Mountain Charm Read Free Page B

yelled.
    “I tend to get a little crazy when someone trespasses on my property. Leave my family alone and don’t come back!”
    He slammed the door and had to do some fancy maneuvering to get around her car, but within seconds, the only sounds Angelina could hear were Dylan’s squealing tires, Cash’s noisy bark, and her mother’s hearty laughter.

    Dylan Thomas couldn’t believe his luck.
    He should have been white-water rafting down the Mississippi. That had been his assignment until yesterday, when his editor handed him driving directions to Maple Ridge, Tennessee, to do a feature on Appalachian witchcraft.
    He was being punished. He was sure of it.
    It wasn’t as if the mountains weren’t pretty. With his trusty camera strapped around his neck, Dylan had taken some beautiful shots today. He’d even snapped a few with his phone and sent them to his mom back in Nashville. The country was gorgeous, but to live there for any extended period of time would require plenty of alcohol and quite possibly, a lobotomy.
    Throughout the day, he’d heard nothing but wonderful things about the Clarks. The mom was a sweetheart, no doubt, but the daughter . . .
    Well, the daughter was batshit crazy.
    And beautiful. Really beautiful, with gorgeous blue eyes that seemed to flash with fire. With her long black hair and fiery temper, his attraction had hit him like a cannonball. In that split second, he’d wondered what it would feel like to hold her. To kiss her.
    But then the pretty was replaced with the crazy, and she’d chased him off the porch with a shotgun.
    He wasn’t going to stand for it. He had an article to write. A job to do. And he’d be damned if some redneck witch was going to cost him this assignment.
    Even if she was, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

    “You didn’t call me.”
    As in most small towns, word spread fast in Maple Ridge, and the news that Angelina Clark had chased the snooping reporter off her porch with her daddy’s rifle had caused more than a few chuckles in town.
    Maddie, however, wasn’t laughing.
    “You promised, Angelina.”
    “I know. I’ve apologized repeatedly. I just didn’t think it was a big deal.”
    That was a lie. Angelina knew it would be a big deal to her best friend, which was precisely why she hadn’t called. Interestingly enough, Celia hadn’t said a word about Dylan over breakfast. But she was still laughing—louder than she’d laughed in years. In Angelina’s mind, dealing with the irritating man had been worth the aggravation for that reason alone.
    She’d missed her mother’s laughter.
    Maddie sighed. “You are exhausting! Was he cute?”
    Angelina rolled her eyes and continued dusting the glass case that housed their collection of capos and picks. She mentally noted she’d need to order more before the end of the week.
    “Ang, you have to give me something .”
    “Fine! I suppose, if forced, I’d call him handsome.”
    Maddie arched an eyebrow. “You suppose?”
    Angelina nodded.
    “Don’t get too excited there.”
    “It’s a little hard to get excited when the man is an ignorant ass.”
    Maddie’s grin was mischievous. “That’s why he’s coming to you. He needs to be educated.”
    “Well, I’m not a teacher. He’s going to have to get educated elsewhere.” Her dusting complete, Angelina grabbed her cup of tea from the register and headed toward the office. “Now, if you’re done with the interrogation, I need to make an order.”
    “If only you took your love life as seriously as you take this store!” Maddie yelled, but Angelina ignored her friend and kicked the office door shut behind her.
    To Angelina’s great relief, her partner left her alone, giving her the chance to spend a couple of hours getting caught up on paperwork. She finished the weekly order, worked on some monthly billing statements, and before she knew it, two hours had passed and it was time for lunch. On cue, Angelina’s cell phone