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terrified of losing me. My sisters are useless.” She felt a stab of guilt. “By choice. They would be terrific if they would think about anyone but themselves.”
    â€œIsn’t that true of half the world?” he drawled.
    â€œYes,” she said, smiling. “I guess it is. I apologize about the near-arrest.”
    â€œSomething tells me that won’t be the last excitement I see as a result of having you around,” he said.
    Tina winced. “I warned you.”
    â€œYeah,” he said. “You did. Let’s get out of here.”
    Zach ushered her into the same SUV he’d driven all those months ago when he’d taken her to his apartment. She inhaled the scent, feeling a flood of sensual memories skitter through her.
    She sank into the leather seat, feeling safe and for the first time in months, not judged. Closing her eyes, she tried to make sense of her most recent, most impulsive decision of her life.
    â€œI don’t have any clothes,” she said.
    â€œNo problem,” he said. “You can sleep in one of my T-shirts and go shopping tomorrow or the next day.”
    â€œYour T-shirt,” she echoed, finding the prospect incredibly sensual and forbidden.
    â€œYeah,” he said. “Unless her highness requires silk.”
    She paused a half-beat and decided to push back a little. She suspected she’d been way too easy for him. That put her at a disadvantage. “Silk? I can skip a night.”
    He gave a low laugh that rippled along her nerve endings.“Tell me something I don’t know,” he said. “You skipped every stitch of clothing the night you spent with me.”
    â€œI’m surprised you remember,” she said. “It was just one night—”
    He whipped his head around to meet her gaze. “I remember everything about that night, Tina. Everything.”
    Â 
    Just as Zach had said, ninety minutes later, he pulled down a long driveway lined with scrubby landscape. “Is this it?” she asked, preparing herself for a log cabin.
    He nodded and she noticed the dirt and scrub were replaced by green grass and trees. “Is this your family home, or did you acquire it?”
    â€œIt’s been in my family for generations. Some of the staff live in the original homeplace. I had a new home built about six years ago,” he said.
    A large white building with a wraparound front porch sat amidst tall trees and flowering shrubs. The waning sunlight glistened on the leaves. “It’s beautiful,” she said.
    He glanced at her. “You sound surprised.”
    â€œI didn’t know what to expect. A ranch can mean different things to different people.”
    â€œAh, so you were expecting something more primitive. I hope you’re not disappointed,” he joked.
    â€œNot at all,” she said, looking forward to a shower.
    â€œIf I know Hildie, she’ll have a meal waiting for us when we walk in the door,” he said.
    â€œHildie?”
    â€œCook and housekeeper. She’s been working at the ranch since before my parents passed away,” he said.
    â€œIt’s nice to have that continuity. We have a few staff members and advisers who have been around a long time.”
    â€œAre you worried about getting homesick? This is a lot different than Chantaine.”
    â€œI’m counting on that,” she said with a sigh. More than anything, Tina craved an opportunity to hear herself think.
    Zach pulled the SUV to a stop, then got out and stepped to the passenger door to open her door. He extended his hand and she took it, remembering the sensation of his calloused palms on various places of her body. Leading her up the steps, he opened the door and she stepped into a terra cotta tiled double-story foyer that featured a double staircase. A copper and crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling.
    The foyer was warm and welcoming without being pretentious. She felt a sliver of