Savannah looked at a picture of an older couple, arm in arm, and another of an elderly man grinning from a rocking chair on a porch. There were pictures of two mischievous looking boys and another of them with their parents. There was a woman who bore a strong resemblance to Ben, and she assumed that it was his sister. There was a picture of what had to be Ben's father, holding a good-sized fish and grinning from ear to ear. And there was one picture of Ben standing behind a lovely blonde woman, his arms around her and her hands resting on his. Finally, there was a picture of a much younger Ben squatting down with his arm over the neck of an Australian Shepherd.
Ben came slowly down the hallway, watching Savannah study the bookcases. Looking at her made his heart skip a beat and his loins tighten. Savannah turned and had the same reaction as he had. He was wearing clean, pressed jeans and worn but clean boots with a soft denim shirt tucked into his jeans. His hair was still damp and curled at the nape of his neck. He was everything that she wasn't accustomed to in a man. He wasn't dressed in the latest male fashion, he didn't have on highly polished, expensive shoes, although she figured his boots had probably cost him a pretty penny. And he took her breath away when he turned his green eyes on her and grinned.
"I feel much better," he said. "But I'm hungry as a bear."
"Well, then, let's go. Are you driving us, or will we meet there?"
He shook his head with a wicked grin. "Hell, no, you're taking me. I'll ride in that fancy limo of yours."
Savannah looked quizzically at him but said, "Okay, fine by me."
They went down the stairs and through the barn to the car. Joey opened the door for them and Savannah introduced them.
"Nice to meet you, Joey."
"And the same to you, Mr. Conner."
"Call me Ben; Mr. Conner's my dad," Ben said.
"Yes, sir. Ben," Joey said.
Savannah asked more questions about shoeing horses on their way to the bar. Again, Ben answered patiently and with obvious knowledge. When they got to the bar, Savannah told Joey she would text him when they were through. Ben and Savannah got a table in a corner, and the waitress brought them chips and salsa with their beers.
"Was that your dad in the picture holding the fish?" Savannah asked.
Ben smiled with affection and said, "Yep, that's him. He retired a couple of years ago, and he and my mom are enjoying life. They've done some traveling and some fishing, whatever they feel like."
"What did he retire from?"
"He was a veterinarian. And my mom was a labor and delivery nurse. They both retired the same year and took a two-month long vacation as soon as they did."
Savannah smiled. "Good for them. Where did they go?"
"To every state in the union, including Alaska. They saved Hawaii for the next year and spent three weeks there. I suppose that sounds pretty boring to somebody like you, who travels around the world on a whim."
Savannah said simply, "No, it actually sounds pretty good to me. If you're traveling with the person you love and who loves you, it doesn't really matter where you go."
Ben hid his surprise at her words. "Well, they enjoyed the hell out of it."
Savannah wondered at her own words. She was pretty sure she'd never had a thought like that before in her life. Being in Boone was really starting to mess her up. She was so ready to get out and back to her own life. Then she looked at Ben and felt that same attraction that the sight of him always brought to her. She gave herself a mental shake, frowning a little as she picked up her beer.
"What?" Ben was looking at her in fascination.
"What do you mean, what?"
"You looked like you were having some deep, dark thoughts there for a minute."
Savannah laughed. "Not me. Deep, dark thoughts will give you wrinkles."
Ben raised an eyebrow, and her knees went weak. "Wrinkles just mean you've got character."
Savannah looked skeptical. "Not worth taking the chance. My looks are all I've got."
She immediately wanted to bite her tongue. What the hell was wrong with her? This conversation was not going the way she wanted it to. She was saying things that she would never say in her normal life.
Ben drawled, "Oh, darlin', your looks are something special, but I'm betting you've got a hell of a lot more than that going for you."
Savannah was flustered. She had to get control over the conversation before she ended up jumping right into his lap. That was it. His pure animal attraction was distracting her and making her behave in a way that was not in character. Fortunately, the waitress chose that moment to come back to get their order.
Ben leaned back in his chair and watched Savannah toy with her beer bottle. Her slender fingers stroked the neck of the bottle and he got a vivid mental image of those fingers stroking him. Looking away, he tried to shut that thought off.
"So what do you do when you're not in Boone?" Ben asked.
Savannah arched one eyebrow and said, "I have fun. I ski, I sail, I party. I go to horse races and boat races and art galleries, museums, concerts, even the occasional opera. I go where I want to go and do what I want to do."
"No wonder you keep hanging around in Boone. You must be exhausted. You're here for rest and relaxation, right?"
The look on her face was comical. "Don't be ridiculous. I love my life. I have every luxury I could possibly want. I'm here for my family, and as soon as I've done this favor for Gran, I'm out of here on the first plane I can catch."
"So, is there a special man in your life?"
"I'm not sure there's a special man in the world." Savannah tossed back her hair with a look of scorn.
"Who do you spend your time with? While you're enjoying every luxury you could possibly want."
"I have friends. I date. I just don't have a particular relationship going on at this time."
"Ever been married?"
Her gaze darkened. "Once. It didn't last."
"I'm sorry."
Savannah looked up. "No worries. I came out of it a very wealthy woman. He was much older than I was."
"Is that why you married him?"
Her voice was icy. "That's a rude question and none of your business."
"So it wasn't. You loved him."
"That's enough of the twenty questions. How did you end up in Boone?"
"I got tired of the rich and famous rat race around the horseracing crowd. It's exhausting, and I got really tired of catering to people who think their money can buy anything. When Ed called me and told me about the situation here, I didn't think twice. I'll take this life anytime."
"So you were a horseshoer for the rich and famous?"
"Yes. And I'd rather shoe a horse for a kid in 4H anytime than a high class racehorse for an owner who thinks if he forks out enough money, you'd better hand him a win."
"That sounds ugly."
"You wouldn't believe how ugly it can be."
The waitress brought their tacos and fresh beers. Both of them attacked the tacos with relish.
"These are delicious," Savannah said, adding salsa to another one.
"Everything is good here," Ben said with a grin.