Julia.

She might be Mari’s twin, and he’d seen Mari’s body numerous times, but it didn’t compare to Julia’s. His cock thickened, and at the base of his neck, his pulse jackhammered. Christ, he wanted her in the worst way, but she was his best friend’s sister and he had been warned that she was off-limits.

“Get out,” she said, a pink flush moving up her neck to her cheeks. “I’m not Mari.”

His friends laughed, and Coop clenched his teeth, ready to kill them. But if he moved, he’d expose her, and he wasn’t about to cause her any more embarrassment. He glanced over his shoulder. “Cut it out,” he warned and widened his stance to block their view and give her the privacy she deserved.

“Now,” she said.

He grabbed a fistful of hair. “Look, I’m…I’m…a…”

She leveled him with a stare, those whiskey eyes with the honey flecks holding him in place. “Is ‘pervert’ the word you’re looking for?” she asked.

He wanted to leave, to drag his eyes from her, but honor was waging war with his dick…and losing. Plus he’d flung the doors open, and if he backed up now, his friends would see her. He grabbed Mari’s robe hanging on the inside hook bedside him, handed it to her, and forced his eyes to the shoe box over her head as she snatched it from him.

“Listen, I’m sorry. I thought you were…”

“I know who you thought I was.”

Cotton rasped over her skin, and he envied the robe as she pulled it on. “If I’d have known it was you in here, I would have just left”—he paused and jerked his thumb over his shoulder—“and dragged those two assholes with me. I’d never want to walk in on you naked, Julia. Never. It was a mistake.”

“I know,” she said, her voice going so low, he had to strain to hear it. “I’m not my sister.”

His gaze darted back to hers, and his throat tightened when he saw the pained look on her face. What the hell? Did she think she wasn’t as beautiful as Mari, as desirable? That he would have just left, because her nakedness was repulsive or something? She might not be as outgoing or popular as her sister, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want her—or didn’t want to see her naked. Because hell yeah, he did. Right now just wasn’t the right time, and he was trying his damnedest to be respectful, no matter how thick his dick was or how badly it was begging him for a little action.

“Julia,” he said, touching a strand of her long dark hair. “I didn’t mean—”

“What’s happening here?” Mari said from her doorway. Coop spun around and found Mari staring at him, dressed in a barely-there bikini, her hands on her hips. She cocked her head. “Is there something I should know?”

“I thought she was you,” Coop explained.

Julia pushed past him, “I was looking for that dress I lent you when your boyfriend found me. He didn’t know it was me until I told him.”

Mari rolled her eyes. “You’d think you could tell us apart by now.”

He could. They were identical, but to him they were night and day. “Wait, I can tell—”

“And you never have to worry about anything happening.” Julia turned and met his glance straight on. “He’s not my type.”

Mari zeroed in on his backpack on the floor and bounded toward it. “Did you bring the beer for the beach party?”

No longer in the mood to party, he watched Julia disappear. Christ, he might have just saved Jag from getting run over, but he was the one feeling like he’d just been steamrolled.

Chapter Two

Present Day

Julia Blair didn’t like surprises, and she liked cryptic messages delivered after midnight even less. She shut the door behind the stranger.

The old wooden floors creaked as she made her way back down the hall of her condo and into her living room. Fighting off a shiver, she tugged her cotton robe tighter around her waist and pushed aside the case files she’d been going over. She sat down in her comfy recliner, read “Ms. Blair” on the envelope, and then turned it over in her hand. She honestly had no idea who’d be delivering a letter to her so late at night, but couldn’t discount the possibility that it had come from McGinley and Gregors, the law firm where she worked.

In the window behind her sofa, the air conditioner clanked and coughed like an asthma patient, and she nearly jumped out of her recliner. Living alone smack-dab in the middle of downtown Halifax, she always exercised caution, and at first she wasn’t even going to open the door. But when she peeked through her curtains and spotted the courier van, she went ahead and answered, figuring it might be the files she’d been expecting.

Inside, she found what appeared to be an invitation from the owner of a dude ranch. Crinkling her nose in surprise, she read the script. This had to be a mistake. Who would be inviting her to a one-week, all-inclusive vacation to a dude ranch in Alberta beginning this Saturday night, a mere two days away? She sank deeper into her chair¸ put her feet up, and searched her memory bank. She didn’t know anyone in Alberta, let alone anyone who owned a dude ranch. Could it have been an old client?

She grabbed her tablet, punched in the information, and discovered that the ranch and airline voucher were indeed legit. Intriguing. She dug deeper around the ranch’s website, hoping to figure out who owned it, but her search came up empty. She peered into the envelope and pulled out a slip of paper. On it she read, “A week of fun and relaxation from your high school secret admirer.”

High school secret admirer?

She went on to read the cryptic words, “I’ll even watch High in the Sky with you,” and stiffened. Since High in the Sky was her favorite movie, whoever sent this invitation knew her very well.

But who?

She thought about the crowd she’d hung with years ago. They all knew she’d loved that particular movie, but she couldn’t imagine any one of the guys from her clique having a secret crush on her or sending her such a mysterious invitation. The invite had to be for her impetuous sister, Mari, who shared the same tastes as Julia. As a swimsuit model, picking up and flying off to exotic locales was something her sister did on a regular basis. She wasn’t in one place long enough to bother with an apartment, and just last month, while in between stints—and parties—she’d spent close to three weeks living in Julia’s condo.

Unlike Mari, Julia liked a quieter lifestyle, and wasn’t into wild gatherings or casual one-night stands. But the truth was, taking the edge off herself always left her feeling alone, miserable, and in need of the real thing.

She’d spent so much time building her career, she rarely had time for a social life. She’d practically given up on the dating scene, and sometimes wondered if she really was just a jerk magnet.

Her sister was always attracted to successful, handsome men who doted on her—men Julia would love to date. Well, except for that self-centered soccer star from high school who had it all. Looks. Brains. Charisma.

The two were always joined at the hip, hanging at each other’s houses and partying together after soccer games. Not that Julia was jealous. She wasn’t. Not at all. And she certainly had no desire to live a day in her sister’s shoes. Nope, not one little bit. What would she want with a well-known playboy like Chase Cooper, anyway? A guy who had never bothered to give her a second look. Well, except for the one time he’d caught her naked. Then again, he’d thought she was Mari, until she’d set him straight.

Julia let loose a long, slow breath and thought about the real reason guys never spared her a glance. She and Mari might look alike physically, but on the inside, they were completely different people. Julia was dubbed the smart, studious, dedicated sister and worked incredibly hard to get where she was. Mari, on the other hand, was labeled the talented and funny one. She was like a burst of sunshine to all those she touched. There was no denying that her vivacious and outgoing nature had helped play a significant part in her good fortune and plush job.