Claiming Cinderella by Lauren Milson

This Valentine’s day, I’m getting dirty…working at my dad’s hardware store, that is.

February 14th is just like any other normal day on the calendar for me. Watch in horror as the bills pile up. Grit my teeth as the bank account dwindles.
And just as I’m about to clock out…a customer appears at the door. But this is not just any customer. It’s my dad’s best friend, back in town after years away, coming by to rent some power tools.
Eli has always been the man of my dreams. Sweet, kind, strong, protective, wonderful. But the problem with dreams is that eventually you have to wake up.
But could it be that this time I’m not dreaming? Because this feels real.
He isn’t acting like the sweet older man I’ve known forever. He’s acting like the possessive, obsessed man I always suspected was lurking behind the kind smile.
He doesn’t care that my clothes are covered in motor oil and paint stains — he won’t take his hands off of me. He doesn’t mind that I have curves — he says he loves them. And he certainly doesn’t like catching his construction crew checking me out — he goes all ultra-protective and makes them go home early.
And he doesn’t seem to care that I’m totally off-limits. He doesn’t seem to care at all.
But he’s is only in town for twenty-four hours. What’s going to happen when our time is up?
Has this all been just a dream, or is this love forever?