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lower.
    She stared at him, at his long lean body, and the way his flannel shirt clung to each and every muscle bulge in his arm. She remembered the hair sprinkled across his chest and the trail of dark hair that promised to lead to pleasure.
    The idea of staying on him for eight seconds thrilled and strangely terrified her.
    The image didn’t leave her mind the entire trip.
    Even when she left Girlie in the paddock that evening, and she limped, saddle sore, back to her bunkhouse, she couldn’t get the picture of eight seconds with Bruce Everett out of her head.

Five
    â€œB ut he’s so ridiculously male, Hazel. I can’t take him seriously.” Lyndie sat next to Hazel at the Mystery bull-riding rodeo, whispering.
    â€œBut that’s what you don’t understand, love. You’re a McCallum. You don’t have to take him seriously. You just have to relax and have some fun.” Hazel stood and whooped for the latest eight-second winner.
    â€œI admit he has a certain masculine charm…” Lyndie murmured.
    â€œIf he hired out the stud in him, he’d be richer than me,” Hazel pronounced in her no-nonsense style.
    Lyndie couldn’t help but smile.
    But the smile vanished the minute she caught Bruce’s eye. He was at the gates, helping the bull riders onto their animals.
    Being a champion bull rider himself, she figured, he probably had a lot of advice to give.
    But to her, and her broken heart, he had nothing to offer. They were like night and day. He was racked with guilt over his ill-fated love; she was tormented by rage over her ex’s betrayal. They didn’t even have that in common.
    â€œI admit he’s rather attractive in a primordial caveman sort of way. But, Hazel, it would be wrong to use the man just for casual sex.” Lyndie hoped the subject was finished.
    â€œThere are more happy marriages that began with nothing more than a bit of tomcatting around than I care to count.” Once again Hazel was her usual blunt self.
    â€œSo what are you saying? Are you challenging me to get him into bed? You naughty woman.”
    Hazel put on her most serious face. “Of course, I’m not making such a lewd challenge.” Hazel narrowed her eyes and studied her. Taunting her, the cattle baroness said, “I certainly understand if you can’t attract him, my dear. You’re the competitive type. Look at the business you’re in. Retail. What could be more brutal? I couldn’t ask you on yourvacation to do something that’s beyond your reach. It would be grossly cruel of me.”
    Lyndie paused and stared at her great-aunt in amazement. “You, Great-aunt Hazel, are an evil woman.”
    Hazel smiled. “You don’t get to be my age, my dear, without understanding a thing or two about humanity.”
    â€œI could get him into bed anytime I wanted to.”
    â€œProve it.”
    Lyndie stared at her, confounded. “Is the whole world conspiring against me?”
    â€œYou could do worse.”
    â€œHe’s a cowboy with a chip on his shoulder the size of Wyoming.”
    â€œAre you saying you won’t accept the challenge?”
    â€œThe man is randy. If I offer sex, he’ll take it.”
    â€œThey say he hasn’t had a woman since Katherine. No one can fire him up. I don’t expect you’ll be able to, either.”
    â€œIt’s not my job to play sex therapist, Hazel. He can hire that out.”
    â€œTake a shot at him. If you fail, you fail.”
    â€œWhat if I succeed, and he disappoints. What then? Are you going to reimburse me for the experience?”
    Hazel turned to her, her expression gleeful. “I’lltell you what, my dear. If he disappoints, you don’t have to repay MDR Corporation. Is that a deal?”
    â€œDoes my mother know what a wicked conspirator you are, Hazel?”
    Hazel winked. “She never took my advice and look what happened—I always