The Mason Dixon Line (A Horizons Novel) by Linda Morris

seen with him in public, among people she knew.
    She swallowed another bit of popcorn and
shook her head. “We wouldn’t have to tell them anything. If they ask, I’ll say
you’re my date, which is kind of true. They won’t be rude enough to question
you about it to your face.” She tilted her head thoughtfully. “Actually, my
sister, Gwen, who is planning this thing, might be rude enough to do that. But we’ll avoid her as much as possible.”
    Amazing. Not only was she willing to be
seen with him in public, but she expected people to think they were a couple,
and she was okay with that. Huh.
    Obviously that meant nothing. Anyone
roughly her age and male and reasonably good-looking—which he flattered himself
was a fair description of him—would do to keep her family’s nosiness at bay, so
why did he feel ridiculously pleased by the whole thing?
    “So what do you say?”
    “I don’t have anything to wear to something
like that.” It was a stall, but he had a point too. She’d go crazy if he showed
up at a formal event in his red-tassled hat and a pair of holey jeans. He didn’t
actively relish the thought of pissing her off anymore. Wow, how far they’d
come. “I don’t think your family’s going to be too impressed by my collection
of indie rock T-shirts.”
    “True.” She eyed him. “Stand up for a
minute, will you?”
    He complied, feeling terribly on the spot.
Fortunately his hard-on had dissipated, thank God, so he didn’t have to worry
about that.
    “I think my brother-in-law, Gwen’s husband,
is about your size. He’s an attorney and he’s got a million suits. My sister wouldn’t
let him get away with anything less.”
    Once again, he got the feeling of tension
there, but he didn’t ask. Her family stuff was none of his business.
    Still, her hints surprised him. He would
have thought Miss Perfect had come from an equally perfect family.
    “They won’t think it’s weird that I don’t
have any dress clothes?”
    “I’ll tell them you came in from Chicago
and weren’t expecting to attend an event like this, which is the truth.”
    True enough, but he didn’t have any dress
clothes at home, either. He’d keep that fun fact to himself.
    She narrowed her eyes. “You do have dress
clothes at home, don’t you?”
    So much for keeping that to himself.
    He shrugged. “They never seemed necessary.”
    She shook her head. “You and I live in
different worlds, Mason. Different worlds.”
    He didn’t even bother to agree with her, it
was so obvious.

Chapter 10
A Walk in the Woods
    “You going for a walk?” Mason looked up
from the table where he hunched over another chameleon drawing.
    “I need some fresh air.”
    She threw on a heavy cardigan. She needed
layers. The March woods were damp and cold without them.
    It had been two days since their scorching
interlude in Mason’s car. They hadn’t even discussed it after his apology on
the porch. She’d thought they’d be able to put it behind them easily, but it
hadn’t worked out that way. Working together was surprisingly easy. He worked
hard on the illustrations and had thoughtful comments on the text. She
suggested drawings that would complement her words. Simple.
    Everything else, though, was complicated.
    They had work to do, but that didn’t mean
she could stop herself from watching the way he held a pencil and remembering
how his hand had felt against the skin of her belly, imagining how it would
feel on her breast, or lower. He’d caught her staring once, but he hadn’t said
anything. Was he that clueless, or did he simply not care?
    He’d let his eyes drop back to his sketch
paper, and after a moment, his drawing had resumed.
    “I’ll come with you.” He rose and pulled on
his trench coat. He shrugged it on with a gesture that made his shoulders flex
and bam, just like that, tension gathered in her stomach.
    Great. Now instead of getting some time
alone in the fresh air to breathe, she was getting a chance to make