One Lucky Deal

One Lucky Deal

The Whisper Hollow – Book 3

Kelli Evans

Published 2013

ISBN: 978-1-93176-132-1

Published by Liquid Silver Books, imprint of Atlantic Bridge Publishing, 10509 Sedgegrass Dr, Indianapolis, Indiana 46235. Copyright © Published 2013, Kelli Evans. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

Manufactured in the United States of America

Liquid Silver Books

http://LSbooks.com

This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.

Blurb

Candace Hilt works with stray and injured animals, takes care of five of her own loveable mutts, deals with meddling sisters, and can hold her own at a poker table full of rowdy men. Her heart is as big as all of Whisper Hollow but not quite big enough to fit a serious relationship into the mix. That was reaffirmed when she came face-to-face with the walking, talking reminder of that long-ago summer when one stupid guy ruined it for all the rest.

When Tad Dundee met Candace he’d been six feet of baseball-capped, country boy, down-home idiot and probably still is. He is the guy who broke Candace’s heart all those years ago because his feelings for her scared him then, and even now, as a grown man, doesn’t find her or relationships any less intimidating.

With the past tucked neatly behind them and neither of them looking for anything serious, they’d fallen into a very easy, comfortable friendship until their friends challenge them to a summer of commitment. Tad and Candace’s pride won’t let them turn it down. They are thrust into a fake relationship with each other that has them both battling against a sizzling hot attraction and that even hotter old flame.

Will winning the bet mean losing everything all over again, or are they about to be dealt one lucky deal?

Dedication

For my mother—for always steering me in the right direction and for your unwavering faith all along the way that I would actually make it to where I am today and beyond.

Acknowledgements

First and foremost I want to acknowledge my best friend Michael Foote. Without you, I’m not sure I could have made the friendship between these two characters a believable one. And also a big thanks to the other guys around my poker table: Ed Evans, Matt Shaffer, Gabe Bebeau, and Dylan Mullikin for always being around to ante up and allowing me to be just one of the guys.

Thank you Camie Alexander for being a friend and a supporter.

Lastly, but not least by any means, Lyn Taylor and all the other great people at LSB who made this book and this series the best that it could be. Thank you.

Chapter 1

It was two a.m. when Candace Rene Hilt’s phone vibrated against her chest. Rudolph, her shepherd mutt and her most beloved bed hog, opened one eye at her. Obviously he was checking out what the disturbance was. Candace rubbed her eyes and squinted to read the text. It was from Tad Dundee; he was her best friend and roommate—or she was his—either way, this middle of the night text was not a new thing. The fact that it said
Help
was not a new thing, either. She knew exactly what he wanted her to do.

Candace shoved aside Rudolph, or Rudy as he answered to. She pushed aside Sara, her yellow Lab-pit mix, and gently kicked Charlie, her Chihuahua, off her toes. She tripped over Sasha on her way to her window and nearly stepped on Zeke; they were huskies and brother and sister. She’d rescued them a long time ago, shortly after she’d adopted Rudy. She had five furbabies altogether, which was why she had to move in with Tad in the first place. The landlord said it was her or the dogs, and she chose the dogs. So, she got the boot.

Candace hurried up and got dressed before grabbing her keys off the dresser and slipping out the window. The night was warm and the June bugs were humming in the trees. She’d skipped putting shoes on, and because the grass was dewy, dirt had begun to cling to her feet.

She made her way around to the front door of the house and let herself in. She wiped her feet and sat her keys down beside the door. She took her time. It was sort of payback for this being the third time in the last two weeks they had to play this game.

When she got to Tad’s bedroom door she wrinkled her nose at the pair of pink lace panties that he’d hung on the knob. It was sort of like their Do Not Disturb sign. She picked up the panties with her thumb and forefinger. Then Candace pushed crudely inside Tad’s room and flicked on the light.

“What the hell?” Candace gasped. There was some blonde girl curled up like a lovesick puppy in his arms.

“Holy shit!” the girl exclaimed and pulled the sheets up to her chin. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Honey, honey, I can explain,” Tad said, but he was a shitty actor. He had a hell of a time keeping a straight face.

“Honey!” the blonde shrieked and began reaching for her clothes. “Oh Christ. I’ve done it again,” she muttered to herself. “I can really pick ’em,” she said as she hopped into her pants.

“Tell me about it. I married him.” Candace tossed the blonde girl her panties, and then for the sheer joy of it she reached out and slapped Tad across his face.

“Married?” The blonde girl gasped. “I am so sorry,” she told Candace, and then she reached out and slapped Tad across his other cheek. It took everything Candace had not to laugh at that. “You’re a snake,” she spat out. “And—and you’re not nearly as good as you think you are.”

“But you
know
that I am,” Tad called after her as she left with a loud, boisterous slam of the front door.

Candace smiled down at him and waited.

“Thanks. If she’d been here ten more minutes she was going to be planning our wedding. Although I’m not sure what I’m thanking you for; you have about as much tact as a battle-ax. How many times do I have to tell you, you don’t have to slap me?” He reached up to touch his jaw as if her little slap had actually hurt him. Doing so pulled the sheet low at his waist and it was obvious he was naked under it. Candace quickly looked away.

“But how many times do I have to tell you, it’s much more believable my way?” She started to turn away. It was almost two thirty and she had a long day ahead of her at the clinic. “By the way, now you owe me, and I’m going to cash in with a night of dish duty.” There was a mountain in the sink because there had been a giant dispute over whose turn it was to do them, and so instead of breaking down and just washing them, they’d both gone on strike.

Tad groaned and fell back against his pillow. “I hate you.” He laughed.

“Ah, but you need me—obviously.” She flicked his light off for him and began shutting the door.

“Yeah, I need you … like a swift kick in the balls.”

“You’re welcome,” she called behind herself as she headed back across the house to her own room.

* * * *

Tad came home from the shop where he worked with his best friend and pseudo older brother Reed to find Candace lounging on their couch, covered in dog, watching the game in her pajamas. Her pajamas included pink flannel pants and a blue Tigers tank top. That was part of the reason they were such good friends—best friends. Her long, dark hair was pulled back into a curling wet ponytail. It was the only time her hair ever curled, when it was wet.

She was obviously planning on staying in tonight. Tad was sore, he was exhausted, and he was sweaty, which was why he was not planning on staying in for the night. He wanted to find a cold beer and a hot woman. Candace was his pickup queen. She was the greatest at helping him land a woman. If she wasn’t coming out with him, chances were he was probably going to be coming home alone anyway.

“We’re not going out tonight?” He kicked his boots off and wiggled his toes, which were now free to breathe.

Candace gave him a smug smirk and tipped her beer bottle toward the kitchen and their enormous pile in the sink. Tad groaned and patted Rudy’s backside, trying to get him to relinquish some of the couch. Rudy waited long enough before moving that it appeared to have been Rudy’s own idea to climb off the couch and Candace’s leg. He didn’t go too far though; he curled up next to Sasha on the floor, and after a long fart he went back to sleep.

“God, what do you feed him?” Tad coughed and hid his face in his shirt, swatting at Candace’s leg. She curled it up to her chest and gave Tad just enough room to sit down. “Smells like kimchi.”

Candace laughed but tucked her nose up in the crook of her arm. “Since when do you even know what kimchi is?”

“What? Do you think I’m some kind of uncultured animal?” Tad removed his nose from the security of his shirt and sniffed the air to make sure it was safe to breathe again. Apparently, seeing Tad breathing easy allowed Candace to come out of her elbow as well.

“Seriously, where did you learn about kimchi?” Candace got up, stepping over Charlie at his water dish.

Tad’s head fell back and he watched Candace walk to the kitchen. “Food Network. Last week. Couldn’t find the remote. Satan hid it on me.”

“Her name is
Sara
and she’s sweet, and you’re sweet on her. You know it.” Sara’s head lifted up from licking her lady business at the mention of her name.

“Whatever.”

“So, since you’re some kind of exotic foods expert now, what’s for dinner, chef?” Candace pulled open the fridge door. A tiny fawn-colored Chihuahua was nestled between her feet. “What can you do with a bag of mushy apples?”

“I can throw them in the trash.” Tad stretched his legs out and propped his feet up on Rudy’s side. Rudy lifted his head, looked at him, seemingly shrugged, and lay back down.

“All right, then what are we going to eat? I’m starving.”

“Well, if you do the dishes, then I’ll spring for the pizza.” Tad tipped his head back to get a look at her reaction. It was her hands on her hips and an arched eyebrow.

“I don’t think so, buster.” Candace grabbed them both a beer and plopped back down on the couch, kicking Tad’s feet away from using Rudy like a footstool. “You owe me. That means you’re buying
and
doing the dishes.” Candace began to rub the arches of her feet. She had probably been on them all day long walking dogs and cleaning out kennels. Tad knew The Animal Shelter, which happened to also be the town’s animal clinic, was supposed to have an assistant to do those jobs, but she’d called in sick for the day. That had left Candace running the front desk and doing all the other running around as well.

Tad, being the perceptive yet lazy male that he knew himself to be, tossed out a proposal. “I will buy the pizza, and give you a killer foot rub if you help me out with the dishes.”

“What is there to help with? You unload the washer and put the dirty dishes in it. Then run the dishwasher. It’s pretty straightforward, but, hey, if you’re buying me dinner, giving me a foot rub, and all you want in return is for me to stand in the kitchen pretending to help you, then, hell yeah. Let’s get it started.” Candace pulled Tad from the couch.

*

She stood there sipping a beer while watching him unload and reload the dishwasher. All the while she wished she was watching the game instead of Tad doing the dishes. She’d already ordered the pizza. Now she was just waiting for it to get here along with her foot rub.

Tad’s phone started going off. He dried his hands quickly and fished it out of his pocket. “Hello?” He turned the water off in the sink and shot a look at Candace. “Sure. I can come over and look at that for you.”

Candace started shaking her head. “Tad Dundee, don’t you dare—” But he’d wound up the dish towel and snapped it against her ass to get her to shut up.

“Yeah I’ll see you in ten. Uh-huh, yeah, okay. See you then.” He hung up.

Candace cocked her head and sent him a look. “Who was that?” She already knew.

“Is that any of your business?” Tad grinned, knowingly being difficult. Candace knew it was just to piss her off. So she waited for him to cave in and volunteer the information. “Brenda.” Brenda was a forty-something friend of his much older sister, Gail.

“What happened to your hit it and quit it motto?” Candace cocked her eyebrow. “Or your number two rule about never sticking your dick in crazy?”

“Candy—”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Sometimes you’ve just got to live a little. And hey, she’s not crazy. She’s not demanding. She doesn’t want a relationship—”

“Because she’s already married,” Candace pointed out.

“Yeah, but not to me.” Tad smirked.

“You’re disgusting.” Candace laughed wryly and rolled her eyes. “Seriously. You’re a pig.”

“Yeah, that’s what you keep saying but…” Tad lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Anyway it’s a moot point because I’m just going over there to look at her pipes. She said they might need to be tweaked.”

Candace wrinkled her nose up. “Gross.”