After the Storm: Clean Historical Western Cowboy Romance Novel (Dawson Chronicles Book 2) by Linda Bridey Page A

them. 
                  Why hadn’t she thought of Tim in those terms before?  He was a very handsome man with his dark brown hair and brown eyes.  He resembled his mother, Lacey, more than he did Joe.  He was tall, broad-shouldered, and strong.  And he had a great smile, with a dimple in his right cheek. 
                  Unlike other men, Tim had never pawed at her or treated her with anything but respect and affection.  He always showed her a good time and insisted on paying for everything, which showed his good upbringing.  Tim’s sense of humor matched hers and he never made her feel like her opinion didn’t matter because she was a woman.  Just the opposite was true.  He was always interested in what she thought and they discussed all sorts of serious subjects.
                  “You look deep in thought,” said Dr. Marcus Samuels as he sat down across the table from her.  “Mind if I sit with you?”
                  She smiled at the handsome man.  “Of course not, Dr. Samuels.  I’m always happy to have the company of such a fine-looking man.  Not to mention smart.”
                  His gray eyes crinkled attractively as he smiled.  “Flirting will get you everywhere, but don’t tell my wife.”
                  “I won’t if you don’t,” she teased.  “You’re a man.”
                  He chuckled.  “How nice of you to notice.”
                  “A great man whom women notice, doctor.  I’ve seen them.”
                  Marcus put a hand to his chest.  “I’m not surprised.  I am quite a catch, you know.  Handsome and smart, as you pointed out, and I do hold a prestigious position in town.  I’m a good dancer and I can whistle, too.  Need I go on?”
                  Renee laughed.  “No, I think you covered everything.  What I meant was that you can give me a man’s point of view.”
                  Marcus ate a spoonful of beef vegetable soup before responding.  “What would you like to know?”
                  “Well, I’ve recently come to discover that a man whom I thought was just a friend thinks of me as more than that.  I don’t know what to do about it.  It caught me off guard,” she replied.
                  “Is he a good man?”
                  “A very good man.  Kind, funny, thoughtful, and handsome, too,” she said.
                  Marcus asked, “So what’s the problem then?  He sounds like a good catch.  Does he have steady work?  Is he responsible and honest?”
                  “Yes.  He’s all of those things.  The thing is that I like having a male friend and I’m afraid if we explore a relationship, which I’ve never done before, that we’ll destroy our friendship if it doesn’t work out,” she said.
                  “You’ve never been courted before?  I know that’s sort of become antiquated now.  You’ve never seriously dated anyone?” he asked.
                  “No.  I’ve been out with men, but nothing serious.  I’ve never met anyone whom I liked well enough to see more than one or two times,” she said.  “And for the past few months, I’ve been interested in someone, but it turns out that he’s been afraid to go against Pa’s wishes regarding me.”
                  Marcus smiled.  “Switch objected to this man, I take it.  God, I remember when he was just this gawky kid, and now he has grown kids.”
                  “Yes, he objected and he’s been warning men away from me.  Apparently, I have quite the reputation around town, which I find odd since no one has ever said anything to me,” she said.  “I don’t really give a damn except that it’s prompted Pa to go behind my back.”
                  “Well, fathers are like that with their