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Just One Kiss
He won’t hesitate to put his life on the line…but will he ever risk his heart?
Falling for her best friend Justice Garrett was a high point in Patience McGraw’s otherwise awkward adolescence. Even after he disappeared, Patience never forgot the boy who captured her heart. Now he’s back in Fool’s Gold, California, and her passion for him is as strong as ever. But how can she trust that he won’t abandon her again—and her daughter, too?
When bodyguard Justice Garrett was a young man, witness protection brought him to this idyllic town and he never forgot its warmth, or the sweet beauty of his childhood friend. He’s returned to open an elite defense academy, and the Patience he once knew is all grown up. He can’t resist her smile, or her curves. But Justice’s past doesn’t make him husband, or father, material.
Patience and Justice think they’ll succumb to just one kiss…. Then one more… Okay, just one night together. But they might learn that falling in love is beyond anyone’s control.
Praise for New York Times bestselling author
“There’s a little fun, a little sizzle and a whole lot of homespun charm.”
—Publishers Weekly on Summer Nights
“Mallery infuses her story with eccentricity, gentle humor and small-town shenanigans, and readers…will enjoy the connection between Heidi and Rafe.”
—Publishers Weekly on Summer Days
“If you want a story that will both tug on your heartstrings and tickle your funny bone, Mallery is the author for you!”
—RT Book Reviews on Only His
“When it comes to heartfelt contemporary romance, Mallery is in a class by herself.”
—RT Book Reviews on Only Yours
“An adorable, outspoken heroine and an intense hero…set the sparks flying in Mallery’s latest lively, comic and touching family-centered story.”
—Library Journal on Only Yours
“Mallery...excels at creating varied, well-developed characters and an emotion-packed story gently infused with her trademark wit and humor.”
One of the Top 10 Romances of 2011!
—Booklist on Only Mine
“Mallery’s prose is luscious and provocative.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Susan Mallery’s gift for writing humor and tenderness makes all her books true gems.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Romance novels don’t get much better than Mallery’s expert blend of emotional nuance, humor and superb storytelling.”
—Booklist
Just One Kiss
Susan Mallery
This one is for 2011 Fool’s Gold Co-Head Cheerleader Michele, whose energy is surpassed only by her heart. Thanks, Michele, for everything! You’re incredible!
Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Excerpt
PROLOGUE
Fifteen years ago...
PATIENCE MCGRAW COULDN’T breathe. She placed her hand on top of her chest and wondered if it was possible to have a heart attack and die from fear. Or maybe anticipation. Her mind raced and her throat was tight and here she was, on possibly the most significant day of her life, and she couldn’t catch her breath. Talk about lame.
“The snow’s melting,” Justice said, pointing toward the mountains just east of town.
Patience looked up and nodded. “It’s getting warmer.”
It’s getting warmer? She held in a groan. Why did she have to sound so stupid? Why did she have to be so nervous? This was Justice, her best friend since he’d moved to Fool’s Gold at the beginning of October last year. They’d met in the school cafeteria and they’d reached for the last cupcake. He’d let her have it; she’d offered to share. She figured because he was older, he would refuse, but he’d smiled instead and that day they’d become friends.
She knew him. They hung out together, played video games together, went to the movies together. It was fun. It was easy. Or it had been until a few weeks ago when she’d suddenly looked into Justice’s dark blue eyes and felt something she’d never experienced before.
Her mom had reassured her it was normal. Patience was fourteen, Justice was sixteen and it was unlikely they would stay friends forever. But Patience wasn’t sure she liked the change. Before, she hadn’t had to think about everything she said or worry about what she wore, or how her hair looked. Now she was always thinking, which made it hard to just hang out.
After two months of sweating every word, every thought, every action, she was done. She was going to tell Justice the truth. That she liked him. That she wanted him to be more than her best friend. If he liked her back, well, she didn’t know what would happen then, but she was sure it would be wonderful. If he didn’t, she would probably die of a broken heart.
They walked through the quiet residential neighborhood of Fool’s Gold. The small town was nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas. With spring chasing away winter, there were buds on trees and the first daffodils and tulips of the season swayed in the afternoon breeze. All of which had nothing to do with the fact that she was seriously scared. Because while talking about dying of a broken heart was very Pride and Prejudice—her mother’s favorite book and movie—it might be painful and a little gross.
But she had to know. Had to stop wondering. She should just tell him and get it over with. There was a school dance in two weeks and she wanted to go with Justice.
She was pretty sure he didn’t like anyone else. Although he was two years older than her, he didn’t have a girlfriend and they always hung out together at lunch. Not that he’d tried to kiss her. She wasn’t sure how she felt about kissing, but if she was going to have a boy kiss her, she wanted it to be Justice. Oh God, why did her stomach hurt so much?
“Patience?”
She jumped. “Huh?”
“Are you okay?”
She came to a stop and clutched her books to her chest. “I’m fine. Why do you ask?”
“You’re quiet. Is something wrong?”
His eyes were so beautiful, she thought. Dark, dark blue. They crinkled a little at the corners when he laughed, which wasn’t that often. He had a great smile. He was still kind of skinny, as if he’d grown too fast, but cute. And sweet to her.
“Justice, I need to ask you something.”
He nodded and waited, facing her. “Sure. What?”
She opened her mouth, then closed it. Words disappeared as she got lost in fear and panic and—
“Hey, Justice.”
They both turned and saw Ford Hendrix crossing the street toward them. Patience exhaled, both relieved and frustrated by the interruption.
Ford was one of six kids. Dark hair and eyes. All the girls thought he was hot, but Patience only saw Justice.
“Could you believe that history test?” Ford asked. He and Justice were the same age and had a lot of classes together. “Hey, Patience.”
“Hi.”
They all fell into step together, walking toward home, the moment lost.
“Man, why do we have to know that stuff?” Ford asked. “World War One was like a hundred years ago or something. That essay question...”
“Brutal,” Justice finished for him.
Patience glanced at him and saw he was watching her, his expression questioning. She swallowed as she realized he might ask her what she’d wanted to talk about and she couldn’t possibly say anything in front of Ford. He was a nice enough guy, but no way!
“I, um, need to get home,” Patience said. “I’m going to cut through here. See you tomorrow.”
“Patience, wait.”
But she ignored Justice and hurried away, ducking around a house and through a backyard as she made her escape.
* * *
THE NEXT MORNING, Patience was determined not to wait another second to tell Justice the truth. She’d spent a horrible night tossing and turning, feeling a little sick to her stomach. She couldn’t keep doing this to herself. She was going to be brave. She was going to be honest. If things went really bad, she was sure her mom would be willing to move.
She walked from her house to Justice’s, as she had every school morning for months now. He lived a couple of blocks closer to town so he was on her way. As she walked down the sidewalk, she looked at the small two-bedroom house he shared with his uncle. Normally Justice would be sitting on the porch steps, waiting for her. Only he wasn’t there this morning.
Did he know? Had he figured out what she wanted to tell him? Was he disgusted? Did he think she was a complete dork and was so embarrassed he couldn’t speak to her?
Anxiety propelled her up the stairs. If it was bad, she wanted to hear it fast. He should just tell her the truth so she wouldn’t hope. Then her heart would break and she could get over it and...
She paused on the porch as she realized the front door was partially open. As if someone had left it that way in a hurry. She frowned as she moved forward.
“Justice? Are you okay?”
She knocked once and the door swung open.
She’d been in the small house dozens of times. There was a living room with a tiny dining room and kitchen beyond. There were two bedrooms and a single bathroom in the back. She remembered a sofa and a couple of chairs, some kind of coffee table.
Only all of that was gone now. The living room was empty, as was the dining room beyond. There was nothing. Not a cushion or a box or a scrap of paper. It was as if no one had ever lived here at all.
Patience slowly walked through the house. Her breathing sounded loud in the stillness. She didn’t understand. How could everything be gone?
The kitchen was as vacant as the rest of the place. The cupboards stood open, the shelves bare. The sink was empty, as were all the drawers. In Justice’s bedroom, there was no hint he had ever lived there.
She returned to the living room and blinked away sudden tears. She turned in a slow circle, fear growing inside her.
This wasn’t right. People didn’t just disappear in the night. Something had happened. Something bad.
She darted out the front door and ran all the way home. She burst in the back door and yelled for her mom.
“Justice is gone! He’s gone and his uncle’s gone and all their stuff.”
Her mother hurried into the living room. “What are you talking about?”
Patience told her what had happened. Ava grabbed a jacket, then followed her out the back door. Ten minutes later she was gazing at the empty interior. Fifteen minutes after that, the police had arrived.
Patience watched the activity and listened to the conversation. No one knew what had happened. No one had heard anything or seen anything. But they all agreed it was very strange. Justice and his uncle had disappeared. It was as if they’d never been there at all.
CHAPTER ONE
“TRIM UP my eyebrows,” Alfred said, wiggling his white, bushy brows as he spoke. “I want to look sexy.”
Patience McGraw held in a smile. “Big night planned with the missus?”
“You know it.”
A concept that would be romantic, if Alfred and his lovely wife were a tad younger than, say, ninety-five. Patience had to keep herself from blurting out a warning that, at their age, they should be careful. She supposed the more important lesson was that true love and passion could last a lifetime.
“I’m jealous,” she told her client as she carefully trimmed his brows.
“You picked a piss-poor excuse of a man,” Albert told her, then shrugged. “Excuse my French.”
“I can’t complain about you telling the truth,” Patience said, wondering what it would be like to live in a bigger city. Where everyone didn’t know every detail of your personal life. But she’d been born in Fool’s Gold and had grown up with the idea that there were very few secrets between friends and neighbors.
Which meant the whole town knew that she’d gotten pregnant when she was eighteen and the “piss-poor excuse for a man” who’d been her baby’s father had walked out on her and her daughter less than a year later.
“You’ll find someone,” Alfred told her, gently patting her arm. “A pretty girl like you should have them lined up for miles.”
She smiled. “You’re very sweet. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were flirting with me.”
Alfred gave her a wink.
Despite his compliments, she managed to find herself amazingly man free. Fool’s Gold wasn’t exactly swimming with prospects, and as a single mother, she had to be especially careful. There was also the fact that most of the men she met weren’t interested in other men’s kids.
As Patience picked up the scissors to clip a couple of errant hairs, she told herself that she was very comfortable with her life. Given the choice, she would rather open her own business than fall in love. But every now and then, she found herself longing for someone to lean on. A man to care about, who would be there for her.
She stood back and studied Albert’s reflection. “You’re even more handsome than before,” she said, putting down her tools and unfastening his cape.
“Hard to believe,” Albert said with a grin.
She laughed.
“Patience?”
She didn’t recognize the male voice, but turned anyway. A man stood in the entrance of the shop.
Her mind registered several things at once. Albert was her last appointment of the day. If the guy was a walk-in, he wouldn’t call her by name. The man was tall, with dark gold-blond hair and deep blue eyes. His shoulders were broad and he had the kind of face that would be happy up on a movie screen. Nice, but she had no idea who he...
She felt the cape flutter to the floor as she really looked at the man moving toward her. He was a few inches taller, a lot more muscular, but his eyes... They were exactly the same. They even crinkled when he smiled at her.
“Hello, Patience.”
She was fourteen again, standing in that empty house, more scared than she’d ever been in her life. There hadn’t been any answers. Not then or since. No solution to the mystery. Just questions and a gnawing sense that something had gone terribly wrong.
“Justice?” she asked, her voice more breath than sound. “Justice?”
He gave her a slight shrug. The familiar gesture was enough to send her flying across the shop. She flung herself at him, determined to hang on this time.
He caught her against him and held on to her nearly as tightly as she held on to him. He was warm and solid and real. She pressed her head against his shoulder and inhaled the scent of him. A clean, masculine smell that had nothing to do with the boy she remembered. This wasn’t happening, she thought, still dazed. Justice couldn’t be back.
Yet he was. But the man was very different from the boy, and the moment got awkward quickly. She stepped away and put her hands on her hips.
“What happened? You left me! Where on earth did you go? I was so scared. The whole town was worried. I called the police and everything.”
He glanced around the salon. Patience didn’t have to follow his gaze to know they were the center of attention. She was used to the friendly interest of the shop, but Justice might find the attention uncomfortable.
“When can you take a break?” he asked.
“Five minutes. Alfred is my last client of the day.”
“I’ll be outside.”
He was gone before she could stop him, moving with a combination of power and purpose. The second the door closed behind him, the other stylists and half the clients descended.
“Who is he?” Julia, her boss, demanded. “What a handsome man.”
“I’ve seen him around town before,” another woman said. “With that ballet dancer. He was her bodyguard.”
“Has he moved here?”
“Is he an old boyfriend?”
Alfred cleared his throat. “Back away, ladies. Give Patience some room to breathe.”
Patience smiled at him gratefully. He paid her for the cut and gave her a fifty-cent tip. She was so not getting rich working here, she thought as she walked him to the door and kissed his cheek.
With Alfred gone, she returned to her station and quickly cleaned up. Julia watched with unconcealed interest.
“You’ll have details tomorrow?” she asked.
“Of course.”
Sharing was as much a part of the culture of Fool’s Gold as showing up with a casserole when there was a birth, death or serious illness. She might not want to reveal every detail of her upcoming encounter with a man from her past, but that wasn’t her decision.
Patience made a quick stop in the restroom to make sure she hadn’t spilled anything on her black T-shirt. She released her long brown hair from its ponytail, thought briefly that she should have gotten highlights, and worn makeup and hey, maybe been something more exciting than ordinary, then shrugged. She was who she was, and nothing short of serious plastic surgery and/or a makeover was going to change her now.
She applied lip gloss and brushed the front of her “Chez Julia” T-shirt one last time. Two minutes later she had her purse and was walking out onto the sidewalk.
Justice was still there. All six-two of him. He wore a dark suit, blinding white shirt and a smoky-gray tie.
“You weren’t this stylish a dresser fifteen years ago,” she said.
“Occupational hazard.”
“Which begs the question, what occupation? But that can wait.” She looked at him, trying to reconcile the man with the teenager she’d known and loved. Well, maybe not loved, but liked a lot. He’d been her first crush. She’d wanted to tell him, to have him for her boyfriend and then he’d been gone. “What happened?”
He glanced around. “Can I buy you a cup of coffee?”
“Sure.” She pointed down the street. “There’s a Starbucks this way.”
They started down the sidewalk. A thousand questions filled her mind, but she couldn’t seem to grab any one to ask it. She was both curious and shy—a combination that didn’t make for easy conversation.
“How long have you—”
“I would have thought you’d—”
They spoke at the same time.
She sighed. “We’ve lost our rhythm. That’s just so sad.”
“It’ll come back,” he assured her. “Give it a minute.”
They reached the Starbucks and he held open the door. She paused before stepping past him.
“You’re here for good?” she asked. “Or at least a while?”
“Yes.”
“No disappearing in the night?”
“No.”
She nodded. “I didn’t know what to think. I was so scared.”
His dark blue gaze settled on her face. “I’m sorry. I knew you’d be worried. I wanted to say something, but I couldn’t.”
She saw a couple of older women approaching and ducked into the store. As she walked to the counter, she pulled out her Starbucks card, but Justice waved it away.
“I’m buying,” he told her. “It’s the least I can do after what happened.”
“Ha. Sure, bring me out for coffee instead of a steak when you’re doing apology buying.”
He flashed her a smile that was so familiar she felt her heart constrict. At the same time, she experienced a very distinct “wow—handsome guy” tingle in the area just south of her belly button. It had been so long it took her a second to recognize sexual attraction.
She was pathetic, she thought as she ordered her usual grande skinny vanilla latte. This was the closest she’d come to dating in the past five or six years. She really needed to get out more. And just as soon as she had a little free time, she would work on that.
“Tall drip,” Justice told the girl.
Patience rolled her eyes. “Very masculine. I’m not even surprised.”
He flashed her another smile. “I don’t strike you as the soy-chai-latte type?”
“No, but I’d pay to watch you drink one.”
“Not enough money in the world.”
They moved aside to wait for their orders, then took them over to a table in the corner.
“You probably want to sit with your back to the wall, right?” she asked, taking a seat that would allow him to do just that.
“Why would you think that?”
“Someone said you’re a bodyguard. Is it true?”
He settled across from her, his broad shoulders and large frame seeming to challenge the space around them.
“I work for a company that provides protection,” he admitted.
She sipped her coffee. “You can’t just say yes?”
“What?”
“The answer is yes. Wouldn’t that be easier than telling me you work for a company that provides protection?”
He leaned toward her. “Were you this much of a pain in the ass when we were kids?”
She grinned. “I’ve mellowed with age.” She raised her latte. “Welcome back, Justice.”
* * *
PATIENCE’S BROWN EYES danced with amusement, just as Justice remembered. She’d gotten a little taller and had filled out in fascinatingly female ways, but otherwise she was the same. Sassy, he thought. Not a word he would have used as a teenager, but one that suited her perfectly now. The Patience he recalled had been all attitude and blunt talk. It looked as though that hadn’t changed.
She glanced around the coffee place and sighed. “There are, what, five million of these across the country? We need something different.”
“You don’t like Starbucks?”
“No,” Patience said as she sipped on her latte. “I adore Starbucks. We own stock and everything. But don’t you think a town like Fool’s Gold should have a local place, too? I would love to open my own coffee place. Silly, huh?”
“Why is it silly?”
“It’s not a big dream. Shouldn’t dreams be big? Like I want to end world hunger?”
“You’re allowed to dream for yourself.”
She studied him. “What do you dream about?”
He wasn’t much of a dreamer. He wanted what other people took for granted. The chance to be like everyone else. Only that wasn’t going to happen.
“Ending world hunger.”
She laughed. The happy sound took him back in years to when they’d been kids together. He’d been forced to lie every second of every day. He’d been discouraged from making friends and fitting in too much, but he’d defied them all, claiming Patience as his own. Even then he’d known he was different, but he’d still wanted to belong. Being friends with her had been the only “normal” part of his life. He’d needed her to survive.
His choice had been selfish and she’d paid the price for his decision. When he’d had to leave, he hadn’t been able to tell her why. Later, he’d known getting in touch with her would bring her into his world. He’d liked Patience too much to sully her with that.
So what was his excuse now? As he stared into her eyes, he knew he’d again chosen what he wanted rather than what was right for her. But he’d been unable to resist the call of his past. Maybe he’d secretly been hoping she wasn’t as good as he remembered. Now he had to deal with the fact that she was even better.
She leaned toward him. “You’ve stalled long enough, Justice. What happened all those years ago? One second you were there and the next you were gone.”
She still wore her brown hair long. He remembered the slight wave and how her hair had moved as she walked, swinging back and forth. Sexy.
