Carver Ridge Bachelors: Andrew

By Rita Sawyer

Andrew liked living in the quiet small town of Carver Ridge. His peaceful life is thrown upside down the day Angie rolls into town. He shouldn’t want her, but he does. She thinks he’s an overprotective Neanderthal. When it comes to her maybe he is. They can’t seem to stop pushing each other’s buttons. Then she posts a review on a travel site inviting all the single women of the world to visit town. One of the perks worth seeing that she lists is all the hot single men. Now his little town is being swarmed by women looking for a man and Angie says it’s his fault.

Angie knew she was impulsive. While taking a picture for a review of the Brazen sister’s lodge Andrew walked into the shot. She decided not to let the picture go to waste, and used it as a selling point of the town. It wasn’t her fault Andrew had a nice ass, now was it? Andrew is not pleased, but it doesn’t stop him from kissing her whenever he gets the chance.

Can they get past their animosity and admit that they want each other?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rita Sawyer
• Release date: Oct 12, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005023904

Rita Sawyer

Rita Sawyer writes contemporary romances. Her stories vary in heat level from sweet to sizzling, but hopefully they all have a hint of humor. She grew up in Massachusetts and lives there now with her husband and kids. More about Rita and her books can be found at www.RitaSawyer.com. Readers can contact her at [e-mail].

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Carver Ridge Bachelors:

Andrew

By

RITA SAWYER

Carver Ridge Bachelors: Andrew

Copyright © Rita Sawyer, 2020

Edited by Rebecca Sawyer

Cover Design by Rebecca Sawyer 2020

Image by www.123rf.com/profile_kiuikson

Electronic Publication Date: August 2020

Print Publication Date: July 2020

ISBN-

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be used or reproduced without permission, except for use in reviews. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the internet or via any other measures without permission is illegal and punishable by law.

Please purchase only authorized editions and do not participate in electronic piracy. Your support in the author’s rights is appreciated.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, places, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Author’s Note

This is the second of the Carver Ridge Bachelors books with many more to come. I hope readers are enjoying visits from the Brazen sisters in these books.

Table of Contents

Prologue

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

Epilogue

Prologue

Fuck! Andrew Mitchell swerved out of the way of a blonde driving a candy apple red sports car as she sped out of the parking lot between the coffee shop and grocery store.

Andrew pulled into the crowded lot. He looked around for an open slot and groaned. It took a minute for him to spot his cousin’s truck. Luckily the car beside it was backing out. Andrew waited, albeit a little impatiently, for the woman in the little blue coupe to vacate the spot. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel silently urging her to hurry up. She gave him a little finger wave as she finally drove past him.

After a polite nod, he swept his SUV into the spot before someone else could. Andrew shut the car off and grabbed his messenger bag off the passenger seat. As he got out of the car he glanced at his watch. He hated being late. Due to the amount of traffic in town today he was running about five minutes behind schedule. That meant his cousin had probably been waiting for over ten minutes since the bastard was always five minutes early.

As he approached the door to the café it swung open making him lurch back. Andrew stuck his arm out and grabbed the door holding it wide as a group of young women drifted out. They all looked up at him with big smiles as they walked past him. The last one moved a little slower than the rest and winked at him on her way by. Andrew wanted to shake his head at her brazenness.

He walked in and scanned the crowded room in search of his cousin. Mick usually found a way to blend in with a crowd. It wasn’t easy since he stood at six foot five inches and weighed in at two hundred and thirty pounds. Today he stuck out like a sore thumb. Standing in line surrounded mostly by women at least a foot shorter than him, his cousin looked out of place. While the women around him were trying to catch his eye Mick kept his gaze locked on the chalkboard menu hanging behind the counter.

Andrew laughed because he knew that like himself Mick knew that menu by heart. Sure they had added a few things since business had picked up, but it didn’t matter. Mick always got the same thing when they came here. His cousin was a creature of nature. Andrew glanced around again and spotted a couple standing up from a table.

He dashed over and took a seat claiming it for him and Mick. It didn’t take long before Mick joined him.

You know this whole mess is partly your fault, Mick said as he dropped into the chair across from him.

Andrew lifted his head and glared at him. There was no reason to ask what he meant. And Andrew wasn’t going to dispute it, since it was true, though he had no idea exactly how he’d set things into motion. Asking his cousin wouldn’t give him the answer either, so he said nothing. Andrew looked down at the cup of coffee his cousin had slid in front of him.

He brought his gaze back to Mick’s and quipped, I hope whatever you want to talk about doesn’t require any privacy.

It should, but if we were alone I couldn’t promise not to try and knock some sense into you.

Andrew raised his brows at that because Mick didn’t issue idle threats. If he was thinking about hitting him than he probably would. Sadly being in a public place didn’t guarantee that Mick wouldn’t lose his temper.

We need to talk about Angie. Mick’s tone was low and emotionless, but his eyes blazed echoing his threat.

No, we don’t. Andrew had been avoiding her and everything to do with her.

Angelique Vitrolli was the reason that Carver Ridge had been invaded by a bunch of women. They were all here searching for a hot single hunk to claim as their own. Somehow he’d done or said something that made her think that telling the world that Carver Ridge was the place to come and enjoy all the beautiful natural views. He didn’t disagree with her there. But she’d gone and added that visitors could also get a look at some hot single guys while there. He didn’t know what he’d done to make her think that was a grand idea. Then he’d unknowingly goaded her into actually doing it.

At least that’s what she’d told her best friend Trish, who happened to be his Cousin Tim’s girlfriend. Trish had passed the information on to Tim who told Andrew and the rest of his cousins.

Tim wants Trish to marry him, which means her staying in Carver Ridge for good.

Andrew nodded at Mick’s comment. He didn’t need to tell him that since Tim had made it clear to everyone. As far as Andrew new Tim hadn’t popped the question yet, but it was only a matter of time. Andrew didn’t know what the hell he was waiting for. He knew he didn’t have that kind of patience.

Tim had fallen hard when he met Trish, but lousy circumstances had kept them apart for six months. Tim had been miserable without her. Now that she was back in his life Andrew hoped she’d stay. It would be awesome if she married the fool and gave him a dozen kids.

Of course with Angie being one of her best friends that meant she’d be around a lot. Trish was the reason Angie had come to town in the first place.

If Blake gets his way Kimmie will be staying too. The corner of Mick’s mouth tipped up as if he was fighting a smile.

Andrew didn’t bother to hide his grin. Kimmie was Trish’s other best friend, who had also come to town to help Angie protect Trish from getting her heart broken by Tim again. Turns out Trish had been suffering without Tim as well.

Their cousin Blake had taken one look at Kimmie and in that instant, he was smitten. During the three months that the ladies had been living in Carver Ridge, Blake had fallen over the edge and was in love with the woman.

Anyone who sees the way he looks at her could guess what he wants. Andrew took a sip of his coffee. What I don’t see is how either of those things makes it necessary for us to have a discussion that involves Angie.

Then I was right in guessing you haven’t heard the gossip. Mick paused and Andrew had to stop himself from demanding that he keeping going. Well, from what I understand, the Brazen sisters have decided that Angie needs to stay too. I’m guessing Bobbie is behind it. You know that little minx always has to have a say in things.

Angie living in town was different than her visiting now and then. He wasn’t sure how he’d deal with that. Andrew didn’t hide the fact that he wanted her. He knew without a doubt that she was attracted to him too. The issue they had was that they were like a match and gasoline. One spark and they’d go up in flames.

Any future for them would be a rocky one. And yes he knew his need to protect her was a big problem for her. It went against her independent nature and she made sure to shove his offer back in his face as often as possible.

I’m sure Trish and Kimmie would feel better with her here. That was the only thing that should matter, not his feelings.

So you’re okay with it? Mick pushed.

Hell no he wasn’t, but he kept that tidbit to himself. I don’t have any say in what she decides to do, or not to do.

Another little tidbit I overheard might change that. Mick was really good at overhearing things.

Normally he kept things to himself, so if he was sharing Andrew guessed he wasn’t going to like what Mick was going to say. Are you going to make me guess?

I should, but no. It seems like Bobbie has decided that the best way to get Angie to stay would be to find her a guy here so she’ll want to stick around. They’re planning on setting her up on a few dates with some of the single guys in town and hope she falls for one of them.

Andrew tried to swallow the sip of coffee he’d just taken instead of spewing it all over his cousin. He choked drawing the attention of the people seated around them.

The fuck! He finally managed to wheeze out.

You want to talk about Angie now? Mick was full-on smiling now and Andrew heard a woman behind him sigh.

He ignored her and said, Dude I don’t find this funny.

Neither do I. Mick shook his head, but his smile didn’t falter. So what are you going to do about it?

Hell if he knew, but he had to do something. Angie wouldn’t like it one little bit and she’d let him know it. Andrew would gladly deal with her ire if it stopped her from being trotted out like a prized mare. Angie should be his, even if he wasn’t ready to push her into admitting it. They needed to talk before her friends moved forward with this crazy plan.

Well, if you want my opinion which I’m guessing you don’t, you better get your head out of your ass and do something quick.

Why?

Because if I see another guy make a move on her I’ll have to stake a claim myself. Andrew locked his gaze on Mick’s more determined one. I’m telling you right now that if I do that I’m keeping her forever. So smarten up or you’re gonna lose your girl and have to see her happy with someone else every day.

With that bomb dropped Mick got to his feet and walked away. Andrew knew he didn’t have any time to waste. He couldn’t skip the meetings he had this morning, but he could get through them as fast as possible and then go see Angie. And maybe Bobbie too and ask her to keep her nose out of Angie’s private life.

Andrew figured he would have better luck talking to Bobbie’s husband Jake and asking him to distract her. That might give Andrew some time to work something out with Angie. He picked up his coffee and bag not paying attention to the curious looks he was getting from the other patrons. Andrew strode out of the building into the sunlight that did nothing to brighten his day.

Chapter One

Andrew was still fuming three hours later as he pulled into a parking spot at the lodge. After leaving his meeting with Mick his morning had gotten worse. He knew it was due to his internal turmoil over the situation with Angie. He tried over and over to push it out of his mind. He reminded himself that he needed to focus on what was happening with his clients.

Still, he would find himself from thinking about her and snapping at people. It didn’t help that neither of the clients he met with had been prepared for their appointments. Normally he wouldn’t have let that get to him, but today the clients had been able to tell he was irritated. He’d been a little testy, which only served to put the client and himself more on edge.

Instead of being able to go home and work-out until he was calmer, here he was at the lodge. Up until he met with Mick earlier he’d been looking forward to having lunch with Victor. They planned on going over some of the ideas they had for the town’s library expansion. The funding for the build was going to be raised partly by a fundraiser. There would also be a grant provided by the Mitchell’s charitable foundation, though only Andrew and his cousins would know that. Victor and his brother Trent would do what they could to keep the cost down while making sure no corners got cut.

When he’d agreed to come to the lodge Andrew had known there would be a chance that he’d see Angie. At the time he had been hoping that he would run into her. Now he was wishing he’d suggested they meet somewhere else. If he saw her when he was in this type of mood he knew it would only lead to some kind of face-off.

He took a deep breath as he