Temptation Trails (The Haven Brothers #3)

“Uh-oh,” Beth said as the door shut behind them.

I jumped. I’d totally forgotten she was there. “What?”

“Nothing.” Her voice was full of mock innocence.

A customer came in before I could press her. I let her handle it and went back to the kitchen to start cleaning up.

A teenage helper. Burnt cookies. A fire alarm. First responders evacuating the bakery. It had been a big day. But were any of those things on my mind as I washed dishes and put things away?

Nope. All I could think about was Garrett Haven’s smile.

CHAPTER 9

Garrett

“Dad, you have to try one of these,” Owen said around a mouthful of chocolate chip cookie. “They’re so good.”

I eyed the box of cookies on the kitchen counter like they might bite. They certainly looked good. Perfect, even. Uniformly round and all the same size. Lightly browned edges and dotted with gooey chocolate chips.

What was I afraid of? That if I ate one of Harper’s cookies, it would cast a spell on me and I’d become hopelessly obsessed with her?

Yes. That’s exactly what I was afraid of.

I was already halfway there.

But the cookies did smell good. And if I didn’t eat one, Owen was going to inhale them all.

I picked up a cookie and the scent made my mouth water. I took a slow bite. Slightly crispy edges, chewy and warm in the middle. My eyes closed and I groaned.

“Oh my god.”

“Told you.”

“Don’t eat them all.” I batted Owen’s hand away as he tried to take another one. “You get half.”

“I helped make them. I should get four.”

“You were there because you shoplifted. You should have to watch me eat them all.”

“Fine. Half is fair. I’ll save my last one for later.” He walked out of the kitchen and disappeared upstairs.

I took another bite. They were so buttery, with just the right amount of chocolate. I could have eaten a dozen of them.

But that didn’t mean I was going to obsess about Harper. Any more than I already was, at least.

She’d turned me into an idiot again when I’d picked up Owen. I wasn’t like my brothers Luke and Zachary, or even Theo. They always seemed to know what to say to women. I wasn’t like Josiah, either, who communicated mostly in lumberjack grunts, like our dad. But that star struck, tongue tied thing I did every time I saw Harper? That wasn’t me, either.

What was it about her?

I didn’t know. But I grabbed another cookie. They were too much for any man to resist.

The scent of cookies wafted past the desk. I glanced up to see Kate, one of our deputies, walk by with a pink Angel Cakes box. I started to get up, like a cartoon character following his nose, but managed to stop myself.

I had to go out on a half-day patrol shift soon, which was good. The scent of whatever Kate had brought from the bakery lingered in the air. But the cookies weren’t the problem.

It was Harper. She was the real temptation.

So far, I’d resisted the urge to stop by Angel Cakes—or even just circle it a few times. I kept telling myself I didn’t want a relationship. I didn’t want to date. I didn’t have time and it wasn’t worth the risk.