by Piper Rayne
“Kind of fast forwarded the thing, don’t you think?” Archie asked.
“I don’t always do things right,” Wiley admitted. “But I’d never hurt you,” he assured me. “Would you maybe want to be my date for the summer?”
I didn’t even have to think about it. “Yes,” I said, the grin stretching my cheeks as I tightened my grip on his hand.
“For fuck’s sake, this isn’t the prom,” Archie said, shaking his head. But a glance at his face told me he wasn’t really upset. “So I’m gonna be the third wheel all summer, that’s what you’re telling me?”
I shrugged, and then wrapped an arm around my brother. “No,” I told him. “You’ll still be my big brother.”
He sighed, but seemed to accept this, and my heart swelled inside my chest. I felt happier than I could remember being in . . . well, forever.
“Listen, the entire reason I was up at dawn and even noticed you were gone was because the contractor called. They had to shuffle some things, and so construction is starting today.”
Almost as if brought forth by his pronouncement, the sound of an enormous engine began to grow louder outside.
“That’ll be some of the equipment,” Archie said. “Get on some work clothes. Shit’s about to get real.”
And for the next week, shit did get real. Fast.
An army of construction workers arrived, along with several trailers that made up a small city in the flat clearing a few hundred yards down the highway from the lodge. They had sleeping quarters and a kitchen in the trailers along with bathroom facilities. They stayed there at night, but during the day, the resort began to undergo an insane transformation.
Nights were my favorite time—when the drills and hammering quieted down and the three of us made dinner and then sat out in the hot tub on the deck. I spent most of my nights in Wiley’s bed—since my brother knew, there was no point in pretending we didn’t want to be together.
And it felt so simply right, I decided not to question the speed with which it had happened.
We were sitting in the hot tub late one evening when Archie stood and faced us both. “So I have something to tell you,” he began, and I stiffened. This was weird.
“What?” I demanded.
“I’ve been dying to tell you all day,” he said. “But wanted to wait until it was quiet around here.”
Wiley and I were both tense with anticipation. Our lives here were so routine, this “something” seemed both exciting and vaguely threatening.
“The guys uncovered something today during demolition on the rooms on the third floor.”
My heart rate sped up. “What?”
“You’ll have to see it for yourself,” he said. “Come on.”
We all hopped out of the tub and dried off, then followed my brother to the smallest room at the end of the hall on the third floor. He switched on the lights to reveal something strange on the far wall.
“They were stripping the wallpaper,” Archie said. “And they uncovered that.”
He pointed to where words were scrawled in a messy cursive over the entire surface of the wall.
“Holy shit,” Wiley said, sounding reverent.
“Read it,” Archie encouraged us.
I read out loud, struggling a bit with some of the messier words:
A ticking clock
A lonely dock
My riches wait
At Lola’s gate.
Blood of my blood,
Heart of my heart,
Take this key.
When you’re ready to start.
It was signed, “Uncle Marvin” and below the signature, a large golden key was taped to the wall.
“What?” I whined. “More riddles? I’m ready to start!”
“Yeah,” Archie said, sounding a little frustrated himself. “Me too.”
Wiley wrapped an arm around my shoulders and grinned down at me. “This summer’s going to be the best one ever,” he said. “Tomorrow, we’ll start hunting for the lock that thing fits.”
Archie pulled the key from the wall, inspecting it carefully in the light from above. “Hey,” he breathed. “There’s a cross on this, just like that one on the map.”
My heart lifted. We finally had a clue that might make some sense. “So we figure out what that cross represents,” I guessed. “First we’ll need to try to understand that map better. What’s this though, ‘a ticking clock, a lonely dock’?”
“No idea,” Archie said. “I took a picture of this with my phone, and I’ve got the map too.”
We stood there for a long time, grinning at each other like kids. A mystery lay before us, and for me—that, combined with the warmth of the man who stood at my side—this was going to be the best summer ever.
“Let’s get some sleep,” Archie suggested. “We’ve got a hell of a lot to do.”
We did, and as I fell into Wiley’s arms that night, my heart filled with joy. I was home.
If you enjoyed this story, you won’t want to miss the Jasper Mountain Series! This is just the prequel to a full series of books about former jet pilots turning a not-quite-right resort into a premiere mountain destination, all set against the backdrop of Uncle Marv’s treasure hunt! Sign up here to join Delancey’s mailing list so you’ll know when the next book comes out!
And if you want to learn more about the Half Cat Distillery and Wiley Blanchard’s hometown of Singletree, grab the completed Singletree Series here!
About Delancey Stewart
Delancey Stewart writes books with humor, heart and heat from her adopted hometown of Denver, Colorado. She lives with her husband and two sons, and her Chocolate Labrador, Charlie Taco.
Also by Delancey Stewart
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The Singletree Series:
Happily Ever His
Happily Ever Hers
Shaking the Sleigh
Second Chance Spring
Falling Into Forever
The MR. MATCH Series:
Prequel (FREE): Scoring a Soulmate
Book One: Scoring the Keeper’s Sister
Book Two: Scoring a Fake Fiancée
Book Three: Scoring a Prince
Book Four: Scoring with the Boss
Book Five: Scoring a Holiday Match
The Kings Grove Series:
When We Let Go
Open Your Eyes
When We Fall
Open Your Heart
Christmas in Kings Grove
The STARR RANCH WINERY Series:
Chasing a Starr
THE GIRLFRIENDS OF GOTHAM Series:
Men and Martinis
Highballs in the Hamptons
Cosmos and Commitment
The Girlfriends of Gotham Box Set
STANDALONES:
Let it Snow
Without Words
Without Promises
Mr. Big
Adagio
The PROHIBITED! Duet:
Prohibited!
The Glittering Life of Evie Mckenzie
Copyright © 2021 by Bethany Lopez
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
About Too Enticing
Becs' life is finally moving in a positive direction. No more wild nights or impulsive flings for her…not anymore. Now she's got a cute apartment on Main Street, her car is paid off, and she's all set to begin her shiny new career as a veterinary tech.
But when she meets Mason, a sexy, single farmer with his sights set on her, her plans to take things slow and not act on impulse are put to the test. Will she be able to remain focused on her new life path, or will Mason prove Too Enticing to resist?
Chapter One
&nbs
p; “To Becs … all of her hard work and dedication has paid off, and although we will miss having her at the bar every day, we are all so very proud of her,” Annabeth Lewis, the owner of the bar and my boss for the last six years, said as she raised her beer in a toast.
“To Becs,” the crowd cheered, and I was so touched and emotional it was almost embarrassing.
I’d grown up in Cherry Springs on the wrong side of the tracks. I’d had a few odd jobs when I was younger, but it wasn’t until I started working at Lewis’s Bar & Grill that I found a place where I was accepted and encouraged to follow my dreams.
The Lewises were like the first family of Cherry Springs. They owned not only the bar and grill, but Lewis Sporting Goods. The family also included our local lawyer, flower shop owner, art gallery owner, and much more. They pretty much owned the town, and the bulk of that was because retired NFL player, Gabriel Lewis, was a huge presence and benefactor in Cherry Springs.
They were our version of royalty.
Never in a million years would I have imagined that me, Rebecca “Becs” Smith, who grew up in the trailer park and had a junkie for a mother and a drunk for a father, would end up close enough to the Lewises to call them friends, but here we were.
My cheeks hurt from smiling, and although my vision was blurry with tears, I would fight anyone who suggested I was about to cry.
“Here’s to my best mate. I knew you could do it.”
I sniffed back the tears and turned to my buddy, Shane, with a grin.
“Thanks, Shane,” I said, accepting his brief hug.
Years ago we’d met when he worked at the bar as the bartender, and I was one of the waitresses. Now he was a songwriter whose songs could be heard all over the world. He was married to Jasmine Lewis, who he’d been in love with for ages, and was happier than I’d ever seen him.
“I’m so happy for you, Becs. I knew you could do it. It sure will be weird not seeing you behind the bar when we come in here, though. Don’t be a stranger now that you’re a tall poppy.”
“A what?” I asked. Shane was Australian, and although I was used to his Aussie slang, he still sometimes pulled something out I’d never heard before.
“A successful type.”
I chuckled even as melancholy hit. I really would miss seeing these people every day.
I shook my head, and the feeling, and said, “It’s not like I’m leaving Cherry Springs. I’ll still be around. And now, when we see each other here, rather than me serving you, you’ll be buying me a drink.”
“Quite right,” Shane said, dropping a kiss on my head.
“And, if anything happens with Daisy or Loki, you’ll be our first call,” Jazzy said as she joined us.
“Bite your tongue,” Shane chastised, pulling his wife close to his side.
Daisy was their goat and Loki their beagle.
“Anytime,” I assured her, the realization that tomorrow I would officially be a vet tech causing excitement to hit again.
It had taken many years to make this dream come true and it was hard to believe it was actually happening. It felt like my life was finally ready to begin.
“Hey, Becs, great party!”
I turned from my friends to see Dr. Selena Garcia, my new boss, coming toward me. She looked relaxed and happy in a pretty floral dress with her dark hair down and flowing past her shoulders.
“Dr. Garcia, hi, I’m so glad you could make it,” I said, holding up a finger to Shane and Jazzy to give me a minute. When they both nodded, I moved to my boss.
“Thanks for inviting me,” she said easily. “I’m afraid I tend to be a workaholic, so it was nice to have an excuse to get away from the clinic.
I didn’t know much about Dr. Garcia, other than she’d been a few years ahead of me in school and she was recently divorced.
“I can’t wait to get started,” I said, practically vibrating with enthusiasm.
“I’m thrilled to hear it. Actually, your first day will be a big one. We have to go out to Cherry Springs Farm first thing tomorrow morning. Mason, the owner, called just before I left home and said he’s got a number of heifers about ready to start calving and he’d like us to come check them out. He had some issues last season that he’s hoping to avoid.”
“Sounds good to me,” I said, excited at the prospect of jumping right into the thick of things.
I was twenty-eight and I’d never held anything other than a minimum-wage job. Now I had a career where I would learn and grow and help animals. Working for the only vet in a small town meant we’d be dealing with more than household pets. Large-animal care actually took up the most of Dr. Garcia’s time.
When she’d interviewed me, she’d told me I’d often stay back to help the regular household pets, except for surgeries of course, while she dealt with the larger animals. So, I was excited at the prospect of getting to learn both.
Becoming a vet tech was just my first goal. Once I save up a little money, I wanted to finish my schooling to become a veterinarian, which meant training under Dr. Garcia was priceless.
“Great. Be at the office at zero six hundred,” she said before looking around the bar and saying, “Now, I’m going to try and convince one of these fine young men to dance.”
“Oh, I’m sure they’ll fight over the chance,” I assured her. And as I watched her walk away, I thought, This is it, Becs. You’re no longer the girl from the trailer park who was never going to amount to anything. You showed them…
Chapter Two
I woke up after only about three hours of sleep excited and raring to go.
I moved quickly around my apartment. Making coffee, getting dressed, and shoving everything I could potentially need into my new briefcase.
About a year ago I’d moved into the apartment above Strange Brew, the coffee shop nestled in the center of Main Street. The rent was a little more than I’d been paying before, but the location and cute space was too good to pass up.
The veterinary clinic was a couple streets off of Main, but I could still walk to work when the weather cooperated if I wanted to. But since I didn’t know if Dr. Garcia and I would be driving separately or together to Cherry Springs Farm, I figured it would be best if I drove.
Wanting to seem ready and eager to take on my first day, but not like an over-excited puppy who would annoy my new boss, I sat in my car until five fifty-five and then went to the back door of the vet clinic to meet the doctor.
“Good morning,” I called over the sound of the door jingling as I opened it.
“Morning, Becs,” Dr. Garcia replied back cheerfully.
With my job at the bar, I’d been a night owl for the last few years. I could tell the doc was a morning person. Her eyes were bright and wide awake, and she had a cheerful sort of glow to her cheeks.
It was going to take some getting used to, but I was sure I’d be able to convert my schedule in no time.
“You looked like you were having fun last night,” I said easily as I moved around the office, looking at all of the photos on the wall.
“Oh yes, I did. Dancing the night away was just what I needed. It was such a great party. It’s obvious they are going to miss you at the bar.”
I smiled at her and pointed at a picture of her holding a baby goat.
“This is adorable.”
“That little guy is actually one of Mason’s. You’ll probably see him frolicking around the farm today. He’s a bit mischievous.”
“I can’t wait,” I said honestly. I’d never seen a goat outside of a petting zoo but could only imagine how cute one would be running around free on a farm.
“Let’s get to it then,” Dr. Garcia said. “Mason will have already been at it for a few hours, so I’m sure he’s ready for us.”
“Great. Are we driving together or separate?”
“Separate if you don’t mind. I have a couple dogs to spay this afternoon, so I will need to get back. If you’re flexible today, I may need to leave you back at the farm while I get those do
ne. Does that work for you?”
“Absolutely. Anything you need, I’m your gal!”
“Perfect. You can follow me out.”
We left the office and I crawled into the driver’s seat of my pretty yellow VW Bug. This car had been a gift to myself last year and I absolutely loved everything about it. It was the first thing I owned outright, and I loved the fact that it was all mine.
I followed Dr. Garcia’s Land Rover down Main Street and out of town.
I’d never been to Cherry Springs Farm, but I knew where it was, just like I knew where everything in and around Cherry Springs was. That was the beauty of small-town living.
As I turned down the dirt road that led to the farm, the latest Luke Combs played loud and proud on country radio and I couldn’t stop the grin from taking over my face. The land was beautiful, expansive with little dots of different animals as far as the eye could see.
When I pulled closer to the big red barn and large white house with a wrap-around porch and a white picket fence, it was like I’d driven into a dream.
I parked next to Dr. Garcia and got out of my car, my head swiveling back and forth as I took it all in.
“This is gorgeous!” I exclaimed as I shut my door.
“Yes, and I’m pretty sure it’s the biggest working farm in the area. The McKlintocks have been here for at least six generations and I have been their vet since I took over for Dr. Jones in twenty-fifteen.”