Finding Solace: A Small Town Second Chance Romance

by S. L. Scott

  “Because Cutler can’t seem to keep his insecurities under wraps,” I reply.

  Whaley grabs me by the elbow and the twin Hulks back away. “You’re out of here, Koster.”

  “What the hell? He fucking started it.”

  Deputy Whaley never saw things for how they were. He preferred to pick and choose who his criminals were. Today, I guess I’m the bad guy. “Shut it, or I’ll take you to jail.”

  Delilah pushes through the crowd. “Jason was defending himself, Deputy Whaley. All these witnesses can back him up.”

  “Step back, Mrs. Cutler.”

  “It’s Noelle,” she corrects with fire in her eyes.

  He stops and eyes her. Releasing my arm, he says, “You jump from one bad decision to the next. Cut your losses on this one before I see you in jail right along with him.”

  “No.” She steps in front of him, proving his point, and crosses her arms over her chest. “You have the wrong guy, and I’m not going to let you get away with this.”

  “Well, there’s nothing you can do, Ms. Noelle, so step aside.”

  As proud as I am of her, I can handle it. “It’s okay, baby. He’s not going to take me in. I’ll be back.”

  Seeing her all fired up like this, fires me up in ways we can’t act on. She’s feisty and fierce. Her hands are on her hips, and she’s passionate when she raises her voice. “Actually, Jeff Whaley, it’s not okay—”

  Cole grabs her arm and tugs her toward him. I’m in action to take that fucker down once and for all, but she’s already swinging and lands a perfect right cross, his jowls shaking under the impact.

  Deputy Whaley sighs, and then yells, “Take her into custody.”

  25

  Delilah

  I’m not scared.

  I probably should be, but I’m not.

  I’m never scared when I’m with Jason. You would think having been so close to Cole when he flew at Jason, I’d be rattled. I’m not. And even though I’m leaning over a cop car handcuffed, I’m not worried. Not one bit.

  His cheek is pressed to the same trunk as mine, both of us staring at each with smiles on our faces. “Maybe you shouldn’t have told him his wife’s famous blue-ribbon recipe was a rip-off of your mom’s,” he says.

  Laughing, I reply, “Maybe, but it’s true. Shows what cheaters the Whaley family have always been.”

  “Commit a crime and you walk away with a warning in this small, fucked-up county. Expose the truth about an apple crisp, and you get a night in jail. Sounds about right.”

  “They won’t book us,” I say. “They have nothing on us.”

  He stares at me like he’s seeing me in a whole new light. Oh wait . . . he is, and asks, “Since when did you grow a pair of balls the size of Kentucky?”

  “I’m just tired of it all. Tired of being called Cole’s wife. Tired of being called a whore to my face from rumors spread all over Solace Pointe. Tired of hiding who I want to be. Tired of hiding us. I’m so fucking tired of all the bullshit. Do you ever just get tired of it all, Jason?”

  He smiles. “Yeah, that’s when I decided to come home.”

  “But this is my home. I have nowhere else to escape to.”

  We’re both lifted by our shoulders and brought around opposite sides of the car. Our heads are pushed down as we’re loaded into the back of the cop car. The doors slam closed, and we look at each other. Blue and red lights illuminate the night around us when Jason leans forward, and says, “Marry me, Delilah.” Not a question. It’s a plea followed by a smile and nudge. “Fuck this town and marry me. We’ll live like the shunned in our private paradise by the lake. We’ll fish and fuck, raise a family, and pour so much love into that farm and each other that no one will have cause to say anything bad.”

  Although my heart feels full—of love, welling emotion, and him, his sweet dream should come in a trade-off. “I don’t want to marry you to stop gossip.”

  “Then marry me to start it. I’ll walk down Main with you on my arm, proud as the day is long. You’re my girl. You always were. And you always will be. Let me be your man long past forever. Will you marry me, Delilah Rae Noelle?”

  Jason, Billy, Paul, and my daddy are the only men who’ve never used my married name, which surprisingly the town refuses to drop. There’s a lot to be said for men with manners. Besides manners, Jason’s the man I was always meant to be with. I may be newly divorced, but I was never truly married. Not in my heart anyway. The answer is easy, coming forthright just like Jason is now. “Yes.”

  Leaning together with our hands trapped behind our backs, we meet in the middle, but words aren’t necessary. Our kiss confirms the promises we’re not afraid to voice, but don’t need to be said.

  The deep and steadfast love we have for each other is felt in this kiss. A million yeses exchanged. An eternity of I love yous whispered through caresses.

  The driver’s door opens, and Deputy Whaley folds inside. “Geesh, stop that or I’m gonna have to hold you in separate cars.”

  Jason’s laughing, and then he licks his bottom lip, making me wish I was the one licking it. He then bites that bottom lip as if the secret he’s keeping from Whaley might escape.

  Whaley says, “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, Delilah. Dragging my wife and her blue ribbons into your mess can land you in a cell for the night. You can’t blow that low and not expect to pay the price. What if my wife finds out?”

  “What if the women’s auxiliary club finds out she’s been stealing blue-ribbon recipes long before last year? Isn’t she up for re-election of the Fourth of July Extravaganza Director this year?”

  “Is that a threat, Ms. Noelle?”

  Jason stares at me wide-eyed, and mouths, “You’re such a badass.”

  But Whaley ruins the moment by adding, “Your father is probably rollin’ in his grave right now. What would he say if he saw you cuffed in the back of my car?”

  Angling my chin up in defiance, I reply, “He’d be proud I stood up for what was right.”

  His dissatisfaction comes in a huff before he turns his attention to my partner in crime. “I blame you, Koster. When you weren’t on that football field, you were causin’ trouble. If my vote mattered, I’d have that billboard down by the highway demoed and burned for the homecoming bonfire.”

  “Well, Deputy,” Jason starts, “I actually wasn’t in trouble much, but you did go to Kerbyville High, so maybe it’s the rivalry that makes you hate me so much.”

  “I do not hate you.” Whaley’s voice rises. Looking at us in the rearview mirror, he says, “I’m gonna let you go with a warnin’, but you better be leaving Mr. Cutler alone and mindin’ your own damn business. Do you both hear me?”

  Jason replies, “Loud and clear.”

  “Did ya hear me, Ms. Noelle?”

  “I heard you.”

  “Good,” Whaley says. “Just head on home and stop causin’ trouble where there is none.”

  When I look at Jason, he’s already looking at me. A small smile is seen as the flashing lights drift across his face. “Even though I didn’t win the money, I totally won the grand prize,” he whispers.

  I’m about to tell him the money doesn’t matter, but the doors open, and we’re helped out of the vehicle. Facing each other over the roof of the car, he smiles at me, and I smile back. This is not the way I expected him to ask me to marry him, but now that we’re on the other side of it, it was perfect for us.

  We don’t talk until we’re out of eavesdropping distance. As I rub my wrists, his hand lands on my lower back, and he guides me away from the cops. His lips are near my ear when he says, “I had that shooting contest in the bag. How about a consolation prize on the way home?”

  Sneaking a peek of him, I see the confidence embedded in that grin. “What’d you have in mind?”

  The windows are down, and Blake Shelton’s “Every Time I Hear That Song” is playing through the speakers, floating into the night. With a palm on each thigh, he slowly spreads my legs apar
t. We’ve had a lot of sex since he’s been back, but it’s hard to get used to how he looks at me—my whole body under deep inspection as he studies every inch in the moonlight. In awe.

  I lift up, my eyes meeting his briefly before his gaze lowers again, and he kisses that spot where my most private parts meet the top of my thigh. My head drops back on the blanketed bed of the truck, and I happily sigh while closing my eyes.

  “You’re amazing, Delilah.” He kisses me again—deeply with intention as his tongue sinks inside me. “Your trust is a beautiful thing. I promise never to abuse it.”

  I sigh in relaxation, my muscles and mind getting lost at this moment, getting lost in him again, something that’s so easy to do. Blame it on the moonlight or his magical tongue, or maybe a combination of both, but my orgasm comes fast and hits hard, my back arching as he holds me still. When I catch my breath and come to life again, I whisper, “You’re so bad.” My body is a puddle of blissful goodness. “You’re going to send me to an early grave of ecstasy.”

  “Hey, honeysuckle?” When my eyes connect with his, he says, “I may be bad, but I’ll always make you feel good.” He maneuvers onto the truck and lies next to me. Looking over, he takes my hand, rolls to the side, and kisses me.

  It’s naughty and rough, raw, and God, so crazy. “I feel so carefree with you, like we could disappear into that star-filled universe and never look back.”

  “Is that what you want? Do you want to leave here, leave the farm?”

  Turning my eyes to the night sky, I lean my head against his shoulder. “I don’t know what I want other than a redo.”

  “How about we start with an I do?”

  I smile, my happiness bubbling to the surface through giggles like I’m a teenager. “Sounds good to me.”

  We lie there a little longer before grabbing the blanket and shutting the tailgate. The music is loud, the wind whisking in through the windows. I haven’t felt this free of cares in years. It’s deliciously addicting. My calf is warmed by Jason’s hand, his touch comforting.

  My protector—of heart, body, and soul.

  When we enter the city limits of Solace Pointe, I rest my head on my arm to watch the town roll by. I’ve seen these same buildings my whole life, passed under this stoplight a million times, and every time I do, I wonder what it’s like to be somewhere else. To get . . . away.

  My sister knows. She got a job offer right after college and stayed for the money. Almost every time we talk, she tells me she wishes she were back on the farm feeding the chickens and swinging on that rickety porch swing.

  I’d trade the quiet of the country for six months in the city. Big dreams die in little towns.

  Jason runs his hand over my thigh, pushing the skirt of my dress up, his heat searing my skin. I glance his way, and he says, “You seem sad.”

  “Not sad. Confined to a life I didn’t choose.”

  “What about us?”

  “You’re the best part of my reality.” My recovery and next chapter. I angle my back against the door and prop my boots on his lap. “Tell me a story about one of your adventures.”

  Goose bumps are left in the wake of his hand as it runs over my knee. “I once drove from Seattle to San Diego. That’s some beautiful country out there.”

  “What’s the ocean like?”

  We pull up the drive to the farmhouse. “There’s nothing like a sunset over the Pacific Ocean. I’ll show you one day.”

  I have no doubt he will. He’s a man of his word. “As much as I want to travel and see the world, I feel like you’ve brought some of it back with you.”

  Taking my hand, he kisses the top. “I’m going to give you the best life, Delilah, the one you always wanted. You’ll never want for anything. I want you to share your dreams with me.”

  “I’m too broke to dream outside my means.”

  “Dreams are free. What does your heart long to do?”

  “I love the farm. I’ve always seen myself living out my life here, but I’ve always dreamed of seeing the Eiffel Tower, and I wonder what it feels like to dig my toes in the sandy beaches of Southern California. Although I don’t need to be rich to be happy, I do wish to see what’s beyond these county lines.”

  “I have money.”

  I slide across the truck bench. “We’ve already talked about this. I don’t want to take your money.”

  “I’ve saved it for my future, and you’re my future, Delilah.”

  “Future Mrs. Jason Koster.” I lift and kiss his neck. “I like the sound of that.”

  26

  Delilah

  A bottle of wine, two beers, and three BLT sandwiches later, Jason is dancing with me in the kitchen.

  We’re happy.

  We’re stuffed.

  We’re drunk.

  We’re high on life.

  We’re turned on.

  That’s nothing new. I’ve never felt so alive, or is it more that I never recognized how empty I felt prior? Like a summer storm rolling in right before a picnic, he wrecked all my plans. But in his destruction of my perfectly planned life, he gave me a sunrise of hope.

  His hands tighten on my thighs, causing me to gasp in pleasure. With his lips to my ear, he whispers, “I suspect you wear these dresses to tempt me into sinning.”

  “Is it working?” I ask through broken breaths.

  “It’s working.” He moves, going deeper. “The fair was fun, but if I could spend every night buried inside you like I am now, I’d never leave this farm.”

  “We were arrested. That wasn’t fun.”

  Laughing against the back of my head, he says, “We weren’t arrested, but fuck, you sure do know how to use that smart mouth of yours sometimes.”

  “Too much?”

  “No, it’s fucking sexy as hell.”

  Currently pinned to the counter in front of the sink, my skirt is bunched above my ass. My panties are in shreds on the floor. His shoes push against my boots while he pushes into me.

  Again.

  And again.

  Closing my eyes, I chase the darkness that alights with fireworks of desire. Fuck, I want it. Like him, I want it so badly I can taste it—salty sweet—from an hour earlier when I made Jason fall apart, dropping his guard and getting off as he watched me take him deep in my mouth.

  He’s close.

  His thrusts are becoming erratic.

  I’m close.

  The thought of him being turned on turns me on. So much. My fingers sting from the pressure of holding the edge of the counter so hard. Leaning onto my elbows, I feel his fingers dig into my hips as he comes. Mine follows fast. My mouth falls open, releasing a rough moan as his name drags through my body’s vibrations.

  Reaching behind me, I fist his T-shirt as my breath returns to steady. Opening my eyes, I scream, pushing off the counter in front of me.

  Those eyes.

  The eyes that have haunted me.

  “Shit.” Jason jumps, tugging his jeans up. “What happened?”

  Pointing toward the window, I say, “Cole. Cole. Co—”

  “Cutler? What? Where?” Jason spins me around to face him. “Where, Delilah?”

  “Out back. He’s out there, Jason. I saw him. I saw him watching us.”

  He’s running out the back door before the words leave my mouth.

  Was Cole real or an apparition? Is he here? Surely, I’m hallucinating. I run to the front door to look for his car, and when I swing it open, I’m charged—one hand covering my mouth and the other holding the back of my head. I scream, but it goes unheard beyond the palm of his hand. My eyes are wide while Cole pushes me deeper into the house.

  “Shut up,” he demands between gritted teeth.

  I’m grappling for anything I can grab while being shoved too fast to comprehend what’s happening. I’m shoved backward into the hallway, my back hitting the corner before we clear it. Anger has swallowed his reasoning with none left to be found in his eyes. There’s no stopping him. He pushes harder as I wince i
n pain. With his hand over my mouth, my attempts to scream are squashed again. My eyes water, and fear for my life takes over as I try to grab his wrists to pull them away.

  Cole’s body is hard, harder than natural. As I stare into his bloodshot eyes, the pupils are pinpricks, his strength extraordinary.

  He’s not drunk.

  He’d be sloppy.

  He must be high on something.

  I scream as I claw at his arms, but nothing deters him. With the strength of an army, he pushes me into my parents’ room. The door is locked, and I’m shoved to the ground. “You think you can make me look like a fool and get away with it? Is that what you thought?”

  Scrambling away from him, I feel my back hit the bed, and then my hands go up in surrender. “Listen to me, Cole—”

  “No!” I’m whacked with the back of his hand, and my ears start ringing. “I told you to stay away from him, and what do I find out? He’s living here, and you’re fucking him.” He stands over me, fury surging through a vein in his forehead, making it bulge. “You let him treat my wife like a whore in the kitchen. Is that what you want? You want to be treated like that?”

  “He’s going to kill you when he finds us.”

  “Do you let him fuck you in our bed?” His eyes dart to the mattress before returning to me again. “Like I used to fuck you?” Reaching for his belt, he starts to undo it.

  Red-hot panic runs up my spine. The sound of his belt through the loops. His rapid breathing. The crazed look in his eyes. Too many memories flash before me, and I become paralyzed with fear. But somewhere in the alarms of my brain, I hear Jason’s voice through the noise. “If I see you within ten miles of that farm, or my girl, I will fucking end you.” Jason’s here. I feel him near. He knows my house like the back of his hand.

  I look back at Cole, who’s not in his right mind. I won’t be able to reason with him, but I won’t die on his timeline either. While his hands are busy, I grab one of his legs and yank it forward, sending him to fall on his backside. He’s too quick to recover for me to get far, my boot grabbed as I lunge away from him. With my body free as he holds me, I push off the wood floor to get to my feet. We both are upright at the same time, but he rushes me again in another onslaught. Jumping onto the bed, I roll to the other side and start running, but he grabs my hair and yanks me to the ground, my head hitting the floor when I land.