Snow Bound: Small Town Secrets, #3

By Dani Wade

Miss Priss's house.

 

The last thing Damon West wants is a trip to his bookish neighbor's house in the midst of the worst snowstorm Cadence, TN, has seen in a decade. Still, his military instincts warn him that Miss Priss could use a little help. His arrival is met with an attack by an unknown assailant and the sight of his neighbor in a sexy wisp of nothing-much, confidently wielding a double-barreled shotgun.

 

Tori Anderson carefully portrays herself as a responsible bookstore owner and capable young woman to anyone willing to look twice. But two men grappling in her backyard called for speed more than decorum. That's how the guy she's been secretly lusting after since he'd bought the house next door sees her in a silky robe and panties—with nothing in between. Damon's sudden interest thrills her, but she can't help worrying about the unknown threat scared off by her shotgun blast.

 

Trapped in her house, snow blocking the roads and no way to reach the outside world, Tori finally has the chance to indulge her wildest fantasies. But she isn't sure which is more daunting—the abusive ex-boyfriend back to punish her for helping convict him of murder or her desire to have more than one night with the town's most unavailable bachelor.

 

Other books in the Small Town Secrets series (can be read in any order):

 

BENEATH THE SURFACE

BEHIND THE SCARS

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dani Wade
• Release date: Jan 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201146054

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

SNOW BOUND

A Small Town Secrets Novella

BY DANI WADE

Copyright

Copyright 2012 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.

Editing by Lea Schafer

Cover by Bethany Cagle

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated with my abundant love and appreciation to my twin sister. Your encouragement and belief in me has made all the difference in my life’s journey. I couldn’t have done this without you.

Also Available from Dani Wade

Backstage Pass Series

Finding Her Rhythm

Settling the Score

Striking a Chord

Goin’ Out Solo

Secrets of Covington Corner

Shadow Manor

Haunted Heritage

Dark Destiny

Holiday Storm

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

Additional Titles

Reining in the Billionaire

Unbridled Billionaire

His By Design

For more information, join Dani’s

newsletter list.

About the Book

The last thing Damon West wants is a trip to his bookish neighbor’s house in the midst of the worst snowstorm Cadence, TN, has seen in a decade. Still, his military instincts warn him that Miss Priss could use a little help. His arrival is met with an attack by an unknown assailant and the sight of Miss Priss in a sexy wisp of nothing-much, confidently wielding a double-barreled shotgun.

Tori Anderson carefully portrays herself as a responsible bookstore owner and capable young woman to anyone willing to look twice. But two men grappling in her backyard called for speed more than decorum. That’s how the guy she’d been secretly lusting after since he’d bought the house next door sees her in a silky robe and panties—with nothing in between. Damon’s sudden interest thrills her, but she can’t help worrying about the unknown threat scared off by her shotgun blast.

Trapped in her house, snow blocking the roads and no way to reach the outside world, Tori finally has the chance to indulge her wildest fantasies. But she isn’t sure which is more daunting—the abusive boyfriend back to punish her for helping convict him of murder or her desire to have more than one night with the town’s most unavailable bachelor.

Chapter One

With a sudden snap, the room went dark.

The transition from softly lit home office to the pitch-black that can only occur living in the back of beyond took a little adjustment for Damon, but before his eyes cleared of squiggles and colored lights, he had his oversized flashlight palmed and on. Like his eyes, he let the rest of his body adjust to the new circumstances, which he’d been anticipating since heavy snow started coming down a couple of hours ago.

Now instead of the croon of Toby Keith, he was left with utter stillness and the sound of the wind rushing against the eaves outside. The kick of his heartbeat after the surprise had automatically slowed, just as he’d done all the years he’d served his country in combat situations that required steady hands and complete focus.

Though a strong snowstorm in the middle of February might not be a big deal for most parts of the country, the southern Tennessee valley was looking at complete and total shutdown for the next few days if they received the five inches the weatherman had been predicting since the day before. People here simply weren’t equipped or experienced with this kind of weather, which led to scary driving scenarios and a mad rush on the local Piggly Wiggly. Luckily Damon had managed to grab enough beer and chips to get him through, despite the little white-haired lady that had stared him down over the last bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos. Like a true Texas gentleman, he’d conceded and settled for Cool Ranch instead.

With a chuckle over the memory, he flicked on the flashlight and made his way across the landing to his bedroom. No more work tonight. Though he had a small generator for emergencies, he didn’t want to waste any more gas than he had to since there was no telling how long it would take the county to restore power this far from town. At the best of times it could be a day. If half the town was snowed bound until roads could be cleared, well, a week was the least he could hope for.

He pulled out some heavier socks and a pair of loose sweatpants to add to his current cotton pajama pants and long-sleeved T-shirt. No sense freezing. He already had the kerosene heater filled and waiting in the corner. This room was ideal to close up and heat for the night. Too bad he didn’t have something more feminine to keep him warm instead. A twinge of regret surfaced. He could have swung by Rebel’s, the local honky-tonk, and found a willing armful to pass the time with, but he’d opted for winter-weather preparations instead.

Damn shame.

His eyes beginning to adjust, he switched off the flashlight and laid it on the bed so he could dress. Yep, he was all set, if not working or watching television didn’t bore him out of his skull before too long. Good thing he had the latest thriller on his bedside, not to mention that software programming manual he needed to study for his computer repair and security business.

With a lazy stride to the window, he flicked the blinds apart just a touch and stared at the white sheeting outside. The snow came down in large, glob-like clusters, racing to the ground as if weighted. He stared for long moments, absently rubbing his palm in a circle on his chest, trying to reconcile the sight with the fluffy, featherlight snowflakes he’d seen over the years. Yep, this was gonna be a doozy.

Squinting in an attempt to see clearer through the darkness and little white bombs, he studied the distance between his yard and his neighbor’s place. Unsure at first, his brain finally registered the sweep of light in the backyard, near the tree line of the woods that covered most of the property surrounding them. A flashlight beam probably, since the illumination was low to the ground, obviously portable, and concentrated in a straight line. Not a particularly powerful one, like his Maglite.

Now what was Miss Priss up to?

The light was pretty far away from the farmhouse she lived in—by herself, the last he’d heard. Had she forgotten to store wood on the back porch for the fireplace? Hell. Looked like he’d be making a trip over there in this god-awful weather. As much as he’d like her to learn a lesson by having to deal with it herself, his mama would be sorely pissed if she were still alive.

Thoughts of his mother and Miss