land. But she didn’t dare annoy May. The other woman’s generosity was the only reason Glen wasn’t sitting in jail. Right now Heidi couldn’t afford to speak her mind. Just one more thing on the list of what was very expensive these days.
Rafe pulled in behind the trucks. He climbed out of his car, wearing jeans, a plaid shirt and work boots—not exactly the high-powered executive she’d first met in the middle of the road. His jeans fit him well and, yes, his butt was very nice, but her interest was purely intellectual. She could admire a man and still not want to have anything to do with him. The long legs and narrow hips were Mother Nature’s way of messing with her head. And maybe her hormones.
Oh, but it had been a very long time since a man had held her.
She’d had a few boyfriends during her teen years, and a serious relationship when she’d turned twenty. Mike had been a “townie” living in the small Arizona city where the carnival had settled for the winter. Heidi had always heard about the dangers of getting involved with locals, but Mike had swept her off her feet and she’d quickly succumbed to his charms. She’d given him her heart and her virginity. But when spring came, he didn’t want to go with the carnival, and she couldn’t leave the only family she had in the world. Although she and Mike had promised to stay in touch, he had eventually stopped calling. She’d heard through a mutual friend that he’d found someone else and was engaged. The following winter, the carnival went somewhere else.
She’d gotten over her broken heart, had enjoyed her life. The men who traveled with the carnival were either too old or too much like brothers for her to consider as romantic partners. Then, just when she’d started thinking it was time to find another way of life, Melinda, her best friend, had fallen in love.
Her relationship had burned hot and ended badly. Melinda, a softhearted young woman who always believed the best about everyone, had been devastated. Depression had followed. Two suicide attempts had shaken the small carnival community. Heidi had been determined to keep her friend alive, no matter what. But Melinda had been more determined to die.
Heidi walked around the back of the house and headed for the refuge that was her goats. Watching Melinda suffer had made Heidi wary of love. Of the price it exacted. Very few of the carnival family were married, and she could only remember a handful of happy couplings. Which made her unclear on the benefits of falling in love. Could that kind of feeling really last, and was it worth the trouble?
As far as how long it had been since she’d found a man in her bed, that was a different sort of problem. One of the downsides of living in Fool’s Gold was that, in a close-knit community like this one, there were no secrets. Going out of town for temporary romance might have been appealing, but she didn’t know where or how to begin. She wasn’t the bar type, and goats weren’t exactly a guy magnet.
Glen always told her to be open to the possibilities. The next time one presented itself, she just might have to say yes.
* * *
H EIDI FINISHED PRINTING the new labels for her cheese and studied the result. The artwork was clean, the colors bright. The only way she knew to make more money was to sell more cheese. But would this new label appeal to consumers?
Glen was downstairs. She could show it to him and get at least one opinion. If only she knew a marketing person, she thought as she walked out of her bedroom and ran into something solid, warm and very male.
Heidi stepped back and looked up, then wished she hadn’t.
Rafe had spent the afternoon unloading lumber and other supplies for the barn and fence line. No doubt he’d worked up a sweat and had therefore wanted to shower before dinner. But none of that explained why he was standing in the middle of the upstairs hall, wearing nothing but a couple of towels and a sexy grin.
His hair
Rafe pulled in behind the trucks. He climbed out of his car, wearing jeans, a plaid shirt and work boots—not exactly the high-powered executive she’d first met in the middle of the road. His jeans fit him well and, yes, his butt was very nice, but her interest was purely intellectual. She could admire a man and still not want to have anything to do with him. The long legs and narrow hips were Mother Nature’s way of messing with her head. And maybe her hormones.
Oh, but it had been a very long time since a man had held her.
She’d had a few boyfriends during her teen years, and a serious relationship when she’d turned twenty. Mike had been a “townie” living in the small Arizona city where the carnival had settled for the winter. Heidi had always heard about the dangers of getting involved with locals, but Mike had swept her off her feet and she’d quickly succumbed to his charms. She’d given him her heart and her virginity. But when spring came, he didn’t want to go with the carnival, and she couldn’t leave the only family she had in the world. Although she and Mike had promised to stay in touch, he had eventually stopped calling. She’d heard through a mutual friend that he’d found someone else and was engaged. The following winter, the carnival went somewhere else.
She’d gotten over her broken heart, had enjoyed her life. The men who traveled with the carnival were either too old or too much like brothers for her to consider as romantic partners. Then, just when she’d started thinking it was time to find another way of life, Melinda, her best friend, had fallen in love.
Her relationship had burned hot and ended badly. Melinda, a softhearted young woman who always believed the best about everyone, had been devastated. Depression had followed. Two suicide attempts had shaken the small carnival community. Heidi had been determined to keep her friend alive, no matter what. But Melinda had been more determined to die.
Heidi walked around the back of the house and headed for the refuge that was her goats. Watching Melinda suffer had made Heidi wary of love. Of the price it exacted. Very few of the carnival family were married, and she could only remember a handful of happy couplings. Which made her unclear on the benefits of falling in love. Could that kind of feeling really last, and was it worth the trouble?
As far as how long it had been since she’d found a man in her bed, that was a different sort of problem. One of the downsides of living in Fool’s Gold was that, in a close-knit community like this one, there were no secrets. Going out of town for temporary romance might have been appealing, but she didn’t know where or how to begin. She wasn’t the bar type, and goats weren’t exactly a guy magnet.
Glen always told her to be open to the possibilities. The next time one presented itself, she just might have to say yes.
* * *
H EIDI FINISHED PRINTING the new labels for her cheese and studied the result. The artwork was clean, the colors bright. The only way she knew to make more money was to sell more cheese. But would this new label appeal to consumers?
Glen was downstairs. She could show it to him and get at least one opinion. If only she knew a marketing person, she thought as she walked out of her bedroom and ran into something solid, warm and very male.
Heidi stepped back and looked up, then wished she hadn’t.
Rafe had spent the afternoon unloading lumber and other supplies for the barn and fence line. No doubt he’d worked up a sweat and had therefore wanted to shower before dinner. But none of that explained why he was standing in the middle of the upstairs hall, wearing nothing but a couple of towels and a sexy grin.
His hair
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