Lucky in Love on Hound Island (Island County Series Book 8) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Happy Truth Excerpt

  BOOKS BY KARICE BOLTON

  Contact the Author

  About the Author

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Happy Truth Excerpt

  BOOKS BY KARICE BOLTON

  Contact the Author

  About the Author

  Lucky in Love on Hound Island

  (Island County #8)

  KARICE BOLTON

  Copyright © 2017 Karice Bolton

  Edited by V. Clifton

  Cover: AdobeStock: © kiuikson

  © magdal3na

  Interior: B&B Formatting

  Adobe Stock: ©beaubelle

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transferred in any printed or electronic form without permission from the author, including storage and sharing on any unauthorized document retrieval system.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, and events either are purely the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Contact the Author

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  BOOKS BY KARICE BOLTON

  ISLAND COUNTY SERIES

  HAPPY TRUTH ABOUT LOVE

  A LITTLE SECRET ABOUT LOVE

  ISLAND COUNTY SERIES

  FINDING LOVE IN FORGOTTEN COVE

  LOVE REDONE IN HIDDEN HARBOR

  TANLGED LOVE ON PELICAN POINT

  FOREVER LOVE ON FIREWEED ISLAND

  TEMPTING LOVE ON HOLLY LANE

  CHANCE AT LOVE ON MYSTIC BAY

  IRRESISTIBLE LOVE AT SILVER FALLS

  LUCKY IN LOVE ON HOUND ISLAND

  BEYOND LOVE SERIES

  BEYOND CONTROL

  BEYOND DOUBT

  BEYOND REASON

  BEYOND INTENT

  BEYOND CHANCE

  BEYOND PROMISE

  BEYOND the MISTLETOE

  LUKE FLETCHER SERIES

  HIDDEN SINS

  BURIED SINS

  REDEMPTION

  MIA

  V MAFIA SERIES

  BLAKE

  DEVIN

  JAXSON

  AFTERWORLD SERIES

  RecruitZ

  AlibiZ

  Zombie UprisingZ

  THE WITCH AVENUE SERIES

  LONELY SOULS

  ALTERED SOULS

  RELEASED SOULS

  SHATTERED SOULS

  THE WATCHERS TRILOGY

  AWAKENING

  LEGIONS

  CATACLYSM

  TAKEN NOVELLA (A Watchers Novella)

  Chapter One

  “Lucky, you get back here right now.”

  A howl followed by a streak of chestnut brown bolted right past me as the smell of hot dogs drifted through the air. I jumped up from the red plaid blanket I’d set up on the park lawn and tried to catch the furry guy as he skidded briefly once his paws touched the grass.

  But there was no stopping Lucky. I’d seen him like this with a squirrel last week, and it turned into a neighborhood event with a traumatized squirrel and a trip to the wildlife rescue. While physically well, the squirrel would never be the same.

  Tossing my sunglasses on the blanket, I took off after Lucky and prayed my yearly cardio trip to the gym would pay off.

  It wasn’t hard to spot where the pooch was headed. A food truck, with an impressive line of customers, was parked at the opposite end of the park. That was Lucky’s target.

  Images of Lucky pouncing on the poor customers as he snatched hot dogs out of their hands sent a shudder through me, and I stepped up my pace. I had to get to Lucky before he got to them.

  “Lucky, stop. Lucky, sit. Lucky, stay,” I barely yapped out in between catching my breath with each clumsy foot forward.

  Lucky didn’t even throw me a glance over his shoulder. He was a man who knew what he wanted. I didn’t know if I should keep running and risk the possibility of falling over in a dead heap or just slow my pace and accept the inevitable.

  Lucky would get what he wanted.

  He always did.

  I watched the crowd of people begin to part as Lucky’s howls echoed through the air. Lucky had no interest in the people after all.

  He wanted a sausage all his own, and by golly, he would get it.

  The moment I realized Lucky’s true motives, my world began spinning.

  This wasn’t going to end well no matter how hard I ran.

  With my heart pounding in my chest and the blood pumping between my ears, I gave one last feeble holler as Lucky leapt toward the opening of the food truck with the grace and agility of an Olympic gymnast.

  Bottles of ketchup and mustard tumbled and exploded on the grass below as Lucky’s paws slid across the stainless steel counter. Napkins flew into the air with a confetti-like precision as I made my way to the food truck breathless, sweaty, and completely ready to kill a canine.

  All I saw was Lucky’s ass end as his long tail whipped the cash register, and he greedily helped himself to whatever was in front of him and my heart immediately melted. There was something about this pooch that made me forgive all his sins and want to congratulate him until I heard his chops.

  My stomach squeezed in a fit of humiliation with the slopping sounds of Lucky’s ecstasy bellowing through the air and the snickers behind me.

  I reached up and attempted to pull Lucky toward me, but instead of sliding my way, he scooted right onto the floor of the food truck. The crowd behind me began clapping and laughing as my cheeks turned red, and a very sexy man picked up the canine and plunked him back on the counter, facing my direction.

  Lucky’s long muzzle was covered in ketchup and cheese sauce, but the mutt gave me a big, toothy grin that would have tugged at anyone’s heart.
/>   “I’m so sorry,” I muttered, trying to pull Lucky toward me, but he didn’t want to budge.

  And really why would he want to get out of there? I wouldn’t want to leave a truck full of hot dogs either.

  “Nothing to be sorry about,” the sexy man replied, and I realized he was the one anchoring Lucky. “The dog’s got good taste. Can’t blame him for that.”

  “I suppose that’s one way of looking at it.” I forced a smile, but refused to look at the guy. Instead, I gave another tug, hoping he would let go.

  The man only held on tighter, so I released the troublemaker and rounded up a few napkins to clean off Lucky’s face. Somehow, he’d managed to get sauerkraut stuck in his eyebrows and pickle relish in his left ear.

  The crowd had pretty much dispersed behind me, and I could finally take a breath that didn’t involve burning lungs and the need to collapse.

  “Please let me help you clean up at the very least.” I cleared my throat and attempted to act like this sort of thing happened every day. “I can’t even imagine what he did behind the scenes if this area looks like a war zone.”

  “Nah. I was about to close up shop for the day, and I had to clean up anyway. This is just one of the many perils of owning a hot dog stand. It’s a dangerous and dirty kind of business,” the guy joked.

  I finally let my gaze drift to the man’s and I was dumbstruck.

  He was gorgeous.

  Muscular.

  And every woman’s fantasy if someone was into that sort of thing.

  But I certainly wasn’t…

  Until I kept my gaze steady on his.

  His brilliant green eyes were the most vivid I’d ever seen. Flecks of blue and yellow seemed to light up his gaze, and his dark hair only accented how beautiful his eyes were. Tattoos wrapped his muscular forearms and showed off his golden tan.

  He was stunning, and I was a sweaty mess.

  I grabbed another dirty napkin and wiped off my forehead before I even realized what I’d done.

  Ketchup had become my new war paint.

  “Are you sure you don’t need help?” I asked.

  “Totally fine.”

  I nodded and sucked a deep breath in.

  “That was quite a sprint you made to catch your dog.” Laughter tickled his words with perfection, and I suddenly forgot about Lucky.

  “You saw that?”

  “Saw it? My customers were taking bets on whether you’d make it or not.” A mischievous grin spread across his face, and my heart tumbled just a little bit. “Of course, I had full faith that you would.”

  “Why, thanks.” I cocked my head and wondered why Lucky was just sitting there high above the ground without a care in the world.

  Maybe he was about to get sick and that was why he looked oblivious. That scenario seemed like it would be the perfect ending to this afternoon.

  “I really need to get Lucky and head back,” I told the man, feeling an unexpected heat run through my veins.

  “How about I’ll let go of your dog if you let me get your number.”

  Pure shock and horror spiked through me. I hadn’t been on a date in at least a year, maybe six.

  “He’s not my dog,” I blurted out and yanked Lucky into my arms. A paw covered in mustard smacked my cheek, and I let out a silent groan.

  I love my job. I love my job.

  But actually I did.

  “Whose dog is he then?” he asked, curiosity filling his voice. “Do you just randomly chase after strays who run through parks?” A sparkle dashed through the man’s eyes and warmth filled my heart. Even with all his tattoos and somewhat edgy look, there was something charming and endearing about this guy.

  “I’m a pet sitter.”

  “Well, hopefully Lucky doesn’t have any food allergies.” The man’s grin only widened. “Because he had quite the variety back here.”

  “Thanks for that. Another thing to worry about.” I smiled and his eyes stayed on mine.

  “Doing what I can.” He grabbed a rag and began wiping down the stainless as I plopped Lucky on the ground, whipped out his leash from my back pocket, and fastened him in before grabbing the ketchup and mustard containers to give back to the guy.

  “Again, I’m really sorry and—”

  “Just another day in the life of a poor, unsuspecting hot dog vendor. I promise you, don’t give it another thought.”

  I narrowed my eyes on this innocent victim and saw a smirk plastered across his gorgeous face.

  He was no innocent, a player—more like it—and he was getting quite a kick out of Lucky and me.

  A few seconds of silence hung between us and then he leaned over the shiny, clean countertop.

  “How about you give me your number and we call it even.”

  “I don’t live on the island. I’m just here until Lucky’s parents get back from their cruise.”

  “How long’s the cruise?” he asked, straightening up and studying me closely. It felt like he was sizing up my excuse, or maybe me.

  I pressed my lips together and cursed Lucky’s obsession with nitrate-filled delicacies.

  “It’s three months long.” I tried to pretend that wasn’t ample time to fit in a date.

  “Three months?” His eyes widened. “Who would want to be stuck on a boat for three months?”

  I had to agree. I glanced at the side of the truck, trying to find the name of his restaurant on wheels.

  “Beats me.” I shrugged. “Anyway, there’s no point in going out.”

  “There’s no point in having a little fun?” His eyes settled on mine and a charge ran between us.

  “Fun?” I couldn’t believe this guy was so forward.

  Just the way the word fun dripped from his tongue sent a delightful shiver through me. Who just came right out and asked for it like this? But for some reason—that would probably make me question myself for years to come—I liked it. In fact, the longer I looked at this man the more fun I wanted.

  Lots of it.

  “Is that like your version of a four-letter word?” He tossed the rag behind him. “I didn’t take you to be the fun police.”

  “No, I’m not the fun police.” I fiercely shook my head, pushing the embarrassment away. “I just don’t see the point.”

  “In having fun…” His voice trailed off in a state of confusion.

  “That’s not what I mean. I have plenty of fun.”

  Just not in a long, long time.

  “I’m sure you do.” He laughed, which only annoyed me.

  “I just like to know the person before I have any fun.” Lucky plopped down and stretched out in some ketchup. “I mean I don’t even know your name. Is that too much to ask or are things different here on Hound Island?”

  His brows shot up as his expression turned to pure amusement.

  “Billy.” He pointed above him, and I finally saw the sign I’d been searching for.

  Billy’s Hound Dog Cafe

  “Well, Billy, I’d love to give you my number, but I’m just not that kind of girl. I’ve got responsibilities. I’ve got Lucky to take care of and—”

  “How about I send you home with one of my favorites,” he interrupted. “It only seems fair that since Lucky got to try out one of my specialties you do too.” He leaned against the newly polished counter again. “You like bacon?”

  Who doesn’t?

  “Yeah.”

  “Good.” He turned around and began making a gourmet hot dog as I was left standing with Lucky feeling completely awkward and confused.

  While his idea of fun did sound a tad enticing I wasn’t going to fall for a sexy guy with slick moves. I didn’t need to be known around the island as someone to come to for talents beyond pet sitting. I had my pride. No matter how good-looking this Billy character was, I wouldn’t fall for his idea of fun.

  He turned back around and slid a foot-long gourmet German sausage topped with melted cheese, bacon, onion, and what appeared to be tater tots toward me.

  “
How much do I owe you?” I asked, salivating at the sight of the hot dog.

  “It’s on the house. It wouldn’t be fair that only Lucky got a free hot dog from me today.” He smiled, and I felt completely out of my element. I didn’t know if it was the tattoos or the sexy smirk, but he had me wondering what a night of fun could be like.

  “I’ve caused enough damage. The least I can do is pay for my meal.” I smiled, wishing he wasn’t so good-looking, when someone spoke up behind me.

  “Oh, no. That’s his spiel. He gives away free hot dogs whenever he finds a woman attractive.” A guy behind me laughed. “Next, he’ll ask for your number.”

  I spun around and Lucky sat up, ears cocked.

  “He’s already asked for my number.” I laughed and glanced behind me to catch Billy shaking his head at the guy while making a death threat with his hands.

  “I’m Chance.” The man stuck out his hand. “One of his best friends.”

  “Nice to meet you and I appreciate the warning.” I smiled.

  Chance winked at me, and I turned back around to grab my hot dog. I needed to get out of this sea of good-looking men and get my head on straight.

  All I’d wanted this afternoon was to enjoy one of the last summer days at the park reading a good book, eating ridiculously priced cheese, and taking in the last few rays of sun Washington had to offer.

  “About your number?” Billy teased.

  “If it’s meant to be, we’ll see each other again. Hound Island isn’t exactly an easy place to hide out, and I’ll be here for three months.” I balanced my hot dog in one hand and smiled in Chance’s direction before taking off toward my picnic blanket.

  Part of me wanted to rush back and give him my number, but the sensible part of me knew better. I didn’t need to get caught up in another relationship that was destined to go nowhere. I specialized in those. I couldn’t even pick a career that involved seeing the same animal for long periods of time.

  I took a bite of my hot dog, and the flavors were like a gift from heaven. No wonder his food truck was busy. Just as I took another bite, Billy jogged up behind me, nearly scaring me to death.