Page 79 of The Texan's Secrets

“Embarrassed, maybe.”

That didn’t make sense. “Embarrassed?”

“Embarrassed for k!smet and Surprise Me! that they were so hackable.”

She couldn’t help but scoff. “It’s hardly high security. I mean, I doubt they expected sophisticated cyberattacks.”

“Still...” he said thoughtfully. “It’s probably something they should look at. There’s personal data on the system.”

“You won’t tell them, will you?” Even as she protested, Emilia realized Misha deserved to know how her system might be at risk. She gave her head a shake. “I mean, of course you have to tell them. I’d be happy to show Misha what I did so she can plug the hole. I’ll even fix it myself.”

“I can keep your name out of it,” he offered.

“How would you do that?”

He gave a shrug. “I’ll tell her I got a tip.”

“You don’t have to lie for me.”

“I don’t have to tell her where the tip came from. She won’t ask.”

“She won’t?” That struck Emilia as odd. If someone came to her with information on her coding, she’d sure ask for the source.

“She won’t.”

“How can you be sure?”

“I’m smart that way.”

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Not half full of yourself, are you?”

He gestured to the keyboard. “Will you show me what you did?”

“You want me to back break in again?”

“We won’t do any harm. Plus, I’m an—”

“—investor,” she finished for him.

“A big one.”

“You’re really rather proud of that, aren’t you?” She sat down at the keyboard.

“I really am,” he agreed as she started to type.

Ten

“Iknow it was a missed opportunity,” Nico said to Rafe as he lifted the saddle from the spirited bay gelding he’d ridden late into the afternoon.

Dancer shifted his feet and shook his head and mane, clearly happy to be done with the saddle.

“I think the word you’re looking for ismistake,” Rafe responded, hefting his own saddle and carrying it over to the racks lining a wall of an alcove in the barn.

“Semantics.” Although Nico didn’t disagree with Rafe’s assessment. “I’m saying I realize I probably should have said something when the moment presented itself.”

“No kidding,” Rafe responded with incredulity. “It was the perfect chance to get out from under the deception. She confessed something to you, so you should have—”

“Told her I was an ex-con?” Nico briskly shook out the saddle blanket. That was where his conviction faltered. “She tells me she fudged an online dating match, and I come back with what? No problem, Emilia. By the way, I went to prison for assault?”

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