I Hate You (Rockford Falls Romance) Read online

  I Hate You

  A Secret Baby Romance

  Natasha L. Black

  Copyright © 2021 by Natasha L. Black

  All rights reserved.

  The following story contains mature themes, strong language and sexual situations. It is intended for mature readers.

  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.

  Contents

  Introduction

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Epilogue

  The Lumberjack's Nanny (Sample)

  A Note from the Author

  Books by Natasha L. Black

  Connect with Natasha L. Black

  Introduction

  My dream job comes with a nightmare:

  1. Stolen equipment.

  2. Sabotage on my job site.

  3. My pain in the a** boss.

  Correction: She’s at the top of the list.

  We hate each other, but I can’t keep my hands off her.

  She’s mouthy, infuriating, and smoking hot.

  This job is nothing but trouble.

  And it’s about to get so much worse.

  Dangerous sabotage at the site puts Nicole’s life in danger.

  I’ll do anything to keep her safe.

  Especially when I find out she’s not the only one I’m fighting for.

  This hard-core bachelor is about to get everything I never knew I wanted,

  And God help the man that tries to get in my way.

  I Hate You is the fourth standalone book in the Rockford Falls Romance series. Whether you want forbidden lovers, secret babies, or second chances, this series has it all. Just grab a glass of something cold because these sexy alphas and their fabulous leading ladies are sure to leave you hot and bothered in all the right ways! And don’t forget, a sweet HEA is always included!

  1

  Noah

  “The expansion looks great,” I said to Max.

  I surveyed the newly constructed office adjacent to my best friend’s lumberyard and mill complex. He’d expanded recently from logging and milling for wholesale to selling retail lumber and building supplies as well. Despite the additional business, and the baby at home, he looked more relaxed than I’d ever seen him.

  “Well, it should since you built it,” he quipped.

  “You could’ve had Ray do it for half the price,” I said, rolling my eyes. My dislike for my only major competitor was no secret.

  “I could’ve, but I don’t like shit falling apart—gives the customers a bad impression when the roof actually caves in.”

  “I don’t think he’s had an entire roof cave in yet. Just some citations for cutting corners on safety regs.”

  “That’s definitely the best place to save money—on wiring, plumbing, really anything that could get your customer injured or dead. What a great businessman. Tell me again why he isn’t bankrupt?”

  “His low-ass bids. There’s no competition for a lot of people, especially young families starting out, when his bid comes in so much lower than mine for the exact same thing,” I said, frustrated.

  “He does shoddy work. It’s not like you to be stressed about this. What’s going on?” Max said.

  “I never should’ve encouraged you to get involved with Rachel. Now you’re all observant and caring.”

  “Did you like me better when I was a closed off asshole?”

  “You were never closed off. At least to me,” I said jokingly.

  “Right. So what’s going on?”

  “I turned in my bid on the new build for a community center. I cut it to the bone. I’m doing it for nothing but supplies and my crew’s labor. Not a penny of profit and he’ll still undercut me on the damn thing.”

  “Are you sure you want to do the build for nothing?”

  “This community center means a lot to me. I’ve been trying to get this project off the ground for ten years. It wasn’t until Nicole came in as city planner that anyone took it seriously.”

  “Nicole, is it?” he raised an eyebrow.

  “Ms. Renner, then. Uptight pain in the ass from Atlanta, you know the one.”

  “Yeah, she was at my wedding, Noah. She’s one of Rach’s friends. She kept both kids last Sunday night so we could get some sleep.”

  “Really? She doesn’t seem like the warm and fuzzy type. Are you sure she didn’t make the kids march in a straight line and recite their ABC’s?”

  “She’s not like that,” Max said, sounding amused.

  “What? So she’s cuddly and warm? I don’t think so, bro. I’ve been around her enough to know she gets on my nerves.”

  “She gets things done. Do you think it’s easy dealing with the old guard around here? As an outsider and a woman? Take a second to think about how many times a day she gets called ‘honey’ by the mayor and the road commissioner and anybody on the county board.”

  “I’m on the county board, Max. I’ve never called her honey in my life and I don’t plan to. She was at the last meeting and requested fifteen minutes—she had a fuckin’ deck of Google slides about expansion and attracting new industry to the region. Google slides, Max. I felt like I was in high school and needed to take goddamn notes for a quiz.”

  “Hot for teacher?” Max asked with a grin.

  “Not even the least bit funny. I had to submit my bid to her office. Even if I had the low bid, which I know I won’t, there’s no way in hell she’d give me the build.”

  “I know they’ve got a firm from Overton bidding on it, too,” Max said. “Guy came in here to ask about materials, wants to source locally. I guess he’s either a responsible consumer or he thought it’d look good if he bought everything he could here in Rockford Falls. Not that it’ll do him any good. Nicole’s going to hire a local. “

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because Rach said so, and because it’s the smart thing to do. A local builder is going to use the facility, is going to see his kids grow up going there. More personal investment in the quality of the project, that sort of thing.”

  “Well, good news for her. Because Ray Forrester is a hometown boy, and his bid is going to blow her away with how economical it is. She’s always going on about maximizing the budget and only spending on what will make the most impact. Besides, she just moved here a couple years ago. She doesn’t know any better,” I said, a hint of bitterness in my voice.

  “Hey, I was an outsider here too, and that turned out fine. She’s a smart woman, Noah. Even if his bid comes in low—which you think it will—she won’t necessarily award the build to the least expensive vendor. I never knew her to go in for low quality, quick and cheap. Rachel’s told me she wears Ferragamo shoes. Those don’t come from the Target in Overton.”

&nbsp
; “Why are we talking about shoes?”

  “I’m drawing a parallel between her willingness to spend extra on a quality item with the bid on the community center. Where’d I lose you?”

  “That’s with her own money. With the city’s money, with the grant money too, she’s going to be conservative. That’s the only thing the board really likes about her. She’s ‘progressive but not a spendthrift’ is how Amos puts it.”

  “How would you put it?”

  “She does good work, but I can’t stand her. She’s stubborn, has to have her own way.”

  “Is it possible she’s right? That she’s good at her job and has researched the options and it’s not ‘her own way’ but the right way?”

  “Ugh. This is what comes of you getting married. You’re a feminist all of a sudden. I should’ve known when you let Sadie hang out at the mill and learn the workings that you’d be a girl dad who wants boss ladies in charge.”

  I was teasing, but sort of serious. Rachel had definitely changed his overprotective ways with Sadie, and he was sort of outspoken in his defense of women in charge now. It was her influence. He was happy with her, and I was glad for him.

  “Before you start burping the alphabet and talking about men’s rights, let’s move on. Are you seeing anyone new?”

  “Come on, dude. I don’t ‘see’ anyone. I hook up. I’m not looking for someone to move in and rearrange my kitchen cabinets and my politics. I like to keep things light and fun.”

  “And safe,” Max pointed out.

  “Jesus,” I said, “you’re relentless.”

  “You’re missing out. You remember how I patrolled my borders. Nobody was getting near me and my daughter after what happened with—”

  “Her mother,” I supplied.

  “Rachel is her mother,” he said firmly. “We have the adoption paperwork to prove it, in fact. She’s the only mother my daughter’s ever had.”

  “Okay, sorry,” I said. “And yes, I do remember that you wouldn’t even accept a Coke on a hot summer day from any woman in town because you thought they wanted to get in your pants, put bows in Sadie’s hair, and move in and start making casseroles.”

  “In my defense, several of the locals had tried it. I was set in my ways, is my point. And Rachel came along and blew that all away. I needed to change, and she was exactly what Sadie needed too. Best thing that ever happened to me.”

  “And who sat in that bar and told you to give her a chance? Me. That’s who.”

  “Yes, and I’m returning the advice. Don’t be hard-headed. And don’t be afraid. It’s worth the risk, that’s what I’m saying. You can have more than a couple one-nighters.”

  “Oh, I’ve had more than a couple,” I said wryly.

  “You know what I mean. You deserve better if you’ll give it a shot.”

  “I don’t have time for anything but no strings attached fun. It’s what I like.”

  “All right, don’t say I didn’t try to tell you you’re missing out,” Max said ruefully. I shook my head.

  “A man can’t stay single once his friends get it in their heads to get married. You won’t be happy till we’re all tied down.”

  “I’m not the one that isn’t happy, bro,” he said.

  “I’m happy,” I protested.

  “Okay, fine,” he said, but the way he looked at me told me he didn’t exactly believe me. I wondered if he was right.

  2

  Nicole

  Lunch with my friends was just what I needed after my morning. I was so glad to see them.

  Rachel had really improved the diner, that was for sure. The diner had always been cute and kitschy, but it was still a small-town greasy spoon when I moved to Rockford Falls. Now that Rachel had taken over the business, it had a sharp new attitude. The floors were black and white checkered tile, always gleaming and clean. The old, chipped Formica counter with the scuffed chrome trim had been replaced by a sleek, black granite bar with cherry wood trim. The seating was upgraded, thanks to her husband Max with his gorgeous epoxy-resin-poured tables with chic rivers of blue green down the middle of the wood surface, and high comfortable booths upholstered in a rich brown. It had gone way upscale décor-wise, and the menu was pared down and delicious.

  Trixie and Michelle and I liked to go there for lunch on Wednesdays when we could manage it. I took a bite of my Sadie’s Special Grilled Cheese—a menu item named after Rachel’s daughter. It was delicious, simple and good, with toasted homemade bread and plenty of Colby and cheddar melting between the slices. Because I was stressed about the community center project, I’d added the brown sugar bacon and a thick tomato slice to my grilled cheese today. It was glorious.

  “You gonna talk to anything but that sandwich?” Trixie teased.

  “Sorry. I’m in an exclusive relationship with this cheese right now. Talk to my secretary for an appointment later in the week,” I joked.

  “Don’t get me wrong, the food’s good, but you’re slightly obsessed.”

  “It’s that good. Your problem is you got the chef salad.”

  “This salad is amazing,” Michelle said.

  “It’s still a salad. At heart it’s a bowl of cold lettuce. I don’t care what you put on it,” I said.

  “I’m with Nic on this one,” Trixie said, eyeing the salad bowl, studded with ham and hardboiled egg and cheese. “Lettuce is lettuce no matter how fancy you make it.”

  “Y’all are missing out,” she said, spearing a big bite.

  “I can live with that,” I said.

  Just then, the door swung open and Ray Forrester walked into the diner. I tried to repress a shudder. He gave me a leer, that was the only word for his smarmy grin.

  “Yuck,” Trixie said. “Slimeball Forrester’s here. Someone hide me.”

  “Hey, you’re not the one he tried to feel up in biology lab in tenth grade,” Michelle objected. “Hide me.”

  “So I’m not just being prissy about him? I always thought he seemed like a creep.”

  “Listen, you may be stuck up about grits and gravy, but that man has been creepy since he wasn’t old enough to grow a mustache,” Trixie informed me.

  “He’s put in a bid on the community center,” I said.

  “Gag. Why would you want to work closely with him on a project?” Michelle asked. “I always go over the books he returns to the library with a sanitizing wipe.”

  “Ew, he’s looking this way,” Michelle said. “Don’t look. He might come over and say hi.”

  “Are we in the high school cafeteria? Seriously?” Trixie said.

  “No, the food’s way too good,” I said. “But I do feel like hiding. I don’t want to deal with him. I know professionally I have to, but this is not a work lunch. So I don’t feel obligated to say hello or anything. I’m sweating this bid though. The mayor wants him to get the job because he has a reputation for coming in under budget. But I know from recent citations, he’s run afoul of building safety codes more than once. I’m not investing that kind of money in shoddy workmanship that will cost more in repairs down the road.”

  “Uh, Damon said a couple weeks ago that the department had to back up the Overton FD on a warehouse blaze that started in one of Forrester’s builds, the fish and chips place there.”

  “That was one of his?” Michelle asked. “I hadn’t heard that. And I hear everything.”

  “The department wasn’t spreading it around. Privacy laws,” Trixie pointed out. “But I know it’s not the first fire Damon’s been called to that was one of Ray’s projects.”

  “So what you’re saying is if you hire Ray, make sure the inspector isn’t paid off? And you have loads of fire insurance?” I asked. “I’m sweating. I have actual pit sweat happening over this. Because I know I can’t award him the build, not when I’ve heard all these whispers about his lowball bids and the corners he cuts, not to mention the fact that he’s creepy like Gollum.”

  “No, you can’t. So is it gonna be the Overton firm or Noah? I know who I
vote for. When he did the reno on the library bathrooms to make them more accessible, I have never gone down that hallway more than I did that month. Just checking to see if they had any questions, figuring out which style of Levi’s he favors. That kinda thing,” Michelle said.

  “You ogled and harassed the builder?”

  “Ogled, yes. Harassed? No. He’s a no-strings-attached guy and I’m not here for that. I mean, I’m here for that ass all day long. I’d pay hard cash for a GIF of him bending over. Make it my wallpaper,” she bit her lip. I threw one of Trixie’s fries at her.

  “Hey!” Trixie said. “Mitts off the fries!”

  I laughed at how indignant she was and how Michelle basically drooled over Noah Jeffries.

  “Didn’t you say he used to work for his dad?” I asked. One thing about moving into a small town, everybody knew stuff I didn’t know. And they all grew up together.

  “Yeah,” Trixie said. “His dad had a heart attack a few years ago and passed away. Noah was basically running the place by that point anyway, but he took over officially then.

  “That must’ve been hard. I don’t know everybody’s history around here so that’s good to know.”

  “We could draw you a chart of everybody and how they’re related by marriage and who used to date whom but there’s not enough paper in this town,” Trixie said. Michelle laughed.