Free Christmas in Cowboy Country by Janet Dailey Page A

can’t wait to do that .
    â€œChuck Pfeffer wants me to double-check my work, by the way.”
    â€œHe’s your boss.” She found it in her heart to forgive him for that, sort of, without actually saying those exact words.
    â€œOnly for this one job. And I’m pretty much finished.”
    â€œWhich reminds me. I stopped by the town clerk’s office. She said you’d been in.”
    â€œYup. Strictly routine. I have to check my measurements against the old ones. They’re almost always different.”
    The town clerk had said as much. Annie wasn’t sure how exactly to keep up her end of the conversation if they were going to talk about surveying.
    â€œI wouldn’t know. So how long have you been a surveyor?”
    â€œYears. All over the western states. I come and go. Never in one place for long.”
    Annie got the unspoken message. He wasn’t the kind of man who stuck around, even if he was single. The guardedness in his tone put her ever so slightly on edge.
    No holiday flings, she warned herself silently. She’d had exactly two in her life. The first, she’d chalked up to being only twenty and too naive to know better. The second, a few years later, she’d just been too lonely to say no. January could be cold in more ways than one.
    â€œHow’d you get started with that? Do you work for a company?”
    He only nodded at first. Then, as if he’d read her mind, he filled her in.
    â€œI answered an ad right out of college. Assistant wanted, will train . I was the guy who held the pole. I learned on the job.”
    â€œHow come you don’t have an assistant?”
    â€œI don’t really need one, not with electronic instruments. I use a remote to confirm the mark on the opposite side.”
    â€œOh.”
    He didn’t seem to mind answering her questions. It took both their minds off what would have been too weird to talk about: that incredible kiss in the darkened doorway.
    For a long moment, she forgot the rest of the pointed questions she’d intended to ask him. To make matters worse, the dog jumped up and wedged himself between them on the love seat, looking from Marshall’s face to hers as if he was watching a tennis match.
    â€œRowdy. Get down,” Marshall said after a while.
    â€œIt’s all right.” Annie patted the dog’s silky fur. “I don’t mind him.” Truth be told, she was grateful for Rowdy’s presence. A staring dog made a pretty good chaperone.
    â€œWell, I do. Down.” The dog picked up on his stern tone of voice and jumped down, heading for a brand-new dog bed that she hadn’t noticed.
    Aww. Marshall had gone all out for the stray. “I hope Rowdy knows how lucky he is,” Annie said.
    â€œThe word is spoiled . My guess would be he’s never slept on anything but a pile of feed sacks in a barn.” He shook his head and shot a look toward the dog that was a lot more affectionate than annoyed.
    Annie was definitely melting. Marshall turned and looked in her eyes. Maybe he really could read her mind, because he leaned over and kissed her. It was better than the first time. In fact, it was sublime.
    It just didn’t last long enough. His lips brushed her cheek, raising a scorching heat in her sensitive skin that had nothing to do with the fire. Then he claimed her mouth with his, teasing her sensually with his tongue as his strong hand slipped into her hair, stroking through her dark locks and finally coming to rest on the nape of her neck. Dreamily, Annie surrendered to the sensation, desiring nothing more than the feeling of his hand cradling her head while she kissed him back.
    She was expecting him to go further, to take her in his arms, but Marshall drew back. There was a hot gleam in his half-lidded eyes as he looked down at her. Curled on the love seat beside him, thinking about jumping into his lap, Annie only gazed back at him. Thinking hard. And