by Kali Hart
Nathan
Heroes of Daisy Hills Book 1
Kali Hart
Miranda is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2021 by Kali Hart
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval systems, without express written permission from the author/publisher, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Epilogue
Daisy Hills Series
1
AUDREY
“Don’t look now, but Chief Hot-enough-to-melt your panties is on his way in,” Summer Maxwell, employee and close friend, says in a low voice as I hand change to an out-of-town customer.
“Enjoy your bear claw,” I say to the sweet elderly woman, wishing Summer was a little closer so I could accidentally stomp her foot.
“Oh I will.” The woman turns to look over her shoulder, right at Nathan, then back at me. A mischievous twinkle dances in her eyes. “He is yummy!”
My smile isn’t entirely forced. The woman has to be in her late seventies, early eighties. She’s ridiculously adorable. Who am I to rain on her parade and tell her what a prick our local police chief is? “Have a wonderful day,” I add, wishing the line of customers were shorter so I could dodge into the kitchen until Nathan left. But the string of people represents a healthy bottom line, so I stay put. It’s my bakery, after all.
It’s no secret to anyone in Daisy Hills that I loathe Nathan Walker.
At least the man who arrested my brother almost a year ago has been smart enough to stay away from The Sweet Tooth since that dreadful incident. An incident that ruined any chance of what was developing between us. So why he’s bravely stupid enough to saunter in here today is beyond me. Just because there’s a crowd doesn’t mean I won’t make a scene.
“You’ve really never talked to him?” Summer asks as the next customer steps up to place their order.
“Nothing to talk about.”
“Liar.”
“That’s not—” But before I can defend myself, Nathan swaggers to the front of the line. Damn him in that uniform. The crowd practically parts in awe to let him cut ahead. Half of them are tourists. But the others ought to know better, if only they’d pick their jaws up off the ground.
Yes, Nathan Walker is sex walking.
The man is over-the-top hot. From his dark eyes, chiseled jaw, hard, cut muscles, to his perfectly kissable lips. He’s been approached more than once to model for a Daisy Hills heroes calendar in nothing but his gun belt. I hate how the image makes my mouth water, even now.
“Good morning, Audrey.” His deep, silky smooth voice threatens to undo me in a single breath. It’s not fucking fair that this man who put my brother behind bars, while he let the rest of the guilty ones go free, still has this strong effect on my body. My nipples pebble of their own accord, and don’t even get me started on the slickness building between my legs. “Can I get a coffee?”
I stare at him, my smile from earlier completely gone. I hope I look fierce on the outside, because inside, my pulse has sped up faster than a launching rocket. I vowed to hate this man forever. I shouldn’t want to jump his damn bones. “I’m out of coffee,” I say flatly.
Nathan leans to the side, peering around me. “Pot looks full to me.”
“That’s decaf.”
It’s those obsidian eyes that unhinge me, reminding me of what could’ve been between us. His intense gaze pierces me, promising me I’m not fooling him—about the coffee or the way I still crave this man. “It’s been a year, Audrey.”
His words, tossed so carelessly at me, fuel my resolve. “Only four more to go.”
“Here you go, Chief,” Summer says, handing Nathan a cup of black, fully caffeinated, coffee. I can’t decide whether to kill her or hug her. She doesn’t swoon over Nathan like so many other women in this town—young and old alike.
“Thanks, Summer.” Nathan stares at me, so many unspoken words lingering in that gaze. If I’m not careful, I’m going to fall for him all over again. That’s the absolute last thing I can let happen. He’s the enemy now. “Audrey.”
“Who’s next?” I call around Nathan, trying like hell to pretend he’s already vanished into thin air. Every second he stands this close to me is a threat to unearth everything I swore to keep buried forever.
A flash of a memory slips through, despite my resolve to fight it. Nathan standing behind me in the bakery kitchen. His hands on my sides. His playful demonstrations of a pat-down. Both of us fully clothed, but me desperately wishing we weren’t.
My cheeks flush in embarrassment as I realize the customer already made her request and I didn’t hear a single word of it. “I’m sorry, can you repeat that?” Damn Nathan for loitering, making small talk with his fan club.
“I’d be distracted too,” my customer says with a lighthearted laugh.
“I’m not—he’s not—we’re not—”
“Didn’t say you were.” Her smirk says otherwise. “Can I get two jelly donuts and a caramel mocha to go?”
“Coming right up.”
With my back to Nathan and the mob of customers, I take slow, steadying breaths and focus on the order. My controlled breathing calms the erratic beating of my heart, but doesn’t do much for my sanity. I need the man to leave now. Whatever we started more than a year ago can never be.
“Audrey?” Nathan’s deep voice is much too close. Did Summer let him behind the freaking counter? I refuse to look at him, willing him to go away. “I won’t apologize for doing my job. But I’m sorry for how everything happened. If it’s the last thing I do, I’m going to make things right between us.”
His words send shivers throughout my body. Another memory. His lips brushing mine for the first time. The spark of electricity that ignited inside me as his tongue swept over mine. A kiss that made the world stop spinning on its axis for a few moments in time. If I live a hundred years more, I doubt I’ll ever experience anything as explosive again.
I’m too wobbly to face him, but I turn my chin over my shoulder just enough to make sure he can hear my next words. “Nathan, you need to leave.”
“I’ll go,” he says, adding a heavy sigh for emphasis. “But I will be back. I don’t give up easily.”
2
NATHAN
For almost a year, I’ve avoided The Sweet Tooth. As much as it’s killed me to keep my distance from Audrey Hamilton, I’ve given her the space she needed. Yes, I arrested her brother for armed robbery. Yes, the other guys got away and skipped town, leaving Wade to take the fall for all of it.
Yes, I would do it again if the same situation came up.
It’s my sworn duty to protect the citizens of Daisy Hills.
I know Audrey loves her brother, as she should, but he was a danger that day, whether she wants to admit it or not.
I sip on my coffee, slightly relieved that Summer was the one who poured my cup. Audrey has been known to be spiteful. Her feisty spirit is one of her most attractive qualities. She’s sweet as cherry pie, except when someone crosses her. She’s not afraid to stand up to anyone or make a point. It’s not just a risk. It’s an incredible turn on.
I remember a time when a heated debate between us during closing time resulted in hot and heavy, breath-stealing kisses. Audrey pinned against the metal prep table, her hands fisted in my hair, her body molded against mine. I wanted her so badly that night. All this time later, I still want her that badly.
“You lost?” Knox, local fire chief and one of my closest friends, says, clapping me hard enough on the shoulder to slosh coffee onto my hand.
“Just scanning.” Fuck, I’m in trouble if I didn’t even hear him sneak up on me. My gaze drifts through the bakery windows, catching a glimpse of Audrey filling orders. My dick twitches. I wish like hell things could go back to the way they were. That we could pick up right where we left off, all heavy and heated. But too much has happened since.
“Looked like you were in a trance or something, man.” He laughs, finding too much enjoyment in the way I’m hung up on Audrey, and have been for years. Like a lost puppy, as he describes it. Never mind that he’s been acting the same way about a certain librarian. Knox is happy to poke fun at the rest of us saps, but in complete denial that he’s the biggest puppy of us all.
“Coffee’s fixing that problem,” I say, holding up my cup in evidence.
“Someone bring that out to you?” he asks, bending low to examine the cup’s logo.
“Went inside.”
“And you’re alive to tell about it?”
“Barely.”
“You’re not giving up, are you?” he asks.
“The opposite actually.”
I used to stop by the bakery every night Audrey closed. At first, I parked outside simply to ensure no one would mess with her while she wiped everything down, counted the draw, and headed home. I was undeniably drawn to her, but she was going through some things and made it clear to anyone who asked that she didn’t want to get involved with anyone.
Over time though, Audrey started inviting me in. Feeding me leftover goodies. Laughing at my pitiful jokes. Lighting up at the very sight of me.
Despite all the shit she’d been through with a verbally abusive ex who left her shattered and broken, she let me in. We started as friends as she rediscovered herself and blossomed into the incredible woman she is now. The stronger she became, the stronger the desire between us grew.
If only everything hadn’t gone to shit right when it did, maybe we’d be married and working on a family by now.
I still park a few spots from the bakery when she locks up every night. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to her on my watch. Daisy Hills is a small charming town. But it’s not without its darker side.
“Good luck, Romeo,” Knox says with a hearty laugh. “Judging by the glares she keeps sending you through that window, you’re going to need it.”
I don’t care if Audrey is trying to incinerate me with her laser beam stare. I’ll take the attention. For more than a year, she’s acted as if I don’t exist. Hell, only last week we were headed on colliding paths down the sidewalk. Audrey caught one glimpse of me and spun on her heel away and around the corner without so much as a wave of acknowledgement.
The second sip of coffee is even more refreshing than the first. It’s been months since I’ve had a cup brewed by Audrey. No one makes a cup of coffee like she does. It’s caused minor feuds between The Sweet Tooth and the specialty coffee shop Expresso of Love. Though neither is hurting for business, it’s an unspoken secret that everyone prefers Audrey’s coffee if given the choice. “I like a challenge.”
“I know you do.” Knox shakes his head. “Hey, game’s on Thursday. My place.”
“You just want an excuse to use that outdoor TV.”
“Don’t forget the fire pit.”
“Right.”
Someone waves at Knox from inside The Sweet Tooth. “Gotta run.”
“You might want to make sure Summer pours your coffee,” I say with a laugh as Knox heads into the bakery.
With one last lingering look through the glass that’s met with the fiercest, sexiest glare yet, I head down the street toward the station. I have a mound of paperwork waiting for me after yesterday’s accident. But once it’s finished, I have only one priority: win Audrey back.
3
AUDREY
I hate how spun up I still feel about Nathan’s unexpected stop in the bakery this morning. The fact that the whole day has passed and it’s dark outside only irritates me more. It’s been hours since I saw him and heard that deep smooth voice. Hours. Yet it feels like it all happened minutes ago.
I’m scrubbing the prep table so hard the rag flies right off the table.
“Damn you, Nathan Walker,” I mutter.
Before it all got ugly between us, things were heating up in a really good way. I dared to believe we had a future together. After everything went sideways, I’d blocked all those nights he waited with me while I cleaned up the bakery and counted the drawer. Being around Nathan was comfortable and thrilling all in one. I craved his presence and shivered in delight whenever we brushed against each other.
The attraction was instant for me, but it came at a time in my life when I wasn’t sure I’d ever get involved with another man again.
Nathan was kind and patient. He never pressured me for more. “No, you certainly didn’t,” I mutter, remembering that I was the first one to pounce on him. The man I’d called a friend had slipped his way right into my naughtiest dreams and desires.
The bells above the front door jingle, drawing my attention out of the kitchen. “Dammit Nathan,” I mumble, marching right out front ready to give that too-sexy-for-his-own-good cop a real piece of my mind. “I’m not letting you in—” I shriek at the masked man, pointing what looks like a gun covered by a dark cloth right at me.
“Don’t move.”
My blood runs cold as I realize what’s happening. I’m being robbed. At gunpoint. I hold my hands up in surrender, wishing Nathan still waited for me to close like he used to. As much as I want to hate him, I need him right now. “Wh—what do you want?”
“All the cash.” The gruff voice sounds distorted.
My gaze flashes to the door, wondering if I was really careless enough to leave it unlocked. Have I been so rattled today that I forgot about my own safety? If I needed another reason to stay far away from Nathan Walker, I can’t think of a better one.
“Now!”
“Okay, okay. It’s in the back.”
“Take me there.”
I slowly lead him to the back, scanning the area for a weapon. Anything I could use to get away and call for help. Damn my tidiness for putting every single thing away—most importantly the knives.
I catch a glimpse of a rolling pin handle hanging off the edge of a prep table near the office. My gaze bounces between it and the cash lockbox on the far side of my desk. I don’t want to die today, but I’ll be damned if I’m just handing over all the hard-earned money my business has made. I should’ve gone to the bank earlier to make a deposit, but I was so distracted I forgot. I have more cash than I’d normally have here, and giving it to the robber would make it difficult to make payroll this week.
“What’s taking you so long?” the gruff voice demands. I strain my ear, certain I’ve heard it before but not able to place it.
“I need a key.”
“You keep the key on a table?”
“I hide it on one,” I lie, going for the rolling pin.
Everything that happens next happens so fast.
I grab the rolling pin and swing, hitting the robber in the arm.
A gunshot fires.
The robber is tackled to the ground.
Nathan wrestles with him until the gun shakes out
of his hand and slides under a cabinet.
The robber elbows Nathan in the face, sending him flat on his back, and pops to his feet.
I run toward the robber with my rolling pin and swing hard at his head. Hitting him square in the jaw.
“You bitch!” The gruffness is gone from his voice, and I swear I recognize it. I stare too long at those eyes, trying to place how I know this assailant, giving him the opportunity to escape. He runs out front. The bells clamor.
“Are you okay?” Nathan asks, blood dripping from his nose. My heart squeezes.
“Yes. Are you—”
“—Lock the door. Stay here until I get back.”
He darts out of the kitchen, calling for backup as he chases after the idiot who had the nerve to try to rob my bakery.
Adrenaline pumps through my veins as I run after him, holding a rag for his bloody nose like it’s going to help anything. I watch from the front door as Nathan sprints down the street, turning a sharp corner a block away.
My body trembles as the rush wears off and reality sets in. I could’ve died. I slip back inside the bakery and lock the door with shaky hands. How stupid that I forgot to lock up. I never forget things like that.
If I sit still, I’ll cry.
I set to cleaning up the kitchen instead, but the tears fall when I start to wipe up blood.
I was so terrified.
I hate feeling helpless. I hate feeling afraid.
Reality punches me square in the gut when I catch a glimpse of the gun handle poking out from beneath the cabinet. I’ve been so angry with Nathan for arresting my brother Wade. Convinced that Wade was only doing what he was told by the same guys who bailed on him and left him to take the fall. Maybe he did.
