Stacey Joy Netzel Boxed Set (29 page)

EXCERPT:

“I’d like you to meet Kendra Zelner,” Joel
said. “Kendra, this is the JBM Ranch manager, Colton Lawe.”

Colton extended a hand toward Kendra. Okay.
Fine. He’d play along; see where this was all headed. She bit her
lip as she hesitated, and his gaze was drawn to her white teeth
against her full bottom lip. It distracted him enough that when she
placed her small, cool palm against his, he flinched in
surprise.

He kept his grip gentle at first, and then
tightened it. Her eyes widened, and her nostrils flared as she drew
in a quick breath.

“Nice to meet you,” Colton murmured.

“Kendra’s my sister.”

Colton released her hand and whipped his
head around. Joel didn’t appear to be joking. “Didn’t know you had
a sister,” he commented.

“Me neither. And technically, she’s my half
sister.”

Focusing his narrowed gaze on Kendra again,
Colton read genuine fear. Of him. That ruled out the practical joke
angle real quick.

She was right to be worried. Because in a
second, he was going to expose her for a lying thief.

Joel and Britt were more than his employers,
more than his friends even, they were as close to family as it got
without blood ties.

Colton had applied at JBM Ranch fresh out of
high school, feeling guilty as hell and scared to death because
someone had to pay the medical bills from his father’s accident.
Joel took him under his wing and taught him everything about
running the ranch. A few weeks ago, when the previous manager,
Todd, had gotten married and left to work on his wife’s ranch, Joel
turned management over to Colton so he could continue to
concentrate on training the horses with Britt.

He couldn’t let Joel down now; he owed him
the truth. But before he could form the words, Joel spoke. “Kendra,
and her brother, Noah, will be staying for awhile.”

Colton glanced at Joel. “There’s a brother,
too?”

Joel smiled. “Yeah. Cody thinks it’s
hilarious that a kid his age is actually his uncle.”

Colton’s gut clenched. Joel appeared to have
accepted every word the girl said. Whatever line of bull she’d fed
him, it must’ve been good, because Joel wasn’t easily fooled.
Worse, he looked genuinely happy about the supposed new additions
to his family. With everyone watching, no way could Colton tell him
he’d been played for a fool. He’d have to wait and talk to Joel in
private.

But he couldn’t help commenting, “Wow, a
sister and a brother, all in one day.”

The apprehension in Kendra’s eyes increased
when his subtle sarcasm registered with her, as he’d intended. She
swallowed hard and seemed to be waiting for him to lower the ax.
Oh, how he’d love to do that—payback for the sidewalk humiliation.
Just the thought of it—

“They can stay in the guesthouse,” Britt
said.

Colton and Joel both swung around.

“What?” she asked. “It makes sense—give them
some privacy as we all get to know each other. Besides, we don’t
have any clients planning to use it anytime in the near…” Her gaze
shifted from one to the other. “What?”

“Colton’s roommate is moving to Toronto. I
told Colton yesterday he could use the guesthouse instead of
finding someone else or looking for a different apartment,” Joel
explained. “I should’ve talked to you about it first, but I didn’t
think you’d mind.”

“Oh,” Britt said.

Colton suspected Joel had really offered the
house to help Colton’s strained financial situation. They’d spoken
about it some, but per his request, Britt wasn’t aware of the
extent of his father’s medical bills. His suspicion was confirmed
when Joel cast him a glance before saying, “Kendra and Noah can
just stay here with us. We’ve got more than enough room.”

“No.” Colton’s denial drew everyone’s
attention, including Kendra’s. The thief still hadn’t said a word.
“I already found a new place, but after talking to Joel, I didn’t
follow up on it. I’ll just call the manager and see if it’s still
available.”

“Colton—”

“It’s okay, really,” Colton insisted,
ignoring Joel’s look of apology. “I’ve been debating whether I want
to live where I work, anyway. I might get sick of you guys.”

He smiled to indicate he was joking, and
thankfully Joel let it go. No way did he want Kendra staying in the
main house with his friends and the kids. He could keep a better
eye on her in the guesthouse, especially when he moved in anyway.
No one would have to know if he talked to the building manager, and
when the time came, he’d let Ms. Kendra Zelner know exactly what
choice she had in the matter. Let her explain to her ‘brother.’

The doorbell rang, and Britt looked at her
watch. She stood up with a frown. “It’s ten o’clock already—that’ll
be the Coopers for their training session.”

Joel grimaced. “They’ll be here for a
while.”

As Joel and Britt conversed, Colton watched
Kendra struggle with her composure and saw a glimmer of panic and
fear give way for uncertainty in her suddenly expressive face. It
was like reading a book. He read wariness in the one glance she
cast in his direction, and knew she wondered why he gave up the
house for her; why he didn’t reveal her for the liar he knew her to
be.

Well, let her keep wondering.
If he
kept the little klepto off balance, it might be easier to protect
the Morgan’s while gathering solid evidence to expose her scam.

Britt walked toward the foyer. “Joel, I’ll
stall them while you show Kendra the guesthouse so she and Noah can
freshen up.”

“I’ll take her,” Colton offered.

A flash of dismay in her eyes confirmed she
didn’t like that prospect one bit.

“That would help.” Joel turned to Kendra.
“Do you mind?”

Colton’s direct gaze dared her to object.
After a visible swallow, she shook her head no.

“Thanks.” Joel walked by Colton and gave him
a clap on the shoulder. “Don’t have to tell you how the Coopers
are.” Pausing at the door, he looked at Kendra. “We’ll all have
dinner tonight, after you’re settled, okay?”

She offered a weak smile of agreement, and
then Joel’s boots echoed across the floor with his departure. The
moment they were alone, Colton braced his hands on the table and
leaned forward.

Her wide gaze met his, full of apprehension.
In a moment of distraction, he thought how very pretty her brown
eyes were.

As she reached for her coffee cup, her
tongue appeared and swiped nervously across her lips. A jolt of
awareness took him completely by surprise.

Colton shoved back from the table. She
jumped, then took a drink as if everything were normal.

Colton forced any thoughts of pretty or sexy
from his mind and managed to sound relatively normal when he asked,
“Ready?”

She took her time setting the cup down
before standing. He pushed his hands into his front pockets when
she picked up the two dusty leather duffle bags near the entry
between the kitchen and the foyer. He’d be damned if he’d offer to
carry them, but then found himself holding the back door open.

“You’ll like it here,” he said, hoping to
lull her into a false sense of security. She cast him a quick
glance as they walked toward a house set back near the trees,
halfway between the main house and three barns.

“Colorado is very pretty,” she finally
replied.

He flashed a brief smile. “I meant the
ranch. Joel and Britt are great, and they’ve got some of the best
horses in the state.”

She nodded, shifting the bags in her arms. A
glance at his empty hands told him she was annoyed that he didn’t
offer assistance. Hah. As if he owed her any courtesy at all.

“Where’re you from?”

After a distinct hesitation, she supplied,
“New York.”

“The city or just the state?” he
pressed.

“City.”

“Hmmm. This is a far cry from New York.”

A small smile curved her lips. “You can say
that again.”

“This is a far cry from—”

“I didn’t mean it literally.” Her smile
widened.

The situation demanded he laugh with her,
but he forced his attention off her smile. Once on the porch, he
opened the door and stepped inside ahead of her. Then he waited.
For the sound of her footsteps. For the thump of her bags hitting
the floor. For the click of the door to assure privacy.

“I wanted to—”

When he turned, she halted mid-sentence. Her
apologetic expression gave way to an alarmed squeak when he grasped
her upper arms and pushed her up against the wall. The bulk of his
body gave her no room to move.

“Who the hell are you?” he demanded.

Stark fear dilated her pupils until her
brown eyes were nearly black. Her breathing grew shallow, and she
gulped twice before stuttering, “Y-you know w-who I am.”

He tightened his grip on her shoulders, then
became aware of how delicate they seemed under his large hands and
forced himself to ease up. “I don’t believe it. You’re up to
something, and you’ve got about five seconds to tell me what it
is.”

“H-honestly, I’m n-not.”

Colton scoffed. “So, it’s merely coincidence
that you robbed me this morning and then show up here claiming to
be some long lost relative?”

“It’s nothing more than cruel coincidence—I
swear to God.”

“Don’t you dare do that. I don’t buy one
word of it.” He leaned closer, ignoring her trembling beneath his
hands. “Who are you? What do you want with Joel?”

“He told you, I’m his sister. Please…all I
want is a place to stay until my…until we get back on our feet. We
have nowhere else to go.”

He caught her hesitation, saw a brief flash
of panic, and wondered what she’d been about to say.

He searched her expression for any kernel of
truth to her words.

In the space of a heartbeat, he became aware
of the heat of her vibrating body. If he leaned down a few inches,
their lips would meet. His pulse thrummed. The urge to do just that
was so great it left him shaken as he stared into her eyes. She was
an untrustworthy, lying, thieving, scheming con artist.

And he’d never felt an immediate attraction
like this in his life.

~*~

***What reviewers are saying:

You Gotta Read Reviews ~ “Trust in the Lawe
was truly one of the best books I have read this year. It's fun,
suspenseful, filled with misunderstanding and characters that you
will fall in love with. The plot line was tight, very well crafted
and every question I may have had throughout the book was answered.
I have a great respect for Stacey Joy Netzel and the way she can
write a romantic story with sizzle and spice that kept me
absolutely addicted. From the moment I started reading, it was as
though my real life just floated away and I was drawn into Trust in
the Lawe. Honestly, you won't be able to put this book down. If you
are not a Stacey Joy Netzel fan yet, just pick up this book and you
will find you want to read all of her books. To sum it all up,
Outstanding book, not to be missed. I HIGHLY recommend this
book.”

Night Owl Reviews Reviewer Top Pick: “This
book is fantastic on so many levels. Ms. Netzel crafted characters
that were easy to fall in love with and were so well-rounded that
they felt like friends of mine as I was turning the pages. If
you're looking for a read that has intrigue, love and deception all
wrapped together in a pretty package, than look no further because
Ms. Netzel's story will instantly win you over. This is another
keeper I'm adding to my library that's written by a wonderfully
talented author who knows what readers want to read.” ~ Diana
Coyle

Shattered Trust
(Book 2)

Sweet twenty-seven and never been kissed.
Well…no one’s ever accused Marley Wade of being sweet. Raised in
the world of construction by her rough-and-tumble father, Marley
knows what it takes to succeed as a general contractor in a man’s
world. The last thing she needs is an employee who makes her feel
soft and feminine.

New co-owner of Hunter Construction Justin
Blake goes undercover on Marley’s crew to discover the truth behind
his grandfather’s death. But he didn't count on an instant
attraction to his boss—or for it to develop into deeper emotions.
When a blackmailer threatens to expose the twenty-five-year-old
secrets that link his family and Marley’s, Justin realizes the
truth could not only shatter a future with Marley, but his entire
family as well.

EXCERPT:

“Are you sure your field measure is
correct?”

Her brow creased as she tucked the hair
back. “I double checked the measurements myself.”

His irritation spiked at her doubt. “I
suggest you triple check them.”

She drew herself up straight as a board. “I
suggest you go back to what you’re supposed to be doing and quit
doing my job.”

Her quiet order jolted him. Shit. He’d
forgotten himself. Lips pressed together in a tight seam, he turned
and strode across the plywood floor of the house. Over the next ten
minutes, Justin did
his
job, careful to avoid watching her
re-measure.

Would he have to reveal his identity and
fire her? Given the circumstances of the company right now, and the
way he’d been distracted by her presence over the past couple days,
not to mention Granddad, it might be for the best.

“You were right.”

Justin spun around. Loud enough for everyone
in the general vicinity to hear it over the noise of the boom
truck, Marley’s husky admission came as a complete surprise. She
met his gaze without flinching, even though he read in her eyes how
much she hated being wrong.

“The rafters were ordered off previous
blueprints, before we adjusted for the extra insulation the owner
insisted we put on the outside wall.”

A rookie mistake, even if it was an honest
one. Unfortunately, because of the size of the house, it would now
cost Hunter Construction thousands of dollars in new lumber.