OLIVER: WESTERN CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE (Blackwater Canyon Ranch Book 2) (15 page)
Read OLIVER: WESTERN CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE (Blackwater Canyon Ranch Book 2) Online
Authors: Cindy Stark
No doubt she was romanticizing what she'd find in the tiny town. But it didn't matter. She'd enjoy every minute of the short, two-week reprieve from life. She hoped to emulate her aunt one day and knew she could learn a lot from her.
The town had seemed small as she'd descended the mountain, but once she reached the bottom, she realized she’d still overestimated its size. It was no bigger than a shot glass. One main street dragged through town, and the majority of businesses and a small hotel huddled together along this short stretch. Many of the old brick buildings had been painted odd colors like peach, blue or green, as though they were vying for any passing tourist’s attention.
Erin glanced at the directions she’d printed that would take her to her great aunt’s place and immediately made a right turn onto Second Street which was one step up from being an unpaved alley between a few short buildings. Then she made another quick left when she reached Black Street, which also wasn’t paved.
What town in this day and age still boasted dirt roads? In the backcountry, yes. But in an actual tourist and ski town? That was crazy. Descending from the mountain seemed to have shaved a hundred years off the earth’s life.
Argent Springs was a theatrical version of an old western town, and she loved it immediately. She’d been excited to shoot photos of the pristine mountain surroundings, but she couldn’t wait to capture the charm of the town as well.
Half a block up Black Street, she stopped in front of the sunny yellow two-story building. Time might have slowed in this sleepy little town, but the ravages of its passing showed on her great aunt’s house. The paint, which still held traces of the cheerful color it had once been, curled and peeled from the wood beneath. Bright red and yellow chrysanthemums sprung from flower boxes that hung off the edges of the railing surrounding the front porch. Decorative wood work finished off the porch, adding to the already enchanting allure of the place.
Erin parked her car in front and slid from the driver’s seat. She hadn’t made it up the second step when a man near her age appeared from the side of the house holding a large ax.
“Can I help you?” he asked, his voice a deep timbre that caught her attention. Eyes the color of burnt caramel, fringed with enviously long lashes, regarded her with a hefty dose of suspicion.
“I’m looking for Annabelle.” Her gaze slipped to the well-sculpted, tattooed muscles peeking from beneath his t-shirt sleeves. Good Lord, the man was built. The forest green color of his shirt set off his dark looks and stretched nicely across the wide barrel of his chest. “She’s expecting me,” she added as though she needed to clear herself of any doubt on his behalf.
“You must be the niece.” He didn’t seem as pleased to see her as she was to be there.
“I am.”
“She’s inside.” He tipped his head toward the front door before he headed back around the side of the house.
She watched him go, admiring his sexy swagger, before she released the breath she’d unconsciously held. If he wouldn’t announce her or escort her inside, why had he wasted his time greeting her?
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The End
Blackwater Canyon Ranch:
Oliver
Aspen Series:
Wounded
(Prequel)
Pinecone Valley (Aspen Spinoff Series)
Whispers (An Argent Springs Novel)
Retribution Novels:
Witches of Port Townsend:
Cindy Stark lives with her family and a sweet Border Collie in a small town shadowed by the Rocky Mountains. She writes emotional romantic suspense sexy contemporary romance, and sizzling paranormal romance. She loves to hear from readers!
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