text:
UPDATED 7:09 p.m. Tuesday.
RANTOUL — After more than eight hours on the snowy interstates helping drivers Monday, Illinois State Trooper Brian Scott was growing weary.
But thankfully for a University of Illinois student, the 35-year-old trooper wasn't so tired that he couldn't help lift a 3,000-pound vehicle off the young man, undoubtedly saving his life.
Ethan Asofsky, 21, a sports writer for the Daily Illini, was released Tuesday from Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana where he was treated for injuries he received when a 2007 Dodge Caliber ran over him about 12:35 p.m. Monday.
At that time, Scott was in the ninth hour of what would turn out to be a 12-1/2-hour shift, when he was sent to a spot on Interstate 57 about 5 miles north of Rantoul where several vehicles had gone off the highway.
"Most of the road coming up to that point looked good, so drivers were getting overconfident. Then they would hit this spot and just lose it," said Scott, a trooper for 12 years.
Arriving at the problem area just a mile south of the Ford-Champaign county line, he saw four vehicles in the median and "people wandering around everywhere."
Having started work at 4 a.m., two hours earlier than normal, Scott had already helped about a half-dozen motorists and knew his hands would be full for a while.
Scott also saw a few vehicles on the shoulder that had either slid off the highway or pulled over to help folks. And some of those motorists had violated a cardinal rule of winter storm behavior. They had gotten out of their cars.
Asofsky and two others were outside a car on the far outside right shoulder of the southbound lane. Scott pulled up on the northbound side of I-57, parking his squad on the inside shoulder, close to the median.
"I looked straight across the interstate from my driver's seat and noticed a young man (Asofsky) standing out behind the car who started to walk to get parallel with my car. I saw him looking as if he were wanting to talk to me. He waved as I drove up," said Scott.
Still standing in the snowy ditch, Asoksky had not stepped on to the highway.
"I saw him stop and turn towards me and at that moment I heard tires screeching and I panned my vision to the right and saw a black Dodge passenger car was spinning out clockwise and had turned sideways and was sliding directly at the young man who was standing in the ditch."
"It was kind of a surreal moment. It went in slow motion. I watched as the vehicle just plowed him over, just took him out. All of a sudden, I didn't see him or the vehicle. They had slid down the embankment out of my view," Scott said.
"My first thought was, 'God, did that really happen?'" said the trooper, who's seen plenty of wrecks during his career but not a pedestrian being wiped out in front of him.
"Instinctually, I bailed out of my car and sprinted across the median, obviously checking for southbound traffic so I didn't get run over. I didn't have to break my stride. Once I got to the other side, I could see the car way down in the ditch about 25 feet down in the embankment. It was sitting on top of the young man it had just run over. He was on his back and his legs were sticking out from under the car. From the waist up, he was under the car."
Asofsky's friend had grabbed his legs and was trying to pull him free.
While taking in what he was seeing, Scott was using the radio microphone on his shoulder to tell the dispatcher to send more help.
"It was a bad spot and I had no signal," he said.
Knowing he had no time to waste, the adrenaline-pumping Scott stopped trying to get through on the radio and turned his attention to Asofsky.
A former offensive lineman for the UI football team from 1995 to 1999, the 300-pound, 6 feet 2 inch tall Scott tried to lift the vehicle off the trapped young man.
"I hooked my arm in the front driver's side wheel well and tried to lift the car enough so he could pull his friend out. I wasn't strong enough to get the car up enough to get him out," Scott said.
Hearing Asofsky yelling that he couldn't breathe and seeing his legs kicking, Scott knew he had to get more help and fast.
"I went about halfway up the embankment and made another attempt to get out on my radio and it finally went through," he said.
Out of breath from running and lifting, and fearing that he might not make the connection again, Scott relayed as much information as he could in one transmission.
Later, his colleague Tracy Lillard, who was listening on her radio in her squad car, told him the transmission was garbled and what they heard was that somebody had been hit by a car and that medical help was needed. Other troopers thought it might have been Scott who was hit.
The dispatcher heard enough to send plenty of help. That included the last available ambulance from Rantoul, other District 10 troopers, including detectives who had been pressed into storm patrol, District 21 troopers from the Ashkum post, and Rantoul police.
"Once I knew they heard me and I got the information out, I went back to the car to try to attempt to get him out again," said Scott.
The man who had hit Asofsky, Nicholas Carter, 21, of Chicago, and his girlfriend had remained in the Dodge Caliber. Scott had them get out to lighten the vehicle then pressed Carter and a good Samaritan, whose name he didn't get, into service.
"I just looked at the other two and said, 'On three, we're lifting' and told the friend, 'When we lift, you pull.'"
Scott grabbed the wheel well again and with the assistance of the other two men on the left front quarter of the Caliber, they heaved.
"I felt the car rise and the young man's friend was able to pull him clear of the vehicle and we set it back down," he said, estimating that Asofsky was under the 3,052-pound vehicle 3 to 4 minutes.
With Asofsky bleeding heavily from a cut on his left side and another on his head, Scott ran back across the interstate to get his medical bag. By the time he got back, Carter had helped the shivering, wet, injured Asofsky into the back of the Caliber.
As Scott tended Asofsky's wounds, he continued to talk to him calmly, asking him questions, trying to stave off shock.
"He was answering all my questions. He's a senior at the UI, a journalism major. He had just come back from Austin, covering the NCAA tournament run," Scott said.
Scott said he and a District 21 trooper helped the two paramedics get Asofsky on a backboard and loaded into the ambulance before turning his attention to Carter.
"He was very quiet. I could tell what happened was really bothering him and he was very concerned," Scott said. "He had that thousand-mile stare. I told him, 'I think he's going to be OK. Accidents happen. I want to thank you for helping me lift the car off him. You helped save his life.'"
"You could just see the weight lift off him, it looked to me," said Scott, who said he hated to write Carter a ticket but felt he had to, given that Carter admitted he was going 65 to 70 mph, far too fast for Monday's driving conditions.
Scott said he hadn't gone more than 40 mph on the highways all day and said patchy, snow-covered highways often fool drivers.
"You can't just ramp it back up to highway speed when you have that stuff. It wasn't a good choice on his part, but in my opinion, he redeemed himself," Scott said.
Scott said he checked on Asofsky at Carle late Monday afternoon before heading home to his wife and three sons in Tolono.
"He was upbeat ... talkative. He said, 'I just want to thank you for lifting that car off me. I had 30 to 45 seconds of air left. I'm thankful you got me out when you did.' That was a good feeling."
Recently certified as an accident reconstruction specialist, Scott repeated the warning that troopers proclaim every time there's snowfall: Slow down and stay in your car if you're in an accident.
"Cars are built to withstand impacts. You are not."
You're a true hero. You should be proud! Thanks for everything you do.
Awesome job, Trooper Scott! Sounds like it was the right trooper at the right time. Thank you for your service.
When I am out I always thank police officers for their service to their community. You did a wonderful thing helping that kid get out. I grew up in Tolono and I saw that you live there. Thank you for you service.
Dan Woodcock
As an EMS provider, I have the greatest respect for all of the troopers with ISP. Often far from backup, on their own, high risk environment 24/7 and always professional. Hats off to you Scott!
Thank goodness for this trooper. Too often do I see people driving too fast for conditions. There is no reason to have a screech of brakes at ALL in snow - people should be driving much slower, and when it's slick, braking is terrible - it puts you more out of control. The driver of the Dodge has hopefully learned his lesson - it's not worth it.
What a stroke of luck that not only did a police officer arrive at the moment the accident occurred, but it was the quick-thinking and focused Officer Scott. Hats off to the others who helped. You probably saved the young man's life. And great job putting together the story, Ms. Schenk.


text:
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OK so has anyone figured out which NBA player John sent Mr Hands to?
Haha, as Vinny said "hundreds of users are typing this in on Google right now...," I had just typed it in.
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Man, i forget which one but suuupppperrrr canadian. LOVE ITTTTT
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" @Gregomasta said:THE THREE OF US SHOULD MEET!" @PolyesterPimp said:YEAH! "" I'M FROM CHICAGO!!!! ""
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@Ryan, @Jeff, @Vinny, and @Brad (Dave and Drew?): ...you have opened my eyes to the hands behind these companies they have worked for. I no longer consider them just names on credits and the like. I now root for them on every project they take up, and hope it does well.
In short: Thank you!
PS: I'm not sucking up (I hope), I'm just being honest. I haven't actually hung out of any videogame media site (Videos, Podcasts, etc.) until now.
Now, I'm done. Until next Bombcast.
The game I would take with me to a deserted island would not be the same game I consider to be my favorite. Because on an island the game has to be great even after thousands of hours. The game I would take with me to an island would be Victoria: An Empire Under the Sun from the people who made Europa Universalis and Hearts of Iron. Victoria is their deepest game and it took me probably 30h just to learn the basics of that game. You can play over and over again and it will be different every time.
Man, this was an awesome bombcast. It's gotta be in my top 3, despite my ignorance about the guests..
Damn..I love Bombcasts with guests. This was absolutely hilarious. I remember hearing about John V. before this podcast, but I think it was just in passing and I remember thinknig his last name was (and is) awesome. And you guys should stop hating, Ryan is breathing hard because he's pretty much laughing for two hours straight. Try breathing normally while hanging with John V. sometime.
This was an awesome Bombcast. It was funny and clever all the way through and John Vignocchi's anecdotes were legendary.
Re: Scribblenauts- I wish I had a better answer, but priests float in lava.
Don't judge me.
Awesome show so far, half way through!
Adam Boyes and John Vignocchi need to come back sometime for another bombcast because that was just classic.
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Pound for pound those were your best guest show yet. They kinda took over the show at some points but all of the tangents were pure gold so it was all good. GREAT SHOW!
"Oh damn I love white girls."
One of my favorite episodes of the Bombcast yet. Actually LOL'd at some moments while driving to work today.
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And its got PONG!
Callin it, best Bombcast ever. Right here.
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This shit is OFF THE DAMN RAILS.
So damn funny.
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best episode
That Johnny V guy is freaking hilarious. Those were some great stories with Adam and just great chemistry with everyone in the room.. But yeah, I think I'm calling it. Best bombcast ever.
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Crazy Bombcast. A lot of fun and a lot of laughs.
Oh man, this bombcast is a clusterfuck. Hahaha
very amusing bombcast, and lol @ mentioning again vinny's digust for Saw in the QL
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Could not study while listening to this bombcast, this bombcast could possibly one of the funniest things EVER!
Could not listen... the guests so so anoying: borat impessions, danana da na all the fucking time, oh man crazy partysss
looking forward to next week without the super old frat boys.
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It was probably the funniest podcast ive listened to in a long time, hope Johnny V gets a job soon. Bring those guys back on another podcast soon :)
Great, great podcast. Hats off. :D
You really need to hire Johnny V and then hire someone else to write down everything he says.
Sorry but I didn't enjoy this podcast much at all. Whenever guests are on it dilutes what, for me, is the best thing about the Bombcast, the interplay between the main quartet. John V was particularly annoying, rambling incessantly despite Ryan's heroic efforts to keep things on track, and with constant hyena laughter at anything he says in the background. It looks like I'm in a minority though judging by the comments here, but it annoyed me so much I had to come on and say.
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Great Bombcast, but you might wanna take care of the dude that's been breathing into his mike with his squeaky nose this whole damn time. Quite distracting, actually.
I'm surprised so many people thought the guests were so funny. I feel like a cranky old man for being totally bored and annoyed by them. Their stories were weak even though they were always built up to be something crazy.
All i wanted was my good ol' Bombcast to make it through the week but no...
Yo, this bombcast was great, I liked the guests. It was something different that was hilarious but not really informative...just a bunch of funny anecdotes...which were funny as hell.
" @kidko: ok..... guess....you......should......leave the site "Thanks but I'll just watch out for that Johnny V guy
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I'm pretty sure the Ice Flower was in Mario Galaxy.
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Wait, whats not awesome about all those things? It was a hilarious bombcast.
I personally found the tangents a little distracting. As soon as Marvel Ultimate Alliance was brought up, the conversation transitioned to some Bestbuy story. Podcast improved as it went on though.
this podcast is awesome
" Dogging is the practice of organised (but secret) orgies in public places. It generally takes place in the kind of places you always see couples make out in cars in movies set in the 1950s, ie places you need a vehicle to get to where there is generally a lack of street lighting. Dogging is nowhere near as great as it first sounds either. Its popular with bored couples in their 30's and 40's, and famous for having twice as many males as females turn up. But hey, if you like the idea of being the third person in the last half hour to have sex with a fat, bored housewife while six other men watch and masturbate or you just want to get the full value out of your Modern Warfare 2 Night Vision Goggles then I know of a great little place outside of Aylesbury... "Hot.
it was good to hear the story of midway from the inside.
curious to know the future of video game development in chicago though.
- Midway is now being run by a non-Chicago entity
- Day 1 Studios hasn't had a hit since Mech Assault 1 / Crimson Skies
- EA Chicago closed in 2007
- Wideload Games was promising but now it sounds like Seropian will be running Disney Games - can't imagine that will be Chicago - based.
It's just sad for me personally as someone who grew up in Chicago to see the local scene just kind of dying a long, slow death. I'm a Finance guy and I somehow always dreamed that a video game company would get big enough in Chicago for me to have a job there. That doesn't seem all that likely anymore.
Ryan was a bit impolite at some spots when the guests started going bananas with their personal stuff
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Most of the guests are great. JV dominated the show though, interrupting people and talking way too much (most of which was irrelevant). It reminded me of that trade show Bombcast which went tits up. I look forward to next week's where we can hear from the guys about GAMES and all that jazz.
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lol mr hands. thanks guys i totally needed to see that. damn you curiosity DAMN YOU
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Really have no complaints about this podcast. Thought both John V and Adam were hilarious! but overall the podcast was still good as always.
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this is a GREAT bombcast.
good job guess, keep up the great work
Oh man this was a much needed overdose on humour i needed. Thanks,
Adam Boyes, John Vignocchi and Giantbomb crew for making one of the best bombcasts ever.
and boo for the haters, i liked the style of how Johnny V told his stories. That kind of storytelling with Johnny V's crazy exciting telling made me just laugh outloud and Adam played the straight-man sidekick good. They make a good comedy duo those two. But i must say perhaps he was given a little too much space? But that's more of a problem of how the show is structured than Johnny, because he was needed today.
I find the regular bombcasts too drawn out, heck even themselves find them too long so they have to make pauses and everything. They should limit it to a one hour show and only draging out when necessary, don't want stories to be cut short or making something special. So it actually feel like it's something special "Oh man this week it's extra long! EXCITED!". Also I kinda want that perhaps once a month there is guests on the show. Everything from Drew, Dave to people of the past and other game journalists or like game developers like today. but the formula need to be a little stricter a good mix of game content and humour.
That is weird I never heard this strange breathing thing.
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" @DavidSnakes said:Agreed. I didn't finish the podcast because I missed the core segments of the show due to constant side stories." Feel free to not have John Vignocci on the podcast ever again. He's basically that guy with a million tired, "Remember that one time..." stories and holy shit is he annoying "I love the Bombcast, but I have to agree with you. This guy was extremely annoying. I don't mind having guests on the show along with the regular crew, but when they take over the entire show and hardly let anyone else get a word in, it gets real tedious real fast, no matter if some of his stories are funny or not. It sounded to me like Ryan was also getting pretty irrated by the end when he kept on derailing the topics at hand. "
Wow - a 40 minute bombcast.
Didn't like this Bombcast. Good luck to John V. finding a job, though.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Ring of Honor -
April 16, 2005 - Dorchester, Massechusettes
MATCH: Vordell Walker def Kevin Steen (Montreal's IWS)..
MATCH: Roderick Strong def El Generico (Montreal's IWS)..
IN THE RING: Pete Doherty (
click here
) + Homicide & Julius Smokes + American Dragon..
Legendary WWF jobber Pete Doherty made an appearance but was attacked by Homicide & Julius Smokes..
American Dragon Bryan Danielson made the save..
TAG MATCH: Deranged & Cheech w/Lacey def Azrieal & Dixie..
PURE TITLE: Jay Lethal def Spanky to retain..
MATCH: C.M. Punk w/Bobby Heenan def Mike Kruel (sub for Jimmy Rave) w/Prince Nana..
Prince Nana claimed that Jimmy Rave was injured when he fell off an elephant in Africa..
After the match, Bobby Heenan cut a promo and put over Ring of Honor as well as C.M. Punk..
After that, Jimmy Rave ran out of the crowd and attacked C.M. Punk..
The Embassy ganged up on CM Punk and hung him over the top rope with a chain..
FOUR CORNER SURVIVAL: Samoa Joe vs Colt Cabana vs Alex Shelley vs Nigel McGuinness..
Samoa Joe def Colt Cabana to earn a Pure title match (Joe & Cabana eliminated from the match)..
Alex Shelley def Nigel McGuiness to earn a ROH title shot in the future..
ROH TITLE MATCH: Austin Aries vs James Gibson ended in a DOUBLE PIN draw..
The fans wanted 5 more minutes and so did James Gibson but Austin Aries declined..
Alex Shelley showed up and attacked Austin Aries, which really upset James Gibson..
LUMBERJACK MATCH: American Dragon def Homicide w/Julius Smokes..
The lumberjacks were made up of "supposed" local independent wrestlers and ROH trainees..
They did a superplex off the top rope to the outside taking out all of the lumberjacks..
American Dragon did an airplane spin on Homicide, knocking down each lumberjack one-by-one..
One of the lumberjacks, EC Negro, attacked American Dragon and joined the Rottweilers..
Jay Lethal and Samoa Joe ran out to make the save as the Rottweilers attacked American Dragon..
Samoa Joe joined the Lumberjacks and confidentally tossed Homicide back into the ring...
Minutes later, American Dragon forced Homicide to tap out to the cattle mutilation submission..
And that's a wrap..


text:
Broadway Star Kristin Chenoweth on Her Asthma
Allergic Living Editor Gwen Smith interviews Kristin Chenoweth, the actress, TV star and broadway singer about her new advocating role with the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America's "Know Your Count" campaign to promote asthma awareness.
Richmond Tops List as 2014's 'Leading' Asthma Capital
Asthma Impacts Kids' Sleep, Grades
BPA Exposure Linked to Asthma Risk in Kids
Researchers have found an association between exposure to BPA and an elevated risk for asthma in young children.
Urine Test Predicts Asthma in Kids
A researcher with the AllerGen research network in Canada is hoping a urine test he's developing will turn the grey area of diagnosing asthma into simple black and white. Asthma can be tricky for a doctor to diagnose, especially in young kids. Symptoms can mimic other diseases and spirometry, the breathing test to diagnose asthma, […]
Schools that Breathe
For too long, students with asthma and allergies have suffered with
symptoms in dusty, moldy, chemical-smelling classrooms. But now some
schools are wiping the slate clean – with a healthy approach to air.


text:
Not Gene- but-- Mine is 7ftX7ft and 36 inches deep... They claim it
holds like 5-7 people or something. One side of it is a chase lounge, so
you can really lay back and enjoy all those bubbles pounding on your
back/neck via many tiny holes. Of course it also has individual seating
for 4, plus the built in stairs to walk out. Even in the seated
positions, your neck and back are underwater. (but then again I am only
a tad over 5ft)
Now don't think I am rich or something- I bought it at a garage
> What does the air do that circulating water doesn't?
> And is your 2/3 seater tall enough to get your shoulders and neck
> submerged?
> I've looked at a couple that seem too short.
> Daryl
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text:
Head Over Heels (Lucky Harbor Series #3)by Jill Shalvis
Breaking rules and breaking hearts
Free-spirited Chloe lives life on the edge. Unlike her soon-to-be married sisters, she isn't ready to settle into a quiet life running their family's newly renovated inn. But soon her love of trouble--and trouble with love-draws the attention of the very stern, very sexy sheriff who'd like nothing better/b>/b>
Breaking rules and breaking hearts
Free-spirited Chloe lives life on the edge. Unlike her soon-to-be married sisters, she isn't ready to settle into a quiet life running their family's newly renovated inn. But soon her love of trouble--and trouble with love-draws the attention of the very stern, very sexy sheriff who'd like nothing better than to tame her wild ways.
Suddenly Chloe can't take a misstep without the sheriff hot on her heels. His rugged swagger and his enigmatic smile are enough to make a girl beg to be handcuffed. For the first time, instead of avoiding the law, Chloe dreams of surrender. Can this rebel find a way to keep the peace with the straitlaced sheriff? Or will Chloe's colorful past keep her from a love that lasts . . . and the safe haven she truly wants in a town called Lucky Harbor?
Editorial Reviews
"Jill Shalvis is a total original! It doesn't get any better."Suzanne Forster, New York Times bestselling author
"Ms. Shalvis characters leap off the page"RT Book Reviews
"Shalvis writes with humor, heart, and sizzling heat!"Carly Phillips, New York Times Bestselling Author
"Fall in love with Jill Shalvis! She's my go-to read for humor and heart."
"Clever, steamy, and fun! Jill Shalvis will make you laugh and fall in love."Rachel Gibson, New York Times bestselling author
"Shalvis makes me laugh, makes me cry, makes me sigh with pure pleasure."Susan Andersen, New York Times bestselling author of Playing Dirty
"This touching, character-rich, laughter-laced, knockout sizzler is the latest in Shalvis's award-winning series."
Library Journal, starred review
"Healthy doses of humor, lust, and love work their magic...a big winner."
Publisher's Weekly
"A Perfect Ten! A truly fun and engaging tale from beginning to end."
Product Details
- 9780446571630
- Publisher:
- Grand Central Publishing
- Publication date:
- 12/01/2011
- Series:
- Lucky Harbor Series , #3
- Pages:
- 368
- Sales rank:
- 161,531
- Product dimensions:
- 4.20(w) x 6.70(h) x 1.10(d)
Read an Excerpt
Head Over Heels
By Shalvis, Jill
ForeverCopyright © 2011 Shalvis, Jill
All right reserved.
Chapter 1
"If at first you don't succeed, destroy
all evidence that you tried."
Chloe Traeger
It wasn't often that Chloe Traeger beat her sisters into the kitchen in the morning, but with Tara and Maddie currently sleeping with the town's two hottest hotties, it'd been only a matter of time.
And in the name of fairness, Chloe hadn't actually gotten to bed yet, but that was just a technicality. With a wide yawn, she started the coffee. Then, gathering what she needed, she hopped up onto the counter—hissing in pain from her throbbing legs. The quiet in the kitchen soothed her as she mixed ingredients together for her natural antibacterial cream. Given how loudly she lived her life, the silence was a nice start to the day.
Especially today, which promised to get crazy quickly, though not much could out-crazy last night. Later in the afternoon, she'd be doing her esthetician thing at a high-end spa in Seattle, but first she had to put in some time here in Lucky Harbor at the B&B that she ran with her sisters.
The fact that her days were centering around work instead of play had her shaking her head with a rueful smile. Oh, how things change. Only a year ago, she'd been free as a bird, roaming happily from spa to spa at will, with no real ties. Then she and the half-sisters she'd never really known had inherited a dilapidated, falling-down-on-its-axis beach inn. With absolutely no knowledge of what to do with it.
Hard to believe how far they'd come. They'd renovated, turned the place into a thriving B&B, and now Chloe, Tara, and Maddie were real sisters instead of strangers. Friends, even.
Well, okay, so they were still working on the friends part, but they hadn't fought all week. Progress, right? And the fact that Chloe had been gone for four of the past seven days working at a five-star-hotel spa in Arizona instead of here in Washington didn't count.
Chloe looked down at the organic lavender oil she'd just "borrowed" from Tara's stash for her cream and winced.
Probably she could work harder on the friend thing…
Out the window, waves pounded the rocky shore in the purple light of dawn as she yawned again and stirred the softened beeswax and lanolin together with the lavender oil. When she was done, she carefully poured the cream into a sterile bottle. Then, still sitting on the counter, she tugged the legs of her sweat bottoms up to her knees, cringing in pain as she began to apply the antiseptic to the two long gashes on each of her calves. She was still sucking in a pained breath when the back door opened.
Sheriff Sawyer Thompson.
He practically had to duck to come in. He was in uniform, gun at his hip, expression dialed to Dirty Harry, and just looking at him had something pinging low in Chloe's belly.
He didn't appear to have the same reaction to her, of course. Nothing rippled Sawyer's implacable calm or got past that tough exterior. And he did have a hell of an exterior. At six feet three inches, he was built like a linebacker. But in a stunning defiance of physics, he usually had a way of moving all those mouth-watering muscles with an easy, male, fluid grace that would make an extreme fighter jealous.
Stupid muscles, Chloe thought as something deep within her tightened again from just looking at him. Some complicated combination of annoyance and reluctant lust. Last she'd checked, they had developed a sort of uneasy truce, meaning he lived by his rules and she lived by hers. Mostly this meant two different roads to the same conclusion, but there'd been some…misunderstandings.
Not wanting to explain last night—which would undoubtedly lead to another misunderstanding—she quickly yanked her sweatpants legs down to hide her injuries, shooting him the most professional smile in her repertoire. "Sheriff," she said smoothly.
The guarded expression that he wore as purposefully as he did the gun at his hip slipped for a single beat as he looked around. "Just you this morning?"
"Yep." Her smile turned genuine as Chloe enjoyed achieving what few could. She'd knocked that blank expression right off his face. She knew that was because he hadn't been expecting her. It was usually Tara who made the coffee every morning, coffee so amazing that Sawyer routinely stopped by on his way to work for a cup instead of facing the station's crap.
"Tara's not out of Ford's bed yet," she informed him.
The mention of his best friend and Chloe's sister in bed together made him grimace. Or more likely, it was Chloe's bluntness. In either case, he recovered and strode to the coffeemaker, his gait oddly measured, as if he was as tired-to-the-bone as she.
The county police and sheriff departments played weekly baseball games against the firefighters and paramedics, and they'd had one last night. Maybe Sawyer had played too hard. Maybe he'd had a hot date after. Given how women tried to get pulled over by him just to get face time, it was possible. After all, according to Lucky Harbor's Facebook page, phone calls to the county dispatch made by females between the ages of twenty-one and forty went up substantially whenever Sawyer was on duty.
His utility belt gleamed in the bright overhead light. His uniform shirt was wrinkled in the back and damp with sweat. She was wondering about that when he turned to her, gesturing to the coffeepot questioningly.
Heaven forbid the man waste a single word. "Help yourself," she said. "I just made it."
That made him pause. "You poison it?"
From her perch on the counter, she smiled. "Maybe."
With a small head shake, Sawyer reached into the cupboard for the to-go mugs Tara kept there for him.
"You're feeling brave, then," she noted.
He lifted a broad-as-a-mountain shoulder as he poured, then pointed to her own mug steaming on the counter at her side. "You're drinking it. You're a lot of things, Chloe, but crazy isn't one of them."
She suspected one of those "things" was a big pain in his very fine ass, but she shrugged.
Sawyer leaned his big frame against the counter to study her. Quiet. Speculative.
Undoubtedly, people caved when he did this, rushing to fill the silence. But silence had never bothered Chloe. No, what bothered her was the way she felt when he looked at her like that. For one thing, his eyes were mesmerizing. They were the color of melting milk chocolate but sometimes, like now, the tiny gold flecks in them sparked like fire. His hair was brown, too, the sort that contained every hue under the sun and could never be replicated in a salon. At the moment, it was on the wrong side of his last cut and in a state of dishevelment, falling over his forehead in front and nearly to his collar in back. The lines in his face were drawn tight with exhaustion, and she realized that he probably hadn't been headed in for his shift as she'd assumed, but just finishing one. Which meant that he'd been out all night, too, fighting crime like a superhero.
And yet somehow, he still managed to smell good. Guy good. She didn't understand it, but everything about him reminded her that she was a woman.
And that she hadn't had sex in far too long. "Seems a little early, even for you," she noted.
"Could say the same to you."
Something in his voice caused the first little niggle of suspicion in her brain and put her on alert. "Got a lot of things to mix up for the day spa I'm running later," she said.
His eyes never wavered from hers. "Or?"
Crap. Crap, she'd underestimated him. He was onto her, and the nerves quivered in her belly. "Or what?" she asked casually, shifting to get down off the counter, not looking forward to the pain at the contact. But Sawyer moved before she could, blocking her escape. His hips wedged between her legs, one hand on her thigh, the other on her opposite ankle, holding her in place.
"Romantic," she said dryly, even as her heart began to pound. "But I should get breakfast first, don't you think?"
"You're bleeding through your sweatpants." He shoved the sweats back up her legs to her knees, careful to avoid the wounds. As his eyes fixed on the deep gashes, the only sign he gave that he felt anything was the bunching of his jaw.
Chloe tried to pull free, but he was twice her size and tightened his grip on her thigh. "Hold still." He looked over the injuries, expression grim. "Explain."
"Um, I fell getting out of bed?"
He lifted his head and pinned her with his sharp gaze. "Try again, without the question mark."
"I fell hiking."
"Yeah," he said. "And I have some swamp land to sell you."
"Hey, I could be telling the truth."
"You don't hike, Chloe. It aggravates your asthma."
Actually, as it was turning out, living aggravated her asthma.
Sawyer bent to look more closely, pushing her hand away when she tried to block his view. "Steel," he said. "Steel fencing, I'm guessing. Probably rusted."
Her heart stopped. He knew. It seemed impossible—she'd been so careful—but he knew.
"You need a tetanus shot." He straightened his big frame but didn't move or let her go. "And a keeper, too," he added tightly. "Where are the dogs, Chloe?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Except that she did. She knew because she'd spent the long hours of the night with her best friend, Lance, procuring the very six dogs he'd just mentioned.
AKA stealing them.
But in her defense, it had been a matter of life and death. The young pit bulls belonged to a guy named Nick Raybo, who'd planned on fighting them for sport. What Chloe and Lance had done had undoubtedly saved the dogs' lives, but had also been good old-fashioned breaking and entering. And since B&E wasn't exactly legal…
Sawyer waited her out, and for the record, he was good at it. As big and bad as he was, he had more patience than Job, a result, no doubt, of his years behind the badge and hearing every outrageous story under the sun. And like probably thousands before her, Chloe caved like a cheap suitcase. "The dogs are with Lance," she said on a sigh.
He stared at her for one stunned beat. "Jesus, Chloe."
"They were going to die!"
His expression still said one-hundred-percent cop, but there was a very slight softening in his tone. "You should have called me," he said.
Maybe, she thought. "And you would have done what? They hadn't begun the fighting yet so you couldn't have taken the dogs off the property. And they were going to fight them tonight, Sawyer." Even now it made her feel sick. "They were going to pit them against each other. To the death." Her voice cracked a little on that, but he didn't comment as he once again bent his head and studied the gouges on her legs.
He was right about how she'd gotten them. It'd happened when she'd crawled beneath the fence behind Lance as they'd made their escape. She held her breath, not knowing what Sawyer might do. He could arrest her, certainly. But he didn't reach for his cuffs or cite her Miranda rights, both good signs in her book.
"These are deep," was all he said.
She let out a breath. "They're not so bad."
"You clean them out?" He ran a long, callused finger down her calf alongside one particularly nasty gash, and she shivered. Not from pain. Maybe it was her exhaustion, or hell, maybe it was just from having him stand so close, but the stoic, tough-guy thing was sort of doing it for her this morning. He was a little on edge and sweaty, and a whole lot hot and sexy, and utterly without her permission, her brain rolled out a "Stern Cop and the Bad Girl" fantasy…
She blinked away the image of him frisking her. "Yeah?"
His expression a little wary now, he repeated himself. "Did you clean these out?"
"Yes, sir."
He slid her a look, and she smiled innocently, but clearly she needed to have her hormone levels checked when she got her tetanus booster for this injury because she was way too aware of the heat and strength of him emanating through his uniform. Not to mention the matching heat washing through her, which was especially annoying because she had a personal decree that she never dated uptight, unbending men—particularly ones with badges.
The back door opened and Chloe jumped. Not Sawyer. Nothing ruffled him. Hell, he probably had sex without getting ruffled.
No, she thought, glancing up into his eyes. That wasn't true. Sawyer would have no qualms about getting ruffled, and a little shiver racked her body just as her sister Maddie walked into the kitchen, followed by her fiancé, Jax.
Not too long ago, both Tara and Chloe had nicknamed Maddie "the mouse," but she'd outgrown that moniker in spades since coming to Lucky Harbor. Now Maddie took one look at Sawyer wedged between Chloe's thighs and stopped short so fast that Jax plowed into her back. "What's this?" she demanded.
Chloe couldn't blame anyone for the shock, as typically she and Sawyer didn't share space well. In fact, usually when forced into close proximity, they resembled two tigers circling each other, teeth bared.
"Whatever it is," Jax said, taking in the scene, "it looks like fun." Jax was tall, lean, and on a mission as he poured himself a coffee and came directly toward Chloe, reaching for the drawer beneath her right thigh. "Can you move her leg?" he asked Sawyer. "I need a spoon, man."
Mouth still agog, Maddie plopped down into a chair. She waggled a finger between Chloe and Sawyer. "So you two are…?"
"No!" Chloe said and shoved at Sawyer, who still didn't budge, damn him. The two-hundred-plus lug was bent over her left calf again—the worst one—his hair brushing the insides of her thighs. She told herself not to think about how the silky strands would feel on her bare skin, but she totally did, and shivered again.
Sawyer looked up at her and she did her best to look cold instead of turned on. "You might actually need stitches," he said.
With a horrified gasp, Maddie hopped up to come look. Seconds later, Chloe had her sister, her sister's fiancé, and the man she didn't quite know how to categorize at all, standing far too close, staring at her injuries. She tried to close her legs but couldn't and tossed up her hands. "They're just scratches!"
"Oh, Chloe," Maddie murmured, concern creasing her brow. "Honey, you should have called me. What happened, and where else are you hurt?"
Sawyer's gaze ran over Chloe's entire body now, as if he could see through her sweats. A very naughty part of her brain considered telling him that the scratches went all the way up just so he'd demand a more thorough inspection.
Bad, bad brain. Because at just the thought, her chest tightened, and she had to reach for her inhaler, thanks to the asthma that always kept her slightly breathless.
And sexless. "It's nothing," she said. "I'm fine, all right? Back up."
Sawyer gave Jax a light shove away from her. "She and Lance rescued six dogs from the McCarthy place last night," he said to Maddie, ratting Chloe out without qualm.
Maddie shook her head, clearly horrified. "Chloe. God. That was…crazy dangerous."
Hearing the worry in her voice had guilt tugging at Chloe. She couldn't believe how much she'd grown to care about the two strangers that were her half-sisters, or for that matter, about Lucky Harbor and the people in it. The fact that she'd let down her guard enough to care at all was new.
For most of her childhood, it had been just Chloe and her mom, and the lessons had been clear: Connections weren't meant to last past the overnight camping pass. Only traditionalists let themselves get trapped by things like boring relationships or full-time jobs. The special people were destined to spread their wings and live life fully and freely.
Like Chloe and Phoebe.
"Raybo is crazy," Maddie said, moving to get coffee. "It could have gotten ugly."
Chloe wished Sawyer would move, too, and gave him a nudge with her foot. Actually, it might have been more like a kick. Didn't matter, he was a mountain and didn't move.
"It's awfully hot in here," Maddie said, and opened the window.
"It's called sexual tension." Jax sent an eyebrow wiggle in Sawyer and Chloe's direction.
Humor from the peanut gallery.
Sawyer sent Jax the sort of long, level look that undoubtedly had bad guys losing control of their bowels, but Jax just smiled. "If I was going to make that move on a woman, I'd at least have bought her breakfast first."
Chloe nodded. "That's what I said."
Maddie plopped into Jax's lap to cuddle up to him. "You made plenty of moves on me before you ever bought me breakfast."
"I'm not making moves," Sawyer said. Maddie and Jax stared pointedly at his position between Chloe's thighs. He lifted his hands from her as if he'd been burned, backing up with his hands in the air. "Okay, I'm going to bed now. Alone."
"You know what your problem is?" Jax asked. "You don't know how to have fun. Haven't for a long time."
"Does this"—Sawyer pointed in the general vicinity of Chloe's lower body—"look anything like fun to you?"
Jax choked back a snort, and even Maddie bit her lower lip to hide a smile.
"Jesus," Sawyer said with a small head shake. "You know what I mean."
Yeah. He'd meant the sorry mess Chloe had made of her legs, as well as the risks she'd taken last night, but she said "hey" anyway in token protest. Because dammit, her lower half could be lots of fun.
If she ever got to use it, that is.
Chapter 2
"If things don't seem right, try going left."
Chloe Traeger
One week later, Sawyer Thompson walked into his bedroom, dropped his gun and cell phone onto the nightstand, and glanced at his bed. It'd been a hell of a day, and the only thing that could have saved it would have been a woman waiting for him.
With nefarious intentions in mind.
He should have thought ahead when he'd broken it off with Cindy a few months back. But after four dates, the sweet, quiet, unassuming middle school teacher had already been unhappy going out with a guy who was on call just about 24-7.
He couldn't blame her. But nor could he change for her.
Needing a hot shower, he stripped and stood beneath the spray. Pressing his palms to the tile wall, he dropped his head and let the water bead over his aching neck and shoulders. Today should have been a day off, but the county was perpetually understaffed, and fellow sheriff Tony Sanchez had taken a personal day to help his wife take their newborn twins for a checkup. This left Sawyer covering not just Lucky Harbor but two neighboring small towns as well.
By midmorning, he'd faced a dead homeless guy slumped on a park bench—natural causes, according to the ME—and delivered a newborn out on Highway 37 from a woman in labor who somehow thought it was a good idea to drive herself to the hospital with contractions only one and a half minutes apart.
After that, there was still time left in his day to break up a barroom brawl, deal with a domestic dispute call, and his favorite, rescue a five-year-old and his puppy from a muddy storm drain.
The shower removed the residual dirt clinging to him from that last call, but it didn't revive him or numb the unrest coiling in his gut. A pizza and a beer might make a dent, but he didn't have time for that. Earlier he'd heard a rumor that Nick Raybo had procured more dogs and was planning a midnight event. Sawyer was going to make sure that didn't happen. Maybe he'd get pizza and beer afterward with Ford and Jax. Either of his best friends would join him no matter the time, but Sawyer knew he'd be shitty company tonight.
And in any case, what he really craved was a woman to bury himself in, and it wasn't sweet Cindy who came to mind as he soaped up. Nope, against all the reason and logic that he prided himself on, he wanted the one woman whose favorite pastime seemed to be pushing his buttons.
The thought of it, of having Chloe, was about as crazy as his week had been. She was obstinate, impulsive, trouble with a capital T…and damn. Hot. She was also a walking-talking reminder of a part of his life he'd given up—the wild part. There was a lot of sexual attraction, but no future. Because while he was a permanent fixture in this town, Chloe was just a sexy little tumbleweed blowing through.
The day after the dog-nabbing incident, there'd been an article in the opinion section of the local paper about recent vandalisms and petty theft in the area. The anonymous writer had gone on to include a list of people in town known for trouble seeking, and Chloe had been on it.
Not a big surprise.
He wondered if she'd been disturbed or upset by it. It wasn't in her nature to worry about what people thought of her. But he bet her sisters had been. They were trying to generate good press for the B&B, not negative.
Of course, if he'd arrested her for trespassing, B&E, and theft, that would have been negative press. And a personal hell for him since Tara and Maddie would have skinned him alive. Which was not why he hadn't arrested her, he told himself. He hadn't arrested her because…shit. Because for the first time in his adult life, he'd chosen to look the other way, and it didn't sit well.
He'd seen her several times this week. Once when she'd been coming out of the urgent care with a Band-Aid on her arm from her tetanus shot, and then again riding her Vespa on the highway, her long, wild red hair billowing out behind her, her helmet and Hollywood-style sunglasses hiding most of her face.
And yesterday he'd run into her at the grocery store just as she was pulling a bottle of vodka from the shelf, which she'd assured him was for work.
He'd laughed. He'd only been in the store to grab a sports drink on the way to his weekly baseball game, but he'd immediately forgotten about that, standing there in the aisle feeling…alive. "Work," he said. "The vodka's for work."
"It cleans glass like nobody's business. And if applied topically, it works as a great preservative. And did you know that used as a non-topical application, it's the perfect man cure?"
"How's that?"
"A few shots, and you're cured of wanting one."
He shook his head now at the memory. How in the hell she managed to make him want to both kiss her and run like hell was beyond him. He stepped out of the shower, dropped his towel, and pulled on fresh clothes before going back out. When he was on duty, he drove a department marked SUV. His personal vehicle was a truck. Both were equipped for whatever came his way, and tonight, going low profile, he took the truck. Lucky Harbor was basically a tiny little bowl sitting on the rocky Washington State coast, walled in by majestic peaks and lush forest. It was all an inky shadow now.
Nick Raybo had ten acres of land out at Eagle's Bluff, deep into the forest. It was rugged and isolated out there, perfect for all sorts of illegal dealings and a favorite place for partiers.
But that's not where Sawyer headed first.
At this time of night, his truck was the only vehicle on the road as he headed down the hill into town. The moon peeked through the clouds, hanging low and wan. It cast a pale glow over the Pacific Ocean churning against the rocky terrain off to his left. The pier was dark, the town was dark, and his thoughts were darker still.
He'd been raised here, though he used the term "raised" loosely. It'd been just him and his father, Nolan Thompson, a blue-collar union man who believed in hard work, Jim Beam, and ruling with an iron fist.
Or in Sawyer's case, a wicked long leather belt.
It hadn't helped much. Sawyer had been just about as wild as they came, which made it all the more amusing to those who knew him best that he now wielded a badge.
He drove through town and onto the narrow road that led to the Lucky Harbor Beach B&B. The inn was a Victorian, freshly painted and renovated, lit up warm and welcoming for guests. Pulling around to the back of the property, he idled in front of the small owner's cottage where Chloe lived.
The lights were off.
Sawyer hoped like hell that meant she was sleeping and not up at Eagle's Bluff with Lance in the middle of another Two Stooges act that could get them killed this time, but his luck wasn't running that way. A quick swipe of his flashlight didn't reveal her Vespa.
Exhausted and doing a slow burn at the thought of what Chloe might be up to, he got out of his truck to check around. To his relief, he found her Vespa parked on the side of the cottage.
On the way back to his truck, he flicked his light to the front door, taking in the potted plants thriving there and the yoga mat leaning against the wall. When she was in Lucky Harbor and not working at a spa somewhere around the country, Chloe liked to do yoga on the beach at sunrise. He'd seen her on that very mat, lit by the morning sun glinting off the waves, her tanned, toned limbs bent in impossible ways that made him think of other, better ways to bend them. Chloe on her mat was not only a huge turn-on, but an anomaly. She was blithe and breathless, literally, both from her free-spirited nature and from her severe asthma—the one exception being when she was doing yoga, the sole thing in her life that required a deep, calm stillness. Most likely that was what drew her to it.
He had no idea what drew him to her.
Okay, not true. She had a sharp mind, an even sharper wit, and used both to drive him up a wall as often as she could.
She was good at it.
He was good at letting her.
Shaking his head at himself, Sawyer turned to go just as someone cried out, the sound cutting through the night. He was at the front door, gun in hand, when the cry came again.
Not a pain-filled scream, he realized. Not one of terror either, but of passion. Loud passion, he corrected as she did it again.
Jesus. Closing his eyes, Sawyer dropped his head to the door, wishing like hell he wasn't here, listening to Chloe in the throes of what sounded like wild animal sex.
When the scream came a third time, a ridiculously over-the-top porn-star wail of epic proportions, it was accompanied by a low, husky, unmistakably male voice.
Definitely time to get the hell out of there. Sawyer turned on his heel to do just that, but the porch light suddenly flickered on, fully illuminating him to whoever was peeking out the peephole. A second later, the bolt clicked and the front door whipped open.
Grimacing, he turned back. Chloe stood in the doorway, her best friend, Lance, at her side, both fully dressed, thank Christ.
Lance ran the ice cream shop on the pier with his brother, Tucker. He was in his mid-twenties like Chloe, but painfully thin and pale from the cystic fibrosis that had been ravaging his body all his life.
Next to him, Chloe seemed to glow, the embodiment of health and exuberance. Her shiny, dark red hair was in wild waves tonight, loosely flying past her shoulders except for the few long bangs that framed her face. She was beautiful enough to be a model, but missing the compliant gene. Chloe had never met a direction or a command that suited her.
She wore a soft, black hoodie sweater that clung to her breasts and dark, hip-hugging jeans tucked into high-heeled boots that gave off a don't-fuck-with-me air but made him ache to do just that. There was a wildness to her tonight, hell, every night, and an inner darkness that he was drawn to in spite of himself.
It called to his true inner nature, the matching wildness and darkness within him, which he'd tried to bury a long time ago. Ridiculously relieved that she wasn't having sex, Sawyer backed up to go. She was home, safe and sound, and that was all he cared about.
"Sawyer? What are you doing here?"
Good question. He opened his mouth with absolutely no idea exactly what he planned to say, but Lance suddenly staggered and put his hand to his head.
Chloe instantly slid an arm around Lance's narrow waist to steady him. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing," Lance said, pushing free. "Got up too fast, is all."
"Here, sit." Ignoring his resistance, Chloe gently pushed Lance back inside, to the couch in the small living room. With a hand on his shoulder, she lifted her face to Sawyer, leveling him with her dark green eyes.
A jolt went through him, a zap of something he didn't care to name.
"What can I do for you, Sheriff?" she asked.
Yeah, Sawyer, what can she do for you? He searched his brain. "You can explain breaking the noise ordinance."
Lance laughed softly.
"Noise ordinance?" Chloe asked. "I broke the noise ordinance with my pretend orgasm?"
"You did sound like a mule stuck in a tar pit," Lance said helpfully.
"A mule—" Chloe choked on a laugh. "Okay, no one who's heard the real thing would ever even think of comparing me to a mule."
This information didn't help Sawyer at all. "Is that right?"
Chloe's gaze locked on his. In the sudden charged silence, Lance cleared his throat. "This is weird. I'm going to the kitchen now, while the two of you finish…whatever the hell this is. Call for me if you're going to need bailing out, Chloe."
"Sure," she said, her gaze never leaving Sawyer's. "I'll let you know if I end up in cuffs."
Lance grimaced. "Okay, never mind. Don't call me."
Chloe laughed, but Sawyer was stuck on the mental image of her in his cuffs. If he'd been half the cop he liked to think he was, it wouldn't, couldn't, cause such an erotic rush.
Something came into Chloe's eyes that told him she knew exactly where his mind had just gone—and that just maybe hers had gone there, too. The temperature in the room seemed to shoot up, but the sound of a harsh coughing in the kitchen, hard and relentless, like someone was dying, sent a chill down Sawyer's back.
Chloe rushed into the kitchen, instantly all soft, warm, caring woman, in a way that Sawyer had never seen directed at him. When he followed, he found her murmuring something for Lance's ears only, reaching for him.
Lance, clearly not willing to be babied, held her off, pounding a fist to his own chest to try to catch some desperately needed air. When he'd finally recovered, he looked over Chloe's head at Sawyer. "If you're here to make sure she's not going to Eagle's Bluff tonight, the coast's clear. She's not going."
"Wait— What?" Chloe said, dividing a look between both men. "Nick has more dogs?"
Lance's face went blank. "Had."
Sawyer sighed. "You took them already."
"That would be breaking and entering, and stealing," Lance said.
Ah, Christ. Sawyer didn't know whether to be relieved that Lance hadn't dragged Chloe into it again, or be pissed off that he'd once again taken matters into his own hands instead of letting Sawyer handle it. He settled on pissed off because it was easier. "It has to go through proper channels to get it stopped permanently. You know that."
"Proper channels are too slow for the dogs," Lance said unapologetically.
"If you get caught with them, Raybo will press charges."
Lance shrugged. He didn't care. And why should he? The guy was already facing a virtual death sentence with the CF, which left him hell bent and determined to say "fuck you" to karma whenever possible.
Chloe was giving Lance a dark look. She was pissed. But Lance just shook his head. "Like you needed another mention in the paper as a troublemaker."
"I don't care what people think, Lance. I care about you. And those dogs."
"You care what people think of the inn. You care that people whispering about you might keep the inn from getting good word of mouth. You care that it could hurt your sisters."
Chloe let out a breath. "Yeah. I do."
The sudden scent of acrid smoke had Sawyer frowning, and turning on his heel, he headed back outside. Beyond the inn and the cottage was the ocean. He couldn't see it in the dark, but he could hear it pounding the shore. Off to the left was the marina building and dock, and beyond that, woods. The trees were thick as feathers, growing right up to the waterline in some spots. He couldn't see a fire, but he could sure as hell smell it. It was illegal to have a campfire without a permit, not to mention they were in the middle of high fire season, but suddenly from somewhere beyond the tree line came an undeniable glow.
Sawyer turned back to the door, nearly plowing over Chloe, who'd come out after him. It was automatic to reach for her, to grip her arms until balance was restored, but for a beat, they were plastered to each other. Her hair brushed his jaw, her soft breasts pressed against his chest, and as tended to happen with her, he felt something stir inside him other than a frustrated indifference.
She murmured a soft, nearly inaudible apology but didn't pull away.
"My fault," he said, looking down in her face. "Who's in your woods?"
"Tucker and some of his friends," Lance said from behind her.
Tucker was Lance's older brother, which meant the friends with him were Jamie and Todd, and aside from the fact that Todd and Sawyer went way back, to a time Sawyer preferred not to think about, the combo of those four guys usually spelled mayhem. "They have a permit?"
Lance laughed.
Right. No permit. "They doing anything illegal out there besides the campfire?" Sawyer asked.
"Maybe drinking beer."
Perfect. When Todd drank, he became the King of the Terminally Stupid. The others were never far behind. Sawyer stepped off the porch, stopping when Chloe followed him. He grabbed her wrist, his thumb brushing the very small tattoo she had there at her pulse point, an Asian symbol he didn't know the meaning of.
"I want to come with—"
"No," he said, knowing the smoke would bring on her asthma. "Wait here."
At the command, her face closed, and for a moment he wished…
Hell. He had no idea what he wished when it came to her. She twisted him in fucking knots. It used to be they just rubbed each other the wrong way, but lately he'd been extremely caught up in rubbing her the right way. Which actually, when it came right down to it, made him the King of the Terminally Stupid.
Chapter 3
"It's always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it."
Chloe Traeger
Chloe held Sawyer's steely gaze with one of her own, though she got a crick in her neck doing it. He was big, armed to the teeth, and if the flash in his eyes meant anything, his irritation level was on the rise.
Nothing new when it came to her.
To be fair, she'd certainly earned his wrath on several occasions, back when she'd first arrived in Lucky Harbor. But she'd grown up over the past year and was learning—or trying anyway—to curb her impulsive, reckless behavior. Having grown up with a mother whose only consistent passion had been following the Grateful Dead, Chloe hadn't learned a whole lot about roots or long-lasting relationships. Or long-lasting anything for that matter. But she was working on it, on becoming more aware of both herself and how her actions affected others. And also what it meant to care. There was no doubt that she was still a work in progress, but then again, she'd never claimed to be anything but.
And slightly tamed though she might be, she could still dig in her heels with the best of them. So when Sawyer commanded her to "wait here," the urge to do the opposite was strong.
It would appear that she wasn't quite as grown up as she thought.
In response to her unspoken reaction, the very corners of Sawyer's lips twitched. Not quite a smile. More like a grimace to go with the faint lines of stress around his eyes and mouth and the tension in his shoulders.
He was tired. From the look of it, he'd already had a hell of a long day, which only added to the ruffian edge to him. He wore a button-down untucked over the gun at his hip, and jeans that fit him perfectly across the butt. Yes, she'd checked.
And let's not forget the testosterone and pheromones and all around general air of badassness. He was a man always ready for anything, anytime, and he wasn't someone to tangle with. Something she knew all too well. He was intense, hard, unyielding, and—
"The smoke, Chloe. Stay back because of the smoke."
—and uncompromisingly fair. With a sigh, she nodded.
He gave her one last long look and walked toward the woods. She'd never been drawn to ridiculous displays of naked courage or sheer brawn, but Sawyer really brought it to a whole new level.
"You're drooling," Lance said dryly, having stepped up to her side.
She ignored him, not taking her eyes off the spot where Sawyer had vanished. No, she wasn't drooling, but something just as bad. She was tingling. It's okay, she told herself. A woman would have to be dead not to feel anything when she looked at Sawyer Thompson, and Chloe wasn't close to dead.
Yet, she thought wryly, feeling the smoke begin to invade her lungs. Twice a day, she took meds to control her asthma, but she also carried a fast-acting inhaler for the in-between times when she hit trouble—like now. She pulled it out of her pocket and took a puff. Then she looked over at Lance. "Where's your sweatshirt? Your lips are blue."
They both knew his lips weren't blue because he was cold, but Lance obligingly went back inside for his sweatshirt. "You're so predictable, Chloe."
Chloe was many things. She was a sister, a friend, an esthetician. She was a wanderer and an adventurer. She was also hard-willed, stubborn as an ox, and quick to temper. But one thing she wasn't, was predictable. "Take that back," she said.
"Predictable," he repeated. "Among other things."
"Such as?" She stepped off the porch but stopped when Lance grabbed her wrist.
"You're staying," he said. "I don't want to get arrested tonight for aggravating an officer."
"He won't arrest you for that." But he was right, there was no reason to piss Sawyer off. And yet, dammit, staying went against the grain. Like so many other things in her life. It was her asthma's fault. It held her back, and because of it, she tended to push the envelope too far in other ways. She understood that, from the outside looking in, it might seem like she had a secret death wish, but she didn't. It was just that when she was in the midst of an asthma attack, she often felt so close to death that she, well, dared it. But she just wanted to run or dance or laugh hard, or have sex without needing an inhaler and possibly an ambulance.
Not exactly a common problem, but one that often left her straddling a fine line between socially acceptable behavior and the wild yearnings her mother had always encouraged. Her sisters wanted her to stop pushing those boundaries and settle down a little. And it was that which bothered Chloe more than anything. The message was simple: If she wanted to be accepted, even loved, by those she'd come to care about, she'd need to change. But dammit, she wanted to be accepted just as she was, imperfections and all. "Predictable," she said like it was a dirty word.
Lance sighed and put a hand over hers. "Okay, maybe not predictable so much as…"
He laughed softly.
He got her, and always had. So it really sucked that they had no chemistry together. "Lance?"
She squeezed his fingers. "I'm really annoyed that you aren't sexy."
"Gee, thanks," he said dryly.
"To me, I mean." She nudged her shoulder against his. "I want to want you. You know?"
Lance slid a hand to her ass. "Give me ten minutes and I'll change your mind— Oof," he said when she elbowed him, but he laughed good-naturedly. He knew. They both knew. First of all, he was like her brother and had been since the day they'd met. And second, he was totally, completely, pathetically hung-up on one of the cute nurses at the medical center where he spent far too much of his time.
Not that he'd ever do anything about it.
"What woman would be attracted to a sick guy with a looming expiration date?" he'd asked her once.
Which left it just the two of them against the world.
Not having sex.
A low-lying fog was rolling in off the water, slipping through the night toward them like silvery fingers. Through it, several shadows appeared, materializing into the outlines of men. Todd, Tucker, and Jamie, with bad attitude in every line of their bodies.
Sawyer was behind them.
As they came closer, Chloe saw that Todd was holding a piece of paper. Normally he was also one of those easy charmers who could convince a nun to give up her habit. He'd certainly turned it on her as often as possible—not that it'd ever gotten him anywhere. But now he displayed none of that charm, passing by the porch without a word, heading around to the side of the marina where they'd parked. Jamie went with him.
Not Tucker. He stopped and looked up the porch steps at his brother, an odd tension simmering between the siblings. "You okay?" Tucker finally asked, and when Lance nodded, he gestured the way Todd and Jamie had gone. "Then let's go, we're out of here."
Lance's gaze slid to the retreating stiff shoulders of Todd and Jamie with unease, and Chloe grabbed his hand. "You promised to stay and try out my chest rub to see if it helps you breathe easier, remember? I'll drive you home after."
When Tucker left without another word, Lance squeezed her hand, then dropped it. "I'll be inside," he said, and with one last look at the still silent Sawyer, vanished into the cottage.
Chloe turned to the sheriff. The shimmering tension between them certainly wasn't sibling-like. Nor was it going to disappear anytime soon, which meant she had two choices: Get used to it or fight it.
Because Sawyer was the last man on earth that she should ever get involved with, option number two was the smart route.
Returning her gaze evenly, he waited. He never spoke more words than absolutely necessary, and this drove her batshit crazy. "What happened out there?"
"I ticketed Todd for the illegal bonfire."
"Just Todd?"
"He was the one who started it."
She paused. Todd was one of those guys who could talk his way into a bank vault with nothing but a smile, and then walk out with all the money, leaving the bank manager happy to have been ripped off. He was also a native Lucky Harbor guy, and the residents were very fond of their own, troubled son or no.
Sawyer was native too, and just as well liked, if not more so. "You ticketed him even though everyone lights illegal bonfires out there?"
"Not in a high fire hazard season, they don't," he said.
"It's almost October."
"Fire season," Sawyer repeated.
"So…if I lit a campfire, you'd arrest me?"
"Ticket," he corrected. "Not arrest. Not for a first offense."
What was wrong with her that the stern cop thing he had going on was doing it for her? Huh. Maybe she didn't want to fight this attraction so much as test its boundaries. "What if it was my second offense? Would you frisk and cuff me then?"
His eyes darkened. "What is it with you and my cuffs?"
"Well, if you don't know," Chloe said as demurely as she could, "I don't want to corrupt you." She made to go inside, but Sawyer snagged her sweater and tugged her back.
"Not so fast," he said and studied her, giving nothing of his thoughts away. "You're playing with me," he finally decided.
"I don't like games, Chloe."
No shit. She'd known him for nearly a year now, and yet she didn't know him at all. He kept everything extremely close to the vest, which she could admit made her quite envious, as she was completely incapable of doing the same.
"What were you and Lance up to earlier?" he wanted to know.
"Popcorn. Chatting. Stuff."
"I mean with the Meg Ryan orgasm impersonation."
She hesitated. This was going to be embarrassing. "I'm not sure you're going to understand."
"Try me."
"Okay, well, sometimes the cottage creaks at night, you know?"
"It's probably the wood and joints settling."
"Yes, but it's the 'probably' part that gets me. At night, it's…loud."
"And you sleep here alone now."
"Yes." Maddie had moved in with Jax, and in fact, was marrying him in two months. Tara had moved out as well to live with her boyfriend, Ford. The three sisters worked out shifts when they had overnight guests, but for the most part, Chloe took care of anything that came up because she was the one without a life. "Sometimes it sounds like there's a…ghost." She waited for him to laugh, and even gave some thought to all the ways she might hurt him if he did, but he didn't.
He just looked at her meditatively. "You could tell your sisters you don't like sleeping here alone."
Hell, no. She'd already managed to stir up negative press; she wasn't going to bring more chaos. "They have more on their plates than I do. I'm not going to add worry or grief to it by telling them I'm afraid." And she wished like hell that she wasn't telling him either. "It's no big deal. It's just that I read one Stephen King too many, and sometimes, I get a little freaked is all. Lance knows that and comes over, and we make up funny stories to go with my ghost."
"Tonight we decided the ghost died here at age ninety-nine. A virgin."
"A ninety-nine-year-old-virgin ghost."
"Hey, it's not as unlikely as you might think. Anyway, she can't go on to her afterlife until she has an orgasm. So she stays here, granting wishes. Tonight Lance wished for a long, normal life, and…" Her throat tightened because Lance could wish all he wanted but it wasn't going to happen for him. And God, how she hated that, hated it so damn much that sometimes she couldn't breathe just thinking about it. "So assuming the ghost grants his wish," she said softly, "in return, we were trying to give her the orgasm she'd never had."
His mouth twitched. "A fake orgasm."
"Yes, well, it's the best we had." She didn't know how she felt about Sawyer catching her silly show, or what the hell he could have possibly thought when he'd heard her screaming.
Or why she cared…
But she did. And in return, he nodded in understanding. It didn't exactly go with the tough, unflappable cop image she'd always had of him, a guy who followed the rules and a set path for life like a map, no veering. Black and white, always.
He certainly wasn't someone who would get her need to live saturated in color.
Lance poked his head out and showed her that he was holding the chest rub. "Ready to take me home?"
Nodding, Chloe turned from Sawyer.
"Chloe," he said. "You're staying away from Eagle's Bluff tonight."
She glanced back, not surprised he'd bring it up again, and even less surprised that it was a command and not a question. "Sure."
"I mean it, Chloe."
He was back to being all cop. It defined him. It suited him. It must be nice to know what defined you, what suited you. "I know you do, Sheriff."
He let her go, and she got on the Vespa, putting on her helmet. Lance got on behind her and slid his arms around her waist. Chloe revved the engine and hit the gas, glancing into her side mirror.
As they pulled away, she could see Sawyer standing there watching them go in the growing fog.
Chapter 4
"Why was man created before woman? Because you always need a rough draft before the final copy."
Chloe Traeger
Chloe got up before dawn, when the sky was still inky black. Every October was fire season but this October, drier than any in recent history, made it all the more dangerous. Still, there were some benefits to a dry fall, and taking advantage of it, she dressed in yoga pants and a long-sleeved tee and took her mat to the beach to work out. When she was on the road, she did yoga in some of the fanciest hotels in the world, but here, with the rhythmic pulsing of the waves crashing onto the rocks, the seagulls squawking, the sand crunching beneath her mat—this was her favorite.
Afterward, she walked. She didn't usually do that, couldn't if her chest was too tight, but she had the time this morning and needed to burn some energy.
Everything was quiet, not a single soul stirring except the seagulls and the pounding surf, but she knew her way well enough by now to get along in the predawn. Lucky Harbor was a picturesque little beach town, nestled in a rocky cove with an eclectic mix of the old and new. The main drag was lined with Victorian-style buildings, most painted in a variety of bright colors. There was a long pier that jutted out into the water, lined with a café, a few shops, an arcade, and a Ferris wheel. Since Chloe wasn't ready to face her day, she walked the pier to the end, standing in one of the far corners between two benches so that she could feel surrounded by the ocean below.
She gave herself a Titanic moment, closing her eyes, raising her face to the salty, still chilly air. To the east, the dark sky was tinged slightly purple with the coming day.
It was hard to believe that she was still here in Lucky Harbor. A year ago, she, Tara, and Maddie had been living their own lives, rarely connecting, so different. Whether that was due to the mysteries of genetics from their three different fathers or simply the fact that they'd been raised separately, Chloe didn't know. Their mom, Phoebe Traeger, had been the embodiment of a true, free spirit. She'd kept to the road, found love—often—then had moved along. Nothing had stuck to Phoebe, not even her two eldest daughters. Nothing except Chloe. Chloe had been her one concession to a traditional life, if you could consider being schooled in the back of a VW bus and eating most of their meals in soup kitchens traditional.
Tara's father had taken Tara with him when he and Phoebe's relationship had deteriorated. Maddie's father had done the same when she'd come along a few years later. Chloe couldn't say what her own father had done or felt, as she'd never known him. Phoebe hadn't talked about him and had always dodged Chloe's questions by claiming Chloe was a gift from a life well lived.
Ahead of Chloe, the Pacific Ocean was a deep, choppy sea of black, meeting the metallic sky. The entire vista was framed by rocky bluffs, misty and breathtaking. She stood there and wondered at her fondness for this place, which seemed to anchor her like no other. She'd been fond of places before, lots of them, but she'd never had a connection like the one she'd had with Lucky Harbor.
When she heard footsteps come up behind her, she instinctively grabbed her inhaler like it was Mace and whirled around.
Sawyer stood there all rugged and damp from exertion and looking damn gorgeous. He took in her ready stance and then the inhaler, held out like a gun. "Going to shoot me with that?"
Chloe shoved the inhaler back into her waistband. "What are you doing?" It was a stupid question, born of nerves. He was dressed in sweatpants and a T-shirt, breathing heavy but not overly labored. Clearly he'd been running, which caused a yearning to well up within her to do the same. But running would be like stepping out in front of a speeding car—deadly.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Of course." It was easier to think of Sawyer as a badge. A sanctimonious authority figure, and an irritating one at that. But whether she liked it or not, there was more to the man, much more. Yeah, he was tough, stoic, and impenetrable, but once in a while he'd reveal more, like the way his eyes filled with concern when he'd seen her injuries after rescuing the dogs, not to mention how he'd let her stretch the letter of the law that night. "I'm always okay," she said. "Tell me what happened last night at Eagle's Bluff."
He gave her one of his patented "yeah right" looks.
Okay, so he was still more irritating than intriguing. Good to know. "Come on, Sheriff. It'll be on Facebook if anything went down, so you might as well spill."
The threat was legit. Lucille ran the local art gallery and Lucky Harbor's Facebook page with equal enthusiasm. In fact, her updates were practically required reading for Lucky Harbor residents. She reported on the happenings in town, each detail joyfully chronicled, the juicier the better.
"We found no dogs on the premises," he said.
He shifted to go, but she asked the question that was tweaking her curiosity. "So why did you stop?"
"Excuse me?"
"Why didn't you just keep running when you saw me out here?"
Not a blink. Not even a shrug.
"Sheriff Sawyer Thompson," she murmured. "Communication master."
The very corner of his mouth turned up slightly. It knocked her off balance a little.
A lot.
"Let me guess," she said. "You couldn't resist me." She couldn't say why she was poking the bear, but maybe it was her version of running…with scissors. "You saw me, and you couldn't resist me, and so you stopped to…"
"Well, that's the question, isn't it?" she asked. "I mean, we don't like each other. We don't have anything in common. Whatever would we do with each other?"
His eyes heated at that, and in reaction, her nipples contracted to two tight beads. Hmmm. Apparently they could do plenty. But before she could process that, he took a step back as if to go.
"I scare you," Chloe said.
"Hell, yeah," he admitted, shocking a laugh from her. He wasn't afraid. Nothing scared him. But she'd learned not to tangle with the good sheriff unless she was on her A-game, and that wasn't the case at the moment. Being in Sawyer's presence took all of her concentration so that she didn't accidentally give herself away. Because the truth was, in spite of the overwhelming odds of the two of them being a major train wreck if they ever got together, she wanted him.
It was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever wanted.
After all, he was rigid where she was flexible. He was black and white, and she was all the rainbow in between, and they didn't go together.
Not that her body cared about logic. He was the most virile, potent, testosterone-filled guy she'd ever met. Sex with him would be fireworks, thunderstorms.
But even she knew that she wasn't ready for prime time with Sawyer Thompson. "I have to go."
"Now who's scared?"
"No, I have to get back to the inn." It was nearly seven, and she needed to beat her sisters there. They hadn't had any guests last night, but Tara was adamant that someone always be available, even at the ass crack of dawn.
Someone being Chloe, naturally.
"Know what I think?" Sawyer asked.
Excerpted from Head Over Heels by Shalvis, Jill Copyright © 2011 by Shalvis, Jill. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Meet the Author
New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill's bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.
You can learn more at:
Twitter @jillshalvis
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First let me say I am ecstatic to have found a new favorite author. Head Over Heels by Jill Shalvis is a fun and steamy contemporary romance. There were so many things I loved about this book! The chemistry is HOT between Chloe, the "wild child" and Sawyer the reformed "bad boy." I love that we really get to know them as a reader and when they finally get together it's explosive! Shalvis' writing is witty and fun. The best way to describe her writing is she writes what others think, but fail to say. Shalvis does a wonderful job character building, as I read it I really felt like I was part of Lucky Harbor. I loved the quotations under each chapter number, the more I read about Chloe the more I thought, "yeah she would say that." My only complaint is I wish there would've been something about Lance in the epilogue. Although he was minor character in the story I really thought he was a great addition. I was rooting for his Happy Ending too, but maybe it was better to leave things the way they were. Overall, I really loved this story and the characters within it were fantastic! I can't wait for the next Lucky Harbor novel. I will be impatiently anticipating her next novel Lucky in Love. June sounds so far away! I highly recommend this novel to anyone who loves a great contemporary romance! The best part about this book is it's part of a series of Lucky Harbor Novels.
Sisters.Chloe is the youngest and the most irresponsible. Of course, she also has the biggest heart and the biggest problem staying still. Trying to stay out of trouble and keep their joint venture B&B out of the wrong pages of the newspaper is starting to wear on her nerves – well, That and trying to avoid the straight-arrow, by-the-book sheriff who is obviously a dead end for her. If only she could stop herself.
Chloe Traeger was always the sister that moved to her own beat. She had been raised by an eclectic mother that showed her dreams and chased fantasies in life. Chloe tries to fit in with her sisters and the new B&B they are running but it is not an easy task to be assigned. When Sheriff Sawyer Thompson shows an unnerving attraction to her, the only thought Chloe could think of was ¿seriously.¿ While Sawyer and Chloe do a dance of seduction and mystery, the rest of the town is watching and posting pictures on Facebook. Sawyer is not amused as he has gotten over being the reason for trouble in town and wants Chloe to realize she is loved regardless of her antics. Sawyer tries to give Chloe the opportunity to have it all and still have a great time, hopefully with him. Sawyer is efficient on the job and Chloe is helping to expand the family business but in the end will the war of words between them pull them together or tear them apart? This book hits on all cylinders for me with a fast paced, intense story of love and freedom colliding. There are great characters, secondary characters that are unique and well rounded, and enough drama to keep every mama happy! There were some spots which repeated themselves but did not deter from the story.
Head Over Heels is the third novel in the Lucky Harbor series, which feature the sassy and funny half-sisters Tara, Maddie, and Chloe. The three of them run a B&B in the quaint town of Lucky Harbor. This time around, it is Chloe's turn to try to find love and to see if Sawyer is "inhaler worthy," since she is very asthmatic. Chloe is the wild child of the family because of her upbringing, and she has a hard time showing her emotions and letting people get close to her. Sawyer, the sheriff of Lucky Harbor, has also had a troubled past and has his own barriers to loving someone. Chloe and Sawyer are opposites, but they cannot deny the attraction to each other any longer. This is the first Lucky Harbor novel I have read. However, I quickly came to like the characters. Not only Chloe, but the other two sisters and the other residents of the town. The three sisters are written in such a way that you just want to be best friends with them. Each chapter starts off with a quote from Chloe, which makes you feel like you are getting to know her even more. Jill Shalvis has portrayed the characters and their emotions perfectly. Heartwarming, funny and sexy all at the same time. It will keep you turning the page to follow along with Chloe and Sawyer. The next time I am in the mood for a contemporary romance novel, I will be looking for the rest of the Lucky Harbor series. (This is a reprint from my blog Krazy Book Lady.)
An exceptional book- hard to put down. Enjoyed it
Head Over Heels by Jill Shalvis is another hot and sexy read in the Lucky Harbor series. Chloe Traeger has never been one to put down roots. She has always been on the go and even reuniting with her sisters hasn't put a stop to her living life on the edge. But spending so much time in Lucky Harbor getting the B&B up and running has her rethinking that the life on the road isn't all its cracked up to be anymore. Add to that mix is her being drawn to the by the books sheriff in town, Sawyer Thompson. Sheriff Sawyer Thompson has kept his eyes on wild child Chloe Traeger since she blew into town months ago. Sawyer has had to grow up quickly with a these then stellar parent and Chloe makes him rethink his straight arrow way of life. Keeping Chloe out of trouble has become a fulltime job for Sawyer but its one that he doesn't might spending his time watching over her. Chloe and Sawyer are true opposites that send sparks flying when ever they are together. They both are fine on their own but its something extra special when they quit fighting their feelings and give their relationship the green light. This series has been an absolute treat, it great to revisit past characters each new book. Looking forward to more books in this delightful series.
Head Over Heels by Jill Shalvis Love the quotes in the recipe box that their mom had started in previous book and the girls have kept up in each of their books. Chloe, the wild one, is always up to something. She's involved with Lance who has CF and lives on the edge. The local sheriff always seems to be right there when she gets home. He's not yet arrested her as he doesn't want to bring bad attention to the B&B her sisters are running. Her sisters are almost married to his best friend and his brother. A neighbor wants to fight pit bull vs pit bull and have wagers. She and Lance say it's not right to make dogs harm themselves to death so they crossed the wire fence to let dogs out. She got cut up really bad and ended up having to go to the ER to get fixed up. Find it very interesting to learn of the different natural products you can mix to help with spa treatment areas: frizzy hair, dry skin, etc Terror strikes when she gets anonymous heavy breather phone calls. She tries to win over her sisters by talking about how she'd turn one room of the inn into a spa, this way she'd NOT have to leave to do her treatments at hotels. I like Chloe's iphone app the magic 8 ball where you ask it a yes or no question. They all have fun with it. She's been spending a lot of time with Sawyer, helping paint his house, bringing him lunch, etc. Drug deals, runaway bride, kidnapping, revenge and mud springs all lead us to the finale. What a really nice treat at the end.
Jill Shalvis has done it again!!! In Simply Irresistible, the first book in this series, we were introduced to Chloe. She was the youngest of the three sisters and extremely free spirited. She enjoys life to it's fullest and rubs the town's Sheriff the wrong way. This continues in The Sweetest Thing, book 2, but we notice that she is starting to settle down some. In HEAD OVER HEELS, we finally get to hear her story. Chloe is still very free spirited but we learn that she is a bit lost. She has severe asthma and isn't able to do most things but that doesn't stop her from enjoying life. Until the town's ruggedly sexy and extremely stern Sheriff steps in to tame her wild ways. I absolutely loved this story. Chloe is sweet and kind yet wild and free. Sawyer is quiet, confident, and extremely kind. And did I mention hot? Wooohooo he is one sexy man. They both have a past that they are trying to overcome and they find comfort in each other. The smexin is hot and sexy and extremely sweet. There is a scene, once Sawyer learns to deal with her asthma, that had my tearing up because he was so thoughtful and caring. The chemistry between the characters burns up the pages and the banter between the two will have you chuckling the whole way through. This story was very well rounded and had all the characteristics of a must read story. I recommend you start at the beginning of the series to get the full effect of the book.
My Review: Ever since we met Chloe with her debilitating asthma and her contentious relationship with the town sheriff, Sawyer, I have been excited about their story. I just knew that it was going to be wonderful and I was so right! This was a WONDERFUL book! This book epitomizes everything that I love about contemporary romance. The heroine, Chloe, is feisty, although she has had obstacles growing up that would weaken a lesser character. The hero, Sawyer, is pure alpha, but still maintains his wonderful emotion and compassion. There is a great back-story for both these characters, both in their childhood, but also in the history of their relationship which has definitely been rocky from the start. Chloe doesn't think twice about skirting the edge of the law if she thinks it will right a wrong. That is definitely NOT something that Sawyer likes about her especially since he seems to be catching her at one illegal activity or other all in the name of the greater good. The issue though is that he can't seem to help but admire her gumption and stubbornness even in the face of what could be a life threatening illness for her. Through it all, there are several back and sub-stories which were equally intriguing...Sawyer working with the DEA and his conflict over the issues with his childhood accomplice, Todd. Sawyer is also dealing with his elderly and ill father. Their's has never been an easy relationship, but it was wonderful to see that change a bit in this book. Chloe is still trying to find her place with her two sisters and their B&B business, so she is working at building a new day spa. Chloe's best friend is Lance and he is dying from cystic fibrosis. His story is so heart-wrenching especially watching it from Chloe's point of view. There are really some wonderful story lines in this awesome book! I have honestly loved every book in this series and this was the perfect final book about these awesome three sisters. I have heard, and am so excited about the fact, that there are going to be three more Lucky Harbor books next year. Yippee!!! I love me some Jill Shalvis reading and with the glimpses that we saw of Cute Guy in this one, they definitely promise to be some more MUST-READ books!
Loved the first three books in this series... This is Chloe and Sawyer's story and two more unlike people you will never meet... But each has something the other needs and together they equal one... This book also touches on Chloe's serious asthma condition and her good friends cystic fibrosis condition... While you will feel sad for each of them you will cheer loudly for the way they refuse to be beaten by the serious health issues... Wonderful series about three half sisters who come together when their mother dies and leaves them a run down inn on the coast of Washington... Well written, great characters and a HEA in every story...
Jill Shalvis is a comedic genius who writes stories that make you want to live in her stories. This is one of those stories. Here you have free spirit Chloe, who doesn't let anything stop her including asthma and Sawyer, a straight-laced sheriff who was once a bad boy. Add to this a little intrigue involving drug dealers and bad boys. This is a story that shows you that you can overcome disability and history to find a true love.
Ok I just read this whole series well up till the last one out and can't wait till the next one comes out! This Town sounds like a great place to be! I want to go visit lol Started with this one Loved it went back and made sure I had them all . Waiting for the next . I would recommend this series ! Love Laughs and yes some heat :D Thank you for this fun series !
*it says in a echoing voice* if you want get revenge on carrie by stealing the child me who will be walking in the forest! Till next time! *the lightning flashes and its gone*
Ha bye i turn invisible d wk through the barrior
Loved it
I loved this book the most out of the series. Love Sawyer and Chloe's story.
Enjoyable read in the Lucky Harbor series.


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Gawker.TV's In-Depth Interview with Jack "The Winnebago Man" Rebney
Gawker.TV had the exciting opportunity to talk with director Ben Steinbauer and YouTube celebrity Jack Rebney before their movie, Winnebago Man, opened at Landmark Sunshine Cinemas on Friday evening.
As I was ushered into the hallowed sanctuary, AKA the Winnebago, I was nervous. The "angriest man in the world" is a nerve-wracking subject to interview, but I was slightly calmed as I had seen the feature film Steinbauer and Rebney were in New York to promote. It shows a warmer side to the unwittingly hilarious Winnebago salesman. My nerves were brought to complete peace once our dialogue began, Rebney proved himself to be both passionate and provocative as well as polite and kind. His mind might be a piece of shit in the morning, but when evening comes, the man has things to say.


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Jennifer Litwinowicz's posts from March 2012
91. My Brown Eyed Girl
My beauty
posted on March 31, 2012
90. Photo Technique Challenge: Motion Blur
posted on March 30, 2012
89. Playing in the Woods
posted on March 29, 2012
88. Mystic Theme: Circles
well…. spheres actually but it counts right??
posted on March 28, 2012
87. Tuesday Inspiration: The Best Kind of Day
My mom, brother, Bella and i (behind the camera of course!) spending the day together at the park. The "Tuesday Inspiration" is not a contest or a challenge,…
posted on March 27, 2012
84. A Life Lesson
I think the world could learn a lot from this sign..
posted on March 24, 2012
83. PTC:Compose with Color
posted on March 23, 2012
82. Shroomin
yesterday these were just little tiny bumps under a tree in our front yard…. today we go out and they have grown almost 4 inches!!
posted on March 22, 2012
81. Mystic Theme: Something Red
posted on March 21, 2012
80. TI: The fairest of all TIs
The "Tuesday Inspiration" is not a contest or a challenge, just the 60 plus members agreeing to post their interpretations of a single theme set weekly by a…
posted on March 20, 2012
79. Nature Walk
My mom brother Bella and me took a nature walk today and these are the little critters we saw:)
posted on March 19, 2012
78. Spring is Upon Us
posted on March 18, 2012
77. A Good Day For a Dip
posted on March 17, 2012
76. Photo Technique Challenge: Forced Perspective
this was a tough one!! i had sooooo many ideas but my little girl did not want to cooperate today so i have to use these from yesterday…
posted on March 16, 2012
Contemplation ~~~~ 75/366
posted on March 15, 2012
Mystic Theme: Tools of The Trade~~~~74/366
tools of my trade
posted on March 14, 2012
TI: Never Stop Pushing
With a little TI life can grow and thrive anywhere.. even through the pavement!! The "Tuesday Inspiration" is not a contest or a challenge, just the 60 plus…
posted on March 13, 2012
Birds Birds Birds~~~~~72/366
posted on March 12, 2012
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This review is from: IN WIN GreenMe 650 650W ATX 12V V2.31& EPS 12V 2.92 Version SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Pros: It works great. It's nice and quiet and has plenty of power for how much it costs. The cables are flexible but durable.
Cons: None
Other Thoughts: Is good for a gaming rig on a budgetREAD FULL REVIEW


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Did you know?A 'Vortec' 5.3L V8 produces 290 hp (216 kW), for the half-ton 1500 series.
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Not sure if its current....http://www.tintcenter.com/laws/MO/
Cannot have anything covering the tail lights or head lights or any part of it. Yes mine are illegal
Gotta love all black, when it is clean. Keeping them looking good is a PITA! That said 2KWS6, I love what you have done to your AV.


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Xerox Documate 162 Document Scanner - 25 ppm in simplex / 50 ipm in duplex - 50-sheet ADF, 600 dpi, 24-bit Color, 8-Bit Gray ScaleItem#: X05-1452 | Model#: XDM1625D-WU
Currently Out Of Stock!
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Xerox Documate 162 Document Scanner 25 ppm/50 ipm Product Details
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UPC No: 785414111206
Mfg Part No: XDM1625D-WU
Box Size:
( Length:22, Width:17, Depth:12)
Shipping Weight: 11.2000 pound(s)
Dimensional Weight: 20pounds
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