She Loves Me Read online

  PRAISE FOR MELISSA FOSTER

  “With her wonderful characters and resonating emotions, Melissa Foster is a must-read author!”

  —New York Times bestseller Julie Kenner

  “Melissa Foster is synonymous with sexy, swoony, heartfelt romance!”

  —New York Times bestseller Lauren Blakely

  “You can always rely on Melissa Foster to deliver a story that’s fresh, emotional, and entertaining.”

  —New York Times bestseller Brenda Novak

  “Melissa Foster writes worlds that draw you in, with strong heroes and brave heroines surrounded by a community that makes you want to crawl right on through the page and live there.”

  —New York Times bestseller Julia Kent

  “When it comes to contemporary romances with realistic characters, an emotional love story, and smokin’-hot sex, author Melissa Foster always delivers!”

  —The Romance Reviews

  “Foster writes characters that are complex and loyal, and each new story brings further depth and development to a redefined concept of family.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  “Melissa Foster definitely knows how to spin a tale and keep you flipping the pages.”

  —Book Loving Fairy

  “You can never go wrong with the heroes that Melissa Foster creates. She hasn’t made one yet that I haven’t fallen in love with.”

  —Natalie the Biblioholic

  “Melissa is a very talented author that tells fabulous stories that captivate you and keep your attention from the first page to the last page. Definitely an author that you will want to keep on your go-to list.”

  —Between the Coverz

  “Melissa Foster writes the best contemporary romance I have ever read. She does it in bundles, tops it with great plots, hot guys, strong heroines, and sprinkles it with family dynamics—you got yourself an amazing read.”

  —Reviews of a Book Maniac

  “She has a way with words that endears a family in our hearts, and watching each sibling and friend go on to meet their true love is such a joy!”

  —Thoughts of a Blonde

  MORE BOOKS BY MELISSA FOSTER

  LOVE IN BLOOM ROMANCE SERIES

  SNOW SISTERS

  Sisters in Love

  Sisters in Bloom

  Sisters in White

  THE BRADENS

  Lovers at Heart, Reimagined

  Destined for Love

  Friendship on Fire

  Sea of Love

  Bursting with Love

  Hearts at Play

  Taken by Love

  Fated for Love

  Romancing My Love

  Flirting with Love

  Dreaming of Love

  Crashing into Love

  Healed by Love

  Surrender My Love

  River of Love

  Crushing on Love

  Whisper of Love

  Thrill of Love

  THE BRADENS & MONTGOMERYS

  Embracing Her Heart

  Anything for Love

  Trails of Love

  Wild, Crazy Hearts

  Making You Mine

  Searching for Love

  BRADEN NOVELLAS

  Promise My Love

  Our New Love

  Daring Her Love

  Story of Love

  Love at Last

  A Very Braden Christmas

  THE REMINGTONS

  Game of Love

  Stroke of Love

  Flames of Love

  Slope of Love

  Read, Write, Love

  Touched by Love

  SEASIDE SUMMERS

  Seaside Dreams

  Seaside Hearts

  Seaside Sunsets

  Seaside Secrets

  Seaside Nights

  Seaside Embrace

  Seaside Lovers

  Seaside Whispers

  Seaside Serenade

  BAYSIDE SUMMERS

  Bayside Desires

  Bayside Passions

  Bayside Heat

  Bayside Escape

  Bayside Romance

  Bayside Fantasies

  Bayside Dreams

  THE RYDERS

  Seized by Love

  Claimed by Love

  Chased by Love

  Rescued by Love

  Swept into Love

  SUGAR LAKE

  The Real Thing

  Only for You

  Love Like Ours

  Finding My Girl

  HARMONY POINTE

  Call Her Mine

  This Is Love

  She Loves Me

  TRU BLUE & THE WHISKEYS

  Tru Blue

  Truly, Madly, Whiskey

  Driving Whiskey Wild

  Wicked Whiskey Love

  Mad About Moon

  Taming My Whiskey

  The Gritty Truth

  THE WICKEDS

  A Little Bit Wicked

  BILLIONAIRES AFTER DARK SERIES

  Wild Boys After Dark

  Logan

  Heath

  Jackson

  Cooper

  Bad Boys After Dark

  Mick

  Dylan

  Carson

  Brett

  HARBORSIDE NIGHTS SERIES

  Catching Cassidy

  Discovering Delilah

  Tempting Tristan

  STAND-ALONE NOVELS

  Chasing Amanda (mystery/suspense)

  Come Back to Me (mystery/suspense)

  Have No Shame (historical fiction/romance)

  Love, Lies & Mystery (three-book bundle)

  Megan’s Way (literary fiction)

  Traces of Kara (psychological thriller)

  Where Petals Fall (suspense)

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Text copyright © 2020 by Melissa Foster

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  Published by Montlake, Seattle

  www.apub.com

  Amazon, the Amazon logo, and Montlake are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates.

  ISBN-13: 9781542018418

  ISBN-10: 1542018412

  Cover design by Letitia Hasser

  Cover photography by Rafa G. Catala

  For strong women who know exactly what they want in life and love

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  EPILOGUE

  A NOTE FROM MELISSA

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  CHAPTER ONE

  “AND SHE DOES this thing with her tongue” was not what Piper Dalton expec
ted to hear when she walked out of Windsor Hall to join her construction crew. Piper and her father had owned Dalton Contracting for several years. She was used to hearing guys talk about all sorts of things, and she didn’t think it was much different from the way women talked. She found three of the guys standing around a table where the plans for the old farmhouse they were renovating were spread out. Piper glanced at her project manager, Kase Force, a large man with granitelike features and an ever-present baseball cap, and lifted her brows. Kase and the two men he was with, Mike Renway and Darren Wilcox, had worked for Piper for the last few years. They were trusted and valued employees.

  “Don’t look at me, boss,” Kase said, holding his hands up.

  Darren, a baby-faced blond who looked closer to eighteen than twenty-five, said, “Mike was just trying to convince me not to get married in August.”

  Mike shrugged, flashing a cocky grin.

  The guys knew Piper didn’t have a problem with them shooting the shit as long as the work got done. But she did have a problem with three-times-divorced and far-too-cynical Mike trying to convince a man who was madly in love with his fiancée to think twice about tying the knot. Mike was in his midforties and didn’t have a faithful bone in his body, but at work he was as dependable and hardworking as the rest of Piper’s crew. She might be the boss, but it wasn’t her place to judge her employees’ personal lives.

  “Is that so?” Piper crossed her arms, meeting Mike’s steady gaze and cocky grin. She might be only a size two, but there wasn’t a man on earth she wouldn’t stand up to. “So, this thing she does with her tongue—does she do it to all the guys she blows, or just you?”

  Kase and Darren chuckled.

  Mike’s brows knitted. “Um . . .”

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Piper said. “How about you let Darren be happy? I don’t think he’s the kind of guy who’s into sloppy seconds . . . or thirds.”

  “Aw, come on, Piper,” Mike said. “I don’t see you running to the altar.”

  “Can you imagine Piper trading in her jeans and work boots for an apron and heels?” Kase shook his head. “You’re too cool for that, boss.”

  “Thank you,” Piper said.

  “And too tough,” Darren added. “You’ve got bigger balls than most of the guys I know. I mean, my girl is always hanging on my every word and giving me foot rubs. I just can’t see you doing those things.”

  “Rubbing your feet? Really?” That kind of grossed Piper out.

  “Not to mention you’re about as unfiltered as a muddy creek, which is awesome, but some guys are too insecure for truths.” Mike patted her on the back and said, “If you were ten years older, I’d beg you to marry me. You’re everything I want in a woman. You’re smokin’ hot, you won’t give me shit for swearing, you’ve got a good brain and a kick-ass job, and you don’t mind having beer and wings at Dutch’s for dinner.”

  Piper laughed right along with them. She had dinner at Dutch’s Pub most days of the week, oftentimes with a few of her crew. She loved her job, and she didn’t like watching her language. But she’d witnessed each of her four siblings falling in love, and it had definitely opened her eyes to what she was missing. She hoped one day to find a man who would love her the way her siblings were loved, but she wasn’t looking to get married, nor holding her breath for that man to suddenly appear. She knew she wasn’t most men’s long-term cup of tea.

  “So, what do you say, Piper?” Mike waggled his thick blond brows. “Want to hook up with an older man who knows all the tricks?”

  Piper’s phone rang, and DEBRA DUTCH appeared on her screen. “Saved by the bell.” She walked away to answer the call. Debra’s family owned Dutch’s Pub, which was run by one of Debra’s sons—Piper’s close friend Harley.

  “Hi, Deb. Is Delaney okay?”

  Delaney was Harley’s older sister, and a single mother to two wonderful girls. She had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer and had undergone a double mastectomy two weeks ago. Debra was taking care of her while she recovered. Delaney’s diagnosis had rocked her family and friends to their core. Luckily, the cancer hadn’t spread, and all the cancerous cells had been eradicated during surgery.

  “Yes. She’s getting stronger every day,” Debra said. “Honey, it’s Harley. He’s had an accident at work and he needs a ride home from Harmony Pointe Hospital. I didn’t know who else to call.”

  “Oh no. Of course I’ll get him. Is he okay? What happened?” Many moons ago, the youngest Dutch sibling, Marshall, had been Piper’s first love. He’d been as risky and rowdy as Delaney and Harley were responsible. Marshall had left town to attend college, but he’d quit after his third year and returned home so rarely since, even his family had no idea where he was living. Harley had always picked up the slack. Piper was sure that times like these, though rare, made it even more difficult for Debra.

  “I don’t know exactly. I just know he had an accident.”

  “Don’t worry, Deb. I’ll leave now.” She ended the call and hurried over to the guys with her heart in her throat, hoping Harley wasn’t hurt too badly. “That was Debra Dutch. Harley’s in the hospital. I have to go get him.”

  “Is he okay?” Kase asked.

  “I don’t know.”

  “The cockblocker strikes again,” Mike said teasingly. “Tell him I said thanks a lot.”

  Piper glowered at him, although Harley did have a habit of scaring off her dates. “Kase, I’ll text you when I know something,” she said as she headed for her truck.

  “Give him my best,” Darren called after her.

  “Tell him his timing sucks!” Mike added.

  Piper flicked Mike the bird as she climbed into her truck. She knew he was kidding, but she was worried about Harley.

  Harmony Pointe was a small town, and her job site wasn’t far from the hospital. A few minutes later, she rushed through the emergency-room doors, heading for the registration desk. The waiting room was crowded, and the woman behind the desk was on the phone. Piper’s anxiety rose as she waited. She hated hospitals. The lights were too bright, the atmosphere too sterile, and the underlying thrum of pain was inescapable. Oh God, is Harley in pain?

  She tried to keep from drumming her fingers on the desk as she waited for the woman behind it to get off the phone. She thought about all the times Harley had broken up barroom brawls, taking punches like they were given by children instead of grown men. He’d gotten a few deep gashes over the years from broken bottles and out-of-control patrons, and he’d always refused medical treatment, which left him with tough-looking scars from cuts that should have been stitched. Piper couldn’t imagine a fight breaking out at the bar on a Wednesday afternoon, much less what had to have happened to land him in the hospital.

  As soon as the woman behind the desk hung up, Piper said, “Hi. I’m here to pick up Harley Dutch. He came into the emergency room earlier.”

  The woman typed something into her computer, then pointed to a set of double doors. “You can go through those doors and they’ll direct you.”

  “Thank you.” Piper rushed through the double doors, scanning the curtained-off patient areas, and spotted Harley lying on a bed. His head was tipped back, his eyes closed. His jeans were rolled up on his right leg to his calf, and his right ankle was wrapped. That explained why he needed a ride home. She went to him, wondering how he’d gotten to the hospital. Her gaze moved over his face. He was truly a handsome man, with dark hair and a short beard. Though his eyes were closed, she knew how powerful his deep-set slate-blue eyes were. She’d seen women hanging on his every glance and men cowering when those eyes turned fierce. She couldn’t help allowing her gaze to crawl down his beefy arms and broad chest to his waist. Harley wasn’t lean or cut, and he didn’t have six-pack abs. He was thick-bodied, brawny, and rugged. She never allowed herself to look him over—they were just friends after all. But now she couldn’t help herself. Her eyes drifted to the impressive bulge behind his zipper—she knew he wasn’t lean there, e
ither. Harley was a few years older than Piper, and he had gotten quite a reputation in high school for the monstrous heat he was packing. Her pulse quickened, and she forced her eyes back to his face. He might be built like a grizzly and hung like a horse, but Piper had a feeling that despite his tough reputation and bravado, when it came right down to it, Harley Dutch was all cuddly cub inside.

  Harley’s eyes opened, and the smile that melted panties everywhere lifted his lips. Piper wasn’t immune to his charms, but he dated the type of women who would dote on him, who wore pretty dresses and said all the right things. And as Piper’s crew had so kindly pointed out, as much as she loved children and would adore a family of her own, she was never going to be a doting wife. For that reason, she was glad she was into untamable grizzlies and not cuddly cubs, because she didn’t need to ruin their friendship over what could never be more than a few nights of incredibly hot sex.

  “Hi,” he said groggily.

  “Hey,” she said softly. “What happened? Your mom said you got hurt at the bar.”

  His brow furrowed. “I’m sorry, but do I know you?”

  “What kind of pain meds do they have you on? It’s me, Piper.”

  “Piper,” he said softly, his face still a map of confusion. “Are you doing construction here?”

  She glanced down at her T-shirt, jeans, and work boots, all of which were speckled with drywall dust. “Don’t mess with me, Harley. You know I’m working at Windsor Hall, getting the house ready to go on the market. What happened? Are you okay?”

  He looked down at his leg and said, “I sprained my ankle. Someone should be here soon to pick me up.”

  She crossed her arms and said, “That’s me, doofus. Your mom called. She’s taking care of Delaney, remember? Geez, did you hit your head?”

  He nodded, smiling sheepishly, which took her by surprise. He didn’t do anything sheepishly. Harley was more of a barrel-in-and-blurt-it-out kind of guy.

  “Sorry if I should recognize you, but I can’t remember anything.”

  “What . . . ?” Her stomach sank.

  Harley was everyone’s rock, including hers. He’d made it big on Wall Street after college, returning home about four years ago, when his father had taken ill, to help his family run their pub. His father had passed away shortly thereafter, and Harley had remained in Sweetwater, their small hometown, to care for his mother, sister, and two nieces, who had all been falling apart at the seams. Though Harley and Piper hadn’t been close when they were growing up, he’d become one of Piper’s closest friends since he’d moved home. He made a habit of being a pain in her butt, giving her grief about one thing or another and scaring off her dates. Even so, she couldn’t help but love the big, burly bartender. He was one of the few guys outside of work who wasn’t intimidated by her directness, her inability to put up with bullshit, or the way she’d dominated the male-driven construction industry, becoming one of the most sought-after contractors in the area. She spent more evenings hanging out with Harley and their friends at the pub watching sports or eating dinner than she spent at home. She couldn’t imagine her life without Harley in it, and the thought of him not recognizing her caused a crushing feeling in the center of her chest.