Casey Stuart has given up her dream of escaping to the big city. She refuses to desert her uncle, even when he hires the new stranger in town to replace her at their golf course. Casey vows to steer clear of the stranger called Aidan and the danger their inescapable chemistry provokes. Aidan’s stay is temporary, and falling for him promises only heartbreak.
When Casey discovers Cypress Key’s mayor is making underhanded business deals, she ends up on the wrong side of the powerful autocrat. Aidan steps in to rescue her, but secrets from his past threaten to bogey their newfound relationship.
The sheriff unlocked the cell door and swung it wide. “Sure you don’t want to cough up that last name? I’ll get it out of the system, but it’ll go easier on you if you just tell me.”
“You’ll get a last name when I get a lawyer,” Aidan growled. “And I get a phone call to locate him.”
Watson glared and slammed the cell door hard enough to vibrate the wall of bars. He stomped out of the containment area and returned moments later with a fresh glare and a portable phone. No formal booking procedure just yet, only a stop at Robbins’s house. With any luck, Aidan could avoid that process altogether.
He punched Ian’s cell number.
Watson waited outside the cell door, arms crossed and ugly glare evidently a permanent fixture on his mug. Aidan would have to do a little soft shoe to hide his identity during this call, with Watson eavesdropping on every word. He eased to the back of the cell. When Ian answered, Aidan turned the volume down as low as he could and still hear his friend, to reduce Watson’s chance of overhearing the deep-voiced Scot.
“Where the devil have ye been, Aidan? Ye’ve been gone for hours. I was tempted to take one of the WaveRunners ashore and have a look about for ye, but Joe assured me ye’d know where to get your wee motor part repaired. Did ye get lost?”
“Ian, I . . .” Aidan hated this. “I’m in jail.”
He almost put the phone to his chest to cover the sound of Ian’s uproarious laughter, but that would be too obvious. He took his chances, and dammit, if Watson didn’t grin.
“Enough,” he barked. “I have an audience.”
Ian abruptly stopped laughing. “Ye’re serious then?”
“Why would I kid about that?”
“Bloody hell. What did ye do? Refuse to pay the exorbitant repair fee? Ye were probably daft enough to tell the man it was for a yacht, and he charged ye double.”
Aidan closed his eyes and breathed deeply for patience.
“Assault,” he snapped. “I’ve been charged with assault.”
The phone went dead quiet for all of a moment before the explosion hit.
“That’s bollocks! What horse’s arse would charge ye of all people with assault?”
Watson glowered, and Aidan relished the fact the man had heard the last bit of Ian’s diatribe.
“Ye’d be the last man on the face of the earth to pull a stunt like that with all yer mon—”
“Ian!” he yelled, to cover up what his friend had been about to say.
None of it would have helped his predicament. Though stuck in jail, he still didn’t want to divulge his identity if he didn’t have to. Not after meeting Frank and Casey and Watson. He needed to get the lay of the land here first. This was to be his project site after all and being arrested so swiftly for so little had roused his spidey senses and stubbornness.
“Audience, remember? I explained to the sheriff that my last name is Doe as in John Doe.”
“Did ye?” The Scot was all ears now. His voice went very soft. “No identification with ye, I take it?”
“No. I left it on the boat.”
“Shite.”
“I told Sheriff Watson he’d get my last name when I got a lawyer, and this is my one call.”
“And it’s gone on long enough,” Watson sniped from outside the cell.
“I heard him, Aidan,” Ian said softly. “I’ll get yer Shaunessy to check on this Watson arse, and I’ll call Rhett—”
“Sheriff?” a deputy called as he burst through the door to the containment area. “Sorry to interrupt, but someone just bailed out your Aidan Doe.”
“Hang on, Ian. Hold off on calling anyone yet. I’ve just been sprung from this joint.”
“Ye call me back when ye’re out,” the Scot ordered.
“Promise.”
He handed the phone to Watson through the bars and fought back his own smirk at the sheriff’s glower.
“Your court hearing will be scheduled once the public defender returns unless you manage to hire a lawyer on your own. If the public defender’s behind, might be a month. Don’t you go anywhere.”
“But I don’t live here.”
“Should’ve thought of that before you hit PJ Bartow.”
“I didn’t hit him.”
“That’s right. You kicked the hell out of him.”
There was no reasoning with the sheriff and his questionable legal protocols, and Aidan wanted to know who had bailed him out and spoiled Watson’s plans.
“You’ll get a last name when I get a lawyer,” Aidan growled. “And I get a phone call to locate him.”
Watson glared and slammed the cell door hard enough to vibrate the wall of bars. He stomped out of the containment area and returned moments later with a fresh glare and a portable phone. No formal booking procedure just yet, only a stop at Robbins’s house. With any luck, Aidan could avoid that process altogether.
He punched Ian’s cell number.
Watson waited outside the cell door, arms crossed and ugly glare evidently a permanent fixture on his mug. Aidan would have to do a little soft shoe to hide his identity during this call, with Watson eavesdropping on every word. He eased to the back of the cell. When Ian answered, Aidan turned the volume down as low as he could and still hear his friend, to reduce Watson’s chance of overhearing the deep-voiced Scot.
“Where the devil have ye been, Aidan? Ye’ve been gone for hours. I was tempted to take one of the WaveRunners ashore and have a look about for ye, but Joe assured me ye’d know where to get your wee motor part repaired. Did ye get lost?”
“Ian, I . . .” Aidan hated this. “I’m in jail.”
He almost put the phone to his chest to cover the sound of Ian’s uproarious laughter, but that would be too obvious. He took his chances, and dammit, if Watson didn’t grin.
“Enough,” he barked. “I have an audience.”
Ian abruptly stopped laughing. “Ye’re serious then?”
“Why would I kid about that?”
“Bloody hell. What did ye do? Refuse to pay the exorbitant repair fee? Ye were probably daft enough to tell the man it was for a yacht, and he charged ye double.”
Aidan closed his eyes and breathed deeply for patience.
“Assault,” he snapped. “I’ve been charged with assault.”
The phone went dead quiet for all of a moment before the explosion hit.
“That’s bollocks! What horse’s arse would charge ye of all people with assault?”
Watson glowered, and Aidan relished the fact the man had heard the last bit of Ian’s diatribe.
“Ye’d be the last man on the face of the earth to pull a stunt like that with all yer mon—”
“Ian!” he yelled, to cover up what his friend had been about to say.
None of it would have helped his predicament. Though stuck in jail, he still didn’t want to divulge his identity if he didn’t have to. Not after meeting Frank and Casey and Watson. He needed to get the lay of the land here first. This was to be his project site after all and being arrested so swiftly for so little had roused his spidey senses and stubbornness.
“Audience, remember? I explained to the sheriff that my last name is Doe as in John Doe.”
“Did ye?” The Scot was all ears now. His voice went very soft. “No identification with ye, I take it?”
“No. I left it on the boat.”
“Shite.”
“I told Sheriff Watson he’d get my last name when I got a lawyer, and this is my one call.”
“And it’s gone on long enough,” Watson sniped from outside the cell.
“I heard him, Aidan,” Ian said softly. “I’ll get yer Shaunessy to check on this Watson arse, and I’ll call Rhett—”
“Sheriff?” a deputy called as he burst through the door to the containment area. “Sorry to interrupt, but someone just bailed out your Aidan Doe.”
“Hang on, Ian. Hold off on calling anyone yet. I’ve just been sprung from this joint.”
“Ye call me back when ye’re out,” the Scot ordered.
“Promise.”
He handed the phone to Watson through the bars and fought back his own smirk at the sheriff’s glower.
“Your court hearing will be scheduled once the public defender returns unless you manage to hire a lawyer on your own. If the public defender’s behind, might be a month. Don’t you go anywhere.”
“But I don’t live here.”
“Should’ve thought of that before you hit PJ Bartow.”
“I didn’t hit him.”
“That’s right. You kicked the hell out of him.”
There was no reasoning with the sheriff and his questionable legal protocols, and Aidan wanted to know who had bailed him out and spoiled Watson’s plans.
Cinderella's fairy tale moves to Jupiter Island, Florida, where Lily Foster, owner of an eclectic landscape nursery, is mistaken for a wealthy socialite by billionaire resort developer Rhett Buchanan. Overdue for a little romance in her life, Lily is anxious for one fabulous date with her handsome prince, so she cultivates her inadvertent masquerade. Rhett Buchanan has become jaded with the Palm Beach social scene, dominated by scheming women desperate for more money—his money. Rhett falls hard when he meets Lily Foster. She is a breath of fresh air after the smog of gold diggers constantly surrounding him. For Rhett and Lily, it's love at first sight until her deception comes to light and pitches their relationship into a disastrous tailspin. Well-meaning friends are determined to intercede and resort to inept high jinks to reunite the estranged couple while a wicked ex-girlfriend plays dirty to keep the couple apart. |
Garrett Tucker inherits his grandfather's casino empire and steps into the reclusive billionaire's shoes as the "Prince of Vegas." His first act is to buy a bankrupt casino in Biloxi. When he discovers embezzling in his new operation, Garrett goes undercover. His prime suspect is the new finance supervisor—the spitfire brunette who stole his heart at first sight. Andi Ryan moves to Biloxi to care for her godmother and takes a job as finance supervisor for the renovated Bayou Princess casino. She discovers someone is skimming from the till and starts her own investigation, worried she will be blamed for the theft when the new owner discovers her godmother has a gambling addiction. |
Petie shares her home on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee with her horticulturist husband, a spoiled-rotten English Springer spaniel addicted to pimento-stuffed green olives, and a noisy Nanday conure named Sassy who made a cameo appearance in Angel to the Rescue.
Up for grabs:
eCopy of Betting on Cinderella
(5 winners)
and a $10 Amazon gift card
(1 winner)
Petite McCarty is a new author to me. This series sounds like fun and will be added to my TBR.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Mary! I hope you enjoy the story!
DeleteBest, Petie
Looks good.
ReplyDeleteThanks bunches, Olga!
DeleteBest, Petie
Cinderella sends Romance Novel Giveaways an enormous Thank You! for hosting our Xpresso Book Blitz!
ReplyDeleteBest always, Petie