Steamy Days: Pelican Lake, #1

By Melissa Stevens

Ashley is spending her last summer at the lake with her parents. She's just graduated and her first job starts in a couple months. Determined to make the most of her last free summer she goes the place she loves best, Pelican Lake

Jared is looking to get away from the stresses and temptations of the city while he recovers from a gunshot wound, and the complications it has thrown in to his life. He wasn't counting on finding a girl who was even more tempting than what he left behind. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Melissa Stevens
• Release date: Aug 14, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386911074

Melissa Stevens

Melissa was born and raised in Arizona, she’s spent her entire life living across the southern half of the state. She’s found that, along with her husband and three children, she prefers the small towns and rural life to feeling packed into a city. She started reading at a very young age, and her love for series started early, as the first real books she remembers reading is the Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner. Through the years she’s found that there’s little she won’t read, and her tastes vary from westerns, to romance, to sci-fi / fantasy and Horror.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Ashley sighed and wondered when Steph was going get there. She needed to pee and was desperate for some sunshine. Today was beautiful. Ashley hated being stuck behind the register on beautiful days like today. There were other days when she didn't mind it so much, like when it was icy or too windy, but today was perfect. She'd already cleaned and stocked all the shelves she could stand and business being slow today only made it worse. At least if she were busy, the time would go faster.

She scrapped at her chipped nail polish with her thumbnail and thought about repainting them later that night. The bell over the door rang, and Ashley looked up, hoping it was her sister, but her breath caught when she spotted the man there instead. His dark hair was slicked back away from his face, revealing strong features and a pained but determined look in his pale gray eyes.

Ashley watched as he looked around the small general store her parents had owned since she was a child. When his gaze turned her way, she smiled. The same welcoming smile she gave all their customers, friendly but not too inviting. She'd learned long ago that visitors were not people she wanted to date. They were here for a weekend or a week, out to have a little fun, then they went back to their lives and forgot about her. The man who’d just come in looked around for a few seconds longer then headed her way. Her heart leapt, and she looked away for a moment to get her nerves under control before she had to speak.

Is there an official address to have packages delivered around here? His voice was soft and deep. It rumbled through her body in ways she'd never experienced.

Delivery is a little iffy to campgrounds and cabins, but you're welcome to give the address here. We have mail boxes, she pointed to the far corner where there was a mobile bank of mailboxes and another of package lockers, We'll keep it secure until you have a chance to come pick it up.

The newcomer looked over to where she'd motioned, his attention focused there for a moment before looking back at her. Would you call me when something arrives?

Ashley smiled. Have you been to your cabin yet? she knew there were no phones in the rental cabins surrounding the lake.

Not yet. I'm trying to get a lay of the land on my way in.

I assume you've got one of the rentals?

No. A friend of mine loaned me the use of his family’s cabin for the summer.

Oh, you might actually have a phone then. Service is all right most of the time but iffy in the wind and rain, so I wouldn't count on it. Cell service is only a little better.

And the best place to get food, gear, and bait?

We've got a limited supply of most of those and some other odds and ends. If you have something specific you want, we can order it for you, or you can go into town.

What is the closest town?

Ashley cringed a little. You probably came from Phoenix, right?

Yeah, he frowned, why?

Because that's the best option for shopping. There’s Brighton on the far side of the lake, it’s not much better than here, but they have a couple of shops and a few rental places. It’s also one town closer, at least by miles, but a good chunk of the road is dirt, and it takes almost twice as long to reach it.

The man rubbed one hand across his forehead as he thought a moment. All right. I'll be back, I'm sure. I'm going to find my cabin and get the lay of the land. Once I know where everything stands, I'll be back for one of those boxes and more supplies.

Sounds great. If I'm not here, it should by my sister or my mom, but they can help you with whatever you need.

That's great. Can I get your name?

I'm Ashley.

Hi Ashley, I'm Jared. I'll be around a while. I'm sure we'll see each other again.

I'm sure we will, I'll be here all summer.

Great, me too. He turned for the door but stopped before leaving to look back and smile before letting himself out.

Ashley watched until he disappeared then took a deep breath. Well, that was a nice change, she thought. Mostly they got families with complaining teenagers, couples on romantic weekends, groups of men out to hunt or fish and kick back some, or college kids wanting to play on the water. Single men—she admitted she’d checked his ring finger, and there was no ring or tan line, though there were a lot of men who didn’t wear them—weren’t their usual renters.

Ashley shrugged and pushed him out of her mind. Steph would be here soon, and she would never hear the end of it if her sister caught her mooning over a townie. It took effort to keep from following Jared out and asking about his relationship status. That would only embarrass her and possibly her family. She checked her watch again and realized it hadn't been more than three minutes since she'd last checked. She needed to find something to do. Or at least something to occupy her mind. Poking through the shelves under the counter revealed a mystery novel. Normally Ashley preferred thrillers or horror novels, but in a pinch, this would do. She'd just settled back on her stool with the book when Steph finally came in, taking her time as if no one was waiting for her and she wasn't thirty minutes late. Ashley bit her tongue and resisted the urge to yell, but she was annoyed. This wasn't the first time Stephanie was late, and Ashley knew it wouldn't be the last.

Chapter 2

Jared eased his battered, aging truck over the rough road. Road was being generous. The narrow track was barely more than a trail. He wondered if he should have it graded then realized if he left it the way it was, it would help discourage visitors he didn't want to bother with. At the thought of visitors, Ashley popped into his mind. Something about her was hard to forget. Sure, she was pretty, but he'd known prettier. Jared pushed her out of his mind again as the cabin he'd been loaned for the summer came into sight.

He parked and slid out of the driver's seat and stretched a moment. The road from the small store hadn't taken more than fifteen minutes, but the drive up from Phoenix had been more than two hours, and he was still a bit stiff. The cabin was better looking than he expected, given the condition of the road.

Grabbing his ruck sack from the rear seat, Jared looped it over one shoulder and went to see what the inside looked like. He dug the key his buddy, Brandt, had given him a few days before and unlocked the door.

Inside, he was surprised to