Bait Shop Blues

by Nancy Pirri

Overview

**Special Offer: Contact the author at [e-mail] if you purchase BAIT SHOP BLUES. Nancy will send you (upon providing mailing address) a personally made beach/tote bag. Finding love shouldn't be so hard... What does a successful businesswoman born and bred in Chicago want with half-ownership of a quaint bait shop in northern Minnesota, willed to her by her grandfather? And how will the reclusive half-owner of the shop convince the woman to sell out her half to him? For Cassandra Thompson, a Marilyn Monroe look-alike who's recently been dumped by her second fiancé in two years, it could mean a well-needed change in life. For Leif Halverson, a handsome man of Ojibwa extraction, and co-owner of the shop, it could mean disaster-like falling in love. Leif is far from happy about this city woman invading his territory so he challenges her to a wilderness survival contest where the winner takes all.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781612358192
Publisher:	Melange Books
Publication date:	03/10/2014
Pages:	158
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.37(d)

Read an Excerpt

He tore into the house. When he reached the bathroom he was relieved to discover she hadn't fixed the broken lock on the door. He shoved open the door and stormed inside to find her standing in the tub, clutching a towel against her body.

Cassandra's tearful eyes met his. Leif's heart wrenched as he reached into the tub and lifted her into his arms. She yelped and struggled against his hold.

"Be still, damn it!" He was surprised when she did exactly as he ordered. When he reached her bedroom he set her down on her bed. She yelped again.

"What in the hell happened? Did you burn yourself?"

She sat gingerly on the edge of the bed, her face turning a flaming red color. He sank down beside her when she said, "I got stung by a bee."

He expelled his breath, relieved. "Is that what all the ruckus was about?"

She narrowed her eyes on him. "Not just once, but three times! Maybe more," she wailed. "And on..."

Leif wondered why she'd stopped in mid-sentence and then recalled Roy telling him not to open the bathroom window.

"You opened the window, didn't you?"

"It was steamy from my shower so I let in some air."

"Guess I forgot to mention that screen has holes in it, too." Leif braced himself when he added, "And there's a beehive under the eaves."

She shoved a finger in the middle of his chest. "The first thing tomorrow, buster, you are going to fix every single screen in this house. And you'll drown out that beehive. Understand?"

He nodded, rose from the bed. "Okay. Tomorrow, for sure." He left the room but remembered something after she slammed the door shut. He gave a tentative knock and she opened the door with ascowl.

"What?"

"I just remembered I've a guiding trip lined up for the entire day tomorrow."

"Cancel it," she ordered.

He gawked at her, noticing for the first time the white terry cloth robe she'd donned, the belt she'd left untied. His eyes caressed a creamy expanse of skin between the two edges of her robe. Finally, he tore his eyes away and met her accusing look.

"I can't cancel the trip. I'm taking five guys out. That's a substantial chunk of change for Gateway, and we're leaving around six."

"I don't care! What if I was allergic to bees?"

He gaped at her. "You're not, right?"

"No, thank heaven!" She slammed the door in his face.