Read Online Rocky Mountain Angels by Jodi Bowersox [romance] - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jodi Bowersox [romance]
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on her thigh but gripped the canopy pole beside him instead. “Okay, so picture me dismantling this bed and chucking it out the window.”
“No!”
“All right, the bed’s a keeper.” Hallelujah, I like the bed. “What about the passionate bright red chenille bedspread?”
“Well, I like the color... I’d be sad to see the color go.”
“How about your mosaic-tiled table and chairs in the kitchen?”
“Those belonged to my late aunt, so they stay.”
“Do they have to stay in the kitchen, or could they go outside where they belong?”
Mari opened one eye and gave him a look. “I’m just a poor college student, you know.” She opened both. “Okay, I think I can do the rest of this evaluation by myself.”
“Can you? I mean, seriously, this sappy cowboy painting... what do you like about it?”
“I like the colors in the sunset. I guess I just block out the silhouette of the cowboy and see that dark spot as counter-balancing the oranges and pinks.”
By her expression, he guessed that she was as baffled by the way she saw the world as he was. It seemed to be all about color. Okay, we can work with that . “So, do you even see the styles, the textures, the design?”
She closed her eyes again, bending her head and clasping her hands under her nose. “Yes.”
“But it’s hard work?”
She opened her eyes and dropped her hands.“Yes, and I have to admit, I’m a spontaneous shopper. If it grabs my eye and makes me smile, I’ll buy it.” Her shy sideways glance nearly stopped Eli’s heart. Are we still talking about shopping?
Eli took a deep breath as her gaze fluttered through him. “I’d be glad to help you. We use the colors you love and just get them into one style—one theme—and who knows, maybe getting your house pointing in one direction will help you in other areas. Are you also a spontaneous shopper when it comes to college courses? I’d hate for you to waste more time getting a degree you won’t use.” He slipped his arm around her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “A degree that’s like that cowboy painting over there—pretty, but useless to the over-all theme.”
He rubbed his hand over her upper arm and held his breath. She didn’t pull away.
“You and my dad, both. But I don’t consider all of my time in school a waste. I’m just not using it to make money. I don’t think I’m spontaneous, really, when it comes to school; I was interested in every field I studied. They just didn’t pan out to be what I want to do with the rest of my life.
“And sometimes even if the interest was there, the talent wasn’t.” She looked at him, a hint of blush to her cheeks. “I have no illusions about my abilities in decorating, even if I do have a degree. I chucked it and started over in psychology. And” —she sighed— “I had to be honest with myself about psychology. While I found a lot of it fascinating, I soon realized I didn’t want to be a practicing psychologist, nor did I want to do research. I should have dropped out of that program halfway through.”
He was drawing lazy circles on her shoulder with his thumb. “Why didn’t you?”
“My parents were really invested in that particular field. They thought I had finally chosen well, and I think they were proud to tell their friends I was going to be a ‘doctor.’”
Eli wondered why she was struggling so hard to find a direction. “What are your passions, Mari?”
He let his hand fall away from her shoulder as she turned her whole body toward him, sliding her bent leg up between them. She seemed almost bursting to say something, her eyes bright, but then he watched as she swallowed whatever she had been about to tell him. She may as well have turned a key on her lips. He couldn’t keep himself from taking her hand resting on her knee. “Are you passionate about zoos, Mari Baker?”
“I love animals.”
“As visually oriented as you are, I bet you could sit and look at them
“No!”
“All right, the bed’s a keeper.” Hallelujah, I like the bed. “What about the passionate bright red chenille bedspread?”
“Well, I like the color... I’d be sad to see the color go.”
“How about your mosaic-tiled table and chairs in the kitchen?”
“Those belonged to my late aunt, so they stay.”
“Do they have to stay in the kitchen, or could they go outside where they belong?”
Mari opened one eye and gave him a look. “I’m just a poor college student, you know.” She opened both. “Okay, I think I can do the rest of this evaluation by myself.”
“Can you? I mean, seriously, this sappy cowboy painting... what do you like about it?”
“I like the colors in the sunset. I guess I just block out the silhouette of the cowboy and see that dark spot as counter-balancing the oranges and pinks.”
By her expression, he guessed that she was as baffled by the way she saw the world as he was. It seemed to be all about color. Okay, we can work with that . “So, do you even see the styles, the textures, the design?”
She closed her eyes again, bending her head and clasping her hands under her nose. “Yes.”
“But it’s hard work?”
She opened her eyes and dropped her hands.“Yes, and I have to admit, I’m a spontaneous shopper. If it grabs my eye and makes me smile, I’ll buy it.” Her shy sideways glance nearly stopped Eli’s heart. Are we still talking about shopping?
Eli took a deep breath as her gaze fluttered through him. “I’d be glad to help you. We use the colors you love and just get them into one style—one theme—and who knows, maybe getting your house pointing in one direction will help you in other areas. Are you also a spontaneous shopper when it comes to college courses? I’d hate for you to waste more time getting a degree you won’t use.” He slipped his arm around her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “A degree that’s like that cowboy painting over there—pretty, but useless to the over-all theme.”
He rubbed his hand over her upper arm and held his breath. She didn’t pull away.
“You and my dad, both. But I don’t consider all of my time in school a waste. I’m just not using it to make money. I don’t think I’m spontaneous, really, when it comes to school; I was interested in every field I studied. They just didn’t pan out to be what I want to do with the rest of my life.
“And sometimes even if the interest was there, the talent wasn’t.” She looked at him, a hint of blush to her cheeks. “I have no illusions about my abilities in decorating, even if I do have a degree. I chucked it and started over in psychology. And” —she sighed— “I had to be honest with myself about psychology. While I found a lot of it fascinating, I soon realized I didn’t want to be a practicing psychologist, nor did I want to do research. I should have dropped out of that program halfway through.”
He was drawing lazy circles on her shoulder with his thumb. “Why didn’t you?”
“My parents were really invested in that particular field. They thought I had finally chosen well, and I think they were proud to tell their friends I was going to be a ‘doctor.’”
Eli wondered why she was struggling so hard to find a direction. “What are your passions, Mari?”
He let his hand fall away from her shoulder as she turned her whole body toward him, sliding her bent leg up between them. She seemed almost bursting to say something, her eyes bright, but then he watched as she swallowed whatever she had been about to tell him. She may as well have turned a key on her lips. He couldn’t keep himself from taking her hand resting on her knee. “Are you passionate about zoos, Mari Baker?”
“I love animals.”
“As visually oriented as you are, I bet you could sit and look at them
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