The Sweetheart Bargain (A Sweetheart Sisters Novel) Read Online Free

lot.”
    “You’re blaming me?” He arched a brow, and the earlier friendliness on his face had been replaced by hard lines. “I’m not the one trespassing. And possibly stealing someone’s dog.”
    He had a point. She hated that, but he did. “Okay, maybe I was trespassing. But it was for a good cause.”
    He smirked. “That’s what all criminals say.”
    “I am not a criminal. I’m a good person with good intentions.” Her chin jutted up. “Unlike you. You . . .”
    “Ogre?” he supplied.
    Unbidden, her gaze trailed past the lean definition of his face, along those broad shoulders, down his strong arms. A dark heat brewed inside her, a heat she hadn’t felt in a long, long time. What would it be like to have one night of hot, crazy sex with a man like him? He had this . . . edge to him, that whispered dangerous heartbreaker , yet at the same time, he carried an air of animal confidence that said a night with him would be amazing. Unforgettable. Curl-your-toes-and-smack-yo-momma amazing.
    Clearly, she had gone way too long without sex.
    She cleared her throat. Tried not to picture him in bed. Or naked. Or both. “I . . . I wouldn’t call you an ogre.”
    “Oh, really?” He arched a brow, and something like a smile flickered on his face. A delicious quiver slid through her veins. “And what would you call me?”
    “I don’t know, but it sure as hell wouldn’t be Mr. Rogers.”
    He laughed. “On that, I would agree.”
    The moment of détente extended between them. An olive branch, thin, but a start. She put out her hand. “We got off on the wrong foot. I’m Olivia Linscott. Your new neighbor.”
    He ignored her handshake. “Well, Olivia Linscott, do me a favor from here on out. Stay on your side of the fence. Us ogres don’t like to be bothered.” Then he turned on his heel and headed inside.
    If this guy was indicative of the typical Rescue Bay resident, then she was tempted to get back in the car and drive home to Boston. At least there the crusty New England attitude came with the zip code.
    Instead, Olivia headed out to the sidewalk. She cupped her hand to block the sun in her eyes and searched the dark wooded thicket across the street for any sign of the dog. Nothing.
    “It’s okay, puppy. I’ll wait. I’m here for . . .” She glanced again at the decaying buildings she had inherited, now complicated by an injured dog off somewhere licking his wounds and a run-in with a surly neighbor. She had a mountain to climb ahead of her, but the sense of purpose surged in her chest. She could do this. She would do this. “A long while.”
    She dropped a treat form her hand onto the ground. There would be time to work with the dog, to earn his trust. Time to change the dog’s life.
    Olivia headed back to her property. She paused in front of the dilapidated renovation project that had become her inheritance and her home and called Miss Sadie to her side. Olivia had spent the year since her divorce trying to regroup, refocus, figure out who she was and what she wanted. Here in Rescue Bay, she had a chance to do all of that, while also finding her roots and discovering the truth about Bridget Tuttle. It was an opportunity, she told herself. The one she’d wanted for so long.
    Miss Sadie propped her paws on Olivia’s knee. She bent down and gave the bichon an ear scratching. “We’ve got our work cut out for us, don’t we, Miss Sadie?” Then she glanced again at the house, and the reality of the disaster in front of her washed over Olivia. The place needed a new porch, a new roof, new siding—and that was just the outside .
    “I don’t even know where to start. Or heck, how to hammer a nail.” What had she gotten herself into? Her resolve wavered and she glanced at the dog, trying to convince herself more than Miss Sadie. “We can do it. Right?”
    The dog barked, and the bravado that had held Olivia together for fourteen hundred miles crumpled. Burning tears rushed to the surface and