Free The Bachelor's Brighton Valley Bride (Return to Brighton Valley) by Judy Duarte - The Bachelor's Brighton Valley Bride (Return to Brighton Valley)

illegible scrawl.
    To make matters worse, she couldn’t find the missing paperwork that Don had managed to leave in various places all over the shop—or figure out his weird filing system, even though he’d tried to explain it to her. But once she did, she’d be able to sort everything in a way that made sense to her.
    She knew a computerized accounting system— especially in a store that repaired and sold computers!—was the ideal solution. But that would require her to learn an entirely new way of doing things, which might not be easy. However, if someone with a little patience took the time to go over the instructions, she knew she would catch on.
    Trouble was, Peyton Johnson was here to do just that, but he was the last person in the world she wanted to sit next to her and point out anything, especially the intricacies of the digital age.
    Maybe if he taught the new program to Tyler, then her son could show her. But presenting that idea to the corporate accountant was sure to go over like sprigs of poison oak in a pair of long johns, which meant she was back to square one.
    So she took another shot at deciphering Don’s notation on the invoice she’d been reading. The machine in question was a laptop, but she had no idea who’d even brought it in, let alone what brand it was or the reason it needed to be repaired. And she hated to ask Don to look the paper over while Peyton was here because she hated to point out yet one more reason they were so behind the times.
    In her frustration, she risked another glance at the man seated across from her.
    Peyton had almost perfect posture as he typed diligently away on the keyboard in front of him. He’d rolled up his shirt sleeves to his elbows, revealing a smattering of hair on his well-muscled forearms.
    She studied his strong tan fingers moving across the plastic letters and numbers, wondering if she was more envious of his ability to quickly and effortlessly type out the words or if she was merely jealous of the keyboard’s luck in being the recipient of such smooth and solid strokes.
    As his right hand reached for the mouse, she shifted in her desk chair and imagined him reaching for her....
    Oh, for Pete’s sake. What was wrong with her? She might have been without a man for longer than she cared to ponder, but she wasn’t interested in doing anything to change that. At least, not unless she found someone who was more interested in sharing an emotional relationship before a physical one—no matter how hot and heavy it promised to be.
    She had two kids, a shattered happily-ever-after dream and a barely recovering FICO score to remind her that all sex and swagger made for bad husbands.
    Too bad she hadn’t listened more closely to Gram, who’d warned her to stay away from the boys who raced to scoop up the overly ripe fruit off the ground rather than wait for the perfect peach to ripen before climbing up into the tree to pick it at just the right time.
    However, if she kept sitting here staring at Peyton and letting the tingle in her feminine core continue, she’d be in danger of letting her ripe peach fall directly into his lap.
    “You know,” Megan said, pushing her chair away from her desk, “I’m going to run to Caroline’s and pick up some lunch. Anyone want me to bring something back?”
    Don, who was still wearing his headphones while fixing one of the computers that had been brought in for repair, appeared to be oblivious to her announcement, which had rung out a little louder than she’d planned. But Peyton studied her in awe.
    Or had her voice and sudden movement merely startled the man?
    “Sure. You can pick up something for me.” Peyton reached into his wallet, pulled out a twenty and handed it to her.
    “What would you like?” she asked.
    “Surprise me.” His trust, at least when it came to his meal order, took her aback. And she found it difficult to break away from his gaze, which seemed to wrap around her, tethering her in