Josie Day Is Coming Home Read Online Free PDF Page A

uniform of careless bad boys everywhere…but the way they hugged his
body seemed entirely new. So did the cryptic tattoo encircling one taut biceps.
Probably it was a set of ancient symbols, all their inky blackness representing
one simple warning: think twice .
    It was advice she doubted any of the local ladies heeded.
Around here, they probably watched his every move. Fortunately, Josie had sworn
off inappropriate men. Especially the dangerously appealing ones. She’d dated
way too many of them to be lured by the homegrown version now. Especially with
so many other things she needed to focus on.
    Mmm-hmmm , her conscience jabbed. Tell me another
one .
    She frowned, enjoying one last look as her new handyman bent
to retrieve something from beside the toolbox at his feet. So she’d flirted
back a little bit. Big deal. Could she help it if there was something about a
guy with talented hands? Not to mention a backside so fine it could have
incited a riot?
    He turned. Caught her ogling. Grinned again in that same
swaggering fashion. She would have given anything to dump the water bottle in
his hand all over his know-it-all expression.
    “See anything you like?” he asked.
    Josie envisioned water dripping from his prominent nose.
“All the time. Admiring the view doesn’t mean staking out a piece of it
for yourself.”
    “It doesn’t?”
    “No.”
    Absently, she watched him drink. He did so greedily, his
tanned throat working to drain most of the bottle. When he lowered it again, he
lifted one thick brow in surprise.
    “Especially when we’re going to be working together
from now on.” She shifted her shoulder to keep her duffel in place, then
extended her hand. “I’m Josie Day. The new owner.”
    “Of…?”
    “This place. Blue Moon.”
    With his hand clasping hers, he stilled. A strange
expression crossed his face.
    “I’ve got the key to prove it.” She withdrew from
his grasp and dangled the newest addition to her Enchanté key ring with a
feeling of satisfaction. “Right here.”
    A frown. “You’d better let me see that.”
    “I’ll do you one better. I’ll demonstrate it in
action.”
    “Yeah?”
    With a skeptical snort, he set his bottle on the grass, then
folded his arms. The gesture made his biceps flex in a way Josie wished she
hadn’t noticed. Unfortunately, she’d have to have been made of stone not to
notice.
    He nodded to the front door. “Good luck. I’ll wait
here.”
    Puzzled, she rubbed her thumb over her key. Her handyman
sounded as though he had his doubts about it working, too. Sheesh. If
this was the kind of prove-it-to-me reception she could expect in town, she had
a lot of work ahead of her. Even more than she’d thought.
    Josie glanced up at him. He jutted his chin toward the door
as though inviting her to prove him right. The look on his face activated every
rebellious instinct she possessed.
    “Fine.” She lifted her nose in the air. “After
I take a look inside, we’ll discuss the work that needs to be done around here.
There seems to be plenty of it.”
    His dubious expression didn’t waver. “Red, you get that
door open with that key of yours, and we’ll talk about anything you
please.”
    Generous as his words seemed, his tone clearly communicated
something more. Something along the lines of: You have about as much chance
of opening that door as you do of growing a goatee . Josie didn’t have time
to let it bother her.
    “Watch and learn,” she said instead, then headed
toward the door.
     
    With interest, Luke Donovan watched the redhead climb his
porch steps in those ridiculous shoes. Too bad the most interesting trespassers
were also the craziest.
    There was no way in hell Josie Day owned Blue Moon—his aunt
Tallulah wouldn’t have done that to him. Not again. Josie had to be another in
the long line of local real estate agents, all with dollar signs in their eyes,
who wanted him to sell out. She was new in town—and more determined than most.
That