"I have not been mourning. I've been busy. There's a difference." Lexie twirled her straw in the remnants of her drink. "You know I don't regret ending things with Tony. He was a good guy-at least until I lost him to the glamorous world of extreme sports-but I just couldn't live like that anymore. Never knowing if he was going to come home in one piece, spending half my time at the hospital." She dragged her hands down her face. "You know you're at the hospital too much when you're on a first-name basis with all the emergency room nurses. Give me a nice safe accountant. An insurance guy. Banker. Chef. Gardener. But no more dare-devils. You're supposed to grow old with someone-not because of them. I can't go through that again."

"You'd be insane to even consider it," Darla agreed as their waiter deposited two more margaritas in front of them, then left them alone once more. "Any idea what Tony's up to?"

"Nope. I assume he's on his Everest expedition. After that he planned to run the Amazon on a raft." She shot Darla a rueful smile. "I wouldn't be surprised if after the Amazon he decided to kayak over Niagara Falls."

A visible shudder shivered through Darla. "He was insane, Lexie. He had absolutely no fear. Skydiving, bungee jumping, rock climbing… it just wasn't right. And let's face it, after he won that skydiving competition, after almost dying in the attempt, he turned into a-"

"Jerk. I know." Lexie blew out a sigh. "You would think that a close brush with death would have made him less inclined to risk himself, but instead it pushed him the other way. Made him take more risks, seek out higher levels of danger. Like he had something to prove."

"Mmm-hmm. And he sure didn't seem to mind all the adoration from those assorted blondes, brunettes, and redheads who came along with that extreme sport lifestyle. Guess he felt he had something to prove in that area, as well."

"His womanizing definitely was the final nail in the coffin," Lexie agreed.

"I have to say, you took the whole thing pretty calmly, Lex. I would have damaged the guy."

"I wasn't calm at all. I was hurt and angry, but honestly more sad than anything. Sad for him that nearly losing his life set him on such a self-destructive course. Sad for both of us that his success so drastically changed the sweet guy I fell in love with into someone I couldn't live with."

A determined look entered Darla's eyes. "Well, it's over between you, and now, finally, you've met a man who rings your bell. If you're worried about not knowing him, then get to know him a bit first. How long is he staying at the resort?" She shot Lexie a knowing look. "You did check, didn't you?"

A guilty flush heated her skin. "Yeah, I checked. He's registered for the next three weeks."

Darla raised her brows. "Seems to me you could find out a whole bunch about a man in a lot less time than that. In fact, I'd say a clever girl could find out everything she needed to know over a few drinks."

"He hasn't asked me to go for drinks."

"Have you lost your voice? Ask him. Invite him to join you for a beer after your lesson tomorrow night." She waved her hand around, encompassing their noisy surroundings. "Bring him here to Mermaid's. It's cozy and fun. Or how about the bar at the resort? Ply him with liquor, ask him probing, personal questions until you know him better, then have your wicked way with him." She waggled her brows. "Find out if that snake left a scar."

Lexie sighed. "I cannot believe I'd ever want to see another scar. Tony had more of the damn things than Florida has sand fleas. What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing. You're in lust. It's normal. Accept it, and act on it. You need to do this. You need to stop working nonstop and enjoy yourself. You're young, attractive, unattached, primed for action and suffering from a crisis-level lack of sex. The timing is perfect. I mean, when were you planning to have a fling? When you're a grandma? Ask him out."

"What if he isn't interested?"

"Then he's an idiot and you're better off without him. Did he seem uninterested during your lesson?"

Lexie recalled how he'd looked at her, with all that focused attention, then how he'd trailed his finger down her arm. "No, but-"

"Lex, the worst that will happen is that you'll go for drinks and he'll turn out to be a dunce, in which case you won't find him attractive anymore. Best case is that he'll prove charming and nice and irresistible, and you'll have yourself a fun fling for a few weeks." Darla reached out and squeezed Lexie's hands. "It's a win-win situation."

Lexie chewed on her bottom lip and pondered Darla's advice. Josh Maynard had struck a chord in her that hadn't been strummed in a long time. Her self-confidence had definitely taken a wallop from her breakup with Tony, whose growing preference for daredevil escapades over her-not to mention his sudden fondness for being surrounded by hordes of admiring women-had eventually left her feeling unneeded, unwanted and unattractive. Josh was the first guy who'd aroused her flattened libido since. And the beauty of a vacation fling was that in three weeks, Josh would be gone. No running into him around town, no awkward meeting up at local parties. Fun, wild and temporary.

So what harm could there be in inviting him for a drink? It was as good a way as any to find out if he was as attractive as he seemed. Maybe after some conversation she'd decide he wasn't all that great. Or maybe she'd decide he was fling-worthy. One thing was for certain: if she didn't try, she'd never know. And she definitely wanted to know.

"Okay," Lexie said. "I'll ask him out for a drink."

"Good girl," Darla said, beaming her approval. "So what's this hunk's name?"

"Josh Maynard. Even sounds cowboyish."

Darla frowned. "And vaguely familiar." She pursed her lips, then shrugged. "But it can't be. I don't know a soul from Montana. In fact, I've never met a real, live cowboy."

"Me, either." A laugh escaped her. "But it seems like a tame enough occupation. I mean, what do they do around a ranch? Ride horses and check fences? At least he's not a wild daredevil like Tony."

Darla laughed with her. "Really. The worst thing that could happen to Mr. Cowboy is getting saddle sore."

"Hmm. Could be a good excuse to offer him a massage."

A giggle erupted from Dana. "Yee-ha. Now you're talkin', pardner."


* * *

When Josh arrived at the pool the following evening, the first thing he saw was her… the water nymph who had drifted through his nighttime dreams then occupied his thoughts all day long. She cut through the aqua water with strong, clean strokes, then executed an underwater flip turn before starting the next lap. She completed six more pool lengths before she stopped, hoisting herself to the edge while water cascaded down her curvy form.

Another simple, one-piece, no-nonsense swimsuit hugged her body, and Josh smothered a rueful grimace at his swift physical reaction. No doubt about it, she attracted him like a fly to a bug zapper. His inner voice tried to remind him how those poor flies ended up, but he swatted the warning away.

She caught sight of him and stilled. For several heartbeats they simply looked at each other. His pulse seemed to stall, then thump like a bass drum. She licked her lips, a gesture that forced him to swallow a groan, then offered him a smile. "Hi, Josh. How are you?"

Hot and bothered and it's all your fault. Damn, he didn't know if he wanted her to put some clothes on or to take that bathing suit off. Well, he knew which one he wanted… but that didn't mean that it was the smartest. "I'm fine, Lexie. How about you?"

"I'm terrific."

You sure are. He didn't know how many laps she'd swum before he'd arrived, but she wasn't even winded. Water glistened on her well-toned arms and legs, and his already drumming pulse quickened. There was nothing more attractive to him than a physically fit, athletic woman, and this particular woman was… whew. Just right.

"I saw you practicing with the kickboard this morning," she said. "I was impressed-not only by your improvement, but by your dedication. It was barely 7:00 a.m. "

"I'm determined to master swimming as quickly as possible. And once I set my mind to something… well, as we cowboys say, if you're gonna go, go like hell."

"In that case, ready to get started?"

"Yes, ma'am. I place myself in your hands."

He fancied that something flashed in her eyes, but it disappeared before he could decide. Jerking her head in a nod, she turned then walked down the steps into the water. He followed, relieved when the cool water took the edge off his budding ardor.

"Except for your early morning practicing, I didn't see you around today," she remarked once they stood waist-deep. A teasing glint entered her eyes. "We missed you at Make A Basket From Pond Fronds."

He laughed. "I arranged for a rental car, then spent the day visiting marinas to check out sailboats."

"Did you see anything you liked?"

Sure did. And she's smilin' at me right now. "Lots of nice boats, but before I buy one, I want to know how to sail. And before I can tackle that, I need to learn to swim."

"Have you made reservations for the beginner sailing course offered at the resort?"

"Not yet. Are you the teacher?"

"Yes." She shot him a grin. "Don't worry. I'm fully certified."

"Why do you only offer beginner lessons?"

"It's really all that's necessary here at the resort. If a guest wants more in-depth instructions, we make arrangements for them to attend a sailing school in the area. Or, if a guest prefers, they can hire a staff member for private instructions during off-hours."