Out of My League: a Hope Valley novel

by Prince, Jessica

  “I’ll drink to that!” Nona cheered.

  “Damn straight,” I agreed.

  The three of us clinked our glasses together and drank. After that, it was all about good food, good wine, and amazing friends kicking back and relaxing.

  All in all, my first ever girls’ night ended up being an epic success.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Lincoln

  The intercom on my desk phone went off and Roxanne’s voice came through the line a moment later. “Linc, Hayes Walker’s here to see you.”

  “Thanks, Rox,” I replied. “Send him on in.”

  I wasn’t surprised he was here this morning. Word was spreading around town that the cops had nothing to go on with the rash of burglaries, and people in town were starting to get antsy, demanding something be done.

  The door to my office swung open and Hayes came walking through, his face twisted in frustration.

  “Brother,” I greeted, leaning back in my seat and lacing my fingers together so I could rest them on my gut. “You look wrecked.”

  “Feelin’ wrecked,” he replied, flopping down in a chair across from me and raking a hand through his hair while kicking his feet up on my desk. “Any way I can get a coffee?”

  “You got it.” I hit the button on the intercom and called out, “Hey, Rox, could you get—”

  My receptionist came sauntering into my office holding two cups of coffee before I could finish my request. “As usual, I’m already three steps ahead of you.”

  “Makes up for the fact that you can be a pain in my ass,” I responded, making her laugh as she set the coffee cups on the desk and turned to walk away.

  “Good luck finding anyone who’ll put up with you boys. Y’all may be nice to look at, but that’s where it ends. Dealin’ with you is like herding cats. Not to mention there’s so much brooding and surliness seeped into these walls that I have to shower every day when I get home just to wash the stink off.”

  “As always, you’ve paint a vivid picture, Roxanne,” Hayes said with a chuckle before taking a pull of his coffee.

  “Just one of my many gifts,” she volleyed back on her way out of the office. Then she closed the door behind her and left Hayes and me alone to discuss business.

  “So, tell me what’s going on.”

  “Well, looks like my gut was right. Surveillance cameras caught Shepley Brenner at a gas station about an hour north of here a little over a week ago. Looks like the boy’s come to see his sister. That makes him the main person of interest in these robberies. Only problem is the asshole’s smoke. Can’t get a lock on him anywhere else. There’s hasn’t been a single room rented under his name, and the car he was seen driving was found abandoned on Hemlock the next day. There hasn’t been a single report of a stolen vehicle in or around town since then, so unless your neighbor’s keepin’ him hidden in her attic, we got the same thing we’ve had since this shit started—a whole lot of fuckin’ nothin’.”

  My forehead pulled in a tight frown. “You think it was just a coincidence he was spotted so close to Hope Valley?”

  “I stopped believing in coincidences a long damn time ago, but even if I didn’t, this one would be too damn big to ignore.”

  I couldn’t disagree with that. But…

  “You say he’s involved, so I trust your instincts on this 100 percent. But my gut’s tellin’ me Eden’s not a part of it.”

  “That’s what your gut tells you, I believe it. But involved or not, she’s our best shot in nailin’ him down.”

  “Agreed. That fucker sets foot on my street, we’ll get him.”

  Hayes took another drink of his coffee. “Yeah. I’m just hoping it’s sooner rather than later before that prick has a chance to hit another house.”

  I was with him on that. I hoped like hell this shit got cleaned up before Eden became aware of what was going down and got even more tangled in her brother’s mess than she already unknowingly was.

  “Other than the case, how are things goin’?”

  Hayes gave me a curious look before realization of what my question really meant dawned across his expression. “Come on, man, not you too.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh at his frustration. “Sorry, but I gotta ask. I might not have known you back then, but I’ve been in Hope Valley long enough to have heard plenty about the epic love story gone wrong that was you and Temperance Levine. To hear people talk, they’re still in mourning over your breakup.”

  “Jesus,” he grunted toward the ceiling. “That was over twenty fuckin’ years ago. We were kids, for Christ’s sake.”

  “Yeah, and she’s only just come back after all that time. People talk, Hayes.”

  His jaw ticked, and the vein in his forehead began to throb. “They can talk all they want. We broke up and life went on. Her being back in town isn’t gonna change anything. Once she’s done what she’s here to do, she’ll take off for wherever it is she’s been for the past two decades.”

  I gave my friend a look. “Like you don’t know where she’s been. You wanna pretend you haven’t run her name or kept tabs, go ahead, but I know better.”

  He turned his head and stared out the window at the mountains that lay beyond, deep in thought. I let him have his moment, gave him the time he needed to come to grips with whatever was swirling around inside his head. I’d known the man a long time. We’d been through some of the most intense situations a human can go through together. And in all that time, he’d only brought up his ex twice. Both times he’d been so drunk he had no recollection of it the following day, so I let it slide, never mentioning how he’s admitted that she was all there was for him and how, when he lost her, all hopes of a future and family disappeared with her.

  “Doesn’t matter,” he finally mumbled. “Like I said, Tempie’ll leave again. It’s what she does. Shit’ll go back to how it’s always been, and life goes on. That’s all there is to it.”

  That was Hayes speak for drop it or I’ll break your jaw, and I was a smart enough man to let it go.

  “All right. Enough said.”

  “So, what’s the deal with Eden?”

  Lifting my own mug, I took a drink, appreciating the fact that Roxanne made my coffee just how I liked it, black with two sugars. “What do you mean?”

  “Fred Duncan was at the diner while you were on your little lunch date. Came back to the station and wouldn’t shut up about it.”

  Fred Duncan. Christ, that man could be a pain in anyone’s ass. Sure, he was harmless, but that didn’t mean he didn’t get himself into a whole shitload of trouble with his penchant for gossip. He’d been on the force for about three years now and had been called in by their captain at least five times. One more warning to keep his mouth shut about the cases that came through the department and the dumbass was gonna lose his job. Only one in that building who was a bigger busybody than Fred Duncan was Sue Ellen.

  Sitting back in my chair, I shook my head and rubbed at my temples. “Goddamn small towns. People got nothin’ better to do than talk about other people. What did he say?”

  “Just that y’all looked pretty damn cozy together, and that you looked smitten.”

  “Smitten?” I chuckled. “That jackass actually used that word?”

  The corner of Hayes’s mouth pulled up in a smirk. “Not quite. That’s just the word I used since I knew what he said would just piss you off. He said you looked pussy whipped.”

  Motherfucker. “Like that bastard has any room to talk. His wife’s had his balls in a jar on her bedside table since he popped the question five years ago.”

  “Makes matters worse that the woman’s a raging bitch from Hell too.”

  He wasn’t wrong about that one. I’d been there once or twice when that woman stormed into the station fit to be tied because he didn’t put his plate in the dishwasher or missed the hamper when he tossed his socks at it or some shit. She’d storm in, pissed as hell over absolutely nothing, and rip Fred a new asshole in front of every cop in the bui
lding. Not a single one of those men liked Betsy Duncan. Hell, most of the town despised that woman. And pretty much everyone lost respect for him for putting up with her shit.

  “It was a good lunch.”

  He watched me for a few seconds, his brows slowly lifting toward his hairline. “That’s all I’m gonna get?”

  “She’s different than I expected,” I finally admitted.

  “Oh man.” He laughed and gave his head a shake. “I told you a long time ago that it wouldn’t be one of those stick-thin bitches you favored who’d finally catch your attention.”

  “Jesus Christ,” I grumbled. “What is this, a goddamn chick flick? You wanna talk about your first period after this?”

  “Fuck off,” he said with a chuckle. “Be a smartass all you want, but this one’s gotten to you. I was starting to think there wasn’t a woman on this earth capable of doing that.”

  “Whatever. Keep goin’ and we’ll have to dive into the fact that you’re still single, and why that is.”

  His laughter dried up at my threat of bringing Temperance up again. “Okay, I’m done.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

  Setting his mug on my desk, Hayes pushed to his feet. “Well, as nice as it’s been to see your pretty face, I should be getting back to the station.”

  “All right, brother.”

  “Keep an eye out. You see anyone or anything on your block that doesn’t fit, you let me know.”

  “Will do.”

  With a tip of his chin and a flick of his fingers, he headed out of my office, and I attempted to get back to work and keep my mind off Eden, and her phenomenal ass.

  I failed miserably.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Eden

  My shopping excursion with Nona and Gypsy ended up being a lot more fun than I’d expected. Turned out being with the girls was a blast no matter what we were doing.

  Gypsy opened up a bit more, telling us about her five siblings and how crazy and sweet each one was. Seeing the pride shining in her eyes as she talked about her oldest brother’s academic achievements, or her middle sister scoring the winning goal for her soccer team made me respect her even more than I already did. It was written all over her face how much those kids meant to her. They might as well have been her very own, and as far as she was concerned, they were.

  The fact that she’d given up her life without so much as a blink to make sure they were all happy and healthy and together made her one of the best people I knew, and Nona and I didn’t hesitate to tell her exactly that.

  Harley Madison didn’t know a damn thing if she thought Gypsy was anything other than a saint.

  But now that I was back home, getting ready for my impending date with Lincoln, I was doubting the little black dress I’d let Gypsy and Nona talk me into earlier that day. It looked a lot shorter than it had in the store as I turned to get a peek at the back in my bedroom mirror, but a glance at the clock on my bedside table showed it was too late to do anything about it.

  Other than it being short, there wasn’t much else about the dress I didn’t like. The soft jersey cotton hugged my body, but seeing as the fabric was dark, it hid the pooch of my belly. The neckline was cut in a wide V in the front and back, exposing a hint of cleavage and my collarbones, but still made it possible to wear a bra, which was good seeing as my girls were big enough to require serious support. The long sleeves would help ward off the chill of the fall night, but my legs were exposed from ankle all the way to midthigh.

  I paired the dress with strappy stiletto sandals in a shimmery gunmetal gray that Nona swore up and down I just had to have. I finished the whole thing off with a long, thin chain around my neck with a silver leaf dangling from the end, a thick shimmery studded silver cuff on my right wrist over the sleeve of my dress, and dangly earrings with the same stamped leaves as my necklace hanging halfway to my shoulder.

  I blew my hair out so it was sleek and full of volume, then did my eyes up a little darker than normal with winged black eyeliner and heavier mascara.

  Feeling completely out of my comfort zone with the dress, the big hair, and the darker makeup, I started to doubt I could pull this look off. Snapping a quick picture of myself in the mirror, I texted it to Nona and Gypsy for their input, having to wait only seconds before getting a response back.

  Gypsy: Hot damn, babe! With those legs, that hair, and those boobs, you could TOTALLY strip!

  Nona’s reply came as I was giggling at Gypsy’s.

  Nona: Doll, you rock the HELL outta that dress!!!!!!

  That was all the reassurance I needed, and the anxiety that had started twisting my stomach into knots loosened its hold.

  Lincoln knocked on my front door a minute later, and I hustled out of my room and down the hall, throwing the door open without looking as I said, “Hey, gimme a sec. I just have to switch out purses and I’ll be ready.”

  Moving to the antique sideboard I had set up a few feet from the front door, I began the task of moving my lip gloss and other various items from my big, slouchy handbag to the black clutch with shiny beading in the same color as my shoes that I’d picked up at the mall that day to match the outfit.

  “Sorry for the delay,” I said as I focused on my task. “I’d have been ready on time if it wasn’t for Nona and Gypsy. Those two in a mall are a serious force to reckoned with. If they had their way, we’d still be—” I turned and took a step toward the door, the words lodging in my throat at the primal, heated look in Lincoln’s green eyes.

  His gaze had been pointed in the area of my ass when I first spun on my heels, but now that we were facing each other, they slowly dragged down, over my legs to the killer heels on my feet before starting their journey back up. My skin pricked like his eyes were physically touching me, stroking up my thighs, along the curves of my hips, finally coming to a stop on my breasts.

  My voice came out low and breathy when I spoke his name. “Lincoln?”

  “Jesus. Fuck me,” he said in a hard, husky tone. “That fuckin’ dress….”

  My hands trembled as I lifted them and placed them on my belly, trying to contain the millions of butterflies that had just taken flight. “Is it too much? The girls said The Groves was fancy, so I thought—”

  “It’s not too much,” he grunted, stepping farther into the house and closing the front door behind him. “Jesus Christ, you look un-fucking-believable, baby.”

  A goofy smile stretched across my face, and I was helpless to stop it. “Really?”

  He came closer, one slow step at a time, like a lion teasing a gazelle before finally pouncing. “Oh yeah,” he growled, reaching out and hooking me behind the neck before yanking me into him and slamming his lips down on mine in a claiming kiss, devouring me like I was the main course he’d been waiting for, not the expensive dinner we were supposed to have in just a little while.

  His tongue dove inside, thrusting against mine as his hands roamed my body, skating down my ribs before wrapping around and palming my ass greedily. A needy whimper crawled up my throat and into his mouth as I pressed even closer, clutching at his back, fisting the fabric of the dove gray button-down he was wearing tucked into a pair of black dress slacks and black cowboy boots. I hadn’t gotten a long leisurely look at him while he was standing in my doorway, but I saw enough to know he looked fucking incredible dressed up.

  All too soon, Lincoln broke the kiss, but I could see on his face how damn hard it was for him to do it. I felt his pain.

  “We don’t leave now, baby, we’ll miss our reservation.”

  “I’m okay with that,” I panted, having lost all breath thanks to this amazing man.

  He chuckled, looking down into my eyes while his arms held me close. “Believe me, Edie, nothin’ more I’d rather do than keep you here. But a woman like you in a dress like that? Be a cryin’ shame not to show you off, darlin’.”

  Damn, but that was a really good answer. “Well then I guess we better get to it, huh? And all that shopping
today really took it out of me. I’m dying for a steak.”

  His smile was absolutely brilliant. Each full-blown smile I got from him felt like the most precious gift. And when his arms clenched tighter, I knew there was nowhere else in the world I’d rather be than wrapped in them. “Then I better get my girl fed, huh?”

  Yes. Yes he should. And he should always call me his girl.

  * * *

  When Lincoln finally pulled his truck into the parking lot of the restaurant, the sight of it nearly took my breath away. It was built to look like a rustic wood cabin with huge diamond-paned windows tucked into the base of the mountain and surrounded by towering trees. With tall, beautiful gas streetlamps lighting the walkway on both sides to the entrance, it created a cozy glow all around the property, there was only one way to describe The Groves.

  It was out of this world.

  “Oh wow,” I whispered, leaning forward to stare out the windshield. “This place is incredible.”

  “Just wait ’til you get inside. The view of the mountain and trees is something else.”

  “I think I just discovered what I want my forever dream home to look like.”

  “A big-ass cabin at the base of a mountain?”

  Sitting straight, I turned to Lincoln and smiled. “Don’t forget the diamond-paned windows.”

  “Of course,” he said with a teasing smirk pulling at that dimple. “Can’t forget the diamond-paned windows.”

  He pulled up to the valet stand near the entrance of the restaurant and quickly hopped out. After the last time, I made sure to remain in my seat and waited as he rounded the hood.

  I tugged my wrap tighter around me to ward off the chill just as Lincoln opened my door. Instead of offering me his hand, he wrapped his large fingers around my waist and lifted me down like I weighed next to nothing.