Shelter Me

by Allyson Charles

  “What? No!” She grabbed her friend’s phone. After Kimberlee’s butt picture, it was unbelievably sweet of James to do this, but she didn’t want any other women seeing him without his pants.

  “He said he’ll be wearing a swimsuit.” Cassie pointed to the description section. “No need to get your Puritan knickers in a twist.” She nibbled on her bottom lip. “I wonder if he’s a Speedos man.”

  Sarah sniffed. Then scrolled through the pictures again. The first one of James, fully-clothed, explained his goals and talked up Feral Feline Services. The second one showed him in a tank top and shorts, his muscles sweaty and rippling. And the third one he’d posted after making his push-goal of one thousand dollars. It was the picture of him without a shirt. He’d made that goal in two short hours.

  Sarah bit her lip. He looked damn good in these pictures.

  He looked better in real life.

  “How? Why?” Her mind was too jumbled with questions, the words wouldn’t come. Or maybe it was looking at his bare chest that was scrambling her brain.

  “Melanie must be helping him out, at least to tell him what the donations are up to. She has access to your website, right?”

  Sarah nodded.

  “As to why…” Cassie dropped her chin and gave Sarah a look. “You know why.”

  Sarah’s pulse raced. She jumped to her feet, paused, then sat back down.

  “That was interesting.” Cassie cocked her head. “You’re not having a mental breakdown, are you?”

  Sarah’s knee bobbed up and down. “No. Just…this might be his way of apologizing.” An insanely sweet and lovely way to apologize. “This doesn’t necessarily mean he wants me back. I might be reading more into this than there is.”

  “There’s only one way you’re going to find out, and it isn’t hopping up and down on this bench like the Energizer Bunny.”

  Sarah wanted to scowl at her friend, but there was too much hope flooding her veins. She leaned over and pressed a kiss to Cassie’s cheek, then grabbed her things and raced up the trail.

  She had a man to find.

  Chapter Thirty

  Sarah stomped into her practice, tossing her purse in its cubby behind the reception counter. “Infernal, irritating, man,” she muttered.

  “Hey, Doc.” Melanie gave her the up-and-down before pulling a twig out of Sarah’s hair. “I wanted to—”

  “And don’t think I don’t have a bone to pick with you, too.” Sarah planted her hands on her hips. She’d spent the last two hours searching for a man who apparently didn’t want to be found, wouldn’t answer her calls, and was altogether being a pain in her patootie. And her assistant had been colluding with the man.

  “I know you were a part of his grand apology plan, but let me tell you, that’s not going to cut it.” Not when the blasted man couldn’t even give her the opportunity to magnanimously accept his apology. Oswald and Taina said they didn’t know where he was. Sarah didn’t believe them. It was all a conspiracy to drive her nuts.

  “That’s great.” Melanie tucked a pencil into her hair. “But you need to know that—”

  “I know you two raised lots of money for FFS and I should be grateful, blah, blah, blah.” She threw her hands up. “But if someone apologizes in the woods and no one’s around to hear it, does it even count?”

  “Um…” Melanie took two steps back. “You feeling okay? Because that didn’t even make sense.”

  “Where are the band-aids,” a voice hollered from the back.

  A deep voice she’d become all too fond of.

  “He’s here?” she whispered to her assistant.

  “Uh huh. That’s what I was trying to tell you. He brought in three cats for you to check out.”

  Sarah squeezed her hands tight. He was here. She’d been looking up and down the coast for him and he’d been here, in her office. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Smack him upside the head or throw her arms around him.

  “Melanie, do you have anything human-sized.” James strode into the lobby, looking down at the box of gauze he held. He wore pressed chinos that fit him just right and a Henley rolled up to the elbows exposing angry, red scratches on his skin. “I really don’t need…”

  He looked up.

  Their gazes met.

  And Sarah wasn’t undecided any longer.

  She took three running steps and pounced, wrapping her arms and legs around him like a snake.

  The box of gauze fell to the floor as he bound one arm around her back and his other under her butt. James buried his nose in the crook of her neck. “Does this mean you forgive me for being an ass?”

  “Are you going to keep being an ass?” She scraped her hand along his jaw, loving the rough texture of his stubble. She’d missed this jaw.

  “It’s kind of in my nature.” He pulled back to look at her. “But for you, I’ll try to tone it down.”

  Was there something wrong with her that she found those words unbelievably romantic? Probably, but she was past caring. It didn’t matter that James was a little too brusque or she was a bit too mild. They were never going to be perfect, but she couldn’t imagine being with anybody else, flaws and all.

  “I want to make things work. We can do long-distance.” She’d figure out a way to make it work with her schedule. San Francisco wasn’t that far.

  “Can you do short distances and take this to the back?” Melanie pointed out the window. “Your next appointment is arriving. They don’t need to see this.”

  Cheeks hot, Sarah unwound her legs and slid down James. “Sorry,” she said, though she really wasn’t feeling it. James was here. He wanted her, and she wanted him. It didn’t get better than that.

  She grabbed his hand and dragged him down the hall to her office. She pushed his butt down on her desk and retrieved the small first-aid kit she kept in a cabinet. “So, what do you think?” She disinfected the scratches along his forearms. Scratches he’d earned capturing feral cats. For her. “One weekend I go down to visit you, the next you come up here?”

  “Seems like an awful waste of gas.” He took the band-aids from her hand and tossed them on the desk. “Especially since I’m not planning on going anywhere.”

  She stilled. “You’re staying?”

  He nodded, gripping her hips and tugging her between his legs.

  “For how long?” Her heart was doing funny things. Beating rapidly before seeming to stop altogether.

  “For as long as you’ll have me.” He squeezed her hip. “I gave notice to Carson Lang. I’m going to look into starting my own CPA practice up here. My dad needs me, and I don’t want to be several hours away from you. It only makes sense.”

  “You’re going to miss the city,” she warned. She loved Shelter Bay, but James found it less than exciting.

  “I’ll miss a couple of friends. I’ll make more up here.”

  She tilted her head. “We don’t wear suits up here. You’ll have to work in jeans like the rest of us.”

  “I’ll bring business-wear back in style.” He wound his hand in her braid and reeled her head in close. “I do have standards.”

  “You’ll—”

  He cut off her next words with his mouth. He nibbled at her bottom lip until she opened to him. Their tongues met, and Sarah melted.

  He was staying.

  He was hers.

  And he was hers in the best way. Not through obligation or duty. No family ties bound them together, except the ones that they would make. She was free to be her whole self with James, and he accepted her as she was.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him for all she was worth.

  They broke apart, gasping for breath.

  “I love you, James Marshall.”

  “Ditto.”

  She arched an eyebrow. “I’ll allow that. For now. Besides, you’ve already shown it with your actions. Stripping down on social media? Catching wild cats? No one’s ever declared their
love for me better.”

  He slid his hands to her butt and pulled her closer, growling. “How many men have professed their love for you exactly?”

  She smiled but kept her mouth shut. A little bit of mystery never hurt anyone.

  Footsteps trotted up the hall. Melanie stopped in the doorway, waving her phone in the air. “We hit the next push-goal on the fundraiser.” She looked James up and down, licking her bottom lip. “Time to take off your pants.”

  James blanched. “I don’t have my swim trunks with me.” He scrubbed his palm over his face. “God, I’m going to post a picture of myself in nothing but trunks to the world.”

  “It’s for a good cause, for FFS.” Sarah’s lips twitched as she tried to keep a straight face. James was staying. He loved her. Nothing could dampen her joy. Not even the thought of other women seeing what belonged to her.

  “I don’t think we should keep our donors waiting,” Melanie said. “People paid good money and—”

  Sarah closed the door in her assistant’s face and locked it.

  “Melanie’s right.” Sarah sauntered toward James. She’d always loved her life, but until she met James, she hadn’t known what she’d been missing.

  There would be bad times ahead, she knew that. A lot of tears. But she and James would be there for each other, face their troubles together.

  Until then, she would enjoy each and every moment of joy this man brought to her life.

  She pulled out her phone and turned on the camera. “Let’s not keep anyone waiting. Time to drop trou.”

  Epilogue

  “You need to let me redesign your office.” Cassie tossed another kernel of popcorn in her mouth before handing the bowl to James. “The flow is horrible. Your tax clients aren’t going to want to spend time in there.”

  Joe elbowed James, pointing to the scene in front of them and snickering.

  “I don’t want clients to linger,” James told Cassie, who was seated on the folding, metal chair at his other side. “I want them in and out so I can get more work done.”

  Cassie narrowed her eyes, and Sarah suspected this was a fight that James was going to lose. She grabbed her vending machine soda and squeezed in between her friend and the love of her life. “What did I miss?”

  “Connor whining like a baby.” Joe grinned. “This really was a brilliant idea of Melanie’s. You should give her a raise.”

  They were at the fire house. The truck had been pulled out of the bay, making room for a temporary photo studio, complete with a green screen and twelve hunky firemen. Shelter Bay didn’t have enough firefighters so Connor had called in some of his buddies from Cal Fire to complete all the months in her Feral Feline Services calendar.

  Hot firemen holding adorable kittens. Who could resist that?

  Ginger wasn’t too happy that her fire house had been taken over by cats, but one of the other volunteer firemen had given her a thick bone to take her mind off the invasion.

  Brad glared at Cassie’s red heels. “You also missed your friend trying to pick up every firefighter who lives in a hundred-mile radius.” He gave Cass a pointed look. “We’re here to raise money for Sarah’s non-profit, not use it as a dating opportunity.”

  Ellie reached over from the back row of seats and grabbed the popcorn bowl. “We’re here to make fun of our brother. Getting a date would just be a bonus.”

  The photographer lowered his camera. “Can you loosen up a bit?” he asked Connor, the model for May. “You look angry, not sexy.”

  The gray kitten her brother held dug its claws into the suspender that crossed Connor’s bare chest. Connor frowned and loosened the cat’s grip. “I can’t look sexy with my family watching.”

  Joe threw a bit of popcorn at his twin. “You can’t look sexy period.”

  “Uh, since you guys look almost identical, that’s kind of a self-own,” Cassie said.

  “Sexy is all about attitude, not looks.” Joe shrugged. “Besides, I’ve always been the cuter twin.”

  Connor sputtered in outrage.

  “Enough of the jabbering.” Oswald tottered over to Connor and spritzed him with water. “Some of us actually care about this station and the kind of impression we’re going to make to the world.” He cocked his head and gave Connor’s chest three more sprays from the water bottle.

  Connor held the kitten above his head and tried to dodge the assault, to no avail. “Old man, just because you do the station’s bookkeeping—”

  “—and schedule the shifts,” Oswald added.

  “—and schedule the shifts and bring us donuts, that doesn’t give you the right to spray—”

  Oswald spritzed him in the face. “You’re supposed to look sweaty. Sweaty is sexy. Get over it.”

  Sarah buried her face in James’s sleeve, trying to muffle her laughter.

  The rest of her siblings weren’t as considerate. Hoots echoed around the bay.

  Connor’s face flushed a dull brick-red color, and everyone laughed harder.

  “You all suck,” he told them. “Cristo, get in here. I’ll have my shot taken later.” He shoved the kitten at a tall, olive-skinned man built like a freight truck.

  James handed her his soda. “My dad’s looking tired. I’m going to get him to sit down.”

  Oswald did look faded, but he was always eager to keep moving. Every day he got a bit weaker. And every day his and James’s relationship bloomed. Life was such a horrible, wonderful mix of joy and pain. Loss and new beginnings. The highs couldn’t be fully appreciated without experiencing the heartaches.

  Sarah kissed his cheek. “Does that mean you’re taking over spritzing duty?”

  He paled. “If I have to.” He brushed his lips against hers. “Wish me luck,” he said, then stood and approached his dad.

  She missed his heat next to her, but his leaving was probably just as well. He could wait another couple of hours before learning that Ghost, the gray kitten Cristo was embarrassing himself talking baby-talk to, was the newest member of their family. She’d finally been able to catch the little guy on the bluffs, and she wasn’t letting him go. He was just too damn sweet.

  Ellie slid into James’s vacant seat. “So, when are we going to hear wedding bells? I am going to be your maid of honor, right?”

  Cassie leaned forward. “I will fight you to the death for that role.”

  Sarah let them squabble. She felt the small lump held on a chain beneath her shirt. It was happening faster than either of them would ever guess. Her brothers and dad might argue it was happening too fast, but Sarah wasn’t worried about their disapproval. She and James knew it was right. That was all that mattered.

  She traced the ring over her cotton top. He wanted to have his dad there for one of the biggest days in his life. They didn’t have time to waste. And she didn’t want to wait to be his wife. At the next Sunday dinner, they would announce their engagement.

  “I’m happy for you, sis.” Ellie leaned back into her chair. “The way it all happened, it was like one of my…” She snapped her mouth shut and scratched at a non-existent spot on her jeans.

  “Like one of your what?” She eyed her sister curiously. Ellie was uncharacteristically tight-lipped of late. Suspiciously so.

  “Nothing.” Ellie smiled. “Hey, let’s go out to La Casita tonight. Drinks are on me.”

  Ellie buying drinks? That was definitely suspicious.

  “Ooh, yes, let’s do it.” Cassie pointed her foot. “I’ve got my new shoes on and I haven’t had nearly enough men appreciate them.” She ignored Brad’s glare. “Besides, James has been monopolizing too much of your time. We need a girls’ night.”

  Hmm. With the margaritas flowing, Sarah didn’t know if she’d be able to keep her secret. Oh, who was she kidding. She was busting to let her best friend and her sister know her news. “Let’s do it. I’m going to tell James I’m unavailable tonight.”

  She found him in the back office, pointing out somethin
g to his dad on a computer screen. “Can I borrow your son for a minute?”

  Oswald flapped his hand. “Take him. He’s micro-managing my bookkeeping.”

  James looked heavenward. He patted his dad’s shoulder as he stood then made his way over to her. “Can’t stay away from me, can you?” He wrapped his arms around her, smiling smugly.

  “Just the opposite. Going out with the girls tonight, and you’re not invited.”

  “Hmm.” He nuzzled her neck. “How late are you going to be?”

  She sighed. Did she really want to go out with the girls? She arched her neck, exposing more skin to him. She was going to miss his touch tonight.

  “Ellie says she’s buying, and I have a lot of drinks to catch up on.” She slid her hands down his chest. “Pretty late.”

  “Well, if you’re a good girl and get yourself home safely, there just might be a surprise waiting for you.” He nipped her earlobe.

  Her gaze fell on Oswald, studiously examining the computer screen, ignoring their whispered shenanigans. “Can you leave him?” She tilted her head toward his dad.

  “I’ll make it work.” He tugged on her braid, tipping her face up to his. The love in his eyes stole her breath.

  She was going to spend the rest of her life with this man.

  What a wonderful life it would be.

  He grinned. “With you, anything is possible.”

  #####

  I hope you enjoyed Shelter Me! I can’t wait to dive more into the Martineau family, with Ellie’s story coming up next.

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  And for a list of other Allyson Charles titles, go HERE.

  About the Author

  Allyson Charles lives in Colorado. She’s the author of sexy and funny small-town romances, including the Pineville Romance series and The Forever series. A former attorney, she happily ditched those suits and now works in her pajamas writing about men’s briefs instead of legal briefs. When she’s not writing, she’s probably engaged in one of her favorite hobbies: napping, eating, or martial arts (That last one almost makes up for the first two, right?) One of Allyson’s greatest sources of happiness is that she now lives in a city with a Cracker Barrel in it.