by Jessica Gray
The sheriff’s throaty voice said, “Miss Taylor, calm down please. The man’s name is Rocco Cooper, and believe it or not, it’s common for handymen around these parts to get started early in the morning.”
“I don’t care what’s common, or what his name is for that matter, I just want him gone. I want to press trespassing charges. Now, come arrest him.”
“Well, ma’am, there might be a slight problem with your request.”
“Look here, I’m an attorney, and I know my rights.” She didn’t bother to mention she was a divorce attorney. “This man is trespassing and I want him arrested.” Lee couldn’t believe the sheriff was arguing with her over doing his sworn duty. The man was evidently lazy.
“Ma’am? Do you own the cabin? I was under the impression your Uncle Charlie was the property owner.”
“What’s that got to do with anything? I want this Rocco person gone. Now.”
“Ma’am, according to a conversation I had with your uncle a few days ago, he hired Rocco to do some repairs on the deck and cabin. He has every right to be there. I’m not going to waste my time arresting a man for doing what he was hired to do.”
“My uncle didn’t say anything about work being done on the cabin.” Why hadn’t her uncle warned her there would be some stranger lurking around the cabin while she was staying here?
“You’ll have to take that up with your uncle, miss. Now, if that was everything, I’ll welcome you to town and bid you a good day.” After a lack of response from her, Sheriff Brown disconnected the call.
Lee heard the phone disconnect, and looked at it for a moment. Rocco Cooper had a right to be here. No way was this going to work. She’d have to call her uncle and get things straightened out. Glancing at the clock as she began to dial her uncle’s number, she saw that it was only 6:55 a.m., way too early to wake him up.
She’d call him later, but looking at the situation rationally, there wasn’t much she could do. Knowing her Uncle Charlie, he probably didn’t even remember the handyman was going to be working on the cabin during her stay.
He’d insisted she spend the last few weeks of her sabbatical up here, relaxing and recuperating, before she had to go back to work. Her stomach clenched at the thought of work. Lee worked for the high-powered family law firm Parker & Armstrong, and two months previously she’d made a slight error in dealing with a client. Well, she considered it slight.
However, her bosses, Blaine Parker and Trevor Armstrong, as well as the judge in whose court the episode had occurred, had been less than pleased with her complete meltdown during the final proceedings of a particularly nasty divorce case.
She’d become so fed up with the antics of her client and the greediness the woman had shown towards her husband, she had lost it, right there in the courtroom. Lee had begun yelling and lecturing the woman on what a poor excuse for a wife she was, had accused her of manipulating the court and being a money-grabber. She’d been on such a roll, she’d completely ignored the orders from the judge to cease her tirade and retake her seat.
The judge’s response had been to have the bailiff physically remove her from the courtroom and place her under arrest for contempt. After she’d spent a less-than-comfortable night in jail, the senior partners had sent her secretary to bail her out. They had requested that she immediately meet with them in the office. Shame poured over her at the memory of this miserable moment in her life.
While understanding, her bosses had made it clear this couldn’t happen ever again. They’d forced her to take a sabbatical, with pay of course, and see if she could find a new perspective for dealing with her cases. They’d allowed her to excuse her behavior away based upon an extremely heavy caseload, and one with many high-dollar clients at that. The stress had become too much for her, as she never quit working. It was not unusual for Lee to put in 70 hours a week at the office, plus time spent in the actual courtroom. She had been allowed – no…ordered was more like it – to get her stuff together before returning. She only had a few weeks left before she was to meet with Trevor Armstrong to discuss her return.
Unfortunately, she hadn’t found any peace or been able to relax at her apartment. When her uncle had offered her the use of his cabin, she had reluctantly agreed, knowing that if she didn’t relax soon, she wouldn’t have a chance of convincing Trevor she was ready to come back to work. And that meant she more than likely would no longer have a job.
Glancing out the wall of windows again, she saw that Rocco Cooper had readied himself to continue to work with his power tool on the deck. Turning to hang up the phone, she stepped wrong and was reminded of the splinter lodged in the arch of her foot. Gingerly navigating her way back to the bedroom, she sat down on the corner of the bed to assess the damage.
She carefully removed the splinter and regretted not having grabbed some tissues or a cloth before doing so. Immediately upon removing the splinter from her flesh, a small drop of blood formed and continued to grow. Not wanting to stain the carpets with drops of blood, Lee hopped into the adjoining bathroom and held a damp washcloth to the area for a minute.
With the bleeding under control, she glanced up only to take notice of her reflection in the bathroom mirror. No wonder Rocco had smirked at her. She could have been the poster child for a bed-head campaign with her long blond hair sticking straight up in places and plastered to her skull in others. She had been so exhausted upon her arrival the night before, she had gone to bed without bothering to remove her makeup and this morning was sporting two eyes surrounded by black smudges. Her lipstick had not survived the night either; it was mostly off, and smeared across one of her cheeks.
She decided to use the next hour to her advantage; she turned the water on in the Jacuzzi tub and added some bath salts. She couldn’t contact her uncle for almost an hour, so she would treat herself to a soak in the large bathtub and collect her thoughts for the day to come. One way or another, the handyman had to leave. Hot or not, she didn’t want him here.
After pulling her hair up into a haphazard ponytail, she let the rain jacket fall to the floor as she stepped into the water. When she sank down into the warm water, a sigh escaped her throat. With her back leaned against the side of the tub, she closed her eyes and let her mind wander.
Unfortunately it wandered to places she didn’t want it to be, and the memory of Rocco’s flawless body and his heated eyes on her body sent the bathwater boiling.
(End of Sneak Peak)
To continue reading, get the book here:
FOUND BY LOVE
More Books by Jessica
You can find an up to date list of all my books here:
http://www.jessicagraybooks.com/mybooks.html
The Armstrong and Love in Sandy Beach books can be read as stand alones. For more enjoyment, read them in series order. Characters carry on from one book to the next and from one series to the next
The Falling for Him Series is best read in order. Books 1 through 5 have cliffhangers. The rest of the books don’t.
THE ARMSTRONGS
Power of Love - (Trevor and Nicole)
Forever my Love - (Ryan and Kendra)
Daring to Love (Evan and Charlene)
Surprised by Love (Douglas and Toni)
Travel, Live, Love (Patrick and Angela)
Explosion of Love (Samantha and Grant)
LOVE IN SANDY BEACH
Momentous Kisses (Allison and Russell)
Billionaire Kisses (Reese and Nikos)
Turbulent Kisses (Chase and Pearl)
Determined Kisses (Ethan and Hazel)
Resounding Kisses (Terrence and Ivy)
FALLING FOR HIM
Book 1: Rachel and Peter
Book 2: Rachel and Peter in Spain
Book 3: Rachel and Peter back home
Book 4: Lara and David
Book 5: Rachel and Peter - The Wedding
Stubborn Love – (Clara and Nigel)
Christmas Miracle – (Rachel and Peter)
I Love Yo
u Twice – (Melissa and Dean)
More Books by Jessica
Entangled Love
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