The closet artist...the wanna-be superhero...
Shy and self-conscious, Irelynn's natural
instinct has always been to withdraw with her sketchbook. The last time
she picked up a paintbrush, however, was the day her father killed
himself.
Now
put in the position as stand-in for her boss, Irelynn must overcome her
wallflower ways and run Hearth Dairy Farm while he's away on vacation. A
twist of fate leaves her short a manager, and ruggedly handsome Holden
Hearth steps in to assist her.
Second son in the Hearth family, Holden
welcomes the chance to spend time in his hometown and confront his
disappointing past, even if it includes a bit of hard labor. He's grown
from a geeky kid with glasses into a successful businessman. Despite
what he went through - enduring the teasing and bullying - he's ready to
show Sweet Home what he's become.
Working at
the dairy brings Irelynn and Holden together, and the attraction is
instant. But as Holden breaks down the personal barriers between them,
uncovering the truth about Irelynn's artistic ability, she resists him
every step of the way....until she, too, decides to confront her past
and come to terms with who she really is.
$3.99 Ebook
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EXCERPT
Copyright 2014 © Jayna Morrow
She turned to make her
way back to her vehicle, when something shiny caught her eye. She tried
not to panic as she stared in confusion at the luxury sports car sitting
in the driveway of the house next door, Garrett’s rental property and
Sparrow’s former home, that should have been vacant.
Concern for her own
safety prickled the hairs at the nape of her neck when a man emerged
from the house. Tanned, toned, and strikingly handsome, he started doing
stretches in his running clothes.
Frozen
where she stood, she desperately pleaded with her body to get into her
car quickly and quietly. She could do this. Surely the man had a reason
for being there. After all, squatters didn’t wear designer workout
clothes and drive sports cars. She needed to read through Gabriel’s
notes again. She had to have missed something about Garrett’s property.
Once she got back to
the dairy, she’d sort it all out. There had to be some employee who
could take time out of his busy schedule to run over there and check the
property in her place. She was in charge, so she could assign this to
someone, too. She had convinced herself she was actually being quite
smart about the whole thing, managing her time wisely. She’d think on it
later.
Right now she needed to
get out of here and call Gabriel. Immediately. She’d taken a few shaky
steps when she heard gravel crunching. The mystery man was on the move.
Their eyes met. He was jogging in her direction. She picked up the pace.
If only she could make it to her car before he did...
And then, as quickly as
her feet could carry her, she stopped worrying about schedules and
checklists and workload delegation. She had a bigger problem at hand.
Making it to safety before this strange man reached her.
She fumbled wildly with
her keys before yanking the driver’s side door open, but even as she
lunged into the seat, praying to God to help her, she felt strong
fingers brush across her shoulder before she slammed the door. The man
cried out in pain and pulled his hand back.
After locking the
doors, she watched as the man shook his injured hand. He brought the tip
of his pointer finger to his mouth and glared at her through the glass.
“Sorry,” she mouthed,
cranking the engine. She shifted into reverse and started to back out.
Then to herself, she mumbled, “Go find another victim, buddy.”
“Wait!”
He waved his uninjured hand and took several steps back to give her
space. Was he trying to show that he meant her no harm? She pressed the
brake and glanced again at the shiny sports car. She cracked the window a
tiny bit. “I’m not going to hurt you. My name’s Holden. I’m one of
Gabriel’s brothers.”
Perfect. She’d just physically injured her boss’s brother.
“Holden
Hearth from Dallas?” She tried to get a clear picture. He nodded. “I’m
so sorry. I didn’t recognize you, and I thought you were a squatter.
That house is supposed to be empty.”
“The
only squatting I do is in the gym with weights.” Then, remembered his
injured finger, held it up for her to view. She rolled the window down a
bit more and squinted. “The nail’s already turning black, but nothing
is broken. I think my chances of survival are pretty good.”
“Again, I am so sorry.”
“And
I’m sorry for frightening you. I should have identified myself before
approaching. It’s just that I already knew who you were and...”
“You know who I am?”
She rolled the window down the rest of the way and allowed him to
approach. Her fear subsided, and now she had the chance to examine him
closer.
He
was as tall as Gabriel, with the same rugged handsomeness but none of
the cowboy side. This Hearth brother had a corporate edge. While
Gabriel’s muscles were farming muscles from hard work, Holden’s heavily
muscled body was built at a gym. He had to be in his thirties. There
were five Hearth boys altogether, and she knew they were all in their
thirties. He looked much younger though, even with the slightest touch
of gray at his temples.
“Irelynn
Rafferty, right?” he asked. His brown eyes twinkled as he talked. If
she had her sketch book handy... “Don’t let me keep you from your work.
If I know my brother, he’s left you with a list a mile long.” She still
hadn’t found her voice to answer. “Are you okay? I didn’t scare you that
bad, did I?”
“Oh no.” She mentally scolded herself for acting so dumb. “I quite often find myself at a loss for words.”
“It’s okay.” He was trying to be understanding, and she appreciated that.
“Yes,
Gabriel left me with his entire workload.” She let her head drop and
cast her eyes downward. “I’m afraid he has very large shoes to fill.
This is going to be a real learning experience for me.” When she looked
back up, she stared right into a pair of the bluest eyes she’d ever
seen, right next to a grin that caused her heart to palpitate.
She was in trouble now.
Her
blonde hair was thrown up in a messy bun atop her head. A style that
was practical for work, but she regretted it right now. And she never
had been the type to wear anything more than powder, mascara, and lip
gloss. At the moment, she only had one of the three on, a touch of
mascara before she zipped out the door to start her day much earlier
than usual.
She
wasn’t the only one staring. He was looking at her as if he saw
something amazing in her eyes. It’s the way she’d always hoped a man
would look at her one day. Surely she was misreading his intrigue.
“You’ve
got an eyelash...right...there...” He gently brushed away the fallen
lash with his blackened fingernail. Yes, she misread him. But what a
sweet gesture.
She
had long way to go in her life before she’d be fit for any man. She
didn’t see that happening anytime soon. “Thank you. Well, I better get
going. The dairy can’t run without me.”
“I’ll let you get on with your work, but try to relax. Work should be enjoyable.”
“Really? I thought work was work.”
“If
you’re passionate about what you do, then it isn’t really work. I heard
that somewhere, and it’s really good advice.” He gave her a cheesy
salute, then stood with his arms crossed as she backed up and turned the
car around. If she followed her true passion, she’d starve. What did he
know?
She pressed the brake once again and rolled down the passenger window.
“Speaking of work? What brings you to Sweet Home?”
He looked momentarily stunned, like he was formulating the best answer. “I’m on vacation.”
“A
vacation to Sweet Home, Texas?” She couldn’t resist this moment of
sarcasm. He set himself up for this. “You must have been drawn in by all
the bright lights and big sights of the Sweet Home metropolitan area.”
His
lips twitched slightly. “If by bright lights you mean stars than shine
brighter than anywhere else and the big sights are those of the
wide-open countryside, then yes. Exactly.”
She blinked several times before carefully choosing her words. “Um, well then, enjoy your vacation.”
She
didn’t wait for his response. She released the brake, pressed the gas,
and steered away from him. Once her Camry rounded the corner, he
disappeared from view.
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