Spring River Valley: The Spring Collection
By
Clarice Wynter
This 3-book set contains:
An Affair in April
Matched up in May
Jaded in June
Published by: Clarice Wynter
copyright 2014, Clarice Wynter
Cover art by Niina Cord
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, brands, media and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or events is merely coincidence.
Kindle Edition
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* * * *
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An Affair in April
Chapter One
“Would you mind if I put my arms around you?”
The handsome stranger’s question took Evie by surprise. Her pen fell out of her hand and rolled across the scuffed linoleum floor. She looked up from her notes, momentarily tongue-tied. She’d been watching him from the moment he entered the recreation department classroom where this evening’s self-defense class was being held. Secretly she’d hoped the tall, muscular man in the Property of the Spring River Valley Athletic Department T-shirt would turn out to be the class instructor.
“Um…sure,” she replied instinctively before her muddled brain kicked into gear. “I mean no. I wouldn’t mind.”
He bent to retrieve her pen, his long, slender fingers brushing hers as he handed it back to her. “You don’t look old enough to be here.”
She laughed. At twenty-five, it had been a while since anyone had questioned her age. The flattery felt good. “You’re sweet. I am legal, I assure you.”
The mischievous sparkle in his warm brown eyes made her breath hitch. She clutched her pen tightly, afraid of dropping it again. Not that she hadn’t enjoyed watching him move to get it back for her.
“I just meant, this is the Senior Self-Defense Class.” He nodded toward the classroom entrance where half a dozen older women, most clearly over sixty-five, were arriving. The ladies each stopped to stare at Tall-Dark-and-Charming and began giggling like teenagers. So much for the dignity of maturity, but Evie certainly couldn’t blame them.
“I’m…covering the class.” She stuck out her hand, sans pen. “Evie Prentice. I write for the Lifestyle section of the Herald. I’m doing a piece on health and fitness, so I’m auditing classes at the rec this week.”
His smile widened as he shook her hand, his grip firm and confident. Her heart fluttered. “I’m Tanner Croft. That’s with a C, and I wasn’t being forward before. I just need a volunteer, and I usually ask the first student to arrive.”
Evie’s cheeks heated. She had to get a hold of herself. This was work, no time to fall for a pair of broad shoulders, soulful eyes, and a high voltage smile. “Oh, I…well, since technically I’m just an observer—”
“You’ll do fine.” He slipped her notebook off her lap, set it and her pen on the chair next to her, and tugged her to her feet as the rest of the students took their seats. With a glance at their growing audience, Evie followed him to the center of the room where several thick mats lay on the floor. “Don’t worry. You won’t get hurt. In fact, the object tonight is for you to hurt me.”
“Oh…” She envisioned taking a bite out of one of his bulging biceps. “Okay.”
He slid one hand along her shoulder and down to her wrist where she was certain he’d be able to feel her racing pulse. Why had no one warned her the instructor was drop dead gorgeous? Maybe that was why the class was so popular. Janet, her editor at the paper, had told her students were repeating the class two and three times, and there was a waiting list. A class that good certainly deserved a write-up in the paper, Evie had thought. Now she realized, it probably deserved a front-page headline and full-size photo as well.
While her thoughts spun, Tanner greeted the class and introduced himself. He gave a brief overview of the evening’s lesson to his rapt audience and then positioned himself behind Evie for the first demonstration. The nape of her neck tingled when his breath caressed her skin. “Just relax,” he said into her ear. “We’re going to show everyone what to do if someone comes up and grabs you from behind. Are you ready?”
“I’m ready.” So ready. She had a number of ideas about what she would do if he grabbed her, and none of them involved flipping him over her shoulder and slamming him into the floor, but that seemed to be the effect he wanted to teach tonight. Her thoughts blurred when his arm snaked around her waist, and a couple of her classmates sighed. She tried to keep her eyes from fluttering closed as the warmth of his skin seeped through her T-shirt. Firm as steel, his chest connected with her back, and she had to force herself not to lean into him and smile. How long had it been since a man had put his arms around her?
“Now, I want you to pivot forward and use your hip to try to knock me off balance.”
The only one off balance at the moment was Evie, but determined not to show it, she grinned and did as he commanded. A second later, she was on the floor looking up at him.
“What happened?”
He held out his hand to her, his sexy whisper morphing into a no-nonsense instructional tone. “We just demonstrated the wrong way to stop a mugger.” Strong arms pulled her up from the mat. “Now, we’re going to demonstrate the right way.”
*
An hour later, Evie knelt over Tanner’s prone body, her knees digging into the soft mat on either side of his hips.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked, worried she’d knocked the wind out of him with the elbow-to-the-solar-plexus move he’d just asked her to demonstrate. Apparently she’d done it perfectly.
“I’m…uf…fine.” Contracting his steel cable abs, he sat up, the move bringing his face to within inches of hers. He rubbed the center of his chest with one hand. “I knew you were a heartbreaker the moment I saw you. I just didn’t think it would be literally.” He winked, and once again, her face flamed.
Her classmates glared at her, and she had the impression they hadn’t really come here tonight to learn now to execute the perfect roundhouse kick, or to watch him flirt with her.
Tanner offered his hand. “Help me up.”
She obeyed, glad for the momentary distraction. Every time they locked eyes, her heart threatened to climb out of her chest. She leaned back to give him some leverage, but rather than regain his feet, he used her precarious balance against her and, in a heartbeat, they’d switched positions.
“You’re the kind of girl who should be swept off her feet,” he said with a jaunty wink. “Now, let’s go over weight and balance and how to use someone’s own strength against them.”
“Can I be next?” someone asked, and Tanner laughed.
“As soon as I’m done with Evie, someone else will get a chance to pin me.”
An ap
preciative murmur circled the classroom. Her eyes locked on his for a second, and Evie shivered when he leaned close and whispered, “But I’m far from done with Evie at the moment.”
* * * *
Adrenaline surged through Tanner the moment his cell phone alarm rang, signaling the end of the self-defense class. Usually, after two and a half hours teaching Spring River Valley’s senior female population how to ward off purse snatchers, he was beat and looking forward to a hot shower and a good night’s sleep, but tonight electrical current seemed to buzz through him. The Herald reporter had kept him on his toes all night, her deep blue eyes and supple curves distracting him at every turn. He’d never enjoyed a class so much, but as his students filed out of the room, he got the impression he’d disappointed a couple of the older ladies who were looking forward to snagging the coveted position of volunteer.
He’d wanted to be fair, so halfway through the class, he’d reluctantly sent Evie back to her seat and picked someone else to help him demonstrate his moves. It hadn’t been easy keeping his eyes off the sexy brunette while she made notes for her article, but he’d done his best to ignore her for the second hour of the class.
After a few swallows from his water bottle, he dabbed away the sweat that threatened to drip into his eyes and made his way over to her. She was packing her things in a canvas bag and stopped to adjust the thick ponytail that drew her chestnut brown hair away from her face. “Hey.”
She fixed him with those stunning eyes, and a gorgeous blush bloomed on her cheeks. “Hey.”
“I hope I wasn’t too rough with you. You hit the mat hard a couple of times.”
She waved off his concern. “I’m fine. I’m a little embarrassed, though. I thought I knew a thing or two about self-defense. Turns out I’m an amateur.”
“You did okay.”
“Mrs. Moriarty flattened me twice. Who knew the President of the Women’s Auxiliary had a mean hip check?”
“In all fairness, this was her third class.”
“Hmm.” She raised a brow. “Her dedication is commendable. I was asking around, and almost all the women here tonight were repeat offenders…I mean, repeat students.”
Tanner shrugged. It wasn’t his fault the women enjoyed his class. “You know how it is. Crime is a big concern these days. They feel better if they know they’re not entirely vulnerable.”
“Crime rates have actually been declining for years. I tend to think it’s something else that makes your class so popular.”
He put on his best come-hither smile and leaned in close. “Oh? What would that be?”
She blushed again. “Well, let’s just say I’m thinking the headline might read something like Local Lothario Charms Lonely Ladies at the Rec.”
“Lothario? Really?”
“Well, come on. Do you think everyone comes back again and again to perfect their body slam? It’s all about spending an evening with the hot instructor.”
He smirked. “So you think I’m hot?”
“I think you’re a bit slick.”
“You know what I think?”
Eyes wide, chin up, she challenged him. “What?”
“I think you’re jealous because I spent more time tossing Mrs. Moriarty around than you.”
She jammed her notebook into her bag. “Be serious. I didn’t come here for a cheap thrill. I came to write about why the class is so popular, and I found out. You’re dishing out a little fantasy with your choke hold and your drop kick.”
“What’s wrong with fantasies?” Tanner had certainly been having them since he first put his arms around Ms. Prentice. She’d been as doe-eyed as all the other students when the class began, but now she was downright prickly. The only explanation was she thought his interest in her was insincere. He had to show her that as much as he tried to entertain the older women who took his class, he was flirting with her in earnest.
“Nothing…in the right setting, but here…”
“If my students have a good time, they come back, and the more they come back, the more chance what I’m teaching them will stick. They are worried about being vulnerable, and if the class didn’t have some added…attraction to it, they’d probably go home and never think about it again. They wouldn’t be able to use the techniques they learned. This way, I know they won’t forget what I taught them.”
“Because they can’t forget you?” She crossed her arms and cocked one hip.
“Exactly. And, I’ll wager, neither can you.”
She grabbed her bag and slung it over one shoulder. “Oh, I bet I can.”
“Well, not until you get your article written, and then I guarantee you’ll be thinking about what you learned here tonight…wishing you had a chance to practice it, wanting to pin me to the mat just to teach me a lesson. Tell me I’m wrong.”
“You’re wrong. Very wrong.” Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she strode out of the room, her ponytail swinging, leaving Tanner dumbfounded.
Considering the speed of her retreat, maybe he’d overestimated Ms. Prentice’s interest in him, but he was still certain he was right about one thing. She wasn’t going to forget him, because he wasn’t going to let her.
Chapter Two
“Ask me how it feels to be famous.” Tanner dropped the Saturday morning edition of the Spring River Valley Herald on the kitchen table in front of his brother.
Taylor, his identical twin, pushed his coffee cup aside and turned the folded paper around to read the headline above the short back-page article. “Charmed and dangerous? Well, that certainly sounds like you. Let’s see…Tuesday night’s class at the rec center blah, blah, senior ladies blah, blah…Mr. Tanner Croft, a member of Spring River Valley’s Ambulance Corps, lays on the charm with his love-struck students, tossing cheesy pick-up lines around as easily as he expects his alumni to flip potential muggers over their shoulders. Mr. Croft asserts that his controversial approach to the art of self-defense, coupling his lessons with terms of endearment and sultry whispers, will help his students remember what they learn. So beware, potential muggers. If you hear a dreamy sigh before your next victim body slams you to the pavement, you have Tanner Croft’s Senior Self-Defense Class to thank.”
Tanner slid into the chair opposite Taylor and helped himself to a slice of buttered toast from his brother’s plate. “Enrollment is going to skyrocket.”
Taylor set the paper aside and grabbed the last piece of toast. “Sounds like the reporter’s got your number.”
“I wish she did, but she stormed off before I could lay any more charm on her. I think she was jealous.”
Taylor scoffed. “I thought you schmoozed equally. Did you leave her out?”
“No, in fact, I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. Hot little brunette with a superior attitude and—”
“Under sixty?” Taylor rose and began clearing the table.
“Quite a bit under. Contrary to what people may think, I’m not trying to snare a cougar. The women in my class like the attention. Everyone has a good time, and they learn something.”
“And having a rep as the town gigolo certainly won’t hurt enrollment, right?”
Tanner shrugged. “Doesn’t matter to me. I don’t get paid by the student, I get paid by the hour. Anyway…I’m not here to defend myself.”
“I thought you were here to steal breakfast.” Taylor finished cleaning up and headed out of the kitchen. “Walk and talk. I’ve got to be at the clinic in ten minutes.”
“I’m here to ask if I can borrow your tux.”
“Maybe you should find a girl who actually likes you before you propose, don’t you think?”
“I’m not proposing to anyone. I’m auctioning myself off to the highest bidder.”
Taylor stopped mid-stride and eyed his brother sidelong. “Way to live down the gigolo rep.”
“It’s for charity. The Women’s Auxiliary Club is having a bachelor auction in two weeks, and they asked the ambulance corps and the fire department to volunteer.”
&n
bsp; “So you’re renting yourself out for what exactly?”
“The new children’s wing at the hospital.”
“I don’t mean the charity, I mean what…ah…service are you providing?” Taylor smirked and raised a brow. “You’d better be careful your uptight reporter friend doesn’t get wind of it.”
“She probably will. She writes for the lifestyle section. We just have to go on a date. Local restaurants are donating dinners for two, and we take the ladies who win us out to eat. It’s all very innocent.” A mirror image of his brother, Tanner mimicked Taylor’s expression.
“And ‘innocent’ is your middle name, after all.”
“Hey, you could volunteer too…”
“That’s okay. I’m not ready to put myself on the market…literally…just yet.”
“It’s been a year and a half since Joyce left. Don’t you think it’s time to come out of your cave?”
“When I find someone worth coming out of my cave for, I will.” Taylor’s expression hardened. Tanner knew his brother didn’t like being reminded of his runaway fiancée, but his period of mourning for the woman who’d broken his heart, taken his dog, and left him high and dry in the house he’d purchased for them to live in after their wedding should have ended long ago.
“I know you still miss her…”
“I don’t miss Joyce. I miss Tiger.”
“So get a new dog. You should know a pet is a great way to meet women.”
“I’m not interested in meeting a woman right now, and I’ve got all the canine companionship I could want at work, which where I need to be, so, if you want the tux, it’s upstairs in the back of the closet. You should probably have it dry-cleaned before you wear it…and after, if you don’t mind.” Taylor grabbed his jacket and keys and opened the front door. “I gotta get going. Just lock up when you leave, and…if you want to stop by Colette’s next Friday night, Owen and Claudia and I are auditioning at the Battle of the Bands.”
Spring River Valley: The Spring Collection (Boxed Set) Page 1