Free Welcome to Temptation: A Romantic Comedy by Charlotte Hughes

help me find someone to get that tree off my car, I’ll do it myself. “
    Gator realized now that he’d been too rough on her. Once again he’d let his emotions get the best of him. He wanted to apologize for hurting her feelings, kiss away the pain, but it wasn’t the place. “The heavy equipment is needed elsewhere at the moment, Mic, you know that. And what are you going to do about your grandmother? Somebody has to help her get her place in order. She’s too old to do it alone.”
    Michelle buried her face in her hands. She was so tired. She was tired of living on stale hot dogs and black coffee. She was tired of wearing the same clothes and of washing her bra and panties out every night in the bathroom sink. But she knew he spoke the truth; somebody had to help Reba. With her parents out of the country till the end of the month, she was the only one Reba had to rely on. But that was the story of her life. Her parents had never been around, not for her or anyone else.
    Michelle dropped her hands to her side. “Can you take me out to Reba’s place tomorrow?” she asked. “I’d like to get started right away.”
    “Okay, Mic. Lord knows, I wouldn’t want you to hang around any longer than necessary.” He gave a grunt of disgust and turned around to arrange his bedding. Jealousy, he decided, was truly the monster it was reported to be. He hoped for his sake this was his first and last brush with it.
    #
    Reba’s place was a disaster. Gator and Michelle arrived early the next morning in his boat. Although Reba’s house could be reached by car, the distance was much longer that way, and many of the back roads were still impossible to navigate without a chainsaw and bulldozer. Reba had lost two outbuildings, and the screens on her back porch flapped in the breeze like laundry on a clothesline. A number of windows had been shattered, and tree limbs and various other debris littered the yard, giving it a shabby, unkempt appearance that was alien to Reba’s way of life. Her boat dock and part of the backyard were still covered with water. For the most part, the water had subsided, but mud and debris was everywhere.
    The inside of the house wasn’t much better, and Michelle was thankful that Gator had convinced Reba to stay at his mother’s house for a couple of days. The woman had not seemed to mind Reba’s pets, and Michelle thought it was high time Reba reacquainted herself with old friends instead of keeping to herself as she had since the death of her husband.
    “I don’t know where to begin,” Michelle said, taking in her surroundings. The large braided rug in the living room was soggy, as were the numerous throw rugs scattered across the plank floors. She faced Gator. “You don’t need to be here,” she said. “I appreciate it, but I know you have more important things to do in town.” She didn’t know how she would manage without his help, but she felt guilty for taking up so much of his time already.
    “Don’t worry about it, Mic. I’ve deputized half the town. They can spare me for a day or two.”
    “Why are you doing this?” she finally asked. Gator didn’t seem the type to go out of his way for another human being unless he was motivated by guilt or obligation. He owed her nothing. Although he’d worked nonstop the past few days since the storm had hit, she knew that he really didn’t want to be there, he was merely biding his time.
    Gator shrugged. “It’s the least I can do. The people in this town looked after my mother when I moved away. I’d come back to check on her from time to time and find someone had chopped wood or weeded her garden and flower beds for her. I reckon it wouldn’t kill me to return the favor. “He pressed the toe of his boot against the large rug, and water streamed across the floor. “First thing we need to do is get this rug out of here so the floor can dry.”
    Michelle sensed he was eager to get started and didn’t want to waste time arguing. For