Naughty and Nice, book 10
No room at the inn? What about in her heart?
After her husband’s death left her a tenant in her own home, Lucy Thorne’s future was bleak. Turning neighbor Dudley Rose’s long-abandoned home into a thriving tourist destination was not her idea, but it did temporarily solve one of her problems. Yet with every year that passes without seeing Dudley again, Lucy has stubbornly clung to the hope he’d return. If he did, he would discover that he was dearly longed for.
Widower Dudley Rose has returned home after ten long years, possessing a fortune but with no one to spend it on. However, in his absence, his property has become a popular travelers’ inn and run by the very woman who drove him to leave the sleepy village. What’s more astonishing is that the unforgettable Lucy Thorne is now a widow…and even more tempting than in his dreams. Does Dudley stand a chance to win her heart, or must his love continue unrequited?
Unforgettable is a standalone regency romance short story.
- Friends to Lovers
- Second Chances
- Reunion
Read an Excerpt
Opening an inn in her neighbor’s abandoned house had not been her idea. But it had become the most logical solution when carriage after carriage rolled into the village, with each coachman begging for any available beds for their passengers for the night. It was fate and ill weather that had destroyed a bridge downstream, diverting all carriage traffic to the high road and their quaint little village had thrived as a consequence. The disaster had made her village extremely popular with tourists and travelers alike, and her neighbors had all taken advantage in some way.
One conducted walking tours to the nearby mountains, another directed guests to views more suited to artists, several of the local women served tea and biscuits in the natural beauty of their pretty gardens, and an older gentleman who lived alone offered a room for late night gambling or drinking.
Lucy finished one room, wrote a guest’s name upon the slate nailed to the door, and moved on to the next chamber. She paused, her hand upon the latch.
Mr. Rose’s room. The best chamber in the entire house. The room she always hated stepping into for the emptiness of it.
“Mrs. Thorne! A word if you please,” Mr. Horton called out behind her.
Lucy turned quickly, though dreaded having to speak with her landlord. He’d started coming around the inn more of late, complaining of some situation or another that somehow always seemed to put her tenancy in peril.
She pasted a smile on her face. “Good evening, Mr. Horton.”
Horton was a few years her senior and yet acted like an old man in many ways. He disliked change, hated the noise of newly arrived carriages and visitors, and criticized everyone. The man approached her, his eyes glinting with anticipation, his hand stretched out. “Rent is due.”
Lucy had been expecting him for this but far earlier in the evening, and she had been ready all day. Horton only sought her out late in the evenings, frequently getting in her way. He’d also started lingering in the taproom in the afternoon, causing her to avoid that area of the inn, but since he paid for every tankard, she couldn’t complain or ask him to leave. He spoke often of the perils of travel with guests and despaired the loss of tranquility in these parts to anyone who would listen.
His fingers stretched out to her, rubbing against each other greedily. Lucy handed over the next quarter’s rent promptly. He insulted her by counting it in front of her and, seeing the payment lacked nothing, put the money away with a sour expression twisting his mouth. “I see you’re doing well,” he noted.
“The inn is,” she corrected him. Lucy made enough money from the inn to pay her rent to Horton, feed herself, and buy herself new clothes every other year. She was paid a reasonable amount for her efforts, but no more than anyone else who toiled under this roof for as many hours. Argyle and Drummond believed Lucy was mad to do so much for so little compensation. Yet the bulk of the income must be kept aside for rent to be paid to the owner of the house, if Mr. Rose ever showed his face in the village again.
Horton nodded. “Yes, yes. The inn has become quite the moneymaking scheme.”
“Mrs. Thorne!” Argyle called up the stairs urgently.
“Coming,” she called down and edged around Mr. Horton. “Excuse me. Duty calls.”
Horton did not give way, and she found herself uncomfortably blocked by his body. The powerful scent of ale on his breath alarmed her. She felt a touch on her hip and slapped his hand away impatiently. “That’s enough of that, sir. I have work to do.”
Horton snickered. “The inn only exists because of my benevolence and soon it will be mine.”
Her eyes lifted to his. “You’ve heard from Mr. Rose?”
“Perhaps I have.” He leaned close. “We could talk about it in private tonight.”
Lucy tried not to show her revulsion at the invitation from the man who’d once been her husband’s closest friend.
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Book Info
Publish Date: 10 October, 2023
Digital ISBN: 978-1-922733-35-1
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-922733-36-8
Genre: Regency Historical Romance
Related Books
Naughty and Nice Series
1. One Wicked Night
2. In the Widow’s Bed
3. Love Me Tender
4. Love Me True
5. Wicked Mourning
6. A Husband for Mary
7. A Ramshackle Start
8. Let it Snow
9. Coming Together
10. Unforgettable