Lyric and Lingerie (Fort Worth Wranglers 1)

“Inscription?” Lyric sat up. “What inscription?”

“What do you mean what inscription? Didn’t you even look at the ring before he put it on your finger?”

“I just put it on my finger.” Why would she have looked at the inside?

“Of course you did.” Harmony rolled her eyes.

“What? I thought it was just a prop for the fake engagement. I even asked him if he could return it when we were done with it.” Could your return an engagement ring?

“Don’t you mean a prop for the not-so-fake engagement?” Harmony watched her very carefully. “He had it engraved. That’s not fake or returnable, and that sure as hell isn’t temporary.”

Lyric wasn’t sure what to believe. If she believed her sister, then everything Heath had told her the day of the interview was true. And if it was true, then he really did love her. She wanted it to be true, but that didn’t make it true.

Harmony put her arm around Lyric. “What? I know you’re not telling me everything that’s going on in that gigantic brain of yours, so you might as well spit it out. Why are you so resistant to the idea that Heath could love you?”

“Because he’s Heath freaking Montgomery.” Why did she have to state the obvious? “People’s Sexiest Man Alive for four of the last five years. Texas Monthly’s Most Eligible Bachelor. He’s a legend on the football field and between the sheets. He’s slept his way across the Lone Star State. Hell, he’s dated most of the Kardashians … well, the female ones.” Lyric stared at the dirty mismatched socks on her feet. “And I’m me … just me.”

“And by just you, you mean Dr. Lyric Wright, renowned astrophysicist and all-around badass?” They both knew Harmony was stretching the truth.

“I think you’ve got me confused with you … well, you know, the badass part.” God knew Lyric couldn’t bake a damn thing.

“No, I don’t. You’re a total badass. You didn’t back down from that Shelby chick when she came at you. You don’t back down from Livinia. And you are one of the smartest people on the planet. That totally counts as a badass to me. And I’m pretty sure Heath feels exactly the same way.” Harmony not being bitchy—Lyric was pretty sure the world was going to end.

“I was his second choice, Harm.” All she’d ever wanted was to be his number one.

“When he was seventeen. And stupid. And fucked-up because his mom ran off and left him with his asshole dad. Of course he thought he wanted a perfect little cheerleader who baked cookies and had no ambition outside of dating

a football player. He wanted a piece of ass who thought of him as a god and would follow him anywhere.” Harmony tucked her hair behind her ear.

“You were never that girl.” Lyric was pretty sure that Harmony had never thought of any man as a god, including their beloved father.

“Maybe not, but everyone thought I was. Including Heath.”

“Wow. Maybe he really was an idiot.” Hope, fragile though it was, started unfurling in her chest.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. So, what are you going to do about it?” Harmony was relentless.

Lyric wasn’t sure what Harmony meant. “Why do I have to be the one to do something?

Harmony did that one-eyebrow-up thing. “Did we or did we not just establish that the man you love is a moron?”

“I can’t fix moron-dom. Besides, I’m still not sure that’s a compelling enough reason to put myself out there again. I mean, what if we’re wrong? Not about him being an idiot, obviously, but about him loving me.” A sliver of hope tingled through her system.

“We’re not wrong.” She sounded so sure.

“Harm—”

“Fine, if that’s not a compelling enough reason for you … how about this? Eventually, Livinia will get over her disappointment. The chocolate will stop, and then you’ll be stuck in this house with her for God only knows how long.” Harmony shrugged. “Or I guess you could always run away to Hawaii and hide.”

Lyric had never run or hidden from anything in her life. “You don’t fight fair.”

Harmony did the palms up thing. “Hello, I was raised by Livinia Wright. Fighting fair isn’t in our DNA.”

Harmony watched Lyric climb out of bed. She handed her a robe, then headed for the bedroom door.

“Where are you going?”

“My work here is done. Now I have an actual job to get to. And you … you have an inscription to read.”