BROCK (7 Brides for 7 Blackthornes Book 5)

by St. Claire, Roxanne

  * * *

  There’s more Blackthorne excitement ahead! Take a sneak peek at LOGAN, Book 6 in the 7 Brides for 7 Blackthornes series!

  Excerpt from

  Logan

  by Samantha Chase

  It’s not easy being the youngest Blackthorne, and Logan has never shied away from a challenge. No matter what everyone thinks. Coming home to Maine finds him dealing with not only family surprises, but the shock of finding the caretaker’s daughter all grown up.

  Piper’s dream is to design her own games, not play them. And Logan Blackthorne is the ultimate player. It’s one thing to hang out with Logan as a friend, but he’s far too charming for his own good.

  Logan promises hours of pleasure, but should she settle for less than happily ever after?

  Take a sneak peek…

  “Thanks for coming in on such short notice, Piper.”

  With a smile, she tied her apron around her waist and smiled at Charles, the manager of The Whisky Vault. This wasn’t the job she particularly wanted, but there was an opening and it gave her an immediate income while she tried to get her shit together.

  Having lived in King Harbor her entire life, Piper always knew she could come home and find a job within the Blackthorne Distillery—and with the Vault particularly. She loved this place. With paneled wood walls, parquet floors, colorful rugs, and an extensive display of liquor, it was sophisticated but also warm and comfortable. Plus, because it was popular with the locals as well as the tourists, she was always able to find a friendly face to talk to. She’d worked a few summers here during her first two years of college and apparently, Charles and the crew would always have a spot for her.

  Thank God.

  With a quiet sigh, she stepped behind the bar and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirrored wall. Her chestnut hair was pulled back in a severe ponytail and her crisp, white blouse and black trousers gave her a professional appearance—the kind that was expected by the Vault’s clientele. Not that she minded—it certainly beat waiting tables down at one of the bars in town. At least no one was trying to grab her ass when she walked by at the Vault.

  It was early—barely dinner time—and as she walked around and familiarized herself with the layout after a few years away, she couldn’t help but smile. And when she looked up, old Charles was smiling at her.

  “What?” she asked softly. “What put that smile on your face?”

  “Oh, Piper, I’ve known you since you were a little girl and I can remember the first time your father brought you in here. You were all wide eyes and gangly limbs. And now look at you! You’re a young woman who should be ready to take on the world.”

  Yeah, that’s what she had thought too. And yet…

  “We weren’t expecting you to be back. Well, I know I wasn’t. When I heard you had graduated with honors from that fancy school…”

  She let out a low chuckle. “Well, I don’t know if I could call it fancy. Lynchburg, Virginia, wasn’t really living the high life, if you know what I mean.”

  He waved her off. “Oh, nonsense. We’re all proud of you, Piper. Your father was just about bursting with pride when he came home from your graduation. When I heard you didn’t come home with him, I just thought you were moving on to bigger and better things.”

  He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze before turning to greet a customer. Within minutes, Piper was making her way around the room taking orders and chatting with a lot of familiar faces. The time flew by and it seemed like she was telling the same story she’d just told Charles over and over again—by request, not of her own doing. It was nice to get reacquainted with the people she’d grown up around, the people she’d been missing. It made it feel a little less like work and more like a night out with friends.

  Friends who she happened to serve drinks to.

  There was a flurry of activity by the door and as she glanced over her shoulder toward Charles, she saw him pale slightly. Excusing herself from the table of guests she was chatting with, she walked back to the bar. “Everything okay?”

  “Just a little unexpected party of twenty,” he said as he reached for his phone.

  She went back to checking on her customers and figured everything was under control. But a few minutes later, she began to head to the bar when she froze.

  Logan Blackthorne was tending bar.

  Everyone knew he wasn’t afraid to step in and do some work, get his hands dirty. None of the Blackthornes did that, but Logan was different. He hadn’t settled into any of the family businesses like his brothers and cousins had and she wondered if he ever would. Standing behind the bar, he looked right at home. Although, she had to imagine he looked the same way when he was heading up corporate meetings or schmoozing clients. He had that kind of easy way about him, like he was adaptable to any situation.

  And sexy as sin.

  Dark hair, dark eyes, a lean, muscular body that she just knew would look good…

  Okay, so not the time to be thinking about that.

  They had sort of grown up together—even though Logan was three years older—because Piper’s father was the groundskeeper for the Blackthorne estate. When she was younger, she spent a lot of her time working alongside him because…well…they were all each other had. Piper had almost the same amount of knowledge of landscaping and greenery that would thrive in the Maine climate as she did of gaming and coding.

  Way to be versatile, nerd…

  Straightening her shoulders, she slowly started to walk toward the bar—all the while wondering if he would even recognize her. It had easily been five years since they’d seen each other and even then, it wasn’t like they were…friends. They were acquaintances. She was the daughter of the hired help.

  And now I sound like someone in a Victorian romance novel…

  Putting her head back in the present, she approached the bar with a smile.

  And prayed she wouldn’t make a fool out of herself because man oh man did he get even better looking!

  With the slow, easy grin she knew he was famous for, he turned that handsome face her way and she almost tripped. Luckily she caught herself and, as gracefully as she could, placed her tray on the bar and hoped her smile didn’t look awkward. She slid her order form over to him with a soft hello and then his smile kicked up a notch.

  “Quite the crowd in here tonight,” he said, taking the paper from the bar. He instantly started pouring drinks and Piper had to remind herself not to stare. He glanced at her over his shoulder as if trying to place her.

  So he doesn’t remember…

  With a smile, she nodded. “It seems the Vault’s popularity has increased with the addition of the restaurant.”

  His eyes narrowed slightly, but his smile never wavered. “True, but I like to think of this place as always being popular. The restaurant is just a perk.”

  “And the gift shop?” she asked with just a hint of sass.

  He slid the first two drinks her way. “Just good business. Why just come in and enjoy a drink when you can take a little something home to enjoy later?”

  And damn if she couldn’t take that more than one way.

  Clearing her throat, she knew she was blushing so she took a moment to turn away and compose herself while he finished making drinks. Once everything was on her tray, she thanked him and walked away—making sure she put a little extra sway in her hips just in case he was watching.

  Ugh…what am I doing?

  It was really quite busy for a Wednesday night and Piper had several more opportunities to interact with Logan. With each appearance at the bar, they talked a little more, but it was obvious he still had no idea who she was—a point that was becoming more and more humorous with each interaction.

  “So…how long have you lived in King Harbor?” he asked after her fourth trip to the bar.

  “Longer than you, Ace,” she said with a grin and a wave as she walked away.

  At her next turn at the bar, he leaned in before taking her order. “Now that’s
not possible, beautiful,” he said smoothly. “The Blackthornes have been here almost since the beginning of this town’s existence. And believe me, I know everyone in King Harbor.” Then he turned and made the two drinks she needed before placing them triumphantly on her tray.

  “Clearly you don’t know as much as you think. But it’s cute how you pretend to.”

  Okay, that one was a little on the snarky side, but she heard his deep, husky laugh as she walked away and considered it a small victory—and a lot of fun.

  As the night wore on, he got a little bolder in trying to figure out who she was, and in return, Piper grew sassier.

  “Now if you’ve lived here all your life,” he began at one point, “where’ve you been all of mine?” And there was that smile again, but it was amusing her more than it was making her knees weak.

  “That was pretty cheesy, Ace,” she said, placing drinks on her tray. “I would think you would have gotten a little smoother with the lines the older you got.” With a wink, she made her way through the crowd and back to serving.

  As the night began to wind down and the crowd began to thin, Piper was a little surprised to see just late how it was and realized she’d never even taken a break. The time had flown by and rather than feeling tired or ready to leave, she felt a little invigorated. It had been a great night—not only because of the bantering with Logan, but all of her customers were super sweet.

  And the tips were fantastic!

  As she cleared off her last table, the place was almost empty. Everyone was scurrying around cleaning up and maybe it was just her imagination, but it felt like Logan was watching her. Turning fully toward him, she lifted her heavy tray and made her way back toward the bar. As soon as she placed it down, Logan slid another tray toward her—one that was filled with food.

  “Um…”

  “You didn’t take a break all night,” he said with a smile.

  She shrugged. “Not a big deal. It was busy.” Looking down at the food, she saw a couple of crab cakes, an order of fries, a bottle of water, and a brownie. She looked at him and smiled. “I didn’t realize brownies were on the menu.”

  He shrugged. “Charles’s wife always makes them for me because she knows I’ve got a sweet tooth. I figured I could share.”

  And how freaking adorable was that?

  “Why don’t you sit and relax and I’ll take the dirty dishes back to the kitchen?” he said, already in motion.

  “You really didn’t have to do this. I just planned on making a sandwich when I got home.”

  “Now you won’t have to.” This time he was the one to wink before walking away to the kitchen.

  Piper took a minute to get comfortable at the bar and contemplated taking the food over to one of the tables. “I’m too hungry to move,” she murmured and took her first bite of crab cake. There was nothing like seafood in Maine. She’d lived in the mountains of Virginia while away at college and missed having fresh fish. “Damn, that’s good.” She was finishing the first crab cake when Logan stepped back out of the kitchen.

  “How is it?” he asked, grabbing a rag to wipe down the bar.

  “Fantastic. Seriously, the best I’ve ever tasted.”

  “Well, that’s the perk of living near the water.”

  “I know. There’s nothing like it. I just didn’t realize the menu here was so extensive or that the food was so good.”

  He nodded. “Surprised you don’t know that considering you’ve lived here your whole life.”

  Ah, so he was back to fishing. Taking another few bites of her meal, she reached for the bottled water and twisted the cap off. “I haven’t lived here full time in years. I’m just back visiting family for a little while.”

  His eyes narrowed and she thought for sure he would recognize her now.

  “So your family still lives here?”

  Okay, maybe not.

  “Yup!” She took a long drink of her water before returning her attention to her meal. There was no way to look attractive while eating french fries so she gave up and opted to just be herself.

  Salty fingers and all.

  “So how long have you…”

  “Hey, Piper,” Charles said as he approached them. “Will you be able to work this same shift tomorrow?”

  She nodded and glanced toward Logan who looked mildly perplexed. “Piper,” he repeated softly.

  “Absolutely, Charles,” she replied. “My schedule is wide open so you tell me what shifts you need filled and I’ll put them on my calendar.”

  “You’re the best, Piper. Your timing for coming home couldn’t have been better!” Charles said as he looked down at the tablet in his hands.

  “Piper,” Logan said again and this time both Piper and Charles looked at him.

  “Is there a problem?” Charles asked.

  Logan looked at him, then at Piper, and then back again. “Um…”

  She was fighting the urge to laugh so she put her focus on Charles instead. “I’ll just jot down the shifts on my order pad and transfer it to my phone later. So what have you got?”

  It turned out she would be working the next four nights in a row. She wasn’t complaining, but she hoped she was up for the late-night hours and being on her feet for so long. Working on game design had her sitting at a desk all day and all night, so this was going to be a bit of a challenge for her.

  “Got it, Charles,” she said, reaching for the brownie.

  “Oh Logan, you gave Piper one of your brownies. I know Marie will be pleased. She always sends a plate of them to Connor too.”

  And that’s when the lightbulb went on.

  Logan’s eyes went wide. “Piper?”

  Frowning, Charles looked at her. “Why does he keep saying your name?”

  “I think…”

  “Oh, my God. As in Connor Stewart’s daughter?” Logan blurted out.

  With a grin, she said, “The one and only!”

  Find Logan on Amazon!

  Looking for more books by

  Roxanne St. Claire?

  Check out www.roxannestclaire.com for a complete list and buy links to her very popular series!

  or

  Visit Roxanne’s Amazon Author Page!

  The Dogfather

  9 books

  Sit…Stay…Beg

  New Leash on Life

  Leader of the Pack

  Santa Paws is Coming to Town

  Bad to the Bone

  Ruff Around the Edges

  Double Dog Dare

  Bark! The Herald Angels Sing

  Old Dog New Tricks

  The Dogmothers

  Hot Under the Collar

  (and more coming soon!)

  Barefoot Bay

  Secrets on the Sand

  Seduction on the Sand

  Scandal on the Sand

  Barefoot in White

  Barefoot in Lace

  Barefoot in Pearls

  Barefoot Bound

  Barefoot with a Bodyguard

  Barefoot with a Stranger

  Barefoot with a Bad Boy

  Barefoot Dreams

  Barefoot at Sunset

  Barefoot at Moonrise

  Barefoot at Midnight

  For a complete list, buy links, and reading order of all or her books, visit www.roxannestclaire.com. Be sure to sign up for the newsletter to find out when the next book is released! And join the private Dogfather Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/roxannestclairereaders/ for inside info on all the books and characters, sneak peeks, and a place to share the love of tails and tales!

  About the Author

  Published since 2003, Roxanne St. Claire is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than fifty romance and suspense novels. She has written several popular series, including The Dogfather, Barefoot Bay, the Guardian Angelinos, and the Bullet Catchers.

  In addition to being a ten-time nominee and one-time winner of the prestigious RITA™ Award for the best in romance writing, Roxanne has won
the National Readers’ Choice Award for best romantic suspense three times, as well as the Maggie, the Daphne du Maurier Award, the HOLT Medallion, Booksellers’ Best, Book Buyers Best, the Award of Excellence, and many others.

  She lives in Florida with her husband, and still attempts to run the lives of her young adult children. She loves dogs, books, chocolate, and wine, especially all at the same time.

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