Take Me Down Read online

  But at least it had a roof, he thought, as Matt pulled the car to a stop.

  “If you have a problem, give me a call and I’ll come back to get you. Though I can’t see Emily turning you away. She’s a sweetheart,” he said, a look of longing in his gaze as he spoke of the woman who owned the inn.

  There was a story there, Parker thought. Or Matt wanted there to be one.

  “You coming in?” Parker asked as he opened the door and climbed out.

  “Wish I could but I can’t leave the place unattended for that long. Tell Emily I said hi.”

  “Will do.” Parker retrieved his suitcase from the back. “Thanks for the ride.”

  He looked up at the inn and hoped like hell the owners took pity on him and gave him a room for the night.

  * * *

  “Men suck.” Emily Stevens pounded the dough for the bread she was making for her dad and glanced up at her best friend, Harper Sanders.

  “Did the asshole call again?” Harper raised an eyebrow, a talent she’d always had and Emily envied.

  “He did. I’m thinking of changing my number except he knows where to find me, so what good would it do?” She shivered at the prospect of seeing her ex-husband again. She never knew when the bastard would show up to harass her.

  “You could file for a restraining order.”

  She looked at her friend through lowered lashes. Where Emily was thin … but for the tummy pooch she still had, Harper was curvy. Where Emily was blonde, Harper was dark haired. And gorgeous. And her best friend in the entire world, bar none. They’d been inseparable until Emily moved to Chicago to try her hand in the big city. The city … and the man she’d met there had all been a mistake.

  “I can’t prove emotional abuse and you know it,” Emily reminded her friend. “I just have to hope Rex gets the hint and moves on.” To some other unsuspecting woman who thought he was the amazing man he appeared to be on the surface.

  She’d moved back home and away from the son of a bitch almost a year ago. She’d filed a petition of separation and had to live apart from him for one more year before the divorce would become final in the state of Illinois, where they’d married and lived. Unless he came to his senses and didn’t contest the damned thing. So far he was ignoring the fact that she wanted out, showing up on occasion to pretend he was a misunderstood great guy who wanted his wife back.

  She knew better.

  Hell, he knew better.

  He was a lawyer who didn’t like to lose, and by her walking out, he considered that a loss. Being rid of him in any way, she considered a win.

  Emily wanted the life she had now – living in her small town, baking for Harper’s Coffee Shop, and lying low.

  “Look, we can talk to my brother. Gary’s your lawyer and you know he’ll help you,” Harper said.

  Emily shook her head. “He already told me the process is playing out. He said to document any bad behavior, but other than that, Rex calling me or coming by isn’t harassment.”

  Harper pulled on her long black hair and groaned. “I call bullshit. I’m going to talk to Gary.”

  Since Harper was stubborn, Emily didn’t argue. “I’m through with the opposite sex.” Had been for longer than she’d been separated, in fact. But there was no use dwelling on things she couldn’t change … or bring back to life.

  She shaped the bread and slid it onto the tray and into the oven before turning back to her friend. “No more men,” she said one last time for good measure.

  “How’s your dad?” Harper asked, ignoring Emily’s comment.

  Harper was still trying to fix her up with people – not an easy feat in their small town where Emily knew everyone, thank goodness. Harper even gritted her teeth and pretended she was okay with Emily going out on another date with Matt Banks.

  He asked her fairly often, as Emily was in town every day since she brought her baked goods to Harper’s Coffee Shop on a daily basis and he owned the gas station and repair shop across the street. Problem was, Harper had had a thing for Matt since forever and the man was oblivious. Emily’s first and only date with the man had been before she’d known Harper liked him that way.

  “Dad’s good,” Emily said. “Still ignoring me when I try to talk him into moving to Florida.” Near her sister, Amy, and her family. “It’ll be good for him to stop worrying about this place. It’s a money pit.” She loved her dad and wanted him around for a long time to come, not worrying himself to death about how he could make this place succeed and fulfill her mom’s dream. “Anyway, the winter is almost over, so I have the spring and summer to convince him to move there by next fall before the weather turns brutal again.

  “Do you really want him to leave you here alone?” Harper asked.

  Emily shook her head, a lump in her throat. “But I worry about him and the memories here as well as the cold, the hard work…” Ever since losing her mom, she was ultrasensitive and worried about her father.

  “I get it. I really do. But you won’t be able to stay here if he leaves. He’ll have to sell and–”

  “I’ll rent a place. Somewhere with a kitchen so I can still supply you with baked goods–”

  “Hello?” a male voice called out from the front entryway.

  “Are you expecting anyone?” Harper asked.

  Emily shook her head. “Dad didn’t mention anyone coming by, either.” But they did occasionally get people who needed a room who would stop by. And they let them stay although they never operated at full capacity. There were too many fixes and problems that needed taking care of before they could be a full-fledged B and B. They just didn’t have the money for the repairs they needed.

  “Coming!” Emily yelled out. She wiped her hands on the apron she’d tied around her body, protecting her clothes, and headed out to the main part of the house, where people would congregate … if they were a fully functional bed-and-breakfast.

  Emily walked into the room and came to a stop, Harper barreling into her from behind.

  A man stood in the doorway, suitcase at his feet. From the designer shoes with the Gucci buckle to the obviously expensive jeans to the shearling-lined jacket, everything about him screamed city slicker. Just like Rex.

  Her gaze came to his revealing blue eyes in a drop-dead gorgeous face, strong jaw, full lips, and distinctively handsome features. But his good looks didn’t erase the fact that he was everything she’d come to distrust in a man.

  “Can I help you?” she asked coolly.

  He met her gaze with a friendly one of his own. “I’m looking to rent a room.”

  “I’m sorry but we’re not open for business.”

  “Yeah, Matt mentioned something about that but–”

  “You came here anyway, hoping to charm me into giving you a place to stay,” she said as if it were a crime.

  “Hey!” Harper nudged her in the back. “No need to be rude to the man. He’s hot.” She whispered the last part in Emily’s ear.

  He narrowed his gaze, probably not understanding her chilly tone. “Actually my car broke down and it needs a part. Matt has to order it and I need a place to stay while I call the rental place and figure out what happens next.”

  “No.” Emily was adamant. This sexy, good-looking man wasn’t staying in the room next to hers.

  “But you’re the only inn within hours and I’m shit out of luck if you don’t help me. Please.” He treated her to what she supposed would be a panty-melting grin that worked on any woman who hadn’t been subjected to a con man’s charm before. She didn’t trust his good looks or smile.

  “Emily–” This from Harper behind her.

  “Hey, darling daughter of mine. What’s going on?” Emily’s father joined them, walking down the stairs from where his bedroom was located. Emily’s large room and the other guest rooms were on the opposite side of the house.

  James Stevens was in his late fifties, he was strong, fit, and he liked to do more than he should around the house. He and Emily looked nothing alike. She
’d gotten her blonde hair from her mom, God rest her soul. Her dad had brown hair and a scruffy beard. And he loved having guests. The bed-and-breakfast had been her parents’ dream – until her mother got sick and things fell apart during her illness.

  “Mr.– Oh! We don’t even know your name,” Harper said. “His car broke down and he needs a room.”

  “I’m Parker Knight,” he said, giving Harper a grateful wink. A wink that turned Emily’s insides to mush, not that she’d let him know that.

  “James Stevens, and this is my daughter, Emily. And her friend, Harper.”

  Harper, the traitor, treated him to a friendly wave.

  Parker chuckled and grinned at her before turning back to the older man. Emily refused to admit what that wink – at her friend – did to her insides.

  “Your daughter said you aren’t renting. But I’m really in a bind.” He appealed to her father instead of Emily, obviously because she’d already turned him down. “So can you make an exception? Please?”

  Her father turned to her, a frown on his face. “Emily Ann Stevens, I’m disappointed in you. How could you turn away someone in need? You know we rent to a person or two at a time. We just can’t handle a full house.” He turned back to the man named Parker. “Of course you can stay. Emily, show the man to a room, please.”

  Her stomach cramped as she realized she wasn’t going to win this battle. The hot city guy was here to stay. For a couple of days or more, she didn’t know. As far as she was concerned, one day was one too many.

  Chapter Two

  Parker followed the little spitfire who wanted nothing to do with him, as she led him through the house and to a set of stairs, his gaze on her ass the entire time. Two flour handprints stained her jean pockets, making him want to set his palms there and squeeze those cheeks until she moaned, which only served to accentuate the already hard problem in his pants.

  “You’re the only guest we have,” she explained, glancing over her shoulder only to catch him staring at her rear end.

  She scowled at him and came to a stop at a closed door. “You can put your bag in here. It’s been cleaned but I need to make sure you have towels and everything else you’ll need, so I’ll be back.”

  She started to head past him, the warm scent that followed her making his mouth water as he caught her wrist. “Why does having me here piss you off so much?”

  The second he’d laid eyes on the blonde-haired, brown-eyed beauty staring at him with a frown on her pretty face, hair up in a messy bun, and a Kiss the Cook full apron, he was intrigued both by her looks, a combination of wholesome and sexy, and the obvious animosity she had without even knowing him.

  She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth before releasing it with a pop. “You look like trouble, city boy.”

  “Do you always judge a book by its cover?” he couldn’t help but ask.

  She didn’t look the least bit apologetic for being called out on her behavior. “I don’t, actually, but something about you has my gut screaming to watch out.” She shook her head, glancing down at her small wrist, which he still had in his hand.

  He immediately released her, missing the heat she’d generated in his palm. “Hey, I’m a nice guy. Some people even think I’m charming.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of,” she muttered and he narrowed his gaze. He wondered what she had against him being from the city. Why calling himself charming put her off. And most of all, why, despite the fact that she had obvious walls around her a mile high, he wanted to climb them anyway.

  “I’ll be back up with fresh towels, some water, and a few other things.”

  “You don’t need to wait on me. I can come down and get them for myself.”

  “And have my father tell me I’m depriving you of the full Ruby Rose experience? No, thank you.”

  Okay, so he’d let her treat him like a guest. Which brought up another question. “Why aren’t you open for business?” he asked.

  Her heartfelt sigh went straight to his gut. “It’s a long story.”

  “If the part for my car takes a while, like Matt said it would, I’ll have time to listen.”

  She muttered something under her breath, turned, and walked away.

  Chuckling, he rolled his suitcase in and looked around. Instead of a floral bed-and-breakfast appearance, it was a rustic vision of wood furniture and bed frame, accentuated by deeper red tones in the comforter and window treatment, and he loved the room on sight.

  If he had to be stranded in the Colorado mountains, he could think of a lot worse places to be. One thing he knew for sure, he looked forward to getting under Emily Stevens’ skin a whole lot more.

  * * *

  Parker woke up freezing. His body was shaking, his nose was cold, and his dick was shriveled. A glance at his watch told him it wasn’t even five thirty a.m.

  “Jesus,” he muttered, climbing out of bed. He pulled on a pair of sweats and sweatshirt, went to the bathroom in the hall to take care of business, and made his way downstairs.

  He heard the distinct sound of metal banging on metal from an open door leading to the basement downstairs. Curses followed and he went in the direction of the noise, finding James, wrench in hand, wrestling with the boiler.

  “Come on, you son of a bitch. I can’t afford what a plumber will cost me to come fix you,” the man muttered.

  “What’s going on?” Parker knelt down beside James, who was also bundled in jeans and a heavy jacket. “Damn thing is old. I think I’m going to have to call for help.”

  Parker wasn’t good with machinery and groaned. “Sorry. I wish I had the know-how to help.”

  They both rose to their feet.

  “It’s fine,” James said with a wince. “I’ll give Timmons a call. He’s the plumber in the area. Hopefully he can get out here fairly soon. I’m sorry about this.”

  “No worries for me. Let’s go have some hot coffee,” Parker said, gesturing toward the stairs for them to walk up.

  A little while later, he and James were sitting at the table while he waited for a return call from the plumber, each cupping their hand over a warm mug of brew.

  “I’m sorry my daughter wasn’t exactly warm and welcoming yesterday,” James said. “I’m not sure what got into her.”

  Parker chuckled. “I think I just rubbed her the wrong way.”

  Although he got the feeling there was more to her dislike of him than met the eye. Between her calling him city boy and thinking he was trouble, he figured maybe he reminded her of someone she knew and didn’t like. He’d have to give it more time. From his check-in with Matt a little while ago, the part would take a few days, and Parker had decided he was in no rush to return home. In fact, he felt as though he could breathe here without feeling suffocated by work and family issues.

  “She’s been through a lot,” James said of his daughter. “Don’t hold it against her.”

  “I won’t,” Parker assured the man. He was too interested in the attraction he felt for Emily to do that. “What’s going on with the heater? Is that typical?”

  James sighed, meeting his gaze. He looked to be in his late fifties, with deep creases around his eyes that came from living life, and Parker wondered what his story was.

  “Emily grew up in this town. It’s small and slow-paced. Her mom and I loved it here. I was an accountant and her mother was a stay-at-home mom. It was always my wife Ruby’s dream to open a bed-and-breakfast and we saved for that day. Emily went off to college and then settled in Chicago, and her mom and I waited for the perfect property to come up for sale. Five years ago, it did.” He stared wistfully off into space, as if remembering.

  “And you bought it,” Parker said, bringing his attention back to the present.

  “We did. And it needed a lot of work, which we started to put into it. But that didn’t stop Ruby from living her dream and getting guests here to stay over. She loved taking care of people and she loved being the proprietor. We did the renovations slowly even with a small l
oan. But then…”

  He trailed off and Parker waited for him to be able to continue.

  He glanced from his mug into Parker’s eyes. “Ruby got sick. Pancreatic cancer. And when the treatments didn’t work, the money we’d allotted for the inn we started to use for experimental treatments. This place was the last thing I worried about and I let things go.”

  “How long has she been gone?” Parker asked softly.

  “A year.” He blew out a harsh breath. “It wasn’t easy. Emily came home as often as she could, when that bastard would let her.” He muttered the last part under his breath, and Parker narrowed his gaze, not liking what his words insinuated. At all.

  “Finally she returned for good and her mom passed a short time after. Which is why we don’t have the money to get this place fixed up so we can accommodate a full house of guests.”

  Parker nodded in understanding, taking a sip of his coffee before answering. “I’m very sorry for your loss.”

  He knew both personally and from his brother what death did to people, and it was a wonder they had this place running even at partial capacity.

  “I want more than anything to fulfill my wife’s dream, but in the meantime, Em is baking and selling her cakes and cookies at Harper’s Coffee Shop in town. It’s a good fit since she left her job in Chicago when–”

  “Dad!” Emily’s bark of horror stopped her father from finishing his sentence, preventing Parker from learning more.

  Which was fine with him. Anything about Emily, he intended to learn from the woman herself.

  “We were just discussing the heat,” Parker said.

  “Is the boiler out again? I woke up freezing.” She held up her hands, which were covered by fingerless gloves.

  She was bundled in a pair of leggings, a long sweater, and a scarf wrapped around her neck. Her hair was once again pulled into a messy bun, and she had on no makeup, which didn’t detract from her beauty. She was naturally pretty, so unlike the women he met on a daily basis in Manhattan. He couldn’t help but be struck by her looks … and prickly personality that was obviously a cover for something that had happened in her life.