letters.
She lined her tiles up on the wooden rack, all the while her teeth played with her bottom lip. She concentrated on keeping a straight face and placed her letters—all seven—across the star in the center of the board. The word R-O-B-B-E-R-Y began her favorite game.
“A double word plus fifty points right off the bat?” Creighton’s voice was incredulous.
She shot him a grin and jiggled her eyebrows as Creighton had earlier.
He stared at her, mouth agape.
“Give me seventy-two points, big guy.” Fingers snapped. “Right off the bat.”
“I don’t believe this,” Creighton grumbled. He tore his gaze from hers and wrote down her score. He lined up his own letters and used the Y on the board to spell A-R-R-O-Y-O.
“What in the world is that?”
“A gulch. Dry, except when it flash floods.”
“And just how do you know that?”
“I read. Westerns.” He jerked his head towards the book she had seen earlier. “And Louis L’Amour.” Creighton frowned at the board. “That pretty much takes care of the Os and Rs.”
“Not quite.” Shana drew the syllables out as though they were compound words. With grand hand gestures and exaggerated moves, she placed her Z on a blue triple square down from the O of her first play and made the word O-O-Z-E.
Just as quick, Creighton used her E to place Q-U-I-T-E on the board.
“All right.” Shana jumped up. “This is war. What do you have to drink?”
“Apple cider?”
“Wait a minute, it’s my turn.” She plopped back down.
Creighton’s mouth formed an oval.
“So what if I take my games seriously. No big deal.” Shana tried to frown but couldn’t stop her mouth from quivering. A giggle escaped.
Creighton’s deep rumbling laugh joined hers.
They finished the game in less than an hour. Their vocal word play accentuated what they put on the game board. Shana won by seventeen points.
Their hands brushed as they picked up the letter tiles. Shana felt that zing of attraction travel through her arm until it ended in a sizzle at the base of her neck. She lifted her gaze. Her nose almost met Creighton’s. She dare not breathe. Dare she blink? This close, she noticed all the different colors in the depths of his hazel eyes, accentuated by dancing firelight. Shana waited, too caught up in the moment to process a thought. Did he want to kiss her?
Creighton lowered his lashes and pulled back.
Disappointed at his lack of response, and her desire for the unspoken, air escaped in a rush through her teeth. She eased back and rose to her feet.
“That stew and energetic game warmed me up.” She hugged her waist in an effort to regain control. “I think I’d like to walk back and cool off some.”
Creighton stood without a word and crossed into the kitchen to fish a flashlight from a drawer near the back door. He went into the combination mud room/bathroom and came out with a hooded sweatshirt.
“Raise your arms.” He smoothed the garment over her back and pulled the fleece down where it bunched across her shoulders. He patted her where the sleeve covered her hand. Then they parted without another word.
Wrapped in the masculine, outdoorsy smell of Creighton, her mind churned with the idea of them as man and woman, as well as embarrassment. She followed the bright beam of light through the darkness. Did Creighton think she was bad news, not worthy of a little kiss?
A sudden rustle welcomed Shana into the windbreak and a bird squawked as it took flight. She stopped, attempting to calm her pulse. Shana squinted at the milky half-moon shining through the whispering pine branches. “Oh, what am I going to do?”
The moon didn’t answer.
****
“I need to cool off,” Creighton growled as he shoved the drawer shut on the stored Scrabble game. He crossed from locking the front door to recheck the back one that he had secured after Shana left. He forgot to tell her he locked up at night. He slid his gaze over the expanse of the common room,
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