Josie laughed and shook her head. The movement made her hair slide off his finger. He put his hand in his pocket.
“What?” he asked.
“I was just wondering what could be going on in Vonore on a Saturday night to warrant investigation.”
“Well now, that shows how much you know, Dr. Allen. It just so happens that the Chicago boys are in town.”
“Sounds like a gang of bank robbers.”
“Boy, for a smart lady, you sure don’t know much,” he teased. “So, I’ll pick you up about three?”
She hesitated a moment, as if weighing the wisdom of pursuing their association. But in the end she said, “You’re not going to tell me anything else? Just that we’re going to Vonore?”
He’d take that as a yes. “Oh, yeah. Wear something casual. You got any jeans?”
“Well, I might have to dig, but I’m sure they’re somewhere. Maybe buried in the back of a drawer.”
“Well, find ’em and wear ’em,” he said with a big grin.
She hesitated again. Cole held his breath.
“Okay. Three o’clock.”
He breathed again. “I’ll pick you up here, then?”
“Sure.”
Cole leaned down and gave Josie a long, soft kiss. When he finally lifted his head, he said, “See you tomorrow,” then turned to go.
“Cole?”
He stopped on the bottom step and looked back up at her.
“Thank you . . . for everything.”
He grinned and said, “Anytime.”
Then he walked down the sidewalk back to town whistling Chantilly Lace.
*
The next afternoon, Cole strolled up the walk to Josie’s house carrying a mixed bouquet of roses he’d cut from his mother’s garden. He wore his best pair of jeans and a new long-sleeved white button-up shirt. He hoped to get his denim jacket back from Josie for later when it got cool.
He jumped up onto the porch, skipping several steps in the process, and turned the crank on the old-timey doorbell. It made a buzzing, whirring sound. He waited. No response. He leaned down and peeked through the lace curtains covering the glass panels at each side of the door. No movement inside the house. Cole frowned and rang the bell again. This time he heard a voice, but couldn’t make out the words.
He tried the doorknob, found it unlocked, and opened the door a crack. “Josie?”
“Come in. I’ll just be a minute,” her voice floated down from upstairs.
He walked into the foyer and closed the door. The hardwoods had a fresh shine and a lemon scent tickled his nose. Josie must have done the floors. Not wanting to track them up, he stayed on the rug, a little surprised she hadn’t spent the morning at the office.
“Coming. I’m sorry I’m late.”
She turned the corner on the stairs and came into view, then rushed down the final flight, hurrying to meet him. Cole’s voice lodged in his throat. She looked wonderful in a sleeveless white, button-up shirt, tied at the waist, and a pair of jeans that fit her like a second skin. Her hair tumbled around her shoulders in the shiny, bouncing curls he remembered from when they were younger. She’d pulled part of it back on top and secured it at her crown with a barrette.
“I got this insane notion to—Awww!”
She’d no sooner put one foot onto the foyer floor than it flew out from under her. Cole lunged to catch her, roses flying into the air around them, but met the same fate she did. They both lay sprawled on the floor in a heap at the bottom of the stairs.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Oh . . .” she groaned and rubbed her backside.
The feel of her against his chest canceled out the ache in his twisted knee. He couldn’t resist trailing a hand down her back. “I know what you mean. Cleaned the floors this morning, huh?”
Josie nodded and wiggled herself up into a sitting position. She leaned against the square newel post at the base of the stairs.
Cole propped himself on one arm. “What’d you use?”
“Furniture polish.”
He laughed—unable to help himself. Furniture polish!
She arched a brow. “What’s so funny?”
“I—I’m sorry.” He squeezed her arm. “Honey, you can’t clean wood floors with furniture polish.”
“Why not?” she frowned. “You clean wood furniture with it.”
“Yeah, but you don’t have to walk on furniture. And after what just happened, I guess you got your answer.”
Her face turned crimson, and she glanced away from him.
He worked himself into a seated position as well and scooted up next to her. “Hey now,” he dipped his head until he could see her eyes, “you didn’t know.”
She crossed her arms. “I really hate being inept.”
“You never learned. There’s no shame in that.”
Clearly she’d put a lot of time and effort into this. He offered a peace token. “Sure put a nice shine on these old heart pine boards.”
She threw up her hands in disgust. “What am I going to do about this?”
“For now, you’ll just have to avoid this area. The wood’ll absorb most of the polish in a few days. I’ll show you how to clean ’em then.”
She picked up a rose petal from the floor. “Were these for me?”
The flowers he’d brought for Josie were scattered across the floor around them. “Oh, yeah. Here, I’ll get ’em.”
After a little slipping and sliding on all fours, he gathered all the roses. They were a bit worse for the wear, but he handed them to her anyway.
She buried her face in the damaged bouquet and inhaled. “They’re beautiful. Thank you.”
“They’re nothin’ compared to you.” He ran his fingers through the hair spilling over her shoulder, loving its silky texture and the way it curled around his fingers. “You look real pretty, Josie Lee.”
She rubbed a hand down the leg of her jeans. “It’s been a long time since I wore these. I think I’ve put on a few pounds.”
He wiggled his eyebrows. “In all the right places, if you ask me.”
She smiled, too and touched his face. “You certainly know how to flatter a girl, Mr. Craig.”
“Aw, shucks ma’am. Weren’t nothin’. A pretty girl like you probably gets plenty of compliments.”
She continued to caress his cheek. “I like yours particularly well.”
“I’m happy to oblige.”
He touched her hand and pressed a kiss into her palm.
They sat there for several moments, just staring at each other. All kinds of wild fantasies involving them in a tangle on the floor of Josie’s foyer about had control of him when she finally said, “So, do you think we can get out of here without breaking something vital?”
“We can give it a try.”
“It’s a long way to the kitchen and the back door . . . down that hall.” She tipped her head toward the hallway beside the stairs.
“Glad I wore rubber sole shoes.”
“That didn’t keep you from falling a minute ago.”
“Forewarned is forearmed. I’ll be more careful this time.”
She glanced at her sandals. “I don’t think these are going to do so well.”
“Here,” he reached down and worked the buckle at her slim ankle. “Just slip ’em off.” He caressed the bottom of her foot as he helped her remove the strappy, flat sandals.
Josie giggled.
“Ticklish?”
“Very.”
He removed the other sandal. This time, he made sure to caress the top of her foot, but in the end, couldn’t resist tickling her pink tipped toes.
She giggled again. “Stop that.”
“Sorry,” he said despite the fact that he was totally unrepentant. “Couldn’t help myself.”
She didn’t look at all upset. In fact, a very becoming blush heightened the color in her cheeks and made him want to spend a few more minutes on the floor exploring other parts of her. But instead, he stood
and handed her shoes to her, then helped her up.
When she looked steady on her feet, he asked, “You all right?”
Josie nodded.
“You didn’t hurt yourself when you fell now, did you?”
“No, I’m fine. What about you?”
“I’m good to go.” With a hand supporting her forearm, he wrapped his other arm around her waist and pulled her close. She put an arm around him, too. They carefully made their way down the hallway that stretched out beside the stairs. Cole couldn’t help thinking how nice Josie fit against him. When they finally made it to the kitchen, he was reluctant to let her go.
“That wasn’t so bad,” she said.
“Not bad at all,” he agreed with a wink.
She turned in his arms and said, “I’m beginning to believe you have a one-track mind.”
He rested his hands at her waist for a moment, then relished the feel of sliding them around to her back and pulling her up snug against his chest. “How’s a man supposed to think about anything but kissing when you’re standing this close to him?”
She rested a hand on his chest and looked up at him beneath long, long red-gold eyelashes.
“You’ve been thinking about that, too?” she asked tentatively.
He eased his hand up her back and sank it into the thick curtain of hair falling down her back. “So, you liked my method of getting to know you better last night?”
She frowned. “Yes, but like you said, things aren’t always so clear when I’m this close to you.” She danced out of his arms and sidestepped her way to the sink. “And we agreed to take things slow.”
She retrieved a vase from a cabinet under the sink and filled it with water.
“Did we?”
She glanced over her shoulder and gave him a look, then turned back to shut the water off. Setting the vase on the counter, she arranged the flowers in it.
He touched her arm. When her eyes met his, he said, “I thought we settled this last night.”
She rested a hip against the counter. “I did some thinking after you left.”
“That sounds serious,” he said cautiously. He leaned against the counter, too, but didn’t touch her despite the fact that he wanted to with everything in him.
“Can I be honest?”
“Sure.”
She ran her fingers along the roses’ soft petals, moved a couple of the blooms around until she got the arrangement the way she wanted it . . . which also effectively delayed saying what was on her mind.
“What is it, Josie?”
She darted a glance at him, then refocused on the roses. “This is a little embarrassing.”
“You wanna sit?”
“No.”
She still hesitated. “Come on, Josie. Don’t be shy, now. You can tell me anything.”
“Okay.” She stared straight ahead, looking out the kitchen window into the backyard. “The fact is, I don’t really know how this is supposed to work, and it’s possible that I overreacted last night.”
One thing at a time. “I’m not sure what you mean. How what’s supposed to work?”
“This.” She made a motion with her hand, waving it back and forth between them.
“You mean, you and me?”
“Yes.”
“I still don’t understand.”
“Well, I’ve never really been out with anyone like you.”
Cole frowned. “Is that good or bad?”
“Oh, no Cole. I didn’t mean it in a bad way. It’s just— Oh, I’m making a mess of this.”
She twisted a curl around her index finger.
He couldn’t stand it any longer. He gently touched her arms. “Just say what’s on your mind. I’m sure we can work through this. Whatever it is.”
“The fact is, the men I’ve dated in the past have been very formal in the way they treated me. Proper.”
“You don’t think I’m treating you properly?” This was going from bad to worse. Their conversations had a habit of doing that lately.
“No, it’s not that. It’s me. I don’t know how to act, because with other men, I never felt the things that I feel when you touch me and . . . kiss me.”
“Oh.” He smiled. She had feelings for him. She couldn’t have made him happier if she’d told him she loved him.
“Do you understand?”
“I think so. You’re saying that you’ve never been involved with someone you have strong feelings for, and you don’t know how things should go.”
She let out a breath and smiled. “Exactly.”
“Well, then, that’s easy. Things between us will go exactly the way you want them to.”
“They will?” she asked, still smiling that smile that punched him right in the gut every time.
He nodded. “You set the pace. If you want to talk, we’ll talk. If you want to just hang out, we’ll hang out. And if you want to kiss,” he took a step forward and touched her cheek, “we’ll kiss. You know, kissing is a natural part of a relationship.”
She had the longest lashes he’d every seen.
“Is that what this is? A relationship?”
“If that’s what you want.”
“I’m not sure.” She played with a button on his shirt. “The timing is all wrong.”
“Why? The computer problem is worked out.”
“Yes, but there’s so much work to be done. Dealing with the problems in the program put me behind on so many other things that need to be in place in order for the program to be fully operational. I’m not even sure it will function on those old computers at the library. We need faster processors, bigger hard drives, more memory.”
“One day off won’t ruin you, Josie. It’s Saturday after all. Everybody needs a break.”
“I know. You’re right. I’m just not used to taking weekends off. Even in school, I worked every day.”
“Then I’d say you’re overdue. So, let’s get going.” Cole took her hands and pulled her toward the door. “Those Chicago boys won’t wait for us.”
She tugged against his hands. “Wait. My sweater and purse are by the front door.”
He kept pulling her to the backdoor. “We’ll get ’em from the front. Is my denim jacket with your things?”
“Yes.”
“Come on, then.”
“My shoes.”
She hopped on one foot after they’d stepped off the back porch trying to put them on. Cole swept her up into his arms and carried her around the house.
“Cole!”
“You’d better quiet down, unless you want everyone in the neighborhood coming out onto their porches to see what’s goin’ on over here.”
As if on cue, Miss Estelee called out, “Howdy-do!” from her back porch. She paused in watering the red petunias in her window boxes. “Well, goodness me, Josie Lee. Did you hurt yourself?”
Josie blushed again. “No, ma’am.”
“Oh . . . well, then. Have a nice day.” And with that, she hurried into her house.
Cole could have sworn he heard the old woman giggling.
“Oh, no,” Josie practically whimpered.
“I tried to warn you.”
Cole continued to the sidewalk and set Josie gently on the front porch steps. After he’d retrieved her purse, sweater, and his jacket, he passed her things to her and said, “Want me to lock it?”
She paused in buckling her sandals and pulled her keys out of her purse. “Would you?”
“My pleasure.” After locking up, he walked to where she sat on the steps. Holding out a hand, he said, “Ready?”
Josie put her hand in his and stood. “Ready.”
Somehow, Cole got the feeling that one word held a wealth of meaning that went beyond just going out on a Saturday night. Tonight could be the beginning of what might, if he played his cards right, turn into something special between him and the girl of his dreams.
Chapter Six
“Here we are,” Cole said.
The truck’s wheels crunched against
gravel as he parked the truck outside a run-down looking warehouse. The parking area was packed with anything from dilapidated pick-ups to high-end luxury vehicles and everything in between.
“Man, we must be runnin’ late,” Cole said as he opened his door and hopped down from the truck cab.
He met her on the other side just as she was about to step out herself. He grasped her firmly at the waist and gently set her down in front of him.
“Thanks.”
He reached around her and pulled a cooler from behind the seat, then shut the door. Next he lifted two lawn chairs out of the truck bed.
“Can I carry something?” she asked.
“Sure.” He handed her the small cooler and took her hand. “Let’s go.”
“What’s all this for?” she asked indicating the cooler and lawn chairs as they crossed the parking lot.
“You’ll see.”
Several men had gathered outside the building to smoke. They greeted Cole as if he were a regular.
“How’s it goin’, fellas?” Cole asked good-naturedly.
“Cain’t complain. Cain’t complain. Ma’am.” A man in bibbed overalls and a T-shirt tipped his John Deere hat to her.
“Hello,” Josie said.
“This is some kinda crowd, tonight,” Cole said.
“Them Chicago boys outdid theirselves.”
“A good haul, huh?”
“Yeah, buddy.” One of the men commented solemnly.
“Well, I guess we’ll see ya’ll inside.”
Cole guided Josie through a side door. Once inside, she stood for a second letting her eyes adjust to the dim lighting.
“Come on,” he urged. “All the good seats are just about taken.”
Surely he used the word “seats” loosely. There were some ancient folding chairs set up in the back. Some metal, some with wooden bottoms. Like Cole, most of the folks sitting up front had brought an assortment of lawn furniture. Others had put up handmade signs on a number of chairs that read “reserved.”
At the front of the room, there was the most awful tangle of what looked like the biggest garage sale she’d ever seen—times twenty.
“What is this place? A flea market?”
“No. It’s an auction house.”
Only You Page 8
