"Why do you say that?"

"You can't change anyone."

"Sure you can. It's like leading a horse to water."

"I guess you don't remember the point of that saying."

"Of course I do. But you can't make him drink. In my interviews, I made sure that I searched for men

who were thirsty."

After a startled second, Ben laughed again. "You're priceless."

She started to preen, then physically stopped herself, which really made him want to get her to loosen

up all the more. He had the urge to reach out and pull her into his lap. But he held back.

"After the manners section of the show," she continued, "I'll go to the guy's house or apartment and fix it up."

"That's a lot going on in an hour."

"And I'm not even finished yet. But remember, we are taping hours and hours that will be edited down into highlights. It's how all the reality shows are done. Heck, at The Apprentice, they have something like twenty-three cameras taping hundreds of hours of footage. For each hour-long show, they tape for a week, then cut it down into about forty-four minutes of programming. That's all I'm doing. Taping,

editing. Which brings us to the last segment of the show. By then, the Primal Guy will be cleaned up, polite, his house will have been transformed, all in preparation for the grand finale with his date."

"You're going to show them going to bed?"

She scoffed at him in disbelief. "No! He's going to serve the lucky woman a fabulous dinner. Appetizers,

champagne, the whole deal. I'll have the entire episode complete by the time Thanksgiving vacation is over."

Ben was impressed. And he told her so.

"Thank you," she said.

They sat there for a moment, sharing a surprising ease.

"So," he said after a while, "have you decided which guy to choose?"

She looked like an imp. "As a matter of fact I have."

"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like the answer?"

"Because I chose Rocco."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Nope. He's perfect."

"Why is that?"

"Because he's thirsty." She smiled coyly.

"How the hell do you know that?"

"He told me. He said that there was a woman he had been trying to win, but hadn't been able to get her attention. I'm going to turn him into a man who can win her over. He's perfect."

"He's a mistake."

"If you're so convinced he's the wrong man, then you can be my Primal Guy."

"I am not a primal guy," he groused. "And I'm sure as hell nothing like Rocco."

She snorted, their quiet moment evaporating.

"Let us review a few of the questions I included on the questionnaire. Favorite pants? Rocco said jeans."

She tilted over and looked at what Ben was wearing. "Surprise! Jeans."

He grumbled.

"Favorite jacket? Rocco said"-she acted out a drumroll-"leather. And what is the only coat I've seen

you wear? Leather. Thank you very much. Question three-"

"Just because we dress the same doesn't make me like him."

"Let's see." She leaned forward and skewered him with those violet eyes. "He's ruggedly masculine,

outrageously arrogant, and thinks women were invented to do nothing more than spread their legs to

please him. Sound familiar, big boy?"

He wasn't sure, but he might have sputtered. Shaking it away, he leaned forward as well. "The only pleasing that has gone on in this house is me pleasing you."

Red flared in her cheeks. Even more proof that all that worsted wool and baggy warm-ups were starting to take hold.

Damn.

Though why he cared he didn't know.

"Please stop!" she said. "The desk episode was a mistake." She lowered her head and mumbled. He could have sworn she said, "An amazing mistake," but when he pressed her, she said, "Are you angling for a compliment?"

He grinned at her.

"Anyway, Rocco is going to be perfect. I'm going to turn him into a great guy, and Rob and Todd are

going to capture the whole thing on camera. By the time Sterling and Chloe return, I'll have a show, Rocco will have a date, and Todd will have a video resume. A win-win-win."

"So Todd hasn't been in the way?"

"No! He's great. In fact, he left some of the tape he shot here. I looked at it on my dad's machine and

it was really good."

Her mood changed with the words. A darkness came into her eyes, and Ben didn't think it had anything to do with Todd, the tape, or even the show.

"You never talk about your dad," he said.

She focused, then abruptly she stood and started gathering plates. "There's nothing to talk about."

She took a handful and headed for the kitchen. Ben took the rest and followed her.

"What happened to him?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because you're so weird about it."

"I am not weird about it."

"Sure you are."

She scowled. "There is nothing to be weird about. He was killed in a climbing accident."

"Your father was a climber?"

"My father was an amateur adventurer. He traveled all over the world, finding new ways to get an

adrenaline rush. His last adventure was on Mount McKinley. He slipped on some ice, his crampons or

pitons or whatever weren't secured properly, and when he fell, there was nothing to stop his fall. End of

story."

Ben stood there and studied her. He had witnessed his share of grief in people who had lost loved ones unexpectedly. With Julia it was different. She didn't give in to grief, she held on against it, as if by sheer will she could make sure she wasn't upset. Like glass about to shatter.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Yes, so am I."

"What about your mom? Was she with him?"

"What are you doing? Going on a little fishing expedition? Trying to find out about me and my family?"

"Just curious."

She started rinsing the dishes. Ben stacked them in the dishwasher.

"No, my mom wasn't with him. She died when I was in junior high."

He felt something twist inside him for this woman. He had more family than he knew what to do with