Resisting Samantha (Hope Parish Novels Book 10) Read Online Free

the treasures and got serious about
restoring the legendary place to its former glory.
    Yeah, had to be that
discussion with Chase. I took a deep breath, and this one had nothing
to do with the dream and everything to do with gorgeous Chase Sutton.
    I hadn’t
thought I would ever feel like this again. Ever. I’d
experienced deep, everlasting love. I had the joy of giving birth.
I’d had it all. Family. But by the time I moved to Suttontowne,
I never wanted either one to be a part of my life again.
    Then, boom ,
Chase. I ignored my feelings for years. Pretended he was nothing more
than a nice guy and a great provider of top-notch seafood. I ignored
the way his silver-blue eyes sent me secret, sultry, almost reluctant
glances. The way he always looked so mussed up and appealing, with
the caramel stubble on his face, the thick waves of his dark brown
hair, the brawny, knee-melting bulges of his biceps, and the promise
of more delineated muscle beneath his clothes.
    I didn’t say
it last night, but I knew he was conveniently coming by, and I was
sure it wasn’t about the pie. My pulse started to race. Chase
Sutton’s interest in me hadn’t gone unnoticed, but I
wasn’t sure I was ready for this gorgeous, small town man.
    I spent my early
twenties working in law enforcement. I knew my way around
self-defense and guns, yet nothing about Chase triggered any red
flags. Except for that sorrow I saw in his eyes. Other than the
normal and completely understandable physical stirrings…to
have that man beneath my hands so I could explore every inch of that
hard, muscular body, take that mouth he always seemed to be offering
me…I wanted to make an intimate connection. That was the story
I wanted to know, the Chase I wanted to discover.
    It gave me a
delicious shiver.
    It scared the hell
out of me, too, six ways from Sunday. Two years ago, robbed me of the
man of my dreams. Was it possible to find that magic again? Probably
not. I figured I’d be mostly disappointed.
    But the craving had
remained, even intensified, for as long as I’ve known Chase.
    Then there was
Scottie, my baby boy, and the pain of his loss was something I still
struggled with every day.
    The wisp of light
was just starting to brighten in the eastern sky when I pushed the
blankets off me. I knew I wouldn’t be doing any more sleeping,
not after that dream.
    My feet hit the
rich, dark hardwood floor I installed just last weekend. Now it was
time to get interior walls up and the stairway built for my bedroom
loft. The kitchen was already framed out, but, since I wasn’t a
cabinetmaker, I had hired a local man to make them for me. I hoped to
have my gourmet kitchen up and working in a week, and the plumbing
had been finished two days ago.
    Since moving into
this partially renovated home, I’d been eating all my meals at
Imogene’s. Not a problem, since the cook there was the best. I
chuckled to myself as I poured water and did a quick wash. I missed
showers, and having to wash my hair in the big basin I kept in the
corner was a pain. I should go to the Blue Coyote and have Skylar cut
it all off.
    Yes, parts of living
here right now were a pain, but when this place was done, it would be
stunning, a true place of my own.
    As I headed out for
the day, Jessica waved to me from her porch. She was holding her
four-year-old son, and my heart tugged so hard against the memory and
the emotions of holding my own sweet baby. If I had known she had a
little boy, I might not have bought this property. But now I was
locked in, and there was nothing I could do but try to avoid them as
much as possible, and as politely as I could manage.
    The short walk to
Imogene’s cleared my head and got me there way earlier than my
employees. I fired up the grill and made myself some pancakes, eggs,
and bacon, since I was one of the lucky ones when it came to what I
could eat and barely gain an ounce.
    After cleaning up
and putting on a fresh apron from my stash, I opened the