Blue Collar 1
Risqué Renovation
After years of abuse at the hands of her ex-husband, Sandra Jameson flees in search of a new identity. Wandering across the country, she happens upon a small coastal town of Grand Isle, Maine. The quaint little city is exactly what she has been looking for and Sandra, now going by the name of Patreece Warren, sets down roots to begin her new life.
Kade Riley grew up in Grand Isle and has a reputation of being a bit of a ladies’ man. As the local handyman, he is called on by many for various projects. When the new woman in town catches Kade’s eye, he comes to her rescue with his tool box in hand.
Patreece slowly lowers the protective walls she’s built around herself. While the days tick by, their attraction for one another grows until that spark ignites into a flame.
Now, the only thing standing in the way of their future is her past.
Genre: Contemporary
Length: 55,123 words
RISQUÉ RENOVATION
Blue Collar 1
Nicole Morgan
EROTIC ROMANCE
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Erotic Romance
RISQUÉ RENOVATION
Copyright © 2015 by Nicole Morgan
E-book ISBN: 978-1-63258-788-6
First E-book Publication: January 2015
Cover design by Harris Channing
All art and logo copyright © 2015 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
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DEDICATION
I’d like to dedicate this to my readers and any woman out there who has found herself starting over from scratch.
I’d like to offer a special thank you to Tymber Dalton, Tara Rose, Honor James, and Rebecca Joyce for always being there to bounce ideas off of and just be a great colleague and friend.
And as always, this book, as with my others, would not be possible without the support and guidance of the wonderful staff at Siren Publishing.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
About the Author
RISQUÉ RENOVATION
Blue Collar 1
NICOLE MORGAN
Copyright © 2015
Chapter One
The floorboards creaked beneath her feet with every step Patreece Warren took and wallpaper hung loose in several places in the living room. The ad had called the small one-bedroom home a fixer-upper. Looking around, she couldn’t find anything that didn’t need something done to it to at least make it habitable. No “Condemned” stickers decorated the front door, but she figured the little house didn’t have too much time left if someone didn’t get in there and start fixing up the place.
She knew it would take elbow grease and some dedication before the dilapidated house would begin to feel like a home. Most people probably wouldn’t entertain the idea of living in such a place, but Patreece Warren wasn’t most people. In fact, she was anything but.
She turned to the woman showing her the property. “You said the seller is paying closing costs and all fees, right?”
“That’s right. This really is a fantastic opportunity for a first-time homebuyer. You won’t find a deal like this just anywhere.”
Patreece smiled. “I think you’re right. I’ll take it.”
Ms. Michaud’s eyes widened. “You will?”
The place looked to be in such bad shape that the realtor’s reaction really didn’t come as much of a surprise to Patreece. Even with the place being old and dingy she reminded herself that even diamonds needed polishing in order to shine.
“Yes, I will. I know it will take some time to get this place into shape, but I’ve always enjoyed a challenge. Besides, how can I pass up a steal like this? No sense in spending money when I can save a little, right?”
The house had only one bathroom, a small living room and an even tinier kitchen. Even with its less-than-adequate size, it would be just the right fit for her. It had eight hundred square feet of living space and a small cellar that was accessible through the kitchen. While it didn’t exactly look like a warm and inviting space, it would be good enough for storage, especially since this place was a steal at just eighty-five hundred dollars.
“I like how y
ou think, young lady. A little hard work never hurt anyone.”
“That’s right. So what’s next? Do we go to the bank, or your office? Can I start moving in tonight?” She couldn’t contain her excitement. She needed this new start and couldn’t wait to get settled into her brand-new place.
“Tonight? Oh, I don’t know about that. The attorney for the family would need to look over the contract, which I haven’t even drawn up yet. We could probably have everything ironed out by Monday, though. Would that work?”
“Monday? Isn’t there any way we could get something done sooner? Like today, maybe?”
“Today? Oh dear, no, I don’t think so.”
“Can we at least try? I don’t really have anywhere else to stay.”
Ms. Michaud pursed her lips together, as if deciding whether or not she should agree. “I don’t know.”
“Please?” Patreece offered her sweetest smile. It had never failed her before and she hoped this time proved to be no different.
“Dear, it’s not that I don’t want to help you. It’s just that it’s the end of the week and tomorrow is our Founder’s Day Parade. This month in 1869, our town had been officially established. We have a big festival every year over at the park. I think most people are probably going to be leaving work early today. If the family’s attorney, Ralph Jenkins, isn’t available, there isn’t anyone else in his office to look over the contract. We’re just a small town. We’re not like those big-city folks that can make things happen in just a couple of hours.”
Patreece wasn’t trying to be difficult. She knew her request to rush things seemed to be asking a lot of this woman. The town wasn’t much more than a dot on the map, which was exactly why she’d chosen it. Grand Isle, Maine sat on the north tip of the state and couldn’t be farther away from Beverly Hills. The distance she needed so desperately to put between her and her past seemed finally within her grasp. She wasn’t about to give up now.
“Look, I know it’s a lot to ask. I’m asking you—no, I’m begging you to please try to see if we can make this happen today. I’ve never purchased my own home before. I’m excited and can’t wait to get moved in so I can start making it mine.”
Ms. Michaud pursed her lips. “It won’t be easy. But I guess I can make some calls to see if it’s possible.”
“Oh, thank you. Thank you so much!” Patreece shook the agent’s hand excitedly.
“Wait right here.”
Patreece nodded and watched the woman walk out the front door. She heard the agent’s short heels click against the sidewalk and rushed to the window to peek outside. With her phone to her ear, Ms. Michaud was talked to the person on the other end. Obviously a hand talker, Ms. Michaud gestured with an exaggerated shrug and pointed to the house. Patreece couldn’t be certain, but it looked as though Ms. Michaud had found a way to make it happen.
Not wanting to get caught for spying, Patreece quickly returned to the middle of the room as Ms. Michaud made her way back up the cracked concrete path to the house.
Ms. Michaud stepped inside and shut the front door. “Well, I just talked to the family’s attorney. He’ll be in his office until two o’clock. If I can have the papers drawn up and to him by half past one, he can meet us both. This is of course assuming you have already worked out financing and can get a check from your bank ready. It would have to be made out to the Bryant estate for the full amount.”
“Actually, I have cash.”
“Cash? As in paper money?”
“Yes. Will that be a problem?”
“How long did you say you’ve been in Grand Isle? That is, if you don’t mind me asking.”
Patreece wasn’t fond of the agent’s question. She didn’t want anyone getting too inquisitive about her or her past. Her business was her own and she planned on keeping it that way. Seeing as how this woman had come through in doing her this favor, though, she really didn’t want to raise any unnecessary suspicion. Besides, her mother had always said one could catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.
“Only a few hours. I drove in around seven o’clock and stopped for some breakfast over at Riley’s Café. That’s where I saw the house listing in the newspaper.”
“Well, I would hardly call our local circular a newspaper. Not much happens here in Grand Isle. It’s a quiet place. People around here would like to keep it that way, too.”
Patreece didn’t miss the underlying message in Ms. Michaud’s statement. The woman appeared skeptical of her. Not that Patreece could blame her. It probably wasn’t every day that someone came into town carrying thousands of dollars in cash. This town might be in the same country as California, but with the small-town feel she was getting, it might as well be an entire world away.
“I understand, Ms. Michaud. I’m a quiet person, too.”
“That’s good to hear.” The agent glanced at her watch. “Now then, why don’t you head on over to Grand Isle Savings and Loan and see if you can’t turn that money into a cashier’s check? Maybe they can set you up with a bank account while you’re there. A young woman like you shouldn’t be carrying around cash in this day and age. Grand Isle is a safe place to live, but one can never be too careful these days.”
Patreece nodded in agreement. “Of course. Thank you, Ms. Michaud. I’ll go take care of that right now. I really can’t thank you enough.”
“Oh now that’s enough of this ‘Ms. Michaud’ nonsense. We’re going to be neighbors after all. I live just down the road. You can call me Janis.”
“Okay, Janis.” Patreece smiled.
“Right then.” Janis motioned toward the front door. “Let’s get out of here so I have time to get everything written out.”
They both walked outside and Janis locked the front door. “To get to the bank, you want to go down this road for about four blocks. You’ll see a four-way stop. That is 5th Street. Take a left there and go up one more block to Main Street. Then hang a right at the light. From there, you should see the bank just on your right side. You can’t miss it. It’s a big brick building with an oversized clock above the doors. Ask for Shirley. That’s my sister, and the bank manager. Tell her I sent you and she’ll take good care of you. If you tell her you’re going to Ralph Jenkins’s office, she’ll write down the address for you and give you directions. And remember to be there on time. Ralph was none too happy about having to take care of this today.”
“I’m sorry. I really do appreciate it, though. And I’ll be sure to tell him myself just how thankful I am that he was willing to take time out of his day for me on such short notice.”
“Oh, don’t you worry about Ralph. He’s become a cranky old bird in his old age, but he’s harmless. Okay then. I’ll see you soon.”
As Janis waved and walked to her car, Patreece took in her surroundings. She made note of the vehicles on the street and where they were parked. Most of them were earlier models, nothing extravagant that would break the bank.
Everything about this town seemed ordinary, so much so that it would make the transition of her settling in all the easier. She might be far away from Southern California, but she doubted the troubles from her past were completely behind her. Patreece knew this was only the beginning of her new life. If she wanted to keep it, she would have to be alert at all times and watch for any signs that someone or something looked out of place.
A man fumbled through items in the back of a red pickup. He stood across the street only a few dozen yards away. He looked up and stared at her and Janis. His demeanor seemed nonthreatening, but that didn’t stop Patreece from feeling ill at ease. If she had learned anything from her past, it was that one wasn’t always what they seemed.
She returned his stare, but did so with heightened awareness, placing her defensive walls firmly in place. A seemingly harmless man with a charming smile had already proven to her that she could never assume anything. Not even her own instincts.
Her reaction had been instinctual, a side effect from the years of torture she’d endured. The
Smith and Wesson 9mm might be small in both size and caliber when it came to handguns, but she felt confident she would how to use it if forced to protect herself.
She would never be a victim again. She’d made that promise to herself months earlier, a vow she swore to never break. It may have taken awhile to get to this point in her life, but now here, there could be no looking back.
Chapter Two
He’d been straightening a few items in the back of his pickup when he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. Kade Riley looked up from his truck bed to find Janis Michaud walking out of the old Bryant place. A woman he’d seen earlier at his parents’ café walked with her.
She’d sat in the far back corner booth, sipping her coffee while reading the paper. The café served good old-fashioned comfort food like eggs, bacon, sausage and potatoes. There wasn’t an item on the menu that wouldn’t leave a customer’s stomach feeling full and satisfied. He couldn’t help but notice that, for some reason, she hadn’t partaken in the fare his parents cooked up.
He watched her from a distance as she picked at her food more than she actually ate any of it. Her eating habits most likely explained away her tiny physique. She wasn’t much more than five feet tall, with a thin body. From what he could tell, she didn’t appear to have an ounce of fat on her. He usually liked his women with a little more meat on their bones, but she seemed pretty enough, from what little he saw.
Her mocha skin reminded him of the rocks that lined the shores of Lavels Lake. Their smooth surface mixed with the microscopic bits of mica imbedded into the rock’s structure made them sparkle from different angles. The sunlight added spectacular shimmer to them on a bright day. It caused the otherwise natural stone to appear flawless and radiant, just like the woman he couldn’t manage to keep his eyes off of.
Risqué Renovation [Blue Collar 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 1
