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the divine Shelly, he’d take this one.
    But Hallie’d had too many years of guys trying to get near
her
so they could be close to Shelly. All she knew for sure was that this had to stop
now
!
    She took a step toward him and when he smiled broader, she frowned deeply. “Look, Mr. Taggert—at least I assume that’s who you are—I don’t know what you’re thinking about me, but it’s wrong. You’re here in
my
house so I can help you recover and that’s
all
. Do I make myself clear?”
    “Yes, ma’am,” he said softly, his eyes widening even farther.
    She took a step closer to him, her finger pointed at his chest. “If you
ever
make an advance toward me that is the least bit unprofessional, you’re out of here. Do you understand?”
    Jamie was blinking at her as he nodded.
    “Professional!” She tapped her finger on his very hard chest. “Touch me and you leave. Got it?”
    When he said “Yes,” Hallie could feel his breath on her face. He smelled of
man
. Abruptly, she took a step back, then walked all the way around the table, around both men, and paused at the back door. She glared at Jared. “Short, stocky kid, huh?” She went outside, closing the door firmly behind her.
    Jared was the first to speak. “Now
I’m
going to be in the doghouse. What the hell were you thinking, coming on to her like that?” he half shouted. “This isn’t going to work! If you knew what that girl has been through…” He glared at Jamie. “That sister of hers—with
my
help—tried to steal this house from her.”
    Jamie hobbled over to a chair and sat down. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”
    “If you mean the stepsister, no, I don’t think she is. To tell you the truth, I didn’t like her from the moment I saw her. She’s too much like the girls I used to date.”
    “Who is the stepsister?” Jamie’s puzzlement showed on his face.
    “The blonde,” Jared said, sounding like Jamie had no brain. “The photo on the passport, remember? The one who said
she
was Hallie.”
    “Oh,” Jamie said. “Her. I like this one better. She’s got beautiful eyes, and she is
built
, isn’t she?”
    Jared groaned. “Deliver me from the days of youth. What I want to know is if it’s safe to leave you here with her. She’s in this mess because of
me
and I plan to look out for her.”
    There was no smile on Jamie’s face. “Are you asking me if I’ll take what she doesn’t want to give?”
    Jared was taller and older than Jamie, but the younger man had the muscles of a bull. Jared didn’t back down. “Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m asking.”
    Jamie’s face softened. “It looks like there will be two of us protecting her. I apologize to you now and I will apologize to her for my behavior. It’s just that I wasn’t expecting…her. Tall skinny blondes aren’t appealing to me, but this one I like.”
    Jared grimaced. “I’m going home to my wife. The next time I talk to Hallie she’d better tell me that you’ve treated her well or I’ll call your dad to bring a cattle truck to haul you away.”
    “Spoken like a true Montgomery,” Jamie said, his eyes laughing. “Did you
really
tell her I’m a kid?”
    “You are to me.”
    Jamie was still smiling. “Go on. You can leave. She’s safe with me. She stands up for herself well, doesn’t she?”
    Jared had the idea that if he remained there he might have to listen to hours of whatever this young man was feeling, which he had no doubt was nothing but lust. “I’ll be back in an hour and I’ll ask Hallie whether or not you can stay here. If she even hints that you’ve come on to her, you’re moving into my house.”
    “Yes, sir,” Jamie said, his eyes sparkling.

Chapter Two

    A
s soon as Hallie was outside, she realized that her anger was more about what her stepsister had tried to do than about the young man who needed her help. And her anger had increased when she realized she was attracted to a man who had hidden away photos of Shelly.
    Before