Anything But Sweet (2 page)

“Yes.”
The day before he died, in fact.
Reno fought back the huge sense of loss that remained as powerful today as the day
two years ago, when they’d buried the man who’d saved his life.

“Then turn around and grab it,” his mother dared with a big smile.

As Reno turned back to the circus, he found
Fancy Pants
leaning into that big gas guzzler. Her efforts hiked up her skirt and gave him, and
anyone else who cared to look, a splendid view of the backs of her firm thighs.

Chester let out a wolf whistle. Paige gave the old skirt chaser a poke in the ribs.
Reno had to admit that as much as he did not want change in his little town, he was
a man. One who recognized a gorgeous woman even as everything inside him tried to
ignore the warning bells and whistles.

The gathered crowd waited with hushed whispers until the TV host backed out of the
Hummer with something in her arms. That
something
happened to be a tiny, apricot-colored poodle sporting a sparkling rhinestone collar.

Charlotte Brooks took a step forward, coming close enough for him to catch a whiff
of her sweet perfume. Her brown eyes traveled down the length of his body and slowly
climbed back up to his face. She flashed him a grin that seemed to say she approved.

“Hold Pumpkin for me, won’t you, handsome?” Her voice was the kind of sexy low and
husky a man wanted to hear in the bedroom. Whispering his name. As she begged him
to take her again and again.

The sensual spell she cast crashed down as she thrust her prissy pooch in his arms,
then sauntered away to continue wowing the crowd.

Pumpkin?

Reno glanced down at the pathetic excuse of a dog shivering in his arms. For Christ’s
sake, it had glitter-painted toenails on its raccoonlike feet. Who the hell would
do that?

Chester elbowed him, leering and nodding like a bobblehead figurine. “She likes you.”

Reno could barely think beyond the irritation burning through his veins. That was
when something warm and wet spread across the front of his shirt.

Shocked, he stared down into bugged-out brown eyes that silently said, “Oops.”

Chapter 2

C
harli successfully extracted herself from the initial meet and greet in the little
town square that needed a lot of her love and attention. It hadn’t taken more than
a quick glance to realize the place had plenty of potential and that it was probably
one of the most important locations for her to renovate.
This
was where the community gathered, and she had to make it extra special. While her
producer might not feel the location was important enough to put on the list of places
to spruce up, Charli would fight to the last donut to make it happen. All within her
squeaky budget.

Earlier, in a quick glance around the crowd, she’d seen faces both young and old,
eager and excited about the changes to come.

That was when she’d spotted
him.

Tall, with stiff broad shoulders. Dark, with slightly curly hair. Handsome, with eyes
a deep chestnut that glared at her as though she bore a triple-six tattoo on the
back of her skull.

He was exactly the type of man she was attracted to and equally the type she’d sworn
herself to leave alone.

For months, she’d been on a boy bust. A hunk hiatus, so to speak. At least until she
figured out why she kept choosing the same kind of man over and over. At least until
she learned to be attracted to members of the opposite sex who weren’t looking to
break her heart or bail like a Recon paratrooper.

Yet, as she looked into that striking face, something wicked inside her busted loose.

Those narrowed eyes had issued a challenge.

And she’d
never
been one to wuss out.

Charli didn’t understand his reasons for such a dark frown in a crowd full of smiles,
but she sure as hell planned to find out. In a moment of sheer madness, she’d chosen
him
to hold her little traveling companion. Because, really, who wouldn’t want to cuddle
with an adorable fluff of fur?

Oh sure, she could have held on to Pumpkin herself, but
he’d
thrown down the gauntlet. And, thanks to a hot wave of hormonal lunacy, she’d decided
to pick it up.

While the rest of the crew chatted with the community and listened to enthusiastic
ideas on how to renovate the town, Charli slipped away to rescue Pumpkin. She’d only
meant for the scowling dark-eyed hunk to hold on to her doggie for a few minutes
while she gave the residents a quick rundown on what to expect in the coming six weeks.
Instead, he’d stomped off in a large pair of cowboy boots toward Wilder and Sons Hardware
& Feed.

During her years in design, Charli had learned that first impressions were critical.
And Main Street—the heart of Sweet, Texas—was in desperate need of a better first
impression. As they’d come through town, the hardware store’s sun-bleached cedar
siding and rusted metal roof had caught her eye. Though the white paint on the window
frame had peeled like a bad sunburn, the place had charm. It just needed a little
spiffing up.

As she wobbled across the road in the ridiculous high heels the show’s wardrobe consultant
had insisted she wear, a strategy sprouted in her mind. Because of a bad economy and
budget cuts, shows like theirs were always on the edge of extinction. Charli had a
lot to prove. She’d always been known for tackling the impossible—like trying to
impress her father—or renovating a former hospital into low-cost apartments for
senior citizens. In her mind, the bigger the challenge, the better the satisfaction
when the project was complete.

Aside from the numerous large projects on Main Street, there was the hardware store.
Which might not be big in size, but something told her a lot of heart had gone into
those walls. And she planned to make them prettier.

When she opened the front door, a little bell jingled her arrival. While she waited,
she looked around. Everything on the inside appeared as ancient as the outside. Like
maybe the items for sale had sat on the shelves since the turn of the nineteenth century.

Finally, from a back room, Mr. Tall, Dark, and . . . yep, still Grumpy, emerged. To
her surprise, his big hands were busy buttoning a plaid shirt over a spectacularly
tan, naked chest with a light layer of hair that looked soft and inviting to fingertips
that were tactile sensitive. Like hers. Below those amazing pecs came a set of rippled
abs. Not the overdone variety, like the ones displayed in the gym where some men seemed
to have nothing better to do than pump and preen. The abs on Mr. Grouchy looked like
they’d been cut from hard, sweaty man work.

In a moment of sheer indulgence, she dropped her gaze lower to the fine dark hair
that swirled his belly button, then formed a line that disappeared into a pair of
jeans slung over narrow hips. What went on below
that
looked to be equally interesting.

Sadly, with each button he closed, the magnificent view disappeared. She forced her
eyes upward with a mental reminder that she was on a man ban. Looky, but no touchy.

“How can I help . . .” He glanced up. “You.” While his last word dropped off on an
accusation, those dark eyes sliced and diced her like a Ronco Chop-O-Matic. Something
in her stomach did a funny side shuffle and a little heel kick.

Down girl.

“You stole my dog,” she said, as soon as her senses rolled back up into her brain.

Those incredible eyes narrowed just a fraction. “First of all,” he said, “that’s
not
a dog. Second, I didn’t steal it.
You
dumped it. And third, you owe me a shirt.”

“A shirt?”

“Pumpkin
had a little accident.”

“Oh.” Charli covered her mouth to hide her smile. “Sorry. Good thing you sell shirts.”
She glanced around again at the products available for sale. “And coffeepots. And
yarn. And candles. And pet supplies. And . . .” She squinted her eyes. “Are those
silk poppies in that apple basket?”

“You got a problem with fake flowers?”

“In a craft store? No. In a hardware and feed store? Don’t you think that’s a little
. . . odd?”

His wide shoulders came up—making him look even larger and infinitely more intimidating.
“I think what’s
odd
is why you want to come to this town and fix what isn’t broken.”

“No one said Sweet was broken. But don’t you think it could use a little livening
up?”

“If you’ve ever been to Seven Devils on a hot summer night, you wouldn’t ask that
question.”

“And Seven Devils is . . . ?”

“Local bar. Not someplace someone like
you
would frequent.”

“You know nothing about me, Mr. . . .”

“Wilder.” He gave a nod toward the front window. “Like the sign says.”

“So, then, where are your sons?”

“You sure ask a lot of questions.”

“And you’re pretty good at dodging them.” That almost got a smile. Or not. “Where’s
my dog?”

“That pathetic excuse for a canine is in back. If Bear hasn’t eaten her for a snack.”

Bear?
Images of sharp teeth and claws shot panic up Charli’s spine. She headed toward the
back room. Mr. Grumpy with the fabulous physique stepped in her way and filled her
senses with a delicious scent that was clean, warm, and all male.

“Can’t you read?” His voice resonated in a deep rumble that vibrated over her skin
like a hot caress.

She looked up over the door.
EMPLOYEES
ONLY.
“Are you holding Pumpkin hostage until I pay for your new shirt?”

“Hadn’t thought of that.” He glanced at a rack of plaid apparel and the sign that
read $19.99. “But it’s not a bad idea.”

“I left my purse in the Hummer. You’ll have to take my word that I’m good for it.”

“Now, while it might be easy to figure that a woman who owns an expensive vehicle
like—”

“The expensive vehicle belongs to the production company.
I
drive a MINI Cooper.”

“Still presents a problem.” He folded his arms, and biceps bulged beneath those short
sleeves. “Because, as you said, I don’t know you.”

“I’m not going anywhere for six weeks,” she said. “And I promise you twenty bucks
is no big deal.” She brushed past him. All her fears washed away when she found Pumpkin
playfully nipping at the ears of an Australian shepherd several times her size. The
other dog lay there with a tilt to his russet eyebrows that said, “Please remove this
pest from my personal space.”

“Pumpkin! Stop that.” Charli swooped up her little dog, then looked up at the big,
tall man beside her. “Your dog is very tolerant. Probably a lot more so than his owner.”

Turning on her heel, she headed toward the front door, where her earlier idea burst
into full bloom. Behind her, his boot heels came to a halt near the sales counter.
She stopped and turned.

“Just so you know,” she said in her most confident voice, “at the reveal meeting tonight
in the community hall, I plan to present the big plan. I want to do
you
first.”

That dark gaze traveled up and down her body like a singles-party cruise.

He was a big strong man. A man’s man. With a
NO TRESPASSING
sign embedded in those dark eyes. Probably burned into his heart as well. She knew
the type. Too well. Women loved him, and he knew it. And he’d love them. Then move
on.

As his eyes came back up to her face, a smile appeared from within a five o’clock
shadow and flashed a deep set of dimples Charli would never have guessed existed.
The combination of dark and light on him was magnificent and devastating.

“Well, now, Ms. Brooks, that’s a mighty fine offer,” he drawled. “But I hardly know
you. And I’ve never considered myself a one-night-stand kind of guy.”

Of course he didn’t. He was probably more like a
half
-a-night-stand kind of guy.

“I meant I’d like
your store
to be the first makeover we do,” she rushed to clarify.

He moved out from behind the counter and came toward her. His boots thudded on the
ancient wood floor and stopped mere inches away. Again, she was overwhelmed by his
size and pure masculinity. One that foolishly made her want to wrap her arms around
his wide shoulders and nuzzle against that strong neck.

He was not a pretty boy by any means. His face was all man—accented with a few lines
at the corners of his eyes. This close, she also noticed a few silver hairs at his
temples. Experience and maybe some heartbreak too were etched on that face. It all
came together in a curiously gorgeous package that made her want to dig deeper.

“Never,” he said.

She blinked away the forbidden fantasy that had begun to romp through her imagination.
“I beg your pardon?”

“You will
never
touch this place,” he said. “Not on my watch. Not in my lifetime.”

The low, deep tone in his voice stopped just short of a growl and sent a shiver up
her spine. Unfortunately, the chill wasn’t of the Little Red Riding Hood vs. the Big
Bad Wolf variety. And reckless girl that she could often be, it intrigued the hell
out of her.

She tilted her head and studied him. The intensity in his eyes. The tension in his
jaw. The stiffness in his spine. “Why on earth would you be against creating a better
shopping environment for your customers?” she asked. “In the three towns our show
has renovated, data indicates that afterward, business picked up, and profits increased.
Who in their right mind would be opposed to enhanced customer satisfaction and a higher
bottom line?”

“Satisfaction has never been an issue,” he drawled in a tone that suggested his comment
had nothing to do with hardware. Then he reached behind her and opened the door. “Have
a nice day.”

With a lift of her chin, she took the not-so-subtle hint, tucked Pumpkin in closer,
and stepped out onto the boardwalk.

The door closed in her face.

Charli glared through the glass and watched his very fine backside disappear into
the stockroom.

“
Never
is a very long time, Pumpkin.” She looked down into her dog’s big brown eyes and
ran her fingers over the fuzzy topknot tied up with a yellow bow. “And, unfortunately
for him, I‘m on a tight schedule.”