Miranda couldn't remember when she'd slept so well or so soundly. Jason woke her at ten to tell her breakfast would be ready I n thirty minutes and remind her she had a plane to catch. When he kissed her cheek, he whispered, "Thank you," then left her to dress.The night had been extraordinary but left her disappointed on two counts. While Jason and Alex were wonderful lovers, they were still missing the elusive quality she sought. She had the constant feeling that the whole performance had been for their pleasure, not hers.And again, the pearl had been the wrong one.Insisting she still have something to remember them by, they had presented her with a tiny teardrop pearl on a gold chain, which she wore until she boarded the plane, Then she took it off and dropped it into her purse. It would rest in her jewelry box, a memento of a very erotic escapade but no more than that.She leaned back in her seat and sighed. What was she doing with her life, anyway? Nothing of any substance o

Part Three: Hot to TrotOkay, I've done it this time. What we talked about at the erotic romance convention? Totally changing our lives? I know I've always been the safe one. The prim and proper one. The one who held back. But we agreed to make a change and wait until I tell you the change I made.I bought a ranch on eBay!That's right. A cattle ranch in South Central Texas. Cashed in everything I had, sold my condo, quit my job and headed for Bypass, Texas. And let me tell you, a more fitting name for a bump in the road could never be found.But I get to the ranch, finally, and I nearly turned around and left. The pictures on eBay must have been taken someplace else because the ranch is the sorriest broken-down place you've ever seen. I barely was able to find one bedroom to stash my gear.It does, however, have Mitchell Brand, the former foreman who would make anyone's mouth water. I could barely keep from drooling. Six foot four of hot hunkitude, with dark brown hair, whiske

Her first sight of the inside of the house almost made her want to cry again. Then she remembered the pact, squared her shoulders and dug in. Mitch had been very blunt about what it would take to put the ranch on its feet again but he'd also helped her draw up a budget she could afford. And he'd been right about sniffing out bargains for her. She listened to him on the phone with one supplier and was sure he came from a long line of con artists. While he'd gone about ordering new fencing, checking cattle sales, ordering building supplies and looking to see what men he could rehire, Autumn had attacked the house from top to bottom.When she finished she realized it was only dirt and grime that had made the place look so dilapidated. Once she had everything cleaned and polished, she could appreciate the wood floor, the furniture gleaming with age and furniture polish, the windows everywhere that gave her magnificent views of the ranch. Two of the men Mitch hired scraped and painted the

They were mostly silent on the drive home. Mitch found a country music station and turned it on low volume."You need to learn Texas-style music," he told her, letting the deep baritone of a familiar voice fill the silence in the truck cab.By the time they reached the ranch, between the beer, the dancing and the music, Autumn was feeling as mellow as she ever had in her life. She dug into her purse for the keys to the house but Mitch shook his head."Uh-uh. I've got a better place for you to spend the night."Butterflies did the two step in her stomach and her palms were suddenly damp. She knew what he had in mind. The same thing she did. Could she actually go through with it?When he helped her out of the truck, it seemed the most natural thing in the world for her to take his hand and let him lead her around the barn to his house. On the porch he looked hard at her, eyes boring into hers."We both know what's going to happen, Autumn. We've been building toward this since you g

At first Autumn thought the pounding she heard was in her head but forcing her eyes open she realized someone was at the door.The door? What door? Where the hell was she?She looked around at strange surroundings, bewildered. Lifting the covers, she realized she was completely naked. And sore in strange places.Then it all fell into place in her brain with a loud thunk!She was in Mitchell Brand's little house. Thirty-two year old Mitchell Brand. Her very own boy toy. She hoped. Exactly what she and her blog ladies had talked about. Jesus! She'd actually gone and done it and the sex had been beyond anything she could have imagined. And if she remembered the bits and pieces of what he'd said, he planned for them to do this again.But now someone was knocking on the door in a manner that said whoever it was, wasn't going away.Mitch rolled off the bed and yanked on his jeans. "I'll take care of it," he said in a low voice. "Don't worry about a thing."He disappeared into the livi