Chasing Treasure: Granite Lake Romance Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-one

  Epilogue

  Other Works Available

  About the Author

  Read a Preview of The Night Medicine

  On the Back Cover

  Chasing Treasure

  Granite Lake Romance

  Jody A. Kessler

  Copyright

  © 2017 by Jody A. Kessler

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator.”

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  www.JodyAKessler.com

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  ASIN: B01MUHBR1D

  Edited by

  M.M Chabot and CP Bialois

  Cover Art & Design by

  Sommer Stein

  Perfect Pear Creative Covers

  Ebooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement of the copyright of this work.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Dedication

  To John with all my love

  One

  TREASURE ROLLED over and admired, not for the first time, Court’s hard, delicious deltoid muscles. They capped broad shoulders and flowed seamlessly down to meet bulging biceps. His muscles elicited a baser need to climb on top of him, squeeze him between her thighs and stroke every inch of his incredible arms — and the rest of him, too. His triceps were ripped. His forearms could have belonged to Popeye. She glanced at his chest and almost drooled at the sight of the smooth bronze pecs and rippling abs.

  Court caught her attention the moment he entered the bar last night. She’d been chatting with friends and he quickly became the game of the evening. She supposed she’d won. In all honesty, her girlfriends hadn’t been as driven to win the prize as she had been. Treasure knew going to Paradiso would more than likely provide a new boy-toy, or two, and she thought she was in the mood to fool around with someone new.

  She hadn’t exactly meant to end up in bed with him, but she hadn’t been opposed to it, either. Now, she was in Court’s brand new condo, wondering where her clothes were while trying not to berate herself for sleeping with someone she just met. What do I even know about this guy? He told her he was new in town, which explained why she and her friends had never seen him before. He said he moved to Reno for a job, and his last name was Prescott. Court Prescott. That should have been a huge flag to their sexual incompatibility. His name sounded ridiculously pretentious to Treasure, even though he didn’t come across that way. And who names their kid Court, anyway? It reminded her of basketball or tennis. Which brought on the image of balls and that made her snicker as she mentally renamed him Court Tennis Balls Prescott. Yeah, balls had definitely been involved last night, she thought, and knew it was juvenile, but ball jokes never got old. Except for actual old balls, and that was unpleasant to think about.

  Lying next to him, Treasure slid Court the side eye. This wasn’t the first time she’d done something like this, but it was the first time she regretted it with such whole-hearted distaste. He’d been a sloppy and unrefined lover. The thought of kissing him made her queasy. His lips were beautiful, but had no finesse. She should have known after the first kiss sex with this man would be disappointing, but she’d pursued him and kept the foreplay going with the hope that the night would get better with a little coaching. It hadn’t. She cringed at remembering the lackluster roll in the sack and his less than stellar performance. For all his good looks, the man had no moves. Was it the tequila shots? Some men couldn’t handle their liquor and their women in the same night. In her own experience, she thought alcohol improved her sex drive, lowered her inhibitions, and generally made naked encounters with men much more exciting. She’d have to rethink this approach. Either way, in her current state of undress, the insufficient stimulation after they left Paradiso clung to her like slime-coated cellophane.

  She inched across the mattress and paused, listening for a change in Court’s breathing. If she could sneak away without waking him, it would save her a headache. She never wanted to see him again. Uggg, she groaned to herself when he rolled over and his hand brushed her side.

  His eyelids fluttered before opening. The whites of his eyes were bloodshot. Treasure swallowed and wished she had pretended to be asleep. A sly grin crept across his face. His body had originally attracted her, but those damned dimples sealed the deal. At least, at first. The dimples reminded her of Bodie, and sent her mind reeling with vivid memories of her friend and work partner. When you watched Bodie smile, you had to search for the dimples, like they were a secret hiding just below the surface. Bodie’s dimples weren’t as deep as Court’s, but Bodie’s were sexier. She wished she could see them now. Damn it. Why was Bodie always on her mind?

  A new fling should have kept her distracted from her and Bodie’s single night together last December. But she couldn’t stop comparing every guy she met to Bodie. And now that she’d slept with someone else, it was even worse. Court didn’t hold a candle to Bodie’s proficiency and skills in bed. Bodie Everett had unknowingly destroyed her chances of ever having another orgasm without emotional attachment again. He ruined her. With no one else to blame but herself, she felt unreasonably mad at him. Treasure lay there, vowing to herself that she would find someone else who could perform as well. Court had been her first date since Bodie left town in January to train at the Wilderness School, but she couldn’t let one bad experience cloud her future sex life. She needed to quit thinking about him. There had to be another guy as intuitive and teeming with sex appeal as Bodie Marshall Everett. She only had to find this mythical creature of god-like sexual aptitude to prove her theory. Too bad her first attempt had gone so abysmally.

  Court slid across the khaki cotton sheets and wrapped an arm over her. He nuzzled her bare shoulder. “Thanks for last night. You were on fire, baby. So hot,” he murmured.

  Bleh. She didn’t even want to hear him speak and had the overwhelming urge to plug her ears with her fingertips. Apparently, my tequila goggles last night had really thick lenses. The thought of morning sex with this lump of flesh forced her to roll out of bed and onto her feet.

  “Hey,” she said. Her frustration and regret wanted to curse and rant about his unsatisfactory performance. But, informing Court he should read Orgasms for Idiots or Foreplay is the New F Word wouldn’t help either of them. Playing the bitch card was uncool, and Treasure refrained. Saving those cards for special occasions seemed like the higher ground. Besides, she was equally to blame for the ba
d judgment — and her hung-over wilted brain cells needed less words and more coffee. She grabbed her jeans and shirt off the floor and slipped them on. “Sorry, I have to run. I have a ton of errands to do today,” she lied.

  Court had to be equally hung-over, but it didn’t stop him from pushing the sheet down to his hips and running a hand over his chest.

  “You sure you don’t want to stay for breakfast?” He glanced down at his morning wood and then back to Treasure, flashing the cheesiest insinuation she’d ever seen.

  Oh. My. God. She inwardly groaned again and strained to keep her eyes from rolling around their sockets. “I gotta go.” Treasure grabbed her bag from the dresser and her shoes off the floor and darted out the door.

  Two

  WORK HADN’T been going well for Treasure this winter. First, she’d injured her shoulder and had to take time off. The injury had only been a mild strain, but the doctor wouldn’t clear her to lift anything heavier than ten pounds for three weeks. Going to physical therapy and relying on workers’ comp were not on the top of Treasure’s gratitude list. Being a paramedic meant she had to be able to lift a considerable amount of weight every night. Patients had to be moved, turned, lifted, rolled, and just about anything else you can imagine doing with an inert human. She could handle almost any body type, and it had never been a problem until she dropped from an upstairs balcony to the ground below and strained her muscles.

  That night, Christmas Eve with Bodie, held many surprising and terrifying moments and she’d had a few weeks to think about them as she healed. After returning to work from the shoulder injury, she had been assigned a floating schedule. Which meant she partnered with whoever needed her. Since Bodie was out of town, she was willing to be the extra medic in any ambulance and work without complaint. Alternating days with nightshifts, swing, and graveyard shifts had been an adjustment, but she continued to go with the flow and let her boss take advantage of her flexibility.

  Treasure arrived at the ambulance barn after her three-day weekend and checked the schedule. She was assigned to a new partner and saw she would be training him or her. A new paramedic wasn’t unexpected. She was only surprised at how long it had taken to hire someone. They would be working together until Bodie’s return from Wilderness School. Intrigued, and relieved to be off the varied schedule, Treasure strode down the hallway to her boss’s office, and knocked on his door.

  “Come in,” she heard from inside.

  “Hi, Paul. I saw on the board you found Bodie’s replacement.” Treasure rested her hands on the back of the chair across from Paul’s desk.

  “Sure did. He comes highly recommended from Vegas. Should be an easy adjustment for him. Their system is nearly identical to ours.”

  “Great,” she said.

  “Until he learns the area, you’ll be driving. You know every street and alley of this city, so you’ll be a big help in getting him acquainted with Reno.”

  “And I like driving, so this should work out perfectly.” She glanced at her watch. “He might be out there waiting on me now.”

  Her boss leaned back in his chair and interlaced his fingers over his paunch. “I appreciate your help over the last couple months, but you’re back on graveyard shifts with the new recruit. If you ever get tired of the midnight madness, just let me know. You’ve had some minor bumps, but you’re a team player, Treasure. If you want a change, speak up and I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Thanks, Paul. I’m okay with my night owl schedule. But it’s nice knowing I have a little seniority.”

  “You’ve earned it, Treasure. Oh, and one last thing before you take off. Your new trainee is an old friend. We go way back to grade school. Make sure you bust his balls for me,” he said with a wink.

  “Yeah. Right.” She stepped toward the door, ready to start her shift.

  “I’m serious,” he said, keeping up the banter. “We don’t want him to think he can waltz in here and become top dog without earning it because we used to play ball together in high school.”

  “All right. Since you’re insisting.” She flashed a playful warning look that she would do it. “Make the new recruit’s first week hell and blame it on the boss. I’m down with that.”

  A grin spread across Paul’s ruddy face. “I knew you’d be the right medic to break him in properly.”

  “Whatever the boss wants, the boss gets.” She winked back at him before stepping out into the hall, both smiling conspiratorially.

  Treasure checked her phone and saw a text message from Bodie. She’d been waiting for a reply from him for most of the day. They usually texted each other at night after he finished training. Treasure looked forward to the new messages in their running conversation. Sometimes they would text for hours and other times she received a single reply. Whatever they texted about, Treasure often found herself smiling and warm on the inside for hours afterward.

  Bodie: Tell me two things you would like to do on your next weekend off from work?

  Treasure stopped walking and leaned against the wall to type. With clothes on or with clothes off?

  Bodie: Your choice.

  First thing I’d like to do is see you.

  Bodie: Is that with clothes on or with clothes off?

  Treasure grinned at her screen. Your choice. She typed the same answer and sent it back to him.

  Bodie: Second choice?

  Is for me to know and you to find out. I’ll tell you next time I see you in person.

  Bodie: A mystery? I like that.

  When ARE you coming back?

  Bodie: We need to talk. Aren’t you supposed to be working?

  She noticed he didn’t answer the question about returning to Washoe County EMS, or to Reno, either. She typed: Yeah. Gotta go save some lives.

  Bodie: You’re a rock star. But better. Talk to you soon.

  She wanted to hear his voice and looked forward to a call later after her shift. Since Christmas at the cabin, they hadn’t declared anything official between them, but phone calls, texting, and a serious amount of flirting made her think maybe when he returned they could try becoming something more than “friends with benefits.” The idea scared her senseless, but it also made her heart pitter-patter, which also scared her. A hopeful smile tickled her lips. She bit it, and continued down the hall, opening the door to the employee lounge.

  The smile vanished when Treasure saw her new partner standing in the break room with one of the other paramedics. Court Prescott’s eyes widened like he had been shot through the testicles the instant his gaze landed on her. C. Prescott had been written on the schedule board. Why didn’t I put it together faster? Treasure wanted to smack her forehead — against a brick wall.

  “Hope? Do you work here?” His gaze traveled up and down the length of her, taking in the navy-blue uniform and leaving a slime trail where his eyes examined every inch of her. “EMT or paramedic?” he asked.

  Treasure stood like a dummy with its mouth hanging open. She blinked and stared harder, wishing she could turn him into a toad, a very muscular and chiseled toad. Or, better yet, a fly so she could squash him and walk away.

  “Uh,” she stuttered. “Everyone calls me Treasure.”

  “What?” he asked, clearly confused.

  “My name is Treasure,” she tried again.

  “But you told me it was Hope, like,” He glanced at his watch.

  She closed her eyes, denying reality for a few seconds. It didn’t help. His accusing and grating tone of voice brought her back in a flash.

  “Like yesterday.”

  “I, umm… I don’t usually tell people I meet in bars that my name is Treasure. Too many guys assume it’s my stripper name.” She grimaced. “Hope is my middle name.” Why am I explaining myself to this blowhole?

  “Are you a stripper?” he asked.

  One of his light brown eyebrows cocked teasingly, or maybe the expression was more hopeful. Either way, Treasure wanted to smack it off his face. She wished she’d noticed his slimy quality b
efore she’d agreed to go home with him. He stared at her chest and she wanted to die.

  Her coworker, who had been talking with Court when she walked in, politely excused himself and slipped out the door.

  “No, I’m not. And I have never been,” she said, making it clear any reference to her being a stripper was off limits. “Anyway, I’ll be training you for the next couple of weeks,” she said coolly and with an attempt to change subjects and remain professional.

  He cut her off. “Treasure Hope Vogle. That’s a name I won’t forget.”

  Court’s use of her full name made her skin itch. When Bodie called her Treasure Hope, it made the blood in her veins sparkle like diamonds in sunshine. Now, she bit her tongue and waited for Court to finish.

  “So, are your parents hippies or something? Who gives their daughter a stripper name?”

  “Who names their son after a pretentious pig?” she said, no longer holding back her annoyance for him and the rotten situation that had unexpectedly dropped in her lap.

  A shadow darkened his features and the cold narrowing of his eyes altered his face in nearly every way. Fine hairs rose on her forearms. She sidestepped to escape his laser-sharp gaze.

  Treasure never dated anyone from work. No fooling around, no flirting, and no dating. She’d had offers in the past and knew it wasn’t a good idea to meet your honey where you make your money. Sleeping with Court was an unfortunate decision she was trying to forget. Now, the circumstances had compounded into a disaster. She needed to tell him her policy and move forward as if their encounter never happened. Her job meant the world to her, provided stability, was rewarding, and she worked hard at it.

  Sleeping with Bodie was a spontaneous decision fueled by lust and loneliness. She knew he would be leaving the state for Wilderness School and wouldn’t return to Reno for months. His position was being held for him and she could hardly wait to see him again. Her and Bodie’s one-night stand replayed on an endless loop in her mind, and the repercussions of taking their friendship to a new level remained to be seen. She didn’t regret what they’d done, even though it was against her self-appointed rules of not seeing anyone she worked with. Treasure tried to prepare herself for the consequences, even though she had no real idea of what would happen when Bodie came back. With Court, she had no forewarning they would be stuck working together after one distasteful night of sweaty nakedness.