Chapter One
The sun shone high overheard. The sky blazed brilliant blue, and not a single cloud marred the canvas. Sixty-five degrees on the first of February. It was what Gracie Evans loved most about living in south Texas. By the middle of the week, another cold front was poised to move through, dropping temps into the forties. Oh the horror.
Gracie stretched in her lawn chair and watched lazily as Jeremy Miller tended the barbeque while his wife, Gracie’s best friend Michelle, hovered nearby.
“Come on, Gracie, get up and play,” Wes Hoffman hollered from the yard.
She looked over to see him and Luke Forsythe tossing a football back and forth. Boneheads. She was more than comfortable right where she was. After a long week at work and not sleeping worth a damn last night, sitting up to eat was about as energetic as she planned to get.
Luke flopped onto the chair next to her. “What’s up, Gracie? You’re not usually such a stick-in-the-mud.”
She shot him a dirty look. “Busy week at work. I’m just tired.”
Of course, the worst part of the week had been last night. Her date with her current boyfriend had ended with the usual boring, obligatory sex, and quite frankly, she was tired of being disappointed in that area. She’d stayed up most of the night mustering the courage to call him this morning and break things off.
He hadn’t taken it well.
“Earth to Gracie.”
She blinked and looked back at Luke. “Sorry,” she mumbled. “Lot on my mind.”
Luke gave her a curious stare but seemed to sense she wasn’t in the mood to talk. He got up and ambled over to talk to Jeremy. Wes joined them on the patio, a beer in hand.
Gracie let her gaze flit appreciatively over the men. Not bad considering they were her best friends and all. She wouldn’t mind finding someone like Luke or Wes. Problem was she usually ended up with the frogs. Ugh.
Michelle eased into the chair next to Gracie, and Gracie looked over with a smile. “How you feeling, girlfriend?”
Michelle returned her smile. “Good. Tired but good.”
Gracie eyed Michelle’s cute little pregnancy pooch with a little jealousy. Jeremy was over the moon in love with his wife, and Gracie wondered what it felt like to have that sort of devotion. From what Michelle said, Jeremy was also dynamite in bed. Really, what more could you ask for in a man? Undying love and the know-how in the sack.
Gracie shook her head. She was really going to have to up her standards when it came to boyfriends. Boyfriend. Maybe that was her problem. She didn’t need a boy. She wanted a man. Someone who could take her fantasies and make them reality.
“You sure are quiet today, Gracie.”
Gracie grimaced. “Sorry. I broke up with Keith this morning.”
Michelle jerked around in the lawn chair and all but pounced on Gracie. “Gracie, you didn’t!”
“Shhh,” Gracie hissed, looking up to see if the guys had heard. They already gave her a hard time about the men she chose to go out with. They’d be gleeful that her current relationship hadn’t worked out. The “I told you so’s” were already ringing in her ears.
“What happened?” Michelle whispered.
“I’ll talk to you about it later,” Gracie said, looking pointedly at the guys.
Michelle huffed but she didn’t protest further.
The two women lounged in the chairs while the men puttered around the grill. Gracie loved these times with the people she considered her best friends.
They got together pretty much every weekend. During hunting season, they spent weekends at the camp and hunted the mornings and evenings. When the weather was warm, they spent all their time at the beach, fishing and soaking up the sun. Gracie loved their group. She felt free to be herself.
Jeremy and Michelle had been married a year and they hosted most of the get-togethers. Jeremy and Wes were both local cops, while Luke was a building contractor.
Wes was handsome in a carefree “I don’t give a shit” kind of
The sun shone high overheard. The sky blazed brilliant blue, and not a single cloud marred the canvas. Sixty-five degrees on the first of February. It was what Gracie Evans loved most about living in south Texas. By the middle of the week, another cold front was poised to move through, dropping temps into the forties. Oh the horror.
Gracie stretched in her lawn chair and watched lazily as Jeremy Miller tended the barbeque while his wife, Gracie’s best friend Michelle, hovered nearby.
“Come on, Gracie, get up and play,” Wes Hoffman hollered from the yard.
She looked over to see him and Luke Forsythe tossing a football back and forth. Boneheads. She was more than comfortable right where she was. After a long week at work and not sleeping worth a damn last night, sitting up to eat was about as energetic as she planned to get.
Luke flopped onto the chair next to her. “What’s up, Gracie? You’re not usually such a stick-in-the-mud.”
She shot him a dirty look. “Busy week at work. I’m just tired.”
Of course, the worst part of the week had been last night. Her date with her current boyfriend had ended with the usual boring, obligatory sex, and quite frankly, she was tired of being disappointed in that area. She’d stayed up most of the night mustering the courage to call him this morning and break things off.
He hadn’t taken it well.
“Earth to Gracie.”
She blinked and looked back at Luke. “Sorry,” she mumbled. “Lot on my mind.”
Luke gave her a curious stare but seemed to sense she wasn’t in the mood to talk. He got up and ambled over to talk to Jeremy. Wes joined them on the patio, a beer in hand.
Gracie let her gaze flit appreciatively over the men. Not bad considering they were her best friends and all. She wouldn’t mind finding someone like Luke or Wes. Problem was she usually ended up with the frogs. Ugh.
Michelle eased into the chair next to Gracie, and Gracie looked over with a smile. “How you feeling, girlfriend?”
Michelle returned her smile. “Good. Tired but good.”
Gracie eyed Michelle’s cute little pregnancy pooch with a little jealousy. Jeremy was over the moon in love with his wife, and Gracie wondered what it felt like to have that sort of devotion. From what Michelle said, Jeremy was also dynamite in bed. Really, what more could you ask for in a man? Undying love and the know-how in the sack.
Gracie shook her head. She was really going to have to up her standards when it came to boyfriends. Boyfriend. Maybe that was her problem. She didn’t need a boy. She wanted a man. Someone who could take her fantasies and make them reality.
“You sure are quiet today, Gracie.”
Gracie grimaced. “Sorry. I broke up with Keith this morning.”
Michelle jerked around in the lawn chair and all but pounced on Gracie. “Gracie, you didn’t!”
“Shhh,” Gracie hissed, looking up to see if the guys had heard. They already gave her a hard time about the men she chose to go out with. They’d be gleeful that her current relationship hadn’t worked out. The “I told you so’s” were already ringing in her ears.
“What happened?” Michelle whispered.
“I’ll talk to you about it later,” Gracie said, looking pointedly at the guys.
Michelle huffed but she didn’t protest further.
The two women lounged in the chairs while the men puttered around the grill. Gracie loved these times with the people she considered her best friends.
They got together pretty much every weekend. During hunting season, they spent weekends at the camp and hunted the mornings and evenings. When the weather was warm, they spent all their time at the beach, fishing and soaking up the sun. Gracie loved their group. She felt free to be herself.
Jeremy and Michelle had been married a year and they hosted most of the get-togethers. Jeremy and Wes were both local cops, while Luke was a building contractor.
Wes was handsome in a carefree “I don’t give a shit” kind of
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