Lucy McConnell's Snow Valley Box Set

by Lucy McConnell

  She turned to Troy. He was lounging in his chair, sipping his eggnog like everything in life was hunky-dory. He was the dufus.

  Candace nudged Ronnie in the back. “Say something,” she hissed.

  Ronnie took a deep breath. “That was really sweet, and brave—totally brave—but, um, I’m already in a relationship.”

  “Are you kidding me?” Troy snapped. He pointed at Grady. “All he’s done is mope around the shop for weeks and work his a—” His eyes darted to Mom. “Butt off so he could have enough time to chase after you today. Do you know what we had to do to both get today off?”

  Ronnie stared at him. “And yet no text.”

  “I texted you every day.” Troy slammed his cup down.

  “Yeah, like she was waiting on a text from her brother.” Candace folded her arms and glared at Troy.

  “I was trying to apologize.” He glared at all of them. “I overreacted, and I promised Grady I’d fix it.” He dropped his chin. “Ronnie, I just want you to be safe and happy.”

  Ronnie squeezed her eyes shut. Staying mad was so hard when people said nice things.

  Grady’s grip on her hand tightened, and he jumped to his feet as though he couldn’t wait one more second. “If you’ll excuse us?” He pulled out Ronnie’s chair and half dragged her to the kitchen, where they could barely hear Candace and Troy snapping at one another and Dad grumbling that someone had better explain what was going on.

  In one swift move Grady spun her around so her back was against the cabinets. With his hands resting on the countertop on either side of her, she was trapped exactly where she wanted to be.

  “Who is this guy?” he demanded. His sharp blue eyes missed nothing as they dove into her gaze.

  She sighed heavily and reached for her phone in her back pocket. With a touch of the button, she pulled up her new screen saver and flipped the phone around to show him the aged vampire pumpkin image. “Alfred is aging rapidly, so I don’t think he’ll be around much longer. Maybe after he exp—”

  Grady cut her off with a hot kiss that sent sparks through her mouth and chest and stomach and all the way to her toes. She dug her fingers into his hair and held on because she was melting faster than her poor pumpkin in the cold weather.

  “I’ve missed you,” Grady breathed.

  “That happens when I go away.”

  “Stop doing that.”

  “I’ll try not to make a habit out of it.”

  “I’d appreciate that.” He kissed her again and then pulled her into his chest and just held her close.

  Ronnie sighed into him. “Is there anything else you want to tell me? Or Troy? Do you need to write a confessional letter to Santa?”

  He chuckled. “No. Well, yes.”

  “That’s commitment right there.”

  He pulled back, tucking her hair over her shoulder and then burying his fingers into her tresses. “I live an hour away and don’t know how I’m ever going to be able to live in Snow Valley.”

  Her eye lids fluttered in pleasure as his fingers kneaded the back of her neck. “I figured that one out.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Okay, then you should know I work way too much. I’m exhausted almost all the time and I eat junk.”

  “Got that too.”

  “Troy and I have talked about bringing in another partner—someone to lighten both our loads.”

  “See? That’s news I could use.” Also, she had no idea he could work magic like that on her neck. If she wasn’t already in love with him, she would be by the time he worked out the perma-knots in her neck.

  He kissed her forehead. “Are we okay? Please say we’re okay—that we can get over this bump and move forward.”

  She sucked in a breath. Maybe she was a sucker for Grady Owens, but he was a good guy. He wanted to be with her, wanted it enough that he was making major changes in his life and his business—looking beyond this week or the next. He was looking at forever. “We’re okay.”

  He kissed her once, twice, again and again, his smile breaking them apart each time. “I told my mom I was bringing my girlfriend to Thanksgiving dinner tonight.”

  She looked down. “That’s kind of a big jump in our relationship.”

  “More so than a screensaver girlfriend.”

  “Too true.”

  He hooked his finger under her chin and tipped her face up. For a whole minute, he stared into her eyes, drinking her in and telling her all sorts of wonderful things. His fingers traced her cheekbone as he said, “I love you, Ronnie. I love that we have a history together. I love that when I look back on my life, you’re in some of the best parts. I love that our families already know each other, and I love the way you keep me on my toes and laugh with me, and when you’re gone … all I can think about is being with you again.”

  Ronnie swallowed against the lump in her throat.

  “Say something, sweetheart. I’m dying here.” He kissed her forehead.

  “My mind went totally blank.” She blinked several times.

  “Let’s rewind and try again.”

  Her head was finally catching up with what he’d just said. Grady loved her. He loved her because she was his match and he was hers. No one got her humor—but he did! He got it, and he played with her and he flirted with her and he made her feel like she was someone special, not just to him, but to the whole world. “Aw, our first instant replay.” She smiled and kissed his cheek. “Okay—go.”

  “I love you.”

  She couldn’t stop the smile that climbed into her lips. “I love you, too.” She cocked her head to the side and tugged him down, wanting one of those hot and heavy kissing sessions they’d become so good at. This time, Grady didn’t hold anything back, and Ronnie knew her boyfriend wasn’t just hot—he was smokin’ hot, and he’d fill her life with heat, laughter, and most of all, love.

  His Wedding Date Fake Fiancée

  A Return to Snow Valley Romance

  When Chloe Winston finds herself crushing on her business partner, she tamps down the flame of attraction. Falling for Troy Martin could spell disaster for their business. But, when Troy needs a fake fiancee for his sister’s Christmas wedding, Chloe agrees to fill the role, if only to show him what he’s been missing out on all these months. Little did she know that her eyes would be opened to the joys of spending the holidays surrounded by family in the heart of Snow Valley.

  Troy isn’t looking for the love of his life, heck, he isn’t looking for love at all—a fact that grates on his mother’s last nerve. In order to avoid yet another lecture about the necessity of marriage for life-long happiness, he makes up a fiancee. Chloe is perfect because she doesn’t pose a threat to his bachelorhood. But when she shows up in a red dress that would stop traffic and gives him a kiss that stops his heart, he can’t help but wish she was his fiancee for real.

  In order to keep Chloe in his life, Troy will have to come clean and risk alienating his tight-knit family. He’s not the only one risking something though. Chloe has to be willing to turn her heart over to the guy she’s been protecting it from for months.

  Things heat up between them but they’re going to need more than mistletoe to get out of this one.

  Chapter 1

  February 16th (Or as Troy’s sister, Ronnie, put it, the perfect day to tell the whole world she was getting married.)

  Troy

  Troy Martin, business owner and lead mechanic for GT Trucking, tossed the résumé on his desk and leaned back in the squeaky chair. There was oil or grease on every inch of it except the squeak—sometimes, that’s how life happened.

  He looked across the piles of paperwork and invoices at the woman sitting across from him in an only slightly cleaner chair. Hey, when you run a trucking company, you can’t be expected to change clothes just to take care of a little office work. Man, he hated office work! Which was why there was a woman sitting in his office—a place that wasn’t at all in need of a female influence. The bare blinds we
re functional and didn’t need curtains. The cement floor was fine without an accent rug. But what they did need was cash for a new truck, and that meant bringing in a new partner.

  Chloe Winston had cash. He didn’t know where it came from—that wasn’t any of his business. What was his business was why she wanted to invest in GT Trucking. He and Grady were supposed to interview her together, but as per usual, Grady wasn’t around. At least today, he had a good reason.

  “I’m sorry Grady isn’t here; tonight’s his engagement party.”

  “That’s exciting.” Chloe didn’t get the starry-eyed look Troy had come to expect when he mentioned anything about the engagement or the pending wedding to a female. She lifted her no-rim glasses, her fingers splayed out like peacock feathers. “And it’s okay that he’s not here. I’ve already met him.”

  Grady was the one who’d brought up interviewing Chloe. Apparently, Chloe’s dad jumped Grady’s truck in their apartment complex a couple months back when the battery died. They’d formed a friendship of sorts, Chloe’s dad being a trucker and Grady owning a trucking company they had a lot in common. Although Grady wasn’t any good under a hood. It was a good thing his future wide was a mechanic—Grady always seemed to be in car trouble.

  “Right. So, tell me why you want to be a part of GT Trucking.” Troy mentally gagged at how cheesy that sounded. He wasn’t some CEO of a Fortune 500 company. She probably thought he was a pompous turd brain.

  Chloe tugged at the bottom of her plaid flannel shirt. Her jeans and running shoes weren’t exactly impressive interview clothes. Then again, if she’d shown up in a tight skirt, he would have mentally dismissed her as a possible partner. They needed someone with office smarts, but whomever they brought in would have to be okay with the smell of oil in the morning and exhaust fumes in the shop.

  “My dad drove truck. When my mom died, he pulled me out of school and took me on the long haul.” She ran her hand up the inside of her forearm. “I have 5W-30 oil running through my veins.” She smiled wide, revealing one slightly crooked bottom tooth. It wasn’t that noticeable, but for some dumb reason Troy was staring at her mouth.

  She continued, “When Grady mentioned to my dad that you guys were looking for a partner so you could expand the business, he said he was too old to start over and gave me—” Her eyes widened slightly and she amended whatever she was going to say. “A push to give it a try.”

  “Did he write your résumé too?” Troy tried to tease. The moment the words were out, he wished he could bring them back. Teasing was the way of life in his family and a knee-jerk reaction, but he shouldn’t be giving Chloe a hard time. Still, her résumé was so praiseworthy he should have asked if Pastor John typed it up.

  She shook her head, embarrassed. “My dad’s always been my biggest fan.” The movement made her frizzy strawberry blonde curls bounce. Man, that was a lot of hair piled on top of her head. And freckles—she had them everywhere. It was probably a good thing she’d been homeschooled out of a truck cab. His junior high football buddies would have teased her relentlessly.

  He pulled his gaze away from her hair. It didn’t matter to him what she looked like as long as she got the job done and had enough money for another truck.

  “I want to be around when he’s not on the road, so this would be a good move for me.”

  “Good.” She valued family. His family was a giant pain in the socket wrench lately with wedding plans, and the wedding wasn’t until December. He’d sucked it up so far, figuring that’s what happens when your lifelong best friend proposed to one of your little sisters. Seeing them so sickeningly sweet together was driving him mad. As if it wasn’t bad enough to catch them in total lip-lock every five minutes, they were both so dang happy—and just loved him so much—that they wanted him to be stupid happy in love too. He refused. Someone had to keep their head on their shoulders while everyone else developed wedding fever.

  Mak, one of their drivers, poked his head into the office. “Hey, boss. My truck won’t start.”

  Troy hopped to his feet. “Sorry, but a sitting truck is lost money.” He waved for Chloe to follow him out. “You can take a look around while I check this out.” And he could see how she reacted to Mak. The guy was more than rough around the edges.

  Chloe pushed off the arms of the chair. “Sounds like a plan. Want me to look at the truck?”

  While he and Grady were partners, the shop was his domain. Troy’s dad owned the only mechanic shop in Snow Valley, and his teething ring had been a torque wrench. “Thanks. I got it.” He pushed through the door and was three steps away before he remembered all those lessons his mom gave him about holding doors for women. Instead of turning back and doing it right, he justified his actions with the fact that treating her like one of the guys was a good thing.

  The shop was big enough for up to five trucks, but they only had one inside at the moment. Mak’s rig was used for hauling road base for the local quarry. They had a year-long contract to haul loads up to the housing development on the outskirts of Billings. Those kinds of contracts were their bread and butter, and he’d like to have more of them. That’s why they needed Chloe’s buy-in to the company. Her funds would pay for the new truck right out. No payment meant all profit. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, wondering where she’d gotten the money to invest anyway.

  Chloe let out a low whistle. “This place is shiny.” She scuffed her shoe on the sealed concrete floor.

  It had taken Troy over a week to seal the concrete and achieve that shine. He was particular about keeping it clean and didn’t mind saying so. “The office is kind of a mess, but out here, there’s a place for everything and everything has a place.” He gestured towards the shelves where things like battery chargers and coiled electrical cords waited for use. “I expect the tools to be treated with respect. They aren’t here to beat on.” He puffed out his chest. Some of those wrenches had been birthday gifts from his parents, and the big toolbox on the end was his graduation present. His dad had taught him to make things last, and now that he was the owner, he understood why that lesson was so important to learn.

  “Got it.”

  Her eyes lingered on the equipment, and he thought about how long and graceful her neck was from this angle. It was strange to think of her like that—especially since she wore clothes that hid her curves. He was sure she had them under all that flannel, but she wasn’t flaunting them. That was another bonus for her. He didn’t need a distraction—he needed to work.

  He called himself an idiot for thinking that way and hurried ahead to the truck. The hood was up, blocking the view out the front window. Mak sat sideways in the cab, his big ol’ boots dangling out the open door so he could watch Troy’s hand signals. When the engine was on, they wouldn’t be able to hear one another.

  “Okay, start her up.” Troy spun his finger around in the air.

  The lights came on, but nothing happened.

  Troy cocked his head and took a step closer to listen for a clicking sound. “Try again.” This time the engine started, but there was a rattling noise—like a penny in an empty soda can. He sliced his hand across his throat and Mak cut the engine.

  Troy climbed up the movable steps on the side of the truck. He’d just decided to test the battery when Chloe handed him the tester. It had been on the shelf he’d pointed out earlier. Good for her for knowing what it was, and even better for her knowing when to use it. “Thanks.”

  She hurried back down the steps; the small platform at the top wasn’t meant for two people.

  Travis hooked it up and watched the needle. “It’s good.” He ran his hands down his pants. “Must be the starter.” Fine. A starter wasn’t that hard to switch out, and he had one in the storage room.

  Chloe climbed up the steps again. She leaned past him and hooked a clamp on the alternator.

  “It’s the starter,” he told her a little more firmly, ignoring the way their bodies brushed in the limited space. Maybe she hadn’t heard
him, but that was unlikely.

  She nodded, those reddish curls swinging against her cheek. “Yeah, I heard the clanging. The starter’s not disengaging. But—” She flipped the on switch on the alternator gauge and turned the front to face him; the gauge was in the yellow—12.6 instead of the 14.5 it should have been putting out. “A bad alternator can burn out the starter.”

  Mak smacked his pant leg. “Well, I’ll be a monkey in a—” He finished the phrase colorfully. Troy cringed.

  Chloe didn’t comment on Mak’s choice of words. She turned off the gauge and unhooked the clamp.

  Troy could be stubborn and demanding—skills that had earned success in this business—but he also knew intelligence when he saw it. Had they put in a new starter with a bad alternator, it too would have burned out. He stuck out his hand. “Welcome to GT Trucking.”

  She grinned, spreading freckles to kingdom come. They shook on the deal, and he felt a jolt of lightning shoot up his arm and fracture across his chest. He let go quickly and was acutely aware of how close their bodies were on the platform.

  Brushing past her, his arm grazing her side and his mind registering the fact that she did have curves her flannel shirt hid well, he hurried down the steps. “I’ve got to get going or I’ll be late for the party. We’ll fill out the paperwork tomorrow.”

  “Sounds good to me.” She lifted her glasses again, her fingers splayed. The movement was too delicate for someone as garage as Chloe. “I’ll stick around and put in the new alternator and starter.”

  Troy panicked at having someone else in his shop, using his tools. This was his space. Just ask his sisters: he didn’t share well. “You don’t have to do that.” Her pink lips opened, but he held up a hand. “It’ll go faster when I’m here to show you where everything is.”