Laredo Jefferson was eight seconds from shaking the dust of Union Junction, Texas, from his boots. Eight seconds from discovering the Something Big he was destined to do. He couldn't reckon how he'd promised those eight seconds to sweet filly Katy Goodnight, but he sure as shootin' knew why. He wanted to be her hero. And that meant riding the beast Bloodthirsty Black. Laredo was a lover, not a bull rider. Still, he craved a challenge–and so, it seemed, did Katy. For this gun-shy Lonely Hearts gal handpicked him to unsaddle her of her virginity. Suddenly, where Katy was concerned, eight seconds could never be enough....