Should've Said No Read Online Free PDF

the rules of the family trust, Carden would’ve had to wait until he was thirty unless he got his grandfather’s approval. So he’d lived with his grandparents, and worked day and night to earn his land early.
    During that time, his grandparents had employed a couple who had come from Arizona—the guy, a ranch hand; his wife, a cook. Their daughter, Amanda, had helped with housekeeping. They’d lived in one of the workers’ cabins on the ranch.
    Carden had fallen for Amanda hard, and kept their relationship secret at her urging. But when everything blew up and left him shattered, he’d turned to his grandparents.
    Gran leveled her gaze on him, sadness and compassion in her eyes. Clearly she was going to go soft on him, and he didn’t know if he could take it. His heart thudded.
    “I know how hard it’s been for you,” she said. “And I can’t fault you for protecting yourself. But you can’t tell me you’re not starry-eyed for Lindsey. I haven’t seen you like that in way too long.” She reached out, took his hand, and squeezed it. “I want you to follow your heart and see if there’s something there with her.”

    Carden had more manners than to tell his grandmother that it wasn’t his heart that was guiding him toward Lindsey.
    Gran pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. “And after you find out there is, I want you to make damn sure she does right by the Crenshaws in that museum.”
    Big raindrops started to fall, plopping heavily on the vehicles.
    He dipped his chin and looked Gran in the eyes. “Don’t get your hopes up for a romance.” He put his arm around her narrow shoulders. “But the museum thing might be doable.”
    “I’m counting on it.” She hugged him tightly and he wrapped his arms around her, always amazed at the energy that came from such a tiny woman. “Now I’ve got to get out of here before this place turns into a godforsaken mud bog.” She hurried back to her Range Rover, got inside, and spun out of there within seconds. Blue barked as the SUV’s taillights disappeared in the dust.
    Carden shook his head, pulled his hat off the fence post, and put it on. He loved that fiery little lady, and she wasn’t going to be around forever. The least he could do was make sure the Crenshaw’s presence in Thistle Bend Mountain Heritage Museum turned out the way she envisioned it…and that depended on Lindsey.

Chapter 5
    Lindsey rarely met a pizza she didn’t like, and the good ol’ pepperoni-and-extra-cheese one she and Holly shared for dinner had oozed with welcome-to-Thistle-Bend in every bite. Three slices later she was wobbling down the rain-soaked sidewalk of Larkspur Avenue with Holly, trying to walk it off.
    “No way are you going to eat dinner alone,” Holly had said. “Come with me.”
    So far, the people were as sweet and quirky as Thistle Bend itself. Lindsey’s first impressions were holding true. People smiled and waved and said hello. They volunteered and helped one another— repairing toilets and replacing screws. Except for Stella and Tansy, they actually seemed to like one another.
    Yes, people really do live like this.
    Lindsey and Holly walked down Larkspur Avenue, chitchatting about the town and how some of the businesses came to be. With Holly as her tour guide, Lindsey got to do some of the exploring that she’d been too busy to enjoy. They made their way toward a flat-fronted building divided into three sections with a common tin-roofed awning. An art gallery, a clothing store, and a real estate office.
    “This is another one of those buildings like the one they bought for the museum,” Holly said. “Most of them along here have been multi-use over the years—some for more interesting things than others. With three sections, this one might hold the record for the most different uses. Other than what’s here now, sections of it have been the Bank of Thistle Bend, the post office, a drugstore, and a mortuary.” She bunched her lips as if she was