Hell to Pay

By Kimberly Dean

The Longs and the Wilsons had been at war for generations, but when Cassidy Wilson moves to Summer Lake, she tries to stay out of the fray. Her dog just won’t let her. Time and again, Thunder ends up right where he shouldn’t—on Rafer Long’s property. Dark and brooding, Rafer is the sexiest of Cassidy’s enemies. Just being near him makes her body grow hot and her knees go weak.

Rafer doesn’t mind finding Cassidy on his turf. Sweet and pretty, he’s lusted after her even when he knows he shouldn’t.  So when her dog gives him an excuse to be with her, he uses it.

Even knowing there will be hell to pay.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tiger Eye Productions, L.L.C.
• Release date: Sep 11, 2016
• ISBN: 9781536598667

Kimberly Dean

Kimberly Dean is an artist, yoga enthusiast, and #1 New York Times bestselling author. Before fulfilling her dream of becoming a full-time author and artist, she worked for the governor’s press office in the state of Georgia. Her dreams became a reality in 2013 with the release of her first children’s book, Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses. She has written many books since then, including the Willow and Oliver series. Kimberly lives in Georgia with her dog, Gypsy, and cat, Phoebe.

Book preview

Hell to Pay

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The Longs and the Wilsons had been at war for generations, but when Cassidy Wilson moves to Summer Lake, she tries to stay out of the fray. Her dog just won’t let her. Time and again, Thunder ends up right where he shouldn’t—on Rafer Long’s property. Dark and brooding, Rafer is the sexiest of Cassidy’s enemies. Just being near him makes her body grow hot and her knees go weak.

Rafer doesn’t mind finding Cassidy on his turf. Sweet and pretty, he’s lusted after her even when he knows he shouldn’t.  So when her dog gives him an excuse to be with her, he uses it.

Even knowing there will be hell to pay.

Chapter One

It was too quiet.

Cassidy Wilson looked up slowly from her flower garden, her ears going on the alert. A soft wind ruffled the leaves on the trees overhead, and water from the lake lapped rhythmically against her little expanse of shore. It was all very pleasant and calming...

And way too quiet.

Thunder? Turning on her haunches, she let her gaze sweep the yard. Her heart sank when her energetic black Labrador was nowhere to be found. Thunder.

Worried, she tossed her gardening gloves onto the porch and pushed herself to her feet. Ever since they’d moved into her grandparents’ old cabin on Summer Lake, her dog had become much too adventuresome. In the city he’d liked to stay close, but here the birds and rabbits provided excitement that he couldn’t seem to ignore.

Just when she needed him to stay put...

Thunder, come back here! Immediately, she went on the search. As much as the move had suited them both, there was still one drawback to their new living situation that she couldn’t fix. The neighbors. If he’d ended up on Long property again...

Oh God. Her steps quickened.

The Longs and the Wilsons were like oil and water, never to be mixed. Their families’ feud ranked right up there with the Hatfields and McCoys, only without guns. Well, at least lately.

Unfortunately, it all went back to property rights.

Come on, puppy love. Swiping her palms against her shorts, she headed down to the lake. She hoped he was there beyond the tree line, where she couldn’t see him. He liked to play with his reflection in the water, even though it startled him every time he got splashed.

Damn, she swore when she got to the shore. Little ripples coursed across the lake’s surface, but the only visitor other than herself was a lone mallard duck. It swam lazily under the hot summer sun as a feeling of cold dread ran down her spine. There were only two other options, neither of which she liked.

She turned slowly. Long property surrounded her on both sides.

Which enemy should she face first?

Without hesitation, she turned to her left. Randy Long, or Rancid as she tended to think of him, was the lesser of two evils. As loud and obnoxious as he was, his bark was worse than his bite. He’d tried his best to drag her into the seemingly endless feud, but she’d ignored all his huffing and puffing.

His brother, though, wasn’t a man to be put off so easily.

Something hot and dangerous fluttered inside her chest. It mixed with the dread, creating a feeling that was more than a little unsettling.

Yes, Rancid first. Definitely Rancid.

She quickly navigated the winding path that trailed through the woods. On this side of her property, the tree line was nature made. The path was matted with fallen leaves and coursing vines. Still, someone had been using it. Longs crossing her property as a shortcut to one another, no doubt.

Her lips flattened. And they’d been complaining about her dog.

The path came to an end, opening up into Randy’s back yard, and she did a quick visual