Kimber Some people view nosiness as a character flaw. I prefer to think of it as a useful skill. Like a sixth sense or intuition. It’s my super power. And since I became a reporter for my small town newspaper, I like to think my super power puts bagels on my table.
A tiny (quite big, actually) mistake has me eagerly accepting a contract job investigating a resort being built in a small Colorado town.
But there’s one small problem. (6’4” according to his license—maybe my nosiness does go too far sometimes.)
What I didn’t count on was being double-booked in a cabin with Mack Boone.
Our families have known each other since high school, so it feels wrong to kick him out of my cabin.
Besides…he’s kind, he’s protective, and a great kisser.
Three qualities I admire in a man.
But when I find out why he is in town, I realize I’ve made yet another mistake.
No more kissing, Kimber. He’s the enemy.
Lines are drawn. (Literally.)
Wars fought.
Hills sledded.
Lips kissed. Oh right, I wasn’t going to do that one anymore. Maybe I’ll call it research…
The more I investigate the resort, the more time I spend with Mack…the more I wonder what I’m really fighting against. The more I wonder if I can take a chance on love.
What if the villain is really the hero in this story?
Mack was in the kitchen when I walked inside, stomping my boots on the rug. After shucking my snow gear, I went straight to the coffee pot and turned it on. Then I tried to reach into the cupboard with my right arm. My elbow seized up.
“What?” I gasped.
Why was my arm so sore?
Someone cleared their throat.
I glanced behind me to find Mack smiling while leaning against the stove, a pan warming up with a pack of bacon sitting beside it on the counter. I hadn’t even noticed him in my quest for a mug.
“You all right?” he asked, with a decidedly cheerful tone in his voice. “I’d be happy to massage that for you.”
“I’m sure you would,” I replied dryly. I tried reaching in the cupboard with my left hand. That elbow had the same problem.
And now I knew why T-Rex’s went extinct. They couldn’t reach their coffee mugs in the morning. Tragedies like that could always be explained if a person did enough research.
“Did you hurt yourself? Dang. I’m so sorry.”
His false sympathy nearly made me laugh. Nearly.
Gone was the sweet guy, and he was replaced with a snarky, poor winner.
I tried to reach into the cupboard again. My elbow creaked loudly. I didn’t know it was even possible for an elbow to creak. I glanced at Mack to see if he realized my dilemma. He finished dumping the package of bacon into the pan before he made any comment.
“Here, let me help you,” Mack said with a heavy sigh.
I happily stepped back, grateful that he was going to take mercy on me in my desperate state.
But instead of reaching into the cupboard himself, he wrapped an arm around my waist and lifted me up. My back pressed against his front as he stepped closer to the counter.
“What are you doing?” I asked as I squirmed. “Helping you pick out your coffee mug,” he explained
USA Today Bestselling author Carina Taylor writes zany romantic comedies that make you ugly laugh.
When she’s not writing, you can find Carina ignoring her laundry pile (she’s hit expert level), pretending to work out, eating cheese, (pretending to workout WHILE eating cheese) and dreaming up the next story.
I slide my arms under her small frame and easily lift her from the snow. Her dead weight settles against my chest, and a gust of wind batters us with a blast of icy flakes.
Memories come with it…swirling in my head the way the snow does around us.
Another body in my arms.
A hopeless struggle to survive.
The look of death staring back at me.
Clenching my jaw, I shake away the visions and concentrate on the moment. I need to get her warmed up and settled in at the cabin and get back out here for the firewood before it’s too bad out here for me to come to get it. While I’m used to the unpleasant weather here, it doesn’t mean I want to get stuck outside during shit like this.
And while all I may want is to disappear out here and pretend the rest of the world doesn’t exist, it seems fate has other plans. There’s no one else to help her.
The very real weight of the situation rests heavily on my shoulders, and I glance down at the limp body in my arms.
Christ.
It’s been so long since I’ve seen a woman, I almost forgot how beautiful they are. Soft, pale skin, perfect bow lips, thick, dark lashes spread across her wind-reddened, high cheekbones. It almost makes me miss being part of the world.
Almost.
But the slightly blue tint to her lips and a big shake of my head bring me back to reality.
Get out of your fucking head and get moving, asshole.
The snow isn’t going to let up anytime soon, and it will only get worse the longer I stand here staring at this poor woman like a fucking idiot. That’s what happens when someone lives alone for as long as I have—I get lost in my own head too long with no way out.
I set out through the growing drifts toward the cabin, fighting the brutal wind and biting snow with each step. By the time it comes into view on the other side of the clearing, it’s practically a white-out. There’s no way she would have survived or been able to find the cabin if she hadn’t stumbled upon me.
It may already be too late.
All I can do now is try to warm her up and hope the sheriff can get up the mountain to bring her to the clinic in town for real treatment before we’re completely snowed in.
Gwyn McNamee is an attorney, writer, wife, and mother (to one human baby and two fur babies). Originally from the Midwest, Gwyn relocated to her husband’s home town of Las Vegas in 2015 and is enjoying her respite from the cold and snow. Gwyn has been writing down her crazy stories and ideas for years and finally decided to share them with the world. She loves to write stories with a bit of suspense and action mingled with romance and heat.
When she isn’t either writing or voraciously devouring any books she can get her hands on, Gwyn is busy adding to her tattoo collection, golfing, and stirring up trouble with her perfect mix of sweetness and sarcasm (usually while wearing heels).
Gwyn is the author of The Hawke Family series, The Slip Series, The Deadliest Sin Series, The Inland Seas Series, The Supernatural Love Stories in the Absurd (written as her alter-ego, DP Payne), and several stand-alone novels.
As an affiliate at retail sites, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. See my disclosure for more details.
Three Reasons You Should Read This Contemporary Romance:
A Winter Rose by Amy Craig features some very strong and independent women that know their minds and what to do it all on their own – sometimes too much.
Julien and Eliza bump heads in a very fun way that only serves to add more sparks to their growing attraction.
Eliza’s daughter, Skye, steals the show as quite the engaging and adorable little girl that seems to care about the entire world.
Widow Eliza struggles to raise her young daughter and run her Washington state flower farm. Julien, a charming Southerner with a knack for business, stops his road trip to help her out of a tight situation. He has no intention of sticking around a sleepy farm town, but Eliza’s grit and dedication warm his wounded heart. Can they look beyond a business partnership and see the beauty of second chances?
I really wanted to enjoy this book. Hard-working single mom that runs her own business, a cute little girl that loves animals, the tortured man running from his past into the unknown. But unfortunately, this book fell a little flat.
Eliza was stubborn and hard-working, but she took doing on her own to an extreme. She seemed to think any offer of assistance was someone trying to take over her life and business. She knew what she wanted and how she wanted it done, and god forbid anyone has a differing opinion. The exception was her feelings for Julien. Where she waffled back and forth so many times I lost track. Instead of setting up tensions in the situation, it just made me dislike her for leading him and then pushing him away over and over again.
Julien was a better character. I felt like I could understand most of his motivations, except why he put up with Eliza. He truly tries to help her for no reason other than he wants something to do. I liked him – he deserved better.
Skye (Eliza’s daughter) and her mother play some very major roles in the story. Skye – I wouldn’t change her one bit. She is one of the most well-developed characters in the book. Recovering from losing her father, there are some things she struggles with, but deep down she’s a joyful child that loves just about everyone. Eliza’s mother was another character I think I was supposed to feel bad for and I didn’t. She was just plain old mean.
The romance is there, it’s just not one I would enjoy. There is also a mention of ICE and deportation at the beginning of the story – setting up a place for Eliza to need Julien. I think if you’re going to use this as a plot point, you need to do a little more than just say “Oh, he was deported,” and move right along. You don’t have to be political about it, but that has an effect on the surrounding community and doesn’t just poof go away.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
