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again, believe in life after death, and that
David would want me to go on for him and for all the plans we’d
made together. I honestly believed that if it came down to it,
Grace would take a bullet for me. That’s why I wanted her happy.
That’s why I’d introduced her to Hunter, her current boyfriend.
    “Wait, what do
you mean we’ll see what happens? Are you really thinking seriously
about him?”
    “I don’t know,
Grace, but I haven’t felt this kind of connection since David. He
already asked me out to dinner, and is picking me up in” – I looked
at my watch – “an hour.”
    “Well, he’s
moving fast, isn’t he? And what are you doing sitting here with me
instead of getting ready?”
    “Grace, he’s
very nice, and kind, and there’s something old-fashioned about him.
And don’t worry, I’ve got you to help me get ready.” I winked.
Grace was a professional at getting things done under pressure and
at lightning speed. It helped that she lived in my condo, too – or
was it me who lived in hers? I moved in right after David’s death.
I could no longer live with my parents and needed to start a new
life.
    “Turn around,”
she ordered, and a hairbrush magically appeared in her hand. The
next thing I knew, she was brushing through my straight hair,
plugging in her curling iron, and spraying a tropical mist that
left my hair shiny with a tad of bounce.
    “Em, you
better keep your priorities straight and not lose track of the job.
Julian and Tristan may be testing you.”
    My brothers
had set me up once before. It was a cheating case, but the hunk
that had walked into my office to find out whether his girlfriend
was unfaithful was off-the-charts hot. It didn’t take me long to
figure out that he was gay, and a hired actor by none other than
Julian to see whether I’d go for a client. “Women are weak
sometimes,” they’d explained. “We just don’t want you to fall for
the easy-on-the-eyes type.”
    Really, was
that how little they thought of me? Since that day, I’d refused to
trust either of them. Not until they earned it back. But if this
case was real, if the Cowboy really needed my help, then it was a
step in the right direction.
    “I know. He
does seem to spin my head when he’s around, but I can see the job’s
important to him, so I won’t fail him. I can’t fail him. It’s
important to me too. I can be professional and do the job he hired
me for, but after hours, all bets are off.” I winked.
    “So long as
Julian and Tristan don’t find out, right? Because honestly, Emma,
you sound like you wanna jump right into his bed.”
    “I want to
strip him with my teeth, lick him with my tongue, and ride him
wearing his cowboy hat until the sun comes up.”
    “So, he’ll be
just like any other guy then?” Grace stopped her brush.
    “What do you
mean?”
    “I mean that
since David’s death, you’ve used men the same way you do toilet
paper. Once.”
    “I don’t know
Grace, this one may be a wipe,” I teased.
    “Oh, gross,
you wouldn’t use a wipe more than once, Em!”
    “No, but
they’re tougher, rougher, and hopefully well lubricated.” What I’d
failed to tell Grace was that no man had touched me since David. I
might have flirted and elaborated about my dates a bit, letting her
imagination flourish, but I’d never allowed another man to touch
me. David had been my first and only lover. I’d known him since we
were kids, and I was the reason he died.
    “One of these
days, you’re finally going to open up to someone new, fall in love
again, and settle down, Em. And when that day comes, I hope you’re
ready. The last thing I’d want you to do is to throw away the
one .”
    I rolled my
eyes. Grace had been talking about the one for a long time.
She hadn’t had any luck finding the right man until I literally
brought Hunter onto her doorstep. Or maybe none of them could
compare to Marcus, her fiancé who had died saving her life. Grace had never
experienced the kind