by Jo McNally
“Do you mind having company up there?”
She shook her head, straightening against the cliff again. “Not if that company is you.”
He climbed that little path up the side of the rock like it was nothing. He hesitated, then sat next to her, with his legs out in front of him like hers were. He looked out at the lake. Not at her. Her heart fluttered in her chest. They sat like that for several minutes before he spoke, his voice like honey and electricity in her veins.
“Don was never in Gallant Lake.”
“I got texts. He knew where I was.”
“I saw the texts. He knew about Gallant Lake, but he’s not here.”
She turned to him in surprise. “You opened my phone? How?”
“Seriously?” He gave her the first glimmer of a smile. “Your password is 1111. It wasn’t that hard. He’s not here, Cass. He’s in Milwaukee. They arrested him there this morning and found the phones he’s been using. You’re safe.”
She didn’t answer. All that panic. For nothing. She was overwhelmed with exhaustion.
Nick nudged her shoulder with his. It was an innocent move, but the contact instantly had her nerves on end. His eyes met hers.
“That was pretty smart, hiding up here. But it doesn’t surprise me. You’re a pretty smart lady. You can take care of yourself.” He grew more solemn. “You’ve always been able to take care of yourself, Cassie. You never needed me. Not now. Not before.”
She let those words settle in. She hadn’t realized how much she needed to hear them. She thought she could dismiss their argument and forgive everything. But forgiving wasn’t the same as forgetting. It meant a lot to know he’d heard her on Friday.
“Thank you for saying that. I’m sorry about what I...”
He put his finger to her lips. “You were right. About everything. I mean, yeah, you twisted me up a little too closely with Don, but I get it.” His words came out in a rush. “I was all tangled up with my guilt over Jada and the anger I hadn’t dealt with... And then I fell in love with you and it scared the daylights out of me. The stronger my feelings got, the more I kept thinking that I couldn’t lose someone else like that. I couldn’t stand having you out of my sight, and I smothered you. I know that now. I see how it could make you think I was doing it for all the wrong reasons...”
Cassie moved his finger aside so she could speak.
“Say that again.”
His brows rose.
“All of it?”
“The only part that matters.” She needed to be sure she’d heard him right. He looked at the ground for a second, rewinding his rambling speech. Then his mouth curled into a smile, his eyes deepening to the color of hot, black coffee. He cupped her face with his hand and leaned in, repeating the words against her lips before he kissed her.
“I fell in love with you.”
She sighed and let him kiss her. Let him pull her onto his lap and tip her back and kiss her until she was dizzy. When he lifted his head, she was clinging to his shoulders. Then she released her hold, fell back and grinned up at him as she stretched her arms out wide. It felt as if she was dangling over the edge of the mountain, with the lake glistening blue beyond them. Nick was bemused.
“Whatcha doin’, slugger?”
“I’m letting you take care of me, Nick.” She glanced up at him before gazing back out at the dizzying upside-down view. “I am able to take care of myself. And I will take care of myself. But it’s okay to lean on the arms of the man I love and trust him to keep me safe.”
Nick pulled her upright so fast she gasped, resting her hands on his arms.
“Say that again.” His voice was thick with emotion.
Their smiles mirrored each other.
“All of it?”
“Just the part that matters.”
“I love you, Nick. And I trust you.” He kissed her again, scattering her thoughts until all she felt were his lips and his hands sliding under her shirt and up her back.
“God, Cassie, I love you so much. Don’t ever leave me again. You promised you wouldn’t.”
She pulled away, pinched with guilt at the pain she saw in his eyes.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know where we stood after that horrid fight. I was afraid I’d blown everything. When I saw that kid grab his girlfriend and threaten to hit her I...kinda lost it. The mistake was that I lost it with you.” She gave him a quick kiss. “I got a little carried away with my newfound independence and daring-do, and it went to my head. Then the text came through last night and...”
He placed his lips on her forehead and stayed there, as if reveling in the moment, before he answered.
“I went all caveman on you. I took your victory away. I get it. But from now on...”
She snuggled into his arms and finished the sentence. “From now on, you and I will talk things through and trust each other. I’ll trust you to take care of me without making me feel helpless...”
“And I’ll trust you to make the right decisions for yourself, even if they aren’t the decisions I’d make.” He kissed her. “I’ll trust you to love me, even when I’m an overprotective husband.”
“Husband? Did I miss a question somewhere?”
“The question won’t come until there’s a ring in my hand, but trust me, it’s coming.”
“O-kay. Then I’ll trust you to love me, even when I’m a stubbornly independent wife.”
“Sounds like we may be having a few...um...fun discussions down the road.”
“Maybe. But as long as we remember the love-and-trust part, I think we’ll be okay.” She cupped his face with her hands. “You were wrong earlier, Nick. You said I didn’t need you, but I do. I need you as much as I need the air I’m breathing. When those ‘fun’ discussions come up in the future, and I’m sure they will, we have to remember that need. That promise to love and trust.”
He pulled her close. “We’ll write it into our vows.” He grinned. “I’m sorry, that sounded bossy, didn’t it? I suggest we put it into our vows. Only if you agree, of course.”
She chuckled against his chest. “I think that’s a very good ‘suggestion.’ And now to a more important question...”
He looked down at her, one brow raised, waiting.
“Do you have food in that pack of yours? Because I am starving!”
Nick laughed and reached for the pack while cradling her in his other arm.
“You know I do. And water, too.”
“I can always count on you, Nick.”
With a quick twist, he laid her back on the rock and rested on top of her, his hand running down her side and around to her buttocks, pulling her up against him.
“Yeah, you can always count on me, babe. Don’t ever forget that.”
She knew what he was thinking, and frankly, she was thinking the same thing.
“What if someone hikes up to the Kissing Rock this morning?”
“On a Monday? Highly unlikely. I think we’re safe.” He kissed her. “Well, I don’t know if safe is the right word. I never feel safe with you, because you make me crazy.” He kissed her again. “I love you, Cassidy Zetticci. And I’ll never stop loving you. You still hungry?”
“Oh, I’m hungry, alright. Hungry for you. I love you, Nick West.”
“Don’t ever stop loving me, Cass. It’ll break me.”
“I couldn’t stop loving you if I tried. Always.”
He kissed her.
“And forever.”
* * *
Keep an eye out for the next book in the
Gallant Lake Stories
It Started at Christmas
coming in December 2019
from Harlequin Special Edition!
Keep reading for an excerpt from This Time for Keeps by Rochelle Alers.
Join Harlequin My Rewards today and earn a FRE
E ebook!
Click here to Join Harlequin My Rewards
http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010003
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Special Edition story.
You know that romance is for life. Harlequin Special Edition stories show that every chapter in a relationship has its challenges and delights and that love can be renewed with each turn of the page.
Enjoy six new stories from Harlequin Special Edition every month!
Connect with us on Harlequin.com for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!
Other ways to keep in touch:
Harlequin.com/newsletters
Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
HarlequinBlog.com
Join Harlequin My Rewards and reward the book lover in you!
Earn points for every Harlequin print and ebook you buy, wherever and whenever you shop.
Turn your points into FREE BOOKS of your choice
OR
EXCLUSIVE GIFTS from your favorite authors or series.
Click here to join for FREE
Or visit us online to register at
www.HarlequinMyRewards.com
Harlequin My Rewards is a free program (no fees) without any commitments or obligations.
This Time for Keeps
by Rochelle Alers
Chapter One
Nicole Campos paced the length of the front porch as she waited for the arrival of the local mechanic to check out why her SUV would not start. Any other time she would not have been so anxious, but this morning was different. She was scheduled to appear at the Johnson County courthouse for a hearing that concerned her nephews.
It had been only two months since she’d assumed the role as temporary legal guardian for six-year-old Luke and eight-year-old Daniel Campos after their father had agreed to check into a residential substance abuse treatment facility for his opioid addiction. It had taken several weeks for her brother to agree to sign the documents giving her power of attorney for his finances and custody of his sons until after he’d completed the six-month program.
The sound of an approaching automobile garnered her attention and she came down off the porch to see a black pickup with Austen Auto & Sons painted on the side door pull up alongside her three-year-old Toyota Pathfinder. Jesse Austen had owned and operated the only auto repair shop in Wickham Falls for decades. There was a running joke throughout the town that every refrigerator door in The Falls had a magnet advertising the business.
Nicole came off the last step at the same time the driver got out of the pickup. Her breath caught in her chest, making it difficult for her to breathe until she was forced to release it. When she’d called and asked for someone to look at her car, the man who’d answered the phone had not told her that one of the owners would come to check it out.
It had been seventeen years since she had come face-to-face with Fletcher Austen. The last time was the day of their high school graduation; what he’d said to her weeks before was imprinted in her memory like a permanent tattoo.
However, she had to admit time had been extra kind to him because Fletcher was more handsome than she’d remembered. His large brown eyes with glints of amber appeared to twinkle in amusement in his lean face with its perfectly symmetrical features. His smooth complexion was reminiscent of golden-brown autumn leaves. Their senior class had voted him Best-Looking and All-Around Athlete.
“How have you been, Fletcher?”
Nicole did not recognize her own voice because it had dropped an octave. It was obvious after so many years that she was still very attracted to him.
He crossed muscular arms over his chest and angled his head. “That’s what I should be asking you, Nikki. How are you doing?”
A slight smile parted her lips. “I’m taking it one day at a time taking care of my nephews.”
Day by day meant she no longer had to think of herself. Now she got up earlier than usual to prepare breakfast and make certain her nephews were showered and dressed before the school bus arrived. Now she spent early evenings and afternoons checking homework and/or driving them to their counseling sessions. She had also accepted a temporary part-time position to assist local attorney Preston McAvoy in clearing up a pileup of cases that had resulted when his partner left for another position.
Her annoyance with the vehicle that wouldn’t start was exacerbated by her summons to appear in court for a matter that could have been resolved with an in-person meeting. Her brother’s in-laws wanted visitation privileges and Nicole would have been more than willing to grant their request without going to court. She knew her nephews’ maternal grandparents asking for temporary custodial guardianship was totally monetary based. As a college assistant defensive football coach, her brother, Reggie, earned a mid-six-figure salary. He had complained to her that he’d felt like a personal piggy bank for his wife’s family, which was why Nicole had convinced him to agree to permit her to manage his finances until his return.
The day she’d received the telephone call that her brother and his wife had been involved in a vehicular accident—after their minivan had skidded out of control during an ice storm—had changed Nicole’s life forever. Her sister-in-law, five months pregnant with her third child, had died at the scene. Reggie had been airlifted to the trauma hospital in the state’s capital with broken legs, head injuries and fractured vertebrae.
Reggie, released from hospital after several weeks, had been transferred to a rehabilitation center. His chronic pain had led to an addiction to pain meds and, eventually, to heroin. Months later Nicole, realizing his dependence on drugs was out of control, had arranged, with the assistance of her parents, for him to enter a treatment facility. She’d stayed long enough to resign her position with the Miami law firm she’d worked for, close up her town home and return to West Virginia.
“I’m really sorry to hear about your brother losing Melissa, and his boys their mother.”
Nicole nodded. She had lost count of the number of times people had offered their condolences and empathy for the horrific event that had changed her family’s dynamics. “Thank you, Fletcher.”
He lowered his arms. “What’s wrong with your vehicle?”
Nicole lifted her shoulders under the suit jacket. “It just won’t start,” she said, grateful he had changed the topic.
Fletcher opened the driver’s-side door and slipped in behind the wheel. He adjusted the seat to accommodate his longer legs. “The radio works, so I know it’s not the battery,” he said.
She took a backward step when he got out and opened the hood, forcing herself not to stare at the slim-cut jeans hugging his hips as he leaned over. He’d rolled back the cuffs on his work shirt to reveal strong wrists and forearms with several tattoos. When he’d crossed his arms over his chest, the muscles in his biceps strained against the fabric of the chambray shirt. The last time she’d seen Jesse Fletcher Austen, he was tall, gangly and an incredibly fast sprinter.
As the wide receiver for the school football team, he had broken and set records for two consecutive years. But now, at thirty-five, it was as if he had acquired a monopoly on virility. He had grown a couple of inches; his upper body had filled out and was powerfully muscled. Nicole knew he had been offered athletic scholarships from several colleges but had rejected them all to enlist in the army, which had shocked most folks in The Falls. He had been that good. Two months following their graduation, Fletcher began basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia, as she began her freshman year in the NROTC program at the University of Virginia.
Nicole glanced at her watch. If Fletcher couldn’t start the Pathfinder, she would be forced to call the car service in Mineral Springs. She never understood why Wickham Falls did not have a taxi service.
Fletcher stood st
raight and closed the hood. “All the cables and hoses look okay, so I can’t tell what’s wrong until it’s towed to the shop. We’ll have to put it through an electronic diagnostic test.”
Nicole ran a hand over her short hair at the same time she smothered a curse under her breath. She shook her head and exhaled. “I don’t want to believe this.” She looked at her watch again, realizing she had less than thirty minutes to make it to the courthouse. “Tow it, Fletcher.”
“Where are you going?” he asked when she turned to go back into the house.
“I have to call Mineral Springs for a taxi. I need to get to the family court by nine thirty.”
“Forget the taxi. I’ll take you.”
Nicole stopped and turned to face Fletcher. “You don’t have to do that.”
He smiled, bringing her gaze to linger on the elusive dimple in his right cheek. “Yes, I do. After all, it’s the least I can do to offer an apology for what I said to you when we were back in school.”
She wanted to tell Fletcher there was little he could do to erase the acerbic words. Words that, at seventeen, had made her question her appearance and femininity when she compared herself to some of the more glamorous girls who wore the latest designer fashions and had standing appointments for their hair and nails. It had taken years before Nicole realized her self-worth wasn’t about how she looked or what she wore, but her achievements.
“You really don’t have to do that, Fletcher,” she repeated.
He removed a handkerchief from a pocket of his jeans and wiped his hands. “Yes, I do, Nicole. If we continue to stand here debating how you can get to the courthouse, you’ll definitely be late.”
She knew he was right and serious when he’d called her Nicole rather than Nikki. Even if she did call for a taxi, she didn’t know how long it would take for the dispatcher to send a car to pick her up. “Okay. I need to get my tote from behind the front seat.”
Fletcher nodded. “I’ll call the shop and have one of the guys tow it.”
Nicole retrieved her tote as Fletcher opened the passenger-side door to the pickup. She’d just hiked up the pencil skirt to allow her easier access into the truck when Fletcher’s hands circled her waist and lifted her effortlessly until she was settled on the seat.