Rafeâs gaze was locked on the empty dooway where Katie had been standing only a moment before.
The guys had been joking with him because they could and Rafe would take it because it was all part of the bet heâd lost. Good-natured teasing and joking around was all part of working a job. But Katieâs defense of him had surprised him. Hell, he couldnât even remember the last time someone had stood up for himânot counting his half-brothers and cousins.
Katie Charles was like no one heâd ever met before. She didnât want anything from him. Wasnât trying to get on his good side. But then, that was because she thought he was just an ordinary man.
It would be an entirely different story if she knew he was a King.
Dear Reader,
Everyone always asks a writer where she gets her ideas. Well, the idea for this book wasnât hard to come by!
My husband and I lived through a kitchen remodel this yearâand I just knew that it would make a great background for a Kings of California novel.
So, meet Rafe King. Heâs one of three brothers who own King Construction. Heâs lost a bet and for the first time in years, he has to actually work at a job site. But to keep from intimidating his own employees, Rafe goes undercover as Rafe Cole.
Now, meet Katie Charles, the Cookie Queen. Katieâs having her kitchen redone. Sheâs not a big fan of the Kings, though, because one of those King cousins broke her heart. Right off the bat, she tells Rafe she has no use for the King men.
And thatâs a challenge Rafe simply canât ignore.
I hope you have as much fun reading this story as I did writing it. And only a couple of the kitchen âincidentsâ are torn from real life!
Please, visit my website at www.maureenchild.com. I love hearing from you.
Happy reading,
Maureen
Rafe King liked a friendly wager as much as the next guy.
He just didnât like to lose.
When he lost though, he paid up. Which was why he was standing in a driveway, sipping a cup of coffee, waiting for the rest of the work crew to show up. As one of the owners of King Construction, it had been a few years since Rafe had actually done any on-site work. Usually, he was the details man, getting parts ordered, supplies delivered. He stayed on top of the million and one jobs the company had going at any one time and trusted the contractors to get the work done right.
Now though, thanks to one bet gone bad, heâd be working on this job himself for the next few weeks.
A silver pickup truck towing a small, enclosed trailer pulled in behind him and Rafe slanted his gaze at the driver. Joe Hanna. Contractor. Friend. And the man whoâd instigated the bet Rafe had lost.
Joe climbed out of his truck, barely managing to hide a smile. âHardly knew you without the suit youâre usually wearing.â
âFunny.â Most of his life, Rafe hadnât done the suit thing. Actually, he was more comfortable dressed as he was now, in faded jeans, black work boots and a black T-shirt with King Construction stamped across the back. âYouâre late.â
âNo, Iâm not. Youâre early.â Joe sipped at his own coffee and handed over a bag. âWant a doughnut?â
âSure.â Rafe dug in, came up with a jelly-filled and polished it off in a few huge bites. âWhereâs everyone else?â
âWe donât start work until eight a.m. Theyâve still got a half hour.â
âIf they were here now, they could start setting up, so they could start working at eight.â Rafe turned his gaze to the California bungalow that would be the center of his world for the next several weeks. It sat on a tree-lined street in Long Beach, behind a wide, neatly tended lawn. At least fifty years old, it looked settled, he supposed. As if the town had grown up around it.
âWhatâs the job here, anyway?â
âA kitchen redo,â Joe said, leaning against Rafeâs truck to study the house. âNew floor, new counter. Lots of plumbing to bring the old place up to code. New drains, pipes, replastering and painting.â
âCabinets?â Rafe asked, his mind fixing on the job at hand.
âNope. The ones in there are solid white pine. So weâre not replacing. Just stripping, sanding and varnishing.â
He nodded, then straightened up and turned his gaze on Joe. âSo do the guys working this job know who I am?â
Joe grinned. âNot a clue. Just like we talked about, your real identity will be a secret. For the length of the job here, your name is Rafe Cole. Youâre a new hire.â