Read No Better Man for Free Online Page B

Will that work?”
    Bryce’s arms dropped to his sides. “I think it’s clean.”
    How encouraging. “Where is it?”
    His forehead wrinkled like he wondered how they’d gotten to this point. “Out the door, down the steps, take a left,” he said slowly, like he had to think about it. “But—”
    “Got it.” She gathered her bag and bolted for the door before he could get to the “but.”
    “I’ll come and find you after I freshen up. We can continue our discussion then.”
    “I already told you. I’m not—”
    “See you soon.” Without looking back, she jogged down the steps and made her exit, the suitcase bumping an encore behind her.

Chapter Four
    B ryce jabbed the hammer into the crack and ripped out another floorboard. Jab. Rip. Screech. The work was loud, messy, painstaking, but nothing compared to listening to Avery King talk. The sight of her kneeling next to Moose had given him a good jolt, and it wasn’t because he’d been surprised to see someone. No, it was something about the way her curly blond hair fell down around her shoulders, something about her silky, flushed skin. Then there was her body, slender but athletic. When she’d looked at him, her topaz eyes glimmered with humor and life.
    She had some spark that’d lit his fuse…
    Then she’d opened her mouth. Avery King. Just his luck. He finally sees a woman who intrigues him and she happens to be the ranch’s biggest threat.
    He tossed down the hammer and shoved the old rotted floorboards into a pile. Couldn’t tell if the heat crawled off his skin because of the manual labor or the fact that, right now, that woman was unpacking her things in Room 5. Staying there for four nights. If he didn’t need the money so bad…
    A car engine hummed outside. Monster wheels grinded gravel and skidded to a stop.
    Bryce pushed off his knees and wiped sweat from his eyes. Had to be Mom. Hopefully she’d gotten his message. Without her help the next few days, he’d be in big trouble.
    Sure enough, petite footsteps scurried across the porch, barely louder than a squirrel’s.
    The door swung open.
    “Bryce! I came as soon as I heard.” Mom rushed in, her Birkenstocks clacking the barren floor. “Is it true? We have a guest? How wonderful!”
    Wonderful? “Not really.” What could possibly be wonderful about the King family eyeing his land? The land his grandparents had invested their entire lives in? The land he’d grown up on?
    “Well…” Her outstretched hands demanded an answer. “Don’t keep me in suspense! Who is it?”
    “Avery King.” The name tasted bad in his mouth. “That guy’s daughter. The one who owns half of Chicago.” And New York. And L.A., according to Google.
    “Avery…gracious!” She gasped. “You mean the Avery King? The heiress?”
    “That’d be her.” Unfortunately for him.
    “How exciting! Well?” Mom shook his shoulder like a five-year-old begging for a thick slice of chocolate cake. “What’s she like?”
    Where to start? “She’s…annoying, relentless, irrational, stuck up.” At least that’s what he’d keep telling himself. Because the thought of her spending every night in the lodge had his imagination wandering places it hadn’t for a long time.
    He kneeled back to the floor and swiped the hammer off a chair, pried out another floorboard.
    A wave of Mom’s hand dismissed him. “Oh really, Bryce. She can’t be that bad.” She knelt to his eye level. “What does she look like? Is she pretty?”
    Warmth swelled through him. No. She wasn’t pretty. She was perplexing. Stunning and strong and obviously determined to get what she wanted. He’d never met any woman quite like Avery King.
    Mom stared at him, waiting.
    He shrugged. Hopefully she couldn’t see him sweat. “She’s average.” After what she’d pulled earlier, he wasn’t about to pay her a compliment.
    Studying him carefully, his mother stood and clasped her hands. “We should invite her to dinner. Don’t you