“What the—”
Josh just laughed and kept walking. His target had shifted back a step, or hell, ten. She looked as if she was on the verge of ditching the reception before they cut the cake. But then she resumed her go-to stance with her fingers touching the tent flaps.
If she wants to blend in, she needs to stop posing like she’s the freaking hired security, ready to kick some ass. . .
When Josh first heard her story, he’d wondered if he’d stumbled on the right Caroline in the woods. The woman he’d mistaken for a protesting environmentalist was a fighter. Sure, Noah had spent the past year reminding Josh that her shitastic history labeled her a ‘victim’ and Josh had pretended to listen. But he didn’t see it.
If he had to describe the woman trying to blend into the side of the white rental tent, he’d toss out strong, sexy, and likely to pull a gun on him.
And shit, it looked like he wasn’t the only one who thought so—about the gun part at least. The man who ran Forever’s police department when he wasn’t playing the part of father of the bride stood in front of Caroline. Josh could see the question in the police chief’s gaze from ten paces away and fought the urge to run to her side.
“There you are.” Caroline took his hand and pulled him to her. “You slipped away to grab drinks and came back empty-handed?”
“I ran into a few people.” He nodded to Chief Fairmore. “Congratulations. Your daughter was the happiest bride I’ve ever witnessed. And I’ve seen quite a few now that all my siblings are settling down.”
The police chief beamed. “I take it you’re next in line.”
That’s the plan, but I fell for a woman who’s hiding from, well, you.
“I came over to welcome the one stranger in the crowd,” Chief Fairmore continued. “And learned she was your date for the evening.”
Josh nodded and tried to make sense of the web of lies Caroline had spun for the bride’s curious father. As a rule, Josh stuck to the truth. It was the one lesson his late father had drilled into him over and over. No matter what kind of trouble he landed in as a kid, he had to fess up.
Caroline squeezed his hand. “I told him how we met at the bar when I started working there.”
“Josie mentioned they’d hired a dishwasher,” the police chief said, his curiosity still honed in on Caroline. “What brought you to Forever? The university?”
Caroline’s nails dug into his hand. He knew she was about his age, but could easily pass for younger—maybe twenty-three, twenty-four, around the same age as the glowing bride.
“No, I was just passing through,” she said, her voice wavering slightly. “Then I met Josh—”
“I asked her to give Forever a chance. Why head to Portland when you can live and work here? I mean this town is amazing, right?” Josh said, jumping into her lie and adding to the story. He had a feeling she’d been vague. No mention of her previous connection to Noah or the military. But people in Forever were born curious, especially the man paid to keep the peace and follow the law.
Caroline nodded and forced a smile. “He was very convincing.”
“We’re glad to have you,” Chief Fairmore said. “And I know my daughter is happy to have your help at the bar. She tells me business is booming over there. Judging from the number of underage college kids trying to slip past the bouncers, I know she’s telling the truth.”
“She is. Now, if you’ll excuse us, Chief, I owe my girl a drink.” Josh drew her close and snaked his arm around her slim waist. He wanted to get her away from the father of the bride before she started talking about how much she loved washing the piles of pint glasses at the bar.
Plus there’s a chance she left her panties at home but strapped her gun to her thigh.
“Good to see you.” The police chief held out his right hand and Josh gave it a firm shake. “Give my best to your family.”
“Will do, sir,” he said as he led Caroline away.
The side of her body pressed against him as they moved. Tension pulsed through her, leading to hurried steps, and he wondered what would happen if he released her.
She would run.
“Thirsty?” he murmured, keeping a tight hold on her.
She ignored the question. He caught her gaze darting to the exit. “If I leave now—without you—he’ll be suspicious.”
“Stay with me,” he said.
But not just to fool the chief of police.
Yeah, he better keep that to himself until they could talk without a tent full of onlookers.
“I’ll get you that drink,” he added.
“I’m fine.” She slowed her frantic pace as they approached the makeshift bar. Then she drew to a halt ten paces from the bar where Dominic stood chatting with the woman of the hour in the flowing white gown. Caroline tilted her chin up until her gaze met his. Her kiss-me pink lips formed a thin line. “But I owe you—”
He shook his head. “No, you don’t, Caroline.”
He wanted Caroline—in his life, in his bed, and in his dream home. He wanted to turn her lies into the real deal, but not because she owed him.
Sure, he’d lied for her. And he’d do it again in a heartbeat. He would never leave her open to unwanted questions. All because she’d summoned the freaking courage to put on a dress and slip out of her routine for one night. She’d taken so many hits, each one knocking her further and further off track, messing with her mind and heaping fears onto a woman who’d already suffered too much.
He wanted to be there if the train derailed. She was strong. So damn strong. But life didn’t play fair. He knew that better than anyone.
He’d endured his share of hits. But he’d always gotten back up and waited for the next one, determined to take another shot at finding the special formula that led to the kind of happiness that stood strong through life’s ups and downs. His brothers and sister had found it. He knew it was out there.
“You don’t owe me anything,” he said firmly.
“Thank you,” she murmured, the words barely above a whisper.
Keep your gratitude. I want you. Just you.
He wanted to hold her, talk to her, kiss her . . . And if now wasn’t the time or the place, hell, he’d find another.
He drew Caroline in front of him. Placing his hands on her waist, careful to keep his touch light, he looked down into her green eyes. “Do you trust me?”
“As much as I trust anyone,” she said.
She didn’t say no.
The smile hit him hard and fast even though he knew her answer was a far cry from yes. Grinning like he’d won the freaking lottery, he released her right hip and raised his hand to her mouth. He ran his thumb over the pad of her lips and murmured, “Kiss me. Long and hard.”
Her brow knit together. “And that will tell Josie’s dad and the rest of the police force—”
“That we’re sharing a helluva lot more than pies. But don’t do it for them. Kiss me because you want to. Because you remember what if felt like last time and you want—”
“More.” She raised her hands to his face and cupped his jaw. Her gaze honed in on his lips as if assessing her target. Then she rose up on her toes and leaned forward. Her lips brushed his and he closed his eyes. The reception faded into the background. Music, voices, the sounds of laughter and joy blended together.
Don’t pull back.
He tightened his hold on her hips. If she refused to deepen the kiss, he’d settle for long. They’d work their way up to hard.
Already there. . .
But his hard-on wasn’t invited to this kiss.
Caroline stepped forward and pressed her body against his. Her lips parted as their gentle kiss shifted into hot-and-heavy territory. Their tongues touched. Greedy. Hungry. And oh man, he felt a surge of desire to take everything this woman had to give.
<
br /> She moved closer until she practically straddled his left leg. His fingers dug into the fabric of her dress. His hands were tempted to roam over her lower back, to search for a sign that she’d forgotten her underwear, but he kept the impulse in check. Her inner thigh brushed his.
No gun.
Stripped of her defenses—her weapon, her don’t-mess-with-me baggy T-shirt, and her place in the shadows—Caroline was a bold, passionate woman. And he hated the fact that labels held her back. Victim. Outlaw. She was so much more than her past.
She released her hold on him and broke the kiss.
“Now what?” she murmured.
He caught her hand in his. “Now we take a walk.”
“Josh—”
“We need to talk.” He led her past the dance floor and through the maze of tables. He nodded to Noah, who was staring after them, probably debating if he should step in and demand to know what the hell was going on. But Caroline had told her friend to stay out of her ‘friendship’ with Josh. And the groom trusted her to take care of herself—most of the time.
They stepped out of the tent and headed into the night. Stars blanketed the sky overhead and a nearly full moon illuminated the grassy stretch between the reception and the old barn. Josh debated checking the door to see if the groom had locked it up for the party. The old building was home to a handful of cats and the old mechanical bull from Big Buck’s days as a country western barn catering to loggers instead of college kids.
He glanced at Caroline. “Cold?”
“I’m fine.” She stopped and pulled her hand free from his grip. “It’s warm still. Especially for September.”
“Yeah. Dry too.”
“Why are we out here, Josh?” she demanded, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Heck, she looked badass even in the pale green sundress with her lips red from their kiss.
“I want you. So damn much. And you sure as hell haven’t missed that fact.”
“No.” Her gaze drifted to his fly as if recalling the feel of his erection pressed against her. “You’ve dropped off a lot of pies.”
He nodded. “I like baking for you. And I swear I will lie to keep you safe if I need to. But I want more.”
“More,” she repeated.
He nodded, knowing his next question would probably earn him a big fat no. But she’d kissed him with a hunger that matched his own. She’d turned to him for help when the chief of police questioned her. “So what do you say? How about we give dating a shot?”
CAROLINE FOUGHT THE urge to move away from the man who’d broken through her barriers. Tilting her head back, she stared up at the stars. He’d found her under the night sky over a year ago. And she’d known better than to put her faith in him then.
But she’d let him draw her away from the grip of isolation. She’d let down her guard. She allowed the feeling that someone—the military, the police, or her rapist—was hunting her to slip away when she was with him. Josh had taken the time to get to know her, slow and steady as if he had all the time in the world.
That time had just run out.
“And if I say no?”
“Then the answer is no, Caroline.”
She studied the constellations, picking out the few she’d learned as a child. These same stars had followed her around the world, unchanged by the events that had uprooted her life.
But everything on earth moved forward. When she’d first run away, she’d felt as if she had more in common with the stars. Her future felt stagnant, reduced to hiding, running, and more hiding.
By lying to the police chief, she’d tried to drag Josh into hiding with her. Part of her admired him for being brave enough to say no to perpetuating an illusion. He could have tried to win her over under the cover of deception. But he wouldn’t do that.
“You asked me out before,” he said. “And yeah, you have every reason, every right to change your mind.”
She lowered her chin and looked him straight in the eyes. She waited for his too-charming smile. But his lips formed a thin line.
“We could start with dinner,” he continued. “Someplace you’re comfortable. In town. Or someplace where nobody knows us. I’ll drive you up to Portland on your next night off if you want.”
She found herself nodding. Dinner. Someplace safe. They would be an ordinary couple.
“And no sex,” he added. “I promise.”
The words felt like a direct hit and her defenses rose up. “Without the possibility of sex,” she said, “we’re just two friends sharing a meal.”
“Caroline—”
“Sex stays on the table.” She unfolded her arms and allowed them to drift down to her sides. She fought the urge to clasp them behind her back and assume a parade rest position. She was moving on, moving forward toward a future that glowed bright despite the past. “I’m not saying we’ll head back to your place or mine tonight—”
“You live here.” He nodded to the farmhouse separated from the barn by a gravel parking area. “With Noah’s dad.”
“I’m not saying it will happen on the first date,” she continued, summoning the courage that had thrust her into his arms for that first kiss in the back room at Big Buck’s and again tonight. “And we don’t need to choose between my place or yours. I grew up with an overprotective mom. Once upon a time, I knew how to make the most of the limited space in the backseat of a car. And your pickup has a lot more room in the front.”
He cocked his head. “I don’t know. With the stick and all, it might be tricky.”
“It might.” She stepped away before she moved into his arms. She’d ridden a roller coaster of emotions tonight. At the top, she’d faced possible discovery by the police. Fear had swept her down and somehow landed her back in ‘once upon a time.’
“I guess we’ll find out.” She sidestepped and walked past Josh, heading for the tent. “Not on the first date,” she added, her voice soft and low. “But maybe by the third. Or perhaps the tenth . . .”
“Caroline.” He reached out and ran his fingertips over her bare arm. But he stopped short of grabbing ahold of her and pulling her to him. “If we wait until the tenth date, I promise I’ll have mapped out a way to work around the stick shift.”
Chapter 4
WHAT DO I wear to a date when I hope to end the night making out in the front seat of a truck?
Caroline scanned her meager wardrobe. She’d filled Noah’s guest room closet with a line of Big Buck’s T-shirts, three pairs of hand-me-down jeans from Josie, two pairs of faded black cargo pants, and the green sundress she’d worn to the wedding. She’d left every other piece of clothing that she owned behind in California when she’d run away. Her older sister’s attic held boxes of cute tops and fun, flirty dresses from her life before she’d joined the Marines. But she’d enlisted at nineteen and she doubted those nine-year-old clothes would be in style even if she had access to them.
She closed the closet door and headed to the landline in the kitchen. A cell phone still felt like a risk. It was too easy for the authorities to track if they were still looking for her. And a cell was an unnecessary expense considering she couldn’t afford new clothes. She picked up the receiver and dialed the bar. It was ten in the morning on a Monday, only two days after his wedding, but she knew Noah would be at Big Buck’s.
The happy couple had put their honeymoon on hold until their daughter was a little older. At eleven months old, little Isabelle was still nursing. Plus, Josie wanted to pay down her debt from the heartbreaking past that had sent her running home to Forever—and landed her in Noah’s arms—before they planned a trip.
“Big Buck’s Bar. This is—”
“Noah,” Caroline cut in. “I need to borrow Josie for a few hours. Is she around?”
“She’s in the back. Everything all right?”
C
aroline heard footsteps as her friend and boss moved through the bar, heading to the room that held the dishwasher. “I need help putting together an outfit for tonight.”
“Where are you going?” he demanded.
“Out.” The man who’d appointed himself her honorary big brother did not need details.
“Where?”
She stared out the window at the barn. One of Noah’s rescue cats stalked across the gravel as if preparing to pounce. Caroline had a feeling there would be a dead bird or mouse waiting on the porch when she returned home from her date.
“Caroline?” Noah said.
He’ll find out from Josie or Lily. Someone would clue him in to the fact that she was officially dating Josh Summers. He might even hear it from his new father-in-law. And then, Noah would come to her with a pile of questions.
“Josh is taking me out to dinner.”
And cue the crickets . . .
The footsteps on the other end of the line stopped. She could hear Noah breathing as he struggled to hold back a what the hell, Caroline?
“Did he coerce you?” Noah enunciated each word, his tone low and ominous. “I heard about what happened at the party. You had a run-in with Josie’s dad—”
“I want to go out with him,” she blurted. “I’m tired of hiding. I go to the bar. I come back here. Once or twice I’ve stopped by Lily’s house. I’m ready to get out there . . . but I don’t have anything to wear. I need shoes. Something soft and feminine. I can’t wear combat boots. What kind of message does that send?”
“I’ll kick your ass if you get fresh with me?” Noah murmured.
“I could, but I don’t think attacking my date is the best way to get him on his back.”
“Caroline—”
“I was good at this once,” she said firmly. “You didn’t know me then. Before we deployed together. But back then I went out on dates. I flirted.”
I wasn’t afraid.
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