to be “cowgirl,” because she wore a cowboy hat he’d never seen before, Western boots with a denim skirt, and about ten turquoise necklaces. The purse she carried looked like a saddlebag, complete with a silver sheriff’s star pinned to the brown leather strap.
“The Limited was having a sale,” she announced, gesturing toward the overflowing bags.
Cal hated to squash her enthusiasm, but she had to ease off the spending. He’d indulged her so far, because he couldn’t bear to say no to a grieving child, but he couldn’t see hocking his collection of classic cars to support Allison’s shopping addiction.
“We’ll talk about the mountain of purchases later.” He reached for the bags. “I need to get going, though, I—”
At her pout, he noticed her half-eaten bagel and full cup of soda.
“Okay.” He pulled out one of the metal chairs and straddled it, joining her at the small table. “Five minutes, but then I’ve got to take you home so I can go back to the garage.”
“Thanks, Cal.” Allison twirled her short blond braid between her fingers and launched into a description of her day, complete with imitations of her professors.
Cal relaxed for the first time since Maddy’s proposal, grateful for his sister’s ability to remind him of his priorities. Allison was smart, funny and warmhearted, and she deserved every bit of love and security Cal could give her.
The afternoon was improving by the minute until Cal caught sight of the women’s lingerie store just outside the food court. Or rather, the afternoon was improving until Cal caught sight of a particular woman entering the lingerie store directly behind Allison’s Stetson.
He would recognize the signature button-down shirt and slouchy skirt anywhere. Madeline Watson’s heavy leather shoes tread silently on the marble floor, allowing her to walk through life without turning any heads but his.
Cal forgot his promise to himself to not think about her. He lost track of Allison’s story as he watched Maddy through the clear glass of the store front window.
Her ethereal profile seemed all the more delicate in contrast to the large frames of her tortoiseshell glasses. Her dark hair twirled around her head in a seemingly endless spiral, finally tucking back down inside itself to form a weighty knot.
Cal’s fingers itched to touch that silky mass. Would it be as long as he imagined?
His gaze dropped lower, hungry for more of her, when his eyes encountered a sign that sent a flash fire through his veins.
He’d never spied on a woman before, but he couldn’t have torn his gaze from the scene in front of him if a vintage Duesenberg rolled down the mall corridor. Less than thirty feet away, Madeline Watson lingered over a display table labeled Bikinis And Thongs.
“Cal, you haven’t heard one word I’ve said, have you?” The concern in Allison’s voice drifted through his consciousness.
“Um, yeah,” Cal managed to reply, reaching absently for his sister’s soda. He took a long swig, but the icy drink failed to cool the heat generated by quiet, unassuming Maddy as she lifted a scrap of black silk and lace from the pile.
Somewhere, in the foggy recesses of his brain, Cal registered the fact that Allison swiveled in her chair to follow his gaze.
“Did the lingerie shop put up new pictures or something?”
Cal couldn’t find words to respond because Maddy chose that moment to toss a handful of Bikinis And Thongs into a small shopping basket.
Visions of the Lady Scholar in her glasses and black panties robbed him of breath. Not that he’d ever mentally undressed her before, but if he had, he would have pegged her for white cotton. The addition of black silk to his fantasies would make Madeline all the more difficult to forget.
The cowgirl turned toward him again. “Hey, isn’t that Professor Watson?”
The sound of her name brought Cal crashing back to reality. Before he could think of an appropriate answer, Allison was tossing her leftovers into the garbage and gathering her deputized saddlebag.
She gave him an elbow nudge. “Come on, let’s go say hi.”
Horror crawled through him in the wake of Allison’s rustling shopping bags. “Wait, Al. I don’t think we should….” He rose to halt his sister, unwilling to confront Maddy while she shopped for sexy lingerie.
Allison merely waved him forward as she pulled open the door to the store. “Come on!” she called airily, strolling inside and missing the thunderous look he purposely threw her way.
Cal followed, silently vowing to wring his sister’s neck. Why had he ever encouraged Allison to sign up for Maddy’s class at the university?
He hesitated at the door, knowing he had no choice but to say hello, yet cursing his bad luck just the same. Taking a deep breath, he stepped inside.
A feminine, floral scent assailed him. Silk, lace and satin draped the bright pink walls of the store. Some guys might feel comfortable in a feminine domain such as this, but Cal Turner was not one of them. He jammed his hands into his pockets to prevent himself from inadvertently knocking some delicate item from its perch and consoled himself by imagining this was how some women felt when they entered a garage for the first time.
On the other side of a rack of garter belts, he could hear Allison rambling in sixteen-year-old fashion. “…so when I want to shop after school, Cal picks me up in time for dinner.”
He also heard the trepidation in Maddy’s voice.
“Cal?”
If there had been a way to retreat, he would have. But his only option was to ditch his sister, and Cal wasn’t about to do that, especially not in some racy lingerie store.
Stepping around the rack into the aisle, Cal brazened it out. “Hey, Maddy.” He knew Madeline would probably feel twice as awkward as he did. He grabbed his sister’s arm and tugged Allison toward the door. “We were just headed home.”
All Madeline had to do was toss him a token “Nice to see you,” and he would be home free.
“Wait.” She hurried toward them, toting her own armfull of shopping bags and the basket containing enough lingerie to fuel a man’s dreams for a year. “As long as you’re here, would you mind giving me a man’s opinion on a little purchase?”
Sweat beaded on his forehead as Maddy set down her basket. He caught another glimpse of its provocative contents and swallowed. Hard.
Before she could reach for anything titillating, Cal nudged his sister in front of him.
“Allison knows more about that stuff than me.” Cal knew Maddy wouldn’t show anything too suggestive to his sixteen-year-old sister.
Madeline frowned. “But I wanted to see what you—”
“Really, she does. Did I mention she is a certified genius? ” He squeezed his sister’s shoulders with what he hoped looked like brotherly affection and not a controlled urge to strangle her.
Obviously the time had come to ditch
