"No, you owe me nothing." He smiled again, a softness to his face that made her heart turn over. "Seeing you hug Katie was plenty."
"Oh, dear Lord," Eppie muttered behind her. "Now he's going to kill Katie, too."
Clare stiffened and jerked her gaze from Griffin. The entire store was watching them in rapt silence, listening to every word. Oh, God. How had she forgotten where they were? Wright & Sons was the epicenter of gossip in Birch Crossing, and everyone had just witnessed her gaping at this handsome stranger.
Assuming her decades-old role as Clare's self-appointed protector, Eppie had folded her arms and was trying to crush Griffin with her glare, for daring to tempt Clare.
Astrid and Emma were leaning against the doorjamb, huge grins on their faces, clearly supportive of any opportunity to pry Clare out of her dateless life of isolation. But Norm's eyes were narrowed, and Ophelia was letting some scrambled eggs burn while she gawked at them. Everyone was waiting to see how Clare was going to respond to him.
Oh, man. What was she doing nearly throwing herself at him? In front of everyone? She quickly took a step back and cleared her throat.
Griffin's eyebrows shot up at her retreat, then his eyes narrowed. "Kill off Katie, too? " He looked right at Eppie. "Who else am I going to kill?"
Eppie lifted her chin and turned her head, giving him a view of the back of her hot pink hat.
"The rumors claim that you're in town to murder your ex-wife and daughter," Astrid volunteered cheerfully. "But don't worry. Not all of us believe them."
"My daughter?" Pain flashed across Griffin's face, a stark anguish so real that Clare felt her out heart tighten. Just as quickly, the vulnerability disappeared from his face, replaced by a hard, cool expression.
But she'd seen it. She'd seen his pain, pain he clearly kept hidden, just as she suppressed her own. Suddenly, she felt terrible about the rumors. How could she have listened to rumors about him when he was clearly struggling with pain, some kind of trauma with regard to his daughter?
She realized he was watching her, as if he were waiting for something. For what? To see if she believed the rumors?
She glanced around and saw the entire store was waiting for her response. Eppie gave her a solemn nod, encouraging her to stand up and condemn this handsome stranger who’d saved Clare’s daughter. Sudden anger surged inside her. "Oh, come on," she blurted out. "You can't really believe he's a murderer?"
Astrid grinned, Eppie shook her head in dismay, and the rest of the room was silent.
No one else jumped in to help her defend Griffin, and suddenly Clare felt very exposed, as if everyone in the room could see exactly how deeply she'd been affected by him last night. How she'd lain awake all night, thinking of his hands on her hips, of the way his deep voice had wrapped around her, of how he'd made her yearn for the touch of a man for the first time in a very long time.
Heat burned her cheeks, and she glanced uncomfortably at Griffin, wondering if he was aware of her reaction to him. To her surprise, his face had cooled, devoid of that warmth that they'd initially shared, clearly interpreting her silence as a capitulation to the rumors.
He narrowed his eyes, then turned away, ending their conversation.
Regret rushed through Clare as she glanced at Astrid, torn between wanting to call him back, and gratefully grasping the freedom his rejection had given her, freedom from feelings and desires that she didn't have time to deal with.
"I need a place to stay," Griffin said. "A place without rats, preferably."
Griffin's low request echoed through the room, and Clare spun around in shock. Then she saw he was directing his question to Norm, not to her. Relief rushed through her, along with a stab of disappointment.
No, it was good he wasn't asking to stay at her place. Yes, she owed him, on a level beyond words, but she couldn't afford to get involved with him, for too many reasons. Staying at her house would be putting temptation where she couldn't afford it. There was no way she was going to offer up her place, even though her renter had just vacated, leaving her with an unpleasant gap in her income stream.
"Griffin stayed at the Dark Pines Motel last night," Judith whispered, just loudly enough for the whole store to hear.
"Really?" Guilt washed through Clare. The Dark Pines Motel was quite possibly the most unkempt and disgusting motel in the entire state of Maine. How had he ended up there?
"Well, now, Griffin," Norm said, as he tipped his chair back and let it tap against the unfinished wall. "Most places won't open for another month when the summer folk start to arrive. And the Black Loon Inn is booked for the Smith-Pineal wedding for the next week. It's Dark Pines or nothing."
Griffin frowned. "There has to be something. A bed and breakfast?"
Norm shook his head. "Not this time of year, but I probably have some rat traps in the back I could loan you for your stay.'
"Rat traps?" Griffin echoed. "That's my best option?"
Astrid grinned at Clare, a sparkle in her eyes that made Clare's stomach leap with alarm. She grabbed Astrid’s arm. ”Don't you dare—"
"Clare's renter just moved out," Astrid announced, her voice ringing out in the store. "Griffin can stay in her spare room. No rats, and it comes with free Wi-Fi. Best deal in town."
Oh, dear God. Clare's whole body flamed hot, and she whipped around. Please tell me he didn't hear that.
But Griffin was staring right at her.
Of course he’d heard. And so had everyone else.
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Books By Stephanie Rowe
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
Canine Cupids series
Paws for a Kiss
Pawfectly in Love (Coming October 2017!)
Paws Up for Love (Coming November 2017!)
Wyoming Rebels series
A Real Cowboy Never Says No
A Real Cowboy Knows How to Kiss
A Real Cowboy Rides a Motorcycle
A Real Cowboy Never Walks Away
A Real Cowboy Loves Forever
A Real Cowboy for Christmas (Coming November 2017!)
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Rogue Cowboy series
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A Rogue Cowboy is All She Needs (Coming 2018!)
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Her Rebel Cowboy
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Unexpectedly Mine
Accidentally Mine
Unintentionally Mine
Irresistibly Mine
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Mystic Island series
Wrapped Up in You
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Order of the Night
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Heart of the Shifter series
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Dark Wolf Unbound
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Leopard's Kiss
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Darkness Awakened
Darkness Seduced
Darkness Surrendered
Forever in Darkness
Darkness Reborn
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Inferno of Darkness
Darkness Possessed
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Not Quite Dead
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Ice
Chill
Ghost
YOUNG ADULT
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How to Date a Bad Boy
Pedicures Don’t Like Dirt
>
Geeks Can Be Hot
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Ice Cream, Jealousy & Other Dating Tips
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Acknowledgments
Special thanks to my beta readers and the Rockstars. You guys are the best! There are so many to thank by name, more than I could count, but here are those who I want to called out specially for all they did to help this book come to life: Malinda Davis Diehl, Leslie Barnes, Kayla Bartley, Alencia Bates Salters, Alyssa Bird, Donna Bossert, Jean Bowden, Shell Bryce, Ashley Cuesta, Denise Fluhr, Valerie Glass, Heidi Hoffman, Jeanne Stone, Guinevere Jones, Dottie Jones, Janet Juengling-Snell, Deb Julienne, Bridget Koan, Helen Loyal, Felicia Low Mikoll, Phyllis Marshall, Suzanne Mayer, Jodi Moore, Ashlee Murphy, Elizabeth Neal, Judi Pflughoeft, Carol Pretorius, Kasey Richardson, Caryn Santee, Amber Ellison Shriver, Summer Steelman, Regina Thomas, and Linda Watson. Special thanks to my family, who I love with every fiber of my heart and soul. And to AER, who is my world. Love you so much, baby girl! And to Joe, who teaches me every day what romance and true really is. I love you, babe!
For Kasey Richardson, Felicia Mikoll, and Bridget Koan, who always have my back. I couldn’t do it without you. You guys are amazing!!!
About the Author
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Stephanie Rowe is the author of more than fifty novels, and she's a four-time nominee for the RITA® award, the highest award in romance fiction. As an award-winning author, Stephanie has been touching readers' hearts and keeping them spellbound for more than a decade with her contemporary romances, romantic suspense, paranormal romances, and YA contemporary romances.
For the latest info on Stephanie and her books, connect with her on the web at:
www.stephanierowe.com
[email protected]
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