Nina (Beach Brides Book 3) Read online

  She rolled her eyes at her silent theatrics and stomped through the calf-deep snow to her rental car while zipping her jacket against the wind. More than a few inches had fallen since she’d arrived last night, and light flakes were still swirling down from the leaden sky.

  Parked beside her car was a big, manly GMC truck. Yep, that fit Finn. Big truck for a big guy.

  Good—he’ll have plenty of room for his suitcase.

  Nina brushed the snow off the driver’s side door of the rental and pressed the fob to unlock the vehicle. When she pulled on the handle, the door opened only a few inches before getting stuck. She tried to kick the mounded snow out of the way with a sinking feeling in her stomach.

  Her family may have moved to Arizona, and she may have spent the last eight years in L.A., but she’d been a Wisconsinite until she was sixteen. Experience and common sense told her with the snow practically up to the bumper, she wasn’t going anywhere in the little tin can she’d rented.

  She slammed the door shut again and flipped around to lean back against it with an annoyed huff. Frustration mounted at the sight of Finn mirroring her pose as he leaned against his truck. She hadn’t even heard him come outside.

  He tapped a sturdy, wooden cane against the toe of his boot while the wind played with his dark hair. “Need a ride?”

  “I need someone to plow out the driveway. Is that part of your deal with Eric?” she asked without much hope.

  “Nope. I don’t have a plow.”

  Well, that was stupid. Shouldn’t a truck that big have a plow? Especially in Wisconsin?

  “But there’ll be someone out here by this afternoon,” he assured her.

  “Perfect.” A rumble in her stomach agreed with her sarcasm.

  Finn stepped aside and opened his passenger side door. “Come on. I made it in here, I can get you back out to the grocery store.”

  She didn’t hate the idea of riding in the cozy confines of his truck as much as she should—which was exactly why she hesitated. “Do you need to go to the grocery store?”

  “No. I stocked up before the storm. But it’s not every day I get to rescue a damsel in distress.”

  Nina tucked a strand of hair that kept blowing across her face back behind her ear. “I’m hardly in distress.”

  “Honestly, I just figure it’s best to feed the dragon before the fire breathing starts.”

  “You’re not funny.”

  “Sometimes I’m kinda funny, but hey, if you’d rather not ride into town with me, then help yourself to whatever I have in the fridge or pantry.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  His laugh said she was being an idiot. “You can ride with or not. Either way, I’m going to town to pick up a few things I need from Riley’s Hardware. As you’ll recall, it’s right across the highway from the grocery store.”

  He shut the door with a little shove and started around the front of the truck with his cane. She was being a bit of a dragon, wasn’t she?

  A bit?

  As he got in on the driver’s side, she crossed to his truck and opened the passenger door to climb inside.

  He didn’t say a word until he’d navigated the two-feet high snow drifts in the long driveway and they’d turned onto the plowed road. Then he gave her a sideways smirk. “That wasn’t so hard now, was it?”

  “I’m not used to needing help.”

  “People don’t do things for you?”

  “I’m an assistant. I assist, not the other way around.”

  “I suggest the next time someone offers to help, say thank you, and let them.”

  She shrugged with a noncommittal noise and looked out the side window at the passing scenery. Snow weighted the branches of row upon row of the Christmas trees on Baxter’s Tree Farm. When she was a little girl, every year her whole family used to take the sled and walk the rows until she and Josh agreed on the perfect tree for their dad to cut down. She’d really missed those outings when they’d moved to Phoenix.

  “I’m sure you ask for things every day for Peyton,” Finn said, his voice wiping aside her memories.

  “That’s different. It’s my job—and the things they do are for her.”

  “There has to be a few things that get done because you’re the one asking. Or, maybe not, if she’s the sweet one and you’re a demanding shrew,” he mused with raised eyebrows.

  She deserved that, but when she gave him a resigned smile of acknowledgement, his answering grin started her pulse thrumming in her veins. Searching for a distraction, the first words her brain latched on to and spit out were, “What happened to your leg?”

  His smile vanished and his fingers flexed on the steering wheel. He cleared his throat as he shot her a quick glance. “That’s a little personal.”

  “You’re right. I’m sor—”

  “It was an I.E.D.”

  She hesitated, then asked, “What’s that stand for again?”

  “Improvised explosive device.”

  The chilling words sent a shiver down her spine. She couldn’t even imagine. The thought of what it was like for the soldiers in a warzone made her chest tighten. “Are you…okay? I mean…well—”

  “It’s okay,” he rescued her from her fumbling words. “Other than the limp, I am okay. My patrol was lucky, only two of us got hurt. Charlie Company lost a guy two weeks before we got hit.”

  “That’s terrible. I’m sorry.”

  He nodded and fell silent as he turned off of the side road where Peyton’s house was located and onto the two lane country highway leading into Pulaski. She wanted to ask how long ago it happened but didn’t want to pry again. Instead, she concentrated on the view out the window to see if she recognized anything else besides the Christmas tree farm. Navigating through the snowstorm by GPS last night, she hadn’t been able to see anything other than the road in front of her.

  “My turn,” Finn said. “What brings you to Wisconsin for a whole month during the winter? And don’t tell me it’s none of my business.”

  “Well, it really isn’t.”

  “What happened to my leg wasn’t any of yours.”

  “I didn’t force you to answer.” She argued her point only because no one but her best friend knew why she was here. Not counting the Veterans Valentine’s Day Auction, her secondary motivations were personal.

  Like Finn’s injury?

  Yeah. She gave a silent inner sigh, but just then, he slowed down and flipped his right turn signal for a road she definitely knew did not lead to town.

  “I don’t really have much to do today,” he said casually. “I can just keep driving around until you answer.”

  Brat. Her sideways glance caught the smirk on his lips. “Who says I won’t lie to you just to avoid being kidnapped?”

  “You don’t strike me as a person who lies.”

  He was right, but that was just his lucky guess. “I’m writing a screenplay,” she admitted, her tone slightly defensive. “Peyton promised me weeks of peace and quiet to write while she was on location.”

  His chin tilted in consideration before he gave a little shake of his head. “I can buy the writing, but there’s more to it than peace and quiet. You said you had something to take care of for her.”

  Yeah, veteran or not, she was not admitting she’d agreed to be put up on the auction block like a piece of meat. In the end, she’d only said yes because Peyton had begged, then bribed her with an extra two thousand dollars to donate to the fundraiser. And she had a soft spot for veterans.

  Finn was still slowing for the turn when she insisted, “It’s not a big deal.”

  “It’s big enough to get you here. You could’ve been writing in sunny L.A—assuming that’s where you live.”

  “It is.” Nina crossed her arms over her chest. “Look, can we just go to town, please? I answered your question, and I didn’t lie.” I just haven’t told you everything.

  He turned off the signal and stepped on the gas. “I’m gonna figure it out.”

 
; Maybe. If he went to the auction on February thirteenth. But until then, her lips were zipped. Besides, why did he care, anyway?

  When they reached Pulaski a few minutes later, Finn dropped her off at Super Ron’s and promised to be back for her in a half-hour. She finished her shopping in twenty, and waited inside the entrance with her bags in the cart. The snow had stopped and the clouds were clearing, leaving it much too bright outside without sunglasses.

  When her cell phone rang and she saw Peyton’s smiling face in the ID circle, Nina quickly swiped to answer. “Hey, you’re up early.”

  “Too early.” The sound of a yawn came across the line. “Judging by the time on your text, so were you. Is everything okay? You’re not backing out of the auction, are you?”

  “Nooo…but did you know your house is being remodeled?”

  “Not until April.”

  “Try right now. Your cousin hired Finn Regan to do the demo in exchange for room and board.”

  “No.”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh, man, I’m sorry, Nina. I swear I didn’t know.”

  “I kinda figured.”

  “Wait, did you say Finn Regan?” Unmistakable interest wiped all the sleepiness from her friend’s voice.

  “Yeah.”

  “Room and board?”

  “Well, more like free rent.” Rays of light from the emerging sun hit the fresh snow outside, and Nina pivoted away from the blinding sparkles. “He’s living in the house. In fact, his dog woke me up this morning, and then he came in to get her. I wasn’t even dressed.”

  “Ooh.” A naughty grin took over her voice. “What was he wearing?”

  “Peyton.”

  “Please tell me it was a pair of jeans and nothing else. No—better yet—boxer briefs and nothing else. Or—even better—”

  “Stop.”

  “What? It’s Finn Regan. Come on, you remember how hot he was.”

  Still is.

  “I remember how much you liked him,” her friend teased.

  “He was fully dressed, so please, just stop.”

  Her laugh echoed across the line. “Okay, okay. So…what now? What do you want me to do?”

  Nina glanced over her shoulder as the automatic doors opened and closed for a woman with two small kids. Suppressing a shiver, she turned her back once more. “Can you call Eric and have him make Finn find a different place to live for the next few weeks?” The question sparked a little twinge of guilt, but she did her best to ignore it.

  “I can, but can’t you just ask Finn?”

  “I did ask him, but he won’t leave. He said, ‘It’s a big house.’”

  “Well…he’s not wrong.”

  “Peyton.”

  “Come on, Nina, it’s only a month. Live a little—with Finn Regan.”

  Another blast of cold air hit her back as the doors opened behind her. She hugged her free arm across her middle as she hunched her shoulders. “Stop saying his full name like he’s some sort of god. You remember what he was like back in high school. I don’t do—”

  Finn suddenly appeared beside her cart. Nina bit back a surprised gasp as her heart surged against her ribs. Darn him—but thankfully, his timing was perfect because he’d cut off the words casual sex.

  Chapter 5

  A smart man would’ve waited five more seconds to hear what Nina didn’t do. Finn cursed his stupidity as she spoke into the phone while glaring at him.

  “I was supposed to get some peace and quiet. How’s that going to work when he’s swinging a sledgehammer at the walls?”

  “Is that Peyton?” he asked.

  She waved him away with a muttered, “Yes.” But she was speaking into the phone, not answering him. She said the word no twice before making a sound of frustration as she thrust the phone forward. “She wants to talk to you.”

  He took the cell with a grin. “Well, if it isn’t Peyton Riley. How’s New Zealand?”

  “Gorgeous. How’s Wisconsin?”

  “Gorgeous.”

  She laughed, and he was pretty sure she knew he wasn’t talking about their home state. Even as Nina leaned back on one heel, arms crossed as she glared at him, he still meant it. Not only that, but she was cute all bundled up in her winter gear, skinny jeans, and fur lined boots. And she smelled sweeter than his favorite vanilla cake with butter cream frosting. Just the thought of the decadent treat made his mouth water.

  No, it was the woman in front of him that had him hankering for a taste.

  “Can you help me out here, Finn?” Peyton said. “Nina’s doing me a big favor, so I promised her the house to write for the month. Eric never told me he was starting the remodel early, so surely you could stay with your parents, or one of your brothers or sisters?”

  He perked up at the word favor, but he wasn’t admitting anything when it came to his family. “I can work around her schedule,” he suggested to Peyton while making eye contact with Nina.

  “I don’t have a schedule.” She leaned closer to Finn and the phone, her voice raised. “That’s the whole point of having the house to myself, so I can write whenever I feel like it.”

  “She has a point,” Peyton said in his ear as he got another sweet whiff of Nina. “However, I like the sound of your idea. I know she gets up early to write back home, so what if you only work in the afternoons? It’s not like I’m in a rush for the house to be finished.”

  “She’s suggesting you write in the mornings, and I’ll work afternoons,” he relayed to the annoyed, yummy smelling blond three feet away. “Say from one to five each day, and then your evenings will be quiet again.” After a few moments without an immediate no, he said to Peyton, “She’s considering it.”

  “Good. Give me back to her. But wait—Finn?”

  He’d already started to hand the phone to Nina, but quickly pulled it back. “Yeah?”

  “Answer me a question honestly?”

  “Sure.” Why not? He seemed to be telling everyone whatever they wanted to know today.

  “Are you still the same, ah…Casanova you were ten years ago?”

  Great. They were talking about me when I walked up. He didn’t like the thought of Nina thinking he was still a player like back in high school. In truth, Casanova was the polite word for his behavior back then, however, he hadn’t been that guy since joining the Army.

  “We’ve all grown up, Peyton.”

  “Good to know. But just so you know, Nina doesn’t do flings. She never has.”

  Good to know. “Can you answer something for me?” he asked.

  Peyton said, “Sure,” just as Nina’s hazel gaze jerked up to his, narrowed with suspicion.

  “What’s this favor she’s doing for you?”

  She lunged forward and grabbed for her phone before her friend could answer. It flew from his hand and bounced a few times on the entryway runner. Whatever she didn’t want him to know must be pretty darn good.

  “I’m going to find out,” he teased as she scrambled to reach her phone before he could go after it.

  “Stop being so nosey. Peyton, you still there? Yeah, okay. I gotta get going, too. Knock ’em dead.” Her brief smile faded as she disconnected the call and pocketed her phone. “Let’s go.”

  Finn grabbed two of the grocery bags from the cart, and she lifted the third. Once they were in the truck and leaving the parking lot, he turned the opposite way they’d come.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I thought I’d circle through town and show you some of the things that have changed since you left.”

  “You could’ve asked instead of deciding for me,” she grumbled.

  “If I feed the dragon will you stop being so hangry?”

  She let out a big sigh, but then surprised him with a, “Yes.”

  Progress. “Josie has great quiche and breakfast bake at The Bakery Box. We’ll be there in two minutes.”

  She didn’t seem to be listening as she leaned forward to stare past the steering wheel. “When did Pulaski get
a hotel?”

  “A couple years ago.”

  “Perfect.” She sat back and gave him an overly sweet smile that oddly felt like a peace offering. “You could stay there.”

  “Sure. You paying?”

  “If I’m paying, then I’ll stay there.”

  “Don’t let me stop you. Be their guest.”

  “Yeah, you’d love that, wouldn’t you?”

  Not really. The past two hours were the most fun he’d had in months. Maybe even a couple of years. And she’d softened after he’d accused her of being grumpy. Her voice even held a hint of a smile with that last comment. Finn had a good feeling having her around promised to brighten his future considerably.

  He found a parking space down the street from the bakery. Nina was out on the sidewalk before he could make it around the truck with his cane. He didn’t need it around the house, but while out and about, it was handy in case he lost his footing, especially in the snow. Faced with the knee-high bank from the freshly plowed street, he paused. Even with his cane, this had the potential to end badly.

  Heat pricked his neck as he glanced right and left for an easier way across the bank. He hadn’t considered this when parking, and unfortunately, cars blocked the few pathways that had been shoveled to the street.

  “Here.” Nina stood across from him, hand extended over the snow as if him needing assistance was no big deal. When he clenched his jaw in hesitation, she challenged, “When someone offers to help, say thank you, and let them.”

  Finn gave a short laugh at his own advice being thrown back in his face so soon after having voiced it, and reached to take her hand. Another tingle zinged up his arm as her warm fingers held his in a strong grip to provide the extra support he needed to make it to the other side without making a fool of himself.

  Once he was on even ground once more, he tightened his grip on her hand to keep her from pulling away. Catching her gaze, he bent forward while raising the back of her hand to his lips. “Thank you.”

  Color washed her cheeks when he let her fingers go. For the first time in a while, he didn’t feel the least bit self-conscious as he limped along beside her into the bakery.

  Nina paused inside the door and sucked in a deep, appreciative breath. “This is definitely new for me. It smells amazing.”