Carrie Ann Ryan's WHISKEY AND LIES kicks off in just under a week...but we couldn't wait to share the first chaper of the first book, WHISKEY SECRETS, with you! Read it below below, find out more about the series (and how it ties into the Montgomery Ink series!) and preorder your copy today!
About the WHISKEY AND LIES series
The Montgomery Ink world just got a big larger. Dark heroes, tragic pasts, and heroines who rock their worlds…the Collins Brothers are about to see what happens when their small Pennsylvanian town gets shocked to its core.
The Collins Brothers just want to go about their business and live their lives. They’re in no mood for what happens when three women come into their lives when they’re least expecting it. One comes to change what was lost, another comes to prove what could be, while the third reveals what’s already been there all along.
Whiskey, Pennsylvania just got a little bit bigger and this town might not be ready for what’s coming.
Tabby’s Brothers from Ink Exposed get a series of their own.
Each book is a complete stand alone and can be read in any order.
About WHISKEY SECRETS (Whiskey and Lies #1)
Sparks fly between a former cop-turned-bartender and his new innkeeper in the first installment of a Montgomery Ink spin-off series from NYT Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan.
Dare Collins is a man who knows his whiskey and women—or at least that’s what he tells himself. When his family decides to hire on a new innkeeper for the inn above his bar and restaurant, he’s more than reluctant. Especially when he meets the new hire. But he’ll soon find that he has no choice but to work with this city girl and accept her new ideas and the burning attraction between them.
Kenzie Owens left her old life and an abusive relationship behind her—or so she thought. She figures she’ll be safe in Whiskey, Pennsylvania but after one look at her new boss, Dare Collins, she might still be in danger, or at least her heart. And when her past catches up with her despite her attempts to avoid it, it’s more than her heart on the line. This time, it might mean her life.
WHISKEY SECRETS releases January 2nd, 2018 - preorder your copy now!
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Read the first chapter of WHISKEY SECRETS:
Shocking pain slammed into his skull and down his back. Dare
Collins did his best not to scream in the middle of his own bar. He slowly
stood up and rubbed the back of his head since he’d been distracted and hit it
on the countertop. Since the thing was made of solid wood and thick as hell, he
was surprised he hadn’t given himself a concussion. But since he didn’t see
double, he had a feeling once his long night was over, he’d just have to make
the throbbing go away with a glass of Macallan.
There was nothing better than a glass of smooth whiskey or
an ice-cold mug of beer after a particularly long day. Which one Dare chose
each night depended on not only his mood but also those around him. So was the
life of a former cop turned bartender.
He had a feeling he’d be going for the whiskey and not a
woman tonight— like most nights if he were honest. It had been a long day of
inventory and no-show staff members. Meaning he had a headache from hell, and
it looked as if he’d be working open to close when he truly didn’t want to. But
that’s what happened when one was the owner of a bar and restaurant rather than
just a manager or bartender— like he was with the Old Whiskey Restaurant and
Bar.
It didn’t help that his family had been in and out of the
place all day for one reason or another— his brothers and parents either
wanting something to eat or having a question that needed to be answered right
away where a phone call or text wouldn’t suffice. His mom and dad had mentioned
more than once that he needed to be ready for their morning meeting, and he had
a bad feeling in his gut about what that would mean for him later. But he
pushed that from his thoughts because he was used to things in his life
changing on a dime. He’d left the force for a reason, after all.
Enough of that.
He loved his family, he really did, but sometimes, they— his
parents in particular— gave him a headache.
Since his mom and dad still ran the Old Whiskey Inn above
his bar, they were constantly around, working their tails off at odd jobs that
were far too hard for them at their ages, but they were all just trying to earn
a living. When they weren’t handling business for the inn, they were fixing
problems upstairs that Dare wished they’d let him help with.
While he’d have preferred to call it a night and head back
to his place a few blocks away, he knew that wouldn’t happen tonight. Since his
bartender, Rick, had called in sick at the last minute— as well as two of
Dare’s waitresses from the bar— Dare was pretty much screwed.
And if he wallowed just a little bit more, he might hear a
tiny violin playing in his ear. He needed to get a grip and get over it.
Working late and dealing with other people’s mistakes was part of his job
description, and he was usually fine with that.
Apparently, he was just a little off tonight. And since he
knew himself well, he had a feeling it was because he was nearing the end of
his time without his kid. Whenever he spent too many days away from Nathan, he
acted like a crabby asshole. Thankfully, his weekend was coming up.
“Solving a hard math problem over there, or just
daydreaming? Because that expression on your face looks like you’re working
your brain too hard. I’m surprised I don’t see smoke coming out of your ears.”
Fox asked as he walked up to the bar, bringing Dare out of his thoughts. Dare
had been pulling drafts and cleaning glasses mindlessly while in his head, but
he was glad for the distraction, even if it annoyed him that he needed one.
Dare shook his head and flipped off his brother. “Suck me.”
The bar was busy that night, so Fox sat down on one of the
empty stools and grinned. “Nice way to greet your customers.” He glanced over
his shoulder before looking back at Dare and frowning. “Where are Rick and the
rest of your staff?”
Dare barely held back a growl. “Out sick. Either there’s
really a twenty-four-hour stomach bug going around and I’m going to be screwed
for the next couple of days, or they’re all out on benders.”
Fox cursed under his breath before hopping off his stool and
going around the side of the large oak and maple bar to help out. That was
Dare’s family in a nutshell— they dropped everything whenever one of them
needed help, and nobody even had to ask for it. Since Dare sucked at asking for
help on a good day, he was glad that Fox knew what he needed without him having
to say it.
Without asking, Fox pulled up a few drink orders and began
mixing them with the skill of a long-time barkeep. Since Fox owned the small
town newspaper— the Whiskey Chronicle— Dare was still surprised sometimes at
how deft his younger brother was at working alongside him. Of course, even his
parents, his older brother Loch, and his younger sister Tabby knew their way
around the bar.
Just not as well as Dare did. Considering that this was his
job, he was grateful for that.
He loved his family, his bar, and hell, he even loved his
little town on the outskirts of Philly. Whiskey, Pennsylvania was like most
other small towns in his state where some parts were new additions, and others
were old stone buildings from the Revolutionary or Civil war eras with add-ons—
like his.
And with a place called Whiskey, everyone attached the label
where they could. Hence the town paper, his bar, and most of the other
businesses around town. Only Loch’s business really stood out with Loch’s
Security and Gym down the street, but that was just like Loch to be a little
different yet still part of the town.
Whiskey had been named as such because of its old
bootlegging days. It used to be called something else, but since Prohibition,
the town had changed its name and cashed in on it. Whiskey was one of the last
places in the country to keep Prohibition on the books, even with the
nationwide decree. They’d fought to keep booze illegal, not for puritan
reasons, but because their bootlegging market had helped the township thrive.
Dare knew there was a lot more to it than that, but those were the stories the
leaders told the tourists, and it helped with the flare.
Whiskey was located right on the Delaware River, so it
overlooked New Jersey but was still on the Pennsylvania side of things. The
main bridge that connected the two states through Whiskey and Ridge on the New
Jersey side was one of the tourist spots for people to drive over and walk so
they could be in two states at once while over the Delaware River.
Their town was steeped in history, and close enough to where
George Washington had crossed the Delaware that they were able to gain revenue
on the reenactments for the tourists, thus helping keep their town afloat.
The one main road through Whiskey that not only housed
Loch’s and Dare’s businesses but also many of the other shops and restaurants
in the area, was always jammed with cars and people looking for places to
parallel park. Dare’s personal parking lot for the bar and inn was a hot
commodity.
And while he might like time to himself some days, he knew
he wouldn’t trade Whiskey’s feel for any other place. They were a weird little
town that was a mesh of history and newcomers, and he wouldn’t trade it for the
world. His sister Tabby might have moved out west and found her love and her
place with the Montgomerys in Denver, but Dare knew he’d only ever find his
home here.
Sure, he’d had a few flings in Denver when he visited his
sister, but he knew they’d never be more than one night or two. Hell, he was
the king of flings these days, and that was for good reason. He didn’t need
commitment or attachments beyond his family and his son, Nathan.
Time with Nathan’s mom had proven that to him, after all.
“You’re still daydreaming over there,” Fox called out from
the other side of the bar. “You okay?”
Dare nodded, frowning. “Yeah, I think I need more caffeine
or something since my mind keeps wandering.” He pasted on his trademark grin
and went to help one of the new arrivals who’d taken a seat at the bar. Dare
wasn’t the broody one of the family— that honor went to Loch— and he hated when
he acted like it.
“What can I get you?” he asked a young couple that had taken
two empty seats at the bar. They had matching wedding bands on their fingers
but looked to be in their early twenties.
He couldn’t imagine being married that young. Hell, he’d
never been married, and he was in his mid-thirties now. He hadn’t married
Monica even though she’d given him Nathan, and even now, he wasn’t sure they’d
have ever taken that step even if they had stayed together. She had Auggie now,
and he had… well, he had his bar.
That wasn’t depressing at all.
“Two Yuenglings please, draft if you have it,” the guy said,
smiling.
Dare nodded. “Gonna need to see your IDs, but I do have it
on tap for you.” As Yuengling was a Pennsylvania beer, not having it outside
the bottle would be stupid even in a town that prided itself on whiskey.
The couple pulled out their IDs, and Dare checked them
quickly. Since both were now the ripe age of twenty-two, he went to pull them
their beers and set out their check since they weren’t looking to run a tab.
Another woman with long, caramel brown hair with hints of
red came to sit at the edge of the bar. Her hair lay in loose waves down her
back and she had on a sexy-as-fuck green dress that draped over her body to
showcase sexy curves and legs that seemed to go on forever. The garment didn’t
have sleeves so he could see the toned muscles in her arms work as she picked
up a menu to look at it. When she looked up, she gave him a dismissive glance
before focusing on the menu again. He held back a sigh. Not in the mood to deal
with whatever that was about, he let Fox take care of her and put her from his
mind. No use dealing with a woman who clearly didn’t want him near, even if it
were just to take a drink order. Funny, he usually had to speak to a female
before making her want him out of the picture. At least, that’s what he’d
learned from Monica.
And why the hell was he thinking about his ex again? He
usually only thought of her in passing when he was talking to Nathan or hanging
out with his kid for the one weekend a month the custody agreement let Dare
have him. Having been in a dangerous job and then becoming a bartender didn’t
look good to some lawyers it seemed, at least when Monica had fought for full
custody after Nathan was born.
He pushed those thoughts from his mind, however, not in the
mood to scare anyone with a scowl on his face by remembering how his ex had
looked down on him for his occupation even though she’d been happy to slum it
with him when it came to getting her rocks off.
Dare went through the motions of mixing a few more drinks
before leaving Fox to tend to the bar so he could go check on the restaurant
part of the building.
Since the place had originally been an old stone inn on both
floors instead of just the top one, it was set up a little differently than
most newer buildings around town. The bar was off to one side; the restaurant
area where they served delicious, higher-end entrees and tapas was on the
other. Most people needed a reservation to sit down and eat in the main
restaurant area, but the bar also had seating for dinner, only their menu
wasn’t quite as extensive and ran closer to bar food.
In the past, he’d never imagined he would be running
something like this, even though his parents had run a smaller version of it
when he was a kid. But none of his siblings had been interested in taking over
once his parents wanted to retire from the bar part and only run the inn. When
Dare decided to leave the force only a few years in, he’d found his place here,
however reluctantly.
Being a cop hadn’t been for him, just like being in a
relationship. He’d thought he would be able to do the former, but life had
taken a turn, and he’d faced his mortality far sooner than he bargained for.
Apparently, being a gruff, perpetually single bar owner was more his speed, and
he was pretty damn good at it, too. Most days, anyway.
His house manager over on the restaurant side was running
from one thing to another, but from the outside, no one would have noticed.
Claire was just that good. She was in her early fifties and already a
grandmother, but she didn’t look a day over thirty-five with her smooth, dark
skin and bright smile. Good genes and makeup did wonders— according to her
anyway. He’d be damned if he’d say that. His mother and Tabby had taught him
something over the years.
The restaurant was short-staffed but managing, and he was
grateful he had Claire working long hours like he did. He oversaw it all, but
he knew he couldn’t have done it without her. After making sure she didn’t need
anything, he headed back to the bar to relieve Fox. The rush was finally dying
down now, and his brother could just sit back and enjoy a beer since Dare knew
he’d already worked a long day at the paper.
By the time the restaurant closed and the bar only held a
few dwindling costumers, Dare was ready to go to bed and forget the whole
lagging day. Of course, he still had to close out the two businesses and talk
to both Fox and Loch since his older brother had shown up a few moments ago.
Maybe he’d get them to help him close out so he wouldn’t be here until
midnight. He must be tired if the thought of closing out was too much for him.
“So, Rick didn’t show, huh?” Loch asked as he stood up from
his stool. His older brother started cleaning up beside Fox, and Dare held back
a smile. He’d have to repay them in something other than beer, but he knew they
were working alongside him because they were family and had the time; they
weren’t doing it for rewards.
“Nope. Shelly and Kayla didn’t show up either.” Dare
resisted the urge to grind his teeth at that. “Thanks for helping. I’m
exhausted and wasn’t in the mood to deal with this all alone.”
“That’s what we’re here for,” Loch said with a shrug.
“By the way, you have any idea what this seven a.m. meeting
tomorrow is about?” Fox asked after a moment. “They’re putting Tabby on speaker
phone for it and everything.”
Dare let out a sigh. “I’m not in the mood to deal with any
meeting that early. I have no idea what it’s going to be about, but I have a
bad feeling.”
“Seems like they have an announcement.” Loch sat back down
on his stool and scrolled through his phone. He was constantly working or
checking on his daughter, so his phone was strapped to him at all times. Misty
had to be with Loch’s best friend, Ainsley, since his brother worked that
night. Ainsley helped out when Loch needed a night to work or see Dare. Loch
had full custody of Misty, and being a single father wasn’t easy.
Dare had a feeling no matter what his parents had to say,
things were going to be rocky after the morning meeting. His parents were
caring, helpful, and always wanted the best for their family. That also meant
they tended to be slightly overbearing in the most loving way possible.
“Well, shit.”
It looked like he’d go without whiskey or a woman tonight.
Of course, an image of the woman with gorgeous hair and that
look of disdain filled his mind, and he held back a sigh. Once again, Dare was
a glutton for punishment, even in his thoughts.
The next morning, he cupped his mug of coffee in his hands
and prayed his eyes would stay open. He’d stupidly gotten caught up on
paperwork the night before and was now running on about three hours of sleep.
Loch sat in one of the booths with Misty, watching as she
colored in her coloring book. She was the same age as Nathan, which Dare always
appreciated since the cousins could grow up like siblings— on weekends when
Dare had Nathan that was. The two kids got along great, and he hoped that
continued throughout the cootie phases kids seemed to get sporadically.
Fox sat next to Dare at one of the tables with his laptop
open. Since his brother owned the town paper, he was always up-to-date on
current events and was even now typing up something.
They had Dare’s phone between them with Tabby on the other
line, though she wasn’t saying anything. Her fiancé, Alex, was probably near as
well since those two seemed to be attached at the hip. Considering his future
brother-in-law adored Tabby, Dare didn’t mind that as much as he probably
should have as a big brother.
The elder Collinses stood at the bar, smiles on their faces,
yet Dare saw nervousness in their stances. He’d been a cop too long to miss it.
They were up to something, and he had a feeling he wasn’t going to like it.
“Just get it over with,” Dare said, keeping his language
decent— not only for Misty but also because his mother would still take him by
the ear if he cursed in front of her. But because his tone had bordered on
rude, his mother still raised a brow, and he sighed. Yep, he had a really bad
feeling about this.
“Good morning to you, too, Dare,” Bob Collins said with a
snort and shook his head. “Well, since you’re all here, even our baby girl,
Tabby—”
“Not a baby, Dad!” Tabby called out from the phone, and the
rest of them laughed, breaking the tension slightly.
“Yeah, we’re not babies,” Misty put in, causing everyone to
laugh even harder.
“Anyway,” Barbara Collins said with a twinkle in her eye.
“We have an announcement to make.” She rolled her shoulders back, and Dare
narrowed his eyes. “As you know, your father and I have been nearing the age of
retirement for a while now, but we still wanted to run our inn as innkeepers
rather that merely owners.”
“Finally taking a vacation?” Dare asked. His parents worked
far too hard and wouldn’t let their kids help them. He’d done what he could by
buying the bar from them when he retired from the force and then built the
restaurant himself.
“If you’d let me finish, young man, I’d let you know,” his
mother said coolly, though there was still warmth in her eyes. That was his
mother in a nutshell. She’d reprimand, but soothe the sting, too.
“Sorry,” he mumbled, and Fox coughed to cover up a laugh. If
Dare looked behind him, he figured he’d see Loch hiding a smile of his own.
Tabby laughed outright.
Damn little sisters.
“So, as I was saying, we’ve worked hard. But, lately, it
seems like we’ve worked too hard.” She looked over at his dad and smiled
softly, taking her husband’s hand. “It’s time to make some changes around
here.”
Dare sat up straighter.
“We’re retiring. Somewhat. The inn hasn’t been doing as well
as it did back when it was with your grandparents, and part of that is on the
economy. But part of that is on us. What we want to do is renovate more and
update the existing rooms and service. In order to do that and step back as
innkeepers, we’ve hired a new person.”
“You’re kidding me, right?” Dare asked, frowning. “You can’t
just hire someone to take over and work in our building without even talking to
us. And it’s not like I have time to help her run it when she doesn’t know how
you like things.”
“You won’t be running it,” Bob said calmly. “Not yet,
anyway. Your mom and I haven’t fully retired, and you know it. We’ve been
running the inn for years, but now we want to step away. Something you’ve told
us we should do. So, we hired someone. One who knows how to handle this kind of
transition and will work with the construction crew and us. She has a lot of
experience from working in Philly and New York and will be an asset.”
Dare fisted his hands by his sides and blew out a breath.
They had to be fucking kidding. “It sounds like you’ve done your research and
already made your decision. Without asking us. Without asking me.”
His mother gave him a sad look. “We’ve always wanted to do
this, Dare, you know that.”
“Yes. But you should have talked to us. And renovating like
this? I didn’t know you wanted to. We could have helped.” He didn’t know why he
was so angry, but being kept out of the loop was probably most of it.
His father sighed. “We’ve been looking into this for years,
even before you came back to Whiskey and bought the bar from us. And while it
may seem like this is out of the blue, we’ve been doing the research for a
while. Yes, we should have told you, but everything came up all at once
recently, and we wanted to show you the plans when we had details rather than
get your hopes up and end up not doing it.”
Dare just blinked. There was so much in that statement— in all of those statements— that he
couldn’t quite process it. And though he could have yelled about any of it just
then, his mind fixed on the one thing that annoyed him the most.
“So, you’re going to have some city girl come into my place and order me around? I don’t
think so.”
“And why not? Have a problem with listening to women?”
Dare stiffened because that last part hadn’t come from his
family. No. He turned toward the voice. It had come from the woman he’d seen
the night before in the green dress.
And because fate liked to fuck with him, he had a feeling he
knew exactly who this person was.
Their newly hired innkeeper.
And new thorn in his side.
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