“Have a nice night,” the waitress called.
Looking over her shoulder, Cozy said, “You too. Thanks.”
As she stepped outside, the cold night air hit her like an unexpected assault, and she shivered. “Brrr! I should’ve taken my coat off while we were in there,” she said, rubbing her arms.
“Do you wanna wait here and I’ll run home and get my truck?” Jesse asked.
“Oh, no. I’ll be fine once we start walking,” she assured him.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
As they started back up the sidewalk, Cozy smiled when Jesse stepped around behind her to place himself between her and the road. She wondered if he did it consciously or if it was just habit for him. Either way, it was chivalrous.
“Brr!” he shuddered. “It is getting cold.”
“I guess winter’s on its way.” Cozy drew a deep breath. She could smell the frost in the air and savored the sound of the leaves crunching beneath their feet as they walked.
They talked as they walked—about nothing and yet everything—and Cozy inwardly admitted that she simply loved the sound of Jesse’s voice. It had the same effect on her other four senses as her grandmother’s mulled cider had on her sense of taste. It soothed and comforted her—made her feel warm, safe, and content. His wit caused her to laugh more than once, and she realized then that before meeting Jesse Bryant she had often bottled up her laughter—that she’d somehow grown uncomfortable about letting herself laugh unrestrained. She studied him for a moment. Jesse Bryant made her a better person. He encouraged and empowered her—treated her as she felt a woman should be treated. It was another hero quality he possessed.
All too soon, the bright and beautiful lighting displays of the Bryant’s and Robbins’s houses came into view. A melancholy disappointment began to seep into Cozy’s veins as she realized her time alone with Jesse was almost at an end. She frowned, thinking it was strange, for she’d never before in her entire life experienced even a moment of disappointment at arriving at her grandmother’s house. It disturbed her.
“Do you think it’s safe for us to approach?” Jesse asked, slowing their pace to a snail’s crawl.
Cozy smiled. “Why wouldn’t it be?” she asked.
Jesse shrugged. “I don’t know. They might be, like…you know…cuddling on the couch or something.”
Cozy giggled. “So?”
He took hold of her arm and stopped her advancement toward her grandmother’s. “Thanks for being willing to waste your night with me,” he said.
“What are you talking about?” she asked, smiling. “I had fun. You were the one who had to be bribed into going. I went because I wanted to.”
“It would take a lot more than five bucks to bribe me into doing anything,” he said. “You know that, right?”
“I suppose so,” she said, even though doubt still pecked at her insecurities.
“No…really,” he said. “You do know I wanted to go for a walk with you anyway, right?”
She nodded. “I do,” she fibbed.
A fascinating grin of mischief slowly spread across his handsome face. “You do know how cute you look in your Little Red Riding Hood outfit, don’t you? With Jack Frost nipping at your nose and everything?”
“Is my nose red?” she asked, worried that she might look more like Rudolph rather than Little Red Riding Hood.
“No,” he mumbled.
Cozy’s eyes widened as Jesse’s head descended toward hers. She held her breath as he placed a soft, warm kiss to the tip of her nose.
“But it’s cold,” he said.
Goose bumps raced over Cozy’s arms as a tidal wave of intense bliss consumed her. She shivered from the sensation of it.
Misunderstanding the reaction of her body to his flirting, Jesse asked, “Are you that cold?”
“Just a little chilly,” she fibbed again.
Jesse’s eyes narrowed—smoldered with some sort of provocative invitation Cozy couldn’t translate.
“Well then, let me warm you up a bit,” he said, taking her face between his hands.
Cozy gasped as she felt the warmth of his lips against her own. She was certain she would faint when he kissed her again—but she didn’t—and her eyes closed as Jesse kissed her a third time, his lips lingering warm and moist against hers. Over and over he kissed her—each kiss lingering longer than the one before.
After a few long moments of raining bliss over her, he paused, tracing her lips with his thumbs. “Is that too wolfish of me, Little Red?” he asked in a low, provocative tone that caused her to shiver.
“No,” she breathed.
“Good,” he said. “Because it seems to me that you’re still a little too chilly.”
“Probably,” she whispered, nodding.
“Let me take care of that for you.”
Mustering every ounce of gentlemanly self-control he could, Jesse kissed Cozy Robbins again—kissed her softly—restrained the passion shouting at him to kiss her harder—more intimately. This was their first kiss, and he wanted it to be memorable for her—wanted her to enjoy it more than she’d ever enjoyed kissing any other man. So he concentrated on her—on Cozy and what he felt she needed after dealing with a freaking pervert at work. She needed tenderness, reassurance—slow, easy affection that wasn’t forced and selfish.
Therefore, though it took every bit of strength he had, Jesse kissed her tenderly. Oh, there was still enough physical desire evident in the way he kissed her to assure her that he’d like nothing more than to attack her—but he mingled it with enough self-control to prove to her he could protect her, even from himself.
It was then that he was sure. He’d never in his life felt so protective of a woman—never wanted to spend every waking moment with just one person—spend every sleeping moment with her. It was in that moment—as Cozy Robbins’s arms slipped around his waist, as she melted against him, trusting him—it was in that moment that he knew for certain. He was in love with her.
Jesse’s body was warm and seemed to invite Cozy’s to share that warmth. She wanted to keep him—to marry him—to own his heart and attention forever! Cozy knew she was crazy, but she couldn’t help the way she felt. She was in love with him, and she couldn’t change it, even if she’d wanted to—which she didn’t. She wondered for a moment how she could be in love with a man she’d only known for a matter of days—literally, days! Yet as he pulled her into his arms, still kissing her as she’d never been kissed before, she didn’t care what anybody else would think were she to confess that she loved him. She loved him—whether it was crazy or not.
All too soon, his kisses lightened. He was going to stop kissing her, and Cozy wanted to scream—beg him not to stop—but she knew he really would think she’d lost her mind then. So, as his embrace slacked, she released him—blushing for the fact that she knew her delight was all too evident on her countenance.
“You don’t want to tempt me too much, Little Red,” he said, smiling at her. “A wolf is wolf no matter how he tries to convince you otherwise.”
She smiled at him. “Oh, you can huff and puff all you want, Mr. Wolf,” she began, “but you’re not fooling me. You’re just a big puppy dog at heart.”
He grinned, shrugging his broad shoulders. “Maybe I am,” he chuckled. “Or maybe I’m just trying to lull you into a false sense of security so that you’ll venture farther away from the fire and be easy prey.”
Cozy giggled—linked her arm with his. “Well, I’ll take my chances,” she said as they started toward home. “After all, you still haven’t eaten up my granny and put on her nightgown.”
He laughed. “If I ever put on your granny’s nightgown, you shoot me there on the spot, baby!”
Jesse pulled his arm away from hers, placing it about her shoulders and pulling her closer against him. “Now, let’s get home and check on those two teenagers back at the house before they get into any trouble.”
“Or before your grandpa’s bladder bu
rsts,” Cozy offered.
“Exactly!” Jesse laughed.
He started to whistle—“Li’l Red Riding Hood,” of course—and Cozy giggled when he paused long enough to allow a low growl to rumble in his chest.
“Here they come!” Dottie whispered from her place kneeling on the floor in front of the picture window.
“Where?” Buck asked, adjusting his binoculars.
“To the right…just before your house. See them?”
“Now I do.” Buck chuckled. “They look awful cozy, don’t they?”
“Indeed they do,” Dottie sighed. Putting down her binoculars, she struggled to her feet, wincing with embarrassment as her knees cracked. “Now hurry! Let’s get on into the kitchen so they don’t suspect anything.”
“I’m trying, woman!” Buck laughed as he struggled to his feet.
Dottie giggled when she heard Buck’s knees crack louder than hers had.
“Oh, no!” Dottie squealed in a whisper. “We left the binoculars in the front room!”
“I tossed a newspaper over them,” Buck said. “We’re fine.”
Dottie laughed as she handed Buck a mug full of now-cold cider. “Aren’t we a pair?” she giggled. “Like two spies on a mission.”
“Well, honey…that’s exactly what we are,” Buck said, winking at her. “And it looks like our mission is about to be a success.”
Dottie sighed with hopeful contentment as she and Buck clicked their mugs together to toast their triumph so far. Oh, how she loved to look at the handsome man who lived next door. She wished she could look at him for the rest of her life—sit at the kitchen table and know he would always be sitting across from her. But this was Cozy’s time for love, and Dottie was bound and determined to make sure her sweet girl didn’t miss out on it.
“We’re home,” Cozy called as the front door opened.
“We’re in here,” Dottie called. “Did you have a nice walk?”
“We sure did,” Cozy answered as she stepped into the kitchen with Jesse at her heels. Her cheeks were as red as summer cherries—and Dottie knew it wasn’t from the cold. The boy had finally kissed her!
“Wonderful!” Dottie sighed. “That’s just wonderful!”
Chapter Eight
“Are you Mindy?” Jesse asked the girl at the register. She wasn’t wearing a nametag, but she was the only other young waitress in the place. Deductive reasoning told Jesse this was Mindy, Cozy’s friend from work. “Is Cozy working right now?”
The girl looked up, her eyes widening to the size of flying saucers. Her mouth hung open for a moment as if she’d just seen an extraterrestrial.
“Y-you must be Jesse,” the girl managed to stammer.
Jesse grinned, more than merely pleased that Cozy had obviously told her friend about his existence. He glanced at the clock on the wall. It was high noon.
“Is Cozy working right now?” he repeated. “And is that idiot guy here?”
The girl nodded. “Yes and yes,” she answered.
“Where is he?”
“He’s sitting over there…in that corner,” Mindy said, pointing to a table across the room.
Jesse’s gaze looked to the table she indicated. He exhaled a heavy breath as he looked at the creep sitting at the corner table.
“Fair warning,” Mindy whispered then. “Our manager will call the cops if you cause a scene.”
Jesse shrugged. “I’m not gonna cause a scene. I’m just gonna lay him out if he touches her again,” he said.
Mindy smiled and bit her lip with delighted anticipation. “Then I’ll stick around a minute.”
“You do that,” Jesse said, winking at her. He leaned on the counter, studying the man. “Let me ask you this, Mindy,” he began.
“Yeah?”
“Will you be okay here if Cozy gets fired today?”
Mindy nodded. “Absolutely.”
“Good.”
Jesse knew Cozy well enough to know she would worry about her friend. He thought it best to know just how loyal a friend Mindy was—just in case the jerk really did have the nerve to molest Cozy right in front of him.
“Here she comes,” Mindy whispered.
Jesse looked across the room to see Cozy making her way toward the guy’s table with a plate of food in her hand. He clenched his teeth and inhaled a deep breath to calm himself. He’d wait—wait and see if she could handle it on her own. But if she couldn’t…
“There she goes,” Mindy said quietly.
Jesse watched Cozy put the plate on the table in front of the degenerate. His muscles tensed, and he took a step forward when the man reached out and brushed a hand over Cozy’s rear end. Barely able to restrain himself, he held his breath as he watched her back away from the man and slap his hand away when he tried to take hold of her arm.
“Good, good,” he breathed, struggling to keep from leaping over tables and chairs to get to her. “You tell him, girl. You tell him no.”
The man reached for her again, however, and as she pushed at his hand again, the creep reached down, running his hand over the outside of her thigh.
“Oh no, you don’t, man,” Jesse growled.
“Sir?” some guy called as Jesse stormed toward the table where the jerk had taken hold of Cozy’s wrist. “Sir? This is none of your business.” Jesse shoved the little wimp calling him sir into a table when the weenie tried to step in front of him.
“Get your hands off her!” Jesse growled as he finally reached Cozy. Taking hold of her arm, he pulled her aside and away from the creep sitting at the table.
“Jesse,” Cozy breathed.
“You don’t treat a woman like that,” he said through clenched teeth, however.
“And who are you, pretty boy?” the man said, pushing his chair away from the table and standing up.
Cozy was awash with mingled fear and pride. Jesse had come for her! He was championing her. It was wonderful—wonderful and awful! Wonderful because it was proof he cared for her—awful because she knew it could mean trouble for him.
She heard Jesse call the man a strong synonym for jerk and gasped when the man swore back at him.
“Now gentlemen,” Blake said as he approached, “let’s not have any trouble here.”
Jesse looked to Blake, scowling with disgust. “I should kick your butt too,” he said. “You should be protecting your employees from this kind of sh—stuff…so that I don’t have to.”
Cozy screamed as the creep she’d been serving lunch to threw a sucker punch at Jesse while he was looking at Blake. Jesse was quick, but the man’s fist still grazed his right cheek.
“You don’t wanna start something with me, dude. I promise you that,” Jesse threatened. “You may start it…but you sure as hell can believe I’ll finish it.”
“Well, come on then, movie star,” the letch taunted. “Let’s see what you have.”
“Jesse?” Cozy breathed.
The creep threw another punch, and she gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. Jesse easily caught the man’s fist with one hand, however, landing his own punch to the man’s jaw with his other. The man stumbled back, looking stunned for a moment before he aggressed again.
“Don’t do it, man,” Jesse warned, shaking his head.
But the creep lunged at Jesse anyway. Jesse easily evaded the man’s fist again and then took hold of the guy’s shoulders, pulling him down so that his midsection met with Jesse’s knee. The man doubled over for only a moment before straightening up again.
Cozy watched, tears spilling from her eyes as the jerk raised his fists like a boxer as Jesse shook his head.
“Really?” Jesse asked.
“Bring it on,” the man growled.
Jesse inhaled a deep breath and struck. Cozy startled as his fist hit the man’s jaw with brutal force, sending him sprawling to the floor.
“You need to leave,” Blake shouted at Jesse. “Now!”
“You got it, you piece of—”
“Jesse!” Cozy exclaimed, tak
ing hold of his arm.
Jesse looked to her, inhaled a deep breath, and nodded to her.
“Come on,” he said, taking hold of her arm.
“And where do you think you’re going, Cozy?” Blake asked her.
“She quits, man. And you can kiss my—” Jesse began.
“Let’s go, Jesse,” Cozy said. Jesse let go of her arm, and she quickly removed her apron, angrily tossing it at Blake. “Jerk,” she spat at him.
She felt Jesse’s hand at the small of her back and turned to leave. She blushed as everyone else in the café started applauding as they left.
Call me later, for sure! Mindy mouthed, making the universal signal of thumb to ear and pinky to mouth to indicate a phone.
I will, Cozy mouthed, nodding to her friend.
As Jesse escorted Cozy to her car, she heard him exhale a heavy sigh. He took hold of her arm and pulled her to a stop. She turned to face him and could see the mixed emotions playing out on his expression.
“Are you mad at me for this?” he asked.
It seemed a billion thoughts were crashing around in her head all at once. She knew the politically correct answer, but she was sick of political correctness—sick of the way that society emasculated men and defeminized women. Furthermore, she saw nothing standing before her but pure masculine, old-fashioned, vanishing heroism.
“The truth?” she asked.
He sighed, nodding as if he dreaded her answer.
“Society would say I should be angry,” she began, “but I’m not.”
“You’re not?” he asked as if he couldn’t believe her answer.
She shook her head. “No.”
“But I just lost my cool…and I quit your job for you,” he reminded her.
She smiled, reached up, and put a palm to his square five-o’clock-shadowed jaw. “My hero,” she sighed dramatically.
“Really?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she assured him. Her smile broadened then as she said, “Though…if I was a good girl, I’d work on that potty mouth of yours.”
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