Described as equal parts kissing and murder, a brand new, small town, secret crush, hidden identity romance is coming this week from Jay Crownover, and I have a little sneak peek for you.
Excerpt
In his usual blasé manner, Risky shrugged and said, “I’ll figure it out.”
He always acted like there wasn’t anything he couldn’t do. He tried everything without asking for help. It would be admirable if it wasn’t so frustrating. Which was hilarious, considering I’d watched him mess up plunging a toilet and fail at changing the oil in my truck. He also had no clue how to change a tire or switch out a furnace filter. He’d never seen a fuse box before and nearly burned the place down when he tried to light the pilot on the water heater after it went out during a previous storm.
Maybe my mood was off because of Banner and her questions about how content or not I was with my current situation. For the first time since he had mysteriously entered my life, I found myself curious about the man who didn’t have any basic life skills, but could intimidate anyone with a mere look.
“What line of work gave you the confidence to do anything asked of you? I’ve never met anyone so blindly sure of themselves before.”
Risky gave me a flat look and lifted a hand to scratch at his rough stubble. Again, I thought the slight beard was something he wasn’t used to. Like he’d just recently let himself grow it, making him appear slightly unkempt and scruffy.
“Are you finally asking me for my qualifications after all this time? Seems a little late to worry about interviewing me for the job, Ms. Fortune.”
I scowled at the sarcastic way he’d used my name. Misfortune followed me everywhere, regardless of the circumstances. I was stuck with it until the end of time.
“I’m still surprised that someone who doesn’t know which end of the hammer to use wants to be a maintenance man. My guess is, whatever you did before coming here didn’t involve getting your hands dirty.”
Something dark flashed across his expression, and his eyes narrowed. “You would be mistaken.” He stretched his hand out and wiggled his fingers. “Give me the keys.”
Unsettled by the sudden change in his demeanor and the unspoken threat that seemed to swirl around him, I nervously stepped back and gestured to the desk where the check-in area was set up. “It’s a big, heavy machine. Don’t get in over your head. It can cause a lot of damage. If you want, I can show you how to operate it before you start.”
“No need. I think I’ll be fine.”
I snorted in amusement and looked at the enormous glass windows that needed to be cleaned after the rain. Vaguely, I wondered if the trail that led down to the riverbed was dry enough to use. When it was safe, I wanted to climb down and look at the spot where I swore I had seen something last night.
Risky spun the keys around his finger and headed to the door. He paused before pulling it open and gave me a long look full of thoughts and feelings I struggled to decipher.
“Believe it or not, my old job was also fixing things. But not in the sense you’re familiar with. Be glad you think everything only needs a little elbow grease and a toolbox to make it seem brand-new. That mindset is a luxury.”
I was left baffled and unnerved as I watched him saunter out the door, whistling off-key. I’d always known there was more to him than met the eye, but I pushed those niggling concerns to the back of my mind because they didn’t feel as pressing as my need for help to get the lodge up and running.
Now, my instincts were screaming at me to pay attention because danger was too close for comfort.
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