What would happen next, he had no way of knowing. But she was coming home, and Justice intended to get to the bottom of all of this. She might be married. Hell, she might be married with children. And if so, he would greet his old friend and wish her well. But, if she was single—all bets were off. He wanted a chance for a do-over. Going to the kitchen closet, he took out a broom and a dust pan. In a few minutes, he had the mess cleaned up. Gazing around the kitchen, Justice wondered how many times had Charlee sat at this dining table? Too many to count. She’d been a part of the family since the day they’d met at the Madison County Founder’s Day Celebration.
“Give me a kiss, Wild Bill.”
Justice grimaced. He did not sign up for this crap. His mother must have it in for him. “Over my dead body, Zelda.”
Zelda Hines was dressed up like a dance hall girl with a big pink feather in her hair. She had her hands on her hips and her mouth was pooched out in fish lips like a big bass.
“I don’t want to kiss no girl.” Justice looked over Zelda’s shoulder to see who might be witnessing his humiliation. People were milling around the Exhibition Hall, looking at the animals and craft booths. The Founder’s Day Pageant was over, but they’d asked the cast to linger for photographs. Closing his eyes, he hoped Zelda would just leave him alone. All he wanted to do was to get out of this mess and go home. Tomorrow was his birthday and he had things to do. Turning nine was a big deal. His dad had promised him his own horse.
“I’m not just any girl, Justice King. I’m a cowgirl and if you don’t kiss me, I’ll tell everyone Charlee Parker’s your girlfriend.” Zelda sing-songed her threat.
Justice opened one eye. “Who?”
“The doctor’s daughter, that ugly little Indian girl.”
“I have no idea who you’re talking about. I don’t want a girlfriend. And I don’t want a kiss.” Justice started to leave, but Zelda snatched his hat right off his head. His brand new hat. “Hey!” Making a grab for it, he just missed as the ornery female giggled and danced just out of his reach. Hitting girls wasn’t allowed, so he was forced to play nice. “Give me my hat, Zelda. Right now.”
“Not until you give me a kiss.” Her big blue eyes twinkled and the smile on her face was bright, even if she was missing a front tooth.
Suddenly another voice interrupted their squabble. Another female voice. “Give him his hat, now, if you know what’s good for you, beanstalk.”
“Charlee Parker,” Zelda said the words with disdain. “Go away, you’re not welcome here.”
“Give him his hat and I’ll go away.”
Justice turned to see who was coming to his defense. And when he did, he had to laugh. Standing before him was the poorest excuse for a girl he’d ever seen. She was short, not even coming to his shoulder, whereas Zelda could look him in the eye. He hadn’t noticed her in the pageant, she must have been in the chorus, but she appeared to be celebrating her heritage. She wore a fringed buckskin vest and skirt which hung down to her knobby knees. Her legs were too thin and her hair was caught back in a ponytail. She wore a white hat with a string under her chin. Eyes the color of milk chocolate were leveled at Zelda as the girl called Charlee looked down the long barrel of a toy rifle. “I said give him his hat or I’ll give you a face full of something you don’t want.”
“All I wanted was a kiss. Boys are supposed to like to kiss girls. Not girls like you, but pretty girls like me. My big sister said so.” Justice’s tormenter waved his black hat in the air. “Besides, I don’t have to do what you say. That gun isn’t real.”
“It’s real enough. Take this, you big bully.” Charlee took aim and sent a spray of cold water right into Zelda’s face.
“Ack! No!” she screamed, tossing Justice’s hat in the air, which he caught before it landed on the ground. “You’re going to be sorry, Charlee Parker! I’ll get even, just you wait!” Zelda wiped her face on her sleeve, picked up her denim skirt and flounced off, leaving Charlee and Justice to watch her go.
“Whew! Thanks.” Justice held out his hand. “I’m Justice King.”
“I’m Charlee Parker. I know who you are. I’ve watched you ride. I live behind you, just across the woods.” She shouldered her gun and gave him a friendly smile. “Want to play sometimes? I’m building a tree house and my dog had pups. I caught a grass snake in a tub and there’s some crawfish in the creek.”
With all of the tempting bait she threw out, Justice had no choice. Charlee promised to be more entertaining than his little brothers and sisters. Toby was gone for the summer to stay with his mom, and Justice had been lonely. There weren’t many kids who lived near El Camino. “Sure, that sounds fun.”
And so it began…
The time he and Charlee spent together, all they had shared, still haunted his thoughts. She became Justice’s playmate, his confidant, in some ways—his protector. Justice loved his brothers and sister, but Charlee had belonged just to him.
With a sigh, he locked the doors and headed to his suite to shower. Flipping on lights as he walked into the foyer, his boots echoed on the Mexican tile as he covered the distance from the living room to the stairs. He had a long day ahead of him. After he cleaned up, Justice had to run into town and pick up some grass seed before he met with the geologist. Tomorrow he planned to search all over town, and he wasn’t going to stop until he found Charlee. Removing his hat, he hung it on the end of his bed. Stripping as he walked, Justice tossed his dirty jeans, shirt, and briefs in a wicker hamper just inside the bathroom. Opening the glass shower door, he turned the tap and adjusted the water. He grabbed a brown towel from the linen closet and threw it on the rack. Taking some shower gel from the cabinet, he stepped beneath the spray and began soaping his body. Ever since he’d heard her name, Justice couldn’t stop thinking about her. He missed Charlee so much. When she left, it had been like someone cut off his right arm.
Even if they connected again, Justice couldn’t hope for it to be like his dreams. God, but what dreams…laying a hand on the shower wall, Justice propped himself up while he rubbed his swelling dick. His fantasies of Charlee had been so vivid, he felt he knew her body as well as he did his own. A sweet kissable mouth, the tender swell of her breasts, the gentle sway of her hips. It didn’t take but a few strokes up and down his shaft before he exploded, his cum jetting against the tile. Justice groaned. Maybe it should have felt funny, him lusting after his best friend but it didn’t. It felt right.
CHAPTER FIVE
The holidays were over and he was glad, but Justice couldn’t get one particular song out of his head. “All I want for Christmas is…her.” Justice’s deep husky voice changed its tune as he stopped singing to watch a dark-haired beauty cross the street in front of him at the red light. Flakes of snow were floating down around her, making him think of a winter wonderland snow globe. “Now why didn’t Santa leave someone like you under my tree?” Letting his eyes rove from the petite cowboy boots on her feet, up long legs lovingly encased in tight jeans, Justice whistled. Watching her walk was pure pleasure. “Shake it, baby.” He leaned forward to get a better view of her perfect rounded ass as she stepped gingerly over the ice covered ground. “Who are you?” he whispered. “Look this way.” At that moment Justice hated winter because her short thick coat prevented him from seeing the shape of her tits. But what he could see was enough to make him hard. Shifting in his seat, he reached down to adjust his swollen package and… BEEP!
“Dammit!” he cursed as his elbow bumped against the car horn. Outside in the frigid air, the snow angel jumped and Justice stared, frozen, unable to prevent her feet from slipping on the slick pavement. Her long, luscious curls flew up in the air behind her, and he saw that cute backside splat itself hard on the unforgiving asphalt. Unmindful of the traffic waiting behind him, he slid the gearshift into Park and opened the door, determined to go to her rescue. “God, I’m sorry. It was an accident. Are you all right?”
Justice could hear her grumbling about her luck running out, the cade
nce of her voice oddly familiar. As he drew nearer, the faint scent of sugar cookies made him smile. She smelled as sweet as she looked. “Let me help you.” Before she could protest, he was on her, hands closing in on a narrow waist. “I got you.” With one smooth move, Justice lifted her from the ground to a standing position. “There!”
She bent over, dusting the muddy slush from her legs. The light changed and immediately car horns began to sound. Justice knew he had to move his truck. “Where are you going? If you’ll get in, I’ll take you wherever you say.”
“No, thank you. I’m okay.” She finally spoke, still keeping her eyes to the ground. “I appreciate you helping me up.”
“Hey, move it, King! Some of us have to work for a living!” Justice frowned, waving off-handedly at folks who were pulling around him to continue down the road. There were some benefits to living in a small town, but everyone knowing your business was not one of them.
When he looked back around, she was on the move, almost like she was trying to escape. “Wait!” he called, reaching for her arm. “What’s your name?”
Justice hadn’t looked her full in the face, but her profile was gorgeous. Big brown eyes framed with thick dark lashes, high cheekbones flushed rosy by the cold and full succulent lips glossed light pink. She stopped, but she still didn’t turn to face him. “Sorry. I’ve got to go.”
“I’m Justice King.” He insisted on telling her. “Would you let me buy you a cup of coffee?” Justice didn’t understand why he felt like he couldn’t let her walk away. He was filled with an odd kind of urgency. When she stiffened but didn’t answer, he offered further incentive, because he could see her delicate left hand and it was ring free. “Or how about hot chocolate with marshmallows?”
A small sigh of resignation met his ears as dozens of concerned and curious Bronco citizens watched their favorite son try to pick up a woman at the only stop light in town.
Instead of answering, she turned to look at him. When he saw her full in the face, Justice stared, stunned, gazing into the eyes of the one person he’d been longing to see for what seemed like forever. Time seemed to swirl around them with the blowing snow, like a vortex sweeping him back in time. Despite his initial confusion, he had to admit her face was the same, except she was all grown up and gorgeous. The only thing totally different was the expression in her eyes. Instead of seeing trust and welcome, he saw hesitancy and insecurity.
“My God! Charlee! I’d heard you were back in town. You look…” He was going to say amazing, but she didn’t give him a chance. When he moved to embrace her, she pulled out of his grasp, walking away so fast he was afraid she’d fall again. Justice stood, immobile, his heart pounding and his mind racing. Every instinct told him to go after her, but he couldn’t. Horns were sounding and people were shouting. Traffic was backed up and if he didn’t move soon, the local law would be giving him a ticket. Blowing out a harsh breath, he returned to his truck, climbed in and shifted gears. Slowly he began to move, scanning the street ahead of him, trying to see where Charlee had gone.
She was nowhere in sight. Vanished…just like she had so long ago.
* * *
How pathetic was she? Charlee flattened herself against the red brick wall of the bank, just inside the alley and behind the festive sign announcing the big year-end sale at Bell’s Department Store. Seeing Justice in person had devastated her. Her whole body reacted—heart pounding, palms sweating, every muscle tense to the point of pain. Why had she run? The sanest and smartest thing to have done would’ve been to explain to him who she was and why she was here. Put on a good front. After all, they were scheduled to meet at his office after lunch about the sinkhole cleanup. “Shoot, shoot, shoot,” she muttered, willing herself to calm down. It had been such a shock, she’d hoped to have some time to prepare herself. He didn’t have to know she was dying inside.
A rumbling noise caused Charlee to glance over the top of the sign to see a large double-cab dually black pickup go by with the unmistakable crowned-K brand emblazoned on the back windshield. It had to be Justice.
She stood still, plastered against the hard, cold surface until the sound faded away. Only then did she begin walking again. As she strolled through town, keeping an eye out for that tell-tale truck, Charlee nodded to people who stared at her, trying to place her in their minds. Gazing down, she made her way over the uneven slippery sidewalk. All she needed was to fall down again. Taking a deep breath, she realized the bakery was just ahead and next to it was the feed store where she and Justice would buy nuggets for their horses. Out of nowhere, lightning cut across the morning sky. The winter storm was over but another storm was headed her way. A storm of a different kind. Charlee trembled, she’d always hated storms. Deciding to forget the diner, she turned and headed back to the motel. As the rain began to pour, she couldn’t help but remember…
“Don’t cry, Charlee, I’m here.” A touch on her shoulder caused even bigger sobs to rack her body. “Did he hurt you again?”
“No, not much,” she lied. Her father always hurt her. Today had been no different. It was Saturday night and he got drunk on the weekends, and when he got drunk he got mean. She wiped her eyes on the pink floral sheet and rolled over. A bolt of lightning lit up the dark room, and she jumped. “That’s why you came, didn’t you? The storm?”
“Sure.” Justice got up from the floor and sat on the edge of the twin-size bed. “I know how the thunder scares you. I always come if I can, you know that.”
Sitting up, she realized how wet with rain he was. “Let me get you a towel, get under the covers if you want.” Even though Charlee was bruised and sore, she scurried to the bathroom to get him something to dry off with. By the time she returned, Justice had removed his shirt, boots and socks. She didn’t bat an eye, at eleven years old, boys were still just playmates for her.
“I’m not that wet, just my shoulders and my feet. I ran fast.” Justice smiled.
This was nothing new, they often snuck into one another’s rooms at night. He tried to be there for her when storms came, no matter if it was wind and rain or her father’s alcoholic rages.
“Thanks for coming.” She curled up on one end of the bed and watched him wipe off the droplets of rain with the thin brown towel. “I waited for you by the window after…”
“My folks took us out to eat or I would’ve been here sooner.” His midnight visits to her had gone unnoticed, unlike Charlee’s. “You knew I’d come. Now let me see your back.” He wrapped the towel around his shoulders and went to her, flipping on the light switch. “Pull up your shirt and let me see the damage.”
It never struck either one of them how sad all of this was. Unfortunately, for Charlee, getting knocked around by her dad was normal. By day he was the beloved physician for Madison County, by night he was a moody drunk.
“He only hit me twice. I got away and he was too soused to chase me,” she stated matter-of-factly with her striped sleep top pulled over her head. Modesty wasn’t an issue, Charlee was just a small girl.
“Doesn’t look too bad.” He tugged her shirt down about the same time a big crack of thunder sounded and a flash of lightning ripped the sky. When she whirled and went into his arms, he held her tight. Wanting to take her mind off her troubles, he voiced a question he’d asked too many times already. “Did you get anything to eat tonight?” When he heard her stomach growl, Justice knew the answer. “Hold on, I have a sandwich in my backpack.”
She let him go long enough for him to retrieve the food. “Thanks,” Charlee took it from his hands and hastily unwrapped it, moaning a little when she tasted the tender brisket. “This is so good.”
As Charlee ate, Justice went to the door and opened it a crack, just long enough for him to hear Doc Parker snoring loudly down the hall. “He’s out. What set him off?” He knew it didn’t take much, but Justice was trying to determine if she’d be safe tomorrow or should he insist she come home with him. It wouldn’t be a big deal, Charlee Parker stayed at his house
about half the time.
“Same old stuff, he said it was all my fault…” Charlee put down her sandwich on the bedside table and covered her face.
“Charlee, don’t cry.” She looked so sad, and Justice felt helpless.
“If she hadn’t taken me swimming, she wouldn’t be dead.” A harsh cry erupted from her throat.
“Listen to me.” Justice took her gently by the shoulder. “You are not to blame for your mother’s death.”
Launching herself back into his arms, Charlee hiccupped between the tears. “It sure feels like it.”
“Hush, hush.” Justice comforted the little girl. “None of this is your fault. You can believe me, you can trust me. I’ll never lie to you. When I tell you something you can take it to the bank” That was what his dad always said when he meant something.
“You’re just saying that because we’re friends.” Charlee dashed the moisture from her face.
“We are friends. Who else would put up with me when I have those damn headaches?”
Charlee smiled. “I don’t want you to hurt, but I like taking care of you. I think I’ll be a nurse when I grow up and you’ll be a cowboy or a sheriff, like you’ve always wanted. A hero.” Charlee stuffed the last bite of sandwich in her mouth and licked her fingers.
“Yea, and when I’m big enough, no one will ever hurt you again,” Justice promised.
Charlee had believed him, having no idea that Justice would be the one to hurt her more than anyone.
* * *
Mechanically, Justice stopped at the feed store and placed an order for grass seed. They’d need to sow the coastal Bermuda and the winter rye to ensure the cattle would be well fed until spring. Before stopping here, he’d detoured over to Doc Parker’s office. No one had been home. Again. The tattered CLOSED sign had hung on the holey screen door. Justice had knocked until his knuckles were sore. Justice knew Parker could already be doing rounds at the small county hospital or he could be lying in there drunk. Either way, he hadn’t come to the door. Neither had Charlee.
Loving Justice (El Camino Real Book 2) Page 7
