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a friend.”

      “Oh.” He didn’t sound convinced. “I’m not sure I understand how that works.”

      “You’ve never had a close woman friend, someone you loved but weren’t in love with?”

      “I’d have to think about that. My close relationships with women always seem to have a sexual undertone. Then when we act on that, we have an affair, and after it ends, we’re usually not that close anymore.”

      She wasn’t surprised that he ended up in bed with his women friends. One look at his classic profile as he drove this massive truck got her engines running. His hair was a soft brown with enough curl to curve around his ears. She even liked the shape of those ears. Women would naturally want to get their hands on this guy.

      “That’s the way it often goes,” she said. “I’m the last person to brag about my relationship skills. I used to be so proud of my situation with Regan and Drake. I had love and sex with Regan and cherished Drake as a close friend. But a bottle of wine and general dissatisfaction with the status quo ruined everything.”

      “If you could go back and change that, would you?”

      “Good question.” She settled into her comfy leather seat. “If you’d asked me that last January, I would have said yes, in a heartbeat. But now I realize the status quo wasn’t right, and goin’ to bed with Drake was probably my subconscious effort to change it. Regan and I didn’t have the bone-deep passion and commitment that would carry us through fifty or sixty years of marriage.”

      “Did you have it with Drake?”

      “God, no!” She laughed at the thought. Talking about this with someone who wouldn’t judge was a huge relief. “He had his own reasons for shaking things up, but an undying love for me wasn’t one of them.”

      “He told you that?”

      “More or less. I admitted the same thing to him. We were a sorry pair, all right. I should have broken up with Regan instead of getting smashed and having sex with his best friend. But wedding plans have a life of their own. My parents had made a sizable, nonrefundable down payment on the venue. The wedding party had been chosen, and the dresses and tuxes had been ordered.”

      “You felt trapped.”

      “Yes.” She heard something in his voice. “From the way you said that, I’m guessing you know what that’s like.”

      “Absolutely.”

      “Did you almost marry the wrong person, too?” That would explain his empathetic response.

      “Nope. But I know what it feels like to be going down a road and realize it’s the wrong one, but you can’t get a handle on how to change it.”

      “How so?”

      He smiled. “Not now. I want to hear your story.”

      She made a note to ask later. “There’s not much more to tell. Drake and I caused a scandal. My folks pretend they’ve forgiven me, but they haven’t. I think Regan has, though. And Drake, Regan and I are almost back to normal. I wish Regan’s extended family could let it go, but...they may not. I’ll have to live with that.”

      “I predict they’ll warm up.”

      “If I wear different clothes?”

      “Won’t hurt.”

      “I found out something right before you picked me up. I thought by staying at the Bunk and Grub, I’d escaped the Chance family’s influence.”

      He looked over at her. “You didn’t know that Pam was married to Emmett?”

      “Why would I? They don’t even live together!”

      “Which is apparently how they like it. They married late in life, so they each need their space, except for...well, the obvious.”

      “Right.” And here they were focusing once again on the topic of sex. The cab was roomy, but not so big that she didn’t feel his energy across the console. He was a potent guy.

      “Pam is also Nick Chance’s aunt.”

      “She is?” Jeannette sighed. “And Regan joined Nick’s veterinary practice when he moved out here, so that explains why Pam has been friendly and polite, but never warm. I thought she was simply being professional, but no, she’s part of Team Chance. Oh, well.”

      “What about Drake? You shouldn’t be dealing with this alone. Is he getting the cold shoulder, too?”

      “Oh, probably to some extent, but he’s been here longer, and now he’s involved with Tracy, who’s very popular, I gather. They may be giving him a pass because Tracy likes him.” Her phone chirped, indicating she had a text. “Will you excuse me a minute? I should get that. It might be from work.”

      “On a Friday night?”

      “Oh, yeah. My assistant is dedicated.”

      “By all means, see what’s up.”

      Jeannette checked her phone, hoping for good news from Erin, her paralegal assistant. Instead Erin confirmed that they had a big hole in their research on the current case. She promised to work through the weekend to plug that hole, which made Jeannette feel guilty. She should be there helping Erin dig up the information they needed to build a solid defense.

      But she wasn’t there, and so all she could do was text her sincere thanks for Erin’s effort. With a sigh, she put her phone back in her purse. Maybe she should change her flight and go back on Sunday, after all.

      “Problems?”

      “I was afraid we hadn’t thoroughly researched a contract dispute, and sure enough, we haven’t. The client expects an open-and-shut case, but at this point, there’s no guarantee that we’ll prevail.”

      “Tell me about it.”

      “Why?”

      “I might be able to help.”

      She was touched, but if he made his living as a cowhand, he wouldn’t be of much use in this capacity. She didn’t want to insult him, though. “I can describe the case, and I appreciate your offer, but I’m not sure that you—”

      “I may not be able to help considering that you’re in Virginia and every state is different. But it’s worth a shot. Contract law has similarities all over the country.”

      “Yes, but I still don’t think—”

      “Look, nobody besides Jack knows this, and I’d rather not broadcast it if you don’t mind, but...I was an entertainment lawyer in Hollywood for thirteen years. Contract law is my specialty.”

      She stared at him. “Well, that sure as hell explains this fancy truck.”

       3

      JEANNETTE OUTLINED THE CASE, which involved a contract for the sale of a registered Thoroughbred foal. Even though he’d never dealt with the intricacies of Thoroughbred racing, he knew contract law. He grasped the essentials fairly quickly and they debated the merits of the case all the way to Jackson.

      He’d thought his interest in contract law was dead. Maybe not. The lively discussion with Jeannette was more fun than it should have been if he’d abandoned his profession. In his heart he knew he hadn’t totally given up on practicing law.

      But his job at the Last Chance satisfied something basic in his nature. He loved working with the horses, repairing things around the ranch, even shoveling shit. The idea of going back to a desk job didn’t appeal to him at all.

      Before they’d reached the outskirts of Jackson, Jeannette had texted several suggestions to her assistant, Erin, and had received an enthusiastic response. Jeannette laughed and turned to Zach. “She wants to know

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