Josie Day Is Coming Home

by Lisa Plumley

  For the fourth time since Josie had left the main house, one of her crutches sank in the grass and got stuck. Expertly shifting her weight to the opposite side, she steadied herself. She pulled. The crutch popped free, its rubber tip coated with mud and a few strands of Bermuda. It was a good thing she’d had a little practice with these things in the past. Maneuvering in them was no problem for her.

  She raised her head and got her bearings. Behind her lay the house. Turning to view it from here, Josie could almost imagine the grandeur it must have possessed once, in its golden age. She sighed, savoring the thought.

  Well, okay—she could picture it if she squinted. But it was still there someplace. She was sure. Which was part of the reason she was still here and not trying to drag her stuff back to her convertible.

  She looked around some more. To the sides, weedy lawn greeted her, bordered with pine trees and the occasional scrub oak. To the front, the squared-off carriage house stood—her destination. She set off again.

  Male laughter burst into the stillness.

  Huh? That didn’t sound like Luke. She hadn’t expected him to be here working so early, either. Frowning, Josie paused.

  An instant later, someone ran from the carriage house. He came across the weeds straight toward her. She had just enough time to register a man in a cartoon T-shirt, baggy jeans, and wild hair. She didn’t recognize him. But she did recognize Luke in hot pursuit.

  He had to be chasing the intruder for a reason. It didn’t look as though he was going to catch up, either.

  Josie steadied herself. This morning, she’d decided to stay at Blue Moon—which made this her new home. She was finished being pushed around. Whoever this guy was, she was ready for him. She stuck out her crutch.

  Too late, the man saw it. His eyes widened. “Whoa!”

  He landed with a thud.

  Josie raised her crutch, getting ready for a second burst of action. After all, there was no telling how fast a runner Luke really was. He might not get here in time. Tensed, she waited. At her feet, the man rolled over on the grass.

  He’d only tripped. She was going to have to whack him.

  “Wait!” Luke yelled.

  Good. She didn’t really want to whack him.

  Luke grabbed the man by the shirt. Yelling something, he hauled him up. They tussled. Uh-oh. Judging by the look in Luke’s eyes, he’d tangled with this guy before. Judging by the goggle-eyed look on the man’s face, he knew what was coming to him. It probably wasn’t a nice cozy hug.

  Josie crutched herself backward, staring. She wished she’d brought her cell phone. But she’d only been setting out on a tour of those outbuildings Luke had mentioned yesterday. She hadn’t expected to need to dial 911 on the way.

  On the other hand, Luke looked kind of crazy. He was babbling something about Aqua Velva.

  “Hang on. Don’t hit him!” Warily, she held up both hands, wanting to stop the impending fight but knowing better than to actually insert herself in the middle of it. “I’ll go inside and call 911. You stay here and hold him.”

  Yeah, that was it. She was a woman with a plan. Feeling proud of herself for helping apprehend the intruder—and helping prevent a violent, action-movie-style fistfight—Josie turned around. She adjusted her crutches, preparing for action.

  “Hit me?” the man asked, scoffing.

  “Hit him?” Luke asked, cheering up.

  Clearly, the idea of hitting hadn’t occurred to either of them.

  Confused, Josie turned again. Something was going on here. She glanced at Luke. “You weren’t going to hit him?”

  “Nah. I’d say you did a pretty good job of that already.” He glanced approvingly at her crutch. “Nice work. When in doubt about the crazy guy headed your way, just whack him.”

  “I didn’t whack him. I tripped him. There’s a difference.”

  “Yeah. Semantics.”

  “It’s not ‘semantics.’” Affronted, Josie raised her chin. “It’s a whole different thing. You’re making me out to be some kind of bully, and I’m not.”

  “I’ll bet TJ here would disagree. Right, TJ?”

  “I landed on something vital,” the man muttered, one hand on his forehead. “I think I have a concussion.”

  “Vital?” Luke asked. “You landed on your ass.”

  They argued for a minute—in remarkably good spirits, given the situation. Josie couldn’t listen.

  “TJ?” she repeated. Uh-oh. “TJ? You know him?”

  They both looked at her.

  Luke nodded. “Yeah.”

  TJ nodded. “Yeah.”

  They went back to bickering—in that idiotic way men had of relating to each other by slinging insults, swearing, and grinning like goons.

  Sheesh. There was no help for it. Somebody was going to have to act like an adult here. Josie put her thumb and forefinger in her mouth and issued her standard whistle.

  They both gawked at her, looking puzzled.

  “Update, please,” she said.

  “Right.” Luke released his grip on TJ. “Josie, this is TJ. Championship crybaby—”

  “Arrogant prick,” TJ muttered, his dark look aimed squarely at Luke.

  “—and a friend of mine from L.A. TJ, Josie.”

  “Charmed, I’m sure,” TJ said, smoothing a fist-sized wrinkle from the shoulder of his T-shirt. He summoned up a grin. “Next time, let’s watch out for the knees, okay?”

  Despite his smile, Josie was filled with remorse. She levered herself closer on her crutches. Now that TJ wasn’t running like a lunatic, he looked like a pretty ordinary guy. Or more accurately, like a pierced, gelled, and cartoonified twenty-five-year-old man-child.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “Really. I thought you were one of the teenagers Luke told me about.” She glanced at Luke to validate her story. He offered a brief nod. “The ones who come here to vandalize the place.”

  Awkwardly, she patted TJ on the shoulder. He felt nearly as solid as Luke—which explained the thud he’d made when he went down. The realization made her feel twice as bad.

  “I guess my self-defense instincts took over.” She indicated her crutch. “I took a class last year. I hope you’re okay.”

  TJ grunted. He rubbed his shin. “Remind me not to meet you in a dark alley.”

  “Yeah,” Luke agreed. “I’m pretty sure she could take you.”

  Josie whirled on him. “I thought he was stealing something from the carriage house! I swear I did.”

  “That’s what I’m here for. I would have caught him.”

  She didn’t buy it. “Says you. He was miles ahead of you.”

  “Miles? Try two feet.”

  “Dude, she’s right. It was miles.” TJ grinned.

  Luke shot him an aggravated look.

  “I like you.” Josie patted TJ’s shoulder again, then looked him up and down to assess his injuries. Her tour of the outbuildings could wait, she decided. “I’m really sorry about tripping you. Come on. Let’s go inside and get you an ice pack. We’ve got tons of frozen peas.”

  They started toward the house.

  “Tons?” Luke trailed them, sounding aggrieved. “Try four bags.”

  “Dude.” At her side, TJ tossed back a wise guy’s grin. “The lady’s always right.”

  “We’re going to get along great, TJ,” Josie said. “I can tell already.”

  Josie made her way to the refrigerator in Blue Moon’s decrepit kitchen. She felt keenly aware that she was technically entertaining a guest—TJ—and the place was a wreck. In the light of day, the room looked even worse than she remembered. Sure, the kitchen had all the basic amenities—electricity, plumbing, and backup Ding Dongs—but it lacked a certain charm. It also lacked countertops that weren’t cracked, cabinets that possessed doors, and a floor that didn’t look like a fugitive from the grime police.

  Oh, well. It wouldn’t be this way for long. Not if Josie had anything to say about it. Forcing herself to look on the bright side, she tucked a bag
of frozen peas beneath her arm. She nudged the freezer door shut with her shoulder, then turned.

  Luke was there.

  If possible, he looked even better than he had yesterday—despite his whisker stubble, carefree wrinkled T-shirt, and old jeans. Frankly, those things only added to his bad-boy appeal. And they were all temporary. Changeable. The essentials were inherent—six-feet-whatever of capable muscles, masculine intensity, and unbridled sex appeal.

  She stifled a sigh—of, she had to admit, unbridled lust.

  “We need to talk,” he said.

  That put a damper on her baser instincts. “Don’t you think it’s too soon in our relationship for a ‘talk’?”

  “I’m serious.” He took the peas.

  “Hey! I need those to give to TJ.” She gestured toward him. He sat in one of the mismatched chairs at the scrubbed pine butler’s table, examining his knee.

  “Okay.” Luke raised his arm like a quarterback. The bag of peas sailed through the air.

  “Thanks, dude!”

  “There. It’s taken care of.”

  Josie cast a worried glance at TJ. He seemed happy.

  “All right,” she said. “What’s on your mind?”

  In answer, Luke put his hand on her arm. He helped her to the hallway where they could have some privacy, taking time for her crutch-using progress. Judging by his expression, this was serious. Once they were out of sight of the kitchen, he backed her against the wainscoting.

  Josie glanced up at him curiously.

  “Comfortable?”

  “Ummm.” She adjusted her crutches, wondering what was up. “I guess so.”

  “Then here’s what’s on my mind,” Luke said, and lowered his mouth to hers.

  Josie gave a little yelp of surprise. This wasn’t smart, it wasn’t polite, it wasn’t…it wasn’t going to stop anytime soon. At the realization, she melted. She just couldn’t help it. The thrill of kissing Luke overrode every other consideration—even the wainscoting gouging her butt.

  Somehow, Luke’s kiss drove every practical thought out of her head. All she could think about were his talented hands, gliding from her hips to her rib cage. All she could sense was the hard-bodied length of him. All she could want was…this. This, for a really long time.

  Just as it had last night, Luke’s kiss started out slow. It built to a seductive middle, ended on a passionate note, and promised lots more to come. Caught up in it, Josie curled her fingers in his T-shirt and just held on. His hand cupped the back of her head, his hip pressed her against the wall, his warmth and strength surrounded her. She loved that he was big enough to stand up to her height (which was tall), tough enough to silence her protests (which were few), and gentle enough to make her yearn for even more…more, more, more.

  With an inner shrug, Josie surrendered completely. She’d always been impulsive. Sometimes that quality had its advantages. Hanging on to Luke for leverage, she threw herself into kissing him. The more the merrier. The more the better? She couldn’t remember that saying right now and she didn’t much care.

  “I’ve wanted to do that since last night,” Luke said, coming up for air.

  Feeling equally breathless, Josie sucked in a gulp of oxygen. “Me, t—”

  But then he was kissing her again, cutting off her words as though he simply couldn’t resist her, and Josie couldn’t help but go along for the ride. She was rewarded with an even deeper kiss, an even more inventive, more sensual, more amazing kiss than before. Enthusiastically, she kissed him back.

  She and Luke fit together perfectly, with none of the awkward head-turning or nose-bumping that sometimes doomed otherwise good kisses. They were meant to do this. Obviously. Josie wasn’t a woman who believed in fighting fate. She decided it that instant. She also decided she wanted more.

  Unfortunately, Luke seemed wedded to his “take it slow” philosophy. He ended the kiss, then leaned back just enough that their foreheads touched. His smile felt endearing, sexy…intimate.

  “Wow,” she breathed. “Who says men don’t know how to communicate?”

  “I’m available for a good conversation anytime. Day or night. Discussion, chitchat, idle gossip…you name it.”

  “I don’t usually talk this much with men I’ve just met.”

  “I’m the exception to the rule.” His grin widened in a spectacularly macho way. “Why fight it?”

  Josie didn’t want to. She’d never felt this way about any man, especially not this quickly. Something about Luke just seemed to…fit with her. She was glad she hadn’t left town yesterday. Fighting her impulsive instincts—every one of which had been screaming for her to bail out of Donovan’s Corner—hadn’t come naturally. But she’d done it.

  Well, she’d done it with a little “kidnapping” help from Luke. But she deserved some of the credit, too. No one who knew her would have believed she’d give a second thought to anything. Maybe there was something to be said for not making snap decisions after all.

  “Nice skirt,” Luke said, drawing her attention.

  He lowered his hand to the hem of her pink terry cloth mini. A look of unadulterated masculine appreciation lit his face. Her skirt might as well have been transparent—he couldn’t possibly have looked any happier to see her in it.

  “It’s not as immodest as it seems. The panties match.”

  Okay, she was wrong. He could look happier to see her in it.

  “I mean they’re the kind that are designed to be seen. Pink boy-cut shorts.”

  Luke groaned. “You’re killing me.” He slid his finger along her hemline, tracing it to the back of her skirt. “I’ll bet you don’t look anything like a boy in this, no matter what kind of shorts you’re wearing.”

  She definitely felt all woman. Especially with his heavy-lidded gaze traveling up and down her body like that, making her feel all tingly and zingy and wonderful. But then Josie remembered what had been bugging her about seeing Luke this morning, and that good feeling faded a little.

  “Hey. Where’d you run off to last night?”

  “It’s not important.” Whoosh went his fingertip along her skirt hem. “It’s over now.”

  “I want to know.”

  Luke gazed down, looking absorbed. “There can’t be more than twelve inches of fabric in this skirt.”

  “I’m five-nine. There’s plenty of fabric in it.” She grabbed his hand. “Look, if you have a girlfriend—”

  That broke the spell. “No. It was TJ. Last night.”

  “TJ, with the horn-blowing?” Relief swamped her. It was stupid, but there it was. She was glad Luke didn’t have a girlfriend—especially given the kinds of thoughts she’d been entertaining about him. “TJ, with the truck and the trailer attached to it? That was TJ last night?”

  Luke’s gaze swept up. His eyes sparkled.

  “You peeked.”

  Duh. Of course she’d peeked. “I did not!”

  “You peeked out the window after I left. Admit it.”

  “I’ll do no such thing.” Damn those tissue-thin Blue Moon curtains. He must have seen her.

  “If you didn’t peek, how did you know it was a truck last night? With a trailer? You couldn’t have seen all that from where you were sitting.”

  With dignity, Josie straightened. “I might have gotten a glimpse of it when I passed by the window. But I was only looking for the TV remote.”

  “The TV remote I put in your hand before I left?”

  He was such a know-it-all. “It slipped.”

  “Mmm-hmm.”

  Was it just her, or did he look pleased that she’d made a goofball of herself by spying on him? Josie decided she didn’t care.

  “I have to go take care of TJ,” she announced, lifting her chin. She turned on her crutches. “I’m the one who whacked him. I mean, tripped him. Accidentally. He’s my responsibility.”

  “Careful with those frozen peas,” Luke called after her. “I hear those bags are slippery.”

  The next few hours with Luke wer
e the nicest—and longest—second date Josie had ever had. They sat in the kitchen mainlining a breakfast of coffee and Ding Dongs (which Luke had to have bought in bulk), laughing and talking, and she couldn’t remember ever feeling so relaxed on a date.

  Okay, so a hard-liner probably would have said it wasn’t technically a date. First, because TJ was there—and everyone knew that if the guy brought a wingman, the date didn’t count. Second, because it hadn’t been preceded by an agonizing will-he-or-won’t-he wait by the phone. Third, because the good night kiss had come first.

  But Josie didn’t care. After the string of dates from hell she’d endured lately, being with Luke felt fantastic. She just wanted to enjoy it.

  Of course it all fell apart right away. Exactly the way it usually did between men and women…the moment she got serious.

  “So, I decided you were right, Luke,” she said, putting down her coffee as a sense of excitement filled her. “I can’t let the busybodies in this town push me around. I’m going to stay at Blue Moon.”

  “What?”

  “You heard me. I’m staying. I woke up this morning and I thought about going back home to Las Vegas, and I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t let those bastards get me down.”

  “Good for you!” TJ raised his Ding Dong in salute.

  Luke shot him an aggravated glance. “Shut up, TJ. You don’t even know what she’s talking about.” He looked at Josie. “Are you serious? I thought you were giving up.”

  She gave a dismissive sound. “That was just the exhaustion talking. I didn’t sleep at all before I came here, you know. I just finished my last show for the night and zip”—she made a zooming noise, gesturing sideways—“headed straight here.”

  “Straight here from Las Vegas?” TJ asked.

  She nodded. “I’m a showgirl at Enchanté.”

  “Sweet.” TJ nodded approvingly.

  “Or at least I used to be.”

  Josie gave TJ the capsule version of how she’d inherited Blue Moon from the casino’s owner. As she explained, TJ aimed curious glances at Luke. Then he leaned back in his chair.

  “So technically, Luke is working for you now,” he said when she’d finished. “As a handyman.”

  “Right,” she agreed. Why did TJ look so gleeful about that?