The Rancher and the Event Planner - By Cheryl Gorman Page 0,5
stomach, fueled a rapid beat to her pulse and still made her wonder, but she was a grown woman now, not a little girl with a foolish crush. Besides, Rafe McCord never felt anything more for her than sisterly affection. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
He cleared his throat and looked down at his plate. “Sorry, it’s just that you’ve changed a lot since I last saw you.”
“Thank you. Being away from this town has helped.” With a little luck, she’d fulfill her community service hours in no time and get back to her normal life.
“Salvation isn’t all that bad is it?”
JC raised a brow. “Maybe not from where you’re standing.”
Rafe laughed. “Okay, let’s talk about the town’s revitalization that my brother roped you into instead.”
***
She reached for her brief case sitting beside her chair and when she leaned over, the front of her blouse puckered open giving Rafe a glimpse of the tops of her creamy, full breasts and a hint of pink lace on her bra. Desire toasted his stomach from the inside out like the sun burning off an early morning fog then eased lower to his groin. He shifted in his seat.
Thank Christ, the feminine display only lasted a few seconds before she sat straight in her chair again. But then a tendril of hair loosened from the twist on the back of her head, fluttered against her skin and focused his attention on her smooth neck and delicate collar bone. Tighten your cinch, McCord.
He’d had little interest or even a reaction to the women in town who’d flaunted themselves in front of him like mares teasing a stud since Caroline passed away. Why was he reacting this way to the sister of his best friend? If Cade suspected he was attracted to Jennifer, a steep canyon would open up between them and all of their years of friendship would be lost. No way would Rafe let that happen. Besides, he had Molly to consider. His little girl would be caught in the middle just like last time. He threw a mental bucket of cold water on his feelings and focused on the task at hand.
“First, I’d like to call a meeting of the town’s business owners to find out what they need to help their businesses thrive,” Jennifer suggested. “Then we’ll need to come up with a budget and business plan that coincides with the rules of the “best vacation” contest.”
Rafe listened to her ideas about offering free summer events like fireworks, contests, hot air balloon rides and other special festivities and he was impressed. She assured him she would pull out all the stops and use her contacts with hotels, marketers, printers and other vendors to help the town prepare for each event.
As she talked, her eyes lit up and her hands grew more animated. She also smiled a lot which didn’t help the attraction he’d been feeling since he first laid eyes on her a little while ago.
He took a swig of iced tea. “I thought you didn’t like it here?”
Her eyes widened slightly. “I don’t.”
Rafe arched a brow. “Could’ve fooled me. You all but hopped around in your seat like a Mexican jumping bean while you were laying out your plans. I’d say you’re downright excited about helping the town.”
She nibbled on a roll, her pink lips nipped at the bread, her tongue licked away the crumbs and melted butter. A flare of giddy-up lust gripped him. Damn it, he had to crush these feelings under his boot heel or he’d be in more trouble than a baby calf stuck in a mud hole. “I love my job, that’s all. My excitement has nothing to do with this pot-hole-in-the-road town. As soon as I satisfy the terms of my sentence, I’ll be gone faster than a bride can say ‘I do.’”
Good. The sooner she was out of town the better. After she was gone, he was certain this foolish attraction he was hitched to would unhitch itself and he’d get back to normal. Besides, he wasn’t relationship material.
***
“Well, if it isn’t Jennifer Barrett. I heard you were in town.”
Since JC had shaken the dust of Salvation from her shoes years ago, she’d hoped she would never hear that voice again, but since she was back in Salvation, seeing Rona Langston, former homecoming queen and cast-iron bitch, was bound to happen. But JC was no longer an insecure little wren wearing hand-me-downs. She was a strong, confident woman dressed in fashionable