He thought for a few seconds and then smiled. Then his eyes softened as he stared at Tara for a few seconds more. “I understand her story.”
“I hoped you would.”
“You got me thinking it?”
“About what?”
He chuckled and then shook his head as if he were embarrassed. “I haven’t had any color in my life in a long time. Prison doesn’t exactly give you spectacular décor.”
“You’ve been out of prison for a long time, Brody.”
He shrugged. “But you were right about bunkhouses and I’ve seen a lot of those since I was released. A life without color is a void.”
Her shoulders sagged. She knew exactly what he meant without him having to explain. When something tragic happened, it was as if time stood still. It had taken Tara a long time to get her shop up and running and move beyond the stigma of being the sister of the drug dealer. But even before that, people didn’t trust her. It was as if they afraid of her for no reason other than what they knew from the trial.
She crossed her arms over her chest, as emotion from the memory seemed to well up inside her unexpectedly. “So, what are you thinking about?”
“I don’t have a whole lot of money, but I don’t need much,” Brody said. “But I have no idea what to get that might liven up the place. So I was thinking maybe I’d find something here.”
“Something to bring color back to your life.”
“That’s right.”
Her insides hummed as he gazed down at her. His eyes were pale blue, something she wasn’t sure she’d noticed before. The fire in them was enough to bring anyone to life.
She cleared her throat and glanced around the store. “Um, do you know what kind of things you’re looking for? That might make it easier.”
He shook his head. “That’s the problem. I live and have lived in sparse quarters for a long time. That house at the Lone Creek might seems modest in size by most people’s standards, but it’s enormous to me. The idea of filling it up with anything personal feels a little daunting. I was hoping you could help me figure things out.”
“Like?”
“Like what to put on bare walls other than a stuffed animal head.”
She chuckled. “Okay. Wall ornaments. How big a space?”
He stretched his arms out wide. “I don’t know. It’s a log wall.”
She turned away trying to shake off the feeling that had come over her. This was Brody Whitebear. The man who’d been fighting with her brother when he’d been killed. She shouldn’t be noticing his eyes or his smile or how strong those outstretched arms were. It was pure insanity to do so.
“Uh, there is a gentleman who has a studio in Billings who does some wall ornaments. I have a piece over here.”
He walked behind her. She was glad to have her back turned because she knew it was rude. But she couldn’t rely that her expression wouldn’t give away her thoughts of this sudden stirring Brody seemed to bring out in her.
For God’s sake, she was at work. In her shop that she’d worked years to build to a success. She’d never been this flustered with a handsome man before.
Brody groaned, making her turn around. He rubbed his bearded chin with his fingers and scrutinized the piece she’d pointed out. “More animals.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“No. But there’s no color.”
“Right.”
He sighed. “Honestly, you could show me every piece in this shop and I still wouldn’t know if it was a good fit like that bowl was. If I bought something, I wouldn’t have a clue where to put it.”
“I see. It’s a problem a lot of people have when decorating a space.”
He glanced around. “Did you decorate everything in the shop yourself?”
Tara looked around with pride. “I did.”
“Then maybe you could come out to my place and help me. Right now, it’s sort of a blank slate.”
She was moved by his faith in her. Part of her heard the warning bells clanging in her head that this wasn’t a good idea. They’d come to a truce. An understanding of sorts. But that didn’t mean it should be anything else. It wasn’t a date. He wasn’t professing anything to her other than asking her for help.
Somehow the idea of being in close quarters with Brody seemed a little too personal.
“I’m just looking for pointers,” he said as if sensing her hesitation. “I could ask Tabby to stop by and help me. But it’s a little hard for her because she knew Levon so well.”
“I understand.”
“I know they don’t mean to, but the ranch hands sometimes give me a funny look when I head over to the house. They still call it Levon’s house. I’m sure they will for a while. So I feel funny asking Tabby to help when I’m sure she’s probably feeling the same thing.”
“Isn’t Tabby in New York with Kas?”
“Most of the time. But she’s been coming back to make preparations for the wedding.”
“Oh, that’s right. I’d heard they’d gotten engaged. Trip must be sad to see her leave.”
“She won’t be far after the wedding. Her and Kas are building a house up on Lookout Ridge.”
Tara’s interested piqued. “Is that so?”
Brody smiled. “You might be able to get some business decorating her place if you can manage to help an old cowboy like me.”
She took in his long, lean form that seemed to be perfection for any woman wanting to run their hands over his body. It surprised Tara that the thought had even come to her mind. But it had. Many times over the last few weeks.
“There’s nothing old about you, Brody.”
He smiled and held her gaze for a moment, almost hypnotizing her. Then he pulled away and wandered around the store some more.
“I can sense you’re a little hesitant,” Brody said. “It’s okay. My house is small in comparison to Trip’s place. It’s just huge by my standards. From the looks of it,
