He's No Prince Charming Read Online Free PDF Page B

in her throat, but she somehow managed to control herself. “I didn’t mean to do that.”

    “I almost believe you,” he replied in a deep deadpan tone, making Dakota wonder if he possessed a sense of humor at all. Her smile faded, and she decided to make it her goal to squeeze a smile out of him somehow, some way as she followed him up the path to his deck.

    “Sorry to have interrupted,” Dakota said with a glance at the hot tub. The steaming water looked inviting, but when he didn’t make any offer for her to join him, she said, “I’ll, um, be going now.”

    “Okay,” he answered with a guarded expression that for some inexplicable reason made Dakota want to reach out to him. But of course she didn’t, and when he turned around, she hesitated, searching for something to say, but then walked away.

    When she reached the porch, she kicked off her muddy flip-flops, and after locating her toiletries, headed straight for the shower. She suddenly felt too exhausted to even think about spiders and mice, and even though it was still early, she ate a bag of pretzels for dinner and then headed for bed, hoping she would get a good night’s sleep.

    After a restless night of tossing and turning, Dakota woke up to the sound of birds chirping. While rubbing her eyes and yawning, she considered staying in bed longer for some much-needed sleep, but wanted to get started on cleaning the place up. Although still shaken by her unusual encounters with Mr. Tall, Dark, and Broody, she felt measurably better about her current situation, which, unfortunately, still wasn’t what one would call good .

    After changing into denim shorts and a yellow T-shirt, she scrounged around in her purse for something to eat since she didn’t want to go to the marina kitchen just yet. “Yes!” She smiled when she located a slightly mangled but edible oatmeal granola bar, and gobbled it up. The need for coffee was almost too dire to ignore, but Dakota made do with a can of Diet Coke left over from her drive.

    “Okay, then,” While dusting her hands together, she took a look around. The furniture was old but sturdy and had a certain rustic charm, and with some buffing the hardwood floor could gleam and shine. The plaid curtains her mother had sewn years ago were faded and needed a good washing, but complemented the cozy furnishings.

    To the rear of the living room was a breakfast nook with a round oak dining table and four high-backed chairs. Dakota smiled at the plaid cushions that matched the curtain fabric, and remembered her mother humming as she sewed. Dakota had helped her tie them to the chair rungs with neat little bows, and then proudly showed them off to her daddy after he returned from fishing. The soft cotton had gone from bright red to muted rose, but only added to the charm of the cabin.

    The colorful, soft touch of her mother’s hand was everywhere, and Dakota suddenly missed her so much that it felt like a deep ache in her chest. It wasn’t the first time that she wondered if the few years of fame had been worth the cost. In fact, she had entered the Miss Teen pageant on a whim, never really expecting to win, much less to become a singing sensation. Luckily, her mother had traveled with her early on, and instead of being a momager terror, she had protected Dakota from being exploited. Later, when Dakota had been advised to move permanently to L.A., her mother had returned home because of her father’s heart issues.

    Oh, how she had worried about her father and had missed her mother. She had desperately wanted to come home, but her parents had insisted that she stay and not give up what they thought was her dream. “Oh, boy,” Dakota muttered as she leaned against a chair, shaking her head and chuckling without humor. Now she was faced with reinventing herself and returning to the road, or risk having to sell Willow Creek Marina. But the mere thought of bulldozers touching the pristine property had her pushing away from