Small Town Rivals: Small Town Shorts, #3

By Lorana Hoopes

I thought the world revolved around me until it turned upside down.

 

Tess has always focused on herself. Even when she begins dating Samuel, it's partly to irritate Kirsten, but when her mother gets sick, she realizes she needs friends.

 

Samuel knows there is more to Tess than what she portrays, and he's willing to date her to find out what. When her world falls apart, can he be the rock she needs?

 

Best-selling author Lorana Hoopes has created a sweet, clean romance that will steal an hour of your afternoon and leave you wanting more. Be sure to grab your copy of this romantic short read by clicking the button above.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lorana Hoopes
• Release date: May 31, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393163374

Lorana Hoopes

Lorana Hoopes is an inspirational romance writer originally from Texas. She now lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and three children where she works full time as a teacher. When not working or writing, she can be found kickboxing in her gym or singing at her church.

Book preview

Small Town Rivals

Small Town Rivals

A Clean Romance Short

Lorana Hoopes

Copyright © 2019 by Lorana Hoopes

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

7. One month later

It’s not quite the end!

8. Not ready to say Goodbye yet?

9. Small Town Life Preview

The Story Doesn’t End!

About The Author

Chapter One

Tess

I look up at the sound of angry heels clopping across the floor. Oh no, what is she doing here?

What do you think you are doing, Tess? Kirsten asks me. Actually, asks is too nice of a word. She practically spits the words at me, and I’m pretty sure she’s laced them with venom first in hopes that when they hit my face, the poison will sink in and kill me.

Pasting my sweetest smile on - the one that won me the title of Homecoming Queen, Prom Queen, and Miss Small Town, USA - I glance up at her and bat my eyes. I’m having dinner, Kirsten. What does it look like?

It looks like you are having dinner with my brother. Her angry eyes flash at me and then she turns her daggers on Samuel. Why are you having dinner with my brother? Why are you having dinner with her?

Samuel shrugs. We were hungry, and we thought food might take that hunger away.

I bite back a chuckle. He’s cute. His looks first grabbed my attention when he entered my shop yesterday morning. I’ve long been a sucker for dark hair and blue eyes, but when I found out he was Kirsten’s brother, my interest grew. And now, I find out he has a sense of humor too. There could really be something here. Too bad Kirsten didn’t seem to get the same sense of humor gene.

Hey, Samuel, Tess, Kirsten’s friend Molly says as she comes up behind her. Close behind are the two handsome newcomers Tristan and Dillon Dixon. Kirsten, come on. Our table is ready. Molly tugs on Kirsten’s arm, clearly wishing to avoid a scene.

Kirsten narrows her eyes at me and then at Samuel. This isn’t over. We will talk about this again. Soon! Then she spins and clops back across the floor.

Sorry about that, Samuel says. I don’t know what’s gotten into her.

I do, and I can’t really blame her. I did spread a rumor she was pregnant in high school with a boy’s baby who wasn’t her boyfriend. My goal, of course, was to try and convince her boyfriend he was better off with me. It worked, but unfortunately, he and I didn’t. We broke it off just days