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Sunshine Press
Martinsburg, West Virginia
Clearwater Romance
Copyright ©2013, Marissa Dobson
All rights reserved.
Clearwater Romance Proofed by Jennifer Augostine & Thomas Dobson
Winterbloom Edited by Victoria Kennedy
Unexpected Forever Edited by Victoria Kennedy
Losing to Win Edited by Darlene Fredette
Christmas Countdown Edited by Darlene Fredette
The Surrogate Edited by Cindy Davis
ISBN: 978-1-939978-28-8
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously and are not to be constructed as real. Any resemblance to actual person—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.
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Clearwater Romance
Five Clearwater Novellas
Marissa Dobson
Contents
Praise: 6
Dedication. 8
Winterbloom... 9
Chapter One 10
Chapter Two. 14
Chapter Three 18
Chapter Four 20
Chapter Five 23
Chapter Six. 26
Chapter Seven. 29
Chapter Eight 31
Chapter Nine 34
Chapter Ten. 38
Epilogue 39
Unexpected Forever. 41
Chapter One 42
Chapter Two. 49
Chapter Three 54
Chapter Four 57
Chapter Five 61
Chapter Six. 64
Chapter Seven. 69
Chapter Eight 72
Chapter Nine 76
Chapter Ten. 79
Chapter Eleven. 83
Chapter Twelve 87
Chapter Thirteen. 92
Chapter Fourteen. 94
Chapter Fifteen. 97
Chapter Sixteen. 101
Chapter Seventeen. 105
Chapter Eighteen. 107
Chapter Nineteen. 110
Chapter Twenty 112
Losing to Win. 114
Chapter One 115
Chapter Two. 120
Chapter Three 124
Chapter Four 129
Chapter Five 133
Chapter Six. 140
Chapter Seven. 145
Chapter Eight 150
Chapter Nine 154
Chapter Ten. 159
Chapter Eleven. 165
Chapter Twelve 170
Christmas Countdown. 173
Chapter One 174
Chapter Two. 176
Chapter Three 181
Chapter Four 184
Chapter Five 187
Chapter Six. 192
Chapter Seven. 194
Chapter Eight 196
The Surrogate. 202
Chapter One 203
Chapter Two. 209
Chapter Three 213
Chapter Four 218
Chapter Five 224
Chapter Six. 229
Chapter Seven. 232
Chapter Eight 237
Marissa Dobson. 238
Other Books by Marissa Dobson. 239
Praise:
Clearwater Series
Winterblom:
I found Winterbloom to be a sweet and delightful little romance. Ms. Dobson does a wonderful job of creating visual scenes that allow the reader to feel as though they are right there within the story. ~ Romancing the Book
Unexpected Forever:
Unexpected Forever made me cry. I’ll admit it; I teared up quite a few times actually…Marissa has yet again written an amazing story full of emotions and detail. I totally recommend reading Unexpected Forever and other great works by Marissa. ~ Crystal Out There
Alaskan Tigers
Tiger Time:
This is the first book that I have read from Marissa Dobson and it definitely won’t be my last. I loved the tiger shapeshifter aspect of this book which I haven’t read much about in previous books. ~ Jennifer at Books-n-Kisses
When I first read a review for Tiger Time, I knew this was a must read. Now I know that it is definitely a must read for anyone that like were romances. It’s definitely one of those that draws you immediately into the story, and never lets you go… a wonderfully written story of a woman’s journey into the unknown and a man who would show her to her destiny. LOVED IT!!!! Looking forward to the next one in the series. ~ Addicted to Romance
The Tiger’s Heart:
This book was so interesting and I loved it. Steamy with lots of twists and turns. Recommend this to anyone who likes Shifter type books. ~ Amazon Reader
Tigress for Two:
And the plot thickens. I am really enjoying how the overall story arc of this series is going. There are so many players that it is fascinating to watch the plot unfold. Everyone’s story is connected, but not in the ways that I had originally anticipated and that makes it all the more fun to read. ~ Delphina Reads too Much
Wow, Tigress for Two was everything I’d hoped it would be after reading some of Marissa Dobson’s other books. She packed a whollop, enticing the reader with angst, suspense, romance and suspense…oh did I say that twice? Well good cause I meant to, because she did a great job of keeping the reader in suspense throughout the whole story. I never knew what was coming next but i was so intrigued I couldn’t put the book down. I seriously never imagined mixing shifter species but it was done well. ~ A Passion for Romance
Stormkin Series
Storm Queen:
To use the word amazing is not too strong when describing this book. I’ve never read anything like it and I loved every minute of it. Do yourself a favor of buying this book, if you don’t you’ll be missing out. ~Rebecca Royce, bestselling author of the The Westervelt Wolves.
This was a great new addition to the paranormal romance world, it almost had a Urban Fantasy feel because the sex wasn’t the main focus of the story and I LOVED that! I thought each scene was done so well! I will be continuing this series! I can’t wait for the next one! ~ Amazon Reader
Dedication
To Thomas—my wonderful husband.
My amazing sister Jenifer. Thanks for all your support and work.
My readers, you rock. Thank you for everything. I hope you enjoy the Clearwater series as much as I did writing it.
Winterbloom
What she needs….
Prepping Winterbloom for the incoming snowstorm is the only thing on Chloe Frost’s agenda when a stranger comes in from the cold.
What he’s looking for…
Tortured by the past, Jordan Sheppard fled everything he knew until his car broke down and sidelined him.
Trapped together…
When this unexpected guest needs a room, these two lonely souls find refuge in each other. Can Chloe help Jordan discover a path through the pain and anger to find love?
Chapter One
Chloe Frost danced around the living room. She enjoyed having the place to herself. She sang in tune with the song playing on the local country radio station while she finished her storm preparations. Everything needed to be in order before the blizzard lashed her sleepy
little town. It would be her first time at Winterbloom alone during a storm and she wanted to be prepared.
Slipping out to bring in another arm full of firewood, a strong, unforgiving wind assaulted her. Hurrying she grabbed as much wood as she could carry, the snow drifted deep already. Thank God I am not out in that. Inside, she fought the door shut.
Carved right in the side of a mountain, Clearwater, Wyoming always received a lot of snow but this storm promised to put even the most seasoned residents to a test. They expected Ezekiel to stall over the area, and last four to five days, dumping up to ten feet of snow.
Dropping the wood next to the fireplace, someone called out behind her. She whipped around and fumbling for a log to wield in her defense. Not expecting anyone, the radio was louder than normal. She liked listening while she worked.
“Ahem do you always ignore paying customers?” The deeply masculine and unfamiliar voice set her heart racing.
“I see the hospitality continues. Are you really prepared to beat away a customer?” A man loomed in the doorway to the living room, filling the space. Annoyance harshened his voice and his rumpled clothes looked as though he slept in them.
Holding onto the log, she fought to get her shallow breathing under control. “I wasn’t expecting anyone. I’m sorry, but we’re closed.”
“Uh, that could be a problem. My car died about a mile up the road. I was hoping I could call a tow and find a warm place to wait out the snow. It’s supposed to be a hell of a storm.” He lowered his duffle bag to the floor.
His clothes were soaked through and crusted white with snow. The man wasn’t an attacker out to get her, but someone genuinely in need. Guilt poked through her unease and she put the log down.
“I’ll call Pete’s, but I’m sure he won’t be able to look at your car until after the storm passes. Why don’t you go upstairs to the first room on the right and change? I’ll give him a call and get you some hot coffee. The bathroom is at the end of the hall.”
He nodded gave her a brief, but grateful smile and swung around, his boots making a thumping noise as he made his way to the staircase.
Picking up the cordless phone, she wondered why he would be traveling with such a storm heading their way. It has been on the news for days, everyone rushing around to prepare, it was impossible not to know what was headed towards them. His rumpled clothes and unshaven face made her think he had been traveling for a while. He might be stranded by the storm, but everyone had a story—maybe his went deeper than just stuck on the side of the road.
“Morning, Pete. This is Chloe. I have a guest that says his car broke down about a mile up the road. When you get a chance, could you tow it back and see what’s wrong with it?”
As expected, Pete raged about the storm, and the number of calls he already received. His life was tougher than anyone else’s. The best way to deal with it was with sympathetic noises and acceptance. He moved at his own pace.
“Yeah, it’s going to be bad. Whenever you get to the car is fine. I told the guest it most likely wouldn’t be until after the storm. I’d hate to see you out in this when it’s obvious he’s not going anywhere until this passes.” She grabbed two coffee cups from the cabinet and filled them with steaming coffee. The front door slammed closed startling her. She spilled a couple of drops on her chest and hissed at the scalding heat. Is he leaving?
“Pete, don’t rush. I have rooms available. He can wait out the storm here. Just give us a call when you know what’s wrong with the car.”
Sheriff Ryan Ryder walked into the room and she ended the call. His tall frame stood in the kitchen doorway, a hand on his gun like a character leaping out of the pages of some novel from the old west. It was a natural pose for him. His thick winter jacket open enough to show the dark blue uniform shirt pulled tight against his broad chest. “Chloe, is someone here? I found a broken down car about a mile from here and there are faint tracks leading this way.”
“Yes. A man came in about ten minutes ago. His car broke down.” She handed him a cup of coffee. She would have to pour another for the guest.
“You don’t know him, Chloe.” He frowned, temper stewing in his voice. He had been on her case since Granny passed. The bed and breakfast was too far out. She was alone. Running it on her own was dangerous. Over the last few weeks, the number of fights they had about Winterbloom escalated. It was her life. She grew up here, helping her Granny with chores for as long as she could remember.
“Ryan, I run a bed and breakfast. I rarely know my guests. This is no different than any other time. Why are you so upset?” Impatiently she glared at him. She didn’t have time to have this conversation with him again. There was still a long list of things she needed to be done before the storm, not to mention she now had a guest. Granny always taught her to be prepared for anything, the refrigerator and pantry were both full.
“Where is he?”
“Upstairs. He was covered in snow, I assumed he wanted to shower and change. Why?” She took a sip of coffee and watched him over the rim of the mug. If she kept it casual, it might relax his overprotective instincts.
“I want to meet him. I can take him into town; you don’t need to be here alone with him. You have no idea who he is or what he wants.”
“I run a bed and breakfast.” She repeated the stance. If she said it enough, he might finally believe her. “He wants a room to wait out the storm. I’m not going to have you interrogating my guest. It’s bad for business.”
“I don’t like you running this place all by yourself. I’ve seen too much in my line of work not to be concerned about you. I don’t want anything to happen.” The fear in his eyes aroused a fresh wave of pain through her. His concern for her safety was the same reason he went into law enforcement. Crime marred his life long before he came to Clearwater. When he arrived, fresh out of the police academy they became instant friends. Their friendship grew closer as he rose from deputy to sheriff.
“Clearwater is one of the safest places because we have you as Sheriff.” Placating him never used to be this hard. When Granny passed, he took on the role of her protector.
“Flattery will get you nowhere, Miss Frost.” But he laughed. “If you insist on running this place by yourself, how about a dog?”
“We talked about this before. I want to find the right one. Winterbloom takes a lot of work, and I don’t have time to train a dog.”
“So you will take a dog if it’s trained already?”
Was that a trick question?
“Of course.” She agreed. “I’d love the company, but I can’t take the time right now to do dog training justice.”
“Good, because I have just the one for you.” He placed his empty cup in the sink and strolled out of the kitchen.
Shock rippled through her. Did he just say he had a dog for me? “What?” She jogged after him. “I didn’t agree to anything.”
He turned to face her. “Chloe, you want me off your back and this is the only way. I will be worried sick with you out here by yourself with a strange man. In this weather, the response time won’t be good, especially with the mountain roads. I want to know you are safe. Goldie will keep you safe.”
“Blackmail is illegal.” She’d already lost the battle. Amusement edged her frustration over the very neat trap he set for her. She agreed before he told her, so it wasn’t like she could really argue with him. Ryan was like a brother to her, and she didn’t want him to worry about her. If a dog alleviated his concerns, then apparently she’d take the dog.
Plus, it would be nice having some company until the paperwork clears to open Winterbloom again.
He winked at her. “I’ll be back with Goldie and her things shortly and when I do I want to meet your guest.”
Chapter Two
Ryan left and she climbed the curved staircase to bring her guest—she didn’t know his name—coffee and a sandwich. It was unusual, but she hadn’t asked, and he wasn’t very forthcoming with information.
The chill
raced over her skin. She had turned down the upstairs heat while the bed and breakfast was closed. No use heating the whole place when her quarters were downstairs. She needed to turn it back up for her guest.
Balancing the tray, she knocked lightly on his door.
It jerked open swiftly and she took a step back. Her guest glared at her, anger flushing his face, bringing a warm red glow to his checks and neck.
“What do you want?” Hostility rolled off him in waves.
“I brought you something to eat, and coffee. I thought you might be hungry.” She nodded to the tray.
“Don’t bother. I can walk to the diner if I get hungry.” Apparently, Mr. Surly arrived with a hard chip of rude on his shoulder.
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