Hartley Hanover:
Oooh! I hate that man! Booker Sloan is the most uptight, arrogant, annoying man I've ever met! He even has the nerve to arrest me for not filing a permit. A permit! And when it turns out that I did file it, it just got lost in the shuffle....does he apologize? Heck no! He proceeds to tell me all the things I do wrong every single day of my life! I'm surprised he doesn't yell at me for breathing!
But when I'm alone at night...why do I keep thinking about him? Why does the occasional sadness on his face make me want to fix whatever's wrong in his universe? Why can't he stay out of my dreams and keep those dang handcuffs to himself?
Booker Sloan:
I know I messed up and I should apologize. I shouldn't have acted the way I did. But something about that dang, sweet woman just has me so screwed up that every time I open my mouth the worst things come out!
It's not her. It's me. And I know it. But I feel like if I give her one little inch, the gorgeous woman will take every piece of me I have left. I'm barely hanging on and if I have to push her away to protect myself? Well, that's just how it's got to be.
So why does it bother me so much when a new man in town shows a little interest in the petite, sunny woman who's got me tied up in knots? She's not encouraging him. In fact it seems like she's running away from him.
So how come I still want to punch his grinning mouth and grind him into dust under my boot heels and then haul her over my shoulder and make sure she understands that she's mine?
Excerpt:
Laughing, I reach over and hug little Edward Reese. He hugs me back hard. He is just the sweetest boy.
“Now, I know that you’ve been waiting for this book!” I pull it from behind my back. “Surprise! It came in early and I made sure to set it aside for you!”
“You are the best, Miss Hanover!” His huge, gap-toothed smile makes my heart light.
He hasn’t had an easy time of it lately. His dad got hurt while driving home from work last month and broke his leg so the whole family has had to pitch in to help. Even nine year old boys. So he hasn’t been able to spend as much time in the library as he usually does and he loves to read.
“You just get it back to me when you’re done. Doesn’t matter how long. I’ll take care of it.”
His little round cheeks flush and his freckles disappear in a wash of red. “Thank you so much, Miss Hanover. I can’t wait to read it!” He dances off and his mom smiles at me, watching his light steps before she turns back to me.
“We really appreciate you doing this, Miss Hanover. We’re all working really hard. And Sam is worried about him.” She nods her head at Edward.
I can’t even speak, my throat tight with my own tears. But I clear my throat and say, “I’m glad. I hope that this helps him relax a little bit.”
“It will. Thank you.” She moves off and I turn back, groaning when I’m faced with the last person I want to see.
“Sheriff? How nice to see you.”
His arctic blue eyes glare at the setup on the sidewalk. “I talked to you about this last month with the Christmas in July to-do. You cannot block the sidewalk like this. And did you get a permit this time?”
I nod my head and sigh. “Yes, I did. Last month when you had your hissy fit.”
He stands up straight and pushes his broad shoulders back and I feel that little pull in my belly that I absolutely hate! Why the fuck do I have to react like this around this man?
I mean, sure he’s hot. His light brown hair is thick and gleams in the sunlight. But it’s so tamed that it almost doesn’t look real. His body is tall and tanned, muscles upon muscles to drool over. I jerk my brain back in line.
No, not drool over. Dread. You dread seeing this man. He smiles at me and I growl under my breath.
“Can I see it?”
“I don’t have it on me.” He nods his tawny head at me. “I’ll be back then.”
He steps away and I see him on his little radio talking to someone and I roll my eyes and turn to Mrs. Cassidy, discussing the latest thriller that she just read that I recommended to her.
“I loved it, Miss Hanover! So good! Do you have any more like that?”
I’m nodding at her when I feel a big hand grab my wrist and pull it backwards. My mouth falls open when I see that the Sheriff has a hold of my wrist.
“What the heck are you doing? Get off of me!” I try and pull away and he grits hit teeth, his firm jaw tensing.
“Stop resisting.”
“What are you doing, Sheriff?” Mrs. Cassidy’s mouth is hanging open and she’s glaring at him like he’s mugging me.
“I’m arresting her for disturbing the peace, not having a license for a demonstration and now resisting arrest.”
“You must be joking,” I huff, staring at him.
“Nope.” He grabs my other hand and pulls it behind my back, clicking the handcuffs on my wrists. The cold steel against my skin makes me shiver and freeze in my tracks.
His blue eyes look me up and down and I swear there’s some kind of emotion there that I don’t understand. I don’t think I want to understand it.
I just want him to get away from me and leave me alone. And take his handcuffs and shove them where the damn sun doesn't shine!
Copyright 2023 Tamrin Banks
About Tamrin Banks:
I'm a mother of three who works for a school district as a cafeteria aide but I've also had a lot of different hats over the years. Divorced single mom fresh out of the military working nights in a plastics factory all the way to teaching cardio kickboxing and zumba at the YMCA.
I've been married to my honey bunny for 22 years now. He's absolutely the best and tries to keep me in check as much as possible because I am a crazy person that stacks too much on her plate and then does it all no matter what. Even if it drives everyone nuts!
I love the kind of romances where you know what you're getting. I don't like happily for now. That just feels like cheating to me. I also don't like love triangles. I'm an easy girl and I like my books like I like my men...lol! Uncomplicated. So if you're reading my books, you know that no matter what, there's a happily ever after!
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