Slow Summer Burn: A Loveswept Contemporary Romance by Elisabeth Barrett Page B
Authors: Elisabeth Barrett
Ads: Link
elegant little hand around his waist to stay dry under the umbrella, he just couldn’t resist.
He asked her out, partly for her and partly for himself, just to show her that he was man enough to do it. And then he kissed her. For him . And damn, it had felt good. Though in the back of his mind he knew he still shouldn’t want it—want her —he’d do it all again. In a heartbeat.
Even if he knew that their being together was a short-lived dream.
Because deep down, he knew she was from a different world. And a woman like her could never be happy with a man like him. At least, not for long.
Val finally got back to his boat, the beat-up old houseboat he called home at least part of the time. At one point or another, each of his brothers had lived with him on the vessel, and as cramped as the quarters were, at least he’d had company. Now, whenever Seb was in town hewas at Lexie’s place, Theo and Avery had just purchased a place of their own—a little cabin in the woods—and Cole was staying with Julie at her house out on the bluff. Experiencing a twinge of sadness that the boat was empty, he went down into his cabin to change. Peeling off his wet things, he set them over a clothesline he’d rigged in the tiny bathroom.
After he was dry and changed, he threw on the only rain jacket he could find, a thick, lined affair that was more suitable for fall than for summer. He removed his laptop from the safe in which he stored it, put it into a waterproof carryall, and tucked it under the jacket. Now fully armed for the weather, he stepped off his boat and walked down the boardwalk until he hit Main, then turned left and walked away from the harbor. The rain was still pouring, but not as hard as it had been coming down a few minutes earlier.
He could just as easily have worked on his boat—he had a secure wi-fi connection and a comfortable workspace—but he wanted to check in with his brother. Not only would he be able to give Cole the latest information on the prescription drug sting operation he and the Sheriff’s Department were conducting, but he could clue him in that bigger forces were at play. Plus, he wanted some hot coffee. He could have gotten it at the LMK, but he wasn’t really in the mood to be scrutinized by any Star Harborians. In good time, he made it to the Sheriff’s Department.
“Hey, Rhonda Lee,” Val said by way of greeting as soon as he crossed the threshold.
“Val Grayson,” the woman said with a huge smile. “Always a pleasure to see you.”
“The feeling’s mutual,” Val said, returning her smile. Rhonda Lee Petrelli was Cole’s secretary and dispatcher, and though her poufy blond halo of hair and lineless skin belied her age, she’d been around as long as he could remember. She knew everyone’s dirty history—including his own—but kept her lips sealed. He liked that about her. “Bobby still enjoying retirement?”
“A little too much. He’s decided to build a new deck this summer. Don’t know what the man’s thinking. There’s a reason he went into accounting.”
Val tried not to laugh. Rhonda Lee’s husband was always taking up some kind of home improvement project, despite the fact that he was all thumbs when it came to construction. “So what’s going on today?”
“Got two deputies out in the field. Shift’s about to change, but you caught Cole at a good time. Just head on back.”
“Thanks. Give my best to Bobby, as always.”
She gave him another smile. “I’ll do that. He’s always glad to hear from you.”
Val walked around Rhonda Lee’s desk and entered through a door to the office. It had an open floor plan, with four large desks in the center of the room and tidy bookshelves lining the walls. Around the edges of the space lay the conference rooms and Cole’s office. Hank Jacobs, one of Cole’s trusted deputies, was at one of the desks talking on the telephone, and his resonant voice echoed through the room. He was obviously busy, so Val
He asked her out, partly for her and partly for himself, just to show her that he was man enough to do it. And then he kissed her. For him . And damn, it had felt good. Though in the back of his mind he knew he still shouldn’t want it—want her —he’d do it all again. In a heartbeat.
Even if he knew that their being together was a short-lived dream.
Because deep down, he knew she was from a different world. And a woman like her could never be happy with a man like him. At least, not for long.
Val finally got back to his boat, the beat-up old houseboat he called home at least part of the time. At one point or another, each of his brothers had lived with him on the vessel, and as cramped as the quarters were, at least he’d had company. Now, whenever Seb was in town hewas at Lexie’s place, Theo and Avery had just purchased a place of their own—a little cabin in the woods—and Cole was staying with Julie at her house out on the bluff. Experiencing a twinge of sadness that the boat was empty, he went down into his cabin to change. Peeling off his wet things, he set them over a clothesline he’d rigged in the tiny bathroom.
After he was dry and changed, he threw on the only rain jacket he could find, a thick, lined affair that was more suitable for fall than for summer. He removed his laptop from the safe in which he stored it, put it into a waterproof carryall, and tucked it under the jacket. Now fully armed for the weather, he stepped off his boat and walked down the boardwalk until he hit Main, then turned left and walked away from the harbor. The rain was still pouring, but not as hard as it had been coming down a few minutes earlier.
He could just as easily have worked on his boat—he had a secure wi-fi connection and a comfortable workspace—but he wanted to check in with his brother. Not only would he be able to give Cole the latest information on the prescription drug sting operation he and the Sheriff’s Department were conducting, but he could clue him in that bigger forces were at play. Plus, he wanted some hot coffee. He could have gotten it at the LMK, but he wasn’t really in the mood to be scrutinized by any Star Harborians. In good time, he made it to the Sheriff’s Department.
“Hey, Rhonda Lee,” Val said by way of greeting as soon as he crossed the threshold.
“Val Grayson,” the woman said with a huge smile. “Always a pleasure to see you.”
“The feeling’s mutual,” Val said, returning her smile. Rhonda Lee Petrelli was Cole’s secretary and dispatcher, and though her poufy blond halo of hair and lineless skin belied her age, she’d been around as long as he could remember. She knew everyone’s dirty history—including his own—but kept her lips sealed. He liked that about her. “Bobby still enjoying retirement?”
“A little too much. He’s decided to build a new deck this summer. Don’t know what the man’s thinking. There’s a reason he went into accounting.”
Val tried not to laugh. Rhonda Lee’s husband was always taking up some kind of home improvement project, despite the fact that he was all thumbs when it came to construction. “So what’s going on today?”
“Got two deputies out in the field. Shift’s about to change, but you caught Cole at a good time. Just head on back.”
“Thanks. Give my best to Bobby, as always.”
She gave him another smile. “I’ll do that. He’s always glad to hear from you.”
Val walked around Rhonda Lee’s desk and entered through a door to the office. It had an open floor plan, with four large desks in the center of the room and tidy bookshelves lining the walls. Around the edges of the space lay the conference rooms and Cole’s office. Hank Jacobs, one of Cole’s trusted deputies, was at one of the desks talking on the telephone, and his resonant voice echoed through the room. He was obviously busy, so Val
Similar Books
