by Weiss, Sonya
“I’m not going in there. The cute, young blonde always gets picked off first.” Shelly shivered.
“Does the hair color count when it comes from a bottle?” Harper teased her cousin.
“Whatever.” Shelly waved a hand. “I’ll wait in the van. With the bottle of wine I brought.”
“In that case, I should stay and protect the wine. I mean, everyone,” Jean said.
Beverly laughed and motioned Josie forward.
“What is this place?” Josie asked.
“You’ll see soon enough. Follow me.” Beverly picked her way over the ruts in the road and walked toward the wooded area. The darkness and the small circle of light combined with the hooting of an owl sent chills up Josie’s spine.
They walked until they reached a small cluster of trees. The largest one had a square tree house built halfway to the top of it. There were two windows and even a small porch. “Watch your step.” Beverly pointed to the wooden slats nailed to the tree and then climbed up them.
Josie tucked her flashlight into her pocket and climbed up after her.
Inside, the tree house held remnants of a long-ago childhood. A skateboard, a fishing rod, and a remote-control car missing a wheel.
Beverly shined her light at a crudely drawn child’s map tacked to one wall. “This land belongs to my father-in-law. The northern end of it butts up against the river that runs behind Morganville.”
“Did their grandfather build this for your sons?”
“Oh no. My boys built this place themselves one summer after they got into such an awful fight that I was afraid they’d kill each other.” Beverly laughed. “My husband was out of town, which was usually when the boys tried to push my boundaries. I loaded them in the car and dropped them off with their grandparents. I told the boys they couldn’t come home until they were ready to act like brothers.”
Josie touched an old lunchbox sitting on a block of wood. “What were they fighting about?”
“Who knows? Probably a girl. They camped out with their grandfather and worked on the house while he supervised. It forced them to spend time together and work out their issue.”
Josie squirmed, guessing that Beverly was not so subtly hinting that she and Lincoln should keep working on their issues.
“Open the lunch box.”
Josie blew the dust off and then unfastened the latches. Some greeting cards and a letter tumbled to the wooden floor along with a photograph. She picked them up. “I gave these to Lincoln—”
“The year he broke his leg.” Beverly looked through the window like she was picturing it. “He was such a bear. Until you’d come over and then it was like someone let the sunshine in.”
Josie put the cards and letter back into the lunchbox. She remembered writing them, deliberately trying to be at her funniest to make Lincoln laugh. She reached for the picture and brought it into the glow of her flashlight.
She and Lincoln were on the hood of a car at her high school graduation. Her parents had done the usual and deposited money into her college fund, which was paid by a trust directly to the college. Lincoln and his brothers had scraped together the money to buy her that secondhand car. It was a stick shift and he’d spent weeks that summer teaching her how to drive it, then they’d celebrated by going to the lake. Best summer of her life.
“I don’t understand any of this.” She shook off the emotions that the memories stirred up.
“Grayson told me that the night that Savannah broke up with him, Lincoln came out to this tree house, and he brought those cards and the letter you’d given him along. It’s interesting to me that when he was hurting, the one person he thought of was you.”
“I was out of town when they broke up,” Josie said softly.
“I know. Maybe he decided that having something you’d written was like having you close.”
The hope and love in his mother’s eyes was her undoing. “Beverly, I can’t do this anymore.” Josie put the photo with the cards. “Lincoln and I aren’t really together. We never have been. I told a lie and roped him into a fake relationship and then things just snowballed from there—”
“Honestly, Josie, do you think I’m stupid?”
Wide-eyed and confused, she said, “What? No, of course not.”
“I’ve known from the start that you and my son aren’t really dating.”
Josie didn’t know what to say, or how to react. “But…you played along and never said a word.”
Beverly sighed. “Because my son needs you. He just doesn’t realize it yet.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“Earlier tonight you said, ‘Sometimes friends mistake friendship feelings for love,’ and I say that sometimes friends mistake love for friendship.”
“Lincoln isn’t open to a relationship. He may never be. Not after Savannah.”
Beverly clenched her jaw. “Savannah…that woman…I was so glad to see her leave and take all that drama with her. I know she did something that wrecked Lincoln, but he won’t talk about it. At least not to any of us.” She touched the lunchbox. “You could get through to him.”
“I’m not sure I can.” He’d made no move to confide in her since they’d become closer, and before that, he’d pulled away from her completely.
Beverly smiled. “Trust a mother’s instinct. You can.”
“How do you know?”
“Lincoln values your opinion because he’s interested in you.”
“I think your instinct led you on a wild goose chase.”
“We’ll see.” Beverly glanced at her watch. “Anyway, we’d better get back to the others before my mother does something to get us all arrested.”
Josie took one last look around, head spinning with all she’d learned, and then climbed back down the ladder after Beverly. Once they reached the ground, she dusted her hands together. “This whole time, then, you were just egging Lincoln and me on.”
“That’s right.”
“That’s pretty devious.”
“Have you met my mother?”
They both laughed.
“I don’t know, you were pretty good when it came to pushing Casey and Kent together.”
“No, no.” Beverly held up a finger. “I nudged. There’s a difference.”
“Okay, just don’t nudge Lincoln and me.”
Beverly aimed her flashlight at the path. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
Chapter Thirteen
Lincoln had kissed Josie last night and like a goober, he’d wanted to clutch her against him and keep on kissing her. Thankfully, he knew the reason for his crazy thinking was because he’d tossed and turned for hours, only falling asleep just before dawn. Sleep deprivation could impair cognitive function. Everyone knew that. It explained why he’d had trouble walking away from Josie and her incredible body and soft lips and— Yeah, he definitely had to get some extra sleep tonight.
There was no problem, he told himself. His brain wasn’t having difficulty finding the line between reality and fake in their relationship. He’d be kind of an idiot if that happened. It wouldn’t, of course, because he knew where the line was. Right smack down the middle between the two camps of he-wasn’t-crazy-enough-to-get-into-a-relationship and never-with-Josie.
Before he knew it, he was pulling up outside her house to pick her up for dinner with the councilman and his wife. Once he parked he barely made it up her porch steps before she swung the door open and breezed out. He choked off the curse and managed to keep his mouth from hanging open far enough to let bugs in.
She wore a black dress that did more than hint at her curves. The neckline dipped low enough for him to get hot all over. Her hair was curled in some kind of fancy style that pulled it away from her face. He was struck by the sudden urge to see if it felt as soft as it looked.
Her lips were coated with something pink and shiny. She smiled brightly, as if she couldn’t wait to see what adventure the world held for her, then tapped her index finger against his tie. “Nice.”
&nbs
p; “You look”—hot as hell and it’s frying my brain—“amazing.” Lincoln chose the saner thing to say. They walked to his truck and he opened the passenger door for her.
He walked around and got in. “Did you have fun last night?” He drove toward the restaurant, clutching the steering wheel and trying not to look at her. That damn dress was practically bear hugging her.
“I did.”
“I know Granny did because she drunk dialed me at four this morning.”
Josie laughed. “Oh no. What happened?”
“She kept saying the end was near.”
“The end?”
“She was talking about a bottle of wine.” Lincoln glanced at Josie, then immediately wished he hadn’t. She was toying with her earring and all he could think about was putting his lips to the side of her neck. The thought jolted him, and a strange noise escaped his mouth. He pretended to cough so he wouldn’t look like an idiot.
Josie touched the diamond ring on her finger. “With every glass she had, Jean kept coming up with a wild toast celebrating our engagement.”
“That’s because she knows what a prize I am,” Lincoln said. “I’m the best of the Bradford men.”
“Definitely. She’s probably wondering why I haven’t talked you into eloping already to make sure you don’t get away.”
“Knowing how much Mom and Grandma want to see us all married, they’d no doubt draw up wanted posters and send a bounty hunter after us.”
“No doubt.”
He parked outside the restaurant. “Would you want to elope?”
Josie faked a dreamy sigh. “I thought you’d never ask.”
“I didn’t. I don’t. I mean you.”
“Elope by myself? I don’t think so. Where’s the fun in that?” she joked.
“You know what I meant.”
“Depends on if I had a groom.”
Lincoln gave her a look as they walked into the restaurant.
The hostess led them to a quiet table where the councilman and his wife waited. After shaking hands and introducing Josie to Martin and Elena Hernandez, Lincoln pulled out Josie’s chair for her.
“I have something for you,” Martin said after everyone was settled. He handed Lincoln an envelope.
Lincoln opened it and saw a check in a substantial amount made out to the fire station. There was more than enough to get the equipment they needed.
“I don’t know what to say.”
“What you’ve done over the years for the station hasn’t gone unnoticed. I voted for increasing the budget there.” He shrugged. “But no one was willing to listen.”
“Thank you seems so inadequate for this.”
“A distant relative passed away and left us an inheritance.” Elena smiled at her husband. “Since we weren’t expecting it and we have everything we need, we decided we wanted to use it to help others.”
“This will certainly go to good use.” Lincoln put the check in his jacket pocket.
“We have something else for you, too, which is why we wanted you both to be here.” Elena passed a folder to Josie.
She opened it and her eyes widened. Panic showed when she looked at Lincoln. “It’s a honeymoon package.”
“Yes.” Martin took his wife’s hand and kissed the back of it. “All your expenses are paid.”
“Martin, we can’t—” Josie tried to protest.
He held a hand up. “Yes, you can. I insist. Elena and I have seen all the good things you do for the people of Morganville just like Lincoln does. You’re the perfect couple and it’s an honor to do this for you.”
Josie turned to Lincoln, her expression clearly saying do something.
“Martin, Josie and I…we don’t know when we’ll be getting married. Could be a while.” Such as never.
“The offer is open ended,” Elena said firmly. “But if I were you, I wouldn’t wait too long to get married. Martin and I have been married thirty-seven years and it’s been a wonderful journey.”
For the rest of the evening, Lincoln was lucky that he was able to function normally. It shocked him that while he was thrilled to have the money he needed for the station, his mind kept going over that honeymoon package. There were so many ifs. If he didn’t know how easy it was to screw someone’s life up, he would have asked Josie out by now. But experience had taught him how easy it was to fail. Failing himself, he could do that and move on. Failing Josie was a different story, and one he wasn’t willing to write.
…
After they left the restaurant, Josie laid the honeymoon folder in the console of Lincoln’s truck. She’d thought that the other couple could see right through her to the truth. That she and Lincoln weren’t really together. She could admit to herself that there were times when she wanted it to be true. He’d look at her a certain way. Or smile. Touch the small of her back. Kiss her…
Josie wished she hadn’t had that extra cup of coffee after dinner. The caffeine was really making her nervous.
“Something on your mind?”
“Not really.” She couldn’t tell him what she’d thought about him. He’d run the other way so fast he’d be a blur.
He drove toward her house. “I’m sorry about all that and not sure how to handle any of it yet.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Josie pulled out the folder and opened it to show a brochure with a photo of stunning blue ocean water and white beach sand. “It’s the Bahamas. We go on our honeymoon.”
Amusement crossed his face. “Traditionally a honeymoon takes place after a wedding.”
“Okay, if you insist.”
He laughed. “You don’t want to go on a honeymoon with me.”
“Sure I do. I have a new bikini that I can break in,” Josie said.
He dropped his mouth open in mock surprise. “Me, too.”
Josie laughed, but the images that popped into her head were anything but funny. Lincoln and me on our honeymoon. Soaking up the sun and the heat. Creating some heat of our own. The thought raised the temperature inside the truck.
Lincoln parked in her driveway and walked her to the door. She should let him leave. The sooner the better because he’d definitely brought sexy back. She should casually tell him good night. Her brain was on board with that idea. Her body and her tongue were not.
“I have a peach pie that your mom made if you want some.”
“Sure,” he said as she unlocked the door.
His agreement surprised her until she realized his train of thought probably didn’t run on the same track that hers did. It was pie, she told herself. Something they used to do often in the past before his big freeze out. There was nothing sexy or romantic about pie.
Until Lincoln took his jacket off and draped it across the back of the recliner. His muscles strained against his dress shirt. So freaking drool worthy. He had great muscles. Great body. He kissed like he had a master’s degree in it. His lips— She blinked.
“You’re staring at me,” he said.
“Sorry. I’m just thinking about stuff that I have to get done.”
“Do you need me to go?”
Yes. Noooo. “After the pie we’ll call it a night.” She hurried to the kitchen and took a second to draw in a couple of deep breaths. Maybe she couldn’t stop thinking about Lincoln because he was the one guy who would forever be off-limits. That had to be it. Those off-limit guys always made the fantasy just a little hotter. Not that I fantasize about Lincoln. “Not in the last half a second anyway,” Josie muttered.
She opened the cabinet and took out some coffee grounds, then bumped her hand on the counter and spilled the container across the kitchen floor. The container rolled to a stop in the kitchen doorway right at Lincoln’s feet.
“Here, I’ll help,” he said at the same time she reached for it.
She bumped her forehead against his chin and promptly fell backward onto her butt.
Lincoln went to one knee in front of her and brushed her hair away from her face. “Let me see.”
He was close enough so that she could see the flecks in his eyes. Close enough for her to smell his aftershave. Close enough to his lips to… She blushed when he caught her looking. She wondered if he was thinking about the times that they’d kissed. If he wanted to kiss her again as much as she wanted him to.
He stood and pulled her up after him. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” She could barely raise her voice above a husky whisper. My heart is going to fly right out of my chest.
He nodded. “Yeah. The sooner we break up, the better.”
Ouch.
She stepped away from him and slid on the coffee grounds. He steadied her, and his hands on her hips made bad girl Josie want to roll around with him in ways that would make nice girl Josie wear a permanent blush. “Thanks.” She bit down on her tongue to keep from whispering, “Kiss me and don’t stop.”
Lincoln’s phone rang and he answered it. Josie was glad for that. It gave her a chance to hopefully school her features into a friendly face rather than a haul-me-up-and-kiss-me one.
“What? Okay. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He disconnected. “A car drove into my house.”
“Oh my God. Was Grayson there?”
“He was in the kitchen and the car came halfway into the living room.”
“I’m coming with you.”
Lincoln didn’t argue. On the drive over, she kept thinking how glad she was that he hadn’t been home sitting on the sofa watching television or something. He could have been hurt. Or worse.
When he pulled up in front of his house, police cars and one of the firetrucks were already there. Grayson broke apart from the crowd, bringing Lincoln’s two dogs with him as he came.
“Hey, man. Sure you’re good?” Lincoln asked.
“I’m fine. We were sitting on the couch just seconds before it happened. I’d just gone into the kitchen to let the dogs out.”
Lincoln took the dogs’ leashes and patted their heads to calm their excitement. He stared at the gaping hole in the center of his house.
Kevin emerged from the debris with a handful of clothes. “This is all I could grab for you two. Safety guy says you can’t be in there. Too much structural damage.”
Grayson took the clothes. “Thanks.”