Donovan stepped out of the shower, reached for his white towel on the rack, and wrapped it around his waist. He ran a hand over the foggy mirror, staring at his reflection.

If anyone would have told him that he’d have hot kitchen sex with Zoe today, he would have said no way.

He grinned at his reflection. But it happened, and it was freakin’ awesome.

Afterward, while holding her close in his arms, he’d been about to suggest they go back to her place for the night, but both of their phones had buzzed at the same time from inside their discarded clothes.

They’d gotten a group text from Adam inviting them to the Lakeside Inn to celebrate that Bethany had said yes.

Lousy timing, but he was looking forward to spending the evening with Zoe. He lathered up his face, taking a razor to it. Hopefully, later tonight, he’d finally get to suggest going back to her place.

He finished shaving, thinking back to the afternoon. He wasn’t quite sure what had gotten into Zoe to make a move, but he was glad she did.

Their connection was strong, and he was eager to explore it. No more denying his feelings. If he didn’t prove to her this afternoon how much he wanted things between them to be more than professional, he planned to reiterate his interest tonight.

They just had to get through a couple of hours at the Lakeside Inn.

He moved down the hall back to his room, flipping on the TV for background noise while he got ready. They wouldn’t have to stay at the party forever. An hour. Two, tops. He retrieved his jeans from the dresser and slid them on. They’d hang out together, have a celebratory drink, and then he’d make up some excuse that he and Zoe had to be at work early in the morning.

For an inspection. He cracked a smile and sat on the bed’s edge, his gaze aligned with the television as he put on his socks. He recognized the Culinary Channel’s rerun episode immediately. “Oh, man. It’s my episode.” He grabbed the remote and turned it up.

He loved seeing the Rocky Top again.

And yeah, it was fun to see himself on television. That never got old.

He stopped getting dressed to watch the show. It was well into the hour episode, in which they’d finished interviewing him and Marc for fifteen minutes on their culinary backgrounds. He chuckled remembering how uncomfortable Marc had been having to wear a little makeup for the camera.

Right after the interview, the camera zoomed into the kitchen, where Donovan had taken his special knives to the prep table for a preplanned cooking demonstration. His steady hands, chopping the vegetables fast and furious.

Funny how being on national television didn’t give him the same exhilaration he’d experienced this week launching Heavenly Soups by D. Foster. Close, but his kitchen in the Rocky Top never had the one special ingredient.

Love.

And he was pretty sure he was feeling it with Zoe. He finished putting his socks on. Although, it was way too early to tell her. Yeah, much too soon. He wasn’t going to risk scaring her away.

The camera zoomed in on a dozen of his staff standing off to the right. He did miss having an audience when he cooked. He loved teaching in the kitchen, his prep area his horizontal chalkboard as he instructed hundreds of line cooks that came and went over the years.

Some went on to do great things, others couldn’t cut the long hours and hard work.

He studied the faces on the television, barely remembering a couple of names. Had he really been so caught up in his own success that he didn’t care to learn the names of all the team members who’d helped uphold his high standards night after night?

He’d do better. If Zoe and he were ever in a place to expand their business, he’d take budding chefs under his wing and really invest in their careers.

The camera zoomed in on a young woman with long brown hair, guilt immediately hitting him. He didn’t know her name, but he remembered firing her a day or two after the taping. She’d made a potentially life-threatening mistake, grazing the governor’s dish with peanut sauce.

Even after he’d heard the allergic governor was fine, Donovan had stormed into his kitchen and chewed her out in front of the entire kitchen staff before firing her on the spot.

And he never knew her name. Looking back, he could have handled that differently.

In retrospect, he really needn’t have fired her. It was a mistake, albeit a bad one. Still, no one died, and business went on as usual. He’d been so caught up in his reputation and notoriety he tossed away anyone who could have tainted it without thinking twice.

Crazy how the things that motivated him less than a year ago meant nothing to him now. He couldn’t care less about being a celebrity chef. Now, the only thing he cared about was helping a woman he was falling in love with save her business. “I hope your current boss treats you better,” he said to the television, his gaze resting for a second on her wide smile.

Wait a minute. He leaned forward. He’d seen that smile before. Grabbing the remote, he hit stop and rewind, pausing on the pretty brunette.

Who had the brightest blue eyes he’d stared into only a couple of hours ago.

Holy shit. It was Zoe.

He sat back on the bed, stunned. No. It couldn’t be.

But the evidence was right there on the screen, and the more he studied the woman’s features, the more he was confident that she was in fact Zoe. Same build, same wide smile, same blue eyes.

All that was different was her hair color.

He’d thought she looked familiar when he met her the night of the blizzard. How did she end up in Buttermilk Falls?

His eyes narrowed. And why did she move from a major city to a town in the middle of nowhere that happened to be his hometown?

Was she here for revenge? He jumped off the bed and began pacing, his thoughts spinning out of control. Was this all a game? Was he dealing with a crazy woman hell-bent on getting even? Was her throwing herself on him today part of her plan?

“But she didn’t even want anything to do with me at first,” he said out loud.

He stopped pacing, raking his hand through his hair. Even if this wasn’t some act of revenge, the fact was Zoe Mathews had been lying to him.

He needed some answers, but would Zoe even tell him the truth? Bending down, he retrieved the lavender purse from under the bed, holding it in the air. “Did you know about this?” he asked it, or rather Mary.

Frustrated, he plunged his hand in. His pulse quickened at the feel of something flat and glossy. A beat later, he pulled out a red and white playing card and flicked it over.

A jester in a three-pointed hat, holding a white rose, smiled up at him. The word “Joker” on the bottom right corner.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” He threw the purse on the bed and shoved the playing card in his back pocket, storming out of his room.

The hell he’d be played for a fool by his former line cook.

Zoe walked down the hill toward the Lakeside Inn, sliding her tongue over her top teeth, hoping she didn’t have red lipstick on them. She hadn’t had a lot of time to get ready for the impromptu engagement party, rushing around her apartment and throwing on the only party dress she owned, a black dress with a low neckline.

Overdressed for this gathering or not, she secretly hoped Donovan would enjoy removing it later.

With only that thought in mind, her cheeks heated before she even got inside.

Today was amazing. She’d gone after exactly what she wanted—and got it!

Being with Donovan had been every fantasy come true. The sex had been hot and fast, but even still, she’d felt their incredible connection. She hoped he did, too.

Stepping onto the porch, she entered the inn. Excited to congratulate the happy couple, yes, but seeing Donovan was the reason her heart beat hard.

She moved through the foyer, taking in the beautiful furnishings, including the deep mahogany half-twist staircase. She hadn’t been here since opening the old hope chest with Rachel, Bethany, and Adam.

One point to Mary for getting it right. It was way too early to know if Donovan was her soul mate, but she hoped they were going in the right direction. “Thank you, Mary, for the grease,” she whispered.

“Zoe!” Abby came up to her, dressed in a modest green sheath dress.

Okay, so her deep-cut party dress might be a little too fancy. She made no move to take off her coat. “I’m so happy to be here to celebrate with everyone. Thank you for inviting me.” She meant that. Yeah, she couldn’t wait to see Donovan, but it also felt amazing to be included. These wonderful townspeople were becoming her friends. It had taken months, but she finally didn’t feel so alone. Moving to Buttermilk Falls had been the best decision she ever made.

She smiled inwardly. This afternoon proved it.

“We’re glad you’re here.” Abby touched Zoe’s coat. “Let me take that for you.”

“Don’t bother. She’s not staying.”

Zoe glanced to the side to see Donovan approach, holding a beer bottle to his lips.

She grinned up at him. Fine by her if he wanted to leave now. She couldn’t wait to get him alone and rub her hands over his rock-hard abs underneath his black V-neck sweater. Although, she’d still like to see Bethany and Adam and offer her congratulations before they go.

“What do you mean she’s not staying?” Abby asked. “Of course, she’s staying. Go away.”

“Suit yourself.” He turned without even an acknowledgment in Zoe’s direction and headed for the bar.

Zoe’s jaw dropped. What the hell had just happened? She immediately closed her mouth.

“Did you two have a spat at work?” Abby asked.

“I don’t think so . . .” Had they? No. There definitely had not been any fighting. Far from it. Once they got dressed, he’d brought her into his arms for one final steamy kiss before saying he’d see her at the Inn. “Um . . . no. We didn’t, but it looks like we’re about to.” She paused, gaining her composure. “I mean, will you excuse me?” she said and proceeded to the bar.

Donovan was now sitting at the far corner, his back to her. She smiled at everyone as she made her way to him. Adam and Bethany clearly had a lot of friends and family because the place was packed. She reached out and tapped Donovan’s shoulder. “Hi.”

Donovan took a long drink, not saying a word.

“Did I do something?” she asked, dread paralyzing her in place.

He finally twisted on his stool to face her, his eyes dark. “When did you move to Buttermilk Falls? One week after I fired you? Two?”

Oh, God. He knows. She knew it was only a matter of time, but she thought she had more of it. When did he realize she was one of his line cooks? Did Marc tip him off? She scanned the crowded room. Maybe they could go upstairs or on the porch. “Can we go somewhere and talk about this?”

“Why? You don’t want others to know?” He raised his voice well over the crowd around them. “Why all the secrets, Zoe?”

Her back stiffened as the room silenced. She didn’t need to turn around to know many eyes were now on them. “One secret. It was one secret. I didn’t know how to tell you,” she admitted, voice shaky.

He scoffed, his tone still harsh. “It’s simple really. ‘Hey, Donovan. Remember me? I’m the line cook that sent the Governor to the ER and could have ruined you.’”

Her eyes welled up, and she forced the tears back to keep her composure. Do not cry. “I needed a new start.”

“So instead you decided to move to my town.”

“I didn’t know you were from here.”

“Yeah, right.” He finished his beer and set the bottle down. “I knew you looked familiar. Hell, I asked you the night in the Sugar Spoon if we’d met. You lied to me then. You’ve been lying all along. By the way, nice dye job.”

His accusation sliced into her. How was it possible that this man was giving her another public verbal lashing? This time it was worse because he was aiming straight for her heart. “I didn’t mean to mislead you.”

Donovan smacked his head. “Oh, that’s an understatement. Why’d you do it? Revenge? Did you want to get back at me? Was letting me cook out of your shop part of your twisted plan? What’s your end game, Zoe?”

Twisted plan? End game? How could he suggest she was only motivated by revenge? What kind of person did he think she was? She started to speak, but he cut her off.

“Go back to Denwood. If that place even exists. We’re done.” He turned back to the bar, striking up a conversation with a brunette she didn’t know. The woman cautiously looked over at Zoe before answering whatever question he had asked.

Devastated, Zoe turned to leave. He didn’t want her here, that much was painfully clear. She put her head down, just like she did that night at the Rocky Top, and took a couple of steps for the door but stopped.

Her hands clenched. She didn’t deserve the humiliation then, and she didn’t deserve it now. Not this time. She might have let him toss her out of his kitchen, but this wasn’t the Rocky Top and she needed him to know that.

Sure, she deserved that last dig about Denwood not being real, but how could he possibly think she’d planned their going into business as some twisted act of revenge? Did he think their having sex today was another way for her to manipulate him? She took a deep breath and tapped his shoulder. It took him a second to twist back around. This time he stood. “You’re still here.”

She jutted her chin, mustering all of her courage. “Yes, because our conversation is not over. First of all, I didn’t know you were from Buttermilk Falls, and I sure as hell didn’t know you’d be back. You can bet if I did, I wouldn’t be standing here right now.” She jabbed a finger into his chest. “And as for our business relationship, you’re the one that pushed me into going into business together. Not me. I would have been fine on my own. It wasn’t my spark that burned out, you arrogant jackass. It was yours.”

She spun around and bolted for the door, apologizing to Bethany and Adam as she left. Alone outside, the tears began to fall.

Yeah, she’d finally stood up to Donovan Foster. Eight months in the making, but it didn’t matter.

The truth was out. Her shoulders slumped as she started to walk toward her car. She didn’t belong here.