Chapter One
Rikki hefted a box out of the rental trailer she’d packed with all her belongings. She’d just moved to Lemmon, South Dakota, and now had the painful task of unloading her stuff into her one-bedroom walkup apartment. It was above a hardware store located on the main street of the small town with a population of just over a thousand.
She walked to the street-level entrance, then climbed the set of stairs to her new place for what seemed like the hundredth time. Her legs burned. It sucked having to move all on her own. Rikki was just thankful the apartment had come furnished. It would have been impossible for her to lug a mattress or couch upstairs all by herself. And it wasn’t as if she knew anyone in Lemmon to ask for help.
She still had too much stuff, though. Rikki was an avid reader, and had accumulated an extensive collection of paperbacks before she’d made the switch to ebooks. She couldn’t bring herself to part with any of them. Now, after lugging the fifth box of them out of the trailer, she regretted that she couldn’t let them go.
After setting the box on the floor with the others in her living room, Rikki straightened and stretched her back. It was too bad she didn’t have a big, strong boyfriend to carry the heavy items. Sadly, she’d been single for a while.
Rikki headed back outside to the trailer. After assessing the amount of boxes that were left, she figured she still had at least another five or six trips to make until she was finished. She took a deep breath. The end was in sight.
Before she stepped inside the trailer, she glanced across the street. Her gaze landed on a man who stood facing in her direction, seeming to stare at her. Even though he wasn’t that close, from the distance between them, she couldn’t help noticing he was good looking. Like really good looking. Make her sex-starved body stand up and notice, even though the move had almost drained all the energy out of it.
He looked tall, well over six foot. At least he did from the opposite sidewalk in front of a coffee shop. He had short, blond hair and a muscular body that was hidden in a pair of black jeans and a black t-shirt that hugged it to perfection. Oh, baby. Momma liked.
Rikki gave a wistful sigh before she forced herself to tear her gaze off the hunk and get back to work. The boxes weren’t going to move themselves up to her apartment, much to her disappointment. Since Lemmon was small, maybe after she was settled in, she’d run in to him and see if she could get to know him better.
She stepped up into the trailer and then walked to the back to retrieve the next box. Rikki had just bent to pick it up when she was startled upright by a deep-sounding voice that came from behind her. She turned around to find the hunk from across the street standing at the doors.
“Sorry. What did you say?” she asked.
He smiled, which had her almost drooling. “I asked if you’d like some help. I watched you make a couple trips so I know you’re alone. It’d go faster with the two of us.”
“Ah, sure. I guess.”
The trailer bounced as he stepped into it. He had to keep his head ducked. He was tall. There was no way he could stand straight. Now that he was closer, Rikki saw his eyes were green. A deep jade-green.
Once he reached her, he held out his hand. “Hi. I’m Torger. You’re obviously new in town.”
She shook with him, getting a small thrill from the skin-to-skin contact. “I’m Rikki. I am new. I arrived this morning.”
“It’s kind of cramped in here. I’ll grab these two boxes.”
Torger brushed past her, then reached for the boxes. She was about to tell him they were heavy since they held her dishware and pots and pans, but he lifted them as if they didn’t weigh a thing. Rikki quickly picked up a box closest to her, led him out of the trailer and then up to her apartment.
She set her box in the living room before she directed Torger to the kitchen to place his two there.
Rikki hefted a box out of the rental trailer she’d packed with all her belongings. She’d just moved to Lemmon, South Dakota, and now had the painful task of unloading her stuff into her one-bedroom walkup apartment. It was above a hardware store located on the main street of the small town with a population of just over a thousand.
She walked to the street-level entrance, then climbed the set of stairs to her new place for what seemed like the hundredth time. Her legs burned. It sucked having to move all on her own. Rikki was just thankful the apartment had come furnished. It would have been impossible for her to lug a mattress or couch upstairs all by herself. And it wasn’t as if she knew anyone in Lemmon to ask for help.
She still had too much stuff, though. Rikki was an avid reader, and had accumulated an extensive collection of paperbacks before she’d made the switch to ebooks. She couldn’t bring herself to part with any of them. Now, after lugging the fifth box of them out of the trailer, she regretted that she couldn’t let them go.
After setting the box on the floor with the others in her living room, Rikki straightened and stretched her back. It was too bad she didn’t have a big, strong boyfriend to carry the heavy items. Sadly, she’d been single for a while.
Rikki headed back outside to the trailer. After assessing the amount of boxes that were left, she figured she still had at least another five or six trips to make until she was finished. She took a deep breath. The end was in sight.
Before she stepped inside the trailer, she glanced across the street. Her gaze landed on a man who stood facing in her direction, seeming to stare at her. Even though he wasn’t that close, from the distance between them, she couldn’t help noticing he was good looking. Like really good looking. Make her sex-starved body stand up and notice, even though the move had almost drained all the energy out of it.
He looked tall, well over six foot. At least he did from the opposite sidewalk in front of a coffee shop. He had short, blond hair and a muscular body that was hidden in a pair of black jeans and a black t-shirt that hugged it to perfection. Oh, baby. Momma liked.
Rikki gave a wistful sigh before she forced herself to tear her gaze off the hunk and get back to work. The boxes weren’t going to move themselves up to her apartment, much to her disappointment. Since Lemmon was small, maybe after she was settled in, she’d run in to him and see if she could get to know him better.
She stepped up into the trailer and then walked to the back to retrieve the next box. Rikki had just bent to pick it up when she was startled upright by a deep-sounding voice that came from behind her. She turned around to find the hunk from across the street standing at the doors.
“Sorry. What did you say?” she asked.
He smiled, which had her almost drooling. “I asked if you’d like some help. I watched you make a couple trips so I know you’re alone. It’d go faster with the two of us.”
“Ah, sure. I guess.”
The trailer bounced as he stepped into it. He had to keep his head ducked. He was tall. There was no way he could stand straight. Now that he was closer, Rikki saw his eyes were green. A deep jade-green.
Once he reached her, he held out his hand. “Hi. I’m Torger. You’re obviously new in town.”
She shook with him, getting a small thrill from the skin-to-skin contact. “I’m Rikki. I am new. I arrived this morning.”
“It’s kind of cramped in here. I’ll grab these two boxes.”
Torger brushed past her, then reached for the boxes. She was about to tell him they were heavy since they held her dishware and pots and pans, but he lifted them as if they didn’t weigh a thing. Rikki quickly picked up a box closest to her, led him out of the trailer and then up to her apartment.
She set her box in the living room before she directed Torger to the kitchen to place his two there.
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