Second Chances (Nugget Romance 3) by Stacy Finz Read Free Book Online

sweet as can be, and is married to Maddy Shepard, owner of the Lumber Baron Inn. Together, they’re like the cutest couple in town. It would make you sick, if she wasn’t so sweet. And pregnant too. My dad’s always bitching about her inn and how it’s turning the place into Lake Tahoe, but secretly I think he’s madly in love with her.”
    Someone other than Mariah brought their food, and Harlee dug in, starved. Darla took a big bite of her tri-tip sandwich.
    “I have to say, the inn rocks,” Harlee said between bites. “I haven’t seen the inside, but the outside makes the square.”
    “They’re doing high teas on the weekends. It was Emily Mathews’s idea. She’s the cookbook author engaged to Clay. You should take your mom. The inside is like seriously killer. Colin did the carpentry.”
    “Really?” Now Harlee was even more curious to see the inn’s interior. “That’s a great idea. You want to join us?”
    “Sure. Why not?” Darla shrugged. “It’s not like anyone’s busting down my door for a cut and color.”
    “They will,” Harlee assured her, wondering if perhaps Darla’s unconventional getup might be scaring people off. Admittedly, she’d been thrown by it at first, but Darla was a good person.
    “Hey,” Darla said, “you want to take yoga with me? Pam, across the square at the dance studio, holds classes.”
    “Is it expensive?”
    “I don’t know. But how expensive can it be?” Darla pushed her plate of fries closer to Harlee so they could share. “After lunch we could go over and check.”
    And here Harlee thought that she’d be bored living in Nugget. It would be a lie to say that she’d stopped fantasizing that the phone would ring with Jerry on the line. “Legs, the paper made a big mistake. We need you back. Stat!” Or better yet, the New York Times . “What were those idiots thinking? Come work for us in our San Francisco bureau. We’ll pay you twice what you were making at the Call .”
    Then she’d get her old apartment back—the one she couldn’t afford. And life would return to the way it used to be.
    “Shit,” Darla cried.
    “What?” Harlee nearly jumped out of her seat.
    “Wyatt’s coming over here. Do something, quick.”

Chapter 4
    O n his way down Grizzly Peak, Colin passed a truck filled with firewood. He figured it must be for Harlee. The delivery couldn’t come any sooner, because the weather service was predicting snow next week and it would be damned cold over the weekend.
    At least she seemed to be getting into the swing of living in Nugget. He’d noticed her propane had been delivered the day before. Not that he was spying. And she hadn’t called him for help—or for the use of his shower—since he lent her the wood and space heater. That was five days ago. Not that he was counting.
    During the week, he and the crew had gotten Sophie and Mariah’s new house pretty well buttoned up for the pending storm. After the rough framing had been completed, they’d applied plywood sheathing to the exterior walls and roof, which would hopefully keep out the snow. Today he planned to start installing windows and doors before knocking off for the weekend.
    It would be a light crew, so he’d be able to breathe. When he pulled up to the site, he spied Sophie and Mariah’s Volvo parked off to the side. Sophie, who was due in December and getting bigger by the day, waved as he hopped out of his truck.
    “It’s looking good.” She walked over to join him.
    Unlike the log homes and Victorians that were popular in the area, Sophie and Mariah had decided to go with a single-level contemporary plan that boasted vaulted ceilings, angular windows, and courtyards that took advantage of the Sierra and Feather River views. Colin really liked the way it was shaping up.
    “Yep. We’ve made good headway thanks to the weather,” he said.
    Mariah strolled over, shielding her eyes to block the sun. “Nice day. Still doesn’t feel like snow.”
    “It does to