Naughty & Nice in Nashville

By Kali Hart

Ellie

I have three days to make it home to Nashville for Christmas Eve.
But when a snowstorm grounds all flights out of Rapid City, travel gets tricky.
The rental counter is down to one massive truck I can't afford.
To make matters worse, a drop-dead gorgeous man behind me in line witnesses my credit card getting declined.
Right before I officially die from mortification, he offers me a ride.
If there wasn't a Christmas Eve wedding to attend and serious repercussions should I miss it, I'd say no.
The man could be an axe murderer, even if he promises he's not.
Despite all the reasons not to trust a complete stranger, I can't help but say yes.
It might just be the worst decision I ever made.
Or the best.

Flynn

I'm drawn to Ellie Flemming the moment I meet her gaze at the rental counter line.
It has to be fate that she's traveling to Nashville, too.
It's why I offer her a ride.
I'm shocked that she doesn't recognize me, but I'm not about to complain.
It's nice having someone treat me as a regular person instead of the celebrity country singer I've become.
What is supposed to be a straightforward trip is met with delay after delay.
One of which puts us in the same bed.
I don't regret what happens that next morning, even if it was accidental.
Ellie doesn't either.
We go from strangers to lovers in a heartbeat.
I can't imagine dropping her off in Nashville and never seeing her again.
I'll figure out a way to keep her in my life, even if she hates country music.
Even if she hates me when she learns the truth about who I am.
She's the one I was always meant to find, and I'll do whatever it takes to prove it to her.

This is a sweet and steamy short instalove romance with an older hero and younger curvy woman. NO cliffhangers. NO cheating. Guaranteed HEA.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jackie M. Wallick
• Release date: Dec 2, 2021
• ISBN: 9798223988434

Book preview

1

ELLIE

Are you sure that’s the only rental you have left? It’s a struggle to keep my voice calm, because inside I’m freaking out. All the flights out of Rapid City have been canceled due to an imminent snowstorm, and a rental car is my last hope to make it home for Christmas since I can’t possibly walk all the way to Nashville in three days.

The Silverado’s the last vehicle we have available, the woman behind the counter confirms.

If I could fit the charges for the rental and gas on my credit card, I’d do it. But renting a massive truck is considerably more expensive than the economy class car I found online. I’ll have to try somewhere else, I say, reaching for my suitcase.

This is the last rental in Rapid City. I can tell she’s exhausted, but at least she has the common courtesy to extend a little pity. Every other company is completely out.

I feel my heart sink into my toes, knowing for certain my cousin Amy will never let me down missing her Christmas Eve wedding. Nothing you can do about that price?

Sorry, I’ve already offered the lowest rate I’m authorized.

Panic causes my heart rate to double. Best case scenario, I might be able to catch an airport shuttle to a cheap hotel for the night and hope that flights will resume in a day or two. But that’s not guaranteed. Rapid City’s not exactly known for its massive airport. I cringe at the thought of calling my family and telling them I’m going to miss Christmas this year.

I fish my credit card out of my purse and hand it over. Okay, I’ll take the truck. At best, there’s a ten percent chance the card won’t get declined. I have to at least try, for my mom’s sake. Her older sister will lay on the guilt trip nice and thick if money is the reason I can’t make it back for the wedding.

Did you want to prepay the gas?

Nope. Just the rental fee. That’s it. Nervously, I glance around me. The line has certainly shortened since I first stepped into it. But there are still three hopefuls behind me that must be banking on my card being declined.

One is…wow, he’s hot!

Ma’am?

I don’t know if it’s the two-day scruff on his face, his dark eyes, or that crooked smile that gets me the most. Could be those jeans or the way his coat hangs open in that devil-may-care fashion. The combination is incredibly distracting. I’m lucky that he’s too focused on his phone to notice me staring.

Ma’am, hello? The woman’s stern tone implies she’s tried to get my attention more than once.

Mr. Hot Stuff looks up, catching my eye for a fraction of a second. It’s enough to know I’ve been caught ogling him. With heated cheeks, I turn my back to him and focus on the woman behind the rental counter. Yes?

She hands me my card. Do you have a different card you’d like me to try?

Though I expected this to happen, I’m extra mortified because I can feel the delicious man in line behind me watching this all go down. No, just that one. Tears prick the corners of my eyes as I realize I’m going to miss Christmas with my family. For the first time since moving to South Dakota, I’m actually mad at myself for picking somewhere so damn remote.