“Destiny.”
He only said her name. Just once. Softly. Then he pressed his mouth against hers in a kiss that both comforted and challenged.
She melted against him, letting him support her weight even as she moved her lips against his. Usually, she was a pretty passive kisser, but not tonight. Tonight she wanted to know what kissing him felt like. She wanted to explore the man and the unexpected tension and heat building inside her.
She rested her hands on his broad shoulders and felt the pressure of her breasts flattened against his chest. She breathed in the scent of him, and when he touched her lower lip with his tongue, she parted immediately.
He swept inside, taking control from her. But the electricity that followed made it worth the shift. Delicious tingles vibrated through her. She ached, she squirmed, she needed. When his tongue stroked against hers, she returned the attention in kind. When he drew back, she followed.
They kissed over and over again. He shifted his hands to her hips and then down to her rear. He squeezed the curves, and she instinctively arched against him.
Her lower body felt heavy. Her breasts hurt. The deep ache made her want to place his hands there. Because somehow his touching her would make everything better.
The thought should have shocked her, but all she could think was how much she wanted the kissing to never stop and how good it would feel to have his fingers on her tight nipples.
The back door banged open. Destiny was aware of laughter then a quick, “Sorry, man.” The door slammed shut.
Kipling stepped back and cleared his throat. “I should, ah, get you home.”
Destiny sucked in air. Her head cleared a little and she knew that tonight she’d done more than sing one of her mother’s songs. She’d also flirted with her mother’s lifestyle, and she knew better.
“Don’t worry about it,” she said, pleased she could speak in actual sentences. “It’s opening night. You should stay here. I’m walking. It’s Fool’s Gold, and I’ll be fine.”
He hesitated. She gave him a little push toward the bar. “I promise, it’s all good. I’ll text you when I get home.”
“If I don’t hear from you in twenty minutes, I’m coming after you.”
A tempting reason to not text, she thought as she waved and started toward the sidewalk.
Seventeen minutes later, she was in her bedroom and sending the text that would allow Kipling to forget about her for the night.
It was late, and Starr was already asleep, but Destiny couldn’t relax. Her body still ached for the man who had kissed her, and her mind swirled with words and images. Not knowing what else to do, she pulled out her guitar and the notebook full of half-written songs. She flipped through it until she found one that made sense to her, then started to play.
You spoke to me, in careful tones. Your words were like a beacon, I was looking for a home.
She made a few notes and started the song from the beginning. As she played, she relived Kipling’s kiss over and over until it was etched into her brain.
CHAPTER EIGHT
DESTINY HESITATED OUTSIDE Jo’s Bar. It wasn’t the hangover that was slowing her down. Although she’d awakened with a headache and the need to drink about a gallon of water, that had all passed. No, what stopped her at the door was old-fashioned embarrassment.
She fully remembered what had happened the previous night. All of it. And while her date with Kipling had gone way better than she’d expected, and she’d been blown away by the kiss they’d shared, what she couldn’t get out of her mind was the rest of it. How she’d stepped onstage and sung her mother’s song.
She knew what happened when she opened her mouth. The connection was instantly clear. There was no hiding who she was and where she’d come from.
The comparisons were inevitable—and she was fine with that. Once people knew about her family, they saw the similarities in appearance, heard familiar elements in her voice. What she couldn’t get past was that she’d done it to herself. She could say she’d been compelled by a force she didn’t understand but the truth was she’d walked onstage with her own two feet. She’d opened her mouth, and she’d chosen to sing. While she planned to have it out with Miles later, in the end, the choice had been hers.
What she didn’t know was why she’d done it. Sure, she’d sung in public before. When she’d been little. But as an adult, she avoided the limelight. Miles only knew she could sing because he’d heard her one time when the hotel window had been open, and she hadn’t known he was in the room right next door. He’d questioned her until she’d admitted who she was. Since then he’d refused to let the information go. He loved bringing it up at the worst possible time. And encouraging her to perform.
Until last night, she’d always refused. So what had been different?
There was no way she was going to get her question answered, she thought. So she sucked in a breath for courage and walked into Jo’s.
Several of her friends were already waiting at a table. Madeline was there, along with Bailey. She recognized Isabel, Madeline’s business partner, and Taryn, the tall, dark-haired woman who ran the PR firm, Score. Shelby waved from the other side of the table.
“Hi, everyone,” Destiny said as she sat down in the empty chair between Madeline and Dellina. They all greeted her normally with no mention of the previous night. A few of them hadn’t been there, so she wondered if word hadn’t spread. She hoped that was true, but didn’t think she was that lucky.
Bailey, from the mayor’s office, leaned forward. “Dellina, you have to help me plan my wedding. I honestly can’t decide what to do, and Kenny’s getting impatient.”
“What’s the problem?” Dellina asked.
Madeline leaned toward Destiny. “Dellina’s our local party planner. If you need a wedding put together, she’s your girl. She can do nearly anything in almost no time.”
Dellina laughed. “I heard that, and please don’t oversell me. I’m not a miracle worker.” She turned back to Bailey. “The first question is what kind of wedding you want. Big or small? Formal or informal?”
“I don’t know,” Bailey admitted.
“That was my problem, too,” Taryn said. “I secretly wanted the big dress, big wedding, but I’d been married before and wasn’t sure.”
“And I didn’t want any hassle,” Dellina said cheerfully. “So we eloped. There are lots of options.”
They were a marriage-and family-friendly town, Destiny thought, realizing that nearly every woman at the table was married or engaged. In fact, Madeline and Shelby were the only other single people there. Taryn was pregnant, Isabel was part of a get-pregnant bet she might or might not know about and the rest of them had kids.
It was all so normal, she thought wistfully, thinking how when she was a kid, normal sounded like heaven. While other people dreamed of fame and fortune, she’d imagined living on an ordinary street where the rhythm of life was dictated by the changing of the seasons or school calendar and not a record dropping or a tour schedule.
“I guess Kenny and I need to have a talk,” Bailey said. “Chloe wants to be a bridesmaid for sure, so eloping isn’t an option.”
Patience Garrett raced into Jo’s and hurried over to their table. She claimed the last empty seat. “Sorry,” she said. “I was talking to Zane Nicholson.”
Isabel and Madeline sighed while the rest of them just looked confused. Well, not Bailey, who shook her head.
“You are all totally insane,” Bailey said. “You get that, right?”
“I don’t care,” Isabel said dreamily. “Zane is amazing.”
“He’s just a guy,” Bailey corrected. “He puts on his pants one leg at a time.”
“Which means sometimes he takes them off,” Patience said, then giggled.
Bailey rolled her eyes. “Ignore them,” she told the rest of the group. “They’re acting like five-year-olds.”
“We’re acting like sixteen-year-olds,” Isabel corrected. “There’s a difference. And
it’s just silliness. Zane Nicholson grew up here. He has a ranch about twenty miles away. He’s very hunky. Taciturn. Manly.” She waved her hand in front of her face. “Is it hot in here, or is it me?”
“You’re married,” Destiny said, before she could stop herself, knowing the talk about the mysterious Zane was simply done in good fun, but still finding it strange.
“I know.” Isabel didn’t sound the least bit repentant. “I love Ford with every fiber of my being. Zane was a high school crush. It’s just fun to remember what it was like back then.”
“He’s no Jonny Blaze,” Shelby said with a grin.
Madeline laughed. “You’re right. My eternal love for Zane is overshadowed by my movie star crush on Jonny Blaze. I think that makes me kind of slutty.”
Jo appeared to take their orders. No one discussed getting margaritas today, and Destiny was grateful. She planned to avoid alcohol for a very long time.
When Jo had left, Taryn rested her elbows on the table and smiled at Destiny.
“We haven’t had a chance to get to know each other very well yet. Where are you from, and how did you end up here?”
Everyone at the table froze. Destiny told herself to remain calm. That Taryn meant the question in a general way. She wasn’t fishing for information on the Mills family. But in the second before she could summon an answer, she had to admit she felt more than a little trapped.
Taryn straightened. “What?” she demanded. “What did I say? I didn’t ask anything outrageous.” She slapped her hand on the table. “Something happened last night, didn’t it? I knew it! I told Angel we had to go to the opening, but he wanted to stay home because I was tired. Being pregnant means I miss all the fun.”
Bailey put her arm around Taryn. “I didn’t go, either,” she told her friend. “Nothing happened.”
“Something did,” Taryn insisted. “Tell me.”
“I sang,” Destiny said quietly.
Taryn frowned. “That’s it? You sang? Okay, I don’t get it. Either you’re really, really good, or really, really bad.”
“She’s good,” Madeline murmured.
Destiny knew there was no point in avoiding the topic. Nearly everyone knew, and maybe if she talked about it, they could move on to something more interesting.
“My parents are country singers,” she told Taryn. “Lacey and Jimmy Don Mills.”
Taryn brightened. “I’ve heard of them. You’re their daughter?”
“They married when they were eighteen and nineteen, and I came along nine months later.”
“But you work with that computer tracking program.”
“STORMS,” Destiny offered.
“Right. For the search and rescue guys. So why do that if you can sing?”
“I don’t like the business. I don’t want to be touring and living out my life in public.” Destiny did her best not to sound defensive.
“I get that,” Shelby said with a sympathetic smile. “It can’t be easy.”
“Not if it’s anything like what I’ve seen with my business partners.” Taryn nodded as she spoke. “I know what they went through. Interesting. Well, I’m sorry I missed your karaoke performance.”
“Me, too,” Jo said, appearing with their drinks. “I heard it was crazy busy over at The Man Cave. Good thing I closed for the night, or I would have spent the whole time being lonely.”
“You could have called me,” Taryn said. “I missed the fun, too.”
“Fun, huh?” Jo said. “Lunch will be along in a bit.”
She left. Destiny hoped there would be an organic change of topic, but Taryn turned back to her.
“Tell me next time you’re singing. I want to be there.”
“I doubt it will happen again.”
“But you have an amazing voice,” Madeline said, then slapped her hand across her mouth. “Sorry. It’s your decision. I’m not pushing.”
Destiny grinned. “Thanks.”
“What about Starr?” Shelby asked. “Does she want to be part of the business?”
“More than I’d like.” Destiny sipped her iced tea. “She didn’t grow up seeing the hard work and long days on the road. She thinks it’s glamorous.”
“She’s a lot younger than you, isn’t she?” Bailey asked.
“Fourteen years. She and I have different mothers.”
Shelby smiled. “Kipling and I are the same. We have different mothers, too.”
Destiny didn’t think she’d known that. She would never guess they were only half brother and sister. Although she supposed that was simply the biology of their relationships. In their hearts, they were family. Something she and Starr needed to work on.
“So where is Starr’s mother?” Taryn asked.
“She died about a year ago. Starr’s been in boarding school. When summer break came around, there wasn’t anyone to take her. Jimmy Don is touring in Europe, and Starr doesn’t have any other family on her mother’s side. None of her other half siblings are old enough to take her, so I said she could come stay with me.”
Madeline’s eyes widened. “That is the saddest thing. Not you taking her in, of course. That’s great. But the other part. I come from a small family, but I always knew my parents adored me. I can’t imagine what it must be like to be her age and have nowhere to call home. I’m so glad she’s with you now.”
Kind words that made Destiny feel guilty. Because she hadn’t exactly been excited to have Starr show up in her life.
She waited for someone to trash her dad. God knew the man deserved the censure, but it would leave her in the uncomfortable position of having to defend him. Surprisingly, no one said anything, and conversation shifted to the upcoming X-treme waterski festival.
Destiny let all the words wash over her. She felt as if she’d run miles. But the exhaustion was more emotional than physical. Belonging was hard. Staying on the outside, never getting involved was so much easier. Yet she didn’t regret making friends. The connections, however brief, felt good. Real. Or maybe, more important, normal.
* * *
KIPLING HAD BEEN looking forward to his meeting with Destiny. He hadn’t seen her since The Man Cave opening a couple of days before. And while he’d thought about seeking her out, his gut told him she needed some time.
Not because of the kiss, although he hoped she’d been as intrigued as him by the chemistry that had flared between them. Instead he thought she would need to figure out how to deal with the truth now that her secret was out. Everywhere he went, people were talking about her and her performance. About who she was and how come she wasn’t out making million-dollar records instead of working as a software facilitator in Fool’s Gold. Or living off what must be a hell of a trust fund.
He didn’t know how much of the talk was getting back to her. He thought maybe people were trying to be discreet. But eventually, she would figure out everyone knew, and he had a feeling that would bother her.
She arrived right on time, looking as good as ever. The makeup from the other night was gone, and she was back in cargo pants and a T-shirt. Which, in his opinion, was just as sexy and appealing. He liked her fresh face and sensible fashion. There was less for him to muss, and she would be ready for anything. Although what he had in mind didn’t exactly require a special wardrobe. Or any.
“How’s it going?” he asked as she walked into his office.
“Good.” She glanced past him, and her mouth dropped open. “No way.”
“Way.” He walked over to the giant maps on the wall. Accurate maps that showed elevation and more detail than anything they currently had. “Mayor Marsha came through.”
“I must remember to never doubt her,” Destiny said, walking over and tracing a nearby river. “These are fantastic. And expensive. You don’t just order them from an online retailer. They’re custom.”
“She said she got a grant from somewhere and put the money to work for us.” He handed her a thumb drive. “Here are the same maps in digital form for you.”
She laughed as she took the drive. “Thank you. An unexpected bonus.”
She pulled her laptop out of her backpack and set it on one of the desks. Once it had booted up, she shoved in the thumb drive and began to download the information.
“I have software to compare these maps with the flyovers I’ve been doing with Miles. Once we combine the information, we’ll be able to figure out what areas will require mapping on foot. The more detail we have, the better, and with your very fluffy budget, we can afford the time.”
She typed on a few keys then stood up. “Okay, it’s doing its thing. It’ll take a while, so we can move on to other topics while we wait.”
They talked about the schedule and the beta testing that would take place later in the summer. The tracking equipment had been shipped. Destiny seemed relaxed as they spoke, which pleased him. It meant she’d been okay with them kissing.
He briefly wondered about doing that now. Kissing. He wanted to. He’d liked the feel of her mouth on his. He knew some guys were interested in moving things along quickly, but he liked to take his time. Sure, the destination was great, but getting there could be a lot of fun.
He enjoyed a second or two of fantasy then reminded himself that they were both working. This wasn’t the time or place.
“I didn’t know you and Shelby were only half brother and sister,” she said suddenly. “She mentioned it yesterday at lunch.”
“Same father, different mothers.”
“But you grew up together.”
“Mostly. She’s a few years younger, but we’ve always been close. When I left to work with my ski coach, I made sure we stayed in touch. I got home when I could, and Shelby came to see me.”
He didn’t mention anything about their father. That was Shelby’s secret to tell, and unlike Miles, he knew how to keep his mouth shut.
“Families are complicated,” Destiny said. She sat on one of the empty desks. “I had lunch at Jo’s yesterday with a group of women, including Shelby. Do you know that more than half of the women there were married, and most of them had kids?”
“No,” he said slowly. “And I’m missing the point. Is that unusual?”
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