by Zoe York
He’d kill him.
“Let her go.” Rhys’ voice was hard, controlled despite the fury that raged on the inside.
The man, Kari’s ex, turned to face him, not taking his hands off her. “Oh,” he said with a malicious grin. “This is it, right? The guy you’re screwing?” Rhys’ fists clenched. It was probably a good thing he’d left his service weapon at home.
“I’m only going to tell you one more time,” Rhys said. “Let her go.”
Over Brice’s shoulder, Rhys made eye contact with Kari. He knew the guy wouldn’t let go of her. He’d been called out to way too many cases like this one. Men like Brice were desperate and stupid. He held Kari’s eyes and hoped he could communicate to her exactly what he was thinking. When Rhys made his move, he needed Kari to run.
She blinked long and slow, and Rhys knew she understood.
Without waiting for Brice’s response, Rhys took a stride toward him; at the same time, Kari wrenched herself from Brice’s grasp and fell to the side. He didn’t have time to make sure she was okay. He knew she would be. Kari was strong. Before Brice had time to react, Rhys pulled back his arm and punched Brice squarely in the face.
His head snapped violently to the side, and the man fell against the tub, barely keeping himself from falling in.
Rhys spared a glance to Kari, who had grabbed a towel and covered herself. “You okay?” He held himself back from pulling her into his arms. There’d be time for that later.
She nodded but Rhys could see the bruise taking shape on her cheek where the bastard must have hit her. “I’m fine.” Her voice shook a bit, but there was conviction behind her words. She’d be okay.
“Call the station,” he told her. “Explain the situation. Tell them Officer Anderson is holding the suspect.” Brice’s eyes flashed at the use of his title and Rhys knew the man wouldn’t bother retaliating. Which was almost too bad, because he was itching to show the man exactly what would happen if he messed with his woman.
And Kari was his.
If she’d still have him.
“She wanted it, ya know.”
Rhys jerked his head to where Brice sat on the floor. He clutched the side of his face and blood dripped from his nose. “What did you say?” He didn’t wait for him to respond. Rhys’ foot kicked out and landed in his ribs. “Oops. Slippery floor in here,” he said as Brice rolled to his side and groaned.
With little regard for what were probably broken ribs, Rhys yanked Brice up to his feet and led him out of the bathroom to a kitchen chair. He was careful not to look at him. Rhys’ rage for the piece of scum who hurt Kari was just barely contained. He found some zip ties in Sam’s junk drawer and secured him just as the sound of sirens came down the road.
It took a few hours, but once Brice had been hauled off to the station, and Rhys and Kari’s statements officially taken, Rhys and Kari were finally alone in Sam’s kitchen. They sat across from each other. They were close, but to Rhys is still felt like there were miles between them as he watched her.
“You’re okay?” he asked for what was probably at least the dozenth time.
Instead of being annoyed with him, she smiled and nodded. She’d changed into sweatpants and a t-shirt of Sam’s, and pulled her damp hair up in a clip. She’d never looked more beautiful. “Thank you,” she said after a moment. “For coming.”
Rhys wished he could erase the tension between them, the words he’d said to her earlier, the ones he hadn’t meant. Not really. But he couldn’t go back. Instead, he reached out, desperate for her touch. She let him take her hand in his. She felt small, but when he laced his fingers in hers and she squeezed, Rhys smiled.
“Of course I came,” he said. “Kari, I’m so—”
“You don’t have to say anything.”
“I do.” He released her hand and walked around the table until he was in front of her. He knelt, to be at eye level with her beautiful eyes. After everything that had happened, they still sparkled and drew him in. “I need to tell you how sorry I am.”
“It’s me who should apologize,” she said. “I wasn’t honest with you.”
Something Archer’d said earlier ran through his head. She’s living as honestly as she knows how. That was it. Dammed if Archer wasn’t right. “You were living as honestly as you knew how,” he said, repeating his friend’s words. “You’ve been through a lot, Kari, and I don’t blame you for starting over.”
“You don’t?”
He shook his head. “In fact, I’m pretty thankful you chose Cedar Springs to run away to.” She looked down at her lap, so he took her hands in his again and squeezed until she looked up. “And I’m even more grateful that Mercedes parts are hard to come by out here.”
She smiled.
“Seriously, Kari. There will be time for talking. You can tell me as much or as little as you want.”
“I want to tell you everything.”
He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m so sorry for the way I reacted,” he said. “I think I just—”
She placed a finger on his lips. “No more apologizing. It’s over.”
He lifted her finger and kissed the tip. He cupped her bruised cheek gently. “Oh no.” He kissed her lips. “It’s just beginning.”
Epilogue
With the snow flying outside the window, and the temperatures dipping lower, Sunday afternoons sitting on the back deck of the Grizzly Paw had come to an end. But that didn’t mean the group of friends had stopped their weekly gathering. They’d simply moved indoors.
The fire crackled in the stone fireplace, and with steaming mugs of hot chocolate in their hands, and a pot of Archer’s chili simmering, there was no better way to spend a lazy afternoon than on the overstuffed chairs in the back corner of the Grizzly Paw.
Kari snuggled closer to Rhys on the love seat. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so happy. And so safe.
It had only been two months since she’d made her move to Cedar Springs official, and she’d barely had time to get settled before the first snowfall, but the town felt like home, and the people in it hadn’t just become her friends, they’d very quickly become family.
After the confrontation with Brice, things with Rhys had just become more secure. Now that she could be fully open with him about her past, and more importantly, no longer afraid that it would catch up to her, it was as if something inside her had opened up completely.
Kari’s friends kept telling her how much she was glowing and that she seemed like a different person. She wasn’t. She was the same person, only a much happier version.
“Have I told you today how much I love you?” Kari looked up into Rhys’s eyes and her stomach flipped the way it always did.
“Yes.” She grinned. “But tell me again.”
“How about I show you?” He cupped her cheek with one hand and kissed her deeply.
“Hey you two.” Archer tossed a coaster at Rhys and Kari on the couch. “Get a room.”
Rhys laughed and pulled Kari even closer. “We would, but…”
Beth Martin couldn’t help but notice the blush that rose up and over Kari’s cheeks when Archer teased the new couple. She also couldn’t help but notice the twinge of jealousy low in her gut.
She wasn’t jealous of Kari and Rhys. Not at all. Rhys and her were friends, and now she had a new friend in Kari. But she couldn’t help but feel left out among her friends now that most of them were paired off. “What’s going on, Rhys?” She prodded. “What aren’t you saying?”
Rhys and Kari exchanged a look before he said, “The lease is up on my place at the end of the month…”
“And I can’t stay upstairs forever,” Kari added.
“Not like you ever stay there.” Archer raised an eyebrow.
Sam smacked him on the arm. “So you’re looking for a place together? That’s a big step.” Before Beth could see her friend’s face, Sam ducked her head and took a sip of her hot chocolate. She knew her best friend well enough to k
now exactly what was going on. A quick glance to Trent confirmed it. He’d been trying for months to get her to give up her place and move in with him up at the Springs. It was no secret to anyone that the matter had been a bone of contention between the couple.
Trent’s mouth was set in a hard line as he watched his girlfriend. “It is a big step,” he said. “Isn’t it, Samantha?”
Kari and Rhys exchanged a worried glance. “We didn’t mean to start anything,” Kari said. “It’s the right thing for us, but maybe not—”
“No.” Sam looked up. “It’s okay.” She spoke to Kari, but she was looking at Trent. After a moment, a smile slid across her face and she turned to the couple on the couch. “I know just the place for you two.”
Rhys shot a wary glance at Trent. “Do you?”
“It’s a cute little house,” she said slowly. “Just down the road, in fact. That is, if you don’t mind a claw-foot bathtub.”
Beth’s face split into a grin because she knew exactly what Samantha was trying to say without coming right out and saying it. Trent stood, crossed the distance and pulled Sam into a kiss that was entirely too X-rated for public and Beth was genuinely happy for them.
When he’d kissed her thoroughly, Trent pulled away. “Really? You mean it? You’re ready for this?”
Sam nodded. “Absolutely. And on those nights when I need to stay late here, I’ll just crash upstairs.” Her head flipped to the side and sought out Kari. “Assuming you guys want my house.”
Rhys looked at the woman he loved, and stroked her cheek with a gentleness that made Beth’s heart ache. “It’s up to you, babe. With everything that happened…are you okay with it?”
“More than okay. It’s time to make some new memories.” When they kissed, Beth pushed up from her chair and shook her head with a small smile. As happy as she was for her friends, there was only so much mushy stuff she could take. Especially when she seemed to be destined to be single forever.
“I’m going to get some more chili.” She grabbed Carmen’s empty glass. “Want some more ginger ale while I’m up?”
Carmen and Dylan had been strangely quiet during the whole exchange about living arrangements. But given that they were happily shacking up at the Springs already, there probably wasn’t much to contribute.
“I’m good,” Carmen said. “Thanks, Beth. But before you go back to the kitchen, Dylan and I have something we want to tell you guys.” Her voice was so low, Beth’s mind immediately went to the worst. Were they moving? It was no secret Carmen missed Castle Mountain Lodge, where she’d lived and worked before. Maybe they were going back?
Beth sank back to her seat. She’d become really close to both of them, as had Jules. She’d be heartbroken if they left. “Please tell me you’re not moving. Because if you are, you have to tell Jules. I just can’t—”
“Moving?” Dylan looked at her as if she’d just grown a horn out of her forehead. “No. We’re pregnant.”
The word fell out of his mouth, Carmen smacked him and the room immediately erupted in cheers, hoots, and cries of celebration. The women hugged and the men offered Dylan slaps on the back while Archer went to pour celebratory drinks.
“I can’t believe we didn’t guess.” Beth gave her friend a hug. “I honestly just thought you had a flu bug you couldn’t shake.”
“So did I at first, but…”
“So I take it, this wasn’t planned?” Sam asked the question they were all wondering.
Carmen shook her head. “No. But these things have a funny way of working out. We didn’t want to say anything until we were past that three-month mark.”
“Of course.” Beth remembered her own pregnancy announcement when she was eighteen. It hadn’t been met with nearly as much excitement. But that was a very different situation. A single mother, let alone a teenage single mother, faced challenges to say the least.
“You know what this means, right?” Everyone turned to look at Kari. “Baby shower!”
The guys retreated to the bar and the girls spent the next hour talking about babies and parties, and grilling Carmen for details on everything from names to nursery color themes. After a while, Beth wandered away from the group, the baby talk inexplicably getting her down.
She made her way to the jukebox Sam kept on the other side of the room and plugged in a few quarters. She pushed the buttons, and leaned back against the wall to take in the music.
“Hey.” Sam approached and leaned next to her. “You okay?”
Beth nodded. She wasn’t going to bring down the mood just because she was feeling sorry for herself. “I’m good. Just felt like listening to some music.”
Sam knew her better than anyone, and she knew enough not to pry. “Jacked Crackers?” She tapped her foot to the beat. “I like this song. Good memories.”
Beth grinned at her friend. Of course there were good memories of the Jacked Crackers for Sam. The night they played at the solstice festival, Sam and Trent had finally gotten out of their own way and got together.
“Yeah,” Beth agreed. “Every time I hear this song I think about—”
“Slade?”
Beth jerked up and stared at her friend. “What are you talking about?” But memories of the dangerously good-looking guitar player flooded back and caused her to blush.
“Come on. I remember how you looked at him. Not to mention how he looked at you.”
Her heart did an annoying fluttering thing at Sam’s words. “Whatever.” She shook her head. “I’m a single mom living in a small town in the middle of nowhere. Rock stars are the stuff daydreams are made of and that’s all they’ll ever be for me.”
Even as she said the words, she couldn’t help but wish it were different. Why shouldn’t she have the dream? The happily ever after? Beth shook her head.
No.
A happily ever after maybe, but with a normal guy. Not a rock star. A guy who didn’t spend every night in a different city, but in one small town.
“Oh, and did you hear?”
Beth forced herself to focus on her friend. “Hear what?”
“The Jacked Crackers broke up. Slade quit the group.” Trent was friends with the lead singer, Axel, which is what had brought the group to Cedar Springs in the first place. “Something about creative differences. I don’t know the details, but it sounds like Slade wants a bit of a break from the rock scene.”
Beth tried to sound nonchalant. “Oh yeah? Is that code for rehab?” She knew she probably sounded like a bitch, but if Sam noticed, she ignored her.
“No.” He smiled. “But it is code for the Springs.”
Much to her annoyance, Beth’s heart did that flippy thing again, which was stupid because even if Slade did quit the band and was coming to the Springs, it didn’t mean a thing. Not one damn thing.
But if that was true, why couldn’t she shake the feeling that it did?
Will Beth’s dream really come true? Can a rock star really settled down in a small town with a single mom? Or will the reality of real life be too much for even the strongest connection?
Find out now in Winter’s Burn!
* * *
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Part V
Just For This Moment
by Kait Nolan
About This Book
A madcap modern marriage of convenience tale sure to leave fans begging for more!
* * *
Maybe there hasn't been actual blood, other than a few paper cuts, but Myles has put plenty of sweat into his independent, local newspaper, and he's even willing to admit to a few manly tears. Certainly, the paper has been his mistress since he moved to the small town of Wishful, Mississippi, and he doesn't feel it's hyperbolic in the least to say it owns a piece of his soul. He's building his dream, independent of the life laid out for him by
his family, and that means everything. There's nothing he wouldn't do to ensure its success.
* * *
Piper fell hard for Myles when they co-stared in the production of White Christmas that saved Wishful's historic Madrigal Theater. Not in love, she's careful to remind herself, but into very serious like, and certainly outrageous, chemistry-fueled attraction. But Piper knows that the bright lights of the stage can wreak havoc with perspective. She's been burnt by them before, when an on-stage passion fizzled into disappointment and heartache. That's why she put on the brakes with Myles, and she admits to herself that the fact that he played by her rules and waited only adds to his appeal.
* * *
When Myles tells her that a major investor is pulling out of the paper, leaving him with a huge loan to repay or lose his control over what he's built, Piper is devastated for him. But when he jokingly admits that the best option he's come up with is to marry a showgirl to gain access to a trust fund, well, that just sounds like a plan to Piper. After all, why not take this great guy on marriage test drive? He's worth having just for this moment, however long it lasts. But as their fake marriage turns alarmingly real, they'll have to decide if they're in it for the moment or forever.
Chapter 1
“WELL? WHAT DO YOU think?” Myles Stewart sat across the table, trying to read the inscrutable face of his lunch companion.
Simone chased the bite of muffaletta with sweet tea and lifted her arm to get the attention of their waitress.
Corinne wandered over, more sass in the sway of her hips than she’d had when Myles moved to Wishful seven months before. He hadn’t gotten the story on her yet. “Get you a refill on that tea, hon?”
