Just One Kiss

by Susan Mallery

  “We still have a wonderful time,” Denise told him. “It’s a little more crowded with spouses and grandchildren, but that only makes our times together more wonderful.”

  He bent down and kissed her cheek. “I can’t wait.”

  “Good.”

  Denise excused herself.

  Justice was about to go join a work group when he saw Ava roll into the busy space. Her wheelchair moved easily over the hardwood floors. He saw her glance around as if unsure what she was supposed to do. He quickly moved toward her.

  “Taking charge?” he asked as he approached.

  She gave him a grateful smile. “I think Patience is doing a good job already. I just wanted to stop by and see the town coming through for my girl.”

  “There are plenty of people here.”

  Patience hurried over. “Hey, Mom. Doing okay?”

  “I’m fine.”

  Patience didn’t look convinced. Justice nodded toward Ava. “I’m happy to stay here,” he said. “It gets me out of the real work.”

  Her gaze lingered for a second. “Thank you,” she mouthed silently. “Okay,” she said aloud. “I’m not even surprised. Typical guy enjoying the act of watching other people work.”

  He pulled up a chair and settled next to Ava. The older woman’s gaze was speculative.

  “You want to keep an eye on what’s going on and you’re using me to do it.”

  “Maybe,” he said easily.

  “Not maybe. You’re different, Justice. Time has passed, so of course you’ve grown up, but that’s not the only change, is it?”

  He automatically stayed outwardly calm, even as he glanced at Ava. “Are you asking or stating an opinion?”

  “Both.” She studied him. “You went into the military after your father was taken into custody.”

  He nodded.

  “Whatever you did was dangerous. Patience and I have speculated, but I’m sure we won’t be able to guess.”

  “Probably not.”

  “You’ve seen things.”

  More than she could ever know.

  “Now you’re going to open your school here.”

  He chuckled. “It’s not a school.”

  “You know what I mean.” She leaned toward him. “Can you do it? Settle in a small town?”

  “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I want to be here.”

  It was an honest answer, he thought. As much as the town drew him, he was concerned about fitting in. He could fake his way through any situation for a period of time. But in the end, who he was would come out.

  He’d done things no man should be able to live with. Yet, as Ava had said, here he was. There were questions he couldn’t answer. Like how much of his father lived in him? Could he escape Bart’s cruel influence? Would he end up hurting the people he cared about? He’d never taken the risk. It hadn’t been worth it. He’d always been content to move on. But now he was starting to think he wanted to stay.

  “Where does Patience fit in your decision?” Ava asked.

  “She’s a draw. I never forgot her.”

  “You’re both different people now.”

  “She’s not so different.” She was older, more beautiful. But the essence of her remained. The sweetness, the humor, the unique worldview that, in her case, came out through her wardrobe of cute T-shirts.

  “What are you afraid of?” Ava asked.

  He turned to her. “That I’ll hurt her.”

  “Then don’t.”

  “It’s not that simple.”

  “Sometimes it is.”

  * * *

  PATIENCE STUDIED THE to-do list and felt the last of her stress fade away. Everything was getting done and more quickly than she could have imagined. The cleaning was done and all the plates, mugs and glasses had been unpacked. In the back room, a team worked on her shelves. Nevada kept a tight control on her team, ordering the guys around easily.

  Charlie walked over. “The trim is painted. Finn, Simon and Tucker are putting up the curtain rods. Tucker has the professional experience, but Simon brings his surgeon’s precision to the experience, so imagine how that’s going. Finn’s egging them both on because it’s fun. I won’t bother telling you the trouble the Stryker brothers are getting into, but know that later, they will be punished.”

  Patience laughed. “I’m not worried. Everyone is working really hard and my list is nearly complete.” She hugged Charlie. “I love this town.”

  “The town loves you back.” Charlie turned her head and groaned. “Old ladies at ten o’clock.”

  Patience followed her gaze and saw that Eddie and Gladys had shown up. No doubt the near octogenarians were hoping to catch sight of good-looking guys in tight jeans. The two were completely shameless. Last year Clay had arranged for some male-model friends to pose for a charity calendar. When Eddie and Gladys had found out, they’d shown up with folding chairs and stayed to watch the show.

  Some of the shots had required the guys to get naked, which had delighted the friends. They’d taken pictures with their cell phones. Charlie had been forced to edit out the “frontal” nudity pictures, much to the dismay of Eddie and Gladys.

  “I’ll go make sure they behave themselves,” Patience said.

  Charlie put her hand on Patience’s arm. “I’ll do it. You need to stay focused on the projects. Plus, you’re too nice. They at least pretend to be scared of me.”

  “Thanks.”

  “What can I say? I’m an amazing friend and you’re lucky to have me in your life.”

  Patience laughed.

  She watched Charlie head for the old ladies and saw the two trying to duck away. But Charlie was faster and soon they were corralled. Patience made the rounds, stopping to check on the various projects.

  Simon and Tucker were glaring at each other. “It’s a thirty-second of an inch off,” the surgeon said. “Do you know what that means?”

  “Nothing,” Tucker told him. “Because it’s not off. It’s even. Look at the level.”

  “I’m measuring and that’s more accurate than a bubble.”

  Finn leaned back against the wall, enjoying the show.

  “The curtains look great,” Patience said. “I love them.”

  “See?” Tucker said.

  “You have to be on a ladder to see the difference,” Simon informed him.

  “I’m thinking not many of my customers are going to do that,” Patience said; then she smiled and kept moving.

  As she circled around the room, she passed by Kent Hendrix and his mother. Denise was staring up at her son.

  “Are you sure?” she asked, her voice hopeful.

  “It’s been long enough,” Kent told her. “I want to move on. Lorraine is gone and not coming back. I need to get going with my life. I’ve wasted enough time on her.”

  Denise reached for him.

  Patience inched away, not wanting to intrude on such a private, family moment.

  She knew the basic facts. Kent had been married. He and Lorraine had a son, Reese. Several years ago Lorraine had decided she didn’t want to be married, or a mother, so she’d taken off, leaving her husband and her son. Sort of like Ned, Patience thought.

  Josh and Ethan came by with two-by-fours over their shoulders, trapping her in place.

  “I’m so glad,” Denise told her son. “You need to start the next chapter of your life. Are you dating?”

  “Mom, let it go. I’ll find my own girl.”

  “But I want to help.”

  Patience looked around frantically, still pinned in by moving wood. Any second now Denise was going to start searching for a suitable future Mrs. Kent Hendrix, and she didn’t want to be the one the other woman saw first. Kent was a great guy, but they’d only ever been friends.

  She finally managed to duck under the wood and make her way to the back room. She would hide out until the danger passed, she thought humorously.

  Now that she was safe, she could almost pity Kent. Denise was a formidable woman. If she
decided she was going to get Kent involved with someone, he was going to find himself with a parade of women moving past his house.

  She looked into the main room and saw Justice with her mother. They were speaking intently, heads bent together.

  Although she wondered what they were discussing, her real attention was on how much she wanted to walk over and stand next to Justice. To be close and have him smile at her. She knew she was getting too involved, too quickly, and didn’t know how to slow things down.

  With the business only a week or two from opening, she was frantically busy, yet still found time to dwell on Justice. Maybe it was good that he was going to be gone a few days on an assignment. She could try to forget about him. Or if that wasn’t possible, maybe gain a little perspective.

  Mayor Marsha walked up to her. “Everything is turning out so beautifully,” the mayor said. “Congratulations.”

  “Thank you.” Patience took in the skirted suit the older woman always wore. “No pants, huh? I was hoping.” Mayor Marsha had worn pants to a work party over the holidays. It had made quite the impression on everyone.

  The mayor smiled. “It was very cold out. I made an exception.” Her head tilted. “Hmm, I wonder what that means.”

  “What?”

  The mayor pointed.

  Patience turned and saw Charlie pulling her cell phone out of her pocket. She pressed it to her ear, then shook her head.

  “Everyone, be quiet for a second, please,” Charlie yelled. “This might be important.”

  The room went silent.

  Charlie listened. Everyone around her watched, waiting to hear. Was the news good? Was there a problem?

  Charlie grinned. “Okay. I’ll spread the word.” She lowered her phone. “It’s Annabelle. She’s in labor!”

  CHAPTER NINE

  JUSTICE TURNED DOWN the road leading to the ranch. If there was a hot spot in the world, a dangerous place, he’d probably been there. He knew how to get in, get the job done and get out. He’d faced soldiers, assassins and dictators. He knew how to take care of himself. None of which explained why he was going to a ranch to visit a woman he didn’t know, who had just given birth to a baby he had no interest in, with a casserole he hadn’t made.

  “You okay?” Patience asked. She sat in the passenger seat and watched him curiously. “You have a scrunchy face.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “I’m the one who can see your face, so I get to say.”

  Justice surrendered to the inevitable. “I’m trying to figure out how I got here.”

  “On earth at all, or here with me at this particular moment?”

  “The latter.”

  She flashed him a smile. “You offered to drive me.”

  “What was I thinking?”

  “Oh, come on. It’ll be fun. Annabelle had her baby. Now we have to be a part of the celebration.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s what we do. We visit the new mother, take over food so she doesn’t have to cook. Coo over the baby.”

  Just one more version of hell, he thought. “I’m not cooing.”

  “I’ll coo for both of us. Besides, the whole town will be there.”

  “When do you people get work done?”

  She laughed. “We do have a lot of community obligations, but it’s fun. If you want, I can ask Shane if he’ll let you ride one of the horses.”

  “No, thanks.”

  He’d returned to Fool’s Gold thinking he could find his past. And maybe a piece of who he had been years ago. Instead he’d discovered that this town was possibly the best and the worst place to be. There were good memories here, but also the constant pressure to connect and belong. He was happier on the outside, looking in. But no one was going to allow that. Not for long. They wanted to pull him in and make him a part of things.

  He couldn’t risk it. Not until he knew if he was safe enough to be around ordinary people. He glanced out the side window and wished he could shake the feeling that his father was out there, watching.

  The old man was dead, he reminded himself. Had been for more than a decade—burned alive in a prison fire that had taken several lives. Justice had mostly believed it—only over the past couple of years, he’d had a growing sense Bart was around. Hiding, but close.

  More proof that he couldn’t escape his DNA, he thought. However much he might want to.

  They drove onto the ranch. There was a sign offering goat cheese and milk for sale, along with goat manure. Beyond the main house were stables and corrals. In the distance he saw a couple of sheep, a llama and—

  He brought the car to a halt and stared. “Is that—”

  Patience followed his gaze. “An elephant? Yes. Her name is Priscilla.”

  “A real elephant?”

  “She’s not fake, if that’s what you’re asking. It’s a long story, but she lives here now and everyone likes her. She’s a part of the community.”

  He returned his attention to the drive through the property. “Of course she is.”

  “We love Priscilla. She was in the nativity last Christmas.”

  “An elephant?”

  “Everyone should get to participate.”

  He wanted to point out that Priscilla was an elephant, not a person, but knew that Patience would probably object. In her world, elephants could be family and townspeople showed up to work on soon-to-be-opened businesses. No doubt small woodland creatures did the housecleaning, whistling all the while.

  He shook his head. “I need a break.”

  “From what?”

  He pulled up in front of a large house. There were several cars parked in front already. People stood on the porch, chatting.

  Patience touched his arm. “Justice, are you okay?”

  He turned to her. The sight of her face calmed him. He could stare into her eyes and find equilibrium again. With Patience around, he could handle the eccentricities that were Fool’s Gold.

  “I’m good.”

  “If you’re sure.”

  She waited, but he didn’t say anything. She turned to the people on the porch.

  “Okay, the pregnant woman is Heidi. She’s married to Rafe, who’s the brother of Shane, who’s the father of the baby. Annabelle and Shane aren’t married yet. She didn’t want to walk down the aisle pregnant. It’s kind of funny because Annabelle is sort of traditional, so for her to do this all backward isn’t like her. But they’re blissfully happy together.”

  She studied the crowd. “You met everyone else at the work party. Don’t worry about remembering names.”

  “I remember their names.”

  “You can’t. You’ve only been in town for a few weeks.”

  He allowed himself a slight smile, then started on the left. “The two blondes are Dakota and Montana. Next to them are Finn and Simon. The older woman is their mother, Denise, and the white-haired lady talking is Mayor Marsha.”

  “Wow.”

  He shrugged. “It’s part of what I do, but remember, I was friends with Ford way back when.”

  “If I hadn’t been born here, I doubt I would have remembered everyone’s name.”

  “It’s a parlor trick.”

  “A good one.”

  He wanted to impress her and knew the danger of making her believe in him. He reminded himself he had to make up his mind. Was he willing to risk getting involved with Patience? Did he trust himself that much? Or was it too late to have the conversation? Because he was starting to think he was already in too deep to find his way out.

  * * *

  PATIENCE HELD THE tiny baby in her arms. “Aren’t you handsome?” she whispered to the sleeping little boy. “So precious.”

  Annabelle sat on the padded rocking chair in the baby’s room and smiled. “I feel useless. Everyone is helping out so much there’s nothing for me to do.”

  “Oh, you should hold him,” Patience said, walking toward her.

  Annabelle shook her head. “I wasn’t complaining. I was very stressed ab
out having him. I wasn’t sure I would know what to do. But it turns out I don’t have to worry at all. We’re never alone, and I mean that in a good way.”

  “How’s Shane handling fatherhood?”

  “He’s excited and freaked. It’s a fun combination. He kept saying having a child was no big deal. Nature takes care of the details. But he’s discovered it’s not exactly like having one of his mares drop a foal.”

  “The power of being smug,” Patience said, returning little Wyatt to his mother’s arms. She settled in the chair next to Annabelle’s and leaned close. “He’s adorable.”

  “I think so.” Annabelle grinned. “So, tell me. How many casseroles are there in my freezer?”

  “At last count there were thirty-two, but more are coming. Oh, and there’s a beautiful fruit arrangement in your refrigerator. Very upscale. There are cookies and brownies and I’m not sure what else.”

  Annabelle leaned back in the rocker. “I love this town. I’m never leaving.”

  “No one wants you to.” Patience gave her a quick hug, then stood. “I need to head back. I’ll call you in a couple of days to see how it’s going. By then you should be less busy here.”

  “Thanks for coming by.”

  “I wouldn’t have missed it.”

  She returned to the front part of the house and found Justice talking to Clay Stryker. When Justice saw her, he excused himself and joined her.

  “You ready to go?”

  She smiled. “Are you done pretending to be excited about the baby? Did you want to hold him?”

  He flinched. “No.”

  “Not a kid person.”

  “I like kids. Babies make me nervous.”

  “So you’re ready to go?” she asked, amused by his infant phobia.

  “Say the word.”

  They walked out of the house and made their way to his car.

  “What about you?” he asked as he held open the passenger door. “Did you hold the baby?”

  “Of course. He’s wonderful. So tiny. I remember when Lillie was first born. I was so scared.”

  He closed the door and walked around to the driver’s side.

  “You had your mom,” he said as he slid onto the seat.