by Nash, Willa
“And you seem like a good father.”
“I’m not his dad.”
Lucy’s feet came to a halt. “You’re not?”
“No. Sorry, I forget that not everyone is from Calamity.” I didn’t have to explain my relationship with Travis to the locals. “I dated his mom years ago. We broke up when Travis was twelve but I stayed in his life.”
Besides his grandfather, I was the closest thing Travis had to a father. He might not be mine by blood, but I loved that kid.
“Ah. Now it makes sense,” Lucy said, ungluing her feet. “I’m guessing he wants you to get back together with his mom.”
“Pretty much.” It hadn’t taken her long to peg Travis’s attitude. “I’ve told him a hundred times it’s not going to happen, but . . .”
“Kids always hope.”
I nodded. “Melanie and I dated for two years. In the end, I realized the only reason I was staying was for Travis. He needed a constant and that constant was me. And even though I’m not with his mom anymore, I didn’t want to lose him. So I do my best to keep up on his life. Be the guy he can count on.”
She stopped walking again and stared at my profile, her eyes full of disbelief. The skepticism only lasted a heartbeat before she blinked it away and gave me a warm smile. “He’s lucky to have you.”
“Goes both ways.”
We reached my truck and I dug the keys from my pocket, hitting the locks and opening her door, but she didn’t get in. She stood on the grass, studying me.
“You keep looking at me like that,” I said. “Like you’re trying to figure me out.”
“Maybe I am.”
“I’m not a complicated man, Lucy.”
“No, I think you might be the most complicated man I’ve ever met.”
I laughed. “Give it time. You’ll see I’m about as simple as they come.”
She took a step closer. Her hand reached up to pick at a fleck on my shirt. Any bewilderment in her gaze was gone. Instead, there was heat. Lust. Want. My heart stuttered as she lifted her lashes, giving me a sultry smile. “In Yellowstone, in the parking lot, I thought you were going to kiss me.”
Damn, I liked that she could cut straight to it. “I wanted to.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“I wasn’t expecting to see you again.”
“But here I am.”
“Here you are.” I lifted a hand and trailed my fingers over the bare skin of her shoulder.
“So?”
So she wouldn’t have to invite me twice. I leaned in, ready to brush my lips against hers, when a horn honked, and I whipped my head up as a familiar SUV drove past.
“Hey, Duke!” Dan, the owner of the hardware store, waved from behind the wheel.
“Hi, Dan!” I lifted the hand that had been on Lucy’s skin.
Dan was a good guy. He ran a successful business and contributed a lot to our community. He’d hired Travis. And he’d fired Travis. He’d called me immediately afterward, apologizing profusely. I’d assured him it was the right decision, and had I been in his shoes, I would have done the same.
“Never a day off, huh?” Lucy asked, stepping away.
“Not in Calamity.” I moved aside and held the door as she climbed in my truck.
When she was settled, I slammed it closed and took a breath, giving myself a second to get my body under control. Damn, but it was tempting to drive her to my house and strip those skintight running clothes off her delicious body.
This woman. Lucy. Jade. Lajade. Whatever she wanted to call herself, it didn’t matter. She had me twisted in knots.
And at the moment, that didn’t seem like such a bad thing.
Chapter Seven
Lucy
Duke Evans was as addictive as hot stage lights and a silky, Southern twang.
He’d almost kissed me. And I’d almost let him. I’d find a way to get over this bribe issue if it meant indulging my crush on the local sheriff. Sure, things would get awkward when I brought him a wad of cash. After all, maybe the reason he’d almost kissed me was for the money.
The woman who hadn’t been kissed in a long, long time didn’t care.
“What’s your plan for the rest of the day?” Duke asked as he drove toward the farmhouse. He rolled down the windows and the breeze tousled the long strands of hair that had escaped his hat.
“Not much. I’ve been on a baking spree.”
“What’d you make?” he asked, his voice low and smooth.
Duke drove with one hand on the wheel while his other arm was propped on the console between us. I hadn’t really noticed a man’s driving posture before, but as with everything Duke, the should-have-been-mundane details jumped out at me like fireworks. His entire demeanor shouted confidence. He was so relaxed in his skin and sexy as hell. The man was driving and I was practically drooling.
He glanced over and raised an eyebrow. Right. He’d asked me a question.
I faced forward and unscrambled my brain. “Cookies. Cinnamon rolls. Banana muffins.”
“You’ve been busy.”
“There’s not much else for me to do. Going from a hare’s speed to turtle pace has been an adjustment. At this point, I’m searching for things to do. Hence the running this morning.”
“My mom’s a teacher. She always says it takes her a couple of weeks every summer to slow down and transition from kid wrangler to domestic goddess.” He reached into the cupholder and plucked out a packet of gum. “Want one?”
“Sure.” I unfolded the wrapper and popped the sweet mint stick into my mouth as he did the same, then I opened my mouth to say something and . . . whoa.
We were rolling through a different neighborhood than the one I’d walked through, but instead of staring at the homes and getting my bearings, my attention was locked on the bob of Duke’s Adam’s apple and the flex of his strong, square jaw.
I bet he had a talented tongue. My experience with men was relatively limited—fame was a jealous lover and wanted nothing more than your undivided attention—but if a man could chew gum like that, I bet his tongue knew its way around a woman’s lips.
And other places.
I gulped as a curl of lust tightened in my lower belly. It was impossible to ignore or stifle being in this truck, surrounded by his spicy sandalwood scent.
Duke turned onto First Street and the quiet sidewalks from earlier were now teeming with people. The once empty parking spaces were full. I pulled the brim of my hat a little lower and slumped in my seat. Every tourist in Calamity seemed to be out exploring this morning, and riding in Duke’s police truck drew attention.
Maybe I should have insisted on walking.
“Don’t worry.” He glanced over. “At least you’re not in the backseat wearing cuffs.”
I rolled my eyes and fought a laugh as I looked over my shoulder through the clear partition. This was my first time in a police vehicle. There was a laptop between us, the lid closed, and a radio that had a constantly blinking green light. Beneath it was an array of buttons and switches that I assumed controlled the siren and the lights on the roof.
My fingers itched to touch one of them, so I tucked my hands beneath my thighs, keeping my chin down as Duke drove down First.
“Do you know how Calamity got its name?” he asked.
“No. I just assumed it was from Calamity Jane.”
“Well, she did live around here as a kid, but that’s not where the town got its name. Calamity was originally called Panner City.”
“Doesn’t quite roll off the tongue.” It definitely wouldn’t have piqued my interest during those hours of internet searching for a hideaway.
“No, it doesn’t.” Duke chuckled. If this conversation was to ease my concerns, it was working. “It was started as a settlement during the Montana gold rush and by 1864, almost three thousand miners lived in the area.”
I twisted in my seat, fascinated by the story. “More than live here today.”
“You’ve done some research.”
>
“A little.” But not enough to have read this story.
“In the course of five months, four disasters struck Panner City. First, the mine collapsed in Anders Gulch and killed a dozen men. Then there was a heavy spring storm that flooded the area and washed out most of the smaller panning sites and claims. Then there was a fire that spread through town. And last but not least, they had a late-summer lightning storm. It caused a herd of cattle to have an honest-to-God stampede through the settlement. All in the span of five months.”
“Wow.”
He grinned. “Goodbye, Panner City.”
“Hello, Calamity.” I laughed. “Why don’t they have that story on the town website?”
“The chamber thought it might send the wrong impression. That if tourists came here, they were risking their lives.”
Silly. That story made this place even more rugged and attractive, like the narrator himself. “Thanks for telling me.”
Duke looked over and his blue eyes ensnared me. “Welcome.”
Whatever worry I’d had about being recognized had disappeared but as Duke pulled off the highway and onto my gravel road, a new thrill took hold and my stomach did a cartwheel. It was just the two of us. Alone. After he’d almost kissed me.
Should I invite him inside? Would he drop me off and leave? The dull throb in my core begged for the latter. An invitation. Inside.
My face flamed. Today had to be a record for dirty thoughts. I blamed Duke for being so potent. Being around him was exhilarating and tense. It was reckless for me to be thirsting for the one person in town who knew my real identity, the person I’d bribed into silence, but my body didn’t care.
Neither did my heart of hearts.
Besides the bribe, Duke was honest and kind. He didn’t seem to care about my fame or fortune and hadn’t once tried to exploit me for more. Most assholes would have rejected my initial offer and asked for double.
But Duke hadn’t mentioned the money, had he? Why was that? Wouldn’t he want to know when it was payday? The only one who kept bringing it up in our conversations was me. Huh.
The driveway was empty when he pulled in front of the farmhouse, because I’d started parking in the garage. Duke had barely come to a stop when I blurted, “Want to come inside for a muffin?”
He hesitated, staring past me to the house. My heart was in my throat as he silently debated my question. We both knew if he came inside, there’d be no more almost about any kiss. Duke finally answered by shoving the truck into park and twisting the key out of the ignition.
My mind was spinning as I hopped out. Anticipation hummed in my veins as I climbed the porch steps.
Duke wasn’t far behind as I walked to the door and took the key from the small pocket in my leggings. His gaze burned a hot trail down my neck. The magnitude of his presence pinned me in place. There was no ignoring a man like Duke, not when he was within touching distance.
I fumbled the key before it finally slid into the lock. I flicked my wrist and turned the knob, only to get a whiff of myself in the process.
Oh. My. God. I smelled like wet dog and seaweed.
The door bounced against the stop as I flung it open, practically leaping over the threshold, anything to put some space between me and Duke. Why hadn’t I thought this through? I’d almost let this gorgeous, delicious man kiss me when I was a hot mess.
“Can I have ten minutes?” I asked, already racing up the stairs. “Just . . . make yourself at home. I’ll be right back. Ten minutes.” Twenty, max. I’d never taken a ten-minute shower in my life but damn it, today would be that day. My legs had renewed strength as I pounded up the stairs. “Muffins are in the kitchen!” I called over my shoulder, rounding the railing.
I stripped off my tank top, stiff with dried sweat, and threw it on my bed as I dashed through the bedroom. I ducked my nose to my armpit and gagged. Oh hell, what if Duke had smelled me in his truck? Was that why he’d rolled the windows down?
Shit. I collapsed on the bed, rumpling the bedding that I’d artfully made this morning, as I shoved off my leggings and kicked off my shoes. Naked, I balled up my smelly clothes, tossed them in the hamper in the closet, then hurried to the en suite bathroom.
The water in this old house took minutes to warm but I cranked it on and stepped under the cold spray, wincing and swallowing a yelp. I shampooed with fury. I conditioned haphazardly. I soaped up my shower poof and scrubbed until I no longer smelled like a man’s dirty jockstrap.
I toweled off, dragged a comb through my hair and twisted it into a dripping knot. I didn’t give much thought to my clothes as I slipped on a pair of denim shorts and a green tee over my favorite neon-yellow panties and matching bra.
Duke was in the living room, staring out the front window at the blue mountains in the distance, when I came downstairs.
“Sorry,” I said, sweeping into the room on bare feet.
“No problem.” Duke shifted away from the window and nodded to the room. The couch that used to face the window was now opposite the fireplace. I’d swapped it with the chairs and moved the coffee table to a different angle. “Looks like you’ve been busy.”
“More like desperate for entertainment.”
I’d rearranged almost every room in the farmhouse, choosing layouts that suited me best. Or that were just different for the sake of something different. Besides baking, rearranging had been my favorite pastime.
Duke grinned and his eyes held me captive. They were bluer than normal with the daylight streaming into the room. Two cerulean pools that I wanted to dive into headfirst.
Neither of us spoke. Neither of us moved. The tension grew thick and the air in the room heavy.
Maybe the fact that I’d been upstairs, naked, was the reason Duke seemed rooted on the other side of the room. Maybe I should have spent another minute in the shower thinking this through.
Except the last thing I wanted was to think. The past week, all I’d done was overthink. I’d questioned my every move.
Had running been the answer? Was I a coward for leaving Nashville?
Insecurity had been slicing through my thoughts regularly and it had taken all my energy to not let it shred me to ribbons.
Had I been too harsh? Was there something I could have done to save Meghan?
Her smile had flashed in my mind countless times in the past four weeks. Her laugh echoed in the farmhouse on the still nights. The sight of her lifeless body soaking in a pool of her own blood haunted my dreams.
I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. I wanted to ask her why.
But she was gone.
“Lucy.” Duke’s voice caught my attention and I shook myself out of my head.
“Yeah?”
“What’s going on?”
“Oh, nothing.” I waved it off and smiled. “Sorry. I think I’m still a little lightheaded from that run. So how about that muffin?”
“Actually, I think we’d better skip the muffin. How about we sit down and talk about the reason you left Nashville and changed your name?”
“But—”
“Lucy.” He used the same tone on me that he had on Travis. “Sit down.”
I groaned. “It’s been such a nice morning. Let’s not ruin it. Please.”
He fisted his hands on his hips. “Lu—”
“You took the bribe. You agreed to keep my secret. So can we just drop this? Whether I tell you my story or not, you’ll still get your money.” The words sounded trite and repetitive. I cringed, regretting my outburst instantly as his face turned to stone.
Duke strode out of the room, blowing past me on his way to the door. “Good luck, Ms. Ross.”
Damn it. What was my problem? “Wait,” I said, my throat hoarse.
The door flew open and Duke stepped onto the porch, not slowing.
“Wait.” I raced after him. “Please.”
He stopped and turned his cheek, giving me one ear and maybe five seconds. The silhouette of his body took up nearly the whole doorframe.
“I’m sorry. That was . . . I’m sorry.”
If he left today and never returned, I wouldn’t fault him. What gorgeous, devilishly sexy, single man needed my kind of drama in his life? Especially when I kept reminding him of that insane bribe.
It was only money. I had plenty to spare. Maybe Duke wanted to use the cash for Travis’s college education. Maybe he was hoping to help fund his parents’ retirement. Maybe—
“I don’t want the money.” He shook his head and turned. “I was never going to take it. Should have told you no from the start.”
I blinked. “What?”
“I’m not taking your bribe.”
No. My heart plummeted and my mouth went dry as panic set in. “I can get more money. I just need some time. Please, please don’t tell—”
“For fuck’s sake, Lucy. I don’t want your goddamn money. I’m not going to tell anyone who you really are, just because you asked me not to.”
I gulped and dropped the hands that had been flailing in the air. “You aren’t?”
“No.”
“But . . .” This seemed too good to be true. “But why did you agree to the bribe?”
“Because I need to know why you’re here. I need to know what I’m dealing with. For your safety. For the town. For me. The easiest way to keep you from slamming the door in my face was to make you think you owed me something. Figured you’d be more willing to talk if I was on the hook. Turns out, you just keep throwing it in my face.”
“You don’t want the money.”
“No.” His jaw clenched. “For the last time, I don’t want your fucking money.”
“Then what do you want?”
“Nothing.”
“That’s not how the world works.”
“Maybe.” He sighed. “But this is Calamity.”
A world of its own. A world where good men existed. Where I wouldn’t be exploited or betrayed or despised.
The knot in my stomach unraveled. My heart soared.
Duke was the quintessential, unprecedented good man. I’d been denying it, scared to trust in his decency. But deep in my heart, maybe I’d already known the truth.