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“That’s one of Wade’s specialties.”

From the look on her face, that wasn’t the response she’d expected. “Wade cooks?”

He arched one eyebrow. “Why is that so hard to believe?”

“I don’t know.” She lifted one shoulder. “I guess he doesn’t look like the type that cooks.”

A smile teased the corners of his mouth. “Gee, I’ll take outdated gender stereotypes for $500, Alex.”

“Very funny.”

“Hey, you started it.”

“No, you started it with the Tejano crack.”

“Yeah, but I was just yanking your chain. You meant what you said about Wade.” He handed her the gun, and when she got into position, he felt a familiar buzz in his veins. Gorgeous, smart, and a pretty good shot. What more could he possibly ask for? “You know, you look hot when you do that.”

She looked over her shoulder at him. “Do what?”

“That pose. The gun. You’re like a Latina Charlie’s Angel, only hotter. It’s giving me ideas.”

Her eyes narrowed a fraction. “What kind of ideas?”

“You. Me. A pair of handcuffs.”

Her mouth twitched, and he could tell she was fighting a smile. “Shut up.”

“Ooh, now you’re getting all bossy. I don’t know how much more I can handle.”

Shaking her head, she turned back toward the target and raised the Glock. She burned through the clip a little faster this time, the gun jerking slightly with each press of the trigger.

Nate hit the button to reel the target back in. This time, all fifteen rounds pierced the silhouette, with thirteen of them in the center chest area. “If you keep this up, you’re going to give Austin a run for the money.”

“I seriously doubt that.”

“I don’t.” He took down the bullet-ridden target and replaced it with a fresh one. “If you kick his ass on the range, there’s a definite chance I’ll fall in love with you.”

The words came out of his mouth before he even realized what he was saying. Panic made his heart race. He normally said that kind of shit as a joke, but this was no joke, at least not for him. Somewhere along the line, he’d fallen hard for her, and he had no idea how to handle it.

“I, uh...what I meant was...”

“Relax, Nate. I know you’re just kidding.” She handed him the fully loaded pistol, her expression impossible to read.

He stepped up to the line and aimed at the target, but his concentration was shot. Part of him was relieved by Dorcas’s response, though he also felt oddly annoyed by it. And he couldn’t help but wonder about how she’d react if she knew he’d been telling the truth.