“You won’t go hungry here,” Logan said as they headed back toward Jack’s truck.
After grabbing his bag full of clothes from the back seat, he fell in line with the brothers. They passed a ranch-style home and headed toward the two-story B&B. Jack loved B&Bs. They were like having all the comforts of home without being tied to a house.
As they stepped inside the B&B, Mack pointed toward a shoe rack.
“Madison’s got rules about keeping your shoes on in the house. She doesn’t want dirt everywhere,” he said.
“In Japan, everyone takes their shoes off. I stayed with a family near Okinawa for a few weeks. Cleanest home I ever lived in. You could eat off the floor. Not that I tried it or anything,” Jack quickly added as he pulled off his snakeskin boots.
“I don’t know if I’d use the floor as a table,” Logan said. “But Madison does a great job keeping this place spotless.”
Jack followed them into the dining room. The scent of thyme and sage filled the air. His bear woke and rolled around in his chest. After spending five hours on the road, the beast was ready to feast.
A huge casserole bubbling with melted cheese sat in the center of the table. His stomach grumbled along with his bear.
“What are we having, babe?” Mack asked a curvy woman with golden hair and bright blue eyes. That had to be Madison, Mack’s wife. Lucky man.
“Baked eggplant stuffed with ricotta cheese,” she replied.
“It smells delicious,” Jack said as he took a seat near the center of the long table.
Several people filtered into the room. A few of the men bore a strong resemblance to Mack and Logan. He got confirmation as they all introduced themselves. Their wives joined them, a couple of them with babies in tow.
Jack waited until the brothers started serving the other guests. Although he was famished, he didn’t want to dive headfirst into it. He liked to savor everything about each meal. He never knew if it would be his last.
As he reached for a large green salad, movement at the corner of the room caught his attention. A curvy woman with shoulder-length red hair and sky-blue eyes strolled into the room. His breath caught in his chest as his bear’s full attention turned away from the food and toward the woman.
“Sorry I’m late,” she said.
“Everyone, meet Sasha,” Madison said. “She’s working in clay this week.”
Without hesitation, Jack motioned for her to take the seat to his right. She smiled and crossed the room. As she slid into the chair next to his, her arm brushed his. Electric currents of awareness sizzled across his flesh to give him goosebumps. Art camp just got a lot more interesting.
Chapter 2
Sasha woke the next day to the sound of birdsong through the bedroom window. She’d cracked it open a bit to let fresh air into the room. Although it was late October, they hadn’t had more than a dusting of snowfall yet. A few scattered patches lingered in the shade under tree branches, but most of the ground remained untouched.
She slipped out of bed, pulled on a robe, and padded to the window. The sun peeked over the mountains to cast a rosy glow across the forest. Abby appeared near the entrance to the B&B. She carried several yoga mats to the center of a grassy area. As she laid them out, she hummed a song to herself.
“Good morning,” Sasha called.
“Hey up there! Are you coming down for yoga?” Abby asked.
“I’ll be there in a minute.”
As she stepped back from the window, she caught a glimpse of Jack. She leaned forward slightly. His choppy dark-blond hair rippled in the morning breeze. A black muscle-shirt barely contained his ripped chest. Huge muscular arms pumped as he jogged over to a mat. The hot guy liked yoga? Interesting.
A pair of hunter-green shorts hung loose in the front, but hugged his backside in all the right places. She couldn’t wait to see his downward doggie-style. She chuckled loud enough to draw his attention.
He turned and winked before bending forward to touch his toes. The man was flexible all right. He had a cute butt too. And apparently he liked showing it off. Figures. He was probably one of those guys who went to yoga classes to pick up women.
As he twisted into a back bend, his gaze met hers. Heat flooded her core. Well … it wouldn’t hurt to look, would it? Maybe creative inspiration would strike in the middle of her morning workout. Although, Mrs. Bran probably wasn’t expecting a nude sculpture.
She shook her head. She didn’t need a distraction this week. Fantasizing about Jack wouldn’t get her any closer to her goal, and dating was the last thing she should be thinking about right now. Even if the hottie randomly decided to seduce her with those big brown eyes, she couldn’t afford to lose focus.