by J. A. Coffey
"You do that. Bring your soldier boy with you."
A happy grin claimed her lips. "Okay." She kissed his whiskered cheek and shut the door behind her.
She was a little disappointed that Jerry wasn't in the waiting room, but she couldn't blame him. She caught a ride back to Aspen with a deputy and took a quick shower before she drove to Jerry's house.
She found him in the garage, tinkering with his munched New Yorker. Smells of grease and gasoline filled the space, and she remembered the many times she'd spent watching him fix cars.
He had his head beneath the hood and apparently hadn't noticed her arrival. She took the opportunity to study his rear end and the width of his sexy shoulders. The muscles in his triceps bunched when he turned a wrench. "Is it worth salvaging?"
He startled and straightened, hitting his head on the hood of the car. "Shit."
"Are you okay? I didn't mean to scare you."
He rubbed the back of his head. "I'm fine." He bent back under the hood, no happy greeting, no warm kiss good morning.
She waited for a confused moment, not sure how to react to his chilly greeting.
"How's your dad?" he finally asked.
"He's doing well. Back to his old smart-ass behavior."
"He sure scared you last night."
Was that what this was about? "Yeah. It's not a phone call anyone likes to get."
"Exactly." His wrench slipped off the bolt and banged against the engine. "Damn it."
She exhaled, certain a fight loomed on her horizon. She was armed and ready for battle, and she wasn't about to let her man get away again. "So, what? You don't think I can take a little fear?"
"I saw your face last night. That was more than a little fear."
She wanted to growl. Instead, she walked forward, stopping inches from him. "Do you think we could have this conversation face-to-face instead of you hiding beneath the hood?"
Chapter Thirteen
Jerry straightened, a spark of irritation in his eyes. Good. Kimber had known her little barb would get to him.
"There's nothing to converse about," he replied.
She tilted her chin up, meeting his gaze head on. "I disagree. I thought we'd figured things out between us last night. Now, this morning, your demeanor is less than amorous. What changed?"
He stared at her for a hard moment, but she refused to look away.
"I'm not going to put you through that again."
She put her hands on her hips. "Yes, you are."
"No." There was no misunderstanding the determination in his voice.
A hint of fear scratched at her, and she worried she might lose him again. She bit her bottom lip until it hurt as her gaze warred with his. "I love you, and yes, I will worry about you, but you cannot block me out of your life. I won't go." She moved a step closer, their bodies all but touching.
"Damn it, Kimber. I'm doing this for you. I don't want to hurt you like that again. If you're not expecting a call or an email from me, then you won't worry when it doesn't show."
"That's bullshit. I'm going to love and care about you for the rest of my days. I'm stronger now. I can handle a little worry. But you forcing me out of your life will kill me. Do you hear me?"
He stared at her, stone-faced.
She pushed on his chest, hoping to elicit some sort of response. Anything was better than this impenetrable wall of silence. "Don't shut me out, Jerry. I might have let you go once, but that's not going to happen again."
He sighed and gripped his wrench with both hands. He hadn't spoken yet, but at least she knew she'd affected him.
She moved closer, wrapping her arms around his neck, ignoring the tool he held between them. "I can't live without you. Without this."
It might have been considered a sneak attack, but at this point, she was willing to use every weapon she had. She stood on her tiptoes, pulling his head to hers. She claimed his warm lips, tasting the man who rocked her world.
He pulled away, growling with frustration. His almost-tangible hesitation hung in the air between them as he rubbed his hand over his jaw before raking his fingers through his hair. "It's not going to work."
She touched his face, capturing his gaze. There was no mistaking the love that shimmered through his worried expression. "I'm not the same woman you left last time. I know you're not the same man. But we belong together."
"Kimber-"
"The truth is, Jerry, you're a soldier. I wasn't strong enough to love you before, but I am now. It might not be easy, but I'm more than capable of handling things here while I wait for you to return home safe to me. I'm going in with my eyes wide open." She traced a finger along his jaw. "Just love me, Jerry. It doesn't have to be more complicated than that."
Slowly, his expression shifted from one of worry to one of acceptance. "You're right." He blew out a deep breath. "We are who we are. And I do love you. I want us to be together. Anything else would be less than a life."
He wrapped his strong arms around her as he claimed her lips, the wrench landing to the side of them with a clank as he fully embraced her.
"I'm glad I've fallen for a man who can see reason," she said, taking a breath. "If God forbid someone or something takes you from me, I...I don't know what I'll do, but let's promise now that it won't be either of us that breaks us apart."
He cupped her face, kissed her hard. "I want to get married."
She laughed. "Wow. You go from no to all the way in a hurry."
"Hey, you're the one who wanted to change my mind. Now that I have, why wait? Let's do it. Today."
"I can't pull off a wedding that fast," she whispered between more kisses.
"I've got two weeks before I ship out again. Is that too fast?"
"I think I can make that work."
"Good. I hope your dad doesn't mind us living together until then, 'cause I intend to spend every possible minute with you until I leave."
A happy smile blossomed on her lips. "He'll get over it."
"After that, I want you to stay with him until I get back, okay? Then I'm buying us a house, and we'll start making babies."
She laughed. "So soon?"
"It's never too soon."
"What if we made a baby last night?" She lifted her brows and gave him a sly grin.
His smile matched hers. "Then I'll miss the first part of your pregnancy, but I'll be there when the baby is born. Oh honey, I'll be there for the rest of your life if you'll have me."
"It's all I've ever wanted." She wrapped her arms around his neck and sealed the deal with a kiss.
*****
Ten days later, Kimber walked down the stairs that led from the upper deck of Luke's massive wooden cabin into his shady backyard, the long train of her beaded white dress trailing behind her. At the bottom, she took her father's arm, excitement-induced adrenaline racing through her veins.
A sea of family and friends stood between her and her future husband. She glanced at all the people who'd supported and loved her through her life, emotion welling inside her. It seemed as though the whole town had come out. Jerry's family sat on the front row, his dad giving her an approving nod, his mom blessing her with a warm smile as she passed them.
The only one missing was her mother.
Kimber tried to tuck that thought in the back of her mind. Her mom would want her to be happy today, and for all she knew, she might be watching from heaven if that was a possibility.
She took a deep breath and focused on the man who waited for her. But the sight of him standing in his military blues left her breathless. There had never been a sexier man alive. His height, the uniform, everything made her heart slam against her chest.
He would be now and forever hers.
Jerry's eyes sparkled with happiness as her father handed her over to the man she'd love the rest of her life.
"You're so beautiful," Jerry whispered. "I can't tell you how much I love you."
"I love you, too," she whispered back. Those simple words could never
express how deeply.
Kimber tried to focus on the ceremony, but her thoughts kept straying to the fact that from this day forward, she and Jerry would be as one.
Her hand shook as he slid her mother's wedding band on her finger. He promised they'd shop for her own ring when he returned.
The next thing she knew, they were pronounced man and wife.
Jerry pulled her into his embrace, bending her over his arm, and he kissed her until the crowd started whistling.
"Save some of that for your honeymoon," Luke said, offering his congratulations. He shook Jerry's hand and kissed her heated cheek.
Milo did the same, but right before he kissed her, he whispered in her ear. "You can thank me and Luke later."
After she and Jerry had greeted all of their guests, Kimber smiled into the mischievous eyes of her favorite pair of cupids. "You guys should think about opening a dating service or something."
Luke rolled his eyes. "It would never work. Milo would want to keep all the prospective clients for himself."
Milo shrugged and laughed. "Guilty."
"What's this all about?" Jerry asked.
"Nothing." Kimber smiled and shook her head as the band started playing a waltz. "Dance with me, soldier. And kiss me. I haven't had nearly enough of that yet."
He hauled her against him, sending a heated thrill straight through her. He captured her gaze, his deep brown eyes promising he'd be giving her everything she wanted and more. She inhaled just before he pressed his delicious lips to hers.
Through a haze of happiness, she heard Milo groan and Luke suggest they go check out the single women and the booze. She would have agreed, but she was too busy kissing her man.
The End
This short story is a glimpse into the lives of the hard-working, sexy men of Aspen and the women who love them. Continuing stories can be found in the Aspen Series. Read on for an excerpt from Relentless.
Excerpt From Relentless
From the corner of her eye, Lily Chandler caught a blur of black as it dashed into the road. She slammed on the brakes. The tires on her little white Honda screamed as she swung off the pavement and onto the grassy area at the side of the road, narrowly missing a ditch.
When the car had come to a standstill, she plastered a hand against her chest, trying to slow her racing heart. "What the hell was that?"
Hannah eyed her as though she'd lost her mind. "I was going to ask you the same thing. Are you trying to kill us?"
"No." Lily glanced across the isolated two-lane highway, searching for the critter that almost lost its life. "There was something in the road. Didn't you see it?"
"Uh...no." Her friend looked around. "It was probably a skunk or raccoon. We have those out here, you know," she said with a tinge of sarcasm.
Lily narrowed her eyes. "I know that." Actually, she had no idea what she'd find in the small town of Aspen, Utah, but she wasn't about to admit it. She scanned the surrounding green pastures one more time for the little beast who'd stolen a year of her life.
"Can we go now?"
Lily sighed as she pulled out onto the never-ending stretch of blacktop. Her bug-spattered windshield showcased nothing but farmland alive with early summer grass. Occasionally, a house had popped up on the horizon, but not often enough for Lily's comfort. Somewhere up ahead was Hannah's brother hauling a good portion of their possessions in Hannah's truck. Everything else had been left in a storage shed in Salt Lake with the hopes that she and Hannah would be returning soon. "I'm starting to wonder if this was a good idea."
"Are you kidding?" Her friend tilted her head, the action making her auburn ponytail shake. "Don't second guess this now. When I left home seven years ago, I swore I'd never move back. I'm only going now because you begged."
"I didn't beg." She hadn't. But moving in with Hannah's family seemed preferable to being homeless. Two weeks ago, they'd both been fired from their respective jobs at a local newspaper in Salt Lake City, all because their boss hadn't been able to keep his zipper zipped. His wife had found out, and now the paper was slowly disintegrating from all the bad press and soon to be split assets. If it hadn't cost her a job, Lily would have been happy the jerk had been found out. She could totally commiserate with her boss's wife. She'd dealt with similar humiliation and pain when she'd caught her fiancé cheating with her sister.
Hannah folded her arms. "This was your idea. No complaining. I warned you my family lived in a rural area."
"Rural?" Lily let go a nervous laugh. "To an L.A. girl, rural is like...subdivisions. Like the outskirts of Salt Lake. Places where people still live. Not this...vast emptiness." She gestured to the hills that didn't stop until they touched the sky. "If a person got lost out here, they may never be found."
"Ain't that the truth," Hannah said with a laugh. "Let me rephrase then. My parents live in a backward, podunk, God-forsaken town." Her friend pretended to shudder. "And look. We're here." Hannah pointed to a sign stating, Aspen, population: 250. "Welcome to my version of hell."
Only 250 people? There had to be that many living on their block in downtown SLC. Lily forced a smile and slowed as the speed limit dropped considerably. What if the people here didn't like her or couldn't relate to her? She was a city girl through and through.
The little town was cute, though. Baskets of pink and purple petunias swung from streetlamps, and all of the buildings were in good repair. It was like going back in time fifty years.
"Sorry to postpone our arrival. Mom asked if I could pick up a couple of things before we head out to their place." Hannah nodded toward a building with Andersen's Grocery painted on the side. "Do you mind if we stop?"
"Not at all." Lily cruised into the small parking lot, grateful to have arrived. "I'd like to look around the place I'm going to be calling home anyway."
Hannah snorted. "Don't get too excited."
Her friend seemed really down on her hometown, but Lily hoped it wouldn't be that bad. More than that, she hoped they'd both have new jobs before long and be headed back to civilized Salt Lake. Lily shouldered her purse and headed down the short street as Hannah went inside the store. The air was fresh, if a bit cooler than it had been in the city. She inhaled again. Like really fresh. Like it almost had a sweet taste to it. That was certainly a nice change her lungs would appreciate during her morning runs.
In the same parking lot as the grocery store, stood a small strip mall with a pizza parlor, a beauty salon, and Betty Johnson Real Estate. A small "help wanted" sign tucked into the corner of a window near the door of the real estate office snagged her attention. She'd be headed there first thing after they got settled in.
A gas station took up space on the other side of the strip mall, and a bit farther down was a bigger building with the words Swallow's Bar and Grill. The other side of the street housed a cute little bakery and coffee shop. The town's version of Starbucks, perhaps? She'd definitely check it out later. Ahead of her was Randall's Western Outfitters that apparently carried clothing, tools and more. Everything a girl could want, all in a few short steps. It would certainly provide a different shopping experience than Rodeo Drive.
The door to the western outfitters store swung open in front of her, and she had to stop short to avoid running into it.
"So sorry, Miss," said the older guy in a worn cowboy hat when he realized he'd almost plowed the door into her face. He totally looked the rancher part with short, gristled whiskers, accompanying denim jacket, and carrying a large bag of something over his shoulder.
Lily shook her head. "It's fine. You couldn't have known I was here."
The wrinkles around his grass green eyes creased when he smiled. "Still, I apologize."
She was about to respond when another man came out right behind him, carrying two identical bags.
"Dad-"
The younger guy stopped short when he saw Lily. "Well, hello."
He was a taller version of his father, with the same beautiful green eyes. His biceps bulged beneath his dark
blue T-shirt from holding the weight of the two bags, and an interesting tattoo peeked out from beneath one of his sleeves. A hint of short brown hair hung below a khaki-colored ballcap, and she was surprised to find he wore small, thick silver hoops in his ears. Apparently, the small towns of the world were finally catching up with everyone else.
"Um...hi." She felt silly now, impeding him and his dad.
"Did you want something, Luke?" his father asked.
He hesitated. "I'll tell you in the truck." He nodded toward a big black pickup, and Lily couldn't help but feel he'd just dismissed his dad.
The older man seemed to pick up his cue as well. He winked at Lily, nodded and headed toward the vehicle.
"You're new in town." The younger guy smiled, making Lily feel slightly giddy inside. She wasn't quite sure what to make of him. Hannah had been dead wrong in her assessment of the men in this town if this guy was any indication of who she'd find here.
"I just arrived. I'm going to be staying with my friend's family for a while." A soft breeze blew several blond curls into her face, making them stick to her lip gloss. She tried several times to remove them, but kept missing some. He reached out, holding the weight of his load with one hand, and pulled the last hairs away from her lips.
"Thanks." She tugged her long tresses to one side, away from the breeze, to keep them under control. The attraction she felt for this guy was awkward, surprising, and a little exhilarating.
"What's your name?" He continued to stand there as though the heavy weight he carried meant nothing to him.
"Lily. Lily Chandler."
"I'm Luke Winchester. It's nice to meet you." His lips tilted into a grin, and she couldn't stop herself from mirroring the gesture. "Who are the friends you're staying with?"
"The Morgan family. Do you know them?"
"Of course."
At her puzzled expression, he continued. "You're obviously not from a small town, 'cause here everybody knows everybody."
"Lily?" Hannah yelled from down the street. "Let's go."
Luke turned his gaze to her friend, his demeanor cooling. "Hey, Hannah. Welcome back," he called out.