Taming Mack (Sinful Nights Book 3) Read online

  Taming Mack

  By Elizabeth Lennox

  www.ElizabethLennox.com

  Follow me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Author.Elizabeth.Lennox

  Or on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Elizabethlenno1

  Copyright 201

  ISBN13: 9781944078904

  All rights reserved

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, business, places, events, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from Second Chance Temptation

  Prologue

  “I hate to ask but…” Cynthia asked, clutching the phone closely.

  Eve inhaled sharply at her best friend’s words. “Don’t you dare! You know your mother is almost as important to me as she is to you. I’m packing now and will be there by tomorrow!”

  Cynthia sighed, leaning her head against the rough wooden post of her bar. “Thank you!” she whispered with heartfelt appreciation.

  “Cyn, I know you’re worried about your mom. So, go pack. Don’t worry about anything. I’ve spent many a summer working at your place, so you know that I know the ins and outs of The Bull Frog. I can handle the bar and anything that might happen for as long as needed. I have my camera equipment and can work from anywhere. Just take care of Aunt Mona, okay?” she said, referring to Cynthia’s mother who had moved to Florida several years ago after retiring. Mona had built up The Bull Frog, a local bar in the small mountain town of Minneville about thirty minutes outside of Denver after Cynthia’s father disappeared.

  Eve and Cynthia had met working at the ski resort in Jackson Hole, Wyoming several years ago. Eve had been in college and Cynthia in high school, but the two became fast friends while sharing one of the dorm rooms the resort provided to their seasonal staff members.

  “You get ready. I’m hitting the road and I’ll be there by dinnertime tomorrow, okay?”

  There was a sniffle on the other end and Eve’s heart tightened in sympathy. “Thanks Eve.”

  “She’s going to be okay, Cyn. You know that, right?”

  Cynthia didn’t say anything for a long moment, but eventually, her friend sniffed again, then said, “Yes!” with more emphasis.

  “Good! I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  Chapter 1

  “Who the hell are you?!”

  Eve jumped, shocked by the angry demand. So far, she’d only received warm, friendly greetings from Cynthia’s regular customers.

  Turning to face the owner of the deep voice, her own anger sparked. He was tall, broad shouldered, intimidating and carried handcuffs, as well as a gun on his hip. The law enforcement badge softened the fear of that gun, but he was still scowling darkly, which caused her heart to flutter in a girly manner that irritated her more than the anger in his voice. The man might look exceedingly hot in that uniform, but that didn’t give him the right to sound so angry towards her.

  It took her several seconds to remember that this wasn’t her place and alienating the sheriff might not be the best idea. Small towns meant gossip. At the moment, The Bull Frog, Cynthia’s adorable little pub, was filled with locals, most of whom were curious about who would be running the place while Cynthia was out of town.

  Pasting a bright, hopefully friendly, smile on her face, she tucked the empty pitcher under one arm and extended her other hand. “I’m Eve, Cynthia’s friend. I’ll be helping out here until Mona is better.”

  He silently studied Eve for a long moment. So long that Eve felt more than a little awkward with her hand sticking out like that. Finally, the man moved closer, taking her hand and shaking it briefly. Very briefly.

  “Sheriff Jones,” he replied quietly.

  Eve continued to smile, trying to ease the man’s glare. He was so tall, well over six feet tall, and the heavy, brown jacket he was wearing made his shoulders look even more impossibly broad. The hat and the gun… delicious! And she couldn’t forget those handcuffs! Not that she was into that sort of stuff. But if she were…into the handcuffs…she would really like to be handcuffed by this guy. Hmmm…maybe she was into the handcuffs after all. Blinking, she met his gaze and tried to focus her thoughts.

  Okay, not productive, she scolded herself firmly. She wasn’t attracted to him. Not even slightly. Another point, she hadn’t done anything wrong. So, why was he snapping at her? Surely he couldn’t read her mind and know that she found his handcuffs appealing! Because she didn’t! Not…well, okay, maybe a little!

  “When’s Cynthia coming back?” Mr. Grouchy demanded impatiently, snapping her back to the conversation.

  Eve stiffened at his belligerent tone. “I don’t know.” Eve moved closer, struggling to keep her hopefully-still-friendly smile in place. The whole pub was staring and she didn’t enjoy being the center of attention. “She’ll be gone for as long as she needs to be gone.”

  “You don’t have a job to get back to?”

  Eve considered pointing out it was none of his business, but that small town issue raised its ugly head once again. “I’m a photographer. I can work anywhere. The wilds of Colorado will be an interesting change of pace for me.”

  Incredibly, the scowl on his too-handsome face deepened. Did the man even know how to smile? Was it a skill that had to be learned?

  “You’re a bit of a grumpy-Gus, aren’t you?” she whispered, leaning forward slightly. “How about if I get you a drink? A beer? Maybe some cheese fries?”

  The man continued to glower at her and she shifted her feet, beginning to feel more than slightly self-conscious. “I’m on duty.”

  That made sense, with the uniform and all. “Well, why don’t you come on back when you’re off duty?” she offered. “I’m sure a big ole basket of something greasy will help loosen up that smile! I know it’s in there somewhere.”

  She heard someone behind her chuckle and cringed. “Anyway, I’m not here to cause trouble, Sheriff,” she said, thinking of the old western movies her father had loved. “I’m just covering for Cynthia.” She pretended to salute. “No trouble at all, sir!” She even added a curtsy for good measure.

  Mr. Grouchy sighed, rolling his eyes. “I doubt you can help it,” he muttered under his breath. In a louder voice, he warned, “Watch out for the Miller twins. I found them by your back door a few minutes ago.”

  Several groans were heard and Eve wondered what harm a couple of boys could do, but she nodded. “Got it. Miller boys. Trouble. No beer till you’re off duty.”

  She could practically see the gears turning in his head as he tried to figure out if she was mocking him. But not by a twitch of her lashes did she betray herself. In the end, he didn’t call her out and turned on his heel before heading out the door. “Snow’s on the way.”

  Again, a wave of groans was heard and she looked around in surprise. “Snow?” She blinked. “But its April! Surely there can’t…”

  The laughter stopped her words, indicating that yes, in April, there definitely could be snow. “Okay, fine! Snow in April. That means fires. I need to stock up on marshmallows.”

  With that,
she moved back to the bar. “How about you? Ready to try the lilac martini?”

  Joe, a gruff old hunter who came up to the mountains on the weekend to fish, chuckled as he shook his head. There were only about three hundred residents of Minneville, she’d discovered. But that number swelled to over six thousand during the summer weekends and about half that number during the winter weekends. There were cabins all over the surrounding woods and most of the people who rented them came into town to eat and buy supplies for camping, skiing, fishing, hiking, or whatever else they might dream up to do.

  Scanning the room, she knew that Annie, the waitress that helped out most nights, could handle the tables, so Eve stayed behind the bar, pouring beers for the guys sitting on the tall stools, none of whom wanted to get close to her lilac martini. Go figure!

  During a lull in the beer-pouring, she decided to be proactive about the menu. Cynthia and her mother had made The Bull Frog profitable over the years by offering not just beer, but also greasy, delicious, snack foods. Nothing complicated, but perennial favorites such as cheese fries sprinkled with bacon and sour cream or spicy wings. Unfortunately, the profits had dwindled recently and Eve was just the person to spice things up! Eve loved to experiment and wanted to try something different while she was here. Maybe a bit of variety would bring people in, adding a bit of excitement to the options.

  “So what should we have on the menu tomorrow?” she asked, opening her computer and pulling up her favorite recipe website. Clicking through options, she pinned several ideas to a new board, tossing out ideas to the four guys sitting at the bar. “How about stuffed potatoes with gruyere cheese?” she offered up.

  All four men looked at her as if she’d lost her mind.

  “Okay!” she clicked a few more pictures. “Sweet potato bites with goat cheese and…” she didn’t even finish that statement, the looks on their faces nixing that idea too. “Potato puffs?” She almost laughed at the horror on their whiskered faces, then took the empty mug of one guy, filling it up, sliding it down the polished bar and grabbing his three dollars before going back to her computer. She looked at the options, then at the men. Maybe I’m doing this wrong, she thought. “How about Bear Patties?” she offered, looking at the picture of the sweet potato slice with a dollop of goat cheese and cranberries sprinkled over it. The picture looked easy to create.

  All four men tilted their heads slightly as if they were considering the possibility. “Yeah. I’d try a Bear Patty.”

  Eve mentally rolled her eyes, thinking that some men never really grew out of their teen years. Make a guy think he was eating bear dung and he was all over it. Go figure!

  “Okay, I’ll try Bear Patties tomorrow night for an interesting appetizer. And what about a blue devil shot for a specialty drink?”

  More grunts, but the men looked at each other, interest lighting up their eyes. “Cynthia never gave us specialty drinks,” one of them admitted. “Might like the taste of a blue devil.”

  The others grunted their agreement and Eve pinned the cocktail to a board for future reference as well. She’d have to pour it into shot glasses instead of the pretty martini glasses that she’d found in the back of Cynthia’s storage area, but she didn’t mind. It would be nice to increase the revenues in this place. Eve had reviewed the accounting books last night and realized that Cynthia had barely managed to make ends meet over the past few months. Something had to change.

  “Okay, patties and devils. Spread the word and we’ll see if the offerings help anyone’s hunting or fishing the next day.”

  The men obviously liked that idea. At least, she thought they were smiling. Some of them had beards so thick and wiry, it was hard to determine their expressions.

  Three hours later, Eve was more than ready to call it a night. Only a half hour until closing and the place had slowly cleared out. Most of the men wanted to get an early start, something about bears and watering holes…she didn’t want to know.

  “What the hell is a blue devil shot and how in the world do you think it might improve a man’s chances of catching a trout?”

  Eve spun around, dropping the dishrag she’d been using to dry her hands. Sure enough, Mr. Grouchy was back, his wide-brimmed, sheriff’s hat tipped back so she could see his eyes more clearly this time. Nice, she thought. Just as handsome as she remembered. And oh boy, he still had those handcuffs!

  She shook the thought away. “I must be tired,” she muttered.

  “You didn’t answer my question.”

  Eve moved back behind the bar, thinking it was probably safer there. She couldn’t reach the jerk to punch him in the nose for being rude again. Eve doubted the local law enforcement hottie would appreciate being punched. That would most likely qualify as “assaulting an officer”, even if he deserved it.

  Mack watched the delicately built woman carefully, noting the fatigue that slowed her step. Gone was the bright, sunshiny smile and glowing eyes. This woman was wiped out. He wanted to tell her that he could get rid of the last two customers for her so she could close up and go to bed, but…well, he didn’t want her hanging around Minneville. He wanted her gone. She was too delicate, too sweet…and way too tempting. She was like a breath of fresh air and he didn’t like it.

  Yeah, he knew that he was grumpy at the moment, but he didn’t care. His town didn’t need a woman like her. She’d been here for less than two days, and already she was changing things up.

  When she left, he knew that she’d leave behind a disaster in her wake and he wanted to protect the people who lived here. Their lives were tough enough already. No need to get them used to something and then have it ripped away.

  The woman tossed that rag into the bar sink and leaned against the counter, arms spread out wide as she watched him. Blue eyes, he noticed. And dark, curly hair, pale skin, soft lips. Too soft. Everything about her was too soft.

  It would be one thing if this woman were here only for a weekend. Yeah, he could manage that. He might even like her, if she was just here for a short visit. A visitor wouldn’t stir things up. A visitor could be enjoyed and then he’d simply wave as she moved on to a life that was a bit more interesting than life up here in this small, mountain town. Winters were brutally cold and the summers were filled with tourists. Eve Henderson wouldn’t make it here. Too soft.

  “You ready for that beer, Sheriff?” she asked, trying to hide her exhaustion, but he could still see it. It was there and he had the crazy instinct to pull her into his arms and kiss her until he earned a real smile from her.

  Damn, she was enticing!

  “Nope. Seen the Miller twins yet?”

  She paused, her head tilting slightly, which drew his gaze to the gentle curve of her neck. He wondered if she smelled as good as she looked.

  “Honestly Sheriff, I’m not sure if I could tell the difference between any of the men around here. They all wear thick, flannel shirts, every one of them seems to be in a competition to grow the thickest beard possible, and by the time they’ve ordered their fifth beer, I doubt any of them could tell the difference between themselves and their neighbor. So no, I don’t think I’ve seen these mischievous Miller twins although, if they were here tonight, they didn’t introduce themselves.”

  Mack chuckled. “Fair enough. And no, I doubt either of the twins would take the time to introduce themselves to you, but you’ll know them when you see them.”

  “Are they lost?” she asked, suddenly worried. “I know the temperature drops pretty fast out here once the sun goes down.”

  The sudden urge to pull her into his arms and bury his nose in her soft, dark mass of hair hit him square between the eyes. In reaction, he pulled back, refusing to even contemplate getting involved with a woman who was going to be around only long enough to realize that she didn’t fit in around here.

  The question in her eyes pulled his mind away from the tempting scent of her hair. “No. They’re not lost. Those twins know these woods better than anyone. I’ll check in with their mother.
They’re probably home by now.”

  He tipped his hat towards her and tried to walk away, but her mouth falling open stopped his retreat. “What’s wrong?”

  Her mouth opened and closed. Mack suspected she had absolutely no idea of how tempting she looked.

  “Did you just tip your hat back, Sheriff?” she asked, that distractingly sunny smile forming on her pretty, full lips. Lips that were still pink even though all of the lipstick he’d noticed earlier was gone. She actually looked prettier now, with her makeup worn off and the soft, overhead lights creating shadows on her pale skin.

  It irked him that he was focused on trying not to kiss her and she was focused on his hat. What the hell is wrong with his hat? “I guess so. Was that wrong?”

  That sexy smile widened. Then her pretty white teeth bit down on her plump lower lip. “No. Not wrong.” She did that head tilt thing again. “It’s actually pretty hot, Sheriff.” With a wink, she turned around and headed over to the last two customers. For a long moment, he stood there, stunned while he enjoyed the soft sway of her hips.

  Mack realized where his mind had gone and he shook his head. Sexy butts were not on his agenda tonight.

  He stomped out of the bar, relieved by the bite of the cold night air hitting his face. What was it about her? Yeah, it had been a long, hard winter, but even during the cold months, he could make it down the mountain to one of the other towns and find female companionship when he needed it. He wasn’t sex starved, but the way his body had reacted to her round curves and sweet smile, one would think he hadn’t seen a woman in a decade!

  A movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention and he sighed inwardly. Moving across the street, he maneuvered himself around the boys that were whispering excitedly to each other, which could only mean trouble. Sure enough, one of them had a match and was just about to light it when he jerked both of them back by the collars of their sweatshirts. “Don’t even think it!” he snapped to the Miller twins. “Are you nuts? We haven’t had any rain for a week, Tyler!” he growled to the ten year old who stared up at him with his mouth hanging open. “And you, James? You’re supposed to be the reasonable one! Why in the world would you let your brother try and set the forest on fire?”