Tags:
Humor,
Romance,
Contemporary,
sexy,
Bella Andre,
sexy romance,
Jennifer Crusie,
Romantic Comedy,
romantic suspense,
funny,
love,
Emotional,
sassy,
Janet Evanovich,
second chance,
romance novel,
fun,
makeover,
Passionate,
lora leigh,
heartbreaking,
jasmine haynes,
endless love,
Victoria Dahl,
fantasy sex,
heart wrenching,
compassionate,
lori foster
and those permits
could materialize. The judge respects your opinion.”
The judge was her friend, and Simone wouldn’t
abuse a friendship, even if she’d believed in Jason’s dreams. She’d
seen pictures of the old hotel in its heyday back in the early part
of the century, before the gold ran out, before the flood and the
fire destroyed most of Goldstone. She’d fallen in love with the
stately winding staircase, the thick carpets covering the hardwood
and the graceful palms in huge pots. Turning it into a resort for
gamblers wouldn’t bring back those glory days. Besides, the people
of Goldstone already had prosperity, of a different kind.
Prosperity of the spirit.
“No one wants a resort here, Mr.
Lafoote.”
“Not even a beautiful young woman such as
yourself?” He licked his thin lips, his gaze touching on her
breasts, then lowering to her bare legs.
He had that eye-touching thing down to an
art, but if he ever laid a finger on her, she’d belt him. His gaze
creeped her out.
“Nope, not even me.”
“A lot of wealthy men would suddenly be part
of Goldstone’s landscape. Powerful men who know how to take care of
a lady.”
Gross. The implication was clear.
“Does that smarmy, rich playboy act work with most women?”
He laughed. It didn’t reach his eyes.
“Simone, you’re the exception to the rule.”
“Maybe it’s because I really don’t need a man
to take care of me.”
He looked left, then right, the length of her
screened-in porch, and finally his eyes rested on the metal siding
of her trailer. “You could do so much better than this. I could
even see to it that you had a job at the hotel. Manager
perhaps.”
With a key to the executive suite? In which
Jason would reside? Not on your life. “I like my trailer just
fine.”
“You’re a jewel buried beneath Goldstone’s
dust. I can help you get out of this loserville.”
The image of this man shining up her jewels
was barfy. The slur on her beloved town just plain got her blood
boiling. “Goldstone didn’t have any losers until you came to
town.”
It was a mean thing to say, but the people of
Goldstone took her in when she hit rock bottom, and she’d never
forget that.
His eyes gleamed. “I like a woman with sharp
claws.”
Ugh. More barfy rhetoric. Would
nothing offend this man enough to make him go away? Obviously not.
Simone took the direct approach. “I won’t talk to the judge for
you. I don’t want a resort. No one wants it. Now I’d like you to
leave.”
He smiled, and the sallow flesh of his face
stretched over his bones. “Someday soon, you’ll change your mind.
About everything. You have my card for when you do.”
What did that mean? It brought to mind more
yukky images. She’d thrown his card out almost as soon as he’d
given it to her.
“I won’t change my mind.” Neither would the
judge. Della would hold up those permits and licenses until Jason
Lafoote expired. Or drove his shiny convertible sports car, which
probably wasn’t even paid for, out of town for good.
“We’ll see. Till we meet again. Toodle-loo.”
He waggled his fingers as he stepped down onto the gravel path.
She wasn’t sure about the man. There was
something dark and reptilian in his eyes. Was he a fool or a
predator?
Though she couldn’t put her finger on what
had changed, with Jason’s arrival and his hard-sell attitude,
something had started to smell a little off in Goldstone.
This time when she went in for the night,
Simone locked her doors.
Chapter Two
An earthquake shook his shoulder, and a voice
blasted his eardrums. “Wake up, Tyler.”
Only his mother and his sister called him
Tyler. Brax cracked one eyelid open. It wasn’t even light yet, and
he was on vacation. “What do you want?”
Maggie wafted a mug of coffee near his nose.
“Carl left a little while ago. I need you to follow him. Get
up.”
He’d doubted his sister’s sanity from the
moment she’d married Carl, a man she met on