“Wow,” Amber whispered.
“Yeah.” Emma caught her friend’s arm. “We can talk inside the shop.”
Once inside the boutique, Emma fanned herself. “If I wasn’t married to Cade …” Her eyes softened with love. “Who am I kidding? Cade is the love of my life.”
“I know,” Amber murmured. She’d never seen her friend happier than when she’d fallen in love with Cade Winters, an ex-rodeo star. Now they were married and lived on Cade’s ranch. Emma bred quarter-horses and Cade had a herd of cattle as well as his horse-training business.
Emma smiled. “I wanted to buy a new nightgown for my vacation. Cade and I are going to Hawaii for a couple of weeks.” She wiggled her eyebrows impishly. “I want to surprise him.”
“That’s right.” Amber bit her lip. She’d been so caught up in her promotion that she’d forgotten her friend was going next week - to Maui!
“It’s okay.” Emma must have seen her flash of guilt. “I know you’ve been busy with all this.” She waved her hand at the interior of the boutique.
One section of the small shop contained elegant nightwear and pretty lingerie, while at the opposite end, practical denim jeans and riding boots decorated the displays. In between, adorable floral cardigans, blouses for work and play, and flatteringly cut plus-size dresses dominated the space. Two small changing rooms were tucked away in a corner.
Amber frowned. “You haven’t mentioned Mikhail before, have you?” Although she didn’t think she would have forgotten her friend telling her about a sexy European arriving in Coldwater Springs, a small Wyoming ranching community.
“Nope.” Emma smiled. “He’s only been here a couple of months. He bought the Johnson ranch, Green Pines, down the road from us. Cade’s hired him to look after the horses while we’re away. Mikhail didn’t want any payment, but Cade insisted, since it won’t be a five minute job.”
Amber looked at her friend in dismay. “Do you mean we haven’t hung out for two months?”
Emma shrugged. “Pretty much.” She patted her friend’s hand. “But now you’ve got a handle on your promotion--” she looked around the boutique “--I’m hoping we can catch up when I get back from vacation.”
“It’s a date.” Amber smiled, looking forward to it already. She’d neglected all her friends lately, and vowed not to do so again.
“Speaking of dates,” Emma said casually, strolling over to the nightwear section, “I think Mikhail would be perfect for you.”
“Emma!” Her cheeks heated at the remembered touch of his hands on her arms, and the clasp of his hand around hers. She hadn’t had a boyfriend for a while - a long while - or even a date for that matter, but that didn’t mean she would automatically be interested in the first new man she met, did it?
Although … Mikhail wasn’t like any other man she’d met - ever. It had only been a few minutes, but she had an impression of strength, decisiveness, and tenderness. She’d always told herself not to judge a person solely on their appearance but there had been something about Mikhail that had appealed to her on every single level.
She studied her figure in the full-length mirror in the corner of the shop. The taupe wide-leg pants and plain mauve t-shirt with matching cardigan suited her curves.
Her shoulder-length mid-brown hair (boring brown, she privately called it), waved teasingly at the ends. Green-flecked hazel eyes stared back at her. Today, her large bust didn’t look too bad, encased as it was in a secure sports bra, while her hips and tummy were rounded - too rounded, she thought despairingly.
Forget about Mikhail. Just because you’re attracted to him - instantly attracted - doesn’t mean he’s attracted to you. You were just lucky he was there to stop you falling.
She made a face at herself in the mirror. It would have been so embarrassing if she’d fallen over on the sidewalk. Even more embarrassing if she’d knocked those two little boys over too.
Thank goodness Mikhail was there.
“He’s Russian, by the way.”
Emma’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts. “What? Sorry, I was …”
“Thinking about Mikhail?” Her friend teased.
Amber tried to stem her blush. “No! I was just …”
Emma giggled. “It’s okay. I’ve been there - with Cade.”
“Of course you have.” Amber returned the other woman’s smile.
“Mikhail’s Russian. In case you were wondering about his accent. It is kind of sexy.”
“Yeah.” Amber sighed, allowing herself to remember the timbre of his voice when he spoke to her and the way she’d shivered deliciously. Then she snapped back to reality. “But he‘ll only be a fantasy,” she whispered to herself.