The Sheriff’s Midnight Kiss
Prequel to The Sheriff’s Plus One
Marquita Valentine
The Sheriff’s Midnight Kiss
Copyright © 2020 by Marquita Valentine
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted downloaded, distributed, stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, without express permission of the author, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any person, living or dead, or any events or occurrences, is purely coincidental. The characters and story lines are created from the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Contents
More Books by Marquita Valentine
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
More Books by Marquita Valentine
About Marquita Valentine
More Books by Marquita Valentine
Holland Springs Series
Drive Me Crazy
Twice Tempted
Third Time’s a Charm
His Christmas Wish
Just Desserts
Not Over You
Be Mine
The Brides of Holland Springs Series
The Billionaire Bride
The Temporary Bride
The Forgotten Bride
The Christmas Bride
The Lawson Brothers Series
Love So Hot
Love So True
Love So Irresistible
Love So Tempting
Love So Perfect
Love So Unexpected
Love So Right
Love So Wild
* * *
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The Sheriff’s Midnight Kiss
What better way to celebrate the new year by kissing a stranger at the stroke of midnight?
Molly Parrish is convinced her year ended in the worst way possible… until her bestie comes to the rescue with a last minute New Year’s Eve challenge.
A night out in a crowded bar is the last place small town cop Archer Kincaid wants to spend his rare night off, but there’s no way he’ll miss out on helping his friend Molly get over her ex-boyfriend.
But when the ball drops, will these two friends become something more?
This is a short prequel to The Sheriff’s Plus One
Chapter 1
Another year nearly gone. Another New Year's Eve dateless.
"Story of my life," Molly grumbled. She stood in front of the mirror over the sink in her bathroom, wearing her favorite black dress. She put the final touches on her makeup and gave herself one last look. At least her eyes weren't swollen from crying anymore. She looked… decent.
Gah. She should stay home tonight. Put on her jammies and ring in the New Year with whoever seemed fun on television. It wasn't unthinkable… there were only thirty minutes until midnight, and she could simply tell her best friend that she wasn't going.
Yup, that's exactly what she would do.
Just as her fingers went to the side zipper of her little black dress, Cora waltzed in, looking like a fairy tale princess with her long, dark curls and a silver dress that seemed to float around her legs. However, the faded pink beach bag slung over her shoulder seemed more than a little out of place.
"I let myself inside." She smiled widely at Molly. "You look ah-mazing! Gorgeous. Beautiful."
"Overkill."
"Fine." Her friend rolled her eyes. "You don't look like a troll. Happy?"
"No." Molly sighed thickly, her shoulders falling. "Tell me I'm pretty and not a loser."
Cora reached into her bag, her head bent as she searched inside of it. "You're so pretty."
"And not a loser."
"That's a given. Found it!" Cora waved black material on the air. Was that a—? "Your disguise for the evening. The theme is A Night to Remember, and I know it sounds completely like junior year prom, but it's not. We get to drink… legally."
With a half snort and half laugh, Molly took the mask. The color suited her mood and matched her dress. "Where's yours?"
Cora dug through the bag again, pulling out a mask that matched her dress. "Right here. I'll help you with yours, then you can do mine."
Carefully, Molly placed the mask over her face. All she needed was to smear her makeup and have to start over. Gosh, she was always starting over.
Despite her best efforts, she sniffed a couple of times.
"Get out of your head, Parrish," Cora ordered. "He's not worth the rent-free space you're allowing in there."
"I know, but—"
"No buts. No ifs. Bailey Howard was a jerk. He didn't and doesn't deserve you. I don't know how you put up with him for as long as you did. I'm not going to say I told you so, but I will say that he was not Yarn Store approved."
Molly's lower lip trembled. "I thought we were in love." She thought she'd been in love with him. She thought he'd felt the same way about her. The amount of tears she'd cried since before Christmas was in direct proportion to that love.
"Oh, there was love in your relationship. Only his love for himself got in the way. That's one love triangle where no one wins. Plus, he called your business a hobby." Cora all but growled.
"Yeah, I know.” Molly had to admit that his description of Sweet + Tea, the small tea shop she'd started from the ground up and sacrificed a personal life for, had hurt. It had also been the beginning of the end of their relationship. Things had come to a head when she was unable to go to a Christmas party at Star Fall's Country Club with him, and he'd accused her of being selfish. "He thinks small businesses are run by people with egos that need to be stroked by the public." Never mind that his family owned a grocery store in every town in the county. According to Bailey, people actually needed those. No one really needed to go to a tea shop and drink tea when they could simply brew it from home.
"Ugh. What a hypocrite. People like him hate competition." Cora tied the silky strings of the mask and began to fluff Molly's hair so that it wasn't matted to her head. "Can I be honest with you?"
Molly arched a brow, but the mask hid it. "When have you ever not been?"
"I'll take that as permission to proceed." Cora placed her hands on Molly's shoulders and spun her around. "You are in too much of a hurry to find the one. Because of that, your heart keeps getting hurt, and one day you'll stop believing in love altogether. I can't let that happen."
"Is that why you're forcing me to go tonight?" Molly asked.
Cora shrugged, her eyes unapologetic. "You've stayed home long enough."
"If you say so," Molly replied. "My heart's still raw."
"I'm not asking you to give your heart away tonight." Cora let go of Molly and turned around. She held the silver mask up to her face. "I'm asking you to attempt to have fun after a miserable December."
Molly tied the silver strings into a bow and fluffed Cora's hair. "I'm not ready for fun."
"Yes, you are." Cora spun around, her silver skirt swishing with the movement. "Promise me, you'll find a hot guy to kiss at midnight. Or fist bump. Or smile at. Something that proves Bailey holds no power over you anymore."
"I promise," Molly said, but she crossed her fingers behind her back. "You should do the same."
Cora tilted her head to one side. "You do realize that there is a mirror behind you."
Molly's cheeks heated. She uncrossed her fingers and huffed out a second, "I promise." This time, she meant it. She had nothing to lose.
"Thank you," Cora said primly, then grinned wickedly. "And I promise to find a perfect stranger to kiss at midnight. It will be the kiss to end all kisses. But then he'll vanish like Cinderella at the ball, leaving me to wonder what might have been."
Molly's eyes widened. "Do you actually want that to happen?"
Cora shrugged. "It'll make a good story to tell."
"Like a good yarn?"
"Har, har," Cora said with a roll of her pretty eyes. "I'm not going to be invited to the Yarn Store over a New Year's Eve kiss story."
"They're your aunts. Why wouldn't they?" Molly shook her head. "I don't get it."
"My momma doesn't get along with her sisters, so my invitation is tricky. Maybe even nonexistent." Cora waved a hand in the air. "Enough with the past, let's go party for the future."
Chapter 2
The only time Archer Kincaid ever looked forward to New Year's Eve parties was never. He was always on edge, always expecting to be called in because someone took things too far and required police presence.
Tonight, however, was supposed to be different. He'd traded shifts, promised his firstborn, and maybe even committed extortion to have tonight off. Just one night to be a regular guy without responsibilities.
Okay, so that wasn't the main reason he was here. Cora had promised to bring Molly tonight so that he could finally make his move. Bailey was out of the picture; Molly had cried enough tears over him (the bastard), and what better way to start a new year than to admit he was attracted to his best friend?
"Do you always have to look like you're about to arrest someone?" Gunnar said as he joined Archer at the bar.
"The only people who think that about me are ones with a guilty conscience."
"My conscience is guilt-free."
"Your actions, however, are not." Archer smirked at the mask his brother wore. "Nice costume. I thought you couldn't make it."
"Decided to play your wingman tonight," Gunnar said before ordering a beer. "You need all the help you can get, especially with that look on your face. There's a fine line between brooding and hostile, you know. You should wear the mask, might make you seem more friendly."
His younger brother's version of help usually consisted of situations that were barely mentionable in polite society. In other words, his brother got around while he preferred relationships that lasted longer than breakfast the next day. "I'm perfectly happy in the current, maskless state I'm in."
Gunnar cocked his head to one side, the black mask making him look like Zorro in the light. "Are you?"
"Smartass," Archer muttered, then raised his voice slightly. "I'm in no danger of being called in tonight."
"That is a good state of being."
"But…"
"No Buts." Gunnar nodded at the crowded dance floor. "I'm ready to mingle."
"Go on then." Archer pulled out the barstool and sat. "I'll watch your drink."
"You're no fun."
"I'm the most fun person I know."
With an over-exaggerated roll of his eyes, Gunnar set his beer bottle down. "Fine, but you don't know what you're missing."
"I'll use my imagination."
Gunnar pounded him on the shoulder. "Can't say I didn't invite you."
"Duly noted." Archer noticed that his brother didn't leave. "You can go now."
"Waiting for the right song."
Archer would have said that his brother was full of it, but the DJ changed the song, and sure enough, Gunnar moved to the dance floor. Before the first line was finished, he'd already found a dance partner.
Part of him wanted to be out there with his brother. The other parts, the sensible parts, were content to sit at the bar and enjoy the lack of pressure to be on at all times. The further he advanced in his job, the more pressure was piled on, and if he ran for County Sheriff next year, he'd lose what little privacy a small-town cop had in the first place.
Hell, his brother might be right, and he should put on the mask he'd brought with him. Although it went against everything inside of him to be at a party where concealing one's identity was part of the fun. He couldn't identify half of the people in here because a lot of them were students from the local college and not long-time residents.
Damn. Maybe he should stop treating them like potential criminals.
He angled his barstool so that his back was against the wall, and he could have a mostly clear shot of the exits. It wasn't because he expected anything bad to happen, but because he'd been trained to look for danger.
Could he get rid of the cop-think for one night?
Molly Parrish walked in, and his heart sped up a little. Even in a mask, he recognized her blonde hair and the way she moved. Cora had to be close behind. Like clockwork, Cora joined Molly, surveying the room.
The duo stepped more fully into the bar, and Archer had to laugh at their opposite expressions. Molly looked relieved, and Cora looked utterly let down.
Suddenly, Molly's gaze collided with his. He felt a spark. He grinned, unable to stop himself. Molly was one of his best friends and when she walked into the room… he couldn't help but be dazzled, overwhelmed even by her presence. All right, that might be taking things a little far. Sure, he was attracted to her, and yes, now that she was single again, he could broach the possibility of them as a couple. Tell her the truth.
Something was holding him back.
Molly waved, and he motioned them over. The ladies worked their way through the ever-expanding dance floor crowd and joined him at the bar.
"Hey, you two," he said.
"This is so not what I expected for this A Year to Remember theme," Cora replied with a frown, then shrugged her shoulders. "Honestly, until we hold parties at The Mansion, nothing will ever be what I expect."
Archer nodded sympathetically.
"It's privately owned, Cora. What makes you think they want to open it up for God and everybody?" Molly said. "Hi, Archer."
"Oh, sorry." Cora's hazel eyes widened. "Forgive my manners. How are you, Archer, and where's your date?"
Why in the hell would she think he brought a date? Man, he didn’t understand her at all. “He's out on the dance floor."
"Gunnar," the ladies said simultaneously.
"Who else?"
Cora smiled conspiratorially. It wasn't a look he liked directed at him. "I heard Liz Evans had her eye on you."
What the… how was this supposed to help him with Molly? “Who?” Archer glanced at Molly. She blinked a couple of times as if trying to figure out who Liz Evans was. Hell, he didn't know who she was either.
"Doesn't ring a bell for me either,” Molly said. "How do you know her?"
Cora groaned. "She literally went to high school with us. A freshman during our senior year."
"Yeah, I can't place the name with a face." Archer shook his head. "Then again, I pretended freshman didn't exist that year."
"She's here tonight. Want me to make introductions?" Cora asked, her eyes shiny with excitement. Man, she was as bad as her aunts at The Yarn Store. "Or did you have someone else in mind?"
He glared at Cora, lips thinning as she simply grinned like The Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland—that was his little sister Banner’s favorite movie right now.
“Hmm?” Cora said, still poking the bear aka him. Okay, Cora was worse than her aunts. She knew who that someone else was and wanted him to admit it before he felt like the time was right.
"Who? Is she here tonight?" Molly said conspiratorially. She grinned, all excited. “Cora and I will vet her first."
It was just as painfully obvious that Molly didn't have a clue, but at least she was smiling instead of crying over Howard. "Pass."
"Why don't you dance with Gunnar?" Molly suggested as she sat on the barstool next to him. "He looks like he could use some saving."
"Fine. He's a good dancer, but not
as good as you-know-who is," she said. "Why is it always the ones I don't want to be with are the ones who need saving?"
Molly giggled. "Poor Cora. She had so many romantic ideas about tonight. Specifically, Cinderella-themed."
Archer gave Molly a look. "She planned on losing a shoe?"
"No. She planned on kissing Prince Charming, and then losing him forever so she could brag about it."
"That's …uh… that's—"
"Cora Woodhouse," she said with a smile. There wasn't a hint of mockery either. He knew Molly loved Cora like a sister and treated him like her favorite brother. "Honestly, I think she hopes that her Prince Charming would hear about her pining over him and show up unexpectedly. Maybe that will happen to me, too. Doubtful, but…"
His gut twisted.
"Are you okay?" she asked. "You have a weird look on your face."
"Too crowded." It wasn't a lie, but it also wasn't the reason he was feeling weird. Damn it. Maybe he should have let Cora introduced him to Liz. "Loud music. Pricey drinks. Not my scene."
"Me either, but you never know. Something magical could happen on New Year's Eve." Molly winked, and his heart skipped a beat. "Cora almost has me convinced that tonight is magical, but the smell of stale beer has full dashed that notion."
Archer couldn't smell anything but the scent of her sweet perfume. Yeah, he was losing it. He cleared his throat, took a drink, and then cleared his throat again. "Is that why you made her wait until twenty minutes before midnight to show up?"
"Uh, no. That was all Cora. She thought that if we showed up fashionably late, Prince Charming would have to notice her because he'd be here waiting."
"Please tell me that my brother isn't—"
"Oh my gosh, no." Molly laughed so hard she snorted. "Gunnar. He's… nooooo."
"Hey now, I'm starting to get insulted on his behalf."
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