One More Time (Red Hook, Texas 1) [Siren Publishing Classic]

by Lee Rose

  “It is a hundred degrees outside even though it is evening. You’ll get heatstroke and pass out.”

  Alana added some hoop earrings and brushed her long hair. Alicia wore denim shorts with a pink and frilly blouse. She looked so happy that Alana couldn’t help but smile. Despite being three years apart, the two girls were best friends.

  “The Garcia sisters are ready to party.” Alicia smiled widely as they went down the stairs.

  “Not without me,” Ray announced, coming in the front door. His hair was wet, and he wore black jeans and a gray T-shirt. He kissed Alana’s forehead in a greeting. He looked at her outfit that wasn’t sweatpants and a raggedy shirt and gave her a gentle smile. She felt a little awkward all dressed up.

  Alicia groaned loudly, making her parents smile. “Fine. You can come with us, but no bossing us around, Ray. I want to enjoy this night.”

  Ray hugged his youngest sister. “Me? Bossy? Never.”

  Alana felt nervous as she followed her siblings to Ray’s truck. Please don’t let me be jumpy and embarrass my family. Please don’t let the crowd freak me out and get the gossip mill started.

  * * * *

  Noah walked around the festival with Liam. The streets were filled with happy families walking all around the area. . White lights were strung everywhere. With the lights from the rides and game booths, it was an energetic scene. The main road had been closed, and booths and rides filled every space available. The noise was loud, and laughter could be heard everywhere. The festival was good for the town. People came from the neighboring towns to enjoy the festivities, and the town made money. Noah and Liam were both on duty tonight. Liam stopped for a third corn dog, and Noah shook his head.

  “Where do you put all those calories?” Noah wondered.

  Liam was as tall as him and Adam but slender. He kept his light-brown hair short and out of the way. He had dark-brown eyes instead of the golden hazel color he and Adam had.

  “Ah, to be young again.”

  Liam laughed and rolled his eyes. “You’re thirty-two, not sixty-two, Noah. I’m twenty-five and getting older by the second. I am obligated to eat like this now before I become an old fart like you.”

  Noah pushed Liam, and he almost dropped his food. He nodded to a few people who walked by. Even though it was early evening, it was still hot. Texas was hot in the summer. He was leaning against a tree when he thought he saw Alana. Or was his mind playing tricks on him? He hadn’t heard a peep from her all week long. He kept looking at his phone as if he could will her to call. Before his stupid stunt, she had called him every few days to suggest they do something. He had enjoyed her company, always feeling happy. He had taken it for granted and told himself she was much too young and innocent for him. He was cynical and set in his ways. Now it all sounded so stupid.

  “Is that Alana in line for a caramel apple?” Noah asked with keen interest, arching his neck to look over people walking by.

  Liam squinted his eyes and peered into the distance. “Yeah. She looks good, Bro. I might just ask her out myself.”

  Noah glared at his brother. It didn’t help that his two younger brothers thought Alana was hot. Liam was exactly her age, and that didn’t make him feel any better.

  “Let’s go get an apple.”

  “Weren’t you just lecturing me on eating unhealthy food?” Liam reminded him, throwing his corn dog stick in the trash can. “Caramel apples are full of sugary calories.”

  Noah rolled his eyes. “Apples are healthy.”

  Noah dragged Liam quickly through the crowd, practically running over people. He finally stood behind the two Garcia girls. The line was long, and they were talking with each other and hadn’t noticed him.

  “Hello, Alana.” He hoped his voice didn’t sound squeaky. He felt like a nervous schoolboy. He wanted back on her good side, but he didn’t know how to get there. He was doing his best to develop a friendship with her again. For the last six months, they had avoided each other but no more. He tried having coffee with her and dropping books off to keep her occupied. She hadn’t done much talking, but she hadn’t told him to go to hell either. That was a plus.

  Alana turned and looked at him and Liam. Her lips sort of curved upward in a half smile. Not the wide grins she used to give him. He felt a small pain in his heart at the loss of her enthusiastic personality. He prayed it came back.

  “Noah,” she said politely. She looked at his younger brother and smiled politely. “Liam.”

  “You’re looking good, Alana.” Liam winked at her. He looked at her sister. “You, too, Alicia.”

  Alicia huffed and folded her arms across her chest. Noah looked at Liam and grinned with amusement. Apparently Liam was also the enemy because of his last name.

  “Are you enjoying the festival?” Noah ignored Alicia’s rude looks and concentrated on Alana. She looked so beautiful. She had makeup on, and her hair was loose down her back, straight and silky. Her dress draped across her generous breasts and ended above her knees. She looked a little fragile still because she had lost some weight, but she made his pulse race and his heart beat frantically.

  Alana nodded. “I am surprised, but yes, I am having fun.”

  She looked a little sad despite her words. Noah wanted her to enjoy her outing. He was so happy to see her out. It had been hard to convince her to sit on the porch with him. She had looked around warily until he held her hand. She had been so jumpy and nervous.

  “Are you going on the Ferris wheel?” he asked, remembering her favorite ride. Last year they had kissed at the top of it. It was a memory etched in his brain. That was the first time he had been brave enough to give in to his temptation to kiss her sweet lips. He wanted nothing more than to drag her up there right now and kiss her.

  Alicia moved up in line. She looked over her shoulder at Noah. “She is going on the Ferris wheel, with me or Ray. He is here with us, too.”

  Noah realized Alicia was trying to warn him. He decided to live dangerously. Alana was worth it.

  Alicia ordered two apples, and Noah insisted on paying for them. Alana thanked him shyly, and he got lost in her big brown eyes and her sweet smile. Liam had to nudge him to pull out his wallet and pay for four apples. He felt his cheeks heat up, and he was glad it was dark.

  Alana moved out of the line and away from the crowd. She bit into her caramel apple and closed her eyes. He just stood there and watched her take a few bites and lick her lips to get the caramel off.

  “Mmm.”

  He felt his cock react, and he had to breathe through his nose. He could not walk around town with a hard-on. Liam would tease him for the next twenty years and then tell Adam.

  She opened her eyes and looked at Noah. She wrinkled her cute pixie nose, and he felt his smile coming automatically. Something about her just stirred his soul. She finished her apple and threw the stick in a nearby trash can.

  “Thanks. Caramel is my weakness.”

  He grabbed a napkin and handed it to her. She had caramel on her chin, and he would have loved to lick it off, but it would definitely have freaked her out. Not to mention Alicia would most likely throw her apple at him. He didn’t want that sticky mess in his hair.

  “Want another?” He would buy her five more if it made her happy.

  She shook her head no. “Ray forced me to eat a hamburger, and it upset my stomach.”

  The four of them had moved to the side, and while Liam engaged Alicia in a conversation, he spent his time taking in Alana’s beauty. Her long brown hair fell down her back, and he hoped she never cut it. He wanted to reach out and touch it, but he refrained.

  “I’m glad to see you out and about,” Noah said, taking a bite of his own apple. He had been so busy watching her he had forgotten his. “I know it was a hard move, but I am proud of you, Alana. This crowd must make you apprehensive.”

  Alana nodded. “I know my family is worried about me. I am trying. I know it doesn’t seem like it, but I feel like no one understands how scared I was, ho
w scared I still am.”

  Alana looked away from him. She blinked the tears away and whispered so only he could hear her, “I promised myself I would be strong tonight. Alicia is so excited to be here. I can’t ruin that for her.”

  “Hey, you are strong, Alana. Give yourself credit,” he whispered. He threw the rest of his caramel apple away and pulled her into a hug. Her body was tense and rigid at first, but then he felt her relax and lean against him. She wrapped her arms around his waist, and he laid his chin on her head. It was the best feeling in the world. He would gladly hold her for hours if it helped.

  “I have some good news to cheer you up. Tomorrow the sheriff’s station is having a dunk tank right on M Street. A block down from your restaurant. You can tell Alicia and Ray to buy tickets. They would love to dunk me, over and over.”

  She looked up, a little insulted. “You think I can’t hit the target, too?”

  “I know you can. I remember your killer pitch when we were on that baseball team together. You just got your stitches out. I don’t want you hurt again,” he explained, kissing the top of her head. Her shampoo smelled like a summer rain. “If you give me one genuine smile, I will let you walk up to the target and push it with your hand. I’d do anything to see you happy again.”

  Her small chuckle went straight to his heart, and he tightened his arms around her waist.

  They stood like that for a minute or two. Noah felt excited that she was allowing this and not pushing him away. Maybe she would forgive him for hurting her. He had hugged her plenty of times in the past but not in the last six months. He missed her laugh and talking to her about everything. He had not realized how much he leaned on her when he was having bad days. How could he not see she was meant for him like peanut butter was meant for jelly? Because he was scared, he told himself. No more, though. He had a new goal: to get Alana Garcia to fall in love with him again. This time he would appreciate what he had and hold on to it like a miser.

  “Well, well, isn’t this cozy?” a feminine voice said behind them.

  Alana kept her face hidden in his chest but peeked out over his arm. Noah turned to see Cora standing with her hands on her hips. She wore a short pink summer dress with thin straps. Her blonde hair was curled in some fancy hairstyle. She recognized Alicia and took a step back.

  “You’re the dangerous one when it comes to spilling drinks.”

  Alicia smiled proudly, holding up the apple on a stick and waving it in front of Cora. “That would be me, so watch it.”

  Noah was glad Alicia had her sights set on someone besides him. He almost felt sorry for Cora. Almost.

  Chapter 8

  Cora turned her nose up and looked at Alana and Noah. Alana thought she looked angry at the way Noah was holding her. Alana had never gotten along with the older woman. When she came into the restaurant, she complained and was rude. Now she knew why. Cora was jealous. That was hard for Alana to understand. Cora was beautiful and blonde. She was thirty years old, closer to Noah’s age, and her family came from money. She didn’t even work like the rest of the townspeople.

  “I’m surprised to see you out here. Thought you had become a hermit, scared of her own shadow. That’s what the gossipers are saying,” she gloated in a cold voice.

  She looked at Noah and sneered. “Planning on staying faithful this time? Somehow I doubt you have it in you, especially with such a shy, timid child like Alana.”

  Alana gasped at Cora’s hurtful words. She tried to pull away from Noah, but he held her tighter.

  Before anyone could get over the shock and answer her back, Alicia put her half-eaten caramel apple down Cora’s dress.

  “Oops, color me bad. That slipped right out of my hand.” Alicia put her hand over her mouth, but Alana could see the sparkle in her eyes.

  Cora screamed and stomped on the grass with her shiny, glittery boots. She glared at Alicia with her frigid blue eyes. “I had to go to Austin to buy this dress, you twit. Do you know how expensive this was? Way more than you can afford being a dumb waitress.”

  Alana buried her face in Noah’s chest. A bubble of laughter welled in her throat, but she didn’t want to let it out. She felt Noah’s shoulders shake with laughter. He hugged her tighter and kissed her head. She wanted to laugh out loud but held it in, barely.

  “You should put cold water on that,” Liam suggested seriously while biting into his apple. “It could stain.”

  “If I ever hear you speak that way again about Alana, I will throw your ass in a jail cell and leave you there to rot,” Noah said coldly before Cora could stomp off.

  Alana stayed silent and let Noah handle his ex.

  “Do you understand me, Cora? I make a bad enemy.”

  Alana was glad she had never heard that tone of voice coming from him. It was a little scary.

  She glared at the four of them and flipped them off with her middle finger. She turned and walked away. People had stopped and stared, curious as to what was going on. Cora pushed her way through the crowd yelling at people to mind their own business.

  Alana moved out of his arms and hugged her sister.

  Alicia was such a good sister. “Thanks, Sis. That was awesome.”

  Liam high-fived Alicia, and they started laughing. Alana went to sit on a nearby bench. She had thought the big crowd would be too much to handle, but the noises and the neon lights soothed her. Most people had just waved and smiled at her. A few tried to ask questions, but Alicia would interrupt and pull her away.

  Noah sat next to her and patted her leg gently and quickly. His touch was so fast she hardly felt it. “Cora is a bitter bitch. She hates me because I didn’t fall under her spell, and she knows it. I made a mistake in not brushing off her flirting comments like I usually do. My feelings for you were growing, and I panicked like a stupid schoolkid. I never meant for her to pull that stunt at your restaurant. I doubt I would even have kept that stupid date. I had no enthusiasm for it. She knows hurting you hurts me.”

  Alana looked at Noah with surprise. “Why? We’re not even friends anymore. She was right when she said she won. It’s too late to go back, Noah. You hurt me and humiliated me. I know where it came from, but I can’t just forget that. People looked at me with such pity that I stopped going places. I can’t do that again.”

  “I know,” he said, sounding resigned and so sad it melted her heart. “I hurt you when I never wanted that. I have to live with that, Alana. You can continue to hate me, but I can be stubborn, too. I want another chance to do it right this time, and I am not giving up. I have a lot to make up for, but I am thankful you are alive for me to do it.”

  She didn’t know what to say. She loved Noah, but right now her life was a mess. She was a mess. It was too late to turn the clock back. Too late to try again.

  “We can be friends, Noah. As for more, I just can’t. I am an emotional wreck.” She had to be honest with him. She was too scared to open up her heart to him again.

  “Friends for now,” he agreed. “Just know that I do have feelings for you. I have been a jerk, but I am a reformed jerk, and I intend to take advantage of every opening you give me.”

  “Should we play games or go on rides?” Alicia spoke up, standing in front of her and interrupting the moment. She glared at Noah before turning back to her sister. “Ray promised to win you a panda bear.”

  Ray walked up to them at the same time. He glared at Noah, and Alana winced. The two had been best friends since high school. She would talk to Ray later, when they were alone. They shouldn’t be enemies. She didn’t want that. Her problems with Noah were between the two of them.

  “Is everything okay here?” Ray asked, looking at Noah with an accusing glare.

  Alicia told Ray all about the scene with Cora. He tried to look stern, but it only lasted for a minute. He burst out in laughter.

  “Nice one, Sis.” He looked at Noah. “Sorry. I know you’re dating her.”

  “I am not dating Cora.” Noah stood up looking aggravated. “She sp
reads that shit all over town to save face because I stopped talking to her. I just threatened her with jail time.”

  Liam nodded. “Adam and I had to tell several people what a liar she is. She is worse than a stalker showing up at every event Noah goes to. Noah tells her to buzz off, but she doesn’t listen. She just can’t believe Noah doesn’t worship her.”

  Alana felt nothing but relief at hearing Noah was not involved with that bitch. Then she wondered why she even cared. Didn’t she just tell Noah she could only offer friendship?

  Feeling confused, she grabbed Alicia’s hand. “Let’s go on the Ferris wheel.”

  Alicia nodded. Alana looked at Ray. She still felt insecure without him there.

  “I’ll be right here,” Ray promised gently. “Then we will walk around and play some games. I promised you a bear.”

  Alana looked at her brother with a hint of her old smile. “Speaking of games, Noah is going to be sitting at the dunk tank tomorrow. He invited us to dunk him. I want to try.”

  She heard Noah groan when Ray laughed out loud.

  “For sure. It will be my pleasure.” Ray gave Noah an evil grin. He rubbed his hands together eagerly.

  Noah looked at her with a promise of retribution in his eyes. “Thanks for announcing it, baby. Maybe you should try the loudspeaker so Cora and many others know it, too.”

  Alicia rolled her eyes and pulled her away from Noah. Alana had gotten her stitches out at the clinic in town, but she was still sore and had to walk at a slower pace.

  “Don’t fall for Sheriff Romeo again, Sis. He is handsome, but he is bad news,” Alicia warned as they walked away.

  Alana wanted to defend him, but she couldn’t. Noah had a love-’em-and-leave-’em reputation. He had jumped at the chance to push her away before she could get too close. He had humiliated her by making a date with Cora. She knew it had been because he was scared of committing to her. She loved him, and maybe he did care about her, but not enough to make a serious commitment. She was just not the quick-fling type.