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hand over the dark stubble of his morning beard. He wondered how long it would be before Bronwynn packed up her camp stove and headed for more luxurious accommodations. A couple of hours maybe—maybe less once she got a look at the bathroom; there was stuff growing in there scientists had yet to name.
    He felt a little twinge of disappointment at the prospect of her leaving. It wasn’t that he wanted to spend the day with her, he hastened to assure himself. He wanted her gone—ASAP. The sooner she was gone, the sooner he could put his plans in motion to buy the property and the sooner he could get down to the business of rest and relaxation. He certainly wasn’t getting much of either since he’d met Bronwynn. Except he . . . he . . . kind of wanted to spend the day with her.
    Uh-uh, Grayson. She’s nothing but trouble. She beaned you with a six-pack, that should tell you something. So she gets your hormones dancing. There are plenty of women who can do that without giving you a worse ulcer than the one you’ve already got.
    Off the top of his head he couldn’t name one, but there were plenty, he was sure. Somewhere. The truth was, he hadn’t been looking much lately. He’d been so consumed by his work, he hadn’t had time for a social life. Obviously that was why he was finding himself attracted to Bronwynn. It had been a long time, and she certainly was pretty. He breathed a sigh of relief. Lust he understood. Lust could be controlled.
    Part of what he was feeling for Bronwynn no doubt was sympathy and compassion. He couldn’t begin to imagine what it would be like to make the kind of discovery she had made. But he could remember the pain and confusion that had filled her eyes right before she’d broken down, and the memory made him hurt all over.
    What kind of jerk was this Ross character? The worst kind, Wade decided. The man hadn’t even tried to redeem himself by coming after Bronwynn; he’d just let her go. Her methods may have been a little unorthodox, but Wade had to agree, she’d done the right thing in leaving the clown.
    A reluctant smile spread across his face. If Bronwynn had put on half the show at the wedding that she had when setting Ross’s luggage on fire, it would have been worth paying admission to have been there. No question, she had set Boston society on its ear. As he had seen for himself, life did not remain dull with Bronwynn around.
    No sooner had he completed the thought when a scream split the air. Wade was on his feet and into the hall in a flash. A second scream directed him toward the back of the house. He ran down the long hall in his socks, glancing into each room as he went in search of Bronwynn. The bathroom door swung out just as he turned. He managed to dodge it, but stubbed his big toe in the process.
    “Ouch! Dammit! You broke my toe!” He leaned back against the wall, holding his wounded foot, glaring at Bronwynn.
    Bronwynn wasn’t paying any attention to him. She looked as though she had just met the devil face-to-face. “Wade! Wade! It’s a sn—sn—sn—”
    “Snake?”
    “Python!” She spat the word out, wiggling and shuddering.
    “Python!” He rolled his eyes and headed back to the parlor, limping slightly, Bronwynn hot on his heels.
    “It’s huge and it went right over my foot! Yuk!Yuk, yuk, yuk!”
    Wade sat down on the sofa and pulled his sock off, his brows knitting together as he carefully examined his toe.
    “This is no time to be playing with your feet!” Bronwynn said in a snappy tone, sitting next to him, curling her own feet under her as she cast a wary glance at the floor. She dragged a hand back through her hair and shuddered again. “Not with Monty Python on the loose in my bathroom.”
    “Bronwynn,” Wade said tiredly, “this is Vermont. There are no pythons in Vermont.”
    “Feel free to break the news to our legless friend in the bathroom, Mr. Science. You can explain it to him as you introduce him to the great outdoors.”
    He