Rocky Mountain Angels by Jodi Bowersox [romance]

her hands, willing her brain to stop the replay of his fingers sliding into her hair so carefully, tentatively. If she were to follow up on the feelings he evoked in her...
    Jumping to her feet, she carried her plate to the sink. She looked down at the fingers that were starting to turn white and feel numb without even venturing out into the frigid night air. Is he right? Will I be running headlong into another dead end with zoo keeper technologies? She went into the living room to retrieve her mug for another cup of tea.
    She had spent over ten years trying to find her path—trying to find that special something that would make her yell, “This is it!” After the last degree she threw in a drawer, she took a test to find her interests. It suggested working with animals, and the zoo keeper plan was born. When her research brought up the program at Colorado Springs in the shadow of the beautiful Rocky Mountains, it had seemed perfect.
    But if I can’t do the zoo, I’m right back where I started career-wise. She filled her cup with water and set it in the microwave. Why is this so hard for me? None of my brothers had any trouble figuring out their lives.
    Jerry had followed in their dad’s footsteps and went into banking. Sam worked his way up to be the manager of a sandwich shop, while Nathaniel was a computer programmer. Noah followed in their mom’s footsteps, pursuing a realtor’s license, and Alex, the youngest of the five, worked in construction. Four of them were married with children, and Alex had been dating someone seriously for about four months.
    Only Mari was at loose ends.
    Filling her mug with water from the tap, she felt a sudden need to get her impressions of the day shopping with Eli out of her head and into her hard drive. And that kiss... She knew she’d be writing about that at length.
    While the water was heating in the microwave, she thought back to the moment sitting on her bed with Eli when she had almost told him about her passion for writing. She was glad she hadn’t spilled those particular beans, but she couldn’t help wondering what his reaction might have been. Would he be like the people that want to read something and then pretend it’s good, or like the people that are sure you couldn’t possibly have any writing talent, so they move slowly away, nodding and smiling.
    She smirked — Since he wants to kiss me again, I’m guessing the former— and rinsed the rest of her salad off her plate and started the disposal. After just a few seconds, she felt her stocking feet getting wet. Looking down, she realized that water was pouring out of the cupboard below the sink. She gave a little squeal, slammed off the disposal switch, and flipped the faucet off. Opening the cupboard, she was greeted with the sight of a large quantity of water with the remains of her salad floating in it. Ugh! She ran to the bathroom for towels.
    ***
    Joe had just finished a plate of nachos and a turkey sandwich when the doorbell rang. Slipping his plate into the dishwasher, he made his way to the door, wondering if the Olson kids had lost their cat again. Pulling it open, he was surprised to see their new little neighbor, Mari, bundled up like she had been sledding instead of just walking across the lawn.
    “Mari, come in.” She stepped in, obviously a bit nervous. “What can I do for you?”
    “I’m really sorry to bother you. I tried to call my landlord, but he isn’t answering.”
    “You’re not locked out again, are you?”
    “Oh, no, Ben replaced my doorknob with a brand new one, so that shouldn’t happen again... Is Ben here? Or Eli?”
    “I’m afraid not. Ben goes bowling on Thursday evenings, and Eli... I don’t know where Eli is, but he wasn’t here when I got home.” Mari’s brow furrowed. “Is there something I can help you with?”
    “I really don’t want to be a pain—seems you guys just do nothing but bail me out of trouble...”
    Joe put his hand on her shoulder.