WANTED: MAN. Must be over six feet tall and weigh at least two hundred pounds. Must own large house on considerable acreage. Must like animals. Must have job with flexible hours. Preferably single. Call Pepper.

The classified ad was provocative yet innocent, and the man who read it on a whim felt compelled to meet its creator. But Thor Spicer was unprepared for Pepper, the beguiling dynamo who checked him out, liked what she saw - and warned him that she had designs on his heart.

Intrigued by her challenge, Thor decided to take her dare - even though it meant constantly tripping over her gentle Doberman and outwitting the Chihuahua who guarded her door. It wouldn't be easy to strip away the layers of mystery surrounding their very private selves - but pepper declared that it was the only way.

Hero: Thor Spicer
Heroine: Perdita Elizabeth Patricia Elaine Reynolds (Pepper)