Love Loyal and True

by Stacey Joy Netzel

  “A little overwhelmed, but otherwise I’m hanging in there.”

  “I wish we could give you a hug right now.”

  The warmth of their concern came over the line and she smiled in appreciation. “I’d take it.”

  “Loyal told us you stayed at the apartment last night,” Asher said. “He wasn’t a jerk, was he?”

  If that was the first thing her best friend asked about, then he didn’t know she’d climbed into bed with his naked brother when she was practically naked herself. Loyal must not have told them about that part.

  Thank God.

  “No more than usual. It was fine. I was only there a few hours. As soon as I can find the info for my insurance policy, I’ll see how much they cover for a hotel and get one booked.”

  Then she wouldn’t have to deal with him again. If she was being honest, the naked part hadn’t been such a hardship, but then he’d opened his mouth.

  “Actually, Loyal said he’d go to a hotel. He’s already booked and moved.”

  She blinked in surprise. “Really?”

  “Yep. So the apartment is all yours as long as you need it.”

  He’d actually done something nice? Guess she really couldn’t say Loyal was always an ass anymore.

  Or, more likely, he’d only moved to avoid having to see or talk to her again.

  She ignored the discontent that thought spawned, because she knew damn well not seeing or talking to him again should make her happy, not sad.

  “You know, Rox, I’ve been telling you all along you’re welcome to move in there, so there’s no reason to even go looking any further for a different place to stay. It’s furnished already, it’s above the shop, and it’s free.”

  “And after the fire, no one will think you’re taking advantage of anything,” Honor added.

  Roxanna swallowed hard. She’d never taken the offer for exactly that reason, but now… “Maybe.”

  “I don’t want to hear maybe,” Asher said firmly. “I’ll charge you some rent if it makes you feel better, but you just need to move in. This way you don’t have so many things to replace all at once.”

  That was a really good point.

  “Did you go by your building yet this morning?” Honor asked. “We looked it up after talking to Loyal earlier. It’s amazing no one was hurt. It looked like the fire went through the whole building.”

  “Yeah, I had to go get my Jeep earlier. It is bad. Doesn’t look like there’ll be much of anything left, but I won’t know for sure until they let us in to look around. If they even do. When I asked when that might be, the guy I talked to said they have to wait until the inspector gives the all clear that it’s structurally sound before anyone can go inside. That could take a couple of days, or up to a couple of weeks.”

  And in the meantime, it was crazy how many things a person didn’t realize they took for granted until they weren’t there at hand. Simple little things. In the couple hours between picking up her Jeep and coming back to the shop, she’d reached for her purse a half-dozen times. For lip balm, her sunglasses, gum, one of her oils, a pen.

  “If you need anything at all, please let us know, okay? I can transfer some money, or you can use anything from my house. Anything you need.”

  “Also,” Honor chimed in, “there’s a spare key for my house in that birch basket on Asher’s counter. Help yourself to my closet if you want. Obviously, most of my pants will be too short, but maybe some of my tops will fit.”

  “I appreciate the offer, but I’ve been able to find some stuff off my clearance rack in the shop. I might go over to do some laundry in a day or two, though.”

  “Go for it,” Asher said. “Mi casa es su casa. Help yourself.”

  “Thanks, guys. I really appreciate it. Now, enough about depressing stuff, tell me how your trip is going.” When they didn’t answer right away, she said, “Seriously, give me something positive to think about. Please.”

  “It’s going great.” A happy smile brightened Honor’s voice. “I climbed a cliff with my bare hands and a rope yesterday. It was awesome.”

  “She’s a natural,” Asher added. “And, I’m beginning to think, an adrenaline junkie.”

  “If I am it’s because you made me one,” she argued. “We’re going again today.”

  “Go figure. She doesn’t want to lay on the beach. Our secluded, private beach.”

  “Tomorrow,” Honor promised.

  Roxanna smiled at the two. She was very happy for them, even if it made her feel lonelier than ever. “I’m glad you’re having fun.”

  “We are. But we’ll be home on Thursday to make sure we don’t miss the Halloween party on Saturday.”

  The reminder brought a frown and took her right back to the fire. Her usual gypsy get-up for telling fortunes to raise money for the kids had probably gone up in smoke. “I’ll have to come up with a new costume.”

  “Mae and I are picking ours up Thursday afternoon after we get back. Why don’t you come with us and look for something then?” Honor suggested.

  Mae Lockhart was Honor’s best friend, and Roxanna had hit it off with the bubbly blond construction company owner right off the bat. “That sounds like a plan. Listen, I’m going to let you guys go climb your cliffs, and I’m going to tackle my desk.”

  “Oh no,” Asher said gravely, his voice low and ominous. “You’re taking on The Desk?”

  “Yeah. Or more accurately, the whole office area. My insurance info is in there somewhere. Wish me luck.”

  “Text me when you’re done so we know you made it out alive.”

  “Ha ha.” Her smile as she hung up turned to a grimace when she eyed the mountain of crap on her desk and nearby surfaces. She had her own mountain to climb, though even with her fear of heights, Honor’s Hawaiian cliffs sounded like tons more fun.

  Knowing she couldn’t put it off any longer, she scooped up an armload of paper from the desk and set it in the middle of the empty space on the floor. After adding another pile from the extra chair, and everything from the top of the file cabinets, she sat pretzel-leg to start sorting. She was halfway through the first pile when she came across a bundle of unopened mail. She remembered tossing it on the desk a couple of weeks ago, intending to sort it later, but she’d gotten distracted with a delivery, and then it had gotten buried and forgotten.

  It was mostly junk, but as she reached the bottom, there was an envelope with the name of her insurance company in the return address window. She smiled with relief. Exactly what she needed.

  She slid her finger under the sealed flap, but the moment she pulled out the enclosed letter, a foreboding sensation zigzagged down her spine. When she unfolded the letter, one specific line jumped out at her.

  Please be advised if we do not receive payment in the next seven days, your policy will be cancelled and your coverage will lapse.

  Seven days. Her hand shook as she darted her gaze to the date at the top.

  October 7.

  Twenty-three days ago.

  White-hot waves of nausea rolled through her stomach with the confirmation she had no insurance. None. Nada. Zilch. Worse, since she’d bundled the renter’s coverage with her business insurance, she was totally vulnerable at the moment.

  How in the world was she going to replace all her things?

  Panic and despair welled up in a dizzying whirl until she forced herself to take deep breaths to calm down.

  She was alive. She had her shop. She’d be okay.

  The mental litany allowed another calming breath. Thanks to Asher, she had a place to stay, and also she had a little in her savings. She’d get by okay.

  “It’s your own damn fault, anyway,” she muttered to herself, angry she’d buried her head in the sand after her accountant left. Although, Mirela should’ve had this bill paid before she left. She’d assured her everything was up to date that last day.

  Don’t go blaming someone else for your stupidity.

  True, she should’ve double-checked everything, no
w she had to deal with the consequences. Starting with, no more putting off the crap stuff just because she hated doing it. She knew it was more than that—when it was hard to understand, it made her feel stupid and inadequate, but she had to stop with the excuses and grow a damn spine.

  As that truth sank in, she eyed the chaos spilled all around her.

  Starting right now.

  The next envelope she opened contained a personal check made out to her for twelve hundred dollars from a woman in Colorado Springs. She didn’t recognize the name, so she tucked it back into the envelope to ask the girls about it on Tuesday. Maybe one of them had taken a deposit for a weekend Lift Your Spirit seminar? Nothing was on the books that she could recall, and it was dated a few weeks ago, but Tessa might have forgotten to write it down with her pregnancy brain.

  It would be a surprise she’d welcome right now. The income would be nice, and the weekend seminars were always rewarding.

  The crap she was doing today was not, but she forced herself to sit her ass on the floor and keep working until the last paper was sorted and every single piece of mail was opened. Unlike Honor scaling her cliff, there was no sense of accomplishment for Roxanna as she counted the three unpaid invoices on one pile, and a second late notice for the shop’s electric bill.

  She needed to take care of that before they contacted her building owner—Asher. She was still making payments to him for the business loan he’d given her to open the shop six years ago. She didn’t want him to know she’d fallen behind on other things.

  “You’re just like your mother.”

  Her grandmother’s shrill, disapproving voice made her cringe. She hadn’t heard that voice in real life or in her head for years.

  Denial rose up as Roxanna pressed her fingers to her temples and straightened her spine. She was not like her namesake. The elder Roxanna Kent was more cunning than stupid.

  More of a thief than an irresponsible idiot about finances.

  And she, daughter Roxanna Kent, was going to stop being a financially irresponsible idiot.

  First things on her list for tomorrow…get her business insurance reinstated, pay her electric bill, get herself in good standing with her suppliers, and then see if Tessa or Darcy could cover for her while she went to the DMV for her driver’s license, and the courthouse for a new social security card.

  In the meantime…she stacked all her sorted piles together and stood so she could file as needed. When that was done, the final stack with her profit and loss reports mocked her. They were the one thing she hated the absolute most about her business. But balancing her accounts so she knew exactly where she stood and what cash she might be able to use to replace some of her belongings was currently her top priority. Even if she’d much rather take a bottle of wine upstairs to drown her sorrows for a night.

  “Just frickin’ get it done,” she muttered as she sat at the desk and turned on the computer so she could log into the program with her password taped on the underside of the mouse pad.

  Two hours later, each beat of her heart was followed by an answering throb in her head that even peppermint oil couldn’t relieve. She was no closer to making sense of her P&L than when she started, and the frustrating math only strengthened her craving for a large glass of wine. She stared at the mocking, red negative number on her screen and amended that to huge glass of wine.

  When her stomach growled, she glanced at the clock. A double take confirmed the hour hand creeping past six p.m. She’d been stuck in the office for hours. But clearly, she wasn’t going to get any further with a headache and an empty stomach, so she shut the computer down.

  Taking another twenty from the register to order herself some dinner, she tucked it in her pocket, and went to select a leftover cupcake and a bottle of her favorite Riesling from the Whitewater Hill Vineyards in Grand Junction display in her shop.

  With her newly purchased bag of lingerie hooked on her wrist, she pulled the door closed and headed upstairs. It was quiet when she keyed in the code to enter the apartment, though why she thought it might be otherwise, she had no idea.

  She was used to being alone, and Loyal being gone was a good thing—a really good thing.

  Ignoring the contradictory heavy sensation in her chest, she set her things on the counter and found a wine key in the drawer to open her bottle. Then she poured herself a full-to-the-tippy-top glass and took a big swallow. Notes of tangerine and lime lingered on her tongue as the liquid slid down her throat to warm her empty belly. Her gaze strayed toward the bedroom with her next drink, and her pulsed ticked up.

  Wine in hand, she slowly walked through the living room, glanced into the bathroom, and then moved into the bedroom. After last night, it seemed prudent to make sure she was indeed alone—but then she gulped a swallow to drown out the ridiculous surge of disappointment when she saw the empty bed.

  She tilted her head slightly when she noticed the uneven comforter tossed over the pillows, and the edge of the sheet hanging down crookedly along the mattress instead of neatly tucked in. Loyal had made the bed, kind of, but she’d bet her whole bottle of wine he hadn’t bothered to change the sheets.

  “Probably doesn’t even know how to do such a menial task,” she groused to the empty room. The guy had grown up with maid service. He’d probably had one in Texas, too.

  She sat on the bed, set her glass on the nightstand, and fisted a hand in one of the pillows to bring it up to her face.

  A deep inhale flooded her senses with the scent of the cologne she’d noticed last night, right before he scared the shit out of her. Her lashes drifted closed as she savored the seductive, manly notes of sandalwood and pine, and maybe a hint of…cinnamon?

  She breathed in again, sighed, then snapped her eyes open and stiffened her spine when she realized what she was doing. Tossing the pillow aside, she reached for her glass and took two deep swallows in quick succession.

  And one more on her way back to the living room.

  Her headache was starting to ease as she sat on the couch and turned on the TV. She pulled out her phone to call for pizza, only to become distracted by the movie on the screen when the guy playing the main character reminded her of Loyal.

  Tall. Handsome. Nice body. Sexy stubble.

  As she studied the actor’s face, she wondered why she couldn’t be attracted to Merit? He was just as pretty, plus he was always nice to her. Or Grayson? The Diamonds’ half-brother looked eerily like Loyal, but the two times she’d met him, there hadn’t been a single spark of awareness, no slow spread of tingling heat, no excited leap of her pulse.

  “Nope. Stupid me. Gotta go and fall for the jerkiest Diamond of all.”

  She gave a longing whimper, finished off the rest of her glass, then decided she needed a refill.

  Chapter 7

  Loyal parked his Land Rover next to Roxanna’s old green Jeep and muttered under his breath as he pulled the basket from his back seat. If he’d been smart, he would’ve come right over after brunch and left it in the apartment on the table. Then he wouldn’t have to see her or talk to her. Instead, he’d been annoyed with the task and procrastinated.

  Now he was annoyed all over again.

  He stomped up the stairs and gave a sharp rap on the door. After a full minute, he considered leaving it in the hall, but his mom would have his head if she found out. So he knocked again, then started punching the code into the lockbox.

  The door suddenly swung open, and he shifted the basket back to both arms as he looked up.

  “Speak of the devil.” Roxanna held the edge of the door with one hand and a half-full glass of wine in the other. “I was jus’ talkin’ ‘bout you.”

  Loyal leaned sideways to see behind her, his gut clenching at the idea of her having some guy in there with her. “I didn’t realize you had company.”

  “I don’t.”

  He shifted his narrowed gaze back to her as she took a drink. Maybe she’d been on the phone before he knocked.

  Or talking to
spirits.

  Who the hell knows with people like her.

  “Mom heard about the fire and made you a care package.” A little jerk of the basket drew her gaze down to his arms.

  “Aww.” She smiled suddenly, and stepped forward to grasp the edge and look inside. “Your mom’s the best.”

  “Easy,” he warned when the weight of her hand threatened to topple everything to the floor. “This thing is heavy. Let me put it on the table.”

  She stepped aside, and he walked inside to set it down. He expected her to follow, but turned to find her topping off her glass. When she set the wine bottle down, it was half-empty, and her fingers gripped the neck of the bottle to steady herself.

  “How many glasses of that have you had?” he asked.

  “This is number two—and a half. Cheers.” She raised the nearly over-flowing glass in salute before putting it to her lips.

  “Wow. You’re a lightweight if you’re drunk off two glasses.”

  She scrunched up her nose. “I’m not drunk. I’m just…tippy.”

  His gaze lingered on her mouth, her bottom lip wet and shiny from her last drink. “You mean tipsy?”

  “That’s what I said. Tippy. I didn’t eat dinner, but I’m not hungry anymore anyway.”

  She leaned against the counter, then changed her mind and pushed off to come check out the basket. He noticed she still wore those boots and the earth-toned skirt, but on the way back to her face, his gaze caught on her shirt and held. Brown, V-neck, and clinging tight enough to her torso and chest to reveal she wasn’t wearing a bra again.

  The sight of her nipples poking through the thin fabric had his dick paying swift attention.

  “Ooh, chocolate.” She moved closer, her shoulder brushing against his as she dug into the goodies. “And wine. Candles.” She lifted one to her nose. “Mmm. They smell nice.”

  She smelled nice. Peppermint teased his senses, a completely different scent from last night, yet equally appealing.

  Roxanna kept going, taking more basic essential items out one by one, exclaiming over each of them like a kid opening a Christmas present. Shampoo and conditioner, a brush, makeup, deodorant, a toothbrush and toothpaste, towels and washcloths. Toward the bottom, she pulled out a square package.