For the Love of Pete by Sherryl Woods & Sherryl Woods

Author:Sherryl Woods & Sherryl Woods
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Silhouette
Published: 2005-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

Pete finished up as much work on the porch as he could before dusk fell, then went inside Rose Cottage. Jo was sitting at the kitchen table, still looking rattled by their earlier exchange. He could relate to the feeling. He’d been in a state of perpetual turmoil ever since she’d opened the front door the first night he’d come by about fixing up the porch. The unexpected wonder of seeing her then was still with him.

“Penny for your thoughts,” he said when she looked up at him with a startled expression as if she hadn’t been expecting him.

“My going rate’s a lot higher than that,” she said, dragging her attention back from wherever it had wandered.

He picked up the piece of paper on the table. “I assume our deal is all spelled out on here.”

She nodded. “I gave you a break from what I’d charge in Boston.”

Without even looking at the paper, Pete frowned at her. “I don’t want a break.”

Her chin came up. “Well, I gave you one anyway.”

He tossed the paper on the table. “Take it back.”

“I most certainly will not. Stop being so blasted stubborn. You haven’t even looked at it.” She handed it right back to him. “See? It’s not like I’m going to go broke.”

It was a nice round number, but it wasn’t enough. “Fair is fair, Jo. This isn’t even half as high as what Mike would charge me.”

She faltered at that. “Really?”

“Really,” he assured her. “If you won’t make the change, I will.” He picked up the contract, filled in a new set of numbers, then scrawled his signature across the bottom.

“This is more like it,” he said as he handed it back to her.

She frowned as she read it. “You can’t be serious.”

“Oh, but I am. Ask Mike. He tells me all the time that he’s being conservative, too.”

There was a spark in her eyes he couldn’t quite interpret,

“That lowdown scumbag,” she muttered under her breath, her gaze still on the paper.

Puzzled by her reaction, he stared at her. “Who’s a scumbag? Mike?”

“No, of course not,” she said. “My boss in Boston. Everyone told me he was a tightwad, but I’m just beginning to see how much he was probably making, thanks to me.”

“Seems to me that’s a good reason not to go back there,” Pete said, then added casually, “Assuming you need one.”

“I might go back to Boston, but I sure as hell won’t be working for him again,” she said fiercely.

Pete laughed at her infuriated tone. “Maybe I ought to call Mike right now and tell him this might be a good time to sign you up for a partnership.”

She gave him a sly look. “It might be, if I had the perfect place to live.”

He chuckled, “Very clever, but you have Rose Cottage. There’s nothing wrong with this place that a little loving attention won’t fix right up. Your sisters have already done a lot to whip it back into shape. The foundation and roof are solid. The porch is the last big investment you’ll be making.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.