Sheltered By The Cowboy. Carla Cassidy

I can’t wait to hear all about your life in Dallas,” Mandy replied.

      Brody glanced at his watch. The day was fading away and he needed to leave. He had someplace he had to be in thirty minutes.

      “Mandy, I need to head out,” he said.

      She jumped up from the table. “Okay, I’ll walk you out.”

      She grabbed her coat from the hall tree and shrugged it on. Together they walked out into the fading light of day. “Brody, I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done to support me over the last couple of days.”

      “It was my pleasure,” he replied.

      “I really don’t know what I would have done without you.” They reached his truck’s driver’s door and she gazed up at him with her gorgeous dark-lashed eyes. “You aren’t going to stop being my friend just because I have a brother now, are you?”

      Although that was exactly what he’d intended to do, there was no way he could look into her soulful eyes and tell her that...especially not today of all days. “Of course not,” he replied.

      She grinned, suddenly threw her arms around his neck and pressed her lips firmly against his cheek. His body immediately responded to her body so close to his and to the warmth of her lips against his skin.

      “What’s that for?” he asked gruffly as she released her hold on him.

      “That’s for being the best friend I could ever ask for,” she replied. “I’ll call you later?”

      “Sounds good,” he said.

      He watched while she hurried back into the house. Adrenaline still whipped through him. He needed to lift a car or cut down a tree or do something physical to rid himself of the unwanted surge of desire inside him.

      He got into his truck and pulled away from the Wright place, grateful that he was on his way to spend some time with Ellie.

       Chapter 5

      Mandy released a sigh that blew a strand of hair away from her face. She placed a box of books next to the doorway in her father’s bedroom and then looked up at her brother, who was emptying dresser drawers.

      “I think we need to take a break,” she said. They had been working nonstop for the past two hours, ever since Mandy had gotten off work at the café.

      Graham stopped working and sank down on the edge of the bed. “The last time I was in this room it was Mother’s sewing room,” he said.

      “Dad moved down here about a month after you left. I think he couldn’t stand being in the master bedroom upstairs without Mom.”

      She scanned the small room. “At least we’ve made some progress tonight.”

      “Actually, I’m going to take off in just a few minutes. It’s getting late and I’m supposed to meet Zack and a couple of other guys at the Watering Hole for drinks in about fifteen minutes.”