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Literally. They were all at least six inches taller than her, with bodies in perfect proportion, a seemingly bottomless pool of charm and sophistication. She hadn’t been kidding when she’d said she was the runt of the litter.
    Besides all that, there was the company. Her father had started getting sick about the time Cora was finishing up college. College had been a bust, socially. She’d lived alone, held down a job, and done school. There’d been no time for friends or boyfriends. She’d moved straight into the company, training to take over for her father when he needed breaks. And ultimately forever. No, it was no wonder she’d never been with a man. To be honest with herself, she’d not had too much interest until recent years. Even then it was more of a passing curiosity.  
    But the way Rye had touched her tonight was so foreign and so exciting that she found herself tossing and turning well into the night.  
    Late into her fitful rest, she had to use the bathroom. She turned on the light and shielded her eyes until they adjusted. When she was done, she stood in front of the sink washing her hands. She glanced at her reflection, turned off the faucet, and stopped. She looked at her reflection in the mirror for a change—really looked. She pressed her lips together to make her dimples show up. She reached up and touched the place where he’d touched her. She let her fingertips drift to her bottom lip. It wasn’t a bad face.
    Maybe she should put out a little more effort. She had nice hair; there was no reason always to keep it pulled back in a ponytail. There was a nice wave to it when she let it down. She ran her fingers through her hair and tossed it side to side. She pushed it all up on top of her head and checked out different angles. Then she brushed it all over to the side.  
    She stopped with the hair and looked at her breasts. If she’d ever given them any thought, it was only to lament, in a passing moment, that they weren’t bigger. But upon a further appraisal, they weren’t bad. They were round and perky. She put her hands at the sides and pushed them up, trying to imagine what she would look like with cleavage. She could accomplish cleavage if she wanted. With the right bra.
    She lifted her arms over her head and turned to the side sucking in her tummy, checking out her ass. Maybe she should start lifting weights. She went to the gym three times a week already. Maybe she should up her game. It wasn’t a bad body, really. Maybe nothing like her sisters. Maybe she’d never be the stunner that her mother had been and still was. But she was functional and not ugly. Why shouldn’t a man want to touch her?
    She dropped her arms and looked at her face. Smiled a little. He’d liked her dimples. And now it was time to go to bed and quit acting like a school girl.  

CHAPTER THREE

    A DAM COULDN ’ T RECALL being this excited about a date in years. He’d dressed nicely in slacks and a sports jacket, just as any normal person would dress for a date. He’d gelled his hair into just the right style and admired himself in the mirror. Then he remembered who he was going out with. A tall, macho, flannel-and-jeans kind of guy. Not at all the type of man Adam had dated in the past. Todd had been a dandy like himself. This was all new territory.
    Adam shrugged out of the jacket and button-down and then dug in his dresser for his oldest t-shirt, a Vanderbilt Commodores shirt he’d worn to basketball games back in college. He found his rattiest jeans, which were still likely nicer than anything Cash would be wearing.  
    Cash. What a cowboy name. Adam took a moment to envision him as he’d been two days ago, striding from his truck across the highway, dark sunglasses, and his sun-kissed hair blowing back in the wind. His expression had been hard, his jaw strong, his smile reserved. A real cowboy. Adam sighed.
    He grabbed his keys and loped down the steps outside his apartment, hopped in his car, and