Cowboy After Dark by Vicki Lewis Thompson

critters living in it are Grady and me. He needed a big space for a workshop, so we bought this old barn and fixed it up. We built a couple of bedrooms in the loft, and he uses the lower floor for his work. We have a kitchen down there, too. The stained glass window would go in the loft. You could probably come up with something nice.”
    “I might be able to design it, but I couldn’t make it. I haven’t started taking lessons.”
    “That’s okay. It’s not like we would need one made next week.”
    She searched for some way to respond to his subtle implication that they’d stay in touch. In the end she couldn’t think of anything to say that wouldn’t sound ridiculous. It was too early to clarify that she was interested in only a brief affair. They hadn’t even kissed.
    She thought they would kiss. She hoped so, in fact. Thoughts of his mouth jacked up her pulse rate. Depending on what happened after that, she could make her little speech and see how he reacted. Now that he was focusing on her creative potential, she had even more reason to keep her emotional distance.
    He’d caught her off guard with his question of how she made use of her imagination these days. No one had ever thought to ask her that. Maybe they thought she could shut off that part of her brain like turning off a spigot. If only.
    Liam lived with a full-time artist, so that probably explained why he’d asked. He knew if Grady stopped doing metal sculpture, he’d find another creative outlet. So would she, but she hadn’t counted on it taking so long.
    While she was making the journey, though, she didn’t want anybody else involved. She’d already paid the price for letting someone in, and she didn’t care to pay it again. What she did with her supercharged imagination was her business. She shouldn’t have mentioned the stained glass, but lesson learned. If she didn’t want him poking around in her inner life, she’d best keep her mouth shut about it.
    “We’re almost there.”
    His words startled her. She’d been so engrossed in her thoughts that she’d forgotten to be nervous about the dense woods. But up ahead on the left, there was a break in the tree line. That must be the entrance to the meadow.
    “After we leave the road,” he continued, “the footing won’t be as even and we’ll be going up a rise, but you’ll be able to see better when we’re out in the open.”
    “I look forward to that.”
    He glanced back at her. “You’ve been a good sport, Hope.”
    She smiled, even though he probably couldn’t see her do it. “Thanks.”
    “You’ll like the meadow, even if you can’t see the wildflowers.” He faced forward and turned Navarre to the left. “It’s been dry the past few days so we won’t have to worry about mud, but there’s a little ditch at the edge of the road. Let Isabeau have her head and she’ll cross it just fine.”
    Hope loosened the reins and held onto the saddle horn to keep steady as Isabeau executed the ditch. The mare was a sweetheart. Horses had never played a part in her books, but after meeting Isabeau and Navarre, she could imagine how she could weave them into—no. No. That chapter of her life was over. She’d take stock of her finances and see whether she could afford to try stained glass.
    Liam continued up a gentle slope as the trees fell away to create an open space. The horses’ hooves crushed the grass and the fragrance rose around them, reminding Hope of summers in the park flying kites. She’d never been an outdoorsy kid, but she’d loved kites.
    “This is far enough.” Liam brought Navarre to a halt. “I brought a blanket if you’d like to get down.”
    “That sounds nice.” She was touched by his respectful manner. Maybe she should have dated cowboys. The ones she’d met from Thunder Mountain Ranch were real gentlemen.
    “Stay right there. I’ll spread out the blanket and then help you down.”
    Although she was perfectly capable of dismounting on her own,