Smitten

By Silke Juppenlatz

Reserved and shy Jo Button is tired of being the talk of the town. Enough is enough. Time to put her plans in motion, but a mishap forces her to seek out veterinarian Ash Delaney—the one man she has always wanted.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Decadent Publishing
• Release date: Dec 10, 2010
• ISBN: 9781936394531

Book preview

Smitten

By Silke Juppenlatz

Smashwords Edition Copyright © 2010 by Silke Juppenlatz

ISBN: 978-1-936394-53-1

Cover art by Dara England

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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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Published by Decadent Publishing Company, LLC

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http://www.decadentpublishing.com

~DEDICATION~

I have never written a dedication in my life—but there are a few deserving people without whom this story would never have seen the light of day.

First of all, this book is for Paul. For being there, for being you, for giving me space to write and putting up with the eternal clattering of my keyboard. I know I never say it, but you mean the world to me, and without you, I wouldn’t be whole.

I’d also like to say a huge Thank You to my fellow collaborators: Clarissa Yip, R.M. Gilbert and Nina Croft. You guys rock! Couldn’t have done it without you! (I should probably thank Skype, too...)

Another thanks goes to my editor, Katy Selwyn, who worked hard to get my rambling under control and weed out all the Britishisms.

And last but not least – thank you to the members of my critique group Passionate Critters, past and present, and especially our Den Mother Debora Dennis. Without all of you I would not be the writer I am now.

Chapter One

21st December—Morning

Ash Delaney snapped to a sudden stop in the doorway of the Mostly Paws Veterinary Clinic.

Shit.

It was too late to retreat. Edna Carruthers already had him in her sights, hugging an ever-present cat carrier to her chest. He’d never seen her without one.

Dr. Delaney! It's about time you got here! She carted the cat carrier past the desk. Tiddles is sick!

Ash exchanged a look with the bedraggled-looking Tiddles. He'd be suicidal, too, if he'd have to live with Edna; Tiddles probably hoped he'd put her out of her misery. He forced a smile on his face. Good morning, Mrs. Carruthers. What seems to be the problem?

I told you. Tiddles is sick. Edna shoved the carrier at him and stormed into the surgery, completely ignoring his receptionist.

You're supposed to save me from people like her, he grumbled at the pretty brunette behind the desk.

Amanda shrugged and smiled apologetically. It was you, or me. I prefer if it's you.

Thanks. Remind me to spit in your coffee.

She laughed at him. No danger there, then. You never make coffee.

Dr. Delaney!

Ash cringed at the loud command behind him. He'd rather face down a rabid mountain lion than this particular retiree. He stepped through the doorway, carrier in hand, and wished he could smite the woman.

Then again, smiting had got him in trouble in the first place. He still felt somewhat guilty for the little mishap eighty years ago. Five Oaks had become Five Stumps, all because his aim was off. And then there was the fire in the church. He'd contributed heavily to the new building, but he couldn't bring back Edna's husband. On the other hand, the guy had been married to Edna. He’d probably done him a favor. It made him feel no less guilty. Enough to treat Edna’s cats for free.

All fourteen of them.

Perhaps he shouldn't forget about Josephine Button, the woman who'd cost him his wings.

Pushing the thoughts about the town tramp aside, he turned and forced a smile on his lips, hoping he didn’t look like a Rottweiler about to attack innocent bystanders. Right, so what's wrong with Tiddles?

***

It was late afternoon when he headed up the mountain, but the frustration caused by Edna still hadn't worn off. He really needed to blow something up. Preferably without hurting anyone. Some day he'd have control over the smiting, but so far the results were less than satisfying. Maybe if he got this under control, Michael would give him his halo back.

Yeah. Right. And pigs could fly. Then again, sending a squadron of flying pigs across the skies above Five Oaks could be fun. Although, providing wings for pigs would only land him in big piles of brown stuff, rather than get his own back.

Ash reluctantly banished the idea, no matter how much fun it would be to watch people try to figure out why their pork chops needed landing strips.

Twenty minutes into his smiting practice, he decided to ramp up the energy a little. Everything worked well, and he grinned ear to ear. Finally, after almost eighty years, he was getting the hang of it. It was about time.

Ash flicked his hand at a stone protruding from the snow and it blew up without a hitch. Looking up, he spotted a ledge. One more try, then he'd head home. Ash concentrated, and sent a blast of energy through his hands at the rock formation.

It split from the rest of the mountain in a clean line.

Yes! Ash pumped his fist in the air.

The ledge hit the ground and started to slide. He watched it push a little snow down the hill. The entire mess gathered speed—and a lot more snow.

Shit.

Ash’s jaw slackened as he watched the loose sheet of snow thunder down the slope. There was no way to stop it. Not for him. The elements weren’t his to command, and he hoped to God no one was out as late as he was. Anyone caught in this would be wiped off the face of the earth.

He lifted his gaze heavenward. You know, locking me to this place when you took my halo away, telling me to redeem myself… Ash sighed and looked down the mountain at the sleepy town, the rumble of the avalanche still in his ears. Why don't you just unleash the four horsemen? I'm sure it would be kinder. I suck at this.

There was no answer.

He hadn't really expected one. Heaven had stopped talking to him ever since Jo Button lost her virginity in the back of Bradley Harmon's police cruiser. They'd blamed him for it, because of a momentary lapse of concentration. Never mind Free Will. It wasn’t as if he'd done the deed himself, or encouraged her to screw up. On one hand his boss refused to let a guardian interfere, on the other he got the blame when he abided by the rules.

Bastards.

Chapter Two

22nd December—Late Afternoon

Josephine Button, Entrepreneur. It had a nice ring to it.

No one would ever see her as a businesswoman. Not in this dump, anyway. Jo Button, town tramp. That's how they saw her.

She stared at herself in the mirror, only too aware of what they saw when she stepped outside. A tall, blonde, sexy...tramp. Face it, Jo. It'll never change. They see what they want to see.

The prim skirt and jacket weren't sexy. Stylish, yes. The dark blue complemented her eyes and set off her long blond hair. The hem ended below her knees. She’d put on ballet flats to avoid high heels accentuating her long legs even more, and still it looked like she belonged on a catwalk. She pulled the suit off and kicked off the shoes, slipped back into her jeans and sweater, and rammed her feet into a pair of warm boots. The suit had looked so austere in the catalog. On her, it looked as if she'd poured it on, emphasizing every curve, hugging her hips as if it had been tailored for her. The classy attire only made everything worse.

Jo folded the suit up and put it into the box. It was too expensive anyway, and she'd never wear it. She'd mail the clothes back when she took the last shipment of bears to the post office.

Jo glanced at her watch. There was enough time to get to Pentonville before the post office closed, but she had to hurry. Mailing anything from Five Oaks was out of the question. Her packages would never make it to the destination. They'd be lost on purpose.

Her company, Button Eye Joe, was her pride and joy. Who'd have thought so many people wanted custom teddy bears for their kids? When she'd sold the first handmade teddy three years ago, she'd thought it was a fluke. The next sold just as fast. She'd invested the money she'd made into a small website, and ever since then, she'd had a steady stream of orders. She made enough to keep her afloat, but not enough to leave and start over somewhere new.

Jo wrapped up the four teddy bears with love and care. Not getting the teddies to the children on time simply wasn't an option. Button Eye Joe deliveries were never late.

Fifteen minutes later, she sat in her Toyota