Summer Love_ A Steamy Small Town Romance Anthology - Piper Rayne Page 0,159

with her mother, whom she’d hired to work the reception desk, but not handle money. Sierra didn’t trust her to work anywhere else, not with her history. The last thing Sierra needed was Valerie Bartolucci taking advantage of the kindness of Sierra’s friends in Granite Junction, and being tempted to fall back into her old habits. She didn’t trust her mother’s assurances that she’d turned over a new leaf. Been there, done that, have the burn scars to prove it.

After a busy morning, Sierra stopped at the desk. “What time is my next client?”

Her mother glanced at the computer screen. “You had an opening and someone called requesting an emergency massage.”

Sierra frowned. “Who called?”

“Piper Evans. Someone at Redemption got thrown by their horse and their back is in spasm. She’s hoping you can work your magic. I assured her you could do it.” Her mother’s bright smile showed how eager she was to get in her daughter’s good graces.

Sierra only grunted. “It might be too soon for a massage. We should make sure he wasn’t hurt too badly first, with no other injuries.”

“Piper said he was checked out. Doc said a massage would be good for him.” Nothing dimmed Valerie’s optimism, something Sierra remembered from her childhood. She’d just never expected to be on the receiving end of the relentless campaign to make amends.

“What time is the appointment?”

Now, her mother’s smile dimmed. “He’s in room two.”

She stifled a sigh. Better to be busy. This way, she had more proof to show the bank that she was a good investment when she was ready to open an expanded Rocky Mountain High Spa at Redemption Ranch. Eventually, she’d love to be out there exclusively, but that was a few years away. She’d started here with a few part-time employees, including a massage therapist and staff for facials, manicures and pedicures, and waxing. Now she offered hot stone and crystal massages and reflexology. She wanted to include even more services, which would require more room, and more staff. Redemption Ranch offered that possibility.

“Why don’t you head out? I can handle this.”

Her mother looked doubtful. “I don’t want to leave you alone with a man, especially one we don’t know. He’s not from around here. There’s no one else here today.”

Sierra muffled a smile. That had never been a problem when they were younger. When they were growing up, her mother had often left her and her sister alone when she worked or had a date. Now it seemed like her mother was trying to make up for lost time now that she had returned to Sierra’s life. Sierra didn’t need to be mothered. She could handle herself just fine. She’d been doing it for years.

“Mom, really. I can handle this. It’s Granite Junction.”

Valerie frowned, her mouth set in a stubborn line. “I can stay.”

Sierra arched her eyebrow. “You have that court-mandated meeting, don’t you? You can’t miss that.”

Her mother sighed and rolled her eyes, but she got up and gathered her things. “Are you sure?”

“I’ve worked here alone plenty of times. Piper would never send anyone she didn’t trust. I have self-defense training anyway. Now go, before you’re late.” With one final resentful look, her mother walked out the back door.

Sierra headed down the hall and knocked on the door. A muffled voice answered, “Come in.”

She used the hand sanitizer at the door and was wiping her hands as she walked in, noting the male figure under the sheet.

“So, I hear you had a tangle with a horse.”

“Yeah, and the horse won.”

His voice was still muffled but it tweaked at her memory. She searched her brain for the cowboys working at Redemption Ranch. He wasn’t one of the owners. Who was he?

“Can you tell me where it hurts the most?”

She laid a hand on his shoulder and he turned his head, his hazel eyes blazing up at her. The impact of those eyes hit her like a herd of wild horses and she took a step back.

Damn. It was Colt Raines, the man who had featured in her hottest late-night fantasies after leaving her high and dry on Saturday. To be fair, she was grateful he had been a true gentleman that night, yet a secret part of her really wanted to finish what she’d started and find out if he was as sexy in bed as he was on the dance floor. As decent and respectful as he was, she thought he might be a giver between the sheets. She’d really like