Just One Kiss (7 page)

“Oh.” Isabel straightened. “That’s an excellent point.”

“He did find Ford. They’re friends. Now he’s back and my hormones are singing praises, but I’m telling myself I need to be careful.”

“Yeah, you do. Men aren’t always who they seem.” Isabel reached for another chip. “It’s never easy, is it?”

“No. I’m trying to be calm and adult about the whole thing.” She thought about the kiss and how it had left her weak in the knees. “If he’s opening a business, it’s not like he’s going to disappear again, right?” Because that’s what she couldn’t get past. Him leaving. Every man she’d ever cared about had left.

“It’s a very good sign.”

Patience drew in a breath. “I hope so. And while we’re on the subject of hope, I do have something to tell you about Ford.”

Isabel looked at her. “Which is?”

“He’s going to be here soon. Apparently he’s leaving the military and coming back to Fool’s Gold.”

Isabel opened her mouth, then closed it. “He’ll be in town?”

“That’s the rumor. I don’t have any details or dates.”

“Oh God. No. I can’t face him. I wrote him for years. Not that I’m sure he got my letters or if he did, if he read them, but still.”

“He would have liked your letters.”

“You can’t know that. He probably does think I’m a stalker.” She covered her face with her hands. “I knew coming home would be complicated, but I didn’t think I would have to face Ford.” She dropped her hands to the table. “Is he married?”

“I don’t know.”

“He’s probably married. With six kids, right? And a dog. So I don’t have to worry. He won’t even remember me.”

Patience reached for another chip. “I want to make fun of you, but I can’t, because I know exactly what you’re going through.”

“That makes me feel better. You’ll tell me if you learn anything?”

“Every detail.”

“I’ll do the same for you. Not that I’m expecting to be in the middle of gossip central. When people come to the bridal shop, they tend to be past the dramatic stage of their relationship.” She picked up her soda. “You really think Ford’s married?” She sounded both horrified and hopeful.

“He could be. And I’m sure he’s not nearly as good-looking as he was.”

“Right. He’s old now and uninteresting.” She paused. “You said Justice is hunky.”

Patience held in a sigh. “The hunkiest.”

“Good. One of us should get the great guy.”

“It’s too soon to know if he’s great or not,” Patience said. She wanted to believe he was, of course, but she had no actual evidence.

CHAPTER FIVE

“Y
OURS
IS
bigger than mine,” Patience said, walking around the warehouse.

Justice chuckled. No matter the circumstances, she could always make him laugh. “I thought women liked to say size doesn’t matter.”

She looked at him, blushed, then turned away. “I meant your business.”

“I know what you meant. I’m going to be doing different things here. We’ll need the space.”

She walked around the open area. “I guess the good news is you can do anything you want.”

“That’s what I thought. Frame in the walls, build some offices and meeting rooms.”

“A bathroom,” she added. “If your clients are going to be working out, you might want to think about showers.”

He did want to think about showers, but not in the way she meant.

He followed her as she walked around. She wore jeans and another of her decorated T-shirts. This one was pink with rhinestone flamingos sitting at a table, sipping martinis. He wasn’t sure what it meant, but it was pure Patience.

She turned to face him. “You’ve decided? You’re staying?”

He wondered if the truth was that since seeing her, leaving wasn’t an option. “I’m staying.”

“And you’re opening this business with your partners?”

“Ford and Angel.”

“Angel?”

“You haven’t met him yet.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Have you warned him what he’s getting into, coming to a town like this one?”

“He’ll be fine.”

She walked toward him. “You’ve obviously stayed in touch with Ford.”

He nodded, then wondered if her interest was personal rather than general. They’d all been friends together. Ford had spent years in town after he had left. Had they dated? Ford had never said anything, but he didn’t share all that much. Tension tightened the muscles across the back of his shoulders.

“You looking forward to seeing him?” Justice asked.

“Sure.” She paused. “Is he married?”

He didn’t like the question and liked the answer even less. “No. Is that good news?”

She smiled. “It’s always fun when a hometown hero returns. I think his mother and sisters will be more excited.” Her smile turned mischievous. “As for the married thing, you can’t tell anyone, but my friend Isabel is totally freaked out about Ford coming back.”

His muscles relaxed. “She had a thing for him?”

“Big-time. Ford was engaged to her sister. Maeve cheated on him with his best friend and Ford was understandably pissed. He took off and joined the army. Maeve married the best friend. They’re still together. But Ford almost never comes back to visit. When he sees his family, he meets them somewhere else and not very often. Isabel was only fourteen when Ford left and she wrote him for years. Now they’re all grown up and she’s moved back to town. She’s very nervous about seeing him again.” Patience paused. “Is this too much information?”

“No. It’s confusing, but not too much.”

She looked around at the warehouse. “Are you scared?”

“About?”

“Starting a business. I’m terrified. If I think about it too much, I start to doubt myself.” She looked back at him. “My dad took off when I was only a couple of years older than Lillie. He never bothered to stay in touch with me. After he left, it was my mom and me. Then I met Ned and that was a disaster. I was alone and I had Lillie, and my mom invited me back home.”

She folded her arms across her chest. “She was always there for me. The inheritance will help pay the mortgage off. That’s security for both of us. But I have Lillie, and if the coffee shop fails, I will have wasted all that money. Am I being irresponsible, taking on the risk?”

He moved toward her and put his hands on her shoulders. “No. You get to be happy, too.”

“I’m happy working at Chez Julia.”

“Is being a hairstylist your dream?”

“No, but...”

“Is Brew-haha?”

The corners of her mouth turned up. “Yes, but—”

“No buts. You get to have your dream, Patience. You’ve taken care of your mom’s house and your daughter’s college. You get to have a little something for yourself, too.”

“Opening a business isn’t a little thing.”

“You deserve to have one of your dreams come true.”

“What if I fail?”

Her eyes darkened as she said the words, and he knew she’d just spoken her greatest fear. But before he could tell her she wouldn’t and list all the reasons why, someone spoke his name.

“There you are. You’re a very difficult man to find.”

Patience stepped back and he dropped his hands to his sides. The woman walking purposefully toward him was probably close to fifty, with blond hair and a familiar face. He searched his memory and came up with a name.

Denise Hendrix. Ford’s mother.

* * *

P
ATIENCE
WATCHED
THE
big, bad bodyguard back up when faced with his business partner’s mother. She settled in to watch what she knew would be an excellent show.

Denise Hendrix had six children. Patience was sure she loved them all equally, but five of them were living in town with the sixth risking his life serving his country. Any mother would get a little intense about that.

Denise stopped in front of Justice.

“You’re the reason my son is finally coming home.”

Justice swallowed. Patience would swear something very close to fear invaded his eyes. He held up both hands in a gesture that looked two parts protection, one part surrender.

“I, uh—”

Denise nodded, blinking back tears. “I’ve been praying for this. He was so upset when he left. Of course he was.” She glanced at Patience. “I blame Maeve. I’ve forgiven her, of course. Still, did he have to stay gone? It’s been years and years. I know his work is dangerous—he won’t talk about it. He emails. Because an email is as good as a visit?”

She turned back to Justice. “Then you came here and decided to open your business. I can’t thank you enough.”

“We, uh, thought—”

She nodded and wiped her cheeks. “I know. It wasn’t all you. But I was starting to think he would never come back and now he’ll be here. I have to make sure he never leaves again.”

Poor Ford, Patience thought. She hoped he knew what he was getting into by returning to his hometown.

“Thank you,” Denise said, then lunged forward.

Patience was sure Justice knew a dozen moves to ward off his friend’s mother. But instead of using any of them, he simply endured the long hug.

When he was finally free, he managed a strangled “You’re welcome.”

Denise sniffed. “I remember when you were just a teenager, Justice. You were a good friend to Ford. I’m glad you found your way back here.” She smiled at Patience, waved and left.

Patience turned to Justice. “Always the hero.”

He tugged at the collar of his shirt. “Mrs. Hendrix is very enthusiastic.”

“We’re all adults and you just had a significant body press from her. You should probably call her Denise.”

He winced. “I think Mrs. Hendrix is more appropriate.”

She grinned, delighted with his obvious discomfort. She liked knowing the very together and powerful Justice Garrett could be rattled by a middle-aged mother of six. “Uh-huh. She terrifies you.”

“Just a little.”

She started to laugh. “It’s always fun when a tough-guy facade cracks.”

His gaze narrowed. “You know a lot of tough guys?”

“You’re my first, but it’s way more appealing than I thought it would be. Just so you know—later I’m going to ask you to show me how to disarm someone with a Q-tip.”

“Why are you afraid of someone with a Q-tip?”

She crossed to him and put her hands on her hips. “Very funny. You know what I mean.”

“I do and a Q-tip is a pretty silly weapon.”

“A spoon, then.”

“You can do a lot with a spoon.”

As he spoke, he put his hands on her waist, drawing her against him. She went willingly, aware of the sudden interest from her girl parts. She was conscious of the danger, but the possibility of being left seemed less significant now that they were standing so close. And the possibility of him kissing her again seemed so much more important.

They weren’t touching anywhere good. At least not yet. But she was close enough to feel the heat of him.

He was tall and broad and strong and should be someone who made her nervous. Only he didn’t. It was probably their past. Because she’d adored the boy, she trusted the man. She’d been predisposed to like him from the second he’d returned to her life. She could only hope he wouldn’t prove to be yet another romantic mistake.

She gazed into his eyes, noting the various colors of blue that made up his irises. His lashes were slightly darker than his hair. With his chiseled chin and high cheekbones, he was handsome but still masculine. All in all, an impressive package.

“What on earth are you doing in this tiny town?” she asked. “Shouldn’t you have settled down in Paris or New York?”

“My French sucks and Angel hates New York.”

Good information but it didn’t answer the real question. Probably because she hadn’t asked it.

Are you going to break my heart?
That’s what she really wanted to know.

Apparently Justice was a mind reader in addition to his other bodyguard-based skills, because his gaze intensified.

“I’m not one of the good guys. You have to know that.”

She wasn’t sure if he meant the information was common knowledge or that it was important for her to realize the fact. In the end, she supposed it didn’t matter.

“Does it occur to you by saying that, you’re proving the opposite?” she asked.

He moved his hands to the bottom of her T-shirt. He pulled on the fabric, studying the design. “Flamingos?”

“They’re fun birds who love a good martini.”

“I can see that.”

His gaze locked with hers. He raised his arms and slid his fingers through her hair. “What the hell am I going to do with you?”

She supposed she should be quiet and let him work through the problem on his own. However, the answer seemed obvious and she couldn’t help saying, “Kiss me.”

One corner of his mouth turned up. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

Still cupping her head, he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. She rested her hands against his chest and let her eyes sink closed. The feel of his mouth—soft, yet firm, anchored her in place. In the space of a single heartbeat, she knew surrender was inevitable. Maybe not today, but soon. When he asked, she would say yes. Not because of how long it had been but because this was Justice and she’d felt connected to him for half her life.

There would be consequences. There were always consequences. She would figure out a way to keep her heart safe. But that was for later....

She tilted her head, then slid her hands up to his shoulders. He dropped his to her hips and drew her against him. Even as his tongue slipped inside and brushed against hers, his fingers settled on her rear and squeezed.

She sank against him, letting his body cradle hers. The deep kisses stirred her senses. She traced his shoulders, then moved down his arms, wanting to feel all of him. Need took on a frantic edge.

He moved his head so he could press his lips to her jaw, and then he eased down to her ear where he bit on the lobe. Jolts of need and hunger burned through her and he licked the sensitive spot right below her ear.

At the same time he shifted his hands to her waist and began to move them higher. Her breath caught in anticipation. He kissed his way down her neck. She let her head fall back and waited for his fingers to touch her—

He straightened, dropping his hands to his sides. Her eyes snapped open. Passion darkened his eyes, but along with the desire was a determination. The question was a determination about what? To avoid the obvious next step? Because she was ready. More than ready. She was eager.

She dropped her gaze and saw what looked like a very impressive erection straining against the front of his jeans. Okay, that was good. She wasn’t the only one panting here.

“I’m not who you think.”

The statement came out of nowhere and took her a second to process. “Because you used to be a woman?”

The tension in his face eased. He gave a raw laugh. “No. Because of my past. What I’ve done and seen. It’s complicated.”

She wanted to argue with him. To say it was simple. So simple they should take off all their clothes and just get to it. But advice from friends suddenly popped into her head. Something along the lines of when a guy tells you he’s flawed, it’s important to listen.

A man admitting he had never been faithful or that he wasn’t interested in a commitment was probably telling the truth. So when Justice said things were complicated, she should pay attention.