He was so …hot.
He spoke with a rez accent and stood at least as tall as Chaska, his dark hair cut short. His black T-shirt stretched over a muscular torso, a tattoo of a maze peeking out from beneath his sleeve on his left shoulder. And his face...
Piercing brown eyes. High, angular cheekbones. A strong jaw. Full lips.
Say something!
“I’m … uh… I’m Winona.”
He stepped back, let his hands fall to his sides. “Naomi said you’d have coffee cups. I can see she was right.”
“Oh. Yes.” Winona tried to open the plastic to give him a single cup but somehow dropped both packages onto the porch.
He bent down, picked them up. “I can take them from here. You can go back to whatever you were doing.”
“Thanks.” She handed him the creamer, too.
“I’m Jason Chiago.” He tucked the cups under one arm, held out his free hand, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
She shook his hand, his fingers warm, his touch seeming to ignite sparks on her skin. “Winona Belcourt. I’m Naomi’s sister-in-law.”
“Jason!” Kat came up behind Winona, stepped outside. “It’s good to see you.”
“Hey, Kat. It’s been a while.”
That’s when it clicked.
Heat rose into Winona’s cheeks.
This wasthatfriend. Kat’s Tohono O’odham friend. The Shadow Wolf.
The Shadow Wolves were legendary among Native people and were widely acknowledged as the best trackers in the world.
Great.
She’d certainly made a good first impression.
Fighting the impulse to slink away and crawl under the nearest rock, she stood politely while Kat and Jason spoke. She couldn’t help but notice his broad shoulders. Or the bulge of his biceps. Or the way his jeans rode low on his narrow hips.
No, of course, she wasn’t staring at him. Okay, so maybe she was, but he was standing right in front of her. What else was she supposed to do?
“How long are you staying?” Kat asked.
“I’m not sure—a week or two maybe. I thought I’d lend a hand here and then maybe see some sights.” He glanced over at the group of volunteers, who were dividing into teams. “I should probably get to work.”
“Chiago, you slacker!” Zach McBride called, a grin on his face. “Quit talking to the pretty women and pick up a hammer.”
“You go on. We’ll talk soon.” Kat waved. “Hey, Zach!”
“Nice to meet you, Winona.” Jason walked down the stairs and rejoined the others, leaving Winona to gawk … at his butt.
Holy smokes.
Back in the kitchen, Kat grabbed a dishtowel. “There’s something you should know about Jason. I know he’s good-looking, but, last I heard, he was engaged.”
Given that Winona had just made a fool of herself, the news almost came as a relief. “The good ones always are.”
* * *