Again, Lauren shook her head. “I don’t think so. He has issues with rich people. If he knew who I am and what my net worth is, he’d run the other way.”
“Not likely,” Cassie scoffed. “What man would turn his back on that? I’m with Emma. I think we need to be sure he’s not a golddigger.”
Lauren frowned. “Did I put your men on the spot like that?”
“Yes,” they replied in a chorus.
“I did not,” she insisted, then shrugged. “Okay, maybe I gave some of them a rough time to make sure they weren’t out to hurt you, but I didn’t go snooping around trying to get dirt on them.”
“Gee, that wasn’t how it seemed to Rafe when you confronted him with his society page mentions from the New York papers,” Gina teased. “The ones you researched on the Internet within ten minutes of meeting him.”
“I was just being protective,” Lauren said, undaunted.
“And that’s what we’re being now,” Emma told her. “I can call an investigator and have him do a quick check just to be sure there are no major skeletons rattling around in Wade’s closet.”
“Absolutely not,” Lauren said, horrified by the idea. “I will never speak to you again if you do that. I know everything I need to know about Wade Owens.”
“Sweetie, I have just two words for you,” Emma said. “Two divorces.”
Lauren groaned. “Okay, my judgment was impaired, but I’ve learned my lesson. Besides, I have Grady and Karen to back me up. They like Wade.” She turned to Karen. “Right?”
Karen nodded. “I don’t think Grady would have him working at the ranch—much less be encouraging a relationship with Lauren—if he didn’t have total faith in Wade’s honesty.”
“Maybe so,” Emma began.
“That’s it,” Lauren said, cutting her off. “No investigator.”
Emma sighed. “Okay, I’ll agree to that on one condition.”
Lauren regarded her with suspicion. “Which is?”
“We all get to spend time with him,” she replied. “Check him out. See how he fits in with the Calamity Janes and our guys.”
Cassie’s eyes lit up. “Perfect. A party is just what we need. We can have it at our place. Cole needs to learn how to fire up that humongous gas grill he insisted he had to have.”
“He can cook the steaks, but I’m bringing everything else,” Gina said, jumping on the bandwagon. “Everybody have their calendars? I want to be sure Rafe’s going to be in town. We never get to do anything fun together.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she blushed furiously. “Well, nothing in public anyway.”
Lauren laughed. “Then this will definitely be good practice for your social skills.”
Only Karen looked worried by the plan. “Are you sure Wade will go along with this, especially if it’s at Cassie’s?”
“Why wouldn’t he? He’s in here all the time. He knows me,” Cassie said.
“Yes,” Karen agreed. “But he probably doesn’t know that you’re married to one of the richest computer geniuses in the universe. Once he gets a load of that house you and Cole built, he’s going to conclude you don’t need the tips.”
Cassie grinned. “I don’t. I have the most overloaded piggy bank in ten states. All that money is going to end up in a trust fund for the kids.”
“Which brings up another point,” Lauren said. “Why are you still working here? I thought after the baby came, you’d give up the job.”
“Never. It’s what I do,” Cassie said simply. “Just like you want to work with horses, even though your glamorous Hollywood career left you rich enough to retire. I like being with people, finding out what’s going on around town. It gives structure to my days. I’d go nuts sitting around the house while Cole shuts himself away with his mysterious computer software. Besides, I don’t put in that many hours. I have plenty of time for the baby and Jake.”
“Good point,” Gina said. “We’re all independent women. We love our men, but we want more.” She lifted her soft drink. “To us and the lucky men who have us.”
“Amen,” Emma said as they clinked their glasses together.
“So, are we agreed? I’ll have the party at my place?” Cassie asked.
Lauren hesitated, giving Karen’s concern a little more consideration, then nodded. “I think it’ll be good for Wade to see that people aren’t automatically bad just because they have money. He’s already excused Grady and Karen from his generalization. If I can get him to look beyond the dollars with a few more people, maybe I can finally tell him exactly what I did for a living over the last ten years.”
“We could always let it slip out at the party,” Emma said. “Watch his reaction. Then we’d know for sure whether he’s known all along.”
“I predict that finding out he’s been sleeping with a superstar is going to be quite a shock,” Gina said. “I don’t think a party with Lauren’s friends is the place for that particular revelation.”
Lauren blushed. “I agree. Besides, he hasn’t exactly been sleeping with me,” she said, then grinned. “Not yet, anyway, but I have high hopes for tonight.”
“Tonight?” they chorused, glancing pointedly at the clock above the counter. It was already eight-thirty.
“I figure his defenses will be weak at this hour,” she said, then lifted the package beside her. “Besides, the sexy new nightie I ordered just came in. It’s guaranteed to make him forget why sleeping with me is a bad idea.” Never mind that she had been the one holding out till the time was right. This would send Wade the message loud and clear that that time was now. She was counting on extraordinary sex to make the news of her identity—and the fact that she’d deliberately kept it from him—a bit more palatable to Wade.
“Let me see,” Gina insisted, peeking into the box at the scraps of pale
