then looked down at her proffered hand. Baylor thought he was going to
refuse, but he finally reached out and took her hand firmly in his own.
    It seemed weird, but Baylor
could have sworn she felt a tingle go up her arm and down her back. She shook
her head at the feeling and tried another smile at this man. He didn’t really
shake her hand, but only held it in a rigid grasp.
    It was warm and she could feel
the rough evidence of hard work against her smooth palm. A flicker of an image
of that hand rolling her taut nipple into a frenzy made her blush and pull her hand away.
    What has gotten into me?
    Before she could humiliate
herself further, Aunt Melba came to the rescue in a flurry of activity,
chattering about dinner being ready.
    “Oh good, Baylor, I see you’ve
met Wyatt.”
    Baylor stuck her hand into the
pocket of her jeans and tried to refocus her thoughts out of the adult-rated
images she’d just had about this complete stranger.
    “Well, sort of…” She looked
back up at Wyatt, who was still gazing at her with the same straight-faced
intensity. She’d noticed how his eyes had never wavered or left her face, even
when Aunt Melba had entered the room.
    Baylor knew she was being
studied, observed, and sized up. Almost as if he saw her as competition.
    She shrugged off the thought.
He was probably just trying to figure out how long it would take before he
could get into her pants.
    And if my own fantasies are any indication, it won’t be long.
    Blushing again at her explicit
mental confession, Baylor turned and followed her aunt into the dining room.
She had to put some distance between herself and this man.
    But as she left, she allowed
one more quick peek backward. He was still