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horn that made him want to keep an eye on her. No telling what kind of trouble she could get into out her all by herself with as little knowledge of farm life as she had.
    It took him about three minutes to assess the situation before he spoke. “Okay, you be thinking about it and I’ll stop by next week and we’ll take a look at what needs to be done.”
    She slapped her bare leg and grinned. “Sounds like a plan, Gabe.”
    Dad-gum if her nose didn’t wrinkle again.
    Gabe realized for about the umpteenth time he was staring at her. He dropped his silly grin, tipped his hat, and climbed into his pickup. All in all, he thought, his first visit back to his…uh , the farm went pretty well. He adjusted his rearview mirror only twice as he rolled down the gravel lane.

 
    Chapter Four
     
     
    Tess smiled as she watched his truck tear off down the road, and wondered about this mysterious man. There were few men in her life that she could actually label true gentlemen. Aside from her father and random others, the art of showing manners seemed a lost art. She never realized before that she found manners attractive in a man…until this morning. Of course, being honest with herself, she knew it was more than his manners that she found appealing. The man practically radiated country perfection, from his dark sparkling eyes under the Stetson to the way his jeans hugged his lean hips. Even as determined as Tess was about not getting involved with anyone, a woman would have to be dead to not be jarred by that country cowboy.
    She settled back on her elbows and gazed up at the clear blue sky. Squinting her eyes against the morning sun, she relished how the billowy clouds floated by. Her whole life lay before her, as endless and beautiful as the summer morning sky. She pulled off her sweatshirt, and wadded it beneath her head as a cushion.
    The sun warmed her skin, causing her thoughts to shift to Gabe Russell. His face was rugged, yet in a gentle, handsome way. A man not afraid of hard work probably, yet there was something vulnerable about him as well. Tess threw her arm over her eyes shading them from the heat. His skin was tan, long hours in the sun no doubt, but she was glad he didn’t have one of those hat tan lines striped across his forehead. Her thoughts traveled toward the mental image of her recent visitor, seeing in her mind’s eye, the chiseled curves beneath his cotton t-shirt. She wondered if he was tan all over.
    The bold thought, so unlike her, made her heat from the inside. Tess fought the urge to acknowledge the fantasy teasing at the edge of her mind. She couldn’t lie to herself, she was damn curious to know how it would feel to glide her fingers over the muscle she saw outlined through his shirt. Maybe it had been too long since Richard, though she couldn’t recall ever having this primal curiosity before.
    The heat of sun caused her thoughts to drift again. Gabe appeared, through the fog, sitting on a tractor. He pulled off his t-shirt revealing a tan and a perfectly sculpted body that caused Tess’s heart rate to skitter.
    She allowed her imagination free reign. Marginally aware of the distant twittering of a meadowlark and the occasional breeze stirring the leaves on the trees, Tess snuggled up mentally to her daydream.
    He had a heart-stopping grin as he walked toward her with a slow, tantalizing gait. “Lunch ready?”  He pulled her up so she stood face to face with his glittering gaze. “I’m hungry.” He picked her up, holding her close to his chest already warm from the sun. Her hand slid over the muscle, pleased to see the dimple in his cheek deepen. His fingers found the screen door handle, easing it enough for his foot to kick it all the way open. He slid her down his body slow and easy, holding her gaze with a wicked, ravenous gleam in his eye.
    “I think we need a shower.” His face lowered to hers and she could feel his breath hot on her cheek. His hands moved beneath her shirt. Her