Sam hurried into her room, shut and locked the door. She couldn't believe how wonderful the day had been with Elliott. She sensed she'd known him all her life yet they had just met. What is wrong with me?She began to undress but stopped when she heard a knock. Grabbing for her clothes, she slipped them on while striding to the door, hoping to find someone from the front desk with her lost luggage. She looked through the peephole and saw Elliott standing there with her bouquet of daisies in his hands. Great! He's changed his mind. She unlocked and opened the door wide."I'm glad you came back, Elliott." She tugged her sweater down and moved to the side, opening the door wider for him to enter.Elliott stepped inside and handed her the flowers. "I brought these for you to put in some water. They appear a little droopy.""Okay, I'll have to find something to put them in." She turned and looked around her room, then turned toward the bathroom. After retrieving a cup meant for coffee s
Sam padded to her hotel room door, leaned on it, and turned the deadlock. She slowly returned to the side of the bed and sat. Her hand reached her fondled breast and she remembered Elliott's hands, closed her eyes, longing for his touch. She recalled the feel of his lips on hers, his scent, and his sexy voice when he said her name. She shook her head to come out of the fog.She had a long day ahead of her tomorrow and needed to be ready for it, bright-eyed and bushy tailed. She needed to get serious and look for a place to live.On her way to the shower, she heard another knock on her door. Ah! He came back. Wrapping the large towel around her, she smiled, expecting to see Elliott, when she opened the door to a hotel clerk who stood beside her lost luggage. With a little disappointment, she quickly took one suitcase, hauled it in and onto the bed, while the bellboy pulled the other suitcase into her room. Then she searched her purse for a tip.After she closed and locked the door, s
Elliott and Sam strode, loosely holding hands, the few short blocks to his office. When they rounded the corner and Sam saw the sign Bouchard Outfitters, she exclaimed, "Oh wow, Elliott, it's like your name up in lights, isn't it?""Yes, it is." Elliott opened the front door and chauffeured her inside with his hand on her elbow. The door closed behind them and a young man, about twenty-five, stepped out from behind a small counter."Hi, Randy. Everything going okay?" Elliott paused and asked the young man."Everything's great," Randy said, glancing back and forth from Elliott to Sam. "We received the new shipment with spring items so we'll be moving racks around to set up a larger sale rack. The invoice is on your desk. No new trips scheduled either.""Thanks, Randy. It sounds like you and Janice have everything under control. I'll leavoh, let me introduce you to a new friend of mine." Elliott glanced at Sam, and then proceeded to make the formal introduction.Sam shook Randy's ha
Elliott and his client finished rather quickly, and Elliott had a new contract with a Fortune 500 company. They would provide rewards and retreats for employees for a five-year period using Bouchard Outfitters. Elliott was satisfied with the results and anxious to meet Sam for lunch and share his good news. His heart surged with excitement of seeing her again. He grabbed his coat and hat from the clothes tree by the front door and hurried next door to retrieve her for lunch. He opened the door to PowerUp and didn't hear anything."Sam are you here?" he yelled as he glanced down the hall. Cindy stuck her head out her doorway and hollered, "Hi, Elliott!""I'm looking for Sam. Is she here?" Elliott asked, his hat on one hand, he ran his fingers through his hair."Yes, hi, Elliott. I'm coming." Sam yelled back as she grabbed her coat from the chair by the door and hurried down the hall. "I needed to shut down my computer." Once she reached him, he leaned over and gave her a peck on her
Elliott drove to Saddle Creek and parked in the driveway of a large white house with black shutters, the swing on the wide front porch swaying in the cool breeze. Motion lights on the side of the house and the front porch turned on automatically, making the piles of snow glisten."Whose house is this, Elliott? I know we're in Saddle Cre" Sam gasped as she looked around at the neighborhood, then settled on Elliott's face. "Is this your house, Elliott? Oh my gosh, it's beautiful. I love the big trees surrounding it, protecting it from all the neighbors.""Not that there are very many neighbors, but certain times of the year the B&B does get busy." Elliott chuckled. "Let's go take a look. I know it's dark, so wait for me to help you out. The icy frozen footsteps can be hard to navigate." Elliott pulled the keys from the ignition and jumped out. He met Sam and put his arm around her shoulders as they maneuvered their way to the front porch.Once they reached the front porch, Elliott dre
Sam's heart raced, her breaths quick and short, chills racing up and down her spine. She broke the kiss. "Come in with me and get warm. We can talk more.""Okay, not gonna turn you down." They walked toward the entrance together. He opened and held the hotel door for her. When they arrived at her door, she handed Elliott the key and he unlocked it. She reached in and turned on the light switch."It's a nice room, don't you think?" Sam asked as she threw her purse on the king-size bed, then turned to him. She found his eyes and stared into them, becoming mesmerized by the crystalline, cracked ice blue color. He put his hands on her arms and drew her closer. He kissed her lightly on the lips and pulled back to look into her eyes. Her hands sought his coat lapels and, grabbing hold of them, pulled his head to hers and kissed him passionately. His lips devoured hers, first one way then the other way. He thrust his tongue into her mouth and she happily received it, thrusting hers into his
After a sleepless night, Elliott dreamed of blue eyes flashing intermittent with Mariah's green eyes, while he tossed and turned. He finally started his day earlier than usual. Dressed in his work jeans and heavy coat, he headed to the ranch. He worked most of the horses individually for a couple hours, then found Pedro, the ranch foreman. Leaving instructions for the rest of the horses, as well as for the ones he'd recently worked, Elliott headed back to his house and a quick shower.Elliott finished his shower, dried, and tied the towel around his waist. When he looked in the mirror to shave, he noticed his hair was getting a little long and bushy down on his collar. He would need a haircut soon. Wondering what Sam would think of his shorter hair, he began his morning routine of shaving and planning his day.Thoughts of Sam in his arms entered his mind and kept coming to the forefront of his attentions. He knew he had a busy day with calls and appointments to make in the morning an
Sam stood on the sidewalk outside the café and looked up the street toward Elliott's shop. Man, I wish he were here!She couldn't make a decision, her mind full and blown away with her recent jaunt with Mary. So many numbers, addresses, floor plans, and designs were jumbled around in her head. She wanted someone to talk to and didn't want to burden Cindy with her problems either. She should be able to make a decision on her own. It was where she was going to live and she could afford it with her savings, but they would be depleted too soon, especially if she had to buy furniture. Even after she started to receive commissions on her sales it would be tight and she'd never be able to afford a car. She would be dependent of someone else for rides anywhere outside this small city.Sam sauntered up a small incline and found herself in front of Elliott's shop. She inched closer to the door and saw a number of people inside milling around the racks of merchandise. But no Elliott. Maybe he h