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His expression was the picture of innocence, but it fooled no one.

Grady chuckled as he gathered his tools, and Amanda followed him to the SUV while he loaded everything into the back.

She leaned against the side panel. “Thanks again for doing this.”

“Glad I could help.” He closed the hatch. “Your assistant’s something else.”

“You have no idea.” Amanda caught Fen watching them over the rim of his iced tea glass. She knew that expression. The moment Grady left, she would face an interrogation.

“I like him.”

“Please don’t encourage him. I have enough problems.” She meant it as a joke, but the prospect of explaining her relationship with Grady to Fen was already giving her a headache. He wouldn’t accept a vague answer, especially after watching them together for the past hour.

Grady stepped closer, and her attention shifted from her assistant to the man standing in front of her. She remembered the way he’d kissed her that morning, and the temptation to reach for him was almost impossible to resist. But they had an audience.

When she shook her head slightly and bit her bottom lip, his smile faded as he understood why she hadn’t moved toward him. “Right. Not in front of Fen and Edith.”

Her disappointment was absurd, considering she’d been the one insisting they keep this quiet. Still, she hated pretending there was nothing between them when only hours ago she’d been wrapped around him in his bed.

Amanda touched his arm instead. “I’ll call you later.”

“I’ll be home.”

The way he said it brought back far too many memories of the night before. She managed a soft “Okay,” then stepped away and watched him climb into the SUV. Only after he pulled out of the driveway did she turn toward the house.

Fen waited on the porch when she returned, arms folded across his chest and a smile on his face that promised trouble. She climbed the repaired steps, tested a new board with her foot, then pointed at him. “Whatever you’re thinking, keep it to yourself.”

“Oh, honey. I have several things to say.”

“I’m sure you do.” She headed for the front door, hoping he’d have the sense to save them for later. He followed her inside, and she’d made it only a few feet into the entryway when he spoke.

“You slept with him.”

She nearly tripped over her own feet, then spun around to face him. “Jesus, Fen!”

“I knew it!”

From the kitchen came the clatter of a pot lid. Edith was checking on the pot roast, and Amanda had no desire to conduct this conversation within her aunt’s hearing. She grabbed his arm and steered him into the living room. Her aunt had practically given her blessing the night before, telling her she wouldn’t wait up and would see her in the morning. She’d even made a teasing remark about Amanda looking well rested over breakfast. That didn’t mean Edith needed to hear the details of her sex life announced from the entryway.

Once they were out of earshot, she let him go. “Could you possibly say that any louder?”

“Sorry, darling, but you should’ve seen your face.” He sat regally in a wing-back chair, crossed his legs, and set his hands on his knee, looking entirely unapologetic. “So, how long has this been going on?”

She considered telling him it was none of his business. Unfortunately, that would only make him more determined to pry, and she’d never been particularly good at keeping things from him. Six years of working together had seen to that.

“Since last night.”

His mouth fell open. “Last night? I leave you alone in Wyoming for a couple of weeks, and you get arrested, sentenced to community service, and sleep with the sheriff who arrested you.” He pressed a hand to his chest. “I’ve never been prouder.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“And you’re glowing.”

Instead of dignifying that with an answer, she sat on the couch across from him, hoping her expression would discourage further questions. It didn't. He clearly took her silence as confirmation.

“Listen, I’m serious about keeping this between us.” She leaned forward, resting her forearms on her knees. “The last thing I need is everyone finding out Grady and I are having a brief fling. This town already gossips enough, and once the crew gets here, it’ll be worse. I don’t need the paparazzi finding out about him.”

“Brief fling,” he repeated.