Free It's In His Smile (A Red River Valley Novel Book 3) by Shelly Alexander

woman was way beyond scary. She was one hundred and fifty percent shouldn’t-be-allowed-to-operate-heavy-equipment-or-own-a-gun crazy.
    And just like that, Miranda was back in the Wilkinsons’ crosshairs.

    “Your ass went viral.” Jamie shouted at Miranda over the buzzing of the electric sander in her hands. He sat on a barstool behind the inn’s kitchen counter while she tried to keep some forward momentum going with the renovations. She’d lost valuable work time because of hosting the wake yesterday . . . and because her contractor was still AWOL.
    “ What? ” She shouted back at him without looking away from the wood beam that ran across the dining room ceiling. Because surely she’d just heard him wrong. He did not just say—
    “Your ass,” he yelled, “went viral!”
    When Miranda jerked her head around to look at him, the old rickety ladder she stood on shook. She went still, regained her balance, and flipped the power switch to off. The handheld sander whirred to a stop, and she glared at her brother through orange safety goggles.
    With a toss of his head, Jamie pushed his long, black bangs to one side and turned his laptop so she could see the YouTube video of her on all fours. The recording appeared a little off-color from behind goggles, but it was indeed her ass. Bared for all the world to see on YouTube, except for the thin silk layer of her sheer panties.
    She clamped her eyes shut.
    “Guess how many views you’ve gotten just since the wake yesterday?” Little brother sounded way too happy about her butt cheeks showing up on social media.
    “I was trying to help Lloyd!”
    “No really. Guess.”
    “Shouldn’t you be defending my honor? Hunting down the delinquents who caused my humiliation?”
    He smiled. When he leaned forward so he could see the screen, too, his bangs fell across one eye. “I’d rather give them a high five. This is sick stuff. You know how many years I’ve tried to find something this good to hold over your head?” He answered his own question. “Ever since you practiced cutting my hair because you were thinking of applying to beauty school.”
    “It didn’t turn out that bad.” Sort of.
    “You had to take me to the barber and have it shaved to the scalp.”
    True. But on the upside, she’d realized becoming a hairstylist wasn’t her thing.
    She rubbed her forehead. “Can’t you take the YouTube video down?”
    Jamie shrugged. “Once it’s out there, it’s out there.” He didn’t look away from the screen. “Oh, wait. This is the good part.” He held up a finger for a second, eyes intent on the screen, then burst into fits of laughter.
    “Don’t you have college classes to attend? Or do you just like wasting my money?”
    He flipped his laptop around again. “Online class today.” He pointed to the screen and grabbed a cookie from the bin.
    “You eat more than you’re worth,” she deadpanned. Maybe she’d give him another haircut after she duct-taped him to the barstool.
    He tossed his hair to one side again and munched on the cookie. “Precisely why I’m getting a job.” He grabbed another cookie, trying to satisfy his voracious metabolism. Damn him. “And I’m going to pay you back all the tuition money one day.”
    “Every penny.” She tried to make it sound like a reprimand but ended up fighting off a smile instead. “ After you finish your degree. So no job. Not unless it has something to do with a future career.”
    “You know I love you, sis.” Jamie blew her a kiss, and her heart warmed even though she knew he was just sucking up. He was a great kid, and he was there to help her whenever she needed it, just the way Bea had been.
    Bea believed Miranda could turn this place into a thriving focal point of the town again. It had been Bea’s idea for Miranda to buy it. But now Talmadge had inherited the note. He might consider a grace period on the payments if Miranda needed it.
    She chewed the inside of her cheek. No. No way