Lucy McConnell's Snow Valley Box Set

by Lucy McConnell

  When she’d climbed out of the car, the afternoon sun kissed the waves in her hair, and he could have sworn there were gold threads woven in. He’d never thought those kinds of thoughts about a woman before. Sure, he noticed pretty women, dated plenty of them. But not one of them had caused his thoughts to go sappy in an instant.

  He couldn’t even think about what her touch had done to him. Like connecting two live ends of a set of jumper cables, sparks flew through his arm and exploded in his chest. The contact hadn’t lasted long enough to fuse them together, yet he had this driving desire to make this woman his.

  Which was funny, because he didn’t have time to make anyone his—especially someone who lived an hour away. He thought he knew everyone in Snow Valley. She must have moved in in the last few years. He hadn’t been back to see his parents as much as he should have.

  To his credit, he’d built a successful business from scratch with his best friend when the two of them were barely old enough to shave. That takes work. Trouble was, lately he wasn’t as satisfied looking at their profit reports as he should have been. Without someone to share the good news with, the good news rang hollow. That was part of the reason he’d come back to Snow Valley for a few days. He needed to re-center himself, work the cattle with his dad and brothers, and remember that there was life outside of the company.

  “What brings you to Snow Valley?” he asked Veronica. She had spunk, and those long legs had him thinking things his mama would smack his hand for thinking.

  “Work,” she replied with a hesitant grin. He forced his hands to stay in his lap and not reach out and touch her arm. Instead, he cast his eyes around for something else to talk about. Her car was clean. Really clean. Grady checked his work pants for dust and grime. They’d come out of the dryer just this morning, so he should be fine.

  Troy would have been impressed. He was always getting on Grady to keep the trucks in good condition. He wasn’t a neat freak. Reselling the vehicles once they hit two hundred thousand miles was much easier if the cab was in good shape.

  Veronica took them through the streetlight, past Dove’s Grocery Store and several new businesses on Main Street, and headed out to Troy’s family’s shop. “Have you been in Snow Valley long?” he tried again.

  “Long enough to know I love it here.”

  “It’s changed from when I was a kid.”

  “Not in the ways that matter.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder. Oh, Snow Valley had changed a whole lot if she lived here. And if the pounding in his chest was any indication, then she mattered.

  They pulled into one of the two empty parking spots at the shop. Martin & Son Garage hadn’t changed at all. The same brown brick wrapped the building. The same two garage doors were open for business. The same glass door waited for customers. Grady’s truck was off to the side with several other vehicles waiting for repair. There were a couple new SUVs too.

  “Let’s go see what the damage is.” Veronica slid one of her long legs out of the car.

  Grady enjoyed watching her unfold from behind the wheel and lengthen into a lean and beautiful sight. She was a head shorter than him—tall for a woman. Most of the women he dated were barley five-foot-six, with much less personality than this saucy girl who pulled over to rescue a stranger. Veronica had a confidence that made it easy to relax around her—he could use more of that in his life. With any luck, he’d be able to take her out while he was in town and make the most of the three days he had off.

  His luck had gotten him this far—so there was hope.

  Chapter 3

  Ronnie walked a step ahead of Grady, as if she could scare away any chance of him finding out who she was by bursting through the glass door first and yelling, BOO! She turned around and walked backwards in front of him for a couple steps. She grinned, he reached out as if he were going to put his hand on her hip and then pulled quickly away, fisting it by his side. Too soon his face betrayed his silent reprimand. Ronnie spun around easily, just in time to stop herself from running into the building.

  “Don’t forget our deal,” Grady said as they walked, his hand finding her lower back and warming her to the core. “I’m planning on buying you dinner.”

  She smiled over her shoulder. “I’m going to hold you to that.”

  He pulled the door open for her, and Candace greeted them with a smile. “Hey, did you get your rims already?”

  “Naw, but I picked up a project.” She leaned into Grady, who was standing awfully close to her back, enjoying the solidness of his build. Like some fictional hero who stood heads above the mortals around him, he radiated hot confidence.

  Candace cocked her head as she took in the two of them. Ronnie prayed her sister would keep her mouth shut for just a little longer. Just two more minutes with this guy’s hand on her back and she could re-enter reality.

  “Ronnie!” Dad bellowed as he came through the metal door from the shop. “What’s with towing in a truck without calling first?”

  Ronnie sucked in a breath. It just got real. She trained her eyes on Dad, taking in Grady’s reaction out of the corner of her eye. His chin went back and he looked from Dad to her and back again. She couldn’t face Grady straight on. She didn’t want to remember disappointment, shock, or horror on his face as he realized he’d been flirting with his business partner’s little sister. Such images could interrupt her daydreams of his cocky half-smile and the way he’d flirted with her.

  “I hope you didn’t promise the moon to this guy.” Dad stopped when he saw Grady standing behind her. “Hey. It’s good to see you, young man.”

  Young man? Grady was thirty-four. Ronnie was twenty-seven and fully aware of their six-year age difference. Aware and unconcerned. Aware and unconcerned but not naive enough to believe Grady might have a few reservations. Reservations that started and ended with her brother, some dumb rule guys have about dating a guy’s sister, and the fact that his mom had been one of the first people to hold her little sister when she was born.

  “Ronnie?” Grady said low and confused. His hand dropped away, and he stepped around her to shake Dad’s hand, chilling her as surely as the first hint of winter had blown through town this week. He eyed her warily. “I thought you said your name was Veronica.”

  “It is.” Ronnie tucked her hair behind her ear. “But my dad calls me Ronnie.”

  “Me and everyone else around here.” Dad put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed, his chest puffed out with fatherly pride. “She’ll take over the place one day.”

  Grady added more space between them, and Ronnie’s hope that he’d see her as more than a grease monkey or little sister sank like a lug nut in a pan of oil. “You’ll have to change the name of the shop to Martin & Daughter.”

  “Snow Valley is used to us—no need to change a thing,” Dad replied.

  Ronnie rolled her eyes. “We’re having Dad’s MO put on our business cards.”

  “You don’t change perfection.” Dad squeezed her closer. “This one wants me to paint the waiting room pink.”

  Ronnie felt her neck flush and avoided looking at Grady. Any chance she had of him being impressed with her was dripping away like oil in a loose oil pan. “I was eleven.”

  “You still want me to repaint.”

  Ronnie poked him in the belly. “Because it hasn’t been done since you were eleven.”

  Dad scrunched his nose in reply and dropped his arm, allowing Ronnie to escape. She made her way around the counter to check the work orders and see when she could get a free bay. She kept her head down, her eyes on the black and white checkered tile. When she got up the nerve, she snuck a look at Grady. His lips were pressed tightly together, and his hands were so deep in his pockets he could pull up his socks.

  “So that’s one of your and Troy’s trucks?” asked Candace.

  Grady’s attention shifted to Candace. “Sure is. We’re expanding into smaller jobs. Lots of ranchers need help hauling cattle to auction next week.”

  “That’s
smart business,” said Dad. He threw his thumb over his shoulder. “I’ve got to get back to it, but Ronnie will take good care of you.”

  Grady choked, making Ronnie wonder what, exactly, he thought Dad meant.

  Dad opened the metal door, filling the waiting room and reception area with the sound of drills, men shouting to be heard, and an engine lumbering away. The noise disappeared again with a small click of the latch.

  Ronnie put on a brave smile. There was still a small, slim, tiny chance that she could salvage some of the attraction between them—all she would need was a coconut, hairpins, pennies, and saltwater. No wait, that was recipe for a battery charger. Hey, if it worked for the Professor, maybe it would work for her and Grady.

  Grady watched her as she flipped back and forth between pages. If he had any idea the direction her thoughts were skipping about, he’d think she was crazy. He stepped back and turned to the side to read the signs that hung on the walls. Just having him in the same room made it difficult for her pulse to find a steady beat. After a few minutes, he stopped in front of the desk.

  “It’s Candace, right?” Grady asked. “You’re Troy’s other little sister.”

  Ronnie cringed inside. She had officially hit little sister status AKA un-date-able, AKA do-not-touch, AKA I-will-never-kiss-you status. Her heart finally found a beat—a sad bluesy one with a lot of bass guitar.

  “Yep—and you’re Troy’s best friend,” replied Candace. She stood tall, obviously proud. If Ronnie didn’t love her so much, she’d lock her stunning baby sister in the supply closet where Grady would never lay eyes on her perfect body and Meghan Trainor hair.

  “We prefer the term business partner,” Grady said in a deep, manly voice that was like swimming in a vat of warm chocolate.

  Totally storing that away for future daydreams! That voice could whisper in her ear and she’d have all the will power of a vat of warm chocolate. She leaned against the counter. “Do they make business partner necklaces? Business and Partner on two halves of a broken circle.” She penciled in Grady’s name on the schedule.

  Candace lifted an eyebrow at Ronnie’s tone or comment, or maybe it was at both. Ronnie ignored her and pasted on a fake smile—fully expecting Grady not to get her joke.

  “They do,” Grady replied, deadpan. “Only it wasn’t a circle it was a truck. Troy got the engine end because he handles all the mechanic work.”

  Ronnie could have clapped her hands at his reply. “Which means you got the back end of the truck.”

  “Could have been worse—we could have gone into ranching.” He leaned forward on the counter.

  “Then you’d be the back end of a cow. Which is better than if you raised donkeys.”

  Grady snorted a laugh.

  Ronnie leaned over the counter too. “You’ll have to tell me where you got them. I’m always at a loss when it comes to Christmas presents for Dad.”

  “I’m afraid they’re backlogged.”

  “Shoot.” She snapped her fingers. “Looks like a tub of gourmet popcorn again this year.” Happy little bubbles filled her with each phrase they traded that brought them closer and closer until his clean smell was stronger than the exhaust perfume that permeated the garage.

  Candace smacked Ronnie’s arm, interjecting herself into the conversation made for two. “You said I could buy him popcorn this year.”

  Grady startled away from the counter. Ronnie leaned back and turned to include her sister. “Fine. I’ll think of something else.” She quickly wrote her address on a sticky note. “Looks like I can work on your truck this afternoon. Yeah?” she asked Candace, who managed their workflow.

  Candace nodded. “We should have a bay open around three. But that means you won’t have time to pick up your tires.”

  Ronnie shrugged like it was no big deal, but she’d watched the online classifieds for months to find a good deal on those AR921s. Didn’t matter—she’d been waiting years to have Grady Owens look at her like she was pretty, and that had finally happened. She’d ride that train until her ticket expired which she hoped hadn’t happened yet. “That’s okay. I can get them next week.” She grabbed a sticky note and wrote down her address. Tucking it in her palm, she made her way around the desk.

  “Where can I take you?” she asked Grady. With each step she took toward him, he took one back until he was pressed up against the glass door. Ten minutes ago he’d practically glued his hand to her back, and now he acted like she was a spider ready to trap him in her web. She bit back her frustrated cry. “You don’t want to hang around here all day, do you?”

  “I’ll text my mom to come get me.” He held up his phone as if it were a shield to protect him from her womanly powers of persuasion. Ha! Little did he know she had a trick or two up her sleeve. “I’m staying on the ranch for the weekend. There’s no rush on the truck.”

  “Great.” She put the sticky note on the front of his hoodie and patted it to make sure it stuck. “You can pick me up at seven tomorrow night. Don’t be late.” She reached for the door handle. Grady sucked against the glass. He was thick, in a good way, there was no way she could get out without brushing him somewhere.

  She managed a sly grin and brushed his side with her hand.

  He stumbled backward, tripping over himself and shoving the door open. Ronnie glided past him, swinging her hips and flipping her hair over her shoulder. She might not have inherited her mom’s curves but she did have long, shiny hair today, and she was willing to work it.

  With a glance over his shoulder to make sure the door had shut, Grady plucked the sticky note off his shirt. “I’m not sure—”

  “Oh.” Ronnie cut him off before he could break their date. “That’s right. You’re new-ish in town. The condos are by the hospital. Just drive that way and you’ll find it. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She opened the car door and ducked inside.

  “That’s not what I meant,” Grady called.

  Ronnie drove off as if she hadn’t heard him. She wasn’t going to let him back out. They’d had too much fun together to let a little thing like his friendship with her brother get in the way of going out at least once and seeing where the night would take them. And that’s just what she planned on doing. With a firm nod, she headed down to Artisan’s Knack, the vintage clothing store on Main Street. She may not get her fancy rims today, but maybe her guardian angel was still hanging around, and she’d find something fabulous to wear that would knock all thoughts of little sisters out of Grady’s handsome head.

  Chapter 4

  Grady stood, dumbfounded, in the parking lot. He stared after the charcoal G6 as the taillights receded into the distance. Ronnie Martin?

  There was no way the scrawny little girl in overalls turned into that absolutely charming creature. The girl he’d know had followed him and Troy around like a lost puppy. She wanted in on every game of toss, every movie they watched, and got her hands dirty when they had to replace the windshield wiper motor in his old pickup. A smile tugged at his cheek. Her hands were the only ones small enough to get into the space to attach motor. He could still see her gap-toothed smile as she burst with pride. She’d been a cute little kid.

  Ronnie Martin the adult was stunning. Tall, lean, graceful; she’d taken his breath away when she pulled up and offered her help. She was something else too. Something that got under his skin and through his walls faster than he was ready for. Ronnie was … was … funny. That comment about business partner bracelets had flipped a switch inside him, drawn out the guy that used to have fun.

  Somewhere along the way, or more specifically sometime in the last ten years, he’d lost the joy of living. All day long it was work, work, work. He even dreamed about making schedules and filing health insurance forms in his sleep.

  Ronnie was alive in a way that intrigued him, and she called out to him to wake up from the labor and toil coma he’d lapsed into. He stared at the sticky note—an invitation to fun in the palm of his hand. They’d have a great time, he could feel the antici
pation, the bubbles of laughter, and the skin-tingling touches all the way down to his steel-toed boots.

  With a reluctant hand, he tucked the sticky note into the front of his hoodie. No matter how much he wanted—craved—even a little more of Ronnie’s agile mind and natural sunshine, he could not date Troy’s little sister.

  There was an unspoken code between friends. You didn’t date your best friend’s ex, his close female friends, or his sister. It simply wasn’t done. And Grady had worked too darn hard to build this business to throw it all away on a pair of perfect blue eyes and the promise of an enjoyable night out.

  He checked the sticky again for a phone number so he could cancel the date, but didn’t find one. That left him with few options. He could ask Candace for Ronnie’s number—but then she’d want to know why, and he really didn’t want to explain that he’d hit on Ronnie and now had to cancel their date.

  Holy crap! A wave of guilt washed over him. He’d hit on her, laying it on thick with a full court press. Sure, she’d had the idea for the one-date deal, but he’d happily gone along—even reminding her about it before they entered the shop. He didn’t know who she was when he’d admired her long legs and silky hair, but that no was excuse.

  Wait. Wait a second. He hadn’t known who she was, but she had known him. He wrapped his hand around the note, afraid that even tucked into his pocket it might somehow disappear. Ronnie had known who he was, and she’d flirted right back, made the deal, and made sure he would follow through. He bobbed his head, enjoying knowing that a sweet, and gorgeous, woman was interested.

  There was really only one thing he could do in this situation. He’d have to go to her place tomorrow night and explain to her why they couldn’t go out on a date. Surely, once he explained how things worked between guys, she’d see the problems that could come out of them exploring their mutual attraction. Not that he would say he was attracted to her. He’d have to work on that part of the speech ahead of time.