Starting Over (Nugget Romance 4) by Stacy Finz

and cheese service by using an assortment of frozen finger foods found at the Nugget Market. It was pretty low-rent, and they couldn’t keep improvising. Part of Nate’s strategy to make the Lumber Baron a destination inn included bringing up the quality of the food. The man might be a complete bear, but Samantha couldn’t deny he had excellent business sense, although he was a bit rigid and tight if you asked her.
    As she cruised up McCreedy Road, Sam marveled at the scenery. Although she’d been here a couple of times since moving to Nugget, the view never failed to impress her. Lots of gorgeous green rolling hills, compliments of the wet winter. The mighty Sierra mountains, which loomed in the background, looked as if they’d been dipped in whipped cream. Even in spring, the snowy caps had yet to melt. During the cooler summers they stayed that way year round, she’d learned from the locals.
    The land, a working cattle ranch, had been in the McCreedy family since the gold rush. According to the town gossips, Clay’s first wife had begged him to sell the place. Then she’d died in a drunken-driving accident while having an affair with the developer of Sierra Heights. Nugget might be smaller and less affluent than Greenwich, but both were Peyton Places as far as drama was concerned.
    She pulled up to the big white farmhouse and sucked in a breath, thinking that maybe she should’ve called first. But people here were forever popping in on each other. No formality whatsoever. So when in Rome . . . Plus, she hadn’t wanted to give Emily too much of a heads-up to think about it and say no.
    Three big dogs circled her car, barking and jumping up on her door. Sam stayed put. She wasn’t afraid of dogs, but these seemed more territorial than most. One was baring its teeth.
    “Down, boys,” a teenager who looked a lot like Clay yelled at the beasts, then came up to the driver’s side to shoo them away.
    “Is it safe to come out?” She laughed.
    “Yes, ma’am.”
    “I’m Samantha Dunsbury.”
    The boy wiped his palm on the leg of his jeans before shaking her hand. “Justin McCreedy,” he said.
    “Nice to meet you, Justin. Is Emily home?”
    “She’s in the house.” He didn’t move, just stood in place gawking at her. “Are you new around here?”
    “Pretty new,” Sam said. “I’ve been here about four months. I work at the Lumber Baron.”
    “With Aunt Maddy and Uncle Nate.” He nodded, still gaping. Sam wondered if she had something stuck between her teeth.
    “Should I just go up myself?” She pointed at the wide porch that wrapped around the house.
    “Oh yeah, I’ll take you.” He led her inside the front door and yelled, “Emily, we’ve got company,” then resumed staring at her. Seriously, the kid was giving her a complex.
    A few minutes later, Emily appeared, untying her apron. “Sam! How nice to see you.” She kissed her on the cheek and turned to Justin. “Did you introduce yourself to Samantha?”
    “Of course I did.” And a smile lit his face, giving Sam a glimpse of the lady-killer he’d someday be. Right now, he probably held the hearts of every teenage girl in Nugget. “I’ve got to finish getting the horses in. Catch you later.”
    “Hey, buddy,” Emily called to him. “You forgetting something?”
    He circled back around. “It was nice to meet you, Sam.”
    “Likewise,” she said.
    Emily took her into the kitchen, a warm and inviting room that seemed to embrace Sam in a big hug, and asked if she was hungry.
    “This is spectacular,” Sam said, looking around.
    “This is Colin Burke,” Emily said. “He redid the space from top to bottom. Clay grew up in this kitchen and was having palpitations at the idea of changing it. But even he loves what Colin did.”
    “I can see why.” She spied the old-fashioned Wedgewood stove and the gleaming marble countertops.
    “So what brings you to the ranch?” Emily motioned to a giant farm table that sat next to two picture