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she tilted back her head for a long sip. When she
    opened her eyes, he was watching her. His gaze slid away, but not before she noted the
    tightening of his jaw.
    “It’s very warm,” she drawled.
    He finished his drink and set the glass down, his eyes narrowing on her.
    “Would you like another?” she asked.
    His gaze swept down her body and he swallowed. “Not right now,” he said, his
    voice gruff, “but thanks.” He picked up his hammer and a couple of nails and went
    back to work.
    A spring in her step, she went back to her chores as well.
    35
    Delilah Devlin
    * * * * *
    Chipping away at paint that glued one window to its casing, her gaze returned to
    the porch for the hundredth time that day. Only now, Daniel was drawing his shirt over
    his head, baring his broad back and tapered waist. His skin was tanned, and the ridged
    muscles rippled as he shouldered several long planks.
    Her mouth grew dry, and her belly tightened. God, how she wanted him! If the
    sideways glances he’d given her throughout the morning were any indication, he felt
    the same way. Their sly appraisals of each other felt like foreplay, building a slow heat
    that threatened to flicker into flame with the slightest encouragement.
    Realizing the direction of her thoughts, she berated herself. She should be ashamed.
    She was in full-blown lust over a man she didn’t even know. The last thing she needed
    was another man in her life, especially when she hadn’t completely shed herself of the
    last one. She was a fool to stand here drooling over a cowboy.
    Placing the tip of the screwdriver into the corner where window met the casing, she
    pounded the end with a hammer, working her way along the corner to free the
    window. She continued to pound away her frustration, until she felt a hand at her
    shoulder. Startled, she whipped around. Daniel stood behind her.
    “Let me see if I can get that open for you.”
    She moved away and he grabbed the window to push it up. His jaw tightened and
    his forearms bulged. With a crack, the paint gave and he shoved it upward.
    Grinning, he looked back at her. She knew she must have looked like a deer in the
    headlights, but she couldn’t seem to take her eyes off the broad, bare chest that
    stretched endlessly in front of her eyes.
    “Need help with anything else?” he drawled.
    The gravelly texture of his voice drew her attention upward. Her heart pounded as
    she read the intent in is expression and his face drew near hers.
    The kiss was light. His lips rubbed softly against hers, never opening. It wasn’t a
    carnal kiss. It was sweetly innocent and exploring. Her hands rose to rest against his
    36
    Ride a Cowboy
    damp chest and she felt a ripple of response as the muscles tightened and flexed
    beneath her caress.
    She rose on her tiptoes to deepen the kiss, but his head lifted. The look he gave her
    held a solemn promise. She didn’t know how to interpret it, and was more confused
    than ever when he released her and went back to the porch to pry another board loose.
    Why had he stopped? Her husband had never kissed her with just his lips, and his
    kisses always led to sex. Was she confused because she didn’t understand Daniel’s
    intent or because she wanted more? The last thing I should need is another man in my life,
    especially one who could have his choice of any woman he wants.
    At midday she stopped to make sandwiches for them both and delivered the meal
    on a tray with drinks. She sat opposite him on the porch steps and barely glanced his
    way while they ate. The strain of the hard physical work, as well as her efforts to ignore
    her clamoring hormones, had finally left her tired enough to relax next to him and just
    enjoy the sight of his naked, glistening chest.
    He cleared his throat, drawing her gaze upward. “There’s a dance Saturday night.”
    He looked away and shrugged. “It’s an annual thing to raise money for the volunteer
    fire department. I’d like to take you.”
    Startled,