LITMIR.BIZ

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likely to ever forget. He wasn’t sure what he expected to feel coming back. Mostly it was good to see the city had recovered, that it was busy and teeming with life, the way it should be.

      On the approach, he hadn’t been able to take his eyes off the spot where the Towers used to be, but he noted driving in that there was so much life here, nothing could ever completely erase it. New York was a place unique unto itself, and if he wasn’t here for such a ridiculous reason, he might enjoy the visit. He loved the scrub desert and wide-open spaces of Texas. His home was a part of his soul. Still, he enjoyed getting away every now and then, just like anyone else. Cities had their advantages.

      He’d also been told there was a decent place that did Texas barbecue better than he could find in his home state. He didn’t want to believe it, but he had the address in his PDA and hoped to find out for himself.

      Feeling a little like a Peeping Tom, he figured he should make himself known. He’d stayed to the back when he’d walked in, not wanting to interrupt, but now there wasn’t any reason to lurk, except that he was enjoying the view.

      Clearing his throat gently to signal his presence, he stepped forward from the hallway where he’d been standing. She whipped around, obviously startled, and he froze. Her posture signaled fright to him. Not a jump or a gasp of broken concentration, but her big eyes landed on him with a look that he’d seen far too often. Fear. Momentary panic.

      He put his hands up, calming, showing he was no threat.

      “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you, ma’am. I’m Lt. Jarod Wyatt, Texas Rangers, El Paso division—November, as you have me up on your board there,” he said with a healthy dose of Texas charm and sincere chagrin. The picture reminded him why he was here, and it made his eyes roll every time he thought about it.

      “You’re not due until tomorrow,” she said starkly, sounding a bit choked, as if trying to breathe correctly. Was she always this jumpy? She’d mentioned Nevada. Maybe she wasn’t a city girl as he’d assumed.

      “I took an early flight. Thought I’d stop by and check the place out. The door was open, and a secretary pushed me in this direction,” he explained with just a hint of apology, then held out his hand. “Nice to meet you. I guess you’re the photographer?”

      Her eyes narrowed. “Why would you assume that?”

      Whoops. He didn’t want to let her know he’d been skulking in the corner for the past fifteen minutes. From the glare in her eyes, he wasn’t sure that would go over too well.

      Lacey Graham was a prickly number. Pretty as could be, though, he thought, taking in fine, almost porcelain features. Her eyes snapped dark green, and her mouth formed a perfectly pink rosebud, bare of any lipstick. Just what he preferred.

      “Well, ma’am, it doesn’t take much to figure out. You’re here, in the studio, checking out the pictures on this big board, and speaking matter-of-factly, I heard you and your assistant talking when I first came in. Didn’t want to interrupt,” he offered by way of explanation and was glad to see her shoulders relax, her frame softening as she nodded.

      “Sorry. It’s not a good idea to sneak up on someone like that, especially after hours. I’m Lacey Graham, but I guess you already knew that.”

      Her hand was small in his, but strong. She had a firm grip, which triggered a small dart of unexpected arousal that he firmly pushed to the back of his mind.

      “So this is the calendar spread, huh?” he said, scrutinizing the wall, trying to ignore his own picture among the others. He recognized one or two of the other guys, men he respected, and it helped him to not feel quite so cheesy about doing this. Not that he’d had much choice in the matter.

      “Yep. These are just the PR shots we’re using to play with. It will all change when we have the actual photos we choose for the final, but this gives me some idea what I want to do with each model.”

      “All due respect, but I’m not a model, and I’m betting none of these other guys are either.”

      He saw the corners of her lips twitch. “With all due respect back, Lieutenant, you are a model for the next week. It’ll be fun, don’t worry.”

      He frowned. “A week? I thought we’d spend a day taking pictures and I’d be on my way?”

      She shook her head. “It will take more than that. We’re shooting around the city, so I had to arrange for permissions to use various locations for each model. Some we have to get to at crazy times of day, they have to clear them out for a few hours, and that needs planning. Then I’d like to do some unposed, candid shots. The letter we sent stated the time requirements clearly.”

      He took a breath, shoved his hands in his pockets. He wasn’t going to admit he’d been in a bitch of a mood about having been ordered to do this in the first place, and when the letter had come in the mail he’d ditched it, thinking he’d get out of the whole deal. His superiors had made him realize differently. Even law enforcement cared about public image these days. Far too much, in his view.

      “I guess I figured it wouldn’t take that long,” he said, wincing slightly at the idea of this taking up so much time. “It’s just a few pictures.”

      She laughed then, and he was struck by the sound, how lively and natural it was. He had a feeling she used it a lot.

      “It’s much more than that. We need to cover a lot of ground, and I want to cover all four seasons from all models, since I may change my mind as to who gets placed where in the final analysis. This is a big deal, Lieutenant. I want this calendar to be a wild success.”

      “Good for your career, huh?”

      Her posture stiffened again, and she tipped up her chin, nodding shortly. “Absolutely. Probably won’t hurt yours any, either.”

      He didn’t answer that. This had nothing to do with his career, but he wasn’t going to get into a pissing match with the pretty lady.

      “We’ll be doing a group shot at the end at Ground Zero. You’ll have to come back up for that, probably. Any problems there?”

      “I guess not. Should there be?”

      “Some of the guys weren’t sure they could go back, to the site, I mean.”

      “I’m fine. Unless I happen to be out in the scrub chasing down felons, getting back here for a day shouldn’t be difficult. As long as it’s only a day,” he warned. His supervisors had told him to do whatever the magazine needed, and this didn’t come off his vacation time, so he found it hard to argue.

      She peered up at him through thick lashes. “You hungry, Lieutenant?”

      “Call me Jarod. And, yeah, I could go for something. ”

      “If you want, I know some good places. Let me close up here, and we can have our initial consult over some pizza or whatever you prefer. My treat.”

      His blood warmed more than it should, but there was no way he was turning down her invitation. He was curious about this beautiful photographer. No doubt she was smart. She was cagey, too, and she also had no qualms about meeting him eye to eye. She had a well-used laugh. All in all, an intriguing package.

      “Sure, sounds good. I have to check in at my hotel, though.”

      “Where’d you book?”

      “The Affinia. Not far from here.”

      “You’ll like it. I’ll meet you in the lobby in an hour, then?”

      He reached up, tipped his hat. Her eyes followed his gesture so closely, as if she was already mentally taking him apart frame by frame. It was disconcerting.

      “See you in an hour.”

       Chapter 2

      LACEY COULDN’T QUITE stifle the riff of excitement that hastened

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