First K.I.S.S.: Krystal's Intuitive Soulmate Service (K.I.S.S. Series Book 1)

by V. A. Dold

  She couldn’t help but smile at the sweet old man.

  “Angelo,” Joe said in a warning tone. “Please, don’t make a scene.”

  “Me? I never make a scene,” Angelo said dramatically as he grabbed two menus.

  Carol laughed. The men were just too much.

  “Follow me. I have a very special table for you.” Angelo led them to a table at the very back, away from the other patrons. “You will have more privacy here. Enjoy your dinners. And because I like Miss Carol, the Chianti is on the house.”

  Joe pulled a chair for her, before taking his seat on the opposite side of the table. Not that it was much of a table. Their knees were close enough to touch. This was a setting meant for lovers, like one of those intimate little bistro tables she often saw in movies.

  Carol took a minute to look around the restaurant. Angelo and his wife had done a wonderful job with the old world décor. She could imagine herself in Italy, not that she’d ever been there. She felt Joe’s gaze like a physical touch and turned her attention back to him.

  She couldn’t help but smile. To be the object of attention by a man so ruggedly handsome made her feel like the luckiest woman on the planet. His face was freshly shaven for their date and made his strong features even more prominent. She decided, she liked him with a shadow of whiskers just as much if not more.

  Joe flashed his charming smile, little dimples and all. The one that immediately wreaked havoc with her ability to breathe. Then he took her hand in his and brushed his finger across her knuckles.

  “So, do you like the place?”

  “Yes, I love it. I feel like I’m on vacation in Italy.”

  Joe looked around the room. “You’re right. I can picture myself there, too.” Smiling again, he lifted her knuckles to his lips.

  Her body responded with eagerness to be alone with him again. Her nipples tightened against the satiny cups of her bra and a flutter began in her chest.

  She decided she better direct her attention to the menu or she would find herself skipping dinner and dragging him home. “What do you suggest?” she asked from behind the laminated menu.

  “Everything is good. I personally like the Veal Marsala.”

  She was still trying to make a choice when a middle-aged woman set glasses of water and wine glasses on the table.

  “Evenin', folks. Angelo told me to bring y’all this bottle of wine.” The waitress poured a little into Joe’s glass and waited for his approval. He gave her a nod, and she filled both glasses before setting the bottle on the increasingly tiny table. “It sure is nice to see you out with a lovely lady, Joe.”

  “Thank you, Thelma. This is Carol Duffy, Kensie’s friend from Minnesota. She just moved here to help open the clinic. Carol, this is Thelma Jenkins, a very old friend, and the best waitress in Texas.”

  “Aren’t you stretching that a bit, Joe? I’m not that old.” Thelma chuckled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Carol. You must be one special lady to get a free bottle of wine for stingy old Angelo.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, too, Thelma. Please, thank Angelo for us.”

  “I’ll do that, Miss Carol. The special tonight is spaghetti and meatballs, Maria’s specialty. Y'all ready to order, or would you like a little more time to decide?”

  Joe glanced at Carol. “Are you ready?”

  Carol gave the menu one last quick look and handed it to Thelma. “I think I’ll try the special.”

  Thelma marked it down on her order pad. “Excellent choice. What kind of dressing would you like on your salad?”

  Carol could help but grin. “Italian, what else?”

  “The Veal Marsala for me, and I would like French dressing.”

  After Thelma was out of earshot, she leaned closer to Joe. “I just learned something knew about you. You’re a French dressing man.”

  He grinned and captured her hand again. “I’m a continental kind of guy.”

  Faster than she thought possible, a runner from the kitchen brought their salads. “Holy moly, they have fast service.”

  “I guess when you’re the only restaurant in town that isn’t a diner, you have to turn the tables quickly. Not that Angelo would ever rush us out.”

  Joe raised his glass and toasted, “To our new beginnings.”

  She tapped his glass and took a sip.

  Joe sipped quickly and then leaned in close enough that she felt his warm breath. “I want to kiss you so badly, I can hardly contain myself.”

  Carol inhaled the wine before she could swallow. Choking, she croaked, “You can’t say something like that when I’m drinking.”

  Joe rolled his lips in and pinched them together. His shoulders shook with his restrained laughter. “Sorry, darlin’. I won’t do it again. But I can’t promise that I won’t think about it.”

  Carol grinned and shook her head. “You’re incorrigible.”

  “No, I’m enchanted,” he said and winked at her. Then he picked up a fork and stabbed a bit of lettuce. “With how quickly they brought the salads, we better eat them before the main course shows up.”

  The sight of his throat working as he swallowed, mesmerized her. The impulse to kiss her way up his neck to nibble his chin rushed through her. Her gaze slowly rose to his eyes. He was watching her with a hunger she hadn’t expected.

  Heat flared up her neck and face. She was so busted. Quickly, she looked away and focused on her salad.

  She heard Joe chuckle quietly, but he didn’t say a word. She quickly put a fork of greens in her mouth. If she didn’t hurry, Thelma would be back before she got her first bite.

  Thelma breezed up to the table as they finished the last of their salads. She cleared the plates and set their dinners before them. “Can I get you anything else?”

  Joe glanced at Carol. “I think I’m good. Do you need anything?”

  Thelma cocked a hip and waited.

  “I think I’m all set, too.”

  “Perfect. And, Joe, if you don’t mind my sayin’, y’all make a real handsome couple. It’s good to see you out again. If you need anything, let me know.”

  Then she looked at Carol and winked. “Joe may not be much to look at, but he’s a good man. It’s real generous of you to go on a date with him.”

  She smiled brightly at Joe and laughed. “Well, when he asked me, he looked so hopeful, I could hardly say no.”

  He was enjoying the playful banter between the women. Carol’s soft gray eyes glittered with laughter when she turned and smiled—a carefree, heart-stopping smile. Joe crossed his arms, grinning at the ladies. “Every dog has his day.”

  Chapter 6

  Joe licked his lips as Carol dabbed the corners of her mouth and set her napkin aside. “The spaghetti was much better than I expected. Angelo and his wife are the real deal.”

  He cleared his throat and forced his thoughts from kissing her. “Yes, they are. From what Angelo told me, they’re first generation Italians.”

  Carol’s eyes grew wide. “Wow, I’ve never met a first generation person before. Moving to a new country must have been terrifying.”

  He shook his head. “No, not according to him. They were very excited.”

  She sighed. “I could never be that brave. Heck, I had a hard time moving here, and I’m still in the country.”

  Joe put his hand over hers. “Really? Now that I think about it, I guess it would be. I can’t imagine leaving Texas.”

  She went to pull her hand away when Thelma walked up, but he tightened his hold. Her eyes shot to his as Thelma asked, “Can I interest you in dessert?”

  Carol gave Thelma a smile. “I couldn’t eat another bite. Please tell Maria that her spaghetti sauce is amazing.”

  Thelma grinned. “I’ll be sure to do that. Maria loves compliments. How about you Joe?”

  “No, I can’t eat another bite either.”

  Thelma pulled their bill from her apron pocket. She picked up their plates and winked at Joe. “Take your time and have a good evening.”


  “Thank you, Thelma.”

  All throughout dinner, he'd been very aware of the woman sitting across from him. He never realized watching a woman eat could be erotic. Every time she wrapped her lips around her fork, his jeans grew tighter.

  He’d suppressed the urge to kiss her for the past hour. He knew he wouldn’t last much longer. He wanted those lips on his.

  He looked at Carol, rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand, and asked. “Are you ready to snuggle with me at the bonfire?”

  She blushed a delicate pink. “Yes.”

  They reached his truck, and as he held her door, he noticed it wasn’t sitting level. “What the heck? Who would do something like that?”

  Carol leaned out of the cab and saw a slip of yellow paper pinned to the rear tire by a rather large knife. She would never know what the note said. As Joe pulled the knife free, the paper fluttered away with the wind and out of sight.

  “Carol, stay in the truck. I’ll get the spare. We’ll be on our way in a few minutes.”

  While he changed the tire, she kept an eye on the parking lot. The other notes had been fairly harmless, but this was definitely a threat of some kind. For ten minutes, she watched as diners walk to and from the building. Not one person looked their way.

  She squinted, trying to see into the shadows cast by the overhead lights and the building. Was that movement? She looked harder. There was someone standing behind the tall bushes at the corner of the restaurant. She was sure of it. The problem was, he or she was in a deep shadow, and the shrubbery made it impossible to identify anything about the person. She didn’t see a hat, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t a man.

  “Joe?”

  She heard him grunt. “I’ll be done in a minute. I just need to tighten the lug nuts.”

  “Joe, I think I see someone watching us.”

  She heard the crowbar hit the pavement and suddenly he was beside her. “Where?”

  She pointed to the corner. But no one was there. “He was there a second ago.”

  Joe ran to where she had pointed. She watched as he pushed the shrubs aside and studied the spot. Then he raised his head and looked around. Finally, he walked back to her.

  “There was someone there, all right. Based on the footprints, I would say it was a man. Did you get a look at him?”

  Carol shook her head. “I tried, but it was too dark to make him out.”

  Joe looked at the corner one last time. “Well, he’s long gone now. It could have been a bored teenager out to cause trouble. That happens sometimes. In a small town, there isn’t a lot to keep them busy.”

  “Yeah, maybe,” she said without conviction.

  He squeezed her arm and went back to work. “Just hang tight, I have one last nut to tighten, and we will be on our way.”

  *****

  Carol couldn’t remember having such a good time. The ranch hands had taken turns telling funny stories. Then Kensie unveiled the fixings for S’mores and handed out marshmallow sticks. She tried to get a perfect golden crust on her marshmallow, but as she raised it from the fire pit, the dang thing melted off and went up in flames.

  Joe laughed and pushed another one onto the end of her stick. “You’re never going to get your S’more done that way.”

  Her mouth bunched up in one corner, and she scowled at the end of her stick. “Darn it. It was perfectly toasted, too.”

  Joe held out his hand. “Maybe I should do it for you? At the rate you’re going, we’ll be here all night.”

  She laughed and swatted his hand away. “Mind your own marshmallow. I can do this just fine.”

  He took a bite of his S’more and made a show of how good it was.

  Krystal finished hers off and wiped her hands clean. “I think we should sing some cowboy songs. Who wants to start?”

  “I have one,” Roy offered. And he started to sing The streets of Laredo. He had a wonderful baritone voice, perfect for the song. As she carefully put her S’more together, everyone joined in.

  As she enjoyed her sweet, sticky treat, the hair on the back of her neck prickled. Slowly, she glanced around. The man with the large hat was leaning against the main house staring at her. Or at least she thought he was. She couldn’t be sure.

  She glanced away, but kept an eye on him with her peripheral vision. She watched him move closer to the group, always keeping to the shadows. The closer he got, the more apprehensive she felt. There was something very off about that man. He stopped right before he would have stepped into the light cast by the fire. Before she could see his face, he was gone.

  The fire was dying down, and several of the cowboys had already gone to their bunks when Joe squeezed her hand. “Would you like to take a walk with me?”

  She turned and the instant her eyes met Joe’s heated gaze, desire started a slow burn. Regardless if he knew it or not, he was sending her sexual signals. Like, hot, steamy signals. His eyes roved over her body as he waited for her to accept. She cleared her throat, effectively bringing his eyes back to hers.

  She moistened her wind-dried lips in preparation of answering. “I’d love to.”

  She wasn’t prepared for Joe’s reaction to her unintentional provocative body language. His eyes locked on her mouth. Then he leaned in and swept her away in a passionate kiss.

  A throat cleared from the other side of the fire pit ended the kiss before they took it too far.

  Carol mouthed “Sorry” to Kensie as Joe helped her to her feet.

  She followed his lead thinking they were heading to her cabin when he stopped.

  He pointed to a narrow break in the brush. “Are you feeling adventurous? There is a trail here I’d like to show you.”

  She peered at it for a moment and raised her brows in question. “Are you sure that’s a trail?”

  “Absolutely. But it’s not the trail I want you to see. It’s what the trail leads to.” He gave her hand a gentle tug. “Come on. You’re going to love this.”

  When she moved with him toward the path, he rewarded her with one of his thousand watt smiles.

  As they walked down the path, he drew back branches and brush that would have snagged her clothing and waited for her to pass before taking the lead again. At one point he helped her through a fence line. When the brush and trees thinned, he pulled her to a stop.

  “Close your eyes until I tell you to open them. Don’t be afraid. I’ll lead you and make sure you don’t trip on anything.”

  “All right,” she replied, still skeptical, but willing to trust him.

  She counted off ten steps in her mind as Joe slowly led her. Suddenly, a light breeze cooled her face. He must be taking her into some kind of clearing.

  “Okay, you can look now,” Joe announced.

  Her breath caught in surprise at the sight before her. The full moon illuminated a wide meadow blanketed with wildflowers that featured a large pond in its center. The water glowed with the reflection of the moon in its dark calm water.

  “Joe, it’s stunning!

  He gave her hand a little tug again. “Come on, let’s get closer to the water.”

  She resisted. “I don’t know. I would hate to trample the flowers.”

  He chuckled and pointed at the far side of the pond. “Do you see those dark shapes over there? Those are some of our trail horses. If they haven’t trampled the flowers, we won’t either.”

  As they walked, Joe plucked one of the blooms and tucked it behind her ear. “There, now you look like a prairie princess.”

  Carol chuckled. “I don’t think I’ll ever be a princess of anything, but thank you for the flower.”

  He pulled her to a stop a few feet from the water’s edge. “Of course you will. You’ll be my princess.” Then he tunneled his fingers into her hair and kissed her deeply.

  She melted into him, pressing her softer curves against his warm hard form. The kiss went on and on. She was about to start shedding clothes to ease the heat building in her body when something howled in the dis
tance.

  “What was that?” she whispered, searching the darkness around them.

  He tucked a bit of flyaway hair behind her ear and looked into her eyes. “Just a coyote, I’m sure. Don’t worry. They won’t bother you. They don’t attack humans unless the person is already badly injured and bleeding. Besides, you have me to protect you from the big bad wolf.”

  “Good, I don’t want to be coyote kibble.” She laughed nervously.

  “There will be no Carol kibble eaten unless I’m the one doing the snacking.”

  She quirked an eyebrow and grinned. “Really? You’re rather sure of yourself, Mr. Christian.”

  “Sure that I could protect you? Absolutely,” he said and puffed out his chest.

  She shook her head, but he could see she was smiling. ”That wasn’t what I was referring to, and you know it.”

  He put his hand over his heart and dramatically said. “I have no idea of what you are referring.”

  She suppressed a laugh. “Uh huh.” Then a little flower with purplish petals near her feet caught her attention. When she bent to get a closer look, her hair tumbled forward, shielding her face from his view.

  He crouched down and managed to catch her eye. ”Pretty, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. I love flowers of all kinds. But I have to admit, purple is my favorite.”

  “In that case, I’ll bring purple flowers for our next date. Are you ready to head back?”

  Something howled again, and she shivered. “I suppose we should. With my luck, I’ll be the exception to the rule with the coyotes.”

  As he led her back down the path, his conscience ate at him. He had to tell her about the kids. Their relationship had reached a level where he was comfortable bringing them into the picture. To be honest, he was excited for them to meet her. He just prayed she wouldn’t be angry when he told her. He was sure that once he explained his position, she would understand why he’d kept them a secret.

  The entire time they trekked through the woods, he wracked his brain for a way to bring up the subject. Before he could come up with a plan, they were on her porch. Maybe he could convince her to sit for a minute so he could confess?