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Strictly by the books, my ass.

Valentina seemed to be conveniently forgetting the kiss we shared the other night. We hadn’t talked about it since, but that kiss was all the confirmation I needed. She was into me, whether she liked it or not. And I wasn’t about to let a beautiful woman like her slip through my fingers without something more.

“Now that all the paperwork is handled, what do you say you and I go celebrate? My treat.”

Valentina shrugged. “I suppose it couldn’t hurt to cut loose a little bit.”

“That’s what I like to hear.”

She rose to her feet. “Just let me run back to the guest house and get changed. Something tells me a pantsuit isn’t the right look for a night out in Shady Grove.”

Twenty minutes later,I pulled up in front of the guest house to find Valentina sitting on the steps of the front porch. Wearing high-waisted skinny jeans and a low-cut pale-yellow top, she was definitely worth the wait.

Damn. The girl had curves.

As she climbed into the passenger seat of my truck, I let out a low whistle.

“Look at you, city-slicker. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were dressing up for me.” I cocked my head in her direction, arching a playful brow.

“What makes you think any of this is for you? From what I’ve heard, there are plenty of eligible bachelors in this one-horse town.”

“That may be, but there’s only one Duke Wilder.”

She rolled her eyes. “Let’s hope so.”

When we arrived at the Drunk Skunk, I led Valentina to two open stools at the end of the bar, my favorite seat in the house.

“What can I get you?” I asked, flagging the bartender down.

“I think it’s about time I tried that Wilder Whiskey I’ve been working so hard to protect these last few days.”

She leaned her elbows on the bar, revealing even more of her already ample cleavage. I felt a familiar twinge in my gut as I took the sight of her in for the second time that night. The pale yellow contrasted perfectly with her tan skin, her long, dark curls cascading over her shoulders. For a split second, the dim light of the bar caught her eyes just right, and I could have sworn the look she was giving me was almost…sweet.

“You heard the lady,” I said, nodding to the bartender.

“Two Wilders, coming right up.”

The bartender quickly returned with our drinks. We clinked glasses and took a sip, the appreciative look on Valentina’s face bringing a smile to mine.

“I’m not normally a whiskey girl, but I think I can make an exception for this one.”

“Let me guess, your go-to is vodka soda.”

Valentina shook her head.

“Tequila. Straight.”

“I’m impressed.”

“But only the good stuff. I need to make my ancestors proud.”

“Where are they from?”

“My grandparents immigrated from Mexico right after they got married. My mom was born in LA, and we’ve lived there ever since. I still have a lot of family in Mexico, though.”

“And your dad?”

She rolled her eyes. “He wasn’t around much. My mom and grandma raised me, really.”