Two to Tangle (A Tangle Valley Romance #2) - Melissa Brayden Page 0,7
been a little while since she’d experienced a romance of her own, but honestly, the book was an excellent substitute for the unavoidable stresses that came from relationships. The quiet of the night around her made the best backdrop for her evening and on a larger scale served as the perfect metaphor for her life. Calm, quiet, simple, and easy. The tranquility Tangle Valley delivered was something she would never quite get used to, and thank God for that.
Chapter Two
Ryan Jacks stood on her wooden deck in the early hours of the morning, looking out over the quiet ripples of Lake Tillman. She still wore her low-rise gray sweatpants and a black sports bra as she sipped a warm cup of black coffee following her morning run. This was her favorite part of her day, when Whisper Wall had yet to wake and the sun rose peacefully over the water. She’d pushed hard today, demanding more of her body, stealing an extra mile beyond her usual five and following that up with a few hundred crunches and as many push-ups as she could manage.
Luckily, the day ahead would be a mellow one. She had the painters coming to the Sherwood Circle job, so she’d swing by, touch base, and make sure the colors were consistent with the sample the client had selected. She had some drywall to demo on Ruby Lane and needed to swing by Tangle Valley Vineyard to do some preliminary measurements in order to start work there in two days. That should be a fun job. She liked Joey Wilder, the spunky owner of the vineyard, a lot. Joey’d been three grades older in high school but was known for being well liked. Plus, Joey came out and had a girlfriend at a young age, which in a lot of ways paved the way for Ryan’s own self-discovery. She’d always thought a lot of Joey for that. Maybe Ryan would even stick around and buy a glass of wine after knocking off for the day. Beyond that? Who knew what that Friday evening would bring? But that was exactly how Ryan preferred things—go with the flow, very few plans. Maybe she’d hit up someone local for some one-on-one time or take a ride to Portland for a sweeter nightspot than the town of Whisper Wall could provide. The options were endless.
At her side, her big dumb dog Dale whined quietly. Dale was a golden retriever mix of some sort, who she’d rescued five years earlier. Dale had slept soundly through her run and now demanded his breakfast. Typical. “Yeah, yeah, I’m getting to you. You’re lucky you’re good-looking and such a great kisser.” She leaned down so he could swipe his tongue across her cheek. “Okay, that one was a little sloppy, but I forgive you.”
She filled the dish, kissed her dog’s head as he gobbled it down, and hit the shower, which was a recent remodel job of her own that came with a rainfall showerhead she would never take for granted. Her lake house had been the first real investment she’d made for herself since Level Up began to take on more and more clients. She’d gotten to the point where she finally had to start turning down jobs, simply because she wouldn’t be able to give each one her firsthand attention. If she couldn’t do her absolute best, she didn’t take the gig. Maybe eventually she’d hire a project manager or two on a full-time basis. Would have to be the right person, though.
As she let the hot water run down her body well past the time it took her to get clean, Ryan caught sight of Dale charging in a circle, always intent on catching that damn tail. He’d yet to do it, but she had to give him points for tenacity. Twenty-five minutes later, with her lunch in hand, she turned to him, only to find him fast asleep. It happened to be his default. “Ready for work?”
Dale knew the question well and raced for the door, probably looking forward to truck time, when he could pop his head out the window and feel the air rush past his fur. At the Sherwood house, Dale investigated the overgrowth of wildflowers in the backyard as she signed off on the paint. On Ruby Lane, he fell asleep in a sunny spot along the sidewalk, making her subcontractors walk around him on their way in and out of the house. When they arrived at