第1章

Barely six months into their marriage,Carrie Llewellyn began to suspect her husband Cash was keeping secrets from her.

To be honest,she didn’t really know him all that well.Theirs hadn’t been a long engagement;they hadn’t known each other for years.They met through a mutual friend named Saundra who Carrie knew from class and who also worked part-time in HR at the company where Cash worked,too.Saundra liked to play matchmaker—the way she stared at Carrie that first day of class made Carrie wonder if she was a lesbian.It’d explain why she seemed so interested.During break,Saundra cornered Carrie in the restroom.Uh-oh,here it goes,Carrie thought.She studied her long chestnut curls in the mirror and didn’t quite meet Saundra’s bright,heavily-lined eyes in the reflection.Was she really wearing blue eyeliner?Did anyone even sell that stuff anymore?

“You are so pretty,”Saundra opened with.Her words came out in a rush,and she ran a hand through her spiked,bleached hair as if to smooth it down,but she had enough product in it that itdidn’t budge an inch.

Carrie gave her a wan smile.“Thanks.Look,I’m not really…”

Saundra didn’t give her time to shy away.“I know this guy,you’d love him.Super nice,always polite,but girl,those muscles!Arms like this.”She held her cupped hands apart as if encircling an invisible bicep.“And good looking,too!Quite a hottie.You’d love him.”

Carrie wondered how Saundra already knew what kind of guy she’d“love.”She almost had half a mind to hit on Saundra just for fun,rattle the woman a little.Make her think twice about what kind of“guy”Carrie liked.

But then Saundra might think she were serious,and Carrie mightfind herself caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place.What would she do if Saundra called her bluff?Hey,sure,you really are pretty,so let’s just duck in the handicapped stall for a quickie before we get back to class,how’s that sound?

Instead,Carrie smiled grimly and shook her head.“No,really.It’s okay.”

“You’d love him,”Saundra insisted.

And she didn’t let up.Twice a week they had a class together,and every time Carrie saw her,it was the same thing.Cash is so great,and you two would look so cute together,and you’d love him.Carrie once asked if Cash was such a catch,why didn’t Saundra go out with him herself?That was when she found out Saundra was married,with twins,and she figured matchmaking was a diversion to liven up the otherwise dull life of a housewife.

After three weeks,she stopped saying no.She only shook her head,sometimes before Saundra even opened her mouth to speak.Five weeks,and she was wearing down.It would be nice to go out with someone,anyone,just for a change.So who’s life needs livening up now?

Week eight,she surprised herself and Saundra by saying yes.She’d go out with him.Once.She’d get a free meal out of it,maybe a free movie,and Saundra would shut up about it.Who knew?Maybe she might even have a little fun.

****

With a name like Cash,Carrie hadn’t really known what to expect—the image of a tall,gangly man in cowboy boots and a Stetson came to mind.Saundra had shown her a blurry photo of a bunch of guys in work uniforms posing in front of an electric company bucket truck.She’d pointed out which one was Cash,but Carrie couldn’t really make out anything about him.He hadshort hair trimmed in a classic boyish cut.He did have big muscles in his arms,but then again,all the guys seemed to,andtheir shirt sleeves were rolled up over their elbows,which enhanced their biceps.But he had on a pair of wraparound sunglasses,and he wasn’t smiling at the camera.Even after staring at the photo all throughout class,Carrie wasn’t sure what he looked like.

On their first date,he hadn’t worn cowboy boots or a hat.He’d been dressed in a nice,clean pair of jeans that looked fairly new and even ironed,which said something.A button-downshirt was tucked neatly into the jeans,and the blazer he wore over the shirt gave him a“business casual”appearance.At a glance,his shoes seemed to be real leather,and shone with care.His dark hair was cropped close to his head,and his blue eyes sparkled when he saw her.

Up close,he really was quite a hottie,as Saundra had said.Sharp cheekbones,straight nose,firm chin,and high eyebrows made him quite pretty to look at,and when he pulled out Carrie’s chair at their table in the restaurant,one thought flashed through her mind.

He’s definitely a keeper.Too bad he’s gay.

He had to be,right?No straight guy looked so handsome,or dressed so well,or treated her so nicely.He ordered off the menu in flawless French,knew which wine would go best with their dinner,and seemed to only have eyes for her the whole night.By the time he dropped her off at her apartment,Carrie was half in love and completely convinced he was waiting until they said goodbye to break the bad news to her.I had a lovely time,really I did,but you see,I only agreed to do this to shutSaundra up.I’m happily involved with a sexy architect named Pierre…

But that didn’t happen.Cash had given Carrie a chaste kiss,true,but he said he would like to call her later,if she was interested in seeing him again.“You mean,like another date?”she had asked,her heart beating in the back of her throat.Please,please,please say yes.

He did.And so did she.

Theirs was a whirlwind romance.Cash wasn’t like the other guys Carrie had met—he was kind and considerate,almost gentlemanly,opening doors for her and making her feel the way she had always wanted to feel.Like someone special.Someone precious.

Someone loved.