One

      September

      Facing a problem he never thought he would have, Marc Medina sat in his spacious Dallas office on a Tuesday evening and, through his open door, watched Lara Seymour, his executive secretary. It was almost an hour after closing time, but she had a six-o’clock appointment to talk to him. He knew she would appear promptly at six, not a minute early, not a minute late. He wondered what problem she had and hoped she wasn’t planning to quit because she was the best secretary ever.

      And the best looking.

      He stifled that line of thought. CEO and President, Marc had built this company, Medina Energy. He had a policy of never dating a coworker, never getting emotionally involved with one, never flirting with one. Instead, he maintained a professional relationship at all times. Nothing would make him deviate from that policy, especially now that he was widowed.

      Of all the women he had worked with, Lara was the biggest temptation. She was the only one he was keenly aware of as a woman. Still, their relationship had never gone beyond business friendly.

      His thoughts returned to his ailing grandfather and his ultimatum to Marc—marry within this month and live on his grandfather’s ranch for one year. If he did so, Marc and his mother stood to gain a large inheritance of mineral rights and producing wells, and he stood to gain the ranch. Marc wanted that inheritance and