Page 22 of Top Secret Cowboy


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Suddenly, Jace stiffened next to her. Then he bolted off the sofa, which caused Hemingway, who’d been traitorously cozying up to his boot, to catapult across the room.

No pun intended.

Jace had leaped up just as a knock sounded on the door. “It’s your assistant. Answer it but don’t tell her what happened last night.”

With her eyes wide, Bronte’s mind shot ahead to what was about to go down. Such as her assistant finding her wearing nothing but a robe and Jace looking like a man-snack.

Bronte shoved her hair off her face—she really needed a haircut—and hurried to answer the door.

She stopped to stare at the place where formerly only one lock had been. Now there were three.

Spinning on Jace, she hissed, “When did you do all this?”

“Told you. The boxes arrived in the middle of the night, and I got right to work installing everything.”

She untwisted the first two locks and slid a third lock to the side before opening the door.

Kimmy stood there, eyes melting with relief. “Thank god you’re okay! I couldn’t get you on your phone.”

“Yeah, about that. I need a new one. Same settings, please.” She stepped aside to allow Kimmy into her space.

The woman gave her a once-over, taking in her shabby robe with the frayed hem. Then she froze, eyes huge as she took in Bronte’s guest.

“Uh…hi,” she squeaked out to Jace.

Bronte did not need this.

“Jace is installing a security system in my condo. I thought I’d put him to work on it since he was already in the city,” she rushed to say.

Jace gave Kimmy a nod, which had the woman smoothing a hand over her shiny blonde hair that hung in waves to her shoulders.

A beat of silence went on far too long.

“Did you need something important? What brought you to my condo?” Bronte asked.

“I was worried. You were late and you’re never late. When you weren’t answering your phone, I thought I’d better come over and make sure you’re okay.” She sent an appreciative look at Jace. “Things lookveryokay.”

Okay, this was getting out of hand.

“Well!” She gestured to the door for Kimmy to leave. “Thanks for checking on me. Please have my phone ready for me when I come into the office in an hour or two.”

Kimmy never removed her doe-eyed stare from Jace as she nodded. “Okay.”

She had to get her assistant out of here. With Jace bringing all the bad luck down on Bronte, who knew what might happen next.

“Is that all?” she prompted Kimmy.

The woman twitched as if startled. “Oh. Yes. But since I’m here, could I also borrow that book you told me about?”

Bronte held back a groan that shook her internal organs. Why did she feel like Kimmy was stalling even more?

“Sure. It’s on the bookshelf under the number 158.”

Jace turned to Bronte, brow hiked up high. “You have your personal library catalogued in Dewey?”

Heknew the Dewey Decimal System of cataloguing a library? She thought only geeks born from literary parents and named after famous poets knew stuff like that.

Bronte ignored the question, and Kimmy was almost panting.

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