Vicki Thompson - Cowboy Untamed

“I picked a female wolf for Rosie because wolves have several pups. I’ll make a bear for my mom because bears only have two.”

Talk about irresistible. Now he’d added a layer of tender consideration to his blatant sexuality. “I’m sure they’ll both be thrilled. The concepts are brilliant.”

“I don’t know about the brilliant part, but they’re logical.”

Oh, and FYI, the guy was modest. His admirable traits kept stacking up. “Trust me, both ladies will think the pieces are brilliant.”

He laughed. “They do have an embarrassing tendency to gush. Okay, back to these wolves. My sketch has six pups but I think five is plenty. Maybe I should drop it back to four.”

“Hmm.” She studied his drawing. He’d arranged the wolves so they were all interconnected and would form a cohesive sculpture. She loved the symmetry of it.

“On a practical note, I’m one short of the recycled pieces I need for the pups’ noses. I’d have to go looking for another one if I keep six, but dropping just one doesn’t feel right for the composition.”

“I’d leave them all in. You’ve already figured out how to do it, so taking one out means redoing the whole arrangement.”

“But what about the nose thing? I don’t know the scrapyards around here the way I do the ones in Cody.”

“Could you alter one of the poses so the pup has his paw over his nose?”

“Maybe.” He stepped toward the drawing. “That one. I could move the paw up without compromising the design.” He turned to her with a smile. “Great idea. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Yeah, that’ll work. Great suggestion.” He repositioned his goggles, picked up his torch and grabbed one of the pieces of metal from the grouping on the floor. He acted as if he’d forgotten she was there.

Fascinating. She’d imagined having to fight off his advances, but it seemed that when he was working, he wouldn’t be making any. That alone separated him from the other artists she’d dated. All of them, she realized now, had been easily distracted and basically lazy. They’d expected success to come to them without a whole lot of effort. They’d had ability and she’d allowed herself to be impressed with that, but ability without discipline was useless.

But comparisons to her ex-boyfriends didn’t matter, because if she did decide to have sex with Grady, that was all it would be about. She’d keep it pure so she’d never have to discover his fatal flaw and become disillusioned for the fifth time. Could she manage to enjoy the sex and keep her emotions out of it? Only one way to find out.

Walking into her cubicle, she stared at her potter’s wheel. She already had a plan for her next project, a large bowl to hold fruit. The interior would be a cool lime green and the exterior would be pale orange. She might add some flecks of yellow if she settled on the right shade.

Yesterday she’d been excited about making it, but today her thoughts were on Grady instead of the new piece that had been on the drawing board for more than a week. Several customers had said they’d buy such a bowl, so she’d already presold a few. On the other side of the wall Grady’s torch hissed, and the air was filled with the acrid scent of hot metal.

Listening to those sounds galvanized her. She’d make that bowl this morning and have a prototype for the others. Each one would be slightly different because that was her hallmark, but she had to create the first one in order to make variations on that theme.

Generally, she preferred working alone in the barn, but having Grady there intent on his sculpting kept her at the wheel longer than she’d intended. His energy seemed to penetrate the barrier between them and she experienced design breakthroughs that stunned her. The fruit bowl took on an unusual shape that dipped on one side to leave room for a cascade of grapes or a cluster of bananas. She could see that becoming a trademark of her fruit-bowl designs.

She’d transferred the first one to the kiln and stopped by the kitchen to get coffee when Arlene Danbury came through the door. Arlene’s watercolors of Wyoming landscapes had become increasingly popular in the past year, but the income wasn’t enough for her to live on. She worked part-time as a nail tech in a local salon to make ends meet. She reminded Sapphire of a sparrow—always in motion and easily flustered.

This morning she was more hyper than usual. “He’s here, isn’t he? I can smell hot metal.”

Sapphire felt like the gatekeeper, but if not her, then who? “He’s working and I’ve learned he’s very focused. We probably shouldn’t disturb him.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it. But he’ll take a break sometime, right? What’s he working on? Is it the piece for the silent auction? I thought we were supposed to—”

“It’s not for the silent auction.” Sapphire had learned it was best to interrupt Arlene when she launched a barrage of chatter or it would go on forever. “He’s making a sculpture for his foster mom. You know Rosie Padgett, right?”

“She’s my client! I just did her nails this week. She’ll be so thrilled. Is it a surprise? I’ll bet it’s a surprise, so I won’t say anything. But if it’s not a surprise, then she might think it’s odd that I don’t—”

“I think it’s somewhat of a surprise but I didn’t find that out. We’ll ask him when he comes up for air.”

“Okay. Let me get some coffee before I go back to my stall.” She kept talking as she walked over to the pot. “I shouldn’t have any more, because I’m already a little jumpy, but I work so much better when I’m sipping coffee. Wait, there’s only enough for one cup. Did you want that?”

“Go ahead. I’ll make more.”

“If I’m the one to take the last of it, I’ll make another pot. That’s the way it always worked in my family. Maybe Grady wants some. Is he a coffee drinker?”

“I am.” Grady appeared in the doorway to the kitchen. “But I can make it.” Stepping through the door, he held out his hand. “Grady Magee, ma’am. Pleased to meet you.”

For the first time in Sapphire’s memory, Arlene was speechless. She stared up at the tall cowboy with her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open. After what felt like a very long time, she murmured, “You’re beautiful.” Then she pressed her hands to her pink cheeks. “Did I just say that out loud?”

Grady smiled. “If you think I look good, you should see my brother, Liam. He’s the handsome one in the family.”

“Then your mom and dad must be beautiful, too.”

“Never knew my dad, but my mom is definitely beautiful.” His gaze flicked over to meet Sapphire’s as if to ask, Who is this nutty lady?

Since Arlene didn’t seem aware that she’d failed to introduce herself, Sapphire decided she’d better do the honors. “Grady, this is Arlene Danbury. Her watercolors of the Bighorn Mountains are becoming quite popular.”

Arlene’s blush deepened. “Not as popular as your sculptures, Grady.”

“They will be. I noticed your watercolors. Really nice.”

“Oh, thank you! Pick whichever one you want and it’s yours!”

He smiled at her. “You know I can’t do that. I’d choose the best one and you’d be out a lot of money.”

“I don’t care.”

“But I do. I’ll buy one of your watercolors and be honored to have the opportunity. Now, how about if I dump out the dregs and make us all a fresh pot of coffee?”

“Okay.” Still dazed, Arlene nodded and moved out of his way. Then she turned to Sapphire and mouthed, Oh, my God.

Sapphire struggled not to lose it. At least she wasn’t the only one enthralled with Grady. Arlene gradually recovered her poise and began pelting him with questions about his work. Surprisingly, she gave him a chance to answer each one before she threw out another, but it was more like an interview than a conversation.