Holiday Storm: Secrets of Covington Corner, #4

By Dani Wade

As her boss, he'd made her life miserable for years. Now she's snowed in with him for the holidays…with access to the secrets he's been hiding from her.

Piper Waverly's boss demands she collect a contract from his house during a snowstorm on Christmas Eve…that is his frustrating M.O., even if he is a sexy former rock star. What she didn't expect was to spend Christmas at his isolated mountain retreat—just the two of them.

But seclusion with the thorn-in-her-side has some surprising benefits. Her arch nemesis shows a surprisingly sensual side that draws her. She is also able to pry into the side of his life he's hidden from her for so long. Tantalizing…until his secrets hit too close to home.

Does the hidden room in his house hold the key to her family tragedy? Has he always been closer than she thought? Will her newfound love withstand the coming storm?

 

Read all the Secrets of Covington Corner novellas:

Shadow Manor

Haunted Heritage

Dark Destiny

Holiday Storm

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dani Wade
• Release date: Dec 20, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393455547

Dani Wade

Author Dani Wade started her writing journey in a childhood spent in the rural south where her favorite form of entertainment was imagining herself in the roles of romantic heroines. She now juggles her writing obsession with a patient hubby, two lively kids, and a day job. Life is crazy, but she attempts to navigate the potholes with her trusty To Do List and half a brain. Her contemporary category books are published through Harlequin Desire, and her Independently published sexy romantic suspense can be found at various online retailers. Dani Wade loves to hear from her readers! She can be contacted via e-mail ([e-mail]) or through her website. She also enjoys blogging weekly on her Dani Wade blog. A sign up for her occasional author newsletter can be found on her website. She is active on Facebook and loves for readers to friend both her author page for official news, and her profile page just to chat. She’s also on Twitter as @daniwade1.

Book preview

HOLIDAY STORM

SECRETS OF COVINGTON CORNER

DANI WADE

Blurb

As her boss, he’d made her life miserable for years. Now she’s snowed in with him for the holidays…with access to the secrets he’s been hiding from her.

Piper Waverly’s boss demands she collect a contract from his house during a snowstorm on Christmas Eve…that is his frustrating M.O., even if he is a sexy former rock star. What she didn’t expect was to spend Christmas at his isolated mountain retreat—just the two of them.

But seclusion with the thorn-in-her-side has some surprising benefits. Her arch nemesis shows a surprisingly sensual side that draws her. She is also able to pry into the side of his life he’s hidden from her for so long. Tantalizing…until his secrets hit too close to home.

Does the hidden room in his house hold the key to her family tragedy? Has he always been closer than she thought? Will her newfound love withstand the coming storm?

Praise for Secrets of Covington Corner series

I quite enjoyed this introduction to the new series. It has all the angst and atmosphere of a dark Gothic romance with the charm of the modern south locale.

~Goodreads reviewer

The first book in the Secrets of Covington Corner series a well written story that kept me turning pages.

~Goodreads reviewer

Also Available from Dani Wade

Backstage Pass Series

Finding Her Rhythm

Settling the Score

Striking a Chord

Goin’ Out Solo

Small Town Secrets Series

Beneath the Surface

Behind the Scars

Snow Bound

Louisiana Legacies Series

Entangled with the Heiress

Reclaiming His Legacy

Savannah Sisters Series

A Family for the Billionaire

Taming the Billionaire

Son of Scandal

Mill Town Millionaires Series

A Bride’s Tangled Vows

The Blackstone Heir

The Renegade Returns

Expecting His Secret Heir

Other

Reining in the Billionaire

Unbridled Billionaire

His By Design

For more information, join Dani’s

newsletter list.

Copyright

Copyright 2020 Katherine Worsham

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Cover Art Design by Bethany Cagle

Chapter One

Piper Waverly squinted at the windshield of her car, struggling to see through the thickening snowfall between swipes of the wipers. She cursed Blade Ryder under her breath, even though there wasn’t anyone else in the car to hear her.

Only that asshole would demand she drive out to his isolated mountain house two days before Christmas in a blinding snowstorm to pick up signed paperwork. It was the electronic age, after all. Why the hell couldn’t this guy just scan it...or even drop it in the mail, for that matter?

She’d hoped to beat the snow but had terribly misjudged her timing. The Christmas party at the orphanage had taken longer than she’d expected. Normally it was the highlight of her holidays. For some reason, tonight it had called forth memories of her parents and having that same party with them many years ago. She hadn’t been willing to cut that special time short to cater to a demanding creative.

One who’d been a pain in her backside from the moment she’d taken the job as a record exec flunky.

She prided herself on her personal touch in dealing with the artists for the recording company that had once been her dad’s, but Blade pushed her willingness to the limit on a regular basis. The male equivalent of a diva, for sure.

This time, she only hoped his demands didn’t end with her dead in a ditch. Piper winced. She was a very careful driver. After losing her parents at the age of seventeen to a car accident, she’d taken driving lessons. It had schooled her into a defensive driver instead of a reckless teenager who demanded her way on the freeway.

Right now the ache in her fingers told her this weather was pushing her comfort zone. Not to mention the heavy thud of her pulse in the base of her throat. If she could just make it back off the mountain before the roads became impassable… In and out. That was the goal for today’s visit.

She should be at home packing for her trip. Unwilling to be alone for the first time at Christmas, Piper had booked a solo trip to New Orleans to distract herself from the fact that her friends would all be having Christmas with a significant other this year. While she was happy for them, that didn’t stop the sadness she was determined to banish with multiple hurricanes, jambalaya, and hopefully someone with whom she could dance the night away.

She shivered despite the heat in the car blasting on high. Yes, lots and lots of alcohol.

Piper spotted the driveway at the last minute, skidding a little as she turned too fast for the slick road. She’d been up here dozens of times, but never in weather like this. She released the breath she was holding in a long, steady stream. Luckily the gate was already open.

She inched through, praying her small SUV could handle the icy grade. Cursing Blade the whole way, she inched up the drive, relief loosening her shoulders as the black top curved around in front of the house. For once, the unusual black color of the walls was a blessing. Normally the imposing façade made her uneasy, but now she could easily see the porch despite the thick flurries.

Swinging her car door open, she winced at the rush of frigid air against her exposed thighs. Leaving the heated interior of the car made her regret not taking the time to change from her skirt and tights after the party, but she’d already been late and hadn’t wanted to delay leaving.

A new noise broke through the rush of wind through the surrounding trees. A dog barking. Shit. Blade had a rescue black lab that hadn’t liked her from the moment she’d met her. Granted, Piper had never had a dog and didn’t understand much about them, but the ruckus Daisy made every time she came around only made Piper's anxiety worse with the animal.

From the volume, she’d guess Daisy was heading her way, fast. Piper quickly slammed the car door and blessed her choice of combat boots as she blinked the snow off her eyelashes.

Where was Daisy Demon?

Suddenly the dark animal jumped out of the swirling whiteness right in front of her. Startled, Piper jerked back.

The slick ground and impact of the flying dog took her down. Piper’s cry was whipped away with the wind. Immediately the burning sting of wet ice shocked her backside and thighs, alerting her to the fact that she was sitting in snow with her skirt flipped up. Damn it!

Daisy stood nearby, barking.

Shut up! You’ve done enough already.

Before Piper could scream any more in her frustration, a tall, dark shape appeared out of the storm. She shrank back for a moment, the impulse to protect herself strong. Then she realized it was Blade.

Come on, he yelled over the wind, reaching for her hand to haul her to her feet.

Piper found herself slipping and sliding, but