When she met the lonesome stud cowboy, Jimmy, she knew he was the one. So why was their communication always so awkward? Couldn't he see that she was interested in him? No matter how hard she tried to win him over, she couldn't seem to get him to see past his first impression of her. But Sammie didn't give up easily. Somehow she would make him see that they were meant to be together, but how can she do that when all of her plans keep falling apart?
She tapped her lower lip, and after a few seconds started walking at a brisk pace, which caused her barely restrained chest to bounce. His thoughts strayed to places they shouldn't, so he forced himself to get better control of his mind. And just in case some drool had seeped out, he wiped his mouth.
Even after some firm self-talk, did he stop? No. To his shame, he kept staring. The habit went beyond mere attraction. He could not get enough of her.
Something about her fascinated him. Something beyond her beautiful hair and delicate face. Something beyond the alluring figure she attempted to hide as she tugged on her corset.
He never understood how some men found ultra-skinny women appealing. As he continued to study her he realized that she looked a bit shy when she smiled at people who passed by. She also appeared more than a little bit nervous. Maybe that was what had intrigued him. Maybe his first impression of her had been wrong.
Her demeanor made him think of a librarian, not a saloon girl. Her extreme attempt at modesty made her that much more attractive to him. So why did she dress like that?
A chuckle escaped him as she adjusted her top again. She didn't have the part of a brazen woman figured out and even wore her boa wrong, as if trying to cover herself.
Upon her fiancé's death, Laney became a recluse who only left her home for emergencies. She managed to survive - barely - on food delivery service and her work-at-home job. When she tries to move on from her grief, the commemorative meal she orders is ruined. However, it leads to an unlikely friendship with an attractive man, Bojan, who speaks little English.
As he befriends Laney he continually says the wrong things, but he doesn't give up trying to win her trust. Meanwhile, she has this strange feeling of being watched and wonders if she's losing her mind.
Complicating things further, every time she leaves her house something bad happens, confirming that she is safer at home. Can Bojan convince Laney she'll be safe with him, or will his presence put her in further danger? Will he be able to protect the woman he loves before it's too late?
"Where's Tom?" Her voice trembled, betraying her still-fragile emotions, her fear.
"Sick. He has bad cold." The corner of his mouth curved upward, and he held out the boxes containing her order. "Your food?"
"Please, come in?" she asked again and licked her lips, a nervous habit that used to drive her sister crazy. What she wouldn't do to have her sister back, even if it meant getting nagged about her quirks all the time.
The man nodded and averted his eyes as he stepped inside, then captured her gaze again. A deep, tender expression teased his suntanned face.
Warmth melted her insides. It should be illegal to heat a woman's heart with an intimate glance within minutes of meeting her.
Though the same intense look in the past — before Sam — would've made her desire an invitation to dinner, this man's attention made her melt on the spot. If only dating didn't require leaving the safety of her house.
While in Arizona, she stays with her future sister-in-law, but as her brother's wedding approaches he is concerned that she will be unsafe staying alone. Her brother has his close friend, her boss Randy, stay with her while they are away to protect her, only she objects to being treated like a child. A handsome stranger is pursuing her and she likes it, but she has no idea his intentions are for her destruction.
On the other hand her boss, Randy, is a wholesome, good man who even speaks her language. She can't imagine a nice man like him wanting a woman with her history, so she pursues the dangerous man, but she gets in way over her head. At the same time she discovers a surprising attraction to Randy developing, and because she is afraid of her feelings toward him, she does everything she can think of to scare him off. But he's tough to shake loose, which is, of course, exactly what she needs to heal.
"Alo?" She decided to speak to him in their native tongue so Laney wouldn't understand her if she started correcting him for what he was doing. She would keep her voice calm, but her meaning would be clear. Boki was starting to get on her nerves. He was smothering her.
"Hello, my dear sestra. How are you?"
"I am good, my overprotective bratko. I told you before to stop pestering me. You do not need to follow us home. You said you would not do that to me anymore."
"I was not following for that reason. It is important that I speak with you in person."
"Okay, I will speak to you, but we will talk in private in case I get angry with you."
"You won't. I am only offering to do what is best. You know I worry about you."
Jovana rolled her eyes as Laney pulled into the garage and turned off the engine. Good thing her bratko couldn't see her gesture or he might be offended.
Laney touched Jovana's arm and whispered, "Is he giving you a hard time again?"
Jovana did not understand how time could be hard so she shrugged. So many sayings made no sense. It would take her forever to understand so many things.
"Chao." She pushed the button and ended their conversation. Handing Laney the cell phone, she said, "Fala, thank you."
"Is no problem." Laney imitated Boki's favorite saying and did such a great imitation that Jovana felt a giggle tickling her throat.
She pressed her fingers to her lips and tried to contain her mirth, but failed.
Boki pulled up next to them in the garage and killed the engine. Always the gentleman, he opened Laney's door first. She watched her brother cradle Laney's face and lower his mouth to hers. Her face heated at the sight of their tender kissing. Would a man ever love her like that?
