fled from her mind.
Drew gave a soft whistle when he saw the nearly completed painting on Teri's easel. "You are one talented lady, ma'am."
Teri smiled her thanks for the compliment as she donned her painter's smock. That Texas drawl of his was enough to dispel the last of her fears. She was suddenly very glad she hadn't had his phone number to stop him from coming today. "I almost called you this morning but I don't have your number. It didn't come up on my caller ID. Are you still staying at Ann's?"
He was busy spreading out the contents of his shopping bag on the table as he answered. "Oh. I thought you had my cell number." He wrote it down for her. "As to staying with Ann... as of yesterday afternoon, I moved into a place in Tarrytown. It's just a furnished efficiency, but it's all I need at the moment. It was wonderful of Ann to let me stay, but I was really ready for a space of my own."
"Still, you're lucky to have her."
"Don't I know it. She says she has a weakness for lonely cowboys."
Teri chuckled. "Her and a few million other women." When he turned his head back to her and raised one dark eyebrow, she quickly added, "It's one of the so-called feminine fantasies, which is why historical western romances have always been so popular."
Turning the rest of his body toward her with his hands fisted on his hips, he gave her his full attention. "You mean women find something romantic about cleaning stables and listening to cattle moan all night?"
She laughed at his disbelieving expression. "More like they imagine riding off into the sunset on a big, black stallion across the wide-open prairie, with a barely civilized but immensely capable man." Her mind flashed an image of Drew as that cowboy with her cradled in front of him, between his spread thighs. She laughed again, this time at her overactive imagination, and started preparing her paints. "You should try reading one."
Drew wasn't ready to abandon such a fascinating subject. He rolled a stool up next to hers and perched on it with one boot heel hooked on the upper rung. "Tell me more about these feminine fantasies."
She thought he was teasing her, but his brown eyes were bright with sincere interest. "You really want to know?"
"Sounds like the kind of inside information that could come in mighty helpful." Then, with a wink, he tacked on, "In my new line of work, that is. Marketing to the female psyche is a big part of an advertising photo."
Teri groaned as she realized he was teasing a little, but she didn't feel threatened by him. It had been so long since she'd relaxed around a man that she couldn't remember how to counter innocent innuendo. She opted for a serious answer to his reasonable request. "Mind you, the only reason I know this is because of an article I read. Besides the cowboy, there's the Cinderella/Prince Charming fantasy and the captor/captive angle, where the heroine is more or less forced to do what she wanted to do anyway, but couldn't for one reason or another."
"That one sounds twisted."
Teri pursed her mouth thoughtfully. "It's probably best not to try to figure out what women fantasize about."
Drew leaned forward, crossing his arms over his bent denim-covered knee. "And what about you, Teri? What's your fantasy?"
His deep voice had softened, making Teri think of black velvet brushing against her bare skin. Her common sense told her not to answer, to get to work, to send him back to his side of the room. Her rebellious emotions demanded she answer and extend the luxury of his freely offered attention a little longer. "I... I don't know," she hedged with a shrug. His finger stroked her cheek and it felt cool against her warm flesh.
"Why, I do believe you're blushin', ma'am. C'mon, tell the lonely, barely civilized cowboy which kind of fantasy makes you want to ride off into the sunset with a man."
She laughed at him. "Why don't you get to work, cowboy ?"
"Cain't. Once my curiosity's aroused, it's like an itch that needs
Drew gave a soft whistle when he saw the nearly completed painting on Teri's easel. "You are one talented lady, ma'am."
Teri smiled her thanks for the compliment as she donned her painter's smock. That Texas drawl of his was enough to dispel the last of her fears. She was suddenly very glad she hadn't had his phone number to stop him from coming today. "I almost called you this morning but I don't have your number. It didn't come up on my caller ID. Are you still staying at Ann's?"
He was busy spreading out the contents of his shopping bag on the table as he answered. "Oh. I thought you had my cell number." He wrote it down for her. "As to staying with Ann... as of yesterday afternoon, I moved into a place in Tarrytown. It's just a furnished efficiency, but it's all I need at the moment. It was wonderful of Ann to let me stay, but I was really ready for a space of my own."
"Still, you're lucky to have her."
"Don't I know it. She says she has a weakness for lonely cowboys."
Teri chuckled. "Her and a few million other women." When he turned his head back to her and raised one dark eyebrow, she quickly added, "It's one of the so-called feminine fantasies, which is why historical western romances have always been so popular."
Turning the rest of his body toward her with his hands fisted on his hips, he gave her his full attention. "You mean women find something romantic about cleaning stables and listening to cattle moan all night?"
She laughed at his disbelieving expression. "More like they imagine riding off into the sunset on a big, black stallion across the wide-open prairie, with a barely civilized but immensely capable man." Her mind flashed an image of Drew as that cowboy with her cradled in front of him, between his spread thighs. She laughed again, this time at her overactive imagination, and started preparing her paints. "You should try reading one."
Drew wasn't ready to abandon such a fascinating subject. He rolled a stool up next to hers and perched on it with one boot heel hooked on the upper rung. "Tell me more about these feminine fantasies."
She thought he was teasing her, but his brown eyes were bright with sincere interest. "You really want to know?"
"Sounds like the kind of inside information that could come in mighty helpful." Then, with a wink, he tacked on, "In my new line of work, that is. Marketing to the female psyche is a big part of an advertising photo."
Teri groaned as she realized he was teasing a little, but she didn't feel threatened by him. It had been so long since she'd relaxed around a man that she couldn't remember how to counter innocent innuendo. She opted for a serious answer to his reasonable request. "Mind you, the only reason I know this is because of an article I read. Besides the cowboy, there's the Cinderella/Prince Charming fantasy and the captor/captive angle, where the heroine is more or less forced to do what she wanted to do anyway, but couldn't for one reason or another."
"That one sounds twisted."
Teri pursed her mouth thoughtfully. "It's probably best not to try to figure out what women fantasize about."
Drew leaned forward, crossing his arms over his bent denim-covered knee. "And what about you, Teri? What's your fantasy?"
His deep voice had softened, making Teri think of black velvet brushing against her bare skin. Her common sense told her not to answer, to get to work, to send him back to his side of the room. Her rebellious emotions demanded she answer and extend the luxury of his freely offered attention a little longer. "I... I don't know," she hedged with a shrug. His finger stroked her cheek and it felt cool against her warm flesh.
"Why, I do believe you're blushin', ma'am. C'mon, tell the lonely, barely civilized cowboy which kind of fantasy makes you want to ride off into the sunset with a man."
She laughed at him. "Why don't you get to work, cowboy ?"
"Cain't. Once my curiosity's aroused, it's like an itch that needs
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