Secondhand Hearts (Peak City Romance Book 1)

by Jo Noelle

  The song had been coming to him in small parts, day by day since he’d first walked into Treasure Mountain Pawn. Everything he knew about Elena was layered in this song—her auburn hair, the glint in her eyes, a laugh that nearly pulled his heart from his chest, her confidence, passion, and caring. The music was her. It started slow, and cautious but in three licks it transformed into a strong beat of her character. Playing this felt like he was giving her part of him, and he glanced at their table. Her golden eyes connected with his, and her smile overwhelmed him. The arpeggios, chords, and scales led him through the days he’d known her. He was glad he hadn’t put words to this yet. It was too full of emotion to sing—too full of her.

  The applause started, but he walked from the stage without taking much of it in. When he sat at the table, Elena’s hand turned his face to hers, then she laid her soft mouth across his. He could feel her breath on his face. “Time to go?” he asked and noticed the tip of her tongue run across her parted lips. Definitely time to go.

  She stood and led him out of the bar, seemingly in a hurry to leave. Instead of walking down the promenade, she pulled him around the corner of a historic building, and suddenly, she was facing him. She obviously liked music. Good to know. But hated—what? Bands? He was more confused than ever.

  7

  Elena Maurell

  Chase’s warm lips pressed down on Elena’s. His hand cupped the back of her neck while his other arm pulled her against him. They were close, but she wanted more. His mouth teased hers, and she felt challenged to respond, and did. Between one kiss and the next, his husky voice said her name, and her stomach flipped. She threw her arms around his neck and curled closer—the monkey was definitely off the leash—her fingers twined in Chase’s hair. His hand pressed the small of her back, causing goosebumps to erupt on her arms and legs, and she sighed in the back of her throat. Though she didn’t think it possible, he pulled her closer, his head tilting the other way, kissing her again. Nature must know what it was doing—she felt how perfectly they fit together. Sometimes his kisses drove the passion, and sometimes hers did.

  When she was completely dizzy, his fingers traced her jaw and then rested on her cheek as he broke his lips from hers, his breath blowing across her cheek. Elena’s heart was pounding in her chest, excitement pulsing through her. “Oh, I liked that so much.”

  Chase didn’t say a word, but pulled her hips against him and began kissing her again. Elena’s arms tightened around his neck. There was nothing tentative in his kiss. It was solid and sure. Maybe it was sappy, but it felt like love at first kiss. It was like his mouth understood exactly what she liked, kissing her neck and shoulder and air blowing across her ear. Pure bliss. She’d been kissed before, and it was nothing like this. This was going to stay with her.

  A couple days later, Elena hosted a barbecue—any excuse to see Chase again. She needed something to take her mind off the other part of her life that was crumbling. Her business had sold for taxes and she hadn’t heard a word about being evicted.

  Seeing Chase this time was different. She didn’t have family, so introducing him to her friends was a big step. It was like introducing him to her family. She was falling for him and needed to know they would like him too. She was keeping it small, just her closest friends. Chloe arrived early to help her with setup.

  “Thanks for coming,” Elena said after they had everything in place.

  “You’re welcome,” Chloe said, placing the watermelon at the end of the table. “We’re done. You didn’t happen to tell your guy to invite his friends did you? Last night, I had the worst date I’ve had in months.”

  “Sorry, no. I didn’t ask him to bring you a date.”

  “Oh, well. I’ll stay anyway. I wouldn’t miss any chance to meet this mystery man that you are clearly falling for.”

  Elena couldn’t deny it. She just smiled at Chloe. The rest arrived within minutes—Zara, Aiden, Eli, Kade, Sienna and her cousin Jake, Tug, and Chase.

  “Hey,” he said, meeting her on the steps outside. He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her close. His lips covered hers, and she wondered why she had invited anyone else.

  “I’m glad you came.” Her voice revealed the shortness of breath she felt at his kiss.

  “I wouldn’t miss a chance to be with you.” He kissed her quickly again, and said, “Tell me about your house. I love to hear you talk architect to me.”

  She laughed. “It’s a shotgun house. Pretty common in old mining towns.”

  Chase pointed at the front as they approached the house. “It doesn’t look common at all.”

  “Everything you see is original to the time period—the gingerbread, the fish scales, the five-sided bump out, which holds the breakfast table. I love this house.” She felt a lump in her throat. This was why she would rather lose the business instead of the house. “My dad and I spent a lot of time fixing this up. We scraped paint, stripped and finished the wood floors, and scoured flee markets to find vintage pieces that fit the house. We touched every piece of this house.”

  “You did a great job,” Chase said as they walked up the steps. “That’s a nice memory of you to have about him.”

  The hamburgers were ready and everyone sat down to eat on the back lawn. Conversation around the table turned to Chase.

  “Where are you from?” Aiden asked just as Chase took a bite of potato salad.

  It was a simple enough question, but Elena couldn’t help wonder if there were a little attitude his voice.

  “I grew up in a small town at the bottom of the state. Since I bought a house here, I guess I’m from Peak City.” Chase took a bite of his hamburger.

  “What is it you do?” Tug said.

  Again the question sounded pointed. Was everyone timing their questions on purpose so Chase’s mouth was full? Poor guy. Elena scooted closer and smiled up at him and leaned her shoulder onto his arm.

  His head dropped down while he chewed. She could see the tenseness in his body. When she placed her hand on his leg, he looked at her. Why did he look like this was painful? The questions were making him super uncomfortable.

  Elena knew that if she were in his place, she might wish she could leave. She’d kept secrets she hadn’t told him, and she assumed that he had a few too. It was early in their relationship. They had a long time to get down to the deep things later. For now, it was enough to enjoy the easiness of being together. She would tell him later about the mistakes she’d made in the past.

  She was just about to change the subject when his face took on some resolve, like he’d made a decision.

  He swallowed and answered, “Our family runs a farm and ranch in southern Colorado. I’m also a partner with my dad in a music store and school.”

  Now, Elena had heard that before, but she’d seen his house. That must be some school or maybe the store did really well. Maybe the ranch was huge. Why did he live here if his business was hours away? She had more to learn about that, but this definitely wasn’t the time.

  “Come on, everyone. Let Chase eat,” she said. “If he doesn’t finish, we can’t start a game.”

  Everyone helped put the food and furniture away then started a game of Frisbee. As it became intense, Zara yelled, “Elena, your hot new boyfriend is super competitive.”

  Elena knew the comment for what it was—an attempt from Zara to throw Chase off his game, but on his next throw, his team scored again.

  Elena yelled back at her, “Yeah, he is hot.”

  A week later, Elena entered the pawn shop with a box of jewelry she’d picked up at another estate sale the day before.

  “Seein’ Chase again today?” Tug called across the room.

  Before she could answer, Yes, every day last week, this week, and next week, he cranked up a country station on the radio. She could see him doing that with seventies’ rock. In fact, he always did, but this? No.

  Elena recognized the song. It must have hit the charts a month ago because it was being played on every statio
n she listened to. She kept meaning to download it, but updating her playlist wasn’t the top priority right now. She just liked the song. She walked into the office and dropped into the chair at the desk, a stack of letters sat in front of her. This would be her priority.

  Instead of opening the predictable mail—the gas bill, another credit card offer, and more junk mail—she pulled out the bank letter and tore it open. It was hand-written. Nice touch. “Loan request denied.” Shocker.

  Next, she opened the letter from the county assessor’s office. Blah, blah, legal-ese. Blah, blah—sold. Time stopped. Someone had purchased her father’s business, his life, for little more than ten thousand dollars. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping to open them and find that she’d misread the letter. The second reading, like a punch to her stomach, confirmed that the tax lien for Treasure Mountain Pawn had been sold. She had five days from the time of the sale to reclaim or to quit the property or the sheriff would evict her.

  Elena looked around the building. Evidence of the old saying that “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure” was piled high from wall to wall. In fact, she had twenty years of evidence in some of the corners.

  On page two, it said she’d have three years to reclaim her property if she paid the taxes, fees, improvements, and interest of one percent per month. She needed to pay it soon, now, before there were any improvements she couldn’t afford—which would be any. This property was worth way more than the business. Whoever bought this knew it, and probably planned to tear it all down and build condos or flip the property to someone else for a big profit.

  When her dad moved here, Peak City was an old mining community hidden by the Rocky Mountains with narrow dirt roads and rundown clapboard businesses on Main Street. Now, it was a resort community for celebrity skiers with deep pockets. The buildings are quaint with bright colored paint.

  Several times in the last couple of years, the same real estate agent had approached her to list the property. There were always buyers who wanted to raze the pawn shop and build rental townhomes on both lots. That’s just what Peak City needed—more homes for the rich who migrated through here with the seasons. Each time, she’d turned them down.

  Elena dug through the drawer looking for the agent’s card, vaguely remembering it was a bright pink card with a totally Photoshopped glamour shot. She pulled the card out of the stack and typed an email to her. It was worth a try, anyway. If she could arrange a private loan with one of the woman’s clients to pay the property taxes, then she could sell the back lot to them to pay off the loan. She could keep Treasure Mountain Pawn open.

  That was plan B. Plan A was going back to Peak City Bank on Monday. Since she didn’t have a mortgage, there was a ton of equity. She couldn’t figure out why the bank wouldn’t give her the loan? Even if she defaulted, they would end up with a sweet property they could dump for a staggering profit. Of course, maybe they weren’t in the property business. They gave loans and collected interest.

  Tug yelled from the front. “There’s a guy out here in a suit sayin’ he needs to talk to you. You want me to tell him you’re gone?”

  His question made her smile, possibly the only time she had all day. Although he was an older man, he was nearly the height of the door and almost as wide—Tug was intimidating. He said stuff like that to rattle people. He thought it put them on notice not to mess with them.

  “Not today. You can bring him back.” Please don’t let it be more bad news. When it rains, it pours, and I’m already drowning.

  The man entered Elena’s office. Tug stood behind him, but off to the side so he was in the guy’s peripheral vision. The man was about Tug’s age, but the height of his shoulder.

  “May I help you?” she asked.

  “No, but I might be able to help you. My client purchased the tax lien on this property yesterday.”

  That caught Elena’s attention and Tug’s too, especially because she hadn’t told him about that yet. He took a step closer to the man. She grabbed the county’s letter from her desk and walked it over to Tug to read. “And?” she asked.

  “My client would like to lease the property back to you for three months.” He extended a manila envelope toward her.

  Elena didn’t even lift her hand. It wouldn’t really matter unless the lease was free. Even then, she wanted to know why someone would make that kind of an offer. “Why?”

  He gave her a flat smile. “Privileged information. Do you accept the lease or not?” He handed her the paperwork.

  Elena looked past him toward Tug, who was still reading the first letter. “Tug, come look at this with me.” She turned back to the man. “Would you mind waiting in your car for a few minutes while we talk about this?”

  He nodded and left the store. Elena locked the front door and flipped the sign to “Closed” behind him, then returned to the office. Tug had finished reading the letter and was reading the lease.

  “You should have stopped paying me. I have my retirement.” Though Elena shook her head, he continued, “I would have been fine, and you could have saved the shop.”

  “Our inventory fit this community fifteen years ago.” She glanced around the store, trying to see it as potential customers might. Rigged-up tables. Sagging shelves. It looked like a picked-over garage sale. “No one’s going to buy outdated electronics, worn tools, or the other used items we have here. People who live in Peak City now buy all of that new and high-end. I should have started changing the business when I took over—I’m too late catching up with the town.” She rested her head in her palm and leaned against the filing cabinet. “But I was grieving, and thought that if I left Treasure Mountain the way it was when Dad ran it, I’d remember him. It would be like I didn’t lose all of him yet.”

  Tug gave her a quick hug. “The lease is fine. It’s a fair rate. Take it.”

  She swallowed to clear the dread from her throat. “I can’t pay the lease either.”

  “You’re going to use my salary. It will give us some time. The sale of the tax lien gives them the right to evict you and make improvement on the property. By signing the lease, we can stay and work something out.”

  “And keep them from making improvements I would never be able to afford,” Elena said. She hadn’t been able to come up with the money she needed so far. Would she be able to now? Maybe, even if it meant selling part of it. There was a little hope, but only a little. She had to grab onto it.

  Tug nodded and then reached across her to grab a pen from the desk and hand it to her. When she didn’t take it, he clicked the top to extend the ballpoint.

  Elena wrote her name across the line for tenant. It felt like signing a death order for her ties to her dad, but she knew she had to take the offer. She had to try. Maybe it would give her enough time to pay the taxes off. She signed the next page and initialed the boxes, then wrote a check for the lease payment. She walked it to the man’s car, buying herself three months.

  ***

  Chase’s music blasted through his front door as Elena raised her hand to ring the bell. It was the same song Tug had been listening to this morning, only now Chase was playing it on his guitar. He sounded amazing. He must have spent a long time figuring out that song. Even if there was a tutorial on Youtube already, it wouldn’t be easy to learn. Although the amp was loud, now and again she heard Chase singing along. Wow, he’s good. She wanted to stay and listen to the private concert.

  She’d only known Chase a few weeks, but she was falling hard for him. He didn’t like to talk about himself. He seemed guarded, like he’d been hurt and needed to protect himself. They had that in common. In fairness, she knew she hadn’t bared her soul about her last romantic mistake either. She could tell Chase had a tender heart, and she wasn’t going to push him to tell her anything—he would when he was ready. And so would she.

  She thought back to their first date. There he was, sitting on the trail, terrified out of his wits, and he still waved back to that toddler. You could tell a lot about so
meone by how they treated children.

  She peeked through the sidelights by the door. Chase was wearing jeans—yup, that was all—and an expression that said he was lost in the song. He was holding the guitar low, near his hips, his whole body swaying with the beat.

  Her monkey brain was ready to storm the castle. Instead, Elena closed her eyes and tried to imagine how he heard the music. When the song was over, she rang the bell, and immediately heard things moving around and doors slamming. Sounded like a quick cleanup. So, he wasn’t the clean freak she’d assumed from her previous visits over here.

  When he opened the door, she was a little disappointed that he’d pulled on a shirt. Still, she walked in admiring the black cotton pulled tightly across his chest. Mmm. He should always wear tight t-shirts and jeans. She knew she was staring, but her eyes continued to drink in his physique. She finally caught herself and stepped into the house. The door snicked shut behind them, and Chase’s hands are at Elena’s waist, pulling her closer, slowly, his smile smoldering. By the time their lips met, her heart was nearly pounding out of her chest. Her hands cupped each side of his face, a day’s growth rough beneath them, and she guided him to kiss her neck. Oh, I like that so much. Soon he was back at her lips. When they broke apart, they were both a little out of breath, and her lips continued to tingle. She was so ready to spend the next few hours in his arms.

  “I’m glad you came over. We have to talk. I mean, I have to tell you something.” The worry she felt must have shown on her face because he quickly added, “It’s a good thing. Well, or at least, not bad. It’s just about me, and I want you to know.”

  Elena’s stomach sparkled with a touch of worry and some curiosity. Was this the time to tell their secrets? Was she ready? It would either bring them closer or separate them. She wanted to risk it. He was worth it. She wanted to be with him.