The First Kiss of Spring

by Emily March

  “Yes, please.”

  But cake wasn’t really what she had in mind. They stayed at the reception until the bride and groom’s departure. Caitlin was almost able to put her parents’ presence at the hotel out of her mind. Almost. If it was a niggling thorn of reality in the sweet, sensual haze of desire running through her … well … she could ignore it. She would ignore it.

  She wondered if Josh would invite her up to his room for a drink. Or would he expect her to issue the invitation to come to her room? She didn’t know the details about how something like this was done. For a woman of her age and experience, she was woefully naive when it came to … well … hook-ups? First-date sex? She didn’t quite know how to define this.

  It wasn’t a hook-up. It might technically be a first date, but she didn’t view it that way. She’d always think of their first date as the meal they’d shared after being rescued from the gondola.

  Always. Here she was using the “a” word in regard to Josh Tarkington. Getting a little ahead of yourself there, aren’t you, Timberlake?

  After all, she wouldn’t put it past her father to be lying in wait, ready to pounce, just outside the ballroom. So she gestured toward the back exit. “I’d like to go for walk in the garden. Come with me?”

  What followed was the very definition of a pregnant pause. Caitlin held her breath. Her mouth went dry.

  She tried very, very hard to ignore the thorn of her parents being somewhere in the hotel.

  “I would like that, Caitlin. I would like that very much.”

  “Wait a moment while I grab my bag and shoes.”

  It took more than a moment, since she was waylaid by college friends saying their goodbyes. Finally, with her shoes on her feet and the darling little Kate Spade evening bag that had been a gift from the bride dangling from her left hand, she and Josh exited the hotel.

  He took her hand and held it, and they walked without speaking for a time. Above them, an almost full moon rose over shadowed, craggy mountain peaks. Soft music drifted from the hotel’s nightclub on the second floor. Caitlin all but swooned from the romance of the moment.

  They walked beside a stretch of grass when the torchy tune of “Crazy” drifted from the hotel’s nightclub above them. Josh pulled her into his arms, onto the lawn, and asked, “Can your feet handle one last dance, Ms. Timberlake?”

  “Yes,” she replied, answering that question and the one he had yet to ask.

  He held her close and they mostly swayed. He made her feel petite and protected, and when he nuzzled her, pressing little kisses against her head, he made her feel hot. She shivered with anticipation and literally did purr.

  The song ended, the dance ended, and he kissed her sweetly before stepping away.

  “I’ve spent a good chunk of my life wishing things were different. However, it’s been a while since I traveled down that particular road. I could easily go there with you.”

  Wait a minute.

  “I’ve had a great time with you these past two days, Caitlin. Not only are you drop-dead gorgeous, but you’re fun and witty and … well … nice.”

  Caitlin wasn’t sure where exactly he was going, but she sensed she wouldn’t like it.

  “You can’t know how much I like that about you. I haven’t known all that many nice women in my life.”

  Now Caitlin feared she did indeed know where this was headed. And she didn’t like this road. She wanted to turn around. “Josh—”

  He rested his finger against her mouth. “Hush. Let me say what I need to say.”

  No!

  “I’d like nothing more than to take you back to my room and spend the rest of the night making love to you.”

  Yes!

  “But it would be a mistake.”

  No!

  “It would complicate both our lives.”

  Her heart pounded. “But life is supposed to be a little messy. That’s what makes it interesting.”

  “Oh, sweetheart.” Josh gave a humorless laugh. “Believe me. Interesting is highly overrated.”

  Temper burned through the last of her sensual haze. “If this is because we ran into my parents…”

  “It’s because Eternity Springs might as well be Regency England.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I haven’t ruined the duke’s daughter yet. I can look Lord Timberlake in the eyes as things stand now. But if I did what I want to do right now—what I think we both want me to do right now—he’d be well within his rights to challenge me to a duel. Your brother would be his second and half the men in town would be there egging him on.”

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  “You’re probably right. It’s the women who would be out to tan my hide—or have me drawn and quartered or dragged to the altar. Not sure which would be worse. I’ve never seen such a matchmaking group of mother hens in my life.”

  “Wait just one minute. Now you’re making me mad.”

  “That’s the idea,” he murmured. Then he raked his fingers through his hair. “Caitlin, thank you for a fantastic weekend, but like the saying goes, All good things must come to an end. This is it for me. I’d walk you to your room, but it’d be just my luck to run into the Duke. Or even worse, Celeste. If the women of Eternity Springs are matchmaking hens, then she is the high holy queen and ruler of the roost. I find it awfully fishy that she turned up here tonight. Don’t you?”

  Without waiting for her response, he put his hand at the small of her back and guided her toward the nearest doorway into the hotel.

  Caitlin was still trying to process everything he’d just said, so she allowed him to move her along. It wasn’t until he opened the door, all but shoved her inside, then took a step back that she realized he didn’t plan to walk her even as far as the elevators.

  Here? Now? Like this?

  “Thanks again. Good night, Caitlin. Goodbye.”

  Josh turned and took two steps away before Caitlin found her voice. “You should work on your metaphors, Mr. Tarkington, and get to know your neighbors better. My father isn’t a duke, he’s a barrister. Mom absolutely isn’t chicken about anything. She fricassees chickens. And I don’t know what you could possibly have against Celeste Blessing because she’s an angel. Ask anybody in town.”

  “Have a safe trip back to New York, Ms. Timberlake,” he called just before disappearing into the darkness.

  Caitlin folded her arms and stared at the spot where he’d disappeared. Back to New York, huh?

  “Maybe for now, Mr. Tarkington. But not for long.”

  Journal Entry

  The first time I ran away from home I was six years old. I stuffed a backpack full of peanut butter crackers, clean underwear, Ninja Turtles, and three two-liter bottles of soda. As a result, my pack was too heavy for me to carry, so I dragged it behind me all the way to my hiding place beneath the next-door neighbor’s shrubs. It was early autumn and the leaves had begun to drop. My trail couldn’t have been any clearer.

  Only, Mom never came looking for me.

  The neighbor’s landscaper chased me from the bushes with a leaf rake. Later I went back for my Turtles, but the backpack was gone.

  The next time, I put my Turtles in my pocket.

  Chapter Four

  Josh retrieved Penny from the boarder first thing the following morning, then packed up and high-tailed it for the backcountry, determined to get on with the serious business of vacationing. He hiked. He fished. He threw a tennis ball for Penny to chase. He lazed in a hammock and read a book.

  He dreamt about Caitlin Timberlake. Dammit. He dreamt about her constantly. Every blasted night.

  By the following Friday when he awoke with yet another raging erection following one more restless fantasy-filled night, he decided he needed a change of scenery. He drove to the airport in Montrose, parked his camper, kenneled his dog, and dug out his checkbook. He chartered a jet and headed off to Vegas for the remainder of his vacation. Sometimes a visit to the old neighborhood, so to speak, was exactly what he
needed to keep him grounded.

  He returned home to Eternity Springs eighty thousand dollars richer after having hit on a high-stakes bet at the roulette wheel at the Wynn. Most people would have considered that lucky. Because Josh’s luck was Josh’s luck, when he went to cash out, he’d run into one of his mother’s current lovers. That had led to an ugly exchange and a subsequent phone call from his mom that had him eyeing the hotel room bar with longing.

  Four days in Vegas had proved to be the perfect medicine to shake off the restlessness that Caitlin Timberlake had roused within him. He’d been more than ready to come home to the real and wholesome atmosphere of Eternity Springs.

  One afternoon during Josh’s second week back in town, Chase Timberlake came strolling into Tarkington Automotive. Josh wasn’t surprised to see Caitlin’s brother. He’d expected someone in the Timberlake family to show up to grill him. He’d hoped that Chase’s wife Lori might be the designated interrogator, but when had his luck ever been that good? Nevertheless, he was ready to have this conversation and get it behind him, so he could put a final period on the events in Telluride and move on with his blessed, boring life.

  “Hey, Tarkington,” Chase said. “Got a minute? I’ve been instructed to—whoa—is that a Lamborghini you’re working on?”

  “Yep. A Miura P400. 1967.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of these before. They only produced a handful of them, right?”

  “A hundred ten.”

  “Wow.” Chase made a slow circle around the coupe. “Now that’s a car! What a beauty. Does she run?”

  “She’s more at the walking stage right now, but when I’m finished she’ll run like an Olympic sprinter.”

  “Man, I’d love to get behind the wheel of that. Who does she belong to?”

  “She’s a project car,” Josh replied, dodging the question. He gave the nut another twist with his wrench, then wiped his greasy hands on a red shop towel. “So did you bring thumbscrews with you or what?”

  “Huh?” Distracted by the 350 horsepower engine on display beneath the Lamborghini’s royal blue hood, Chase took a moment to remember the purpose of his visit. “Oh, yeah. I’m either supposed to beat you up or throw you a parade. You sure stirred up a hornet’s nest when you decided to hook up with my little sister.”

  “It wasn’t a hook-up. We went on a date. We didn’t sleep together. Parades aren’t my thing, and if you hit me, I’ll hit back.”

  Chase rubbed the back of his neck and twisted his lips as he considered it. “All right, then. I’d rather talk about cars, anyway. My dad drives a Porsche. It was his midlife-crisis car. When I was doing Thrillseekers, we spent a lot of time on the French Riviera. Friends loaned me their Maserati to drive. Man it was fun. Used to think if I ever settled somewhere, I’d get me one of my own.”

  “You’re pretty settled now.”

  “Yep. Driving a Jeep. And, a pickup. And more often than not, an eight-passenger van. And I’m happy as a clam doing it. I found my thrill right here at home.” He gave the car another long once-over and added, “Wouldn’t mind taking a turn behind the wheel of that one once you get her running, though.”

  “Mmmm…” was Josh’s only response. He never let anyone drive his cars.

  For a couple of years, Josh and his mother had lived in the same neighborhood as a TV personality known for collecting classic cars. After Josh stood in the street and waved down the star to ask about the McLaren F1 he was driving, the star had invited Josh to tour his garage. That visit began a love affair with automobiles that thrived to this day.

  “So, if you didn’t sleep with Caitlin, what did you say to her to cause such a fecal tempest? What did you promise her?”

  “What are you talking about? I didn’t promise her anything. I thanked her for a nice weekend and wished her a safe trip back to New York.”

  “That’s all?”

  “Yes, that’s all. What is she saying I promised her?”

  “Nothing. She hasn’t said a damn thing. That’s what has Mom and Dad so beside themselves.” He paused a moment, stared at Josh through hooded eyes, and said, “Dad thinks she’s pregnant.”

  Josh blinked once, absorbed the charge, then fired, “Well if she is, it’s not by me. I didn’t touch her, Chase.”

  “Okay! Okay! I believe you. I think the ’rents are overreacting. They’ve been wound tight for weeks now. I don’t know what’s the matter. Caitlin isn’t the secretive type. She’s honest and forthright. She says what she means and means what she says. They just don’t like what she’s saying.”

  Which is? The words formed on Josh’s tongue, but he swallowed them back. He’d thought about Caitlin Timberlake way too much as it was. He didn’t need to know what she’d said or done to make her parents think she was pregnant. Not my monkey. Not my circus.

  Nevertheless, the question fought its way past his lips. “What is she saying?”

  He thought he’d managed to keep the question casual, but he wondered how well he’d succeeded when Chase narrowed his eyes and studied him.

  After a moment, Chase shrugged. “Not a whole lot. Just that she has a big announcement to make, but she wants to do it in person. Mom is afraid that she quit her job, and I swear, she’s more worried about that than an accidental pregnancy.”

  Josh returned his wrench to its spot on his workbench. “Caitlin told me she’d been thinking of making a career change for quite a while. Why would your mother want her to stay in a job she’s not happy in?”

  “It’s not that. Mom—and Dad too—just have a hard time seeing her as an adult who knows her own mind. She’s the baby of the family, the only girl. And in their defense, she has bounced around a lot job-wise. I think that’s the nature of the industry she’s in, but to my parents it labels her as flighty. I also think they’re afraid she’ll find her wanderlust like I did. My previous lifestyle pretty much drove my parents crazy.”

  Josh had heard the story of Chase’s “previous lifestyle.” A jet-setting action photographer engaged to marry his coworker, the beautiful star of the TV series Thrillseekers, Chase Timberlake all but owned real estate in the tabloid newspapers. All that changed when he’d gone missing in the terrorist-infested mountains of Chizickstan and been feared dead. Eternity Springs had rejoiced when he’d returned home safely. They’d celebrated when he’d married the town’s favored daughter—Lori Murphy.

  “Now that I’ve settled down,” Chase continued, “the family waters are calm. Mom and Dad like that. I don’t think they’re anxious to see it change. But look. I’m sorry I dumped you into the family dirty-laundry basket—as long as you didn’t knock Caitlin up, that is. So, all is well—except I have a toothache and my dental appointment isn’t for another hour. I need a distraction. So where’s this wonder dog my bride has been telling me about?”

  Josh allowed the change of subject. “Penny is in the office. I expect she’s sleeping. Otherwise, she’d have wandered out here at the sound of your voice.”

  “Mind if I look?”

  “Be my guest.” Josh hooked a thumb over his shoulder, pointing toward his office. As Chase disappeared into it, Josh took a seat at his workbench and focused his attention on the carburetor he was rebuilding for one of the mowers Brick had dropped off for service.

  He intended to studiously avoid the thumb drive his brother had delivered along with it. Just because Brick didn’t like bookkeeping didn’t mean he couldn’t do it. Just because Josh liked to tinker with numbers almost as much as he liked to mess around with engines didn’t mean he should continue to have his fingers in his brother’s financial world. He no longer drew a paycheck from Stardance Ranch RV Resort. They needed a clean separation.

  When he’d decided to take Brick up on his job offer, he’d agreed to work as a handyman and general assistant around the park. The bookkeeping aspect of the job had come about in self-defense after listening to Brick moan and groan as he fought with his accounting software. But Josh had never felt good about i
t because it seemed wrong to know so much about Brick’s financial business when he wasn’t being honest about his own.

  Chase strolled back into the garage with Penny in his arms—wheelchair and all. “Now this is quite a contraption. Lori told me you’d modified the wheelchair design. I get the reason for the fenders on the tires, but what’s the purpose of the spoiler?”

  Josh surmised that Chase referred to the U-shaped metal support bracket he’d added to Penny’s cart. “It’s a stabilizer. Although the Callahan twins have convinced me to add a clamp for a flag.”

  “For safety?”

  “That’s my reason for agreeing, but they’re girls. Girls who have grown up around Sage Rafferty’s Snowdrop.”

  Chase nodded. “Oh. Of course. The best dressed dog in Eternity Springs.” He set Penny on the ground, scratched her behind the ears, then added, “You’re not going to put this dog in costumes, are you?”

  “Are you kidding me? Penny has standards. Now, I might start putting her in diapers if we don’t manage to get that issue on a better schedule, but she’s not wearing any tutus.”

  “That’s good to hear.” Chase watched Josh scowl down at the dirt in the carburetor and added, “Could I talk you into submitting a bid to service the equipment we have up at the Rocking L?”

  The Rocking L was a summer camp established by Eternity Springs philanthropists Jack and Cat Davenport. Chase had just finished his first summer as camp director and by all reports, had done a fabulous job. Josh asked, “What sort of equipment?”

  “Lawn equipment, primarily. But we also have utility vehicles and four-wheelers. A couple of vans and an ancient school bus that hasn’t run since a donor drove it up the mountain. I can e-mail you a complete list, or if you have the time, you could come up to camp and see firsthand what we have.”

  “I’ll come up and take a look.” Josh liked the thought of working on a school bus engine. He’d never tinkered with one of those before.

  “Great.”

  They set a date and time the following week for Josh’s visit, and as Chase strode toward the open garage-bay door, Josh called, “Hey, Timberlake?”