All About Charming Alice by J. Arlene Culiner Page A

Should she be pleased or offended? And why had he chosen he — Alice, a woman with no glamour, a recluse — for his affair?
For a little something on the original side
, she told herself, yet again.
    Jace raised his hand, let his fingers slowly trace the fine line of her cheekbone, the contour of her lips, conjuring up a wild trail of sparks, a hum of desire, a yearning for more that — almost — erased the pain of her thoughts.
    Alice pulled back, away from his touch. “Jace, listen … ”
    “I’m here.”
    She sat up straight, prepared to destroy all. “I like you, really I do. I like your company.”
    He wasn’t in the least perturbed. “And this is only the beginning.”
    “What beginning? I’m different from you. I don’t have short affairs. Ever. Besides … ” She took a deep breath before telling the lie. “I also have someone in my life.” She watched his smile vanish.
    “Who?”
    “Brad.”
    “Brad?”
    “A rancher. From Two Posts.” She hoped Jace and Brad never met up. If they did, the game would be up, all right. But when would they meet? Jace would be out of here in no time.
    “Brad. The Rancher from Two Posts,” Jace repeated. “I feel like I’ve just strolled into a bad western.”
    “Oh, I do understand. You see how different we are? Brad’s a rough and ready type of guy. Ever so Western. Doesn’t at all fit into the same sort of picture frame as your Tanya with her exotic perfume, designer clothing, and sexy boudoir.” She forced herself to smile archly.
    “Boudoir?” Jace’s eyebrow quirked with amusement; his eyes glittered. “How gorgeously archaic.”
    “Or whatever.” Okay, she’d gone too far. Alice felt like kicking herself. “I just threw in the boudoir image for contrast, you see.”
    “Of course. I understand.” He was obviously trying not to laugh.
    “What I meant to say is that Brad is just the opposite. Tall, lean. A real outdoors man. One who loves the desert.”
    “And snakes,” said Jace dryly.
    “Well,” said Alice judiciously. “I can’t say he’s as fond of them as I am.” No, she certainly couldn’t. Because Brad hated snakes. Killed them. When Alice had found out, Brad had been wiped off the screen of her life. Until this moment, when he was needed as a first line of defense. Against Jace. Against her attraction. Her emotions.
    “Do you love him?” Jace asked.
    Alice stared back, wide-eyed, wordless. Now what would she do? Say she was madly in love? No, she couldn’t do that. That would be going too far. Even now.
    Fighting for time, she stood, took a few steps in the direction of the front door. Then turned, looked back at Jace. And in the best, overly theatrical way she could possibly manage, she opened her arms in a wide, woman-of-the-world gesture. “Love! Oh, does that silly little word really mean anything at all?”
    As she disappeared into the house, she was well aware she’d sounded like a bad actress in a tenth-rate play. But, then again, that was an experience not totally unknown to her.
    Once upon a time.

Chapter Eight
    “Plan B,” murmured Jace to himself with a smirk of satisfaction. Leaning back against the counter, he basked in a dancing ray of sunlight while coffee filtered lazily into the pot. Alice hadn’t made an appearance this morning, and there was no sign of breakfast. Therefore — reasoned Jace — she must still be in her bed, sleeping. He grinned. Good. That showed him fate was on his side, nodding away with approval at Plan B.
    What was Plan B exactly? Plan B was an excellent idea. It was an almost sure method for knocking rivals out of the scene, rivals like that Brad what’s-his-name from Two Posts — if Brad really did exist. “Because,” Jace reasoned, “where is dear, old Rancher Brad? He certainly never shows his nose around here.”
    Alice never seemed to go out on mysterious dates, either. So, was Rancher Brad really and truly a serious rival? He doubted it.
    Those were the sorts of