Two stories up a ladder, nail gun in hand, he’d taken one look at the tight-bodied cop climbing out of her cruiser, smile aimed at his boss, Alex, and Nash’s cock had gone harder than the nails he was shooting into the side of the building.
That wall had a few nails in completely unnecessary places.
Five years hadn’t diminished the effect she had on him either. He’d come to the realization that nothing short of death would stop him from having a gut-punching reaction to Laura.
Minutes ago he’d been shocked immobile when he recognized her coming up his driveway and he couldn’t think of one good reason for her to be out here. It hadn’t become public knowledge that he’d bought Lakeside Inn yet, only because everyone had been in prep mode for the coming bad weather nobody wanted to deal with, especially the week before Christmas, and too busy to take notice of what he was doing.
His boss had been the one to point out the place to Nash. Down the road from Alex’s house the big old Inn had remained empty and without TLC for months, and while it was larger than Nash wanted—or needed—the location had tipped his hand.
Lakefront real estate at a rockbottom price was too hard to pass up, especially with the recent improvements and influx of residents in both Winter Lake and Broken Bay. Places had been increasing in value steadily over the last few years and Nash was a shrewd businessman and knew when to get into the property market.
The plan was to renovate and improve the Inn’s carbon footprint as much as possible without compromising the original structure or removing any of the charm of the grand old house.
He was confident, with Alex’s help, he could turn Lakeside Inn into the perfect destination for people looking for a secluded mountain getaway.
To do that he would need to take some time to consider how to separate the house in a way that allowed for private quarters that didn’t intrude on the public areas and vice versa.
“So…”
When she didn’t continue he waited quietly for Laura to continue speaking as they pushed on through the snow.
“You bought the Inn?” She kept her head forward, gaze on the ground in front of them, but he could see her eyes darting to the side to look at him every few steps.
“Yep.”
“When? I haven’t heard anything about it.”
One thing he’d come to know about Laura was she took her job seriously and that meant knowing where all the locals lived and hung out. Sometimes he thought she took her job too seriously, she never seemed to be off duty even when she was out of uniform.
The only time he’d ever seen her let her hair down—fugitively and literally—was at her cousin Alex’s wedding a few years ago.
She was always beautiful, but that day, she’d glowed in a way that had him breathless and incapable of doing anything remotely social, like carrying on a conversation.
He’d spent the whole day following her with his gaze. He was pretty sure that was when the rest of Winter Lake clued in to the fact he’d fallen for hometown girl Laura Murdock.
If what he felt wasn’t so bone deep, so right, he would be embarrassed by his infatuation with her. No, embarrassment wasn’t the primary emotion he felt when it came to Laura. Riding right along side his attraction was a throbbing need that kept him from functioning at times and frustration.
She frustrated the fuck out of him.
He knew she knew how he felt, what he wanted, she wasn’t clueless and he’d made it clear more than once, and at every turn she rebuffed him or worse, ignored him.
Nash wasn’t sure which he hated more. Her rejection or her indifference. If at any point in the last five years she’d given him one hint, one sign, that his attraction wasn’t one sided he’d have dived right in. He wasn’t pushy by nature, he got things done, but he didn’t bulldoze his way there.
And he’d never forced himself on a woman. Laura wouldn’t be the first. Except…
If she gave him any indication she returned his interest he’d let go of the reins he’d held tight for five long years and make a move—one she couldn’t ignore.
“Well?”
Shit. He’d been up in his head and forgotten to answer her. “Got the keys ten days ago, took a while to move my stuff over and block off most of the house. I’ve been in residence full-time for around a week I guess.”
“Hmm…”
Nash wasn’t sure what that hum meant. With Laura it could be a good or bad sound, and honestly, with the way his luck had been swinging with her in recent months he’d lean toward the bad side.
“We need to head around the back,” he said as he grabbed her elbow and steered her to the left of the house they could finally see through the swirling snow. “I’ve got the front section closed off until after winter.”
Normally they would have been able to see the Inn from where Laura had taken her tumble in the snow, but with the white stuff coming down in a thick curtain, and the wind blowing around what was already on the ground as well as what was falling, it was only his memory that told him exactly where they were and when to change direction before the blurry hulk of the house appeared.
