My Virgin Valentine: A Valentine's Day Novella

by Genevieve Matthews

  I assumed I would pass out as soon as my head hit the pillow but I have a hard time turning my thoughts off. I think about Cate and the fight in her that is infectious and somehow influenced me to pack my bags and get in my car. I think about Greta and how she moved on her own to this little town and opened this adorable inn. New beginnings.

  I try to stick with that thought, that being here is a brand new adventure for me. Even with that small note of confidence, I can’t help hiding out in my room for a few days feeling sorry for myself. I left my room long enough to grab some groceries from a small store down the street. Double stuffed Oreos found their way into my cart and I managed to inhale every one. Some of us need to eat our feelings.

  A few days later, it is an unusually warm day for late September. The sun is bright in the sky, no clouds, which makes it feel warmer than it is suppose to be. I’m dressed in a pair of jeans and my most comfortable college sweatshirt. I lean against Greta’s car and pull my hair into a ponytail. I would have taken my sweatshirt off by now if not for the cool breeze that reminds me that it is indeed closer to winter than summer. Greta has just run into the little bakery across the street. I decide it’d be a good time to get out of the car and stretch my legs.

  She forced me from my room and is taking me on quite the tour of the town today. Main Street reminds me of The Cozy Cottage, quaint and charming. It has old fashioned storefronts with gold leaf embossed windows. Window boxes are stuffed full of colorful flowers and there are huge potted mums and hay bales lining the streets. Fall decorations hang from the old fashioned street lights.

  Next to the bakery is a hardware store. Parked to the side is a pick-up truck and there is a handsome man loading lumber into the back. I notice from across the street how nicely his black t-shirt hugs the muscles in his shoulders and chest. He hoists the heavy beams of wood over his shoulder and then transfers them into the truck bed. His arms are a deep tan which could be the result of working outside but his black hair makes me think he has a darker complexion even in the winter months. I decide to just take a moment to enjoy the way his body moves as he hauls loads of supplies into the truck.

  A moment later Greta walks out of the bakery at the same time an older man leaves the hardware store. They greet each other and stand talking together. Greta turns to me and waves me over. I push off the car, look both ways and cross the street.

  “Bree, this is Jack,” Greta says as I step up onto the curb. She hands me a small white bag and coffee from the bakery. “He’s an old friend of mine. I was just telling him about how you’ll be staying with me for awhile at the inn.”

  “Nice to meet you, Bree.” Jack extends his hand and I shake it. He has a strong grip and kind eyes. His gray hair is thinning and he seems like the kind of man that has really lived his life. “Come on over, I want to introduce you to Heath.” He steps over to the truck where Heath has just finished throwing a piece of lumber into the back. Now that I’m standing so close to him and not just gazing at him from across the street, he is large and built. I’ve never been one to go for a man just for the way he looks, but I’d make an exception for him.

  “Heath, this is Bree.” Jack puts his arm around Heath’s shoulder and squeezes it as he turns around to look at me.

  At first he doesn’t say anything. He seems to be forcing himself to hold eye contact and remember his manners. I’m intrigued. This isn’t the reaction I expected from such a handsome man. I assumed from his looks that he would be brimming with confidence from the flocks of women that must throw themselves at him. I look right into those deep brown pools of heaven.

  “Hello,” I say.

  He smiles a polite smile. “Hey.”

  Not the friendliest, but he does step forward and reach out to shake my hand. I quickly accept and as his hand wraps around mine I notice how warm his skin feels when our palms touch. His hand is strong and much larger than mine. I love how a man’s hands can feel so rough from years of use and yet they are capable of doing such soft, intimate things. Although I haven’t technically been out of a relationship for that long, it has been an extremely long time since I felt passion with a man. His touch makes me feel warm and funny inside all the way from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.

  I ignore it.

  I’m sure he’s the typical pretty boy that spends more time looking in the mirror than paying attention to what’s going on in the world around him.

  It’s a quick hand shake and then he turns back to loading the truck.

  Jack gives me an exaggerated smile, as if he feels the need to make up for Heath’s brusqueness. “So what brings you to Winterhaven?” he asks.

  “Well, I’m good friends with Greta’s daughter and we own a coffee shop together in the city. We’d like to expand and we thought Winterhaven would be a nice place.” They always say when you need to tell a lie, stay as close to the truth as possible. What I told Jack was a future plan that Cate and I had talked about. Future is the key word. Our plans were put in motion much faster than we had anticipated.

  “Well this is a great place to own a business. I own the bar right on the corner when you first come downtown. Jack’s Bar and Grill. Greta has a successful inn, we’d be happy to help you get set up here.”

  “Yes!” Greta says a little too enthusiastically. “We would love to help you with anything you need.”

  “That’s so kind of you both.”

  “So you’ll need somewhere to stay for an extended period of time?” Jack asks and I can already see the wheels turning in his mind.

  Chapter 2

  Heath

  Once I finish loading the truck, I slide behind the steering wheel and shut the door. I have to get away from her. Bree. She’s the most incredible woman I have ever seen. The muse of my next wet dream. I want to roll her beautiful name around on my tongue as I come apart inside of her.

  When she crossed the street toward me I had to stop and stare. I literally did a double take. My heart dropped into my stomach and the rest of what I felt came through my cock. At first it was a completely physical attraction. The way her wavy reddish brown hair blew in the breeze and her full hips swayed as she walked made me desperate to study the rest of those beautiful curves. She hid them so well. I wanted her naked. As soon as our eyes met, though, I felt an instant connection. Something about the way she looked at me with those blue eyes hypnotized me and pulled me in. She was a natural beauty, clean with not much make-up, if any. I had to look away. It was like looking too long at the sun. Eventually your eyes started to burn and you have to spend a few minutes waiting for the spots to clear.

  The last time I trusted my heart to someone it nearly broke me. Not to mention how close I came to a jail sentence. I have come across a lot of women since moving to Winterhaven and I’ve even taken care of my needs every now and then when the opportunity arose. But, this was the first time I felt that pull to claim what I wanted. Make her mine and no one else’s. Like I would gladly send a man to his grave if he tried to take her from me. But I can’t do that. I have to be careful and she isn’t mine to take. So in order to stop feeling this overwhelming desire for a woman I don’t know, I make my escape.

  I sit in the driver’s seat waiting for Jack to get in the car. I can’t help adjusting the mirror and taking the opportunity to watch her. She’s stunning when she smiles. The wind is really whipping around today and she keeps bringing her hands to her hair to tuck it behind her ears.

  A moment later Jack finally joins me in the truck. “Sorry about that. I couldn’t turn down an opportunity to mingle with a few beautiful ladies. I’m surprised you bailed so quickly.”

  He turns to look at me with an accusatory stare. Jack is nothing if not straight to the point. I’m sure it was all of the years he spent as a cop. You learn to tell people how it is, no beating around the bush. We are on our way out of town, headed to Jack’s cabin. Today’s agenda includes replacing all of the rotted wood on the porch.

  “I think it’s better if
I stay away from beautiful women.” I don’t need to elaborate. He knows exactly what I’m talking about.

  “Forever?” He gives me a look letting me know he thinks I am crazy. “I mean, you’re a grown ass man and I’m not your father, but I think you’ve punished yourself enough.”

  “I don’t have a good track record with women. A no-strings-attached approach has been working for me.”

  “Uh huh. Sure. That’s why you spend most of your time with me. An old retired asshole that bosses you around too much.”

  I laugh and sucker punch his arm. “You suit me just fine.”

  “Maybe, but what about that sweet girl that we just met? She could be really good for you.”

  I can’t help but roll my eyes and take a deep breath. Maybe she could be really good for me. For now I’ll take his comments and file them away.

  “It doesn’t really matter anyway. For all we know she’s heading back home.”

  As the words come out of my mouth I feel panic set in. How the hell could a woman make me feel so conflicted in the span of ten minutes? Since I came to Winterhaven with Jack, I have purposely avoided women. Now all of the sudden I feel panic at the thought of Bree leaving town without giving me a chance to get to know her. Intimately.

  “She’s not leaving. She’s here to expand her business actually…a coffee shop. Sounds like one smart, determined, hard working young lady if you ask me.”

  I slowly release the breath I didn’t realize I had been holding. Knowing she’ll be in town, even if I can’t have her, makes me feel at ease again.

  Perfect timing, we pull up to Jack’s cabin just as I’m ready for a change in conversation.

  “We’re here.” I put the truck in park and am out before he can comment on how good I am at avoiding things I don’t want to deal with. I’ve heard it all before.

  Together we unload the truck and haul all of the lumber to the porch. The wood stairs are all rotted out, making the entire structure at risk of falling apart. Our first job is to pull off all of the old wood that will need to be replaced. I get right to work. Breaking shit apart has become therapy for me. I find I’m able to clear my head and think straight when I’m doing hard physical labor.

  “So what do you think? We gonna finish this project up before the first snow?” It’s a big job for just two men, but we can handle it. We’ve already done most of the renovating. Now it’s just a matter of the odds and ends.

  “We’ll beat the snow,” I say. “You just need to stop taking so many breaks, old man.”

  “Is that so? Listen up, I’ve earned my leisure, son. That’s why I have you around anyway. I need someone to do the heavy lifting around here.”

  “I like it.” The heavy lifting and the cabin. I look around, taking in the cabin and the land. It is private here, peaceful.

  “I thought you would.”

  And with that, we are back to work. We pull off all the old boards and are ready to start rebuilding. I focus on the work. The physical exertion of hauling lumber, pounding nails, and fitting all of the pieces together is really helping to take my mind off of Bree. A few more days of this and I’ll have her out of my head altogether. This is a small town, but not that small. I’m sure I’ll see her again, here or there, but nothing that I can’t handle.

  Hours later I’m sitting at a table in the corner of a sketchy bar. The floor is dirty under the table and my boot keeps sticking to the floor. Normally I would just assume it’s beer, but the smell of stale piss assaulting my nose has my stomach turning.

  I glance at my watch to verify what I already know. He’s late. Not that I expected him to be on time, but I just want to get this over with. I don’t like the look of the guys sitting up at the bar. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice one of them keeps looking in my direction. I’m trying to remain as invisible as possible; my plan is to get in and out without any trouble.

  Eventually the guy from the bar gets up and walks over. He stands to my side before slowly sitting across from me. The beer in his hand sloshes onto the table as he pulls his chair in. Now I know where the stale piss smell comes from.

  “You Boyer?” he asks.

  “Yup. And you are?”

  “Doesn’t matter. Holt sent me.”

  “I thought he was going to come himself.”

  “He didn’t, did he? You have something for me?”

  I want to punch this guy in his stupid mouth but I swallow my ego and try to remember why I’m here in the first place. I reach into the breast pocket in my jacket and pull out an envelope.

  “Here it is, all of it. She’s free and clear now. All debts paid.”

  “If that’s the deal.”

  “That’s the deal Holt and I agreed on. So there’s no reason for me to hear from any of you again.”

  “If you say so, Mr. Boyer. It’s a pleasure doing business with you.” He brings his glass to his lips and takes a long drink before reaching over and taking the envelope. His eyes stay trained on me the entire time.

  Wanting to get away from this creep, I nod, stand up slowly and walk out of the bar. As soon as the door closes behind me I allow myself to release the breath I’ve been holding. It’ll take a beer and a shower at home to erase the feeling I get every time I’m around these guys. Seeing as this is the last time I’ll see them, maybe an extra beer is in order.

  Click here if you’d like to see how Heath and Bree’s story ends!

  About the Author

  Genevieve Matthews is a steamy romance novelist who specializes in men who know how to treat their ladies right. She lives in the heartland with her husband and two little boys. When she can find time, she likes to catch a movie, head out to dinner, or curl up with a good book.

  She loves hearing from readers!

  authorgenevievematthews

  www.genevievematthews.org

  contact@genevievematthews.org

  Also by Genevieve Matthews

  A Cautious Heart

  A Devoted Heart