Love Me Again (Pinecone Valley Book 1)

by Cindy Stark

  “Looks like you’re stuck with me.” Josh lifted his brows in mock torment.

  How could she refuse? “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

  Josh focused on something behind her before he took her elbow and escorted her out the door. She glanced back as she left. Rob stood near the reception desk watching them both.

  She held her smile inward. It appeared that, although Josh had a girlfriend, he didn’t want the sexy doctor anywhere near her.

  “Still driving the Ford?” she asked as he opened the passenger door of his old silver truck for her.

  “It still runs.” He helped her into her seat before closing the door. Once inside the truck, he turned the key and the engine immediately engaged.

  “Kade would be impressed,” she said though her teeth chattered from the cold. Her brother loved old vehicles.

  “Kade’s a smart man. A good one, too. Always liked him.” He cranked on the heater and then deserted her in favor of scraping the windows.

  By the time he returned, the interior was toasty, but he was not. “Brrr…it’s cold out there.” He reached over and grabbed her hand like he’d always done in the past.

  The feel of his touch shocked her, sent her heart racing. She wanted to pull away, but he was so cold and all on her behalf. She encased him between both her warm hands, unable to resist helping him. The need to care for others had been a blessing and a curse in her life. “You are cold.”

  What he’d done registered in his expression, and they both froze, staring.

  A moment passed before he slipped his hand from hers and put the truck into gear. He didn’t say a word as he glanced over his shoulder and backed out of the parking spot. Awkward silence filled the space between them as he threw the gear into drive and his tires moved over the crunchy snow.

  The storm had passed, leaving a beautiful layer of white over the mountain town. Snowplows had come through, so, even though conditions weren’t great, they were a hell of a lot better than the previous evening.

  At times like this, the world seemed so crystal clear. She wished her brain and her future felt the same.

  “How’s your head?” he asked after the quiet grew too thick.

  “Hurts like a mother.” She flicked a glance at him, realizing she’d nearly released another epitaph. She’d curbed her cussing years ago and wasn’t sure why it had come back in full force this morning. Maybe it was Josh. Maybe she was just damn tired.

  He chuckled. “You always hated it when you let one fly.”

  “Cause it’s bad. It’s wrong.” She rolled her eyes, making her head hurt worse, remembering the constant lecturing from her mother about her language.

  “I never minded,” he said softly.

  She couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s because you’re as bad as I am.”

  He challenged her with a playful look. “I’m not the one who’s been cussing all morning.”

  She shook her head and released a disbelieving laugh. “Whatever.” But when she looked his way again, he was grinning.

  She let the sight of him settle in her heart. Despite everything, it was good to see him. So, so good. “Thank you for the ride.”

  He lifted a shoulder and let it drop. “No problem.”

  “Do you still have chains in the back of your truck?” Many times during high school, she’d gone mudding with him and his friends. Inevitably, someone always got stuck.

  “Why?”

  “Just hoping I could pay you to tow my car home.” She lifted hopeful brows. He’d already given more than she had a right to ask. But they were on the road, and he had his truck. It would be only a minor imposition.

  “Your car is already at your house, and I’d never let you pay me.” He answered without looking at her.

  Gratitude welled in her throat. “How? When?”

  “After my shift ended.”

  Wow. He’d gone back out into the cold of night when he had to have been dead tired, too, and had towed her vehicle to safety. Then he must have gone back to the hospital to wait for her. He hadn’t had even a few hours of sleep in his bed. He wouldn’t have had time.

  “Josh.” Happiness and old fears collided inside her, leaving her uneasy. “I wouldn’t have asked you to do that. Or to pick me up this morning. It’s too much.”

  Her unspoken words hovered between them. Too much for a man to do for a woman who’d broken his heart.

  A few moments of silence passed before he answered. “I guess I get to decide what’s too much.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Krystal bit her lip not knowing what else to say to Josh. He was right. She was well aware she’d shattered his heart. If he’d found a way to fix it and could still be friendly with her, she needed to be grateful.

  Miles passed in silence, and she was certain he was reliving their past like she was. The good times. There’d been so many. Dancing under the stars. Laughing with all their shared friends. Losing their innocence to each other out by the river after a humid summer rain.

  But then reality had invaded their lives, and the time had come to grow up. Responsibilities and obligations hovered on the horizon. She’d wanted to be so much more than what her mother had become. In her heart, she’d known there was more to life than being someone’s wife, someone’s mother. She also knew she would have given all of that up if she’d gotten married at nineteen.

  So years had passed. And the two of them had changed.

  Now, here they were, friends it seemed, but awkwardly so. New, tentative ground, with him in a relationship and her with her independence.

  So much to process and decipher.

  He pulled into her drive. Her car sat next to the tire tracks left by her roommate’s vehicle, not looking any worse than it had the day before.

  “I hope I didn’t do too much damage,” she said as he shifted his truck into park.

  “I checked it after I pulled it out of the ditch. Your front passenger bumper has some dings, but the engine started just fine. I’m sure you’ll need an alignment after the jolt it took, but otherwise it seems okay.”

  Honest relief broke over her. “It could have been so much worse.”

  He caught her gaze and held it. “Yeah.”

  She knew he meant she could have been seriously hurt. She’d considered the same thing when she’d lost control of her car the night before. But he wasn’t saying it, and neither was she.

  “Why don’t you come in and let me make you breakfast? It’s the least I can do to say thank you.” She needed to repay him somehow for the kindness she didn’t deserve.

  He shook his head. “You need to go straight to bed.”

  “Since when do I do what I’m supposed to?” She gave a soft laugh and pushed open her door. “After the night I’ve had, I’m making bacon and eggs. Fresh coffee, too. You can come in if you want, but I’m cooking either way. Then I’ll go to bed.”

  She slid out of the seat, her feet hitting the crusted ground, and shut the door. She made it halfway to her house before he opened his door. A satisfied smile crept across her lips.

  “You’ve always been so damn stubborn,” he said as he caught up to her.

  She shrugged, trying to hide her smile. “You have to use what you’ve got to get what you want.” She pushed open the front door and stepped aside to allow him entrance. “Welcome to my humble home.”

  He glanced down at her as he passed her in the small entryway, his body brushing hers. A shiver of longing momentarily overwhelmed her. If she could reach out and touch him, share a heated kiss…

  But he belonged to another, and she needed to remember that. Friendship was all she could offer, and she’d be lucky if he granted her the same.

  “Nice place,” he said as he turned to face her.

  “It’s not big, but I like it. Plus, Chloe is a great roommate. We rarely trip over each other.”

  He glanced around. “She’s already gone?”

  “Yeah. She goes into work early.” She dropped her coat and pur
se on the couch and headed into the kitchen. Josh followed, glancing around tentatively when he entered the room.

  Time had certainly created an uneasy distance between them. The energy, the attraction remained, nipping at her senses, but both of them seemed unclear of their expectations of each other.

  She needed to reassure him. She had no expectations. She fully recognized she’d given up any claim to him. She just wanted to repay him for his help. “Have a seat. I’ll start the coffee.”

  He surprised her by taking off his coat and walking to the sink to wash his hands. “Nah, I’ll help. I’m not going to let a wounded woman cook for me.”

  She pulled eggs from the fridge and watched with a sideways glance as he prepared the coffeemaker. “You learned how to make coffee.” He’d always insisted he didn’t need to know his way around the kitchen as long as he had a woman who loved him.

  He grinned, a smart-ass look sparkling in his eyes. “I’ve learned a lot of things, sweetheart.”

  A hot arrow of attraction shot through her, landing squarely in her heart. She didn’t want to see this side of him. Didn’t want to know he’d erased one of her silent objections to getting married to him.

  She focused instead on cracking eggs into a bowl and whisking them. He found bacon in the fridge and a fry pan in the cupboard without asking for her help even once. She wondered if he’d burn the meat or let the grease catch fire.

  She returned to the fridge to grab the small carton of cream and poured some into the eggs.

  “Is that why yours always tasted so much better than mine?” He watched her with interest that sizzled her senses. “I’ve never found anyone who could match your cooking.”

  She wanted to ask if that included Paige, but she held her tongue. “It’s how my momma taught me. Using regular milk makes them taste watery to me.” She added salt and pepper and then looked to him again. “Don’t worry. I run every day to stay in shape,” she said with a laugh.

  He ran his gaze over her. “I’m not worried about that at all. You look great. Better than great.”

  She gave a sarcastic laugh to cover her embarrassment and leaned to grab another pan from the cupboard. Her nerves chattered as she approached him and sat the pan on the burner next to the one he used and turned on the heat. She should have insisted that he not help her cook, but how could she have known preparing a meal could be intimate?

  She poured her mixture into the pan, her arm bumping his as she reached for a spatula. Scents of frying bacon curled her senses, and she checked his pan to find he was doing a fabulous job. “When did you learn to cook?”

  “A couple of years ago. It was sort of a necessity when I joined the department. The guys don’t put up with any freeloading, and I grew tired of being harassed for what I served.” He moved the bacon to a plate loaded with paper towels. “Not that I’m gourmet or anything, like you. But I can cook the basics.”

  She stole a piece of bacon from his plate and bit into it. “Tastes perfectly gourmet to me.”

  He snorted and pulled a couple more plates from the cupboard, holding them out while she dished up eggs and bacon. She watched him saunter to the table, allowing herself a secret moment to admire how good he looked in his old jeans, before she poured them both cups of coffee. Damn.

  They’d never had a house to themselves before. Someone in his family or hers had always been around when they’d been younger, so it seemed oddly disquieting to be alone with him now in such a domestic setting.

  He followed her movements as she approached the small wooden table, placing one steaming cup in front of him before taking a seat.

  He lifted his fork and shoveled a huge bite of eggs into his mouth. “Ah, God,” he groaned, closing his eyes. “Perfection.”

  She couldn’t contain her smile. “You’re just hungry from being out in the cold all night.”

  He lifted his gaze, his expression bordering on seduction. “Oh no, sweetheart. You’re the best cook in the county. Why do you think I wanted to marry you?”

  The turn of topic brought the easy feeling between them to a screeching halt. Instead of answering, she picked up her cup of coffee and sipped.

  “Sorry,” he said after a moment.

  She forced a small laugh, wishing it would wash away the awkwardness. “It’s okay. We can’t pretend it didn’t happen. Let’s just leave it in the past and move forward.”

  “I’d like that.” He took another bite, and she focused on her food, too.

  “Dotty Forrest just had her third kid,” he said after a few moments.

  Krystal put down her fork and inspected his gaze to see if he teased her. “She did not.”

  “Did. Three kids in four years. Can you believe it?”

  “Daredevil Dotty who was going to be a lawyer.” She shook her head. That would never happen now. She’d be hard pressed to take care of her children, let alone herself. “Remember the time she jumped off the bridge into the river?”

  “And broke her arm because she landed too close to shore?” He nodded and laughed. “Wasn’t that the same day your bikini top came untied?”

  She laughed and dropped her face into her hand. “Will you ever forget that?”

  When she peeked again, a sexy grin curved his lips. “Not likely. That was the best day of my whole seventeenth year.”

  “And the worst day of mine.” At least she could laugh about it now.

  “There were only a couple of people who saw,” he teased.

  “Yeah, you and Levi Turpin, also known as the biggest mouth in town.”

  A snort of laughter escaped him. “Unfortunate, that.”

  He shoved his last bite of bacon into his mouth and stood. She followed suit, carrying her plate to the sink. He turned on the water, but she stopped him. “Just leave them. I’ll wash the dishes later.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. I’m really tired, and my head is killing me.” She touched her fingertips to her temple where the pain seemed to have centered. “They can wait.”

  “I can do them. You go rest.”

  “No.” She shook her head, giving him a knowing smile. “I won’t be able to sleep with you out here. Seriously, they can wait.”

  He lifted his brows, studying her face, allowing his gaze to drop lower. Her pulse increased, and she hated the way her body responded to him, even after all these years. Despite her attempts to bury the memories deep within her brain, her body still remembered how his touch set her on fire.

  “I’m worried about you.” He placed a hand on her cheek, and she froze. “You shouldn’t take a concussion lightly.” He tilted her head back and stared into her eyes. “Pupils are still dilated.”

  She wanted to look away, but couldn’t. He still had far too much of a hold on her. Far more than he should have. She swallowed when he dropped his gaze to her lips, and she found herself focused on his. She remembered the possessiveness of his kiss, tempered only by the softness of his lips. The way he could steal her thoughts, her reserve with only one kiss.

  She’d been helpless against his sensuous assaults. Still would be.

  Her breaths grew deeper, and she knew she should run, knew she shouldn’t let him kiss her, for her sake as well as his.

  He moved his hand to the base of her skull and leaned toward her. She put a hand on his chest to stop him, but the solid warmth of him stole her reason, and then it was too late. His lips were on hers.

  Passion exploded inside her, fierce with pure need. His tongue tickled her lips, and she opened. He needed no further invitation as he slipped inside. She tasted him, tasted one hundred percent unadulterated desire.

  God help her. She was in trouble.

  He angled her head to deepen the kiss, and she soaked up what he offered. Without consideration of consequences, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed into him, soaking up the feel of him against her, knowing it could very well be the last.

  He molded her to him, one hand around her waist, the other on her
ass, his need pressing firmly against her. Her thoughts swirled, leaving her dizzy like she hadn’t been in years, and the sudden rush of emotion overwhelmed her.

  It was too much. Too potent to handle.

  She slipped a hand between them and pushed gently. They came apart with both of them gasping for air. Her heart thudded like horses pounding down the local racetrack, and she kept her hand raised between them, palm facing him.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Josh stared at the woman he’d loved forever, her cheeks flushed, her lips bruised with his kiss. He wanted Krystal. No. Needed her. Like air.

  “Oh, God,” Krystal said, her voice a breathless whisper. “That shouldn’t have happened.”

  It took him a moment to process her words. When he did, anger and aggression raced to the surface, spurred on by frustration. He straightened, expanded his chest with a deep breath. “Krystal.” If she could just open her eyes and see what he had to offer.

  “No.” She shook her head and widened the distance between them.

  Fuck all hell. Again. “You can’t deny what’s between us.” Her want and need was as obvious as his was. He’d tasted the addictive passion in her kiss.

  “I never said I could deny it. But that doesn’t change things. God, you have a girlfriend.” She covered her heart with her hand as though he frightened her. “And I barely started a new job and should focus on that.”

  It was the same excuse every time. “Why do you have to worry so damn much about a job? I can take care of you. I’ll always take care of you.”

  She turned away, shaking her head, leaving him powerless. “This is my fault. I’m sorry. I wanted to thank you for your help, but I shouldn’t have invited you here.”

  “Yes, you should have.” He clamped her bicep and turned her to face him. She needed to see, needed to understand and quit fighting them. “This isn’t going away. Whatever is between us will always be there tormenting me.” How could it not torment her, too?

  “I’m sorry for that.” Her fingers shook as she lifted a hand to her temple. “But I…you just…God, you have a girlfriend. You should go.”