Just One Kiss

“I’m glad you didn’t keep me waiting,” she said as she pulled keys out of her large handbag and started fitting them into the lock. “I have to help Josh with interviews. That man can’t keep staff. He’s forever talking about dreams and doing what matters. Then the staff gets bugs up their butts about joining the peace corps or working for a nonprofit. Sure, they’re saving the world, but I have to train the new people.”

She paused and eyed him. “We haven’t met.”

“Justice Garrett,” he said, stepping away from Patience and holding out his hand.

She fluttered her lashes at him. “Eddie Carberry. You’re very handsome.”

“Thank you.”

“Single?”

Before he could process the question—the woman couldn’t mean what he thought she meant—Patience stepped between them.

“Sorry, Eddie, he’s with me.”

Eddie sighed. “The good ones are all taken.” She turned the lock and opened the door to the business.

“Take your time looking around. I’m going back to the office. Just give me a call when you’re finished. I’ll come back over and lock up.” She glanced back at him. “If you change your mind...”

He cleared his throat. “It was nice to meet you, ma’am.”

She lightly touched his arm. “Call me Eddie.” She turned back to Patience. “Josh wants you to have the place. He’ll give you a good deal on the lease. You know how he supports new businesses in town. He’s such a softie, it’s something of a miracle he got as rich as he did.” She leaned into Patience. “Did you check out his—”

“Yes,” Patience whispered back, cutting her off. “You should probably get back to the office.”

“I should. Call me when you’re done.”

“I will.”

Justice watched the old lady leave. There weren’t many circumstances when he felt uncomfortable, but this was one of them.

“Was she trying—”

“To suggest she’d like to have her way with you?” Patience asked, her eyes bright with amusement. “Oh yeah. Eddie and her friend Gladys consider themselves connoisseurs of handsome men. Especially unfamiliar handsome men. So if you’re interested, let me know and I’ll get you her number.”

“Very funny.”

She grinned. “I acted without thinking before. You know, when I said we were together. Because I can let her know we’re just friends. Eddie’s really sweet. She’s worked for Josh for years.”

He figured the unknown man was a safer topic. “Josh?”

“Josh Golden. He’s a former cyclist. Very famous.”

“I’ve heard of him. He won the Tour de France a few times.”

“Among other races. He’s a great guy, lives here in town.”

Suddenly Justice found himself disliking the other man. “You know him?”

“Everyone does. He’s a big part of the community. He got married about three years ago. He and Charity just had their second child a couple of months ago. A boy.” She turned to face the open space. “This is it. What do you think?”

He turned his attention to the store. The main room was maybe fifteen hundred square feet. He would guess there was a bit more in the back, for storage. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves dominated one wall. Big windows let in plenty of light.

“I love the flooring,” Patience said, pointing to the hardwood covering. “It’s in great shape. I wouldn’t change that. Obviously the bookshelf stays. I thought about having doors put on the bottom for storage.”

“You’ll need to change locks.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Probably.” She crossed to the back of the store. “This wall is where the magic happens. We’ll have a long, wide counter, with three sets of sinks. The dishwasher goes in the back.”

She turned and walked forward three steps. “The main counter here. Pastry display, sandwiches, that sort of thing. Mom and I have picked out the most fabulous cold case.” She spread out her hands, as if demonstrating where it would all be.

“We’ve been looking online for months. We know what fixtures we want.” Her smile widened. “I spent the morning finding out what was in stock. It was so surreal. When I’m done here, I’m going to talk to a lawyer about the lease.”

She clapped her hands together and spun in a circle. “I can’t believe it. We’re going to do this. We’re going to open Brew-haha.”

Her whole body personified happiness. Her hair swung as she moved, her eyes drifted closed. She was completely in the moment, excited, hopeful and sexy as hell.

When the side of her foot hit an open box, she staggered a little. Justice instinctively reached to steady her. The second his fingers closed around her arm, he knew he was lost and there was only one way to be found.

CHAPTER FOUR

PATIENCE OPENED HER eyes as she tried to regain her balance. Warm, strong arms came around her. Justice pulled her so close she had no choice but to settle against him. One second she was in danger of falling, and the next she was staring up into his dark blue eyes. Her head was still spinning, but this time for a very different reason.

She rested her hands on his shoulders because it seemed the most sensible place for them to be. She saw sunlight streaming through the bare windows and tiny dust motes floating in the air. Felt her heart beating too quickly and the intensity of Justice’s gaze.

Then he was lowering his head. She had only a second to catch her breath before his mouth brushed against hers.

His lips were firm. Not unyielding, exactly, but determined. He was taking charge, and under the circumstances, she was good with that. She’d had enough responsibility in her life, thank you very much.

He moved his mouth slowly, gently, exploring, testing, as if he enjoyed what he was doing. She sank into him, giving herself up to the delicious pressure.

She hadn’t been kissed by a man in a long time. Years, actually. She’d nearly forgotten the thrill of the closeness, the quivering in her belly, the hint that there could be more and that the more could take her breath away.

She was aware of the smoothness of his shirt beneath her fingers, and the honed muscles under that. Of the way he was so much taller and broader and how she could picture herself leaning on him in more ways than this.

Then his mouth moved a little more—back and forth, as if he was figuring out how it all was going to be. The first tingles began deep inside her, and thinking became more difficult. She could only feel. Feel his hands on her waist, his mouth on hers. Feel the rapid beating of her heart and the way her blood seemed to race faster and faster.

He moved, kissing first one cheek, then the other. He kissed her nose and her chin before returning his attention to her mouth. She wasn’t sure if he asked or she offered, but suddenly she parted her lips and he swept his tongue inside.

With the first stroke, she had to hold in a whimper. On the second, her knees went weak. With the third, she wanted to beg. Her wanting wasn’t subtle. It exploded in her breasts, then went about sixty miles an hour to the very center of her. She got so aroused so fast she started to ache.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and silently urged him to take inappropriate advantage of her. Seriously, didn’t he want to put his hands on her breasts or maybe between her thighs? The idea of him pushing her up against the wall while he had his way with her caused her to shudder. The image was so clear she began breathing harder.

Now, she thought almost frantically. He should make his move now.

He drew back and gave her a faint smile. “I should probably let you get to it.”

She had no idea what he was talking about. It? What it?

Justice cleared his throat. “You have a lot to do.”

He took another step back and headed for the door. Before she could figure out what was happening, he was gone. Just like that. A couple of hot kisses and he was out the door.

Patience had a feeling she looked as shocked as she felt. How could he have left like that? He’d kissed her. Passionately. Didn’t he want to do something else? Something more? Something that required them getting naked and sweaty?

As she was standing alone in the empty store, she would have to say the answer to the question was obviously no.

Disappointment replaced excitement. Reality intruded. Justice was one hot guy. He had been when they were kids, and that hadn’t changed today. She’d liked him then and she still liked him. Which made her vulnerable.

While she couldn’t blame him for being whisked out of her life all those years ago, he’d done nothing to get in touch with her since then. He’d managed to find Ford, but not her. She could come up with a hundred reasons to explain his actions, but she couldn’t avoid the truth. If he’d wanted to see her earlier, he would have. So he hadn’t wanted to.

He was back now and more tempting than should be legal. But tempting wasn’t safe. She wasn’t that fourteen-year-old girl anymore. She was a single mom with an impressionable daughter. She knew how caring about Justice could break tender hearts. She had to be strong and resist. For her sake, but also for Lillie’s.

* * *

JUSTICE STOOD IN the center of the old warehouse on the edge of town. The building was a whole lot less fancy than the place he’d seen the previous day with Patience. The floors were concrete, there weren’t any walls or windows and the ductwork was exposed. But the building had been built to last and was well insulated. Putting up walls would be easy. If they added some windows, set aside half the building for various workout rooms, it could work. There was land outside, as well. Enough for target practice and an obstacle course. The location was good and the price better. If they picked this building, he would have to find a place in the mountains for a more advanced obstacle course, but that would be easy.

He walked around, the only light coming from the overhead fluorescents and the open double doors where he’d entered. He knew he didn’t have Patience’s enthusiasm for his new business, but that was okay. He didn’t like emotional highs or lows. He’d learned a long time ago to accept things as they happened and keep moving forward.

He, too, had a business plan, along with the cash to make it happen. His friend Felicia had emailed him that morning, asking if he’d made up his mind. If he had settled on Fool’s Gold, he needed to let her know. If he hadn’t, it was time to go look somewhere else. After all, this wasn’t just about himself. He had business partners who wanted him to make a decision.

As far as Felicia was concerned, she would go anywhere normal. Small-town America appealed to her, and Fool’s Gold fit the definition. She would be there to set up the business, and if she ended up hating Fool’s Gold, she would move on. But the others would be stuck.

Ford Hendrix had also emailed two days ago to tell Justice to pick Fool’s Gold already, and yesterday to say anywhere but there. Ford’s ambivalence came from his close-knit family. There were days the former SEAL wanted to reconnect and others when he needed to head into some wilderness and never be heard from again. It was the kind of ambivalence Justice could relate to. With Patience...

He shook his head. He wasn’t here to think about her.

His third partner, Angel, fell into the neutral category. He’d never been to the town. When he’d read the description, he’d been intrigued by the nearby mountains. Angel enjoyed the outdoors and getting away from the world. The rugged topography offered plenty of both. So the decision fell to Justice, who, honest to God, didn’t have a clue.

Except he did. There was a part of him that had always wanted to come back here. To the one place he’d felt welcome.

Patience was a big part of the pull, he admitted, if only to himself. He’d never forgotten about her and had often wondered where she was and what she was doing. With his resources, it would have been easy to find out. He could have had a complete dossier on her in less than six hours. Only he never had.

Now he knew she was in town and single, which made her a temptation. Their kiss the previous morning had only fueled the fantasy. He wanted more. He wanted her in his bed, pulling him close, taking him with as much passion as he wanted to take her.

Which meant the best solution for both of them was for him to walk away.

He knew who he was and the type of man he could become. Patience deserved better. He wanted to think he could be better, do better, than his father. That Bart Hanson’s DNA wasn’t his son’s destiny. But he couldn’t be sure. When his father had finally been captured and sent back to prison, Justice had been free to choose. He could have been anything, gone anywhere. The fact that he’d joined the army wasn’t noteworthy. His choice of occupation was.

He’d become a sniper. Not a cop, not a technician. The son of a murderer had chosen to kill others. It was the ultimate proof of the darkness in his soul. Which meant leaving made the most sense for Patience and her family. They deserved better than him. The problem was he didn’t want to go. And that made him the biggest bastard of all.

He heard footsteps on the concrete and turned to see a well-dressed older woman walking into the warehouse. Like Eddie from the day before, she had white hair. But the similarities ended there. This woman had on a well-tailored suit, pumps and pearls. She smiled as she approached and held out her hand.

“Welcome back, Justice Garrett. I’m Mayor Marsha Tilson. You probably don’t remember me.”

“No, I don’t. But it’s nice to meet you, again.”

They shook hands.

The mayor studied him. “You’ve grown up. I remember when you were a tall, skinny teenager. You were friends with Patience McGraw and Ford Hendrix. It was always the three of you, but I thought you had special feelings for Patience.”

He stared at the older woman. She was talking about relationships that had played out fifteen years ago. While the events had been important to him, he couldn’t imagine a woman in her fifties paying attention to the lives of a group of teenagers.

Her smile widened. “I can see my observations are startling. I confess I was intrigued by you from the very beginning. Your guardians did an excellent job of fitting in, but there were inconsistencies in their story. When you first arrived, it was obvious you’d suffered some kind of trauma.”

“You knew I was being protected?”

“No. I never figured that out. I thought maybe the man who claimed to be your uncle wasn’t a relative and that you didn’t want anyone to know. There could be many reasons for the subterfuge. So I watched to make sure you weren’t being abused, and when you began to settle in and make friends, I knew all would be well.”

He shifted slightly, uncomfortable with the idea that she’d been watching out for him. “I was fine.”

“Until you had to leave so mysteriously. We were all worried. Patience especially. Under the circumstances, you had to go. We see that now. But at the time, we were concerned.”

Obviously the mayor knew the story of what had happened. He shouldn’t be surprised. News traveled fast in a town this small.

“Now you’re here to open a business. Some kind of bodyguard school, I hear?”

He chuckled. “Is that what they’re saying?”

She laughed. “It is, although I’ll admit I had my doubts about that. What’s the real story?”

“The business will provide advanced security training of all kinds.”

“Not for your average mall cop?”

“No. We’re interested in the security forces who travel to the dangerous parts of the world. We’ll cover basic evasion techniques, hand-to-hand combat, along with weapons expertise. In addition, we’ll train security forces to understand the safest way to travel to and through the trouble spots. Most of that is about planning.”

They were also going to be offering workshops on dealing with local terrorists and hostage negotiations, but he doubted the mayor wanted to know the details about that.

“We’ll also be providing corporate retreats,” he added. “A facility where they can practice their team building.”

She nodded. “A nice steady source of income.” She paused. “Has Ford decided if he’s willing to move back to Fool’s Gold?”

Justice stared at her. How in hell did she know what Ford was thinking? “Not yet.”

She nodded. “He’s been gone a long time. The transition to civilian life is bound to be difficult for any soldier. But with what Ford has seen...” She sighed. “He has family here, which he probably considers both a blessing and a curse. I can’t help thinking he’ll need their support. There are other considerations, as well. What about Mr. Whittaker?”

“You know about Angel?”

“I’ve heard a few things. We haven’t yet met, although I’m looking forward to that.”

She moved toward the doorway. He found himself following, although he couldn’t say why.

“You’ll have some kind of physical-fitness facility?” she asked.

“Yes. And an outdoor obstacle course.”

“You’re very close to Josh Golden’s cycling school.” She handed him a business card. “You might want to speak to him about using the facilities. Cycling provides overall conditioning.”

He took the card. “You came prepared.”

“I’m always prepared, Justice. This is my town and I take care of my citizens.”

He got the message and braced himself for the warning. He told himself she was just an old lady who made smart guesses, but he didn’t believe it. She knew things and that meant she could easily have figured out his issues. She was going to warn him off, and he couldn’t blame her for that.

“You’ll find the city is very supportive of your venture. If you need anything, contact me directly and I’ll get you in touch with the right person. You belong here, Justice—I have a feeling about that.”

He’d been captured once. On a mission. Held and beaten for a few hours. He’d barely begun to prepare himself for the ordeal when his team had broken in and rescued him. He’d been as shocked by their arrival then as he was by the mayor’s words now.

“You’ll want to provide some community outreach,” she continued. “Maybe self-defense classes, something for children. You’ll be welcome in the community regardless, but it’s nice to give back. You’ll feel better about yourself, and the transition will be easier for all your staff.”

She smiled again. “I doubt your employees are just regular folks, are they?”

“Not really.”

“I thought not. They’ll need to find their footing, as well. Some of them will believe that’s not possible. You and I know otherwise. It’s up to us to show them what Fool’s Gold has to offer.”

“I hadn’t thought of classes for the community,” he admitted.

“That’s why I’m here. To offer possibilities.” She lightly touched his arm. “Welcome home, Justice. I’m glad you found your way.”

He wanted to tell her he wasn’t sure he was staying, but even as he thought the words, he knew they weren’t true. He had decided the second he’d returned. Seeing Patience had sealed the deal. He might not be able to have what he wanted with her, but he couldn’t seem to walk away, either. An uncomfortable dilemma.

Mayor Tilson wished him the best and walked out of the warehouse. Justice reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone.

“Is it Fool’s Gold?” Felicia asked by way of greeting.

“It is.”

“Great. It’s going to take me a couple of weeks to wrap everything up. Maybe three. I’ll let you know when I’m on my way. In the meantime I’ll notify Ford and Angel and get going on the plan. Send me pictures of the building and the outlying area. I’ll coordinate with the lawyer on the purchase and investigate leasing options, as well.”

Felicia wasn’t one for pleasantries. She got right to the problem and in a matter of seconds, had sixteen solutions. She could list them in order of success ratio, danger or cost. She was the smartest person he knew, and probably one of the ten most intelligent people in the world. At times that made her challenging to work with, but she was never boring.

“How are you?” he asked, mostly to mess with her.

She sighed. “Really? We have to do that every time we speak?” There was a pause. “I’m fine, Justice. Thank you so much for asking. How are you enjoying Fool’s Gold?”

“It’s very nice.” He grinned. “Are you calculating how much work you could have gotten done if we hadn’t wasted time on that exchange?”

“No. I’m trying to be more social. I’m going to be living in a small town and I want to be like everyone else.”

He didn’t have the heart to tell her that would never happen. She was many things, but “just like everyone else” wasn’t one of them.

“Did you see her?” Felicia asked. “Your friend?”

He’d told her a little about Patience—that they’d known each other back in high school. But not that she’d haunted him and that the memories of her had kept him anchored and strong.

“I have.”

“Is she how you remember?”

He thought about the feel of her in his arms. How she’d kissed. He remembered her laughter and her spinning in the middle of an empty storefront.

“She’s better.”

* * *

JULIA HELD OUT her arms. “Congratulations, Patience. This is everything you’ve wanted.”

Patience hugged her boss. “I know. I’m so excited.” She’d gotten the lease from Josh and had taken it over to an attorney that morning for a quick review. The next order of business was telling the woman she worked for that she would be leaving.

“What’s your time frame?” Julia asked, releasing her.

“Six weeks,” Patience said. “Maybe eight. I thought I could work part-time for a while, if that’s okay with you.” She held up her hands. “I feel like I’m leaving you in a lurch.”

“You are, but so what? This is like winning the lotto. You can’t turn your back on opportunity. We’ll talk about who would do best with each of your clients. After we do that, you can call all your regulars and let them know what’s happening.” Julia’s good humor faded slightly. “Just don’t let them go over to Bella’s place.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Patience murmured, eager to avoid that particular conversation.

Bella and Julia were sisters. Estranged sisters. They owned competing salons in town, which required the good citizens of Fool’s Gold to be careful if they wanted to keep the peace.

Patience promised to contact her clients within a couple of days and left the office. She’d come in on her day off to tell Julia what had happened. Now she had a thousand things to do and no idea of where to start.

As promised, Great-Aunt Becky’s lawyer had sent the check overnight. The money was currently sitting in her checking account. Ava had already researched where to put the money for Lillie’s college fund, and they would pay off the mortgage at the end of the week. Once the lease was signed, they would start ordering the equipment and talking to a contractor about remodeling the store.

Patience stepped into the salon, prepared to get her purse and move to the next item on her list. She was stopped by a tall blonde waiting by her station.

“Your mom said I’d find you here.”

Patience saw her friend Isabel and laughed. “No way. When did you get back?”

“Yesterday.”

They hugged.

“Did I know you were scheduled for a visit?” Patience asked, excited to see her friend.

“No. It was kind of unexpected.”

Isabel lived in New York and worked in marketing. Like Patience, she’d grown up in Fool’s Gold and still had family here.

Patience glanced at the clock on the wall. It was nearly eleven-thirty. “Want to get an early lunch and catch up?”

“I was hoping you were going to say that,” Isabel admitted. “I have so much to tell you.”

“I can’t wait to hear it.”

They took the short walk to Margaritaville and were shown to a quiet booth by the window. After ordering diet soda and guacamole, they pushed aside the menus and looked at each other.

“You first,” Patience said.

Isabel tucked her long blond hair behind her ear and shrugged. “I’m not sure where to start.”