“What do you think about mountains?”
“I like mountains.”
She swung around the heavy paper clipped to a thin board.
Nick stepped back with a wide smile on his face. “Really? You want to do a mountain picture together?”
“Why not?”
“I’d love it.”
“Okay, put this on the easel while I get set up.” She paused to turn off the television and plug her phone into its dock for some music. Then, with a lighthearted step, she gathered water and paints.
When she gave Nick a handful of brushes, he caught her arm and pulled her closer for a kiss. “I’m pumped about this.”
She couldn’t help a silly grin. “Me, too. I’ve never had a painting partner before.” Until now, she couldn’t have imagined letting someone get this close to her work.
“You start,” Nick told her.
Kat took a deep breath. “Here goes. I’ll start on the flowers in the foreground, and you can work on the sky and mountains. But don’t worry, okay? This is just for fun.”
Nick laughed. “You know, to my ears that sounds like a challenge. I’m thinking one-of-a-kind priceless masterpiece here.”
Swallowing hard, Kat turned to the paper. It would definitely be that. A keepsake, anyway. It felt like more than teamwork. More like an intimate shared experience. She’d never enjoyed the company of a man this much. She gripped the edge of her painting stool, afraid she might lose her balance. All the signs pointed to one thing—she was falling in love with Nick Summers.
With shaking fingers, she swished her brush again, not quite sure about putting paint to paper. She was glad Nick couldn’t see her face. Would he be able to see her thoughts? With supreme effort, she forced herself to concentrate. After a few minutes, her hands took over the task as if on autopilot. She applied color in sure, quick strokes, forming her signature field of wildflowers in bursts of orange, yellow and purple.
“That’s amazing.”
Nick’s words interrupted her movements, and Kat paused her brush. “What?”
“It’s like you give a couple flicks of your wrist, andpoof, wildflowers appear.”
“I’ve done these a time or two.”
He reached in. “Can I add some stems?”
Kat took a step back. “Go for it.”
He dipped a small brush in the paints and added bright green lines, mixing his vision with hers.
“Nice.” She leaned across him and added a few tiny dots that could loosely be called leaves.
He stepped to the other side again. “I’m thinking bright blue Colorado sky.”
“Absolutely.” She had deliberately avoided checking Nick’s work, but now she watched him flood the corner of the paper with brilliant cerulean blue.
“That’s perfect,” she murmured.
Nick took her hand, and they stepped back to admire their handiwork so far.
“Almost looks like you don’t hate Colorado,” he said.
She shot him a sideways glance. “I never said I hate Colorado. I like a couple of things there.”
“Yeah, like what?”
“Well, Nana’s there, and I like hanging out with her.”
