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Chapter One

It wasn’t often that she had a stranger in her chair at The Wright Salon, -year-old edly handsome, as in the handsome of the inscrutable romance cover hero

Aht knew her romance cover heroes, too, as she and her sister Charity had lived off the on fantasies and fairy tales Jenny, their oldest sister, had been appalled, and would confiscate their paperbacks, tossing them out if she found them Which hy Amanda and Charity learned to hide their romances between their ly, thrift store rainbow-hued winter coats

Romance cover heroes were usually darkly handsohlands or Mediterranean principalities, but not in most small Montana towns No, in small Montana towns like Marietta, men tended to be polite, practical, and dependable, and there was nothing wrong with practical and dependableout for a true romance hero, one that wasn’t just handsomatic

And her client, Ty Jaht eyes the color of the sea, chiseled jaw, and firm chin Never mind his lips which were pretty much perfect, especially when he smiled, which he didn’t do a lot But when he did, it was the smile of movie stars—confident, easy, sexy—whichas she ielding very sharp scissors, very close to his strong, tanned nape True, he had what romance novels called a Roht, but a little bit prominent, but that just ood nose on atoo pretty, and a nose with a hook or bue ih sports Either way, it was manly Masculine

“You’ve been a stylist for a long tiently pressed his head forward a bit, trying to give her a better view of his hairline while also trying to hide his gorgeous reflection fro He was distracting, and she didn’t normally fall for just every handsome face In fact, she couldn’t remember the last ti a pitter-pat right now, but a full-on, racing horse gallop

“Nine years,” she answered, “six full-tie”

“You did both?”

“I needed a job and it turned out I was good at it”

“Where did you go to college?”

“I stayed local Montana State, in Bozeman”

“And what did you study?”

“Psychology” She paused, ran her co sure lines were straight She glanced up into the ed, lips curving “I like people”

“You et to know your customers quite well”

“I do I’ain, a little more ruefully “Well, htly bonkers, but they just make me appreciate the rest all the more”

“What do the frustrating ones do to drive you bonkers?”

“Arrive thirty et to show at all”

“That’s it?”

She sood customers”

His green gaze held hers in the mirror and for a moment she completely lost focus

“I noticed you had more starred reviews on Yelp than any other stylist in town,” he said, snapping her attention back

“I do encourage them to leave a review if they’re happy,” she answered

“Clearly, they’re happy”

“It’s a in, then” A warmer by the moment

What on earth rong with her? Hand shaking, she reached for her colorful bottle on her station shelf and took a quick drink of water, trying to cool herself off It had obviously been far too long since she’d spent time with an attractive enuinely flustered

“You have a na her in the mirror “Is it a memorial?”

She looked to see where he was pointing and laughed “Oh, no No! Bette is very much alive, as well as a very dear client and friend She did soave her her very own chair Only Bette is allowed to sit there, and that way she always knows I have time—and a spot—for her”