family.
“You’re right,” his brother agreed. “Sorry.”
Tyler swallowed against the lump of lies lodged in his throat. If he could remember to keep quiet about what he was doing at The Lucky Star to earn his pay, no one would be the wiser.
Chapter 5
“It’ll be close,” Emily said, adding the next set of numbers into the calculator, “but I think we’ll have enough to pay the taxes, liquor supplier, and chip away at the mortgage.”
Jolene paced in front of the upstairs kitchen table, their makeshift office while they renovated one of the storerooms downstairs. “Maybe we should have waited another month before buying this place.”
“You know that we’d have lost out; there were three other bids for this place.” Emily shut her eyes, grateful for the moment’s rest. She’d had precious few hours of sleep last night thanks to one tall, dark, and deadly handsome cowboy’s tender kisses.
“A penny for your thoughts, cuz.” Jolene leaned her hip against the counter and crossed her legs in front of her. The smug smile told Em she didn’t need to explain why she was tired. Jolene always could read her like a book.
“Wondering where we would have ended up working if you didn’t convince us this place would be a gold mine.”
“Well, I may have been a bit hasty,” Jolene said softly.
“I’m always first to give credit where credit is due, honey,” Emily said, pushing her chair back to stand up. She stretched the kinks out of her spine and walked over to where her cousin stood. “Your idea was inspired, the location fabulous, and our new headliner… to die for.”
“And?” Jolene was waiting for Emily to spill her guts. Damn, the woman really did have the ability to read minds.
“He’s got this really rough but handsome exterior, but inside he’s got this sugar-sweet, gooey center that a woman would have to be dead not to fall for.”
“Are you falling for him already?” Jolene didn’t try to hide her exasperation.
“Maybe, but this time, I’ll be ready when he walks.”
“What makes you think he’ll walk?”
Emily didn’t know that he would; it was just a part of the pattern of her past relationships. “He might surprise me and stay.”
“Way to go thinking in the positive, Em.”
“The past has always been—”
“Among my favorite interests,” Frank Emerson, President of the Pleasure Preservation Society, boomed from where he stood in the doorway.
Annoyed that he’d come upstairs uninvited, Emily walked toward him. “I don’t believe we heard you knock.”
His smile was just a shade off and definitely not sincere. “I’m sure you two were talking too loudly to hear me when I knocked just now.”
Liar. Emily knew he hadn’t; the man had a habit of walking in unannounced to catch his prey off guard while he went in for the kill, usually walking away with whatever he wanted. “I don’t suppose you can read?”
His eyes narrowed before he acknowledged what she’d meant. “Surely the sign that says private on the door at the bottom of these stairs doesn’t refer to your fellow businessmen and women in town?”
Jolene cleared her throat, and Emily knew she was about to say something that would make her and Emily feel better but would just alienate the head of the damned society. Emily sent a warning look that Jolene grudgingly heeded. “What do you want, Frank?”
He took his time answering, while glancing about their kitchen, no doubt taking it all in so he could file it in his damned report on the one historic building in Pleasure he hadn’t been able to get his hands on. “I’d hope to get you two ladies to change your mind and join in our campaign to bring tourism back to Pleasure.”
Jolene mumbled something beneath her breath, which Emily was grateful couldn’t be heard across the room where she and Frank were standing. She smiled and said, “We’d like to think we’re doing our small part here on Loblolly Way, Frank.”
His eyes narrowed
“You’re right,” his brother agreed. “Sorry.”
Tyler swallowed against the lump of lies lodged in his throat. If he could remember to keep quiet about what he was doing at The Lucky Star to earn his pay, no one would be the wiser.
Chapter 5
“It’ll be close,” Emily said, adding the next set of numbers into the calculator, “but I think we’ll have enough to pay the taxes, liquor supplier, and chip away at the mortgage.”
Jolene paced in front of the upstairs kitchen table, their makeshift office while they renovated one of the storerooms downstairs. “Maybe we should have waited another month before buying this place.”
“You know that we’d have lost out; there were three other bids for this place.” Emily shut her eyes, grateful for the moment’s rest. She’d had precious few hours of sleep last night thanks to one tall, dark, and deadly handsome cowboy’s tender kisses.
“A penny for your thoughts, cuz.” Jolene leaned her hip against the counter and crossed her legs in front of her. The smug smile told Em she didn’t need to explain why she was tired. Jolene always could read her like a book.
“Wondering where we would have ended up working if you didn’t convince us this place would be a gold mine.”
“Well, I may have been a bit hasty,” Jolene said softly.
“I’m always first to give credit where credit is due, honey,” Emily said, pushing her chair back to stand up. She stretched the kinks out of her spine and walked over to where her cousin stood. “Your idea was inspired, the location fabulous, and our new headliner… to die for.”
“And?” Jolene was waiting for Emily to spill her guts. Damn, the woman really did have the ability to read minds.
“He’s got this really rough but handsome exterior, but inside he’s got this sugar-sweet, gooey center that a woman would have to be dead not to fall for.”
“Are you falling for him already?” Jolene didn’t try to hide her exasperation.
“Maybe, but this time, I’ll be ready when he walks.”
“What makes you think he’ll walk?”
Emily didn’t know that he would; it was just a part of the pattern of her past relationships. “He might surprise me and stay.”
“Way to go thinking in the positive, Em.”
“The past has always been—”
“Among my favorite interests,” Frank Emerson, President of the Pleasure Preservation Society, boomed from where he stood in the doorway.
Annoyed that he’d come upstairs uninvited, Emily walked toward him. “I don’t believe we heard you knock.”
His smile was just a shade off and definitely not sincere. “I’m sure you two were talking too loudly to hear me when I knocked just now.”
Liar. Emily knew he hadn’t; the man had a habit of walking in unannounced to catch his prey off guard while he went in for the kill, usually walking away with whatever he wanted. “I don’t suppose you can read?”
His eyes narrowed before he acknowledged what she’d meant. “Surely the sign that says private on the door at the bottom of these stairs doesn’t refer to your fellow businessmen and women in town?”
Jolene cleared her throat, and Emily knew she was about to say something that would make her and Emily feel better but would just alienate the head of the damned society. Emily sent a warning look that Jolene grudgingly heeded. “What do you want, Frank?”
He took his time answering, while glancing about their kitchen, no doubt taking it all in so he could file it in his damned report on the one historic building in Pleasure he hadn’t been able to get his hands on. “I’d hope to get you two ladies to change your mind and join in our campaign to bring tourism back to Pleasure.”
Jolene mumbled something beneath her breath, which Emily was grateful couldn’t be heard across the room where she and Frank were standing. She smiled and said, “We’d like to think we’re doing our small part here on Loblolly Way, Frank.”
His eyes narrowed
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