Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27480 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 137(@200wpm)___ 110(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27480 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 137(@200wpm)___ 110(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
I loved this town. It was safe, and I was comfortable here, even if I wasn’t sure what I’d do to earn money when I was thirty-five, forty, or fifty-five. There was nothing wrong with wanting to stay in Holiday Grove. Who said the big city was so special compared to a town where people showed up to help out when they were needed? This place was home, and I loved it.
Maybe you need to be uncomfortable to figure out the rest of your life? That nagging voice in the back of my mind had said this same thing time and again, but I knew that wasn’t it. At least, not completely. Maybe I needed to do something new, to get out of my comfort zone, but that didn’t mean I needed to leave Holiday Grove.
I just needed to get out there, figure out what I wanted to do next, and then just do it.
Maybe you’d have better luck in the big city, that same voice urged. No, it taunted. I shuddered at the thought that my future was someplace I didn’t want to be. Of course, that was when Mr. Tall, Dark, and Deadly Handsome strolled up, looking totally irresistible in dark jeans, a green sweater, and a black peacoat that made him look like he’d stepped off the cover of East Coast Outdoorsman magazine.
I turned away so I could catch my breath before he got any closer. There was something about Brock that unsettled me, and I needed to keep my head on straight when he was around.
“Sela, we meet again.” His deep voice sent another shudder rippling through my body, so viscerally deep I had to dig my heels into the ground to make sure I didn’t float away on a cloud of lust and desire.
He’s just human, I reminded myself and turned slowly. Nope, he was definitely superhuman. Hot, deliciously so, and charming. And smiling—goodness gracious, that smile should come with a warning label. “Brock. Hey.”
“You look festive. And beautiful.” His nostrils flared with that telltale mark of arousal that sent another shiver through me.
I put a hand to my cheek because it was suddenly very hot out here. “Thank you.” I motioned to his body. “You look too good.”
He laughed, the sound rich and deep. “There’s another one of those un-compliments.” He didn’t seem offended but rather amused.
“Sela, there you are!” Edith’s voice was loud despite her small, almost frail frame. “You’ve done such a good job today. We’re almost out of bags.” She turned with a bright smile for Brock. “Hey there, handsome.”
“Mrs. Rockwell.”
She blushed, actually blushed, and put her hand to her chest. “Call me Edith, please.”
“You look like autumn today, Edith. Lovely.”
See? Too damn charming but genuine about it, which was annoying. “Handsome and charming.” She shook her head, echoing the same sentiment I’d just been feeling. “Anyway, I’m officially relieving you of duty so you can enjoy the Fair.”
I frowned and looked at my phone screen, which showed that I still had two more hours to go. “Edith, you’re mistaken.”
“No, I’m not. Now go and show Brock around. Make sure he enjoys his very first Holiday Grove festival.” She made a shooing motion before she pressed one hand to my back and another to Brock’s, then shoved us toward the booths. “Go on. Have fun. That’s an order.”
“Uh, thanks, Edith.” I looked over my shoulder to see that same twinkle in her eyes.
“Take care of our girl, Brock.”
He laughed and wrapped an arm around me. “I’ll take care of you,” he whispered.
I looked around for a way out, but there was none.
“Don’t be scared, Sela. I don’t bite.” He chuckled again. “At least, unless you ask.”
I suppressed that last shiver and turned to look up at his tall frame. “I’m not scared of you.”
“Too bad, because you scare the hell out of me.”
The only thing sexier than a big, strong man with piercing grey eyes and broad shoulders?
An honest man.
Chapter 6
Brock
“You’re not obligated to stay with me, Sela.” She’d gone quiet after the admission I hadn’t meant to make. “I’m perfectly capable of wandering the booths on my own.”
For another few minutes, Sela said nothing, but she didn’t move, and she didn’t remove my arm from around her shoulders. She was just quiet. Unsettlingly quiet. Then she sighed. “I’m not here out of obligation. I’m just not sure how to handle you.”
“So you want to be here?”
She nodded. “I shouldn’t. I know that, but I do.”
I understood perfectly. I didn’t want to be so drawn to Sela, especially since I hadn’t even technically moved to Holiday Grove yet. It was a done deal—I’d already given Lee my word—but it wasn’t done yet. But this woman, as sweet as she was beautiful, had some internal magnet that pulled me to her whenever she was around. “I get it,” I finally said.