Page 25 of The Rancher's Vengeful Heart

He was hers, too.

Tassy and Lucius met halfway, and her heart fluttered at the way he immediately took hold of her hand.

"So..." He smiled down at her, and she smiled up at him as her heart fluttered some more. Lucius in a suit was already gorgeous beyond words, but Lucius dressed like a duke? Her heart seemed likely to flutter for the rest of the day.

"Have you thought about what you want us to try first?" While the park offered several new attractions for Valentines, Lucius had a feeling his Tassina would opt for the ones that were more romantically inclined, such as the Love Compatibility Test offered by the fictional Madame Amour or maybe a swan boat ride on the park's version of the Serpentine.

"If you're really okay with me choosing, I'd like to give this one a try."

Lucius glanced down at what she had pointed to in the brochure.

Foxtown Detective Agency?

"What do you think?" Tassy asked eagerly.

I think you're unpredictable,Lucius thought,and I hope you'll never change.

But since he was still adjusting to the fact that he had actual feelings for a woman—-

"Shall we see which of us makes the better Holmes?"

Her eyes sparkled as she laughed, and his chest clenched anew.

"Challenge accepted, Your Grace."

Tassy couldn't remember being thisexcited.And even though she knew she should really stop comparing the past to the present—-

Was this why things had been doomed to fail between her and Xylan?

She had always been the quietly competitive sort, but she had also sensed early on that there was nothing Xylan hated more than losing to her. In all the years they had been together, Xylan had made her feel one of them had to fade into the background for the other to shine. Not once had she thought to question this...until Lucius made her realize there shouldn't have to be a choice in the first place.

When two people were truly in love, they counted each other as one, and it was through this that they could experience twice the pleasure from shared successes while the pain was halved during times of trouble.

They would always be each other's helpmates...except of course when there was a murder mystery to be solved, and only one of them could earn the title of Foxtown's best detective.

Lucius had a hard time keeping his face expressionless. While Tassina had been properly awed and appreciative when flying class for the first time, it was only upon stepping inside one of Foxtown's newest attractions that Tassina looked as if she had suddenly won the lottery.

No expense had been spared to turn the two-story structure into a fancy detective agency in the 19th century. High ceilings and glossy wood panelings. Gas lamps in sconces and the faint scent of tobacco. High-backed velvet chairs and thick Persian rugs. A fully stocked wine bar in one corner and a grandfather clock in another. Shelves stocked with old leather-bound books, antique-looking globes, and a selection of magnifying glasses.

A bell chime on the reception counter caught Tassy's attention, and she glanced at Lucius in askance. The billionaire nodded, and her heart pounded against her chest as she rang the bell.

A secret door behind the counter opened, and an older man with a well-trimmed mustache emerged. "Good evening." He looked at them inquiringly. "I'm Constable Dill. May I have your names, please?"

Since Lucius looked as if he would rather starve than introduce himself as a duke, Tassy decided it was up to her to show him how fun it was to play make-believe as adults.

"Good evening, sir. I'm, um, Miss Bautista—-" As much as she wished she could introduce herself as a lady, Tassy had a feeling such titles were not dispensed freely in Foxtown. "—-while this gentleman is um, Lord Lucius, the Duke of Windtowne."

"Ah." Constable Dill nodded understandingly. "I was told to expect you."

Tassy was finding it more and more difficult to contain her excitement as the older man placed three folders on the counter. "Here are the cases you may choose to solve."

Tassy looked at Lucius encouragingly. "You be the one to choose this time." She was hoping to get the billionaire more involved and invested, but she was also praying that he would choose something gory and hardcore.

The Case of the Hungry Ghost hadEdgar Allan Poewritten all over it while The Case of the Bloody Key was very—-

"Let's go with this one then."

Aaargh!

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