Place Your Trust in Me, page 1
PLACE YOUR TRUST IN ME
SEASONED ROMANCE SERIES
BOOK THREE
ELIZABETH KELLY
EK PUBLISHING INC.
CONTENTS
Place Your Trust In Me
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Epilogue
The Elizabeth Kelly Newsletter
About the Author
Also by Elizabeth Kelly
Copyright © 2023 Elizabeth Kelly
Published by:
EK Publishing Inc.
e-ISBN: 978-1-77446-165-5
This book is the copyrighted property of the author and may not be reproduced, scanned or distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. Quotes used in reviews are the exception. No alteration of content is allowed.
Your support and respect for the property of this author are appreciated.
This book is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events, or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
Edited by:
L. Nunn Editing
Cover art by
EK Designs
PLACE YOUR TRUST IN ME
Judge Sierra Walters has one goal—to prove her ex-husband wrong.
After years of making her ex’s dreams her priority, Sierra is determined to focus on her needs for the first time. Which includes restoring the fixer-upper she’s living in, no matter how many DIY videos she must watch or how many weekends she has to give up.
Except drywalling is her downfall.
She’s forced to hire contractor Everett Caine to get the job done. She isn’t expecting Everett to be so funny or have a delightfully hard body she aches to explore… with her tongue.
Soured toward commitment, at fifty-two, Everett Caine is happy and single. Perfect for concentrating on his business.
He knows better than to get involved with a client. It’s messy. It’s complicated. And never ends well. Yet, it only takes one glance, and he suddenly can’t stop imagining Sierra draped across his bed. The woman pokes and prods every one of his buttons, whether it’s using her beautiful mouth to tell him off or to turn him on.
But as the intense attraction grows between them, will Sierra and Everett realize that achieving their dreams is easier done together? Or will they let past hurts and old wounds split them apart?
For a FREE Elizabeth Kelly short story, as well as excerpts of upcoming books and contests and giveaways, sign up for Elizabeth’s newsletter here
CHAPTER 1
Sierra would rather be stung in the ass by a thousand bees than talk to her ex-husband.
Unfortunately, despite the warm spring weather, no bees hovered around her driveway, ready to give her an excuse not to answer her phone. She sighed and slid behind the wheel of her car, ignoring her steadily buzzing phone as she started the vehicle.
Her phone stopped vibrating and then started again only thirty seconds later. The screen on her dashboard showed that Spawn of Satan was calling.
She backed out of the driveway and considered continuing to ignore Gary before hitting the answer button on the steering wheel. She’d been married to the man for years. She knew better than anyone how stubborn he could be.
“Hello, Gary.” She kept her voice pleasant and didn’t let any of her annoyance bleed through.
Gary didn’t return the favour nor bother with pleasantries. “We need to talk about the house.”
“Whose house?” She drove down her street, waving at her neighbour, Mrs. Dennison, who was planting annuals in her front flower bed.
Gary’s impatient sigh echoed in the car interior. “Your house.”
“Why?” she asked.
“Why?” He parroted like it was the stupidest question in the world. “Because that piece of shit fixer-upper is affecting our daughter’s future, Sierra.”
Since the divorce, Gary couldn’t say her name without sounding like he wanted to dip her in acid.
“What are you talking about, Gary?” It was getting harder and harder to keep her tone civil.
“I’m talking about the amount of money you’re sinking into that money pit,” Gary said. “Do you even have enough to cover Michaela’s university costs?”
“In case you’ve forgotten, we’re not married anymore. My money and what I do with it is none of your business,” Sierra said.
“Of course it is!” Gary snapped. “I don’t want our daughter quitting university because her mother can’t help share tuition costs like she promised.”
“I’m not reneging on my promise.” Sierra’s voice turned icy. “I am more than capable of paying my share of Michaela’s tuition.”
“I don’t see how,” Gary said. “Michaela told me how much money you’re spending on the house. I told you buying a fixer-upper was a mistake, but you wouldn’t listen because no one tells Sierra Lewis what to do, isn’t that right? Your stubbornness and refusal to let me give you a single helpful suggestion is ending Michaela’s education just like it ended our marriage.”
She didn’t rise to the bait. What was the point? He believed she was to blame for the end of their marriage, and nothing she said would ever change that. His absolute refusal to accept blame for their marital issues was nothing new.
“I’ve already paid my portion of Michaela’s tuition for this semester,” Sierra said as she merged onto the main highway in their small town. “You’re on my ass about nothing, Gary.”
“I’m on your ass?” Gary said. “Oh, that’s rich coming from the woman who rode my ass about my mistakes every goddamn day of our marriage.”
“I’m hanging up now, Gary,” she said.
“I know you hired a drywaller,” he said quickly. “Michaela told me.”
“So, what?” The change in topic made her head spin.
“You said you were doing the renovations yourself.”
She pulled into a parking space at Home Depot. “I am, but drywall isn’t something an average person can do.”
“You said you would do it all yourself. That’s what you said to me, Sierra. But I guess it’s just another promise you’ve broken, huh?”
“I’m going to say this one last time, Gary. How I live my life is none of your business.” Sierra was so angry she could hardly get the words out.
“I’m just trying to help, Sierra,” Gary said.
She pushed the end call button on her steering wheel and shut off the car. Her phone started to vibrate, and she shoved it deep into her purse and gripped the steering wheel.
“Ignore him, Sierra,” she told her reflection in the rearview mirror. “Don’t let him get under your skin.”
Easier said than done. Gary knew all the spots to poke and prod, and sometimes, she felt helpless against the assault. She couldn’t say what she really wanted to say to him, not if she didn’t want to strain her relationship with Michaela.
For all his faults, Gary was a fantastic dad, and he and Michaela had a close relationship. Sierra was happy about that, she really was, but it did mean biting her tongue a lot. She’d promised Michaela they would always be a family and kept that promise since the divorce. No matter how hard Gary made it.
And Jesus, sometimes he made it so fucking hard.
Sierra had hoped that when Gary remarried a few years ago, it might ease his bitterness toward her over leaving him. It was clear how much Gary loved Roxanne and how much she loved him, but even with his new wife, he wouldn’t let go of his anger toward Sierra for ending their marriage.
She took a deep breath, grabbed her purse, and climbed out of the car. She didn’t want Gary’s words to upset her, but she was angry, frustrated, and completely over the fact that even six years after their divorce, he still thought he could tell her what to do.
She walked into Home Depot. She’d been here so much in the last couple of years that she was confident she could walk the entire store blindfolded and find precisely what she was looking for.
The store was busy for a Friday morning, and she might have been angry over her conversation with her ex-husband, but she still noticed the guy standing in aisle fourteen.
She was angry, not dead.
She slowed her step, pretending to study the packages of sandpaper on the end cap but, in reality, drinking in the delicious cool glass of water texting on his phone.
He was in his mid to late fifties with short silver hair and a matching silver beard cropped close to his jaw. He wore a plain blue t-shirt with a grey and white plaid shirt layered over it and a pair of jeans that hung low on his hips. She studied his hands. They were big and rough looking. A man who did manual labour, she decided, as muscles low in her belly twinged.
Maybe he was a lumberjack. He certainly had the upper body for it, and she could easily picture him swinging an axe in the middle of the forest. Maybe without the plaid shirt, though. Plaid wasn’t her thing.
But damn, he made her want to change her mind about her no-plaid stance.
A man who looked like him could wear whatever the hell he wanted, as long as she got to strip it off of him later.
Her lumberjack fantasy was getting a little too hot and heavy for aisle fourteen of Home Depot. Imagining how those big, rough hands would feel against her naked ass was definitely a bad idea. Especially since he wasn’t even glancing her way, and… she took a second look at his left hand, yup, that was a wedding band.
She sighed and walked past him. He didn’t look up, and she didn’t bother taking a second look at the lumberjack of her dreams. She didn’t flirt, fantasize, or fuck with married men.
She stopped in front of the wall anchors, looking over the options. An employee entered the aisle and gave Sierra a friendly smile. “Hi, I’m Melissa. Is there something I can help you with today?”
“I’m hanging a shelf in my kitchen to display my cookbooks,” Sierra said. “I’m looking at drywall anchor options.”
“Ah, okay. You’ll want these here.” Melissa reached out and snagged a plastic package from one of the pegs. “A threaded wall anchor will work for you.”
“Fantastic, thanks.” Sierra took the anchors from her.
“You’re welcome. Have a great day!” Melissa chirped before leaving.
Sierra studied the anchors she held, but before she could follow Melissa out of the aisle, a - sweet Jesus - ridiculously deep and sexy voice said, “Excuse me?”
She turned to see Mr. Lumberjack himself standing behind her. Fuck, he smelled great, and now that she was this close to him, it was impossible not to notice his straight white teeth or pretty hazel eyes.
Off limits, Sierra!
Right. Sexy Lumberjack Man was married. She smiled at him, but not with her you want to fuck me smile. “Hello.”
“Hi,” he said. “Just an FYI, if you’re putting cookbooks on that shelf, the threaded wall anchor won’t work.”
She glanced at the package she held, her attraction to the man dying an immediate death. It didn’t matter how pretty he was or how good he smelled, she was over men assuming she was utterly helpless. As it often did, her sarcasm leaped into the light. “Huh, and here I was thinking you were a lumberjack.”
“Sorry?” His look of confusion would have been adorable if she hadn’t been so annoyed.
She pointed to his shirt. “I thought you were a lumberjack, not a Home Depot employee.”
“I think they’re called loggers now, and I’m not one, nor do I work here,” he said.
“So, you’re commenting on my wall anchors because why?” she said.
“Because the associate who helped you has her information wrong.”
“Why? Because she’s a woman?” Sierra asked.
His confusion turned to an amusement that just pissed her off more. “No, not everything is about man versus woman.”
“Ah, the audacity of the mediocre white man. You don’t think that’s true because you don’t have to. No one’s coming up to you and telling you you’re wrong,” she said.
Exasperation mixed with the amusement. “This isn’t me being sexist. This is me telling you that you need a toggle anchor or a molly bolt so that -”
“Thank you, but I don’t need your mansplaining,” she said.
“Jesus, it’s not about that,” he said. “I’m trying to help.”
How many fucking times had Gary said that to her throughout their marriage? Too many to count, and their most recent conversation only proved that he would always fucking do it. Obviously, it was a guy thing and not just a Gary thing, but she was one hundred percent fucking over it. And even though she knew she was taking out her frustration and her annoyance with her ex-husband on Mr. Sexy Lumberjack, she couldn’t seem just to let it the fuck go.
“But I didn’t ask for your help, did I?” She fixed him with her best judge look. The one that made the criminals in her courtroom second guess their belief that she would go easy on them because she was a woman.
The man studied her. He wasn’t intimidated - she had a feeling it took a lot more than a look to intimidate him - but he held up his hands in a no offense gesture and stepped back. “You’re right. My bad. Have a great day, ma’am.”
He turned and walked away. She refrained from staring at his ass and yelling at him not to call her ma’am. Both were pointless actions.
Her cheeks hot and her stomach in a tight knot, she turned and walked in the opposite direction.
CHAPTER 2
“It looks great. Nice job, Sierra,” Hazel said.
“Thank you.” Sierra flipped the camera on her phone, and Hazel’s smiling face appeared on the screen. “And thank you for taking time away from your shop to admire my new cookbook shelf.”
Hazel laughed. “You’re welcome. Although it’s weirdly quiet in the shop this morning, and Ruby has already made all the custom bouquets for today, so I will admit it was easy to sneak away for a video chat.”
“Being the owner probably helps with the sneaking away, too,” Sierra said.
“True,” Hazel said. “Hey, did you meet with Hendrix’s drywaller friend yet? I thought Hendrix said it was this week.”
“Today, actually.” Sierra sank into a kitchen chair and sipped at her tea. “It’s why I took the day off. Everett could only meet this afternoon.”
“What time is he stopping by?” Hazel asked. She was in the back room of her flower shop, and Sierra could see a shelf piled high with flower foam and tissue paper behind Hazel.
“Any time now,” Sierra said. “He was supposed to be here at two, but he texted that he was just finishing up a job at a client’s and would be a little late.”
“Cool. Let me know how it goes. Oh, are you still coming to Indie’s tonight for dinner?” Hazel asked.
“Yep,” Sierra said. “Can you text me Val’s address? I haven’t been to his place yet.”
“Seriously? Indie moved in with him a month ago,” Hazel said.
“I know. I’m a bad friend.”
Hazel frowned. “No, you’re not. I didn’t mean it that way.”
“I know. I just… I feel like a bad friend. The renovations are sucking up all of my spare time, and I’m neglecting you and Indie.”
“You absolutely are not,” Hazel said. “Just because you missed the last two Wednesday night dinners doesn’t mean you’re neglecting us. It just means you’re busy, and we understand.”
“I really wanted to get the bathroom gutted before the drywaller inspects the walls,” Sierra said. “I’m hoping that the walls can be patched rather than replaced, but I'm not holding my breath. There are pretty significant water stains on two of the walls.”
“I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you,” Hazel said.
“Thanks. I’m also hoping Everett can work fast. I’m tired of having a soaker tub in my bedroom.”
Hazel laughed. “I’m not sure that working fast is a thing any contractor does, but Hendrix has nothing but good things to say about this Everett guy. They go for beers usually once a week or so.”
“Have you met him?” Sierra asked.
“Just once, very briefly,” Hazel said. “He was friendly, a little on the quiet side. Also, he was hot as hell.”
“Hey, is an engaged woman supposed to be checking out other men?” Sierra said teasingly.
“What’s that saying? I may be on a diet, but I can still look at the menu,” Hazel said.
Sierra laughed. “Fair. Hey, I better run. I think I heard a car door slam.”
“Okay, good luck with Everett, the hot drywaller. I’ll see you tonight!” Hazel ended the call.
The doorbell rang, and Sierra left the kitchen and quickly checked her makeup in the hallway mirror. Not that she was planning on banging the hot drywaller, but she also didn’t want to look like a complete hag.
