Excerpt of Delivered with a Kiss by Marie Harte

Erin stared at the scowling giant, not sure she’d heard him correctly. “Huh?”

He flushed, but the scowl didn’t disappear. For the entire time she’d known him, roughly forty minutes, he’d done nothing but frown, glare, or look expressionless. Exceedingly handsome under the bluster, her tall, dark, and sexy moving man was seriously built.

He stood a solid head and a half taller than her own tiny stature. He had a rough edge of handsome going on, that short dark hair contrasting with his jade green eyes. A tan skin tone told her he spent time outdoors, as did the rough hands that had held her close to that warm body. Smith Ramsey was tall and muscled. Solid. And a lot menacing, if she told herself the truth.

That glare he wore would have scared her if she hadn’t witnessed how gentle he’d been moments ago. How he’d taken care to make her more comfortable and tried to bolster her spirits. The poor guy likely wanted nothing more than to put this entire experience in his rearview mirror.

She sure the heck wanted to.

“I said there’s a rental that recently became available. I know because it’s in my building—Emerald Estates.” His scowl seemed to deepen, were that possible. “I’m serious. It’s a decent enough place. Not super fancy, and the unit is an efficiency. It’s a steal, but it comes with conditions.”

Here it comes. She might be a little naïve when it came to living independently. But she’d had to deal with unscrupulous men before. Not counting Cody. She sniffed to hold back more hurt, angry tears.

Disappointment rose, that this stranger might try to take advantage of her, especially having seen her boyfriend dump her. Could her day get any worse?

“The only reason I get a cheap rent is because I do all the handyman stuff in the building,” Smith said. “The landlord is a pain in the ass old lady who likes bossing people around. But she’s more than fair. I fix everything that needs fixing, she cuts my rent in half. We just had one of the tenants move away to be with family. Mrs. Fine was ninety-four and left because she needed live-in care. So, it’s my job to clean out her unit. If you wanted, you could have it, but you’d have to clean it up first.”

Erin blinked. “Really?” This was the answer to her current dilemma. “What kind of rent are we talking?”

“I think Mrs. Fine paid near to what I did. She didn’t have much money. You need to talk the rent over with Tilly. Like I said, it’s an efficiency.”

It wasn’t as if Erin had much to move, and she didn’t plan on staying in the city, she didn’t think. Just long enough to make enough money to leave again with her feet under her. “Where is it? Is it in a safe neighborhood?”

“Surprisingly, yes. It’s in Greenwood. And to be honest, you can’t touch a place in Greenwood for even half that kind of rent. Not unless you know somebody.”

“It seems too good to be true.” She looked at Smith, feeling hope for the first time since arriving at this mess in her life.

“Well, it is.” He rubbed the back of his head. “There’s always a catch. Tilly—the landlady—she’s a ball buster. And she needs help. Her cook just quit. So, if you want the place, you have to clean it out first. And you have to work for free as Tilly’s cook and housekeeper.”

To offset the rent, that seemed more than fair. “But what if I can’t cook?”

“I’d suggest learning fast if you want the place.” He paused. “I like the old lady, but she’s gone through a lot of helpers in the past six months. She’s hard to get along with, I won’t lie.”

“But you work for her.”

“I like my place, and I’ve dealt with a hell of a lot worse.” He frowned. “But she might be too much to handle. You seem kind of nice.”

“I am. Too nice.” She shook her head. “But I need a place to live. Do you think she’ll want a deposit up front? I can’t afford that right now.”

Smith shrugged. “No idea. But she can tell you what she wants. If you’re interested, we’ll drive over right now and see what’s what. I’ve got your things, and you have nothing to lose. You in or out?”

She glanced at Cody’s home—it was not now and never would be hers—and turned back to Smith. “Let’s go.”

She wouldn’t look back. No matter how much it hurt.