Bet the House

Author

Dedication

To Jane Porter and Kim Boykin, for inviting me to your glorious party.

It’s an honor and a joy.

Now let’s dance!

Dear Reader,

Welcome to Magnolia Bay, South Carolina—a cozy, coastal town where sweet tea is chilled but hearts are always heating up!

Now I’m not much of a gambler, but I’m betting if you’re here with me, it’s because you enjoy a good love story as much as I do. My star-crossed lovers, however, are notorious gamblers—especially when it comes to betting against their unspoken feelings for one another.

Willa and Knox are my favorite kind of romantic couple—sassy, witty, feisty—and utterly irresistible; two people with sparks that are so strong, they burn everyone else in the room, but neither of them will admit it—that is, until life steps in and forces their hands (not to mention their hearts). As a writer and a hopeless romantic, I think that reckoning is the best part of every love story: the pivotal, oh-so-sexy-and-satisfying moment when that passion and connection can no longer be ignored—then, watch out!

And speaking of flames...better keep your fire extinguishers handy, because the Dunn sisters and the Loveless brothers are just getting warmed up. I have deliciously sexy plans in store for other members of their clans, so if you fall in love with Willa and Knox the way I did, I hope you’ll come back to Magnolia Bay and find out what other romances await the residents of this charming Southern town in our continuing Carolina Born series.

So let’s all find some shade under a sprawling live oak, kick off our flip-flops, raise our mint juleps, and toast to a new destination in romance...

To Magnolia Bay!

With my fondest wishes and warmest thanks,

Erika

Chapter One

As she marched up the bungalow’s uneven front steps, Willamena Dunn made a vow: No matter who stood on the other side of the cottage’s peeling door, she would not lose her temper.

Yes, it had crushed her very soul to learn that another buyer had outbid her for the historic home she’d dreamed of owning since she was old enough to blink. Yes, she’d said unspeakable things about whoever had dared to steal it out from under her when she’d learned the awful news the day before. But no, her personal feelings didn’t change her professional priorities.

No matter what, Willa wanted to ensure that the neglected house would finally get the restoration it deserved. As Staff Historian for Dunn-Right Preservation, her goal was to make sure the historic architecture of Magnolia Bay, South Carolina, was maintained and respected. Whoever had bought the nineteenth-century bungalow would have to understand the responsibility that came with owning a historic home in a landmarked district. And if they didn’t, Willa would gladly—and firmly—enlighten them.

Her older sister, Connie, hadn’t trusted Willa to carry out this introduction alone, too worried that she would let her passion for preservation override her professionalism. Willa had promised it would not.

She would be civil.

She would be courteous.

And, most importantly, she would not use foul language.

But that was before Willa stepped inside and saw the most infuriating man to ever hammer a nail in Magnolia Bay inspecting the crumbling green tile of the home’s fireplace surround.

"Knox Loveless, what the hell are you doing here?"

So much for promises.

Good morning to you, too. Knox stepped back from the fireplace and flashed Willa the same devilish grin he’d been flashing her nearly her whole life. At a little over six feet tall, blessed with hair that resembled poured molasses and eyes to match, he was a hard man to ignore—though God knew Willa had been trying long enough. Here to welcome me to the neighborhood? he asked.

"You stole this place from me?"

I didn’t steal anything, he said, wiping his palms on his thighs. I outbid you, fair and square.

Oh, that was a laugh! There was nothing fair or square about the way Loveless Brothers Construction did business, trying to shoehorn new homes in among the town’s most cherished historic properties. Their lack of regard for Magnolia Bay’s architectural history was one of the main reasons Willa’s mother, Lily, had opened the doors of Dunn-Right Preservation thirty years ago. Now the firm was known up and down the coast for its soup-to-nuts services to historic home owners. From contracting repair and restoration professionals, to filling out applications for tax credits, there was nothing Dunn-Right couldn’t or wouldn’t do to promote the well-being of Magnolia Bay’s rich architectural history and charm.

If only they could add Putting arrogant building developers out of business to that list.

Knox pointed behind her. Be a sweetheart, and hand me that tape beside you, will you, Meen?

Willa bristled at the nickname. He’d coined it for her when they were teenagers, claiming it was short for Willamena but she’d never quite believed him, and she’d certainly never liked it—which, of course, explained why Knox still used it.

Willa shifted her glare to the measuring tape on the windowsill. She’d hand him the tape, all right. Hand it right to the side of his miserable, underhanded skull. From this distance, she could get some serious speed.

Get it yourself, she said.

Now don’t frown, Knox said, sauntering across the floor to retrieve his tape measure. You always get that cute little line right there between your eyebrows when you frown and then you pull at it all day to smooth it out. He reached toward Willa as if intending to plant his finger on the exact point.

She swatted his hand away. "You do know this building is in a protected district and that any alterations you make will have to be approved by—"

The Historical Society Board, he finished for her, returning to the window. "Yes, I know. I’m on the board, remember?"

You so rarely make an appearance at the meetings, I forget.

He stretched the tape across the sash. Now that’s not fair. I was there just last week.

And doodling on your handout the whole time.

He grinned at her over his shoulder. "So you were watching me."

Don’t flatter yourself. Willa crossed her arms tightly, hoping to squeeze herself hard enough to slow down her racing heart. She blamed its rapid beat on the shock of finding Knox there—and not on his dimpled smile. The fierce topknot she’d secured of her wavy blond hair now wilted down one side of her head. She gave it an exasperated push to realign it. "Knox, there are plenty of old houses for sale in Magnolia Bay. Why did you have to take this one?"

Because I like it. He squinted to read the measure.

Since when?

Knox let the tape snap back into its casing. Since I dared you to break into it when you were fourteen and I was sixteen, which—if I remember—resulted in you needing five stitches in a very tender place. He looked at her thigh; Willa slapped her hand over the spot as if he could see through her jean shorts to the jagged scar underneath.

"It was six stitches," she said, turning away.

Six. Right. You’d think I’d remember that, seeing as I was the one who took you to the emergency room.

As if she’d needed reminding. His rescue had been one of the greatest embarrassments of her life—made worse by the traitorous fluttering of her heart when he’d scooped her up in his arms and carried her the whole way to the clinic.

Then you also remember how much this place means to me, she said.

Which is exactly why I grabbed it before someone else did. When I saw Audrey, she told me she had three other bids in the running. And all significantly more than yours.

Was that true? Audrey had never let on.

Willa narrowed her eyes. And what exactly do you plan to do with it?

I’m not sure. Speaking of plans... Knox took a seat on the windowsill and leaned back, stretching his long legs out in front of him. Got a date for the wedding yet?

Leave it to him to bring up the only subject more sore than the fate of this house! After years of enduring a perfectly good grudge between her family and the insufferable Loveless brothers, her baby sister Peach had to go and fall in love with the oldest brother, Brady.

Willa had been willing to forgive the transgression in the beginning. After all, the Loveless brothers were notoriously good-looking and sexy and charming, and at twenty-five, Peach was still young enough not to know better.

But when Peach let it go too far and actually accepted Brady Loveless’ marriage proposal earlier that spring, Willa’s forgiving nature had flown out the window.

Now the dreaded nuptials were just a week away. Willa was still not sure how she was going to get through the ceremony without throwing up all over her dyed-apricot mules.

Willa looked up to find Knox studying her, waiting for her answer. She really wished he’d cut his damn hair already. He’d taken to letting it grow a little shaggy, just enough to indulge the most irresistible waves around his ears.

I hope your silence means you haven’t found a date yet, he said, and not because you can’t recall the poor fella’s name.

There was that smile again, wide enough now to bring out those impossible Loveless dimples.

She should have chucked the tape at him when she’d had the chance.

If you must know, she said. I’m still weighing my options.

It was a bald-faced lie but Willa didn’t care. She wasn’t about to admit to Knox Loveless that not only did she not have a date for her sister’s wedding, but there wasn’t a single prospect on the horizon, either.

It would have been an unbearable confession. They’d