Distraction by Tess Oliver Page A

tracks?”
    “Oh yes, of course, never mind.” I was completely
baffled by his response and even more curious about what kind of
animal would leave tracks like that. Moments later, it seemed, I
would find my answer.
    We trudged down a small slope when the ground beneath
our feet began to tremble as if some massive underground beast was
about to surface. Then a loud howl, followed by a long roar, ripped
through the air. The rumble grew louder and the ground shook more.
Cade continued to walk calmly toward the house. I glanced back and
a scream caught in my throat as a one-eyed, steam-spewing monster
flew over the wooden rails. My courage faded, and mud or not, I
flew into Cade’s arms.
    The move surprised him, but his strong arms tightened
around me. He glanced back at the monster as it drew closer. “You
don’t have trains in your village, do you?” he asked.
    “Trains?” I felt my cheeks heat. The beast raced past
leaving behind a smoky trail, but this was no dragon. This was
something made by man. “I’m so ashamed.” His arms did not release
me. “I can’t imagine what you must think.”
    After a long pause, he dropped his hold on me. He
looked at me as if he were memorizing every detail of my face. “I
was thinking— she feels all too right in my arms.” His voice was
deep and low almost as if he was merely thinking aloud, but I heard
every word.
    The heat in my cheeks intensified and I dropped my
face to hide the blush. Large splotches of mud had transferred from
his shirt to mine and smudges of dirt covered my arms. And yet, I
would have gladly thrown myself into the comfort of his protective
arms again.
    We continued toward home. The yard came into view.
Libby was busy in her small garden tying a rather formidable
looking scarecrow made of burlap and straw to the fence. She looked
our direction, dropped what she was doing, and placed her hands on
her hips. “What on earth happened to you?”
    “Cow got stuck in the mud,” Cade answered.
    “Really? Because from here it looks like you got
stuck in the mud.”
    “Yep.”
    For the first time, Libby noticed the mosaic of
stains on my clothes. Her mouth hung open slightly as it seemed she
tried to puzzle out exactly how the mud got there. Fortunately, she
decided not ask questions.
    “Well, you can’t go inside with all that mud. I just
mopped the floors. Undress on the back porch.” She looked at me.
“Poppy, there’s a basin with some water in the kitchen. Be a dear
and carry it out to him so he can throw it over his head. You are
caked from head to toe, Cade.”
    “Yeah, thanks, Libby. I didn’t realize.”
    “Enough of that, smart guy, just get those clothes
off. Leave them in a pile on the porch until I can wash them.”
    I hurried inside and lifted the heavy basin from the
kitchen table. It was difficult not to slosh the water from side to
side as I carried it to the back porch. At least the water inside
was warm.
    With all the care I’d taken not to spill the
contents, I nearly dropped the entire basin when I pushed through
the screen door and stepped out onto the porch. Cade was naked from
the waist up. The muscles of his bare chest and arms tightened as
he balled his muddy shirt up and tossed it to the floor of the
porch. He seemed to sense my shock at seeing him bare chested. A
sly grin told me he enjoyed my astonishment.
    I lowered the heavy basin to the ground. Suddenly,
his bare feet were directly in front of me. I straightened slowly.
I’d only seen a man’s bare chest once in my life, and it had been
the result of a rambunctious fight between two farmers where Farmer
Prescott’s shirt had been ripped clean off. But Farmer Prescott’s
physique had not been one of beauty.
    I realized I was holding my breath. Every inch of
Cade’s intriguing, solid build was within the distance of my touch,
and I was slightly ashamed to realize that I truly wanted to run my
fingertips over his bare skin and the hard, muscular ridges of his
arms