walked in.â
Liberty heard, âHey, hot mama,â and imagined Bran kissing Harperâs neck, like he did whenever theyâd been apart for more than five minutes. They were so crazy in love itâd be sickening if not for the fact they shared that love with everyone around them. From the instant Bran had married Harper, the gruff rancher had considered Liberty as much his sister as Harperâs. Heâd been such a pillar of strength for both her and Harper in the months during Libertyâs recovery and after leaving the military.
So she couldnât be jealous of her sisterâs good fortune; Harper deserved the happiness sheâd found with Bran. Still, Liberty secretly believed that type of forever, soul-mate love was a fluke.
âHeya, sis. Come visit us soon. The boys miss you,â Bran said into the phone. Then the sounds of background noise faded.
âOkay, now tell me why Iâm getting a panicked call from you,â Harper said with concern. âYouâre never panicked.â
Liberty exhaled slowly. âAfter eight months of training, Iâve scored a long-term assignment where Iâll be traveling. At the meeting today, the client insisted that Iââit pained her to admit this to her beautiful, fashionable sisterââlook less dowdy and more hip to fit in.â
âYour jerk of a client said that to you? Good Lord, Lib. How much is the guy limping? Or did you just shoot him?â
She loved how quickly Harper got indignant on her behalf. âNeither, because heâs right. I have no sense of style. Iâve always told you I donât care, and that was true when I was on active duty, but now? Now Iâm embarrassed to admit that Iâm thirty-five years old and Iâm so overwhelmed by all of itâgirl hair, makeup, clothingâthat I donât even know where to start.â
âWell, sweetie, you came to the right place. Take a deep breath. Weâll get you through this.â
âThank you.â
âOh, youâll be cursing me when I tell you that Iâve been waiting for this day to come, and Iâve prepared for it accordingly.â
Liberty frowned. âHow did you prepare for it?â
âPlease. Did you forget I own a clothing store? I see thousands of piecesof merchandise every year. And ever since you got this job, when I saw something that would look great on you, Iâve set it aside.â
âChrist. Like some kind of Liberty-becomes-a-fashionista hope chest?â
Harper laughed. âExactly. I know you like baggy, comfortable clothes and I kept that in mind when I picked pieces that are . . . absolutely nothing like that at all.â
Liberty groaned but admitted, âGod, you annoy me, but I love you anyway.â
âI know. Iâve set aside two dozen pieces. Some will work well together, some need another piece to complete the outfit, but theyâre all stylish and yet fit with your personality, job and lifestyle. When do you need them by?â
âWe leave Denver on Monday.â
âOkay. Not a problem. Iâll overnight them to you today . . . under one condition.â
âWhatâs that?â
âThat we finish every ensemble tomorrow afternoonâincluding shoes. Which means you will take me along as your personal shopper and weâll be on FaceTime for as long as it takes.â
Donât groan.
âThat soundsââlike tortureââgood.â
âYouâre such a liar. Iâll include ideas of what I think will finish off the outfits and where you can find individual pieces. Weâll start at department stores.â Harper paused.
âWhat?â
âIs money an issue?â
âDepends on if youâre sending me shopping at Saks or Kmart.â
âPlaces like Nordstrom, Dillardâs, Forever 21, Charlotte Russe and Anthropologie will work just fine.â
âThen