Out of My League: a Hope Valley novel

by Prince, Jessica

  “You gonna watch your show or gawk at me the whole time, darlin’?” My entire face and chest burned cherry red at being busted when he turned and shot me another wink over his shoulder. “Not that I mind the attention.”

  I gave him a playful glare. “You know, a gentleman wouldn’t have called me out on that.”

  His laughter rang through my living room, sounding as beautiful as church bells, and just like I had been at lunch earlier that day, I was mesmerized by the sight and sound of it.

  “Been called a lot of things in my life, Edie. A gentleman was never one of them.”

  My head cocked to the side, and I narrowed my eyes. “Oh I don’t know. I’ve seen glimpses of it here and there.”

  That dimple of his made a reappearance “Oh yeah?”

  “Sure,” I returned teasingly. “I mean, you’re the guy who stops his car in the middle of the street to help little old ladies with their groceries. Then there’s the fact that you rescue poor wayward pups from euthanasia, and open doors for women. Total gentleman business right there.”

  Placing his hands on his hips, he stared down at me, those green eyes dancing and beautiful. “Looks like you’ve uncovered my secrets.”

  “What, that you’re a closet white knight?”

  “I wouldn’t go that far. But my mom did raise me to have manners. And she’d tan my ass if a woman I was with was ever in the position to open a door on her own.”

  I grinned wide. “Yep. I’ve got you pegged.”

  We stared at each other in silence for a few seconds before he seemed to shake himself out of a stupor. “Well, I’m almost finished here. Let me get this done, and then I’ll show you how to use it and get outta your hair.”

  My chest tightened, and I did my best to ignore the crush of disappointment at the thought of him leaving. Then it dawned on me.

  “You know, I was thinking I’d order Chinese for dinner. Since you’re already here, I could get you something too. My treat.”

  “Chinese sounds good,” he replied. “But no way in hell it’s your treat. We order, it’s on me.”

  “But—”

  “Manners, remember?”

  I stopped arguing and pulled my lips between my teeth to hide my giddiness. “I wouldn’t want to do anything that could get you in trouble with your mom.”

  “Exactly.” He smirked before turning back toward the alarm. “Why don’t you order while I finish up here. I eat pretty much anything as long as it doesn’t have tofu.”

  “No tofu. Got it.” I hopped off the couch and went to rifle through my drawer of takeout menus while Rocky kept me company.

  * * *

  “So what was it that brought you to Hope Valley?”

  Prodding at a piece of shrimp with my chopsticks, I looked from my Chinese food container to Lincoln across the length of my sofa. “Well, I didn’t come here with the intention of staying at first,” I answered honestly. “I’ve kind of been a nomad my whole life and I was finally looking to set down roots, but I didn’t know where I wanted to settle.” I gave my head a shake as I confessed the ridiculousness that led me to this amazing town. “It’ll probably sound stupid, but I did a google search.”

  He gave me a look of confusion. “A google search?”

  “Yeah. I typed in “most beautiful places in the United States for middle income,” and Hope Valley was number seven on the list.” That earned me another one of those laughs that I was quickly becoming addicted to. “So I packed up my stuff and went on a road trip. When I wasn’t trying to find a town that fit me, I was visiting places I’d put on my bucket list, places I wanted to see at some point in my life. I might have lived all over, but I never really stopped to appreciate where I was, and I wanted to take my time.”

  “Where all did you visit?”

  “I went everywhere,” I replied, my voice breathy with awe at the memories of the beauty I’d seen. “All over Colorado, Moab, a couple small towns in Montana and Wyoming, New Orleans, Savannah, Charleston. You name it.”

  “Damn, baby. Sounds like a long trip.”

  “Took me three weeks, and I loved every single second of it. But when I hit the town limits here, I just knew. It was this feeling in the pit of my stomach that told me I was home.” I turned my dreamy gaze to Lincoln. “That probably sounds ridiculous, huh?”

  His face went gentle as he spoke in a low voice. “Not at all.”

  My gaze went dreamy again, that time for a whole different reason. My voice was barely a whisper as I said, “I’m really glad I picked this town.”

  Leaning forward, he put the container of General Tso’s chicken on the coffee table and scooted across the couch toward me. He did the same with my dinner, divesting me of my shrimp lo mein before rumbling, “I’m really fuckin’ glad you did too.”

  Then he kissed me. And god, what a kiss it was.

  His big strong hands gripped my hips so hard that I felt the pads of his fingers digging into me through my clothes. He yanked me down to my back and hovered over me, never once breaking the kiss as his body slowly sank down on mine.

  The weight of him on top of me felt like being covered by the warmest, safest blanket. His tongue drove into my mouth as I parted my legs to make room for his hips. I could feel him, long and hard beneath the denim of his jeans, pressing against the most sensitive part of me. My mouth opened wider on a low, needy moan while my hips thrust up.

  I could get lost in this kiss. I could drown in him and be happy never to come up for air. A ragged, wild sound vibrated from his chest up his throat and down mine. I swallowed it greedily, desperate for anything and everything he could give me. I wanted this to last forever. I wanted more.

  But before I could get it, Lincoln lifted his head and ended the kiss, resting his forehead against mine as we both struggled for air.

  Several seconds later, he pushed up, grabbed my hand, and pulled me from the couch. He let out a sharp whistle as we walked to the front door, and Rocky hopped up from where he’d been sleeping, curled up on my chair.

  “I had a great time tonight,” I said softly, still struggling for a full breath. “Thank you for paying for dinner.”

  He held my chin between his thumb and forefinger. “Any time, baby.” With one last peck against my lips, he pulled away and ordered, “Lock this behind me. And don’t forget to set the alarm.” Then he left.

  It took me a few seconds for my brain to stop swooning and reengage, but once it did, I did as he’d commanded and locked up, setting the alarm before getting ready for bed.

  And that night I had the most delicious dreams ever.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Eden

  It was the evening of my first ever girls’ night, and I might have gone a little overboard at the market, but I was too excited. Four bottles of wine, at least two pounds’ worth of different cheeses, every kind of deli meat that looked good, plus some little baby gherkins and carrots—each with their own dip—might have been a bit much for just Nona, Gypsy, and me, but I erred on the side of caution, choosing to have too much over too little.

  Nona was the first to arrive, with Gypsy knocking at my door just a few minutes later. Turned out the two women didn’t know each other, so I made quick introductions. Just like she’d done with me, Nona embraced Gypsy like they’d known each other for years, giving the younger woman no choice but to lower that guard she kept firmly in place and loosen up.

  We’d moved into the kitchen, and the girls made themselves comfortable on the stools I’d recushioned myself in fabric with a pretty baby blue and yellow floral pattern while I finished preparing our snacks.

  I could feel Nona’s eyes on me, burning my skin with their intensity as I carefully filled the three wineglasses on the counter. I did my best to ignore the curiosity bombarding me in waves from my two friends.

  “Just say what you wanna say already,” I told Nona as I returned the cork to the bottle. “Before your head explodes.”

  “Why do I feel like I’m missi
n’ something here?” Gypsy asked as Nona’s head fell back on a loud laugh.

  “Well, it seems our girl here has caught the eye of one of Hope Valley’s most eligible bachelors,” Nona said, still giggling like crazy.

  Gypsy’s confused gaze bounced between us like a tennis ball. “Most eligible bachelor?”

  “Lincoln Sheppard.”

  At Nona’s declaration, Gypsy pulled in a sharp gasp. “No way.”

  “Yup.” She popped the p as she smiled proudly. “It’s all over town.”

  My wide eyes darted toward her in shock. “What? How? I mean… I don’t… how?”

  “Girl, word spread like wildfire the moment you made him laugh at The Tap Room.”

  My head tilted incredulously as I stared at my friend. “What’s the big deal about that?”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen that man laugh,” Gypsy proclaimed. “I’m not sure anyone has.”

  “That can’t be true,” I objected. I’d spent a fair amount of time with the man the past few days, and in that time he’d laughed plenty. “He always laughs.”

  “Maybe around you,” Nona said, lifting her wineglass and taking a sip. “But it’s definitely not common.”

  “Yeah,” Gypsy added. “He might chuckle or smirk, but that’s the extent of it.”

  I easily recalled each and every one of the laughs I’d gotten the pleasure of seeing, and what they were saying didn’t make any sense. His laughter came easily, and the lines around his eyes showed he was no stranger to humor.

  At the realization that those laughs were my own doing, my cheeks began to flush, and I had to bite my lip against a triumphant smile.

  “Look at her,” Nona chided teasingly. “She’s getting all red and giddy.”

  Ducking my head, I busied myself arranging the assorted cheeses and deli meats on the pretty charcutier board I’d bought at the home store earlier that day. The need to open up and tell them everything was bubbling up like a Mentos dropped in a soda bottle. “We, uh, kind of kissed last night.”

  “What do you mean kind of?” Gypsy pressed.

  “Well….” I paused to bite my bottom lip as the memories of the night before came flooding back. “I mean we made out on my couch like horny teenagers until neither of us could breath,” I admitted in a rapid-fire voice, my excitement boiling over and making it impossible to hold it in for another second.

  Nona let out a squeal while Gypsy’s eyes bugged out of her head. “You didn’t!” she yelped, just as elated as Nona. “Holy shit!” She fanned herself. “That man is so damn hot.”

  “Damn straight. Now tell us everything,” Nona demanded.

  “Well, you know he came over to install that alarm last night.”

  “I knew he was here for more than just that alarm!” Nona crowed, throwing her fists in the air.

  “Anyway,” I continued with a playful roll of my eyes, “after he overheard me on the phone telling you he wasn’t into me—which, by the way, was humiliating,” I added with a glare in Nona’s direction, “he informed me I had it all wrong. He kissed me, but Rocky wasn’t a huge fan of being ignored and kinda ruined the moment.”

  “Rocky?” Gypsy asked.

  I looked in her direction. “His dog.”

  “His dog that’s skittish around most people because he’s been abused his whole life but has adored our Eden here since first laying his big puppy eyes on her.”

  Gypsy’s face went all soft and mushy as she placed a hand over her heart and let out a long “Aw!”

  “You guys are ridiculous,” I giggled.

  “So what happened after that?” Nona asked.

  “Not much.” I shrugged. “He finished installing the security system. I invited him to stay for dinner, and then we were hanging out, watching TV, and it just… happened. He leaned in and started kissing me again, and it was fantastic,” I finished, my voice going breathy and low.

  Nona looked so happy I was afraid she wouldn’t be able to contain her joy and would burst at any moment, splattering all of us with glitter and rainbows. “Then?”

  “Then nothing,” I answered with a shrug. “We kissed for so long that I thought I’d suffocate, and believe me, I’d have been totally cool with that. Then a little while later, he stopped, picked me up off the couch so I could walk him to the door, and said good night. That was it.”

  They both looked as bummed as I’d felt at the time.

  Gypsy popped a cheese cube in her mouth and munched as she asked, “Have you at least talked to him since goin’ at it like two kids whose parents left them unchaperoned for a night?”

  A dopey grin spread from cheek to cheek. “Yeah. He called earlier today. He wants to take me to dinner at some place called The Groves Saturday.”

  “The Groves? Damn, babe.”

  I took in Gypsy’s flabbergasted expression. “I take it that’s a fancy place?”

  “Uh, yeah. It’s definitely that. An expensive-as-hell steakhouse two towns over in Hildalgo.

  “Oh my god! Do you know what this means?” We both turned to Nona to find her clasping her hands and hopping on her stool. “It means we get to go shopping!”

  “Yes!” Gypsy joined in. “The Groves requires a little black dress.”

  “And Richmond isn’t far,” Nona replied, and I got the distinct impression that they’d totally forgotten I was even there as they continued talking to each other. “We can make a day of it. Coffee, shopping, then lunch. It’ll be so much fun!”

  I wouldn’t really describe that as fun. I’d never been much of a fan of shopping. I wasn’t the kind of woman who was comfortable in a mall. Whenever it was necessary, I’d go, but I’d park as close to my destination as possible, and I was in and out in half an hour with only exactly what I intended to buy. Something told me I wouldn’t get off so easy with these two in tow.

  “I’ll have to find a sitter, but I think I could swing that with enough notice.”

  Nona and I both swung our attention to Gypsy.

  “You have kids?” I asked.

  “Not technically,” she replied, popping another cheese cube in her mouth. “After kid number six, my folks decided they weren’t really into the whole parenting gig, so they took off. I’m the oldest, so raising my brothers and sisters pretty much fell to me.”

  “Oh god,” I said on an exhale, reaching across the island to put my hand on hers. “Honey, I’m so sorry.”

  She lifted a shoulder like it was no big deal, but suddenly that hardness in her eyes started making a whole lot of sense. “It is what it is. It’s not really that bad. The oldest are fifteen and sixteen, so they help me out a lot with the little ones.”

  “How old are you, doll?” Nona asked, her face wrinkled in concern for her new friend. “You don’t look nearly old enough to have so much on your plate.”

  “Twenty-four. But trust me, I have more than enough life experience to qualify.”

  My fingers clenched around hers, offering as much comfort as a touch could. “Is that why you work two jobs?”

  “Two jobs?” Nona asked, looking between us.

  “Yeah, I met Gypsy at the market. She was the cashier I was telling you about at The Tap Room. The one Harley Madison was being rude to.”

  “Man, I hate that bitch,” Nona seethed, her top lip curling in disgust.

  “Feeling’s mutual babe,” Gypsy said, bringing her wineglass to her lips and taking a healthy drink. “I’ve got five mouths to feed, not including my own. And thanks to my wayward parents, I had to drop outta school before I got my diploma, so I’m not exactly qualified to do much of anything. I check groceries during the day and strip at night, so as far as she’s concerned, I’m a trailer trash whore who’s ripe for the picking.”

  “Who the hell is she to judge?” Nona snapped. “So you’re a stripper, who gives a damn? She’s the one who goes around screwin’ married men. She’s got no business castin’ stones, trust me.”

  Gypsy’s eyes widened as she pointed at Nona. “You
rs?”

  “Yeah. Better believe he’s an ex now. Unfortunately, I can’t bring myself to break my kids’ hearts by telling them what a loser their dad really is, so for now I’m the bad guy.”

  “Shit, babe, that sucks. I’m really sorry.”

  I looked between the two women I’d only known for a short time but had come to respect tremendously. I’d never been anywhere long enough to have friends, and as far as I was concerned, the first ones I picked were top of the line. I knew down to my very bones that I could tell them anything. And it was for that very reason that I found myself wanting to tell them about the one thing that had been weighing heaviest on me.

  “Well, if we’re sharing sob stories, I’ve got one of my own. Turns out my piece-of-shit big brother tracked me down. He broke into my house yesterday, looking for me to bail him out of whatever trouble he’s gotten himself into now. And when it comes to him, the trouble’s always big.”

  Nona winced. “Shit.”

  “Yeah,” I replied flatly. “That about sums it up.”

  Gypsy’s face twisted into a comically puzzled expression. “What am I missin’?”

  Turning to Gypsy, my face fell into a frown. “Let’s just say you’re not the only one Harley Madison would consider trailer trash. If she knew what I grew up with, I’d have an even bigger target on my back than you do.”

  “Between the two of you, I’m not sure whose folks are worse,” Nona grumbled.

  Gypsy’s pity-filled eyes came back to me. “That bad?”

  “Times a thousand,” I answered. “And with Shep being in town, it’s just a matter of time before the shit hits the fan.” I drained my wineglass, in desperate need of the fortification the alcohol provided.

  Nona’s voice was filled with anger as she bit out, “I can’t believe that asshole broke into your house.”

  “Believe me, it’s not a surprise. And it’s the least of what he’s done.”

  “Here’s to us,” Gypsy suddenly declared, lifting her wineglass in the air, Nona and I following suit as she finished her toast, “and the shitty people in our lives. If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t have thick skin and know how to fight and scratch our way to the top.”