EXCERPT

What she needed was a big cupid dartboard on her office wall and a few darts. Then she could toss the darts at some strategic places. The vision almost made Valentine Hart smile. Romance, patooi! If she were really, really lucky she would never receive another overly mushy card that professed how wonderful or how beautiful she was. Never sit through another candlelight dinner for two. She would never endure having another handsome man seduce her with sweet talk, and then attempt to make her “see the stars” as he had his way with her body.

She was a professional woman, an independent woman quite capable of running a

business and handling her life. She also had a sensual, loving side that was apparently going to waste away if she continued in her rut of dating the wrong men. She didn’t want to be someone’s substitute mother, or his caretaker. Too many of the men she’d dated in the last year seemed to be looking for those skills in a woman… along with being a playmate in bed, particularly one who praised their super-stud abilities. As far as she’d been able to tell “super-stud” merely meant the man had a penis and knew where to stick it in his partner of the moment for his pleasure alone. Which made her thoughts return to the cupid dartboard idea. Made her wickedly smile with images of tossing that first dart.

Feeling a headache coming on, she swiveled her chair back around to face her desk, and the reality of her daily world. Her appointment schedule covered the monitor. Not a blank hourly space for the next month. Business was booming, which should make her feel great. Unfortunately, as a momentarily romantically challenged partner in a romance therapy business, she felt stressed instead. She couldn’t handle clients right now. Couldn’t find a way to offer up advice to improve a relationship, or to suggest intimate little rendezvous ideas. She couldn’t face another hopeful couple seeking romantic bliss. She needed a vacation. Now!

That made her glance down at the wedding invitation from a sweet young couple she’d counseled the last couple of months. Shelby Thompson had absolutely blossomed during the sessions, had come completely out of the passion-suppressed state she’d been in due to having been raised by a stuffy, strict, domineering older brother. He wouldn’t even leave his precious ranch to go to the wedding in Maui. Boy, if she could get her hands on the man…

Maui! Perfect! Before she could talk herself out of it, Valentine punched the line for the firm’s receptionist. “Tracy?”

“Yes, Ms. Hart?”

“Clear my schedule for the next two weeks, beginning today. I’m going on vacation.”

******

Nine freaking hours on an airplane! He hated cramped spaces. He hated flying. Tasteless meals only big enough to fill up a child, maybe. Crying babies. Frustrated mothers. Harried flight attendants. Never again would he let himself be put through this kind of hell. His sister owed him big for this! It was bad enough she wanted him to put on a tux and give her away in marriage. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d worn a suit.

Sam Thompson felt his lip curling in an automatic snarl. He didn’t WANT to give Shelby away. He didn’t think that fiancé of hers was good enough for her. Not that she cared two cents for his opinion, disrespectful brat. He’d been older brother and substitute parent for over twelve years, since their parents had died and he’d been forced into the role and management of the family ranch. He was life experienced. She wasn’t.

He blew out a breath, but it didn’t calm him any. She’d used her sweet, innocent pleading voice on him the second time she’d asked him to come to the wedding. She’d never taken NO very well. His initial resistance had finally melted like chocolate in the sun. It appeared he’d be donning a damn tux, looking like an idiot. Cowboys weren’t meant to wear fancy duds like that.

Smoldering at the upcoming humiliation, he thought again about his destination. Maui. MAUI! Cowboys didn’t belong in Maui. At least not THIS cowboy. If he didn’t love the imp so much—if she didn’t wind him so easily around her delicate little finger, he would have put his size twelve boots down and flat out said NO.

******

Sam stood on his third floor balcony nursing one of the beers his sister had thoughtfully provided him in the refrigerator of his condo. She’d tried to get him to come down to the mai tai party at poolside, but he’d begged off. It was all he could do to stand here for a few minutes and take in the view. Back home he never seemed to have time to notice the sunsets, or the sunrises. They just happened. And he just worked from before sunrise to after sunset. He felt guilty for being here and leaving the ranch duties to his foreman. But Jake was more than just the foreman; he was Sam’s friend. A friend that seemed to love the ranch more than Sam did.

Before he could move away, he watched his sister wave at a woman at the bar in the cabana and call her over to the lessons. The woman stepped out of the shadows of the cabana and Sam muttered, “Well, hot damn.” Blonde, beautiful, and built. The three Bs he was so fond of.

She nearly tripped coming down the steps from the cabana, but caught herself on the railing and laughed. Even with all the noise of the ocean rolling in and the sounds from the party, he still managed to hear the soft, very feminine laugh. It warmed him. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed, or the last time he and his previous girlfriend had laughed together. There’d been a time when laughter came easily to him. Before his parents had been killed in the auto accident. Before he’d taken on more responsibilities than a young man should have to. He cradled the sweet, carefree sound to him, and decided he wanted to hear more of it. From closer.

By the time he strolled through the gate at poolside the hula demonstration was in full lesson. Each of the young women had donned fake grass skirts that hung to mid-calf. Most of them sported either skin-tight t-shirts that stopped inches above the navel or bikini tops. He frowned for a second as he noted Shelby wore one of the bikini tops. He didn’t like seeing so much of her exposed to one and all. His gut reaction had him wanting to toast her butt, but then he had no say in the matter any more. She was grown up now. A fact that had him feeling sad and empty. Must be the empty nest syndrome he’d heard that mothers sometimes went through. ‘Course he wasn’t her mother, but he had raised her from age six on.

That soft, sensual laugh he’d heard before curled around him as the blonde who’d caught his attention accidentally bumped hips with Shelby. Shelby bumped her back, giggling. The shapely blonde sported a hot pink bikini top and full breasts that had his mouth watering. Those enticing breasts bounced rhythmically as she attempted to get back into the hula motion. Sam knew he’d be dreaming about this for days, maybe longer.

Except his luscious blonde beauty had suddenly stiffened in the embrace of the hula instructor. She seemed to pale, looked in panic around the area. An instant later she’d raced across the cement and launched herself into his arms. Arms that had eagerly swept around her.

As he tried to keep them from falling over since he’d nearly lost his balance, she looked up at him with blue eyes mirroring how tipsy she was. She gave him a goofy smile, which he found oddly cute. He held her even tighter to keep her from falling. And holding the shapely bundle of sweet-smelling woman was definitely not a hardship.

“I see you’ve met Valentine,” Shelby said in amusement as she walked over with Dale.

Valentine? Valentine? He vaguely remembered the name, an odd name at that. Fitting, though, he decided. He shook his head as the woman in question clung to his shirt to keep upright. “Not exactly ‘met,’ Shelby. She sort of flew into my arms.” He glanced down at her and smiled gently as she struggled to focus on him.

“I’ve pretty…pretty much decided,” Valentine started, blinked but still couldn’t seem to focus. “Decided I’m not…not a les…lesbi…lesbian.” She grinned at him. “You’re mighty handsome, Handsome.” She batted her eyelashes and giggled.

“I don’t know what she’s talking about. But I think she’s had one too many mai tais,” Shelby said in concern. “I’ve never seen her like this.”

“Mai tai?” Valentine swiveled in Sam’s arms, brushing her bottom against the part of him that had grown rock hard as he’d held her. “Sure! I’ll…I’ll take another one.”

“Don’t think so, darlin’,” Sam countered as she began crumpling in his hold. He scooped her into his arms rather than let her land on the cement. He didn’t understand her mumblings about lesbians, but he sensed she was most certainly NOT one. Mainly because she’d looked at him as if she wanted to strip his clothes off right here and have her way with him. If his sister hadn’t been there—well, and everyone else, he wouldn’t have objected at all.

“Dr. Hart, are you okay?” Dale asked, while she looked dazedly his direction.

“Can’t feel my legs,” she said with a giggle. “I’m floating.”

Sam had stiffened when Dale called her Dr. Hart. Now he knew who she was. Dr. Valentine Hart, the counselor his sister had gone to with Dale. A romance therapist. Something he didn’t understand at all. Why anyone, especially his sister, would want or need to go to someone for advice on romance was beyond him. And ever since those sessions, Shelby had been different. More independent. Yeah, she’d seemed happier, but he figured that had more to do with the upcoming wedding than some therapy sessions.

“Val,” Shelby said, gently touching Valentine’s cheek and pushing the fine strands of blonde hair from her face. “Val, I think you need to go to bed. You’re exhausted, and you’re… well, you’re definitely wasted.”

Valentine reached up to touch Sam’s jaw and the five o’clock shadow there. “Can I take stud muffin with me?”

Shelby met Sam’s startled gaze and laughed. “Stud muffin is my brother, Val. He’ll take you to your condo, which, as it happens, is right next to his.”

Valentine had a second of awareness, enough to recognize the words ‘brother’ and tie it to Shelby. She tried to roll herself out of his hold and nearly made them both fall, but he was strong enough to prevent it. Still, she managed to huff, “I’m an…annoyed with you!”

Sam juggled her into a better position and scowled down at her. “I’m pretty pissed at you, too.”