She was a stunning woman – the kind he tread carefully around … and yet darker than that usually entailed. He’d bet if he took her hand in his, hers might lay gold in his clay.

Not that he would dare.

His customer smile coiled, tightened, strained at the question, though it did everything but break. Had she even seen her second decade yet? He doubted it was anything sinister, much as it crawled under his skin.

“Tell you all about it over a glass of wine, young miss,” he answered, voice rough but tone smooth.