Misters of Love: A Small Town Romance Boxset

by Piper Sullivan

  He let out a weary sigh and though I refused to look at him, I caught a glimpse of his sagging shoulders. “I just meant that I didn’t realize you were getting involved.”

  “Hardly involved,” I snorted. “I brought a dish to a charity potluck, I’m not buying a house and running for office.” This town was as nosy as all the dime-store romance novels suggested. When it wasn’t aimed at me, it was kind of amusing, but being on the other end of Scott’s stare was less so.

  “I didn’t realize.”

  “Why would you? It’s not like we’re friends or anything. Look.” I turned to him, which was a really bad idea because the heated look in his green eyes just about scorched the panties right off my body. “Look, I’m enjoying one night in this town and then I’m gone, all right? Not that it’s any of your business, anyway.”

  He frowned in response but his lips were like granite, never moving from that dissatisfied and disapproving flat line.

  I stood, suddenly bored with this conversation. “Have a nice life, Dr. Henderson.” The drinks were cold and, if nothing else, the old ladies were friendly, so I gave myself a half hour. If things didn’t pick up, I would turn in early for an even earlier departure.

  I didn’t have to turn around to know he was on my heels; his body was so damn big it had its own gravitational field. Next to him, I was no match.

  “I’m sorry. I should have done more to make you feel welcome.”

  I laughed and reached into the pink cooler for an icy beer before turning to Scott. “It’s not your responsibility to make me feel anything other than appreciated in the workplace, and even there I’d settle for mere civility. But that still seems to be too much for you, and that’s fine. I work for you. That’s all—and even that has an expiration date.” The last thing I needed at this point in my life was someone to suddenly start giving a damn and poking into my life. No, thank you.

  “That’s now how things work around here, Stevie. We look after each other—to an almost annoying degree, in fact.”

  That managed to pull another laugh out of me. “I’ve noticed, but I’m not from around here and you don’t need to babysit me. I can handle the old ladies, and the newly married ones, too.” I nodded to the group of men, still congregated in the same spot, only their handsome numbers had grown. “Go have fun with your friends. It seems like you don’t spend much time away from your office.”

  “I could say the same about you.”

  “That’s true, with the small exception being that I don’t know anyone in this town, which means I don’t have anything else to do but work. You were born and raised here, according to Eddy.”

  “You got me there.” His smile was softer this time, more genuine and wistful. “Growing my business has been hard, and I’m wondering if my aversion to assistants has made it harder than it needed to be.” He raked a hand through his hair and laid a grin on me that had me weak in the knees and grateful I was sitting down. And wearing leather boots with no heels.

  “You’ll figure it out.” Or he wouldn’t. Tomorrow was my last day at the office and on Saturday morning, this town—adorable and weird though it was—would be firmly in my rearview mirror.

  “You don’t know that.”

  “Nope, I don’t. But you probably do.” I knocked back half the beer and smacked my lips together. It was cold and had just enough alcohol in it to give me the warm-and-tingleys. “Have a good night.”

  “Where you off to in such a hurry?” Eddy stood right in my path. Her lips matched the bright pink jumpsuit she wore.

  “I’m off to… anywhere else. See ya around, Eddy.” I put a hand on her shoulder and her bony but surprisingly strong fingers wrapped around my wrist.

  “Not before taking a twirl on the dance floor. Scotty, ask the woman to dance.”

  Scott blinked, looking even more stunned than I felt, which left me feeling oddly offended. “Actually, I’m off to the bathroom,” I said inanely, rushing off as fast as my legs would carry me. This town was getting stranger by the minute and as soon as I took a breath, I was getting the hell away from matchmakers and cranky, but sexy veterinarians.

  “He’d better watch out, ‘cause I’m sure they’re already looking for a woman for him.” Conversation stopped when I pushed the door open and I froze.

  “Sorry, I just needed a… minute.”

  The blond smiled wide at me and the two brunettes wore more reserved smiles. “It’s okay, that’s why we’re all in here. Who are you running from?”

  “Don’t mind Hope, she doesn’t realize that not everyone is happy to share every moment of their lives with the entire town.” She stuck her hand out. “Bo.”

  “You run the general store. You have the best snacks.”

  Her smile was wider this time. “Good to know. This is Hope and that’s Mikki, she was new until you arrived.”

  “Hey. I’m Stevie.”

  “Scott’s Stevie?” The blond, Hope, asked with big hope-filled eyes.

  “No, just Stevie.” It was official, the whole damn town was crazy. “I’ll just be… in here.” I made my escape to one of the stalls, but the silence now made it awkward.

  “I know you don’t know us, and if you know Eddy, you probably think we’re crazy as hell.” That matter of fact voice had to be the one called Bo. “But do not underestimate the old ladies.”

  The other two laughed. “I know the serious tone seems a little over the top, but she’s right. You and Scott might not seem like a good match on the surface—”

  “Hope, that’s rude.”

  “Mikki, I’m just trying to be honest with her before she runs outta here thinkin’ she’s free.” Hope knocked on the door. “Stevie, can you just come out, because this door is the ugliest shade of blue ever created and you’re not even doing anything in there.”

  She was right and even though it was very clean, it was still a public restroom. “Fine. But I don’t need a lecture because I’m out of here as of Saturday morning.”

  “You sure?” Bo folded her arms and arched a brow but it was all for show, to let me know I shouldn’t be so sure.

  “That was the deal and, unless I hear otherwise, I’m gone then.”

  “Excellent.” Bo clapped her hands together and jumped off the sink. “Then you can do what you like. But if I were you, I’d keep an eye on them until you have the Welcome to Tulip sign behind you. Those old biddies somehow got me to fall in love with my best friend.” Her smile softened, but her disbelief was real. And new.

  “I appreciate the warning and I promise to be careful.”

  “It’s not about being careful,” she went on, invading my personal space. “Just stay away from Scott. The more they can see it, the more convinced they’ll be that they’re right.”

  “She’s right,” Mikki added with a shrug. “They’re crafty.”

  “I know. Eddy got me here under false pretenses.” I wasn’t all that upset about it; I really hated job hunting.

  “That sucks. I have one part-timer and so does Mikki. Hope just started her own lingerie business, and you don’t look like the retail sort.”

  “I’m not, but thanks anyway.” Yep, this town grew weirder by the second and I was determined to enjoy as much of it as I could before I drove away and this town became like all the others—just a memory.

  Scott

  I’m just here to say goodbye. That’s what I told myself when I killed the engine in the parking lot of the hotel where Stevie had been staying all week. It was barely a hotel, probably not even a motel. Hell, I didn’t even know this place was part of Tulip and I didn’t imagine most other people did either, or else it wouldn’t have escaped the recent town improvement initiatives. This place was a hellhole—and that was putting it nicely. The only saving grace was that there was very little crime in Tulip.

  “Say goodbye and get going.” That was the plan, and I was sticking to it. I’d spent all week thinking about what to do about the Stevie situation and, until the potluck dinner, I had pla
nned to ask her to stick around. But Eddy and the others clearly had me and Stevie in their sights, which meant it was best for her to move on.

  “Hey.”

  Stevie looked up from packing with a blank expression on her face. “Hey. What’s up?” She was just so matter-of-fact as she packed up her life. Again.

  Shit. I hated seeing her like this, all resigned and disappointed, but unwilling to show it. It was almost like she’d been expecting this very outcome from the beginning, which just pissed me off. Not only that she thought she knew me, but also because it meant I was exactly who she had accused me of being—someone who couldn’t see past who she was on the surface. “Going somewhere?”

  “Yep.” She spared me exactly one second for a look before zipping up the small bag on the edge of her bed. “Headed out on the last train out of town.”

  My brows crinkled in confusion. Was this some type of gag, or was she seriously talking like a cowboy from the old west? “Why?”

  “Hard to find jobs in small towns. It’s why no one ever moves to’em.” There was an edge in her voice that hadn’t been there before.

  “You already have a job.”

  She shook her head immediately; there wasn’t a moment of joy or hope. Just disbelief. “As of five o’clock yesterday, my temporary employment expired, so I’m headed off to find my fortune elsewhere.”

  “What?”

  Stevie stopped and looked at me again, annoyance the only emotion on her face. “Was there some word in there you didn’t understand?”

  “No.” I blinked, feeling like the conversation had changed when I wasn’t looking.

  “Okay, then.” She lifted a box onto the bed and rearranged its contents before folding it shut and lifting it once more to set it down beside the open door. When her petite frame unfolded, the top of her head didn’t even reach my chin and I smirked, which she did not appreciate. “Was there something else?”

  No. That was what I should have said. Instead, a whole different set of words tumbled out of my mouth. “The job is yours. For as long as you want it.” If I had been expecting gratitude or happiness, I would have been disappointed.

  She folded her arms over her chest and glared at me. “Why?”

  “You’re good at your job and you don’t annoy me. Much. Plus, those extra hands on field days really help a lot.” I wiggled my fingers and she laughed, rolling her eyes at me. “Good enough reasons?”

  “As long as this has nothing to do with Eddy or the others.”

  “None at all,” I assured her.

  “Thanks. I think I’ll take you up on that job offer.” She smiled and held out her hand until I took it, my own hand swallowing hers up in the process. “I appreciate the personal touch, but you could have just called.”

  She was right, I could have called, but I needed to see her. To make sure she was all right with how things were supposed to play out, I had told myself, but now I knew why I really came. To force myself to do the right thing. “I know, but I have something else I wanted to discuss with you.”

  She backed up, suddenly uneasy. “I’m not taking a pay cut,” she insisted. Again.

  “What the hell is it with you and pay cuts?” She really had an issue about it.

  “I know how bosses operate. ‘It’s just for a week, Stevie. We’ll be all caught up at the end of the month. Just to get us through this rough period,’” she said, voice pitched low in the tone of her male bosses. “I’ve heard it enough to know that it’s best to be up-front about these things.”

  I accepted that, thinking how much human garbage she must have come across in her young life to be so cynical. So tough. “It’s about your, uh, living arrangements.” That was sloppy, and I didn’t blame her for the outrage gaining steam in her violet eyes.

  She stood a little taller and let her hands drop to her sides, balling into fists before unballing them, and then balling them right back up again. She always looked so tough in her trademark jeans and T-shirts that showed off toned arms. And tattoos. “What about them?”

  “I have a guest house. Actually, it’s more like a carriage house.”

  She held up a hand. “Neither of those words mean a thing to me.”

  “The carriage house is a smaller house located on my property, and it’s unoccupied at the moment. Plus, it’s about a quarter mile, give or take, from my house. If you’re interested.” That was clumsy as hell, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she said no on principle alone. But housing wasn’t cheap and I knew how much she made.

  “I’m not sleeping with you to keep my job, Scott.”

  What will get you to sleep with me? I couldn’t ask her that, of course, especially minutes after offering her a job. But there was no harm in thinking it, was there? “If we’re going to work together, Stevie, you’ll need to work on your negativity.”

  “What negativity? It’s pragmatism, that’s all.”

  I laughed at her quick wit. Even if she was a little more tempting than I’d like, her smart mouth would ensure we stayed nothing but friends. “If that’s what you need to believe, sure. But sleeping with me is not part of your work contract or your rental agreement. Got it?”

  She nodded. “How much?”

  I quoted her the same price as the last tenant and her violet eyes went round in surprise.

  “Then you’ve got yourself an assistant.” Relief showed on her face, but I had a feeling it would take months, maybe longer, before she got comfortable around here.

  “Excellent. You want to drop your stuff off at the carriage house, or get a celebratory drink at Black Thumb?”

  She snorted a laugh. “You guys really go all out with this whole flower theme, don’t ya?”

  I picked up the box and took it to the truck parked right in front of her room. “This town likes to be consistent, and themes are the kind of consistency that tourists appreciate. And we appreciate tourist dollars.”

  She nodded, a mischievous tilt to her lips. “What do the tourists have to say about beer at the Black Thumb?”

  “It’s ice cold, and the food is good and greasy.” She didn’t seem to be a prissy kind of girl, another strike against her being my type, because I preferred my women on the extreme side of girly. Stevie was the opposite—a grownup tomboy, really.

  “Now you’re just trying to butter me up.” She lifted her two bags and strode to the truck, jumping inside and moving around capably. More than someone her size should be able to.

  “Need a hand?”

  “I got it. Just drive a little on the slow side, since I don’t know where I’m going and this town is so Podunk even my GPS can’t get around.” She wasn’t just a tomboy, no—it was worse. Stevie was a curmudgeon. “What’s so funny?”

  “You. You’re like a grumpy old man. It’s hilarious.”

  She narrowed her violet gaze at me and jumped down from the truck, yanking the sliding door down with her. “You’re not funny, and don’t think that I’m gonna laugh because you’re my boss.”

  “Of course not. You’ll laugh because I’m funny as hell.” Her lips twitched, but her iron will wouldn’t let the smile win. “The time will come. I’m not worried.”

  “Neither am I.” She gave me a long look, licked her lips and turned to get in her car.

  “Who’s driving the truck?”

  “Me. After I hitch it to my car. Duh.”

  I shook my head at this crazy woman, thankful she was an excellent assistant and even more thankful she wasn’t my type.

  So very thankful.

  Stevie

  “I’ll have a shot of tequila and your best brown ale.” Just because I agreed to have a drink with Scott, my boss, didn’t mean I would let him buy my drinks. The guy was already giving me a pretty good deal on rent—okay, it was a damn good deal—and the last thing I needed was to feel indebted to him. “And two pitchers for the rowdy bunch in the back.”

  The owner, Buddy, who I’d been introduced to earlier, leaned on the bar with his forearms exposed, fla
nnel sleeves pushed up to just below his elbows. “What are you doing with the likes of them?”

  “Isn’t it obvious? I’m drinking.” At least I would be as soon as the tap finished filling up my glass.

  “You know what you’re doing?”

  It was sweet of this big gruff man to be worried about me. He didn’t know me from Adam but his concern was kind of sweet, which should really be the tagline for this town. “I’ll be all right. Most of them are taken, and I’m not looking. Unless you know something I don’t?”

  “Plenty, I reckon, but they’re all good boys. You’re safe, anyway.”

  That was good enough for me. I wasn’t worried about my safety or my virtue, because I could take care of myself, and since I wasn’t looking for a man or even a bed warmer right now, none of us had anything to worry about. As soon as Buddy slid the glass my way, I knocked it back and took a sip of beer. Now I was ready to face the big group of handsome Hometown Heroes.

  “Wish me luck.”

  “I wouldn’t dare. The wrong ears could be listening and misinterpret it.” Buddy’s smile was warm, but something about it caused a knot of worry to form in my gut. I couldn’t explain it, other than to say that some of the people in Tulip had clearly gotten in my head.

  Luckily for me, carrying two pitchers of beer plus my own tall glass required all of my concentration, so I didn’t have time or brain space to waste on things I couldn’t control.

  “Okay, boys, beer. As promised.”

  “I like her already.” Nate relieved me of one of the pitchers and his brother Jase grabbed the other. “Thanks, Stevie.”

  “No problem.” I took the seat at the end of a long table, across from Scott and next to his friend Derek. “So, who wants to fill me in on the whole Hometown Heroes thing?”

  Silence descended and then all six guys started talking at once. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell her.”

  “Basically, it means we’re sex symbols.” That came from Will, a handsome paramedic with gorgeous gray eyes.