LITMIR.BIZ

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much less talk with him looking at her. She’d have to get over that little problem when they started filming.

       A man like Griffin wouldn’t give you a second look.

      True, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy the scenery.

      “Are you telling me you’re perfect?”

      Griffin sauntered across the stall, the horse trailing after him. As he dumped the hay in the trough attached to the far wall, he said, “That’s what my mom says.”

      “That doesn’t count. It’s a law that mothers have to say that about their kids.” Maggie smiled. “Even mine cuts me slack for my overly competitive nature. What if I asked your brother?”

      For the briefest second, Griffin’s eyes narrowed. “Rory would tell you I’m too laid-back, but with him you have to factor in the whole sibling rivalry thing, so you can’t trust his opinion.”

      Something told her that for Griffin this was more than your average sibling rivalry. “I have three older brothers. They can be a pain and definitely are judgmental.”

      “Your brothers gave you a hard time?”

      “Constantly and mercilessly.”

      As Maggie stared into Griffin’s eyes she couldn’t remember what they’d been talking about. She thought for a minute. That’s right. They’d been talking about his fatal flaw. Oh, this cowboy was good at getting around uncomfortable questions.

      He lifted the remaining hay. Strong arm muscles rippled under his shirt as he strolled out of the stall. Sweat glistened on his bronzed skin. Yup, God had done some of his best work with this man.

      “What if I agree to be the bachelor on your show? What happens next?”

      “First of all, I want to make sure we’re clear on one thing. You do realize the purpose of our show is to find you a wife, right?”

       Chapter Two

      Every good deal had a catch, and this show’s was a doozy. But for thirty grand, Griffin would do pretty much anything to help his mom, as long as it was legal.

      Times were tight financially. The sagging economy had hit Twin Creeks hard. Tourism was down, causing a dip in their revenue from horseback-riding tours. People had less disposable cash, which meant horse sales were down. Then there was his mom’s experimental cancer treatment, not covered by insurance, which put a huge strain on the family finances, and they’d learned she needed another round.

      Rory had done his part, taking a modeling job with Devlin Designs—a huge sacrifice, considering his camera shyness. Griffin tried to find extra work as a hired hand, but every ranch in the area was experiencing similar trouble, and just hoped to keep the hands they had. And ranch work was the only job Griffin was qualified for other than flipping burgers, neither of which would get him the kind of money he needed to pay for his mom’s latest round of treatments.

      Now the perfect opportunity had landed at his door. What could be better than getting paid to date pretty women? Talk about a dream job. All he had to do was find a way to avoid proposing at the end of the season, and if he couldn’t, no big deal. No one would be surprised when a reality-show relationship failed.

      As he stared at the plain woman in front of him, he mulled over her proposition. She’d pulled her long brown hair away from her face into a big ponytail, which only made her angular features sharper. Why did women wear their hair like that? No female past high school should wear her hair back unless she was working out.

      If there was an opposite of his type, Maggie was the shining example. While he liked ’em tall, she damn near looked him in the eye. Given the pants and long, shapeless sweater she wore, who knew what her figure was like? He went for females who possessed great assets, and dressed to show them off.

      On top of that, he’d pegged her as a good girl. The kind who expected a ring after dating six months. The kind he crossed the street to avoid.

      “Sure. I know the goal is to get the bachelor married.” Just because that was the show’s intention didn’t mean he had to succumb. There were always gray areas. He just had to find one.

      Griffin had always loved women. Even as a child he’d run past his grandfather to reach his grandmother first. But that didn’t mean he wanted to walk down the aisle anytime soon. In fact, he wasn’t sure he ever wanted to make that trek.

      “I have a contract in the car. Once you’ve signed—”

      “Hold on. I have some questions, such as where’s the show filmed?”

      Maggie, her eyes shining with enthusiasm, said, “This season we’re filming in Las Vegas. Normally, the first thing we have our bachelor do is fill out a questionnaire and meet with our marriage counselor. Then we select ten bachelorettes ideally suited for him.”

      “What do you mean, normally?”

      “We’ve already signed contracts with this season’s bachelorettes.”

      “Because?” he prodded. The woman had talked his ear off, and now she went quiet?

      “Our scheduled bachelor backed out at the last minute.”

      “Does he know something I don’t?” Griffin asked as he tossed a hunk of hay in Sugar’s trough.

      “He was a retired pro football player who returned to the game. We picked out bachelorettes for him. Of course, there’s a possibility some of the women will leave when they learn we have a new man.”

      “You’re saying they’ll think I’m a scrub replacement?”

      Maggie gasped. Embarrassment flamed across her cheeks. “I’m not saying that at all. I apologize for my poor choice of words. No woman would see you that way.”

      He couldn’t keep from grinning. “I had you worried, didn’t I?”

      She laughed, but not one of those dainty, practiced, feminine giggles. Joy rang out in her full, honest laughter, and her face lit up.

      “That was a good one. You really had me going.”

      “You’d think with three older brothers you wouldn’t be so gullible,” Griffin retorted.

      She crossed her arms over her chest again. “In my defense, I’m in work mode right now. Believe it or not, very few people tease me when I’m discussing business. Are you always so vexing?”

      “Pretty much.”

      Maggie’s melodic laughter reverberated through the barn once more, but Griffin sobered. An athlete. That meant they’d probably picked women who liked sports and the outdoors. Ones who’d be comfortable on a ranch. Not exactly what he wanted.

      “You want me to pick a wife from women you selected for another man?” he asked, already slipping into the charade. Wouldn’t that be what a man who really wanted to find a wife would say?

      “You’re not going to get me again.”

      “This time I’m serious.”

      “Sorry. The altitude must be messing up my radar.” Maggie frowned and tucked a stray brown curl that had escaped from her ponytail behind her ear. “I think you’ll be happy with the women we’ve selected, and if for whatever reason any of the bachelorettes choose to not continue with the show, the new candidates will be selected specifically for you.”

      “What if I’m not satisfied? After all, my happiness isn’t your main concern. You’ve got to pick candidates who’ll make good TV.” His main concern was avoiding marriage, while getting the thirty grand. He ran his hand along Sugar’s expanding belly, and her foal moved under his palm. The horse swung her head toward him. “I know, girl, you’re ready for this baby to be here, aren’t you?”

      “Watching a foal coming into the world must be such a miracle,”

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