Tempted By The Movie Star. Anna DePalo

a definite touch of wickedness. “I don’t know about you, but I find it’s a lot nicer if you stay put.”

      She groaned. “We need to start mopping this floor before I say to heck with what Cade and Lexi find us doing. Are you finished with the windows?”

      “I’m finished with the inside. If you’re willing to mop, I’ll go take off the screens and do the outside.”

      “I’d rather have you do me.”

      “Yes, ma’am.” He winked at her before scooping up the towel he’d dropped and snagging the spray bottle of window cleaner. “So would I.” He went out the door, transferred the bucket from the stoop to the inside, and left her to work out her frustrations with some vigorous mopping.

      * * *

      Matt vowed that he’d concentrate on the windows. He’d taken off the screens without once looking inside the cabin. Then he’d washed an entire window while managing to ignore whatever was happening on the opposite side of the glass. Feeling noble and in control, he’d decided it wouldn’t hurt to take a quick peek inside to see how Geena was coming along with her mopping.

      He was still watching her when Cade clapped him on the shoulder, causing him to jump and drop the spray bottle. Luckily it was plastic. When he turned to confront a grinning Cade, he discovered Lexi was there, too, looking highly amused.

      Matt glared at both of them, but mostly at Cade for startling him. “You shouldn’t sneak up on a guy with a loaded spray bottle in his hand. I could’ve hit you in the face with a blast of window cleaner. That stuff has to be bad for your eyes.”

      “Couldn’t resist, bro. But I regret to inform you that most women don’t go for the Peeping Tom routine. If she catches you doing it, I guarantee she’ll think it’s creepy that you’re staring in the window while she’s mopping the floor. You’ll lose points, bro, major points.”

      “But she’s not just mopping. She’s tap dancing while she does it.”

      “Are you kidding me?”

      “Nope. Take a look.”

      Cade moved to the window. “I’ll be damned. C’mere, Lex. This reminds me of those old black-and-white movies Mom likes.”

      Lexi walked over and stood on tiptoe. “I can’t really see.”

      “Okay, here you go.” Cade crouched down. “Get on my shoulders.”

      “You know, I don’t think—”

      “Do it. This is worth the price of admission.”

      “I hope she doesn’t glance our way and see this.” Lexi climbed on Cade’s shoulders and he slowly got to his feet. “Oh, wow. She really is tap dancing. In cowboy boots, no less, and wearing her hat! I wonder if she has music. I can’t hear anything. Maybe she has music on her phone.”

      “Maybe.”

      “Well, that’s just cool. Look at her go! She’s—uh-oh. She saw us. Now she’ll probably quit.”

      Matt expected that, too. But after giving them a smile and a wave, she continued with her routine as she worked her way toward the cabin door. When she finished, she spun back toward them and bowed. They all applauded and Matt whistled through his teeth.

      “Let’s meet her at the door.” Lexi hopped down and they walked around to the front of the cabin.

      Geena came out holding the bucket with the mop handle sticking out of it. She was breathing hard and her cheeks were bright pink. Matt couldn’t remember ever seeing a prettier sight, and he’d spent three years in the land of gorgeous women.

      They all clapped and cheered, which made her roll her eyes and laugh. Setting down the bucket, she executed another little dance step on the concrete stoop and swept off her hat in a dramatic gesture, dislodging the pins in her hair. It tumbled out of its arrangement.

      “That was awesome,” Lexi said. “No wonder you caught on to the dance moves so quickly last night. You’re a pro!”

      “Sadly, I’m not. I haven’t tapped in a while, so I’m pretty rusty and so out of shape.”

      Matt picked up the bucket and mop. He was willing to argue that point. He loved her shape. And her hair, which hung in glorious waves to her shoulders. He longed to comb it back with his fingers, cup her head in both hands and tilt it so he could kiss that smiling mouth.

      “Would you please hold this for a sec while I fix my hair?” She handed him her hat.

      “Sure.” He felt like telling her to leave it down because it looked sexy that way. He thought better of saying that out loud.

      Drawing a deep breath, she retrieved the scattered pins and used them to anchor her hair on top of her head again. “The mop reminded me of a number we put together when I was taking dance. We combined moves from the Gene Kelly mop dance and Fred Astaire’s routine with a broom. You may not have seen either of those since they’re from really old movies.”

      “I have,” Cade said. “So have Damon and Finn. When we first came to the ranch, before the cabins were built, we used to sit in the living room and watch those musicals with Mom. She’s crazy about them. She’d go nuts if you did a tap number for her.”

      “I’d probably be too self-conscious to give a planned performance. I don’t even have the right shoes.” She took back her hat and put it on.

      “That’s what made it so impressive,” Lexi said. “You weren’t wearing tap shoes. Did you have music playing?”

      “Just in my head. I thought nobody was watching. Then I saw you guys at the window and my training kicked in. My dance teacher drummed into us that you never stop in the middle of a number when you have an audience. No matter what, the show must go on.”

      “I’m glad you didn’t stop.” Matt had been smitten before, but after that dance routine he was completely dazzled. He could manage a two-step and a waltz without a problem, but he didn’t have the dedication to learn something as complicated as tap. Consequently, he admired the hell out of someone who’d had the determination to get good at it.

      He had to laugh when he thought about the earnest conversation he’d had with Geena on the porch last night. They’d both announced that now was not the time to have a serious relationship. He’d been of a similar mindset when he told Cade and Lexi he didn’t want Rosie launching into matchmaking mode.

      On paper, the timing of his sudden interest in Geena couldn’t be worse. His career was finally off to a promising start, but the film business was notoriously unstable. An actor could go from fame to obscurity in the blink of an eye.

      Asking someone to share the ride when the journey was wildly uncertain wasn’t fair. His head knew that, but his heart wasn’t listening. He was falling for this amazing woman at an alarming rate and getting serious sounded like a terrific idea. If Rosie had any advice on how to turn a temporary fling into something more permanent, he was ready to hear it.