To Catch A Player
A Second Chance Romance
Piper Sullivan
Copyright © 2020 by Piper Sullivan
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Also by Piper Sullivan
Small Town Protectors Series
Cold Hearted Love, Book 10
Sexy Small Town Sheriff Tyson was everything I shouldn’t want in a man.
But I did.
It wasn’t my fault I found the bossy lawman thing hot.
In my defence he kissed me first, I just…submitted.
We were all wrong for each other, but the thought of not seeing him again...
Impossible.
Somewhere along the way my enemy became something more.
He became my everything.
Hero Boss, Book 9: An Office Romance
Dr's Orders, Book 8: A Single Mom Romance
Mastering Her Curves, Book 7: A Curvy Girl Romance
Kissing My Best Friend, Book 6: A Fake Relationship Romance
Undesired, Book 5: A Best Friend's Brother Romance
Wanting Ms Wrong, Book 4: A Second Chance Baby Romance
Loving My Enemy, Book 3: An Enemies to Lovers Romance
Bad Boy Benefits, Book 2: A Roommate Hero Romance
Hero In My Bed, Book 1: A Roommate Hero Romance
Accidental Hookups
Accidentally Hitched: An Accidental Marriage Romance (Accidental Hookups Book 1)
Accidentally Wed: An Accidental Marriage Romance (Accidental Hookups Book 2)
Accidentally Bound: An Accidental Marriage Romance (Accidental Hookups Book 3)
Accidentally Wifed: An Accidental Marriage Romance (Accidental Hookups Book 4)
Boardroom Games
His Takeover: An Enemies to Lovers Romance (Boardroom Games Book 1)
Sinful Takeover: An Enemies to Lovers Romance (Boardroom Games Book 2)
Naughty Takeover: An Enemies to Lovers Romance (Boardroom Games 3)
Standalones
Stranded: A Mountain Man Romance
Dating the Doctor: A Single Dad Romance
Dr. Daddy Next Door: A Single Dad Romance
Cowboy's Fake Fiancée: A Single Dad & A Virgin Romance
Cowboy's Barmaid: A Small Town Military Romance
Let's Pretend : A Fake Fiancée Romance
I’ll Pretend : A Fake Fiancée Romance
Boxsets & Collections
Misters of Pleasure: A Small Town Protectors Boxset
Daddies & Nannies: A Contemporary Romance Boxset
Cowboys & Bosses: A Contemporary Romance Boxset
Kiss Me, Love Me: An Alpha Male Romance Boxset
Accidentally On Purpose:An Accidental Marriage Boxset
Small Town Misters: A Small Town Protectors Boxset
Contents
1. Reese
2. Jackson
3. Reese
4. Jackson
5. Reese
6. Jackson
7. Reese
8. Jackson
9. Reese
10. Jackson
11. Reese
12. Jackson
13. Reese
14. Jackson
15. Reese
16. Jackson
17. Reese
18. Jackson
19. Reese
20. Jackson
21. Reese
22. Jackson
23. Reese
24. Reese
25. Jackson
26. Reese
27. Jackson
28. Reese
Excerpt: Misters of Pleasure
Also by Piper Sullivan
About the Author
Reese
“Well? What do you think?” I sat opposite Rafe inside a booth at my restaurant, just as the lunch rush started to die down.
Rafe licked his fingers with a satisfied smile, taking his sweet time for no other reason than he knew it would torture me. After sucking each digit clean, he made use of the moist toilette that came with his half rack of rib and chicken platter.
“Do I taste pineapple in there?”
I nodded excitedly at the mention of my favorite topic, barbecue sauce. The Tulip County cook-off was exactly six weeks from Saturday, and I had a title to defend. Not the big title - not yet anyway - but just a little thing called ‘The Best Damn Sauce in Texas’ award, thank you very much. And I needed something new and original this year.
“Yeah,” I told him. “Rum, pineapple juice, and unsweetened coconut flakes, along with all the other usual suspects.”
Rafe leaned back in the booth and patted his rock-hard midsection that was the result of a combination of his work as the Fire Chief and the time he spent in the gym.
“You’re too good to me, woman. I’d add a pinch of something spicy and smoky, to bring it out more in the meat. Otherwise, it’s perfect.”
“Thanks.” Who would have thought that Rafe, the guy every girl in school wanted, and me, the girl everyone ignored, would become friends as adults? As a pair, we were about as unlikely as they came, but he’d been a good friend over the past few years. “Worth the free food?” I teased, jotting down a few spices to test out later.
“Worth the anxiety that it might taste terrible.”
I laughed, not caring if we drew stares. Or more gossip. “When was the last time anything I made tasted terrible?”
He leaned in and flashed that handsome smile that had three different tables of women lingering in hopes of capturing his attention. “I’ve got two words for ya, Reese: pickle juice.”
I groaned at the reminder. “It was on trend, I had to try it out.”
He shivered dramatically, face twisted into a scowl. “I still regret it, but otherwise, you have not disappointed. Keep it up.”
“Thanks. And you’re awful smug for being one of the last two Hometown Heroes standing. I would’ve thought you might be a bit more… worried.”
Eddy, Betty, Elizabeth and Helen ate lunch here a few times a week and they were always good for a laugh, not to mention the lowdown on all Tulip gossip.
Rafe shrugged, but he couldn’t hide the tension that showed around his eyes. “Nothing I can do about what they’re up to. All I have to do is not fall for any of their tricks.
“That easy?”
He laughed nervously and slid out of the booth. “I didn’t say that. I just said it was all I had to do.”
That pulled another laugh from me and I stood, too, cleaning the table as a big group of tourists stepped inside. “Well, good luck to you, and be safe out there.”
“You don’t have to say that every single time, Reese.”
I looked up with a frown. “Of course I do.” It was terrifying being close friends with someone with such a dangerous job. In a way, I pitied the woman who fell for Rafe. “See you tomorrow.”
He gave a casual wave, dropped an unnecessary tip on the table, and strolled out of my little restaurant with a smile plastered on his face. That was Rafe in a nutshell, totally unaffected by people’s view of him. I envied that about him, because until a few years ago it was pretty much all I thought about.
These days, the only stress in my life was Reese’s Famous BBQ. My very own barbecue joint, where I was responsible for the quality, the taste, and the way the business was run. Whether it succeeded or failed
was totally up to me—and that was just how I liked things, perfectly within my control.
“Hey, Maven. I’m back, so let me know what you need.”
The twenty-year-old part-timer flashed a beaming smile and nodded. “I need to refill a few things, if you don’t mind handling the counter?”
I nodded and we switched spots. The restaurant was small, only able to sit fifty-four people at full capacity, and that was perfect to me. I didn’t need long lines and reservations, not when I had a steady stream of customers who loved my food.
It was exactly what my Aunt Bette had always taught me: Good food was the key to running a good restaurant, and the rest of it was just accessories. It was too bad her health and memory were failing because she would have gotten a kick out of working with me behind the counter. Painting the perfect amount of sauce on the ribs and adding another pinch of salt to everything, because she was convinced I skimped on the salt just to mess with her.
I did.
Aunt Bette taught me everything I knew about cooking, about barbecue and pleasing Texas palates. Hell, the truth was, the woman had taught me everything I knew from the moment she’d taken me in at the ripe old age of four, when my parents had decided to run off in the middle of the night to get married in Vegas and make it official before I turned five. A birthday present for me. It would have been great, really, except they hadn’t even made it out of Texas before getting smashed between two eighteen-wheelers.
From that moment on, it was me and Bette—well, and her husband, my Uncle Cameron. And their five children, too, but a whole decade separated me from their youngest and we never quite bonded. Not how me and Aunt Bette did, and now it was just the two of us.
“All right, boss, I’m back.” Maven bounced into her spot beside me, a sleeve of napkins in her arms. “It’s nice and cool in the back.”
“Guess you’re reconsidering college in Texas right about now?”
She laughed. “Are you kiddin’? I grew up in Alaska, I love this heat!”
“Most people would have gone to Florida or California for college,” I told her, not for the first time. Or the tenth.
“Yeah, but cowboys are a lot harder to find in Florida and California. I wanted an abundance of cowboys. More than I can handle.”
“You’ve got that in spades, I’d say.”
“Damn skippy,” she shot back and flashed a bright smile for the elderly tourists with the selfie sticks hanging from their belt loops. “What delicious barbecue can I get for you folks today?”
She was a natural with the customers, and the tourists were charmed as she talked them into ordering dessert before they were seated.
I looked out at the restaurant with a smile. A packed dining room always brought a smile to my face, more so when it happened in the middle of the week. This place was my whole life; my first and only love. And to see it doing so well meant everything to me, especially when there were so many customers that my face ached from smiling.
“What a rush! Thank goodness it’s over.”
Maven smiled and shook her head. “The pits of being the boss.”
“No kidding,” I told her with a satisfied smile that died the instant I saw the Sheriff walk in with Jackson close behind. He was the last person I wanted to talk to—ever, really, but especially today. Right now.
“I’m gonna go check on the sauces. Holler if you need me,” I told Maven before making a quick exit.
Jackson was the last person I wanted to see these days, but it hadn’t always been that way. When he first came to town a few years back, I was ambivalent. Well, ambivalent and attracted, because not only did Detective Jackson Slater have that whole mysterious-stranger thing going on, he also had the dark, brooding looks to back it up—thick, dark brown hair that he wore just long enough that you see it curl, and hazel eyes that had big gold flakes in them. It was easy to see why he’d had all the women in town in a tizzy. But that ambivalence had fostered a small crush that had persisted for years until one night about a year ago, when my passion and my curiosity had been satisfied.
Well satisfied.
But it had also been a mistake. A big one that I had no intention of repeating. Ever. So, I kept my distance and eventually, finally, he’d gotten the hint. Mostly.
He also had the distinction of being the reason I kept my focus on work. Not the only reason, but one of them, and it had paid off. Two of my barbecue sauces had won awards throughout the state, and I was thinking of entering the retail game. But that was a thought for another time, when my chipotle bourbon sauce wasn’t about to burn.
“Yo, Boss, the Sheriff wants a minute of your time.”
I let out a long, slow sigh to hide how badly she’d startled me, and then I turned. “Any idea what it’s about?”
“He asked for a catering menu earlier, so maybe that. You coming?”
I nodded and when Maven was gone, I gave myself a few more moments to get my emotions in check. Then, I smacked a smile on my face and went to talk business.
“Afternoon, Sheriff.” Even though I’d grown up in Tulip and had gone to school with Tyson, we weren’t close and greeting him with his title felt appropriate.
But it always made him smirk. “You can just call me Tyson, you know that, right?” I nodded and he shrugged, giving it up. For now. “Do you have time for a chat?”
My glance bounced from the sheriff to Jackson, both men so large they took up an entire booth meant to seat four people. “Sure, what can I do for you?” I pulled out my notepad and pen, waiting for him to tell me what he wanted.
“We’re hosting some police training this weekend. I know it’s short notice, but I’m hoping you can make lunch for thirty on Saturday and Sunday?”
It was easy work and the pay would definitely make it worth the extra time. “Not a problem. Just get the menu back to me by the end of the day. I go shopping tomorrow.”
He blinked confused green eyes up at me. “That’s it?”
“Did you want something else?”
“Can we get some of those German chocolate cakes? Best damn chocolate cake I ever had.” Jackson patted his flat belly in a move that echoed Rafe’s from earlier—the only difference was my reaction.
“Mark down how many on the menu and it’ll be taken care of. Anything else?”
Tyson’s lips curled into a reluctant smile and he shook his head. “That’s it, Reese, thanks. What time should we pick it up?”
“Let me know what time lunch is served and I’ll have it delivered.” It was a service I offered when I could, especially to business customers because it gave them a reason to keep ordering.
“Thanks, Reese.”
“No problem, Sheriff. Happy to help.” With an expression that was meant to be a smile but felt more like a grimace, I tucked the pen behind my ear and walked back to the kitchen, sucking in a deep breath and…
“Oh no!” The scent of burnt sugar and bourbon went right up my nostrils, making me cough. “The sauce.”
Damn you, Jackson.
Jackson
“What was that all about?”
Tyson smirked over his mountain of barbecue chicken and fries, the tiny bowl of coleslaw looking ridiculous in his big hands.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” It was a miracle that no one in town had managed to find out about my night with the pretty cook. A testament to how deeply Reese regretted it. It was too bad, really, because it had been one hell of a night. Definitely one worth repeating, but when I’d gotten back to town, she’d given me the cold shoulder. Hard.
“Yeah, I would. Reese is quiet. Nice to everybody in her way. Everybody except you, and I want to know why.” He folded those big arms over his wide chest and gave me his stern Sheriff look. “Well?”
“You’re not even friends, are you really gonna play the role of her protector now?”
Tyson gave one sharp nod, a sign that I’d learned from working with him for five years meant hell yeah, I am. “Do I need to?”
“N
o,” I sighed. “She’s the one person on the planet immune to my charms, and I like riling her up once in a while.” Whenever I could was more accurate. She was tiny and fierce, and I’d put money on her in a fight against anyone. Most importantly, when Reese was riled up, she was hot as hell. “New topic. Jarrod was spotted in Portland. Maine, not Oregon.”
“Why Maine?”
“Good place to lay low, especially this time of year. Lots of vacation rentals empty, so it could be days before he runs into another person. Weeks, if he has food and supplies delivered.”
He nodded thoughtfully as he chewed, and I took advantage of the quiet to dig into my ribs. Reese the made the best sauce I’d ever had, which only made it doubly tragic that she hated my guts. “How in the hell do you know all that?”
I shrugged. “Spent a lot of my off-time in upstate Wisconsin. And some in Maine, too. Lots of good fishing and hiking.” Working homicide in Milwaukee was nonstop chaos, and I’d spent as much time as I could enjoying being outdoors where it was quiet. Where animals behaved like animals and not monsters.
“Is that where you get off to when you’re not here?” Tyson leaned in, looking a lot like the women who spent afternoons here or at Big Mama’s, plotting world domination. Or something.
“Some of the time. Good hiking in California, and great fishing in Oregon.”
“Hm.” He shrugged and dug back in to his chicken. “They find him?”
To Catch A Player (Second Chance) Page 1
