Hell!
Barely managing to hold the word on his tongue, he turned to see the person who’d staggered into him.
Well, I’ll be damned!
The thought raced through his head as he suddenly found himself face-to-face with the beautiful woman. The one he’d spotted briefly during the wedding ceremony.
“Oh, it’s you!” she said.
Apparently, she remembered their eye contact at the church. But the surprised expression on her face wasn’t enough to tell him whether she was annoyed or happy to encounter him again.
“I was sitting in front of you at the wedding—if that’s what you mean,” he told her.
As she carefully regarded him, a waiter passed close to Luke’s right shoulder, and he used the opportunity to place his empty glass on the young man’s tray.
“Yes. That’s what I meant.” She glanced awkwardly toward the crowd of dancers, then back to his face. “I—apologize for knocking into you. My heel must have caught on a rock or something. I hope I didn’t hurt you.”
Back at the church, he’d guessed her eyes to be blue. Now that she was a mere arm’s length away, he could see the luminous orbs were a mixture of blue and green, like a tropical sea washing onto a bed of dark sand. Her dress was pale pink satin with tiny straps and a hem that stopped at the middle of her calves. If it hadn’t been for the lacy shawl wrapped loosely around her shoulders, he would’ve mistaken the dress for a slip or nightgown. One thing was for sure, Luke decided—she looked as sexy as hell in it.
“I’m fine,” he said wryly. “Although I’m not too sure about my boots now that they’ve had a champagne shower.”
Her gaze dropped to his boots and he used the moment to take a survey of her lips. Small, but plush, they were painted a cherry-red color that stood out against her fair skin and light brown hair.
“Oh, your boots—I’m terribly sorry! I—”
The rest of her apology was abruptly halted as a woman in the crowd called out. “Pru! I’ve been looking for you!”
Glancing over his shoulder, Luke spotted Katherine Hollister emerging from a nearby group of guests and hurrying straight toward the two of them. The tall brunette was married to Blake, the eldest of the Hollister siblings, and also the general manager of Three Rivers Ranch. Katherine was all smiles as she came to a stop next to Luke and the brown-haired beauty standing in front of him.
“I see you’ve met Pru already,” she said to Luke.
“Uh—we’ve sort of met,” Luke told Katherine, while darting an awkward glance at the woman. “We just had a bit of a collision.”
“I’m afraid I’ve ruined this man’s boots,” Prudence told her. “And they’re such nice ones, too.”
“I’m sure he and his boots will survive.” Glancing at Luke, Katherine gestured to Prudence. “Luke Crawford, meet Miss Prudence Keyes. And I didn’t get the Miss part wrong. Pru is single.”
“Kat, please!” Prudence muttered under her breath.
Questions were suddenly racing through Luke’s brain. How could a woman who looked like her be unattached? Or perhaps she wasn’t, he thought. Could be she had a partner that Katherine didn’t know about.
Trying to push that disheartening thought aside, Luke extended his hand to the woman, and she promptly slid her palm alongside his.
“It’s a pleasure, Miss Keyes.”
Her hand felt so small and soft that he instinctively cradled it between both his hands rather than grip it with one.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Crawford,” she said to him. “And I am truly sorry for tripping into you. I’m only glad I didn’t knock you down.”
The husky note in her voice was especially sexy and a total contradiction to her soft, sweet features.
“Luke wrangles horses all day. He’s used to handling twelve-hundred-pound horses. An itty-bitty thing like you couldn’t knock him off his feet,” Katherine explained, before she turned a smile on Luke. “Pru is superintendent for St. Francis Academy in Wickenburg. She also happens to be my boss.”
“And dear friend,” Prudence added.
“Definitely a dear friend,” Katherine agreed, then inclined her head toward Luke. “Luke is our new assistant horse trainer. Can you believe Blake found a man brave enough to work that closely with Holt?”
Prudence looked straight at him and Luke wondered why he felt as if something had struck him between the eyes.
“It’s hard to imagine,” she said. “You must be a brave man. When it comes to his horses, I’ve heard that Holt is terribly particular.”
“I was given that warning before I took the job,” Luke admitted. “But Holt and I get along fine.”
Katherine cast Prudence a coy wink. “That’s because Luke is just as particular. And why the ranch is so lucky to have him.”
From somewhere in the crowd behind them, Blake called to his wife. “Kat! Sorry to interrupt, but we have to go get the twins. The photographer wants a shot of all the grandchildren.”
Katherine let out a good-natured groan. “Oh, this is going to be fun! Two sets of twins, plus eight more kids. See you two later!”
She took off in a hurried stride, and as Luke turned his sole attention to Prudence Keyes, he realized he still had her hand pressed between his.
“Sorry. I’m sure you’d like your hand back.” Hoping he didn’t look as hayseed as he felt, he forced himself to release his hold on her.
“Well, I might need it eventually. To feed and clothe myself—things like that.”
The faint tilt to the corners of her lips told Luke she was teasing. The notion surprised him. It also made him feel ridiculously happy.
“Yes. Those tasks are much easier with two hands,” he impishly agreed, then asked, “How are you enjoying the reception?”
“It’s
