The Christmas Bliss Romance Collection by Jennifer Youngblood

Author:Jennifer Youngblood [Youngblood, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Arbor House Books
Published: 2019-10-24T04:00:00+00:00

5

A bell dinged overhead as Kinsley stepped through the door of the hardware store. The store appeared to be empty except for her. No one was at the front counter. She walked up to the bell and saw the note beside it. Ring for service. She tapped it a couple of times and stepped back. Only in a small town would anyone leave a store unattended. Maybe she should just leave the envelope on the counter. “Claude,” she called. “Hello.”

A couple minutes later, she heard someone coming from the back. Her jaw dropped when Gunner stepped up to the counter. His handsome face lit up when he saw her.

“Hey.” A smile played on his lips. “This is a surprise.”

She tightened her hold on the envelope. “What’re you doing here?” The last she’d heard, Gunner was working as a handyman. “Do you work for Claude?”

Amusement flashed in his ice-blue eyes. “Not exactly.”

“Do you work here?”

“Yes, that does appear to be what I’m doing,” he answered with a wry grin as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on the counter. His posture was relaxed, exuding masculinity.

She smirked. “Then you work for Claude.”

He tipped his head. “How do you figure that?”

She could tell he was toying with her and enjoying every minute. As much as she hated to admit it, the verbal exchange was stimulating. She sighed, realizing he was going to make her spell it out. A smile tugged at her lips. “You know Claude, the guy you were watching the game with last night? The one who owns the hardware store.”

“Not anymore.”

She shifted on her feet. “Huh? Claude sold out.” She searched her brain, trying to remember if she’d heard her parents mention anything about that. Yeah, maybe she had. It was kind of fuzzy.

“Bingo,” he winked.

“Then you work for the new owner.”

“Yep.” He drummed his fingers on the counter, pulling a face. “The new owner’s a drill sergeant. Works me night and day, never letting me take a break, keeping me on a diet of bread and water.”

She waited for the punchline, sensing there was one. “That’s terrible,” she said, playing along. Gunner’s eyes were so incredibly blue she could get lost in the depth of them. Excitement over being so close to him made her feel slightly dizzy. She expected him to come out with it, tell her the name of his boss. When he remained silent, she tipped her head, leaning forward slightly. “Who’s your boss? Do I know him?”

Something she couldn’t discern flickered in Gunner’s eyes. “I suspect that you know him better than anyone.”

Her heart picked up its beat, the connection between them running strong. “You’re the boss.”

A full smile broke over his face. “Yep, I’m the drill sergeant.”

For a second, she was at a loss for words. “When did you buy the hardware store?”

“Last year. Claude wanted to retire. We worked out a deal, and well, here I am.”

Her brow wrinkled. “What about your music?”

“I still piddle with it, but don’t have a lot of extra time.

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