by Tena Stetler
Table of Contents
Excerpt
Charm Me
Copyright
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Thank you for purchasing this publication of The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
Getting to her feet, she brushed the dust from her black yoga pants, tugged at the bottom of her bright orange tunic, and flipped the light switch on. A soft glow of florescent lighting flooded the large room, soothing Summer’s nerves. Guess she would never be the same carefree individual she was before the incident. Oh, shake it off. You’re safe and it’s time to get on with life. “Come on Pip, let’s get this place open.”
A massive stone fireplace towered in the corner. She picked up an arm full of wood and flung it in the general direction. Logs landed in the fire pit and neatly arranged themselves in a tepee shape. With a magic flick of her finger toward the hearth, flames raced up the aspen logs. “That’s better.”
She raised her arms, about to send the yoga mats back to their proper place when the heavy wooden front door creaked open. Piper rushed toward the door, teeth bared and a growl rumbled in her throat.
Summer whirled around and yelped as Devlin ambled into the room, black hair tousled and glistening with melting snowflakes. His nonchalance at the dog’s approach surprised her as he slowed to a stop. Piper sniffed around him, backed up a few inches, then stood at alert in front of Devlin.
“You scared the bejeebers out of me.” Summer held her hand to her chest as her heart thundered. “What are you doing here?”
“Call your guard dog off and I’ll tell you.” The corners of Devlin’s mouth curved up into a smile, a faint light twinkled in the depths of his dark eyes.
“Piper, leave it…come.” The dog gave Devlin a last sideways glance, trotted back to Summer, and sat at her side.
Charm Me
by
Tena Stetler
A Candy Hearts Romance
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.
Charm Me
COPYRIGHT © 2016 by Tena Stetler
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Contact Information: [email protected]
Cover Art by RJ Morris
The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
PO Box 708
Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708
Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com
Publishing History
First Black Rose Edition, 2016
Digital ISBN 978-1-5092-0467-0
A Candy Hearts Romance
Published in the United States of America
Dedication
To my wonderful husband,
who always makes Valentine’s Day special.
~*~
Thanks to my family and friends
for their encouragement and support.
Chapter One
A Chance Meeting
Summer tugged open the heavy glass door to the gun club and walked inside. She’d never held a weapon, let alone shot one. If she had, things might be different. The inside of the club didn’t look at all like she’d imagined. Locked glass cases arranged in a U shape displayed a wide variety of handguns. Rifles and shotguns lined the back wall with targets for sale displayed on the sidewall. In the middle of it stood an outrageously handsome man. Well over six feet tall and smiling at her.
“Good afternoon. May I help you?”
His deep rich voice flowed over her like thick warm honey. She stared up at him, her mouth agape. His square jaw, high cheekbones, and bronze skin got her attention in so many ways. The dark blue t-shirt with Moon Ridge Gun Club emblazoned across the left front pocket clung to his well-defined muscles. Her gaze wandered further down and she sucked in a breath.
“Are you looking for something special, or just browsing?”
His seductive voice penetrated her consciousness. She blinked and closed her mouth as warm patches bloomed on her cheeks. So many ways to answer that question, none of them appropriate, so she kept the snark to herself. “I…uh…saw an ad in this morning’s newspaper for a woman’s gun class.”
“Do you have your own weapon or do you want to try out some of ours?” His full lips curved in a friendly smile that reached into his deep chocolate brown eyes. “Have you handled or shot a gun before?”
“Uh…no…weapon—but I need to learn.”
“Okay, the introductory class is a great place to start.” He reached below the counter, pulled out an application, and slid it across the glass. “If you want to fill this out, we can get you signed up for the class next Wednesday evening. Will that work for you?”
“I think so.” Summer frowned and chewed her bottom lip. With Jasmine gone, she could set her own hours, unless she had to cover a class for one of the girls.
Jasmine was the previous owner of Earthbound Yoga. A month ago, she’d sold the business for five-hundred cash to Summer, who managed the studio. Jasmine tried to give it to her, but she wouldn’t hear of it. She’d also taken over the loan on the historic building, that was a couple months in arrears.
Jasmine couldn’t cope with her husband’s cheating and final departure. She wanted a fresh start as far away from Colorado Springs as possible. Summer’s situation wasn’t exactly conducive to business ownership, but neither was searching for a new job.
A phone rings on the desk behind the man waiting on her. “Excuse me. I have to get that.” He laid a pen on top of the application and his eyes met hers. “Short staffed today.”
“No problem.” After he turned and picked up the receiver, she shook her head as if to encourage her brain to react properly. What was wrong with her? He wasn’t the first gorgeous hunk she’d seen, though it had been awhile. Still no excuse.
Summer straightened, picked up the pen, and completed the application. While waiting she glanced around the building. It reminded her of a hunting lodge rather than a gun club. The place has a nice feel to it.
He was still on the phone, so she wandered through the merchandise area, peered in the windows lined across an interior wall to what appeared to be an inside shooting range.
When he hung up the phone, she walked back to the counter and grinned, handing him the document and check to cover the class. “Wednesday evening at what time?”
“Five-thirty. Lissa will be your instructor. The instructional part of the class is held upstairs.” He pointed past the crackling fireplace surrounded by a couple of earth tone sofas and two rust colored armchairs.
An open log staircase climbed the back wall and led to a carved wooden balcony overlooking the showroom. “Oh, by the way, I’m Devlin Sawyer.” He offered his hand.
She clasped his outstretched callused hand, gave it a firm shake. A surge of magical awareness spiraled through her. “Nice to meet you. I’m Summer Rylie.”
“Nice to meet you, Summer. Since you’ve never handled a gun, I assume you don’t own one?” he asked as one eyebrow winged up.
“No, I don’t, yet. Didn’t you say I could try one out here?”
“Sure. For the class, we’ll let you try out a few different models to see what feels comfortable. But you’ll need ear and eye prote
ction, if you don’t have them.”
“No, I don’t have protection either—I mean ear and eye protection.” Her cheeks warmed again. Geez…how many ways can I embarrass myself today?
Devlin stepped out from behind the counter, strode across the aisle, and snagged a package of ear protectors and safety glasses off the rack. “These work well and are reasonably priced.”
As she reached for the packages, her hand brushed his, little blue electrical arcs bounced between them. “Sorry, must be static electricity.” But the zing of sexual awareness through her intimate parts certainly wasn’t. The electrical connection between them defied explanation. However, the magical aura she felt—that required investigation.
“Don’t be, not every day a beautiful lady…electrifies my world.” He flashed her a devastating smile as the jangling phone interrupted their conversation, again. “I’m really sorry about this.” He rushed across the room and picked up the phone.
So he was aware, but…Summer studied him for a beat and shrugged. While he handled the call, she checked the prices and pulled cash from her purse.
When Devlin returned to the counter, he nodded in the direction of the phone. “Another lady signed up for the class over the Internet, wanted to make sure we got it. Thanks for your patience.”
“This is all I need for the class?”
“Yep, that’s it. Would you like to see our indoor shooting range? That’s where the hands on part of the class is held. You’ll learn basic gun protocol and fire the weapons at the range.”
“Is that over there where the windows are?”
He glanced across the room and nodded. “Yes.”
“I checked the range out through the windows while you were on the phone. It’s a nice place you got here.”
“Thanks. I’ve fully remodeled the club and made it state of the art. If, you’ve time, I could show you a few weapons, get a head start on the class.”
She looked at her watch, and grimaced. “Wish I could, but I have class in an hour.”
“Oh, what kind of classes are you taking?”
Smiling Summer said, “I don’t take them. I’m a yoga instructor. My studio, Earthbound Yoga, is across town.” She deliberately looked coyly out from under her long reddish lashes at him. “Stop by some time.” Again, flirting outrageously with a man she didn’t even know. I’ve lost it.
He grinned back at her. “I’m not a yoga kinda guy. But, let me give you my card in case you have any questions before the class.” Handing her a business card and a flier with the club’s schedule and membership rates, he said, “See you Wednesday.” He rang up the ear and eye protection, slipped the two twenty dollar bills she handed him in the cash drawer and gave her the change. “Need a bag?”
“No, but thanks.” She let her gaze slide down his body lingering in certain places longer than others. “Yoga is for everyone. I can give you a special deal.”
“Thanks for the offer, but flexibility is not my strong suit.” Devlin rounded the counter and walked her to the door, holding it open.
“Are you talking about your personality or your body?” She tilted her head up at him and grinned. “Give it a chance, you might be surprised.”
“Possibly both.” Chuckling as he eyed the sky. “Could be a storm brewing. Drive careful.”
With a quick toss of her hair and a wink, she accidently brushed against him, and stepped out the door. “Will do. See ya Wednesday.”
Outside, dark clouds hovered over the mountains and the wind howled around the two story stone building as she climbed into her SUV. She laid the flier in the passenger seat and peered at his card. Devlin Sawyer was the club’s owner.
Half way to the studio the sky opened, a mix of rain/snow splashed on her SUV as the windshield wipers swished back and forth furiously. Arriving at Earthbound, she waited for the storm to subside then dashed inside.
Chapter Two
Learning to Shoot a Weapon—Not for the Faint of Heart
Fiery orange spread across the horizon as dawn arrived. Devlin stepped out of his vehicle, and paused a moment to admire the sunrise. Before he retired from the Navy SEALs, most days were all about the training, mission, danger, intrigue and staying alive. He missed the camaraderie of his unit and their families’ care packages.
After two long-term failed relationships, he was done with women. But…he couldn’t deny pretty Summer danced around the fringes of his thoughts frequently this past week. The sway of her hips and saucy walk to her car last week made him hard just thinking about it. Her shocking touch was more than static…it was magic…was that his imagination or…
The rumble of an engine roused Devlin out of his thoughts. Keys in hand, he waved at Luke as he climbed out of his truck. “Ready for practice?”
“Yeah, gotta qualify and the department said I could do it at your range. Finished the night shift an hour ago, wanted to qualify and hit the sack,” Luke said.
“I’ll have the range open in a couple minutes.” With a quick turn of the key, the lock clicked and Devlin pulled the entrance door open, held it for Luke. Holding his hand up to the scanner unlocked the doors to the range and he left Luke to it.
Devlin twisted the combination lock on the gun safe until it beeped. He swung the door open and removed trays of guns, methodically aligning them in the cases, then locking the glass display doors and pocketed the keys. Once all ammo was accounted for, Devlin sprinted up the stairs to his office. Paperwork and new membership tours kept him busy most of the day. When he looked up to see Lissa standing in his office doorway, he was surprised it was almost five o’clock p.m.
“Devlin, I’m gonna need help in the women’s gun class. You signed up 12 women. That’s a mighty big class,” Lissa said.
“Sure, no problem provided one of the guys can cover the front. Had a lot of employee call offs lately. Need to get some new blood in here and weed out the deadbeats.”
“Thanks,” Lissa called over her shoulder as she started down the hallway. “I’m going to get the written materials ready in the class room.”
Devlin stepped from his office and leaned over the balcony railing just as Summer breezed through the door. Her saunter through the showroom attracted attention and not only his. Reddish blonde hair swung around her shoulders, blue jeans fit her curves like a glove, and the way she filled out the snug pink sweater was a feast for the male eye. Yes, I’m going to enjoy helping out the class. Taking the stairs two at a time, he rounded the corner behind the display cases where Summer and several other women stood perusing the weapons.
At the front counter, Rhonda, the head clerk, had several weapons displayed on the counter in front of an older woman. He stepped behind her and waited until Rhonda finished with the customer and pulled her aside. “Can you handle the counter tonight, while I help out with the women’s firearm class?”
“Sure, but I’d rather not do it alone. It’s been awhile since I closed.”
“Not a problem, Jayden should be in by six, if he’s not, come get me.”
“You got it.” Rhonda smiled at him.
Devlin slid over in front of Summer. “May I help you?”
When she looked at him with those sparkling emerald eyes, he sucked in a breath. She was quite a package, intelligent, beautiful and a great sense of humor. Maybe he’d give that relationship thing another try. Being the lone wolf among his friends was getting tedious.
“I’d like to try out a few hand guns.”
“Of course.” He pulled out a tray of three guns he’d set aside for her. “I think these would be good choices.” He picked up a .380, racked and locked the slide open and checked the chamber to make sure it was empty. Pointing the barrel to the ground, he handed it to her. “Try this. Make sure to keep the weapon aimed away from anyone and toward the floor or side wall, by the targets. It’s not loaded, but a good habit to learn.”
“The hand grip seems a bit small or maybe short. Am I holding it correctly?” Summer stared at the gun in her hand.
“Lissa will go over that in class. I also have this .22, longer grip, but won’t do as much damage as a .380. There’s also a Lady’s special .357 and a 9mm. Try them all and see what you like.” After demonstrating the basics of holding the weapon, he escorted her up to the classroom.
After an hour learning the basics of gun safety, the class trooped down stairs to the firing range. Devlin assisted several of the students, but spent a lot of time with Summer. He stood behind her, held her arms up in the correct position, and enjoyed her womanly curves pressed lightly against his chest while he showed her how to grip the gun, what stance to use, and what height to aim and shoot.
When she shot several rounds, he noticed her pattern was scattered. He stepped close behind her and demonstrated how she’d let the gun drop an inch or so each time she pulled the trigger.
“To compensate for the drop, hold the gun higher, square your shoulders, and tighten your arm muscles. Don’t let the gun control you and keep your eyes open.” The warm touch of her body had him backing away hoping not to get a rise and embarrass himself.
Teaching women’s classes was never a problem…before. He’d hired Lissa, because some women felt intimidated by a male instructor, or a few crushed on him, and he didn’t need that liability.
Summer was different, he liked the way she paid attention when someone talked, not just waiting to talk, she seemed genuine, unlike a lot of women. Her next shots were grouped together center mass on the chest, and one head shot.
He patted her shoulder. “Quick learner.” Devlin turned to the rest of the group. “Nice job everyone.”
After class, Summer stood at the gun counter. “I’d like to purchase the .380, I think. I liked the 9mm too, but its got more kick.
“You learn to anticipate the kick. If you are in a hurry right now, why don’t you come back and take advantage of our trial membership? You get three free visits with the class. After trying all the weapons several times, you can make an informed decision. You need to be very comfortable with the weapon you choose. By the way, did Lissa hand out the application for concealed carry permit along with the certificate of completion?