Just One Kiss

Patience was a big part of the pull, he admitted, if only to himself. He’d never forgotten about her and had often wondered where she was and what she was doing. With his resources, it would have been easy to find out. He could have had a complete dossier on her in less than six hours. Only he never had.

Now he knew she was in town and single, which made her a temptation. Their kiss the previous morning had only fueled the fantasy. He wanted more. He wanted her in his bed, pulling him close, taking him with as much passion as he wanted to take her.

Which meant the best solution for both of them was for him to walk away.

He knew who he was and the type of man he could become. Patience deserved better. He wanted to think he could be better, do better, than his father. That Bart Hanson’s DNA wasn’t his son’s destiny. But he couldn’t be sure. When his father had finally been captured and sent back to prison, Justice had been free to choose. He could have been anything, gone anywhere. The fact that he’d joined the army wasn’t noteworthy. His choice of occupation was.

He’d become a sniper. Not a cop, not a technician. The son of a murderer had chosen to kill others. It was the ultimate proof of the darkness in his soul. Which meant leaving made the most sense for Patience and her family. They deserved better than him. The problem was he didn’t want to go. And that made him the biggest bastard of all.

He heard footsteps on the concrete and turned to see a well-dressed older woman walking into the warehouse. Like Eddie from the day before, she had white hair. But the similarities ended there. This woman had on a well-tailored suit, pumps and pearls. She smiled as she approached and held out her hand.

“Welcome back, Justice Garrett. I’m Mayor Marsha Tilson. You probably don’t remember me.”

“No, I don’t. But it’s nice to meet you, again.”

They shook hands.

The mayor studied him. “You’ve grown up. I remember when you were a tall, skinny teenager. You were friends with Patience McGraw and Ford Hendrix. It was always the three of you, but I thought you had special feelings for Patience.”

He stared at the older woman. She was talking about relationships that had played out fifteen years ago. While the events had been important to him, he couldn’t imagine a woman in her fifties paying attention to the lives of a group of teenagers.

Her smile widened. “I can see my observations are startling. I confess I was intrigued by you from the very beginning. Your guardians did an excellent job of fitting in, but there were inconsistencies in their story. When you first arrived, it was obvious you’d suffered some kind of trauma.”

“You knew I was being protected?”

“No. I never figured that out. I thought maybe the man who claimed to be your uncle wasn’t a relative and that you didn’t want anyone to know. There could be many reasons for the subterfuge. So I watched to make sure you weren’t being abused, and when you began to settle in and make friends, I knew all would be well.”

He shifted slightly, uncomfortable with the idea that she’d been watching out for him. “I was fine.”

“Until you had to leave so mysteriously. We were all worried. Patience especially. Under the circumstances, you had to go. We see that now. But at the time, we were concerned.”

Obviously the mayor knew the story of what had happened. He shouldn’t be surprised. News traveled fast in a town this small.

“Now you’re here to open a business. Some kind of bodyguard school, I hear?”

He chuckled. “Is that what they’re saying?”

She laughed. “It is, although I’ll admit I had my doubts about that. What’s the real story?”

“The business will provide advanced security training of all kinds.”

“Not for your average mall cop?”

“No. We’re interested in the security forces who travel to the dangerous parts of the world. We’ll cover basic evasion techniques, hand-to-hand combat, along with weapons expertise. In addition, we’ll train security forces to understand the safest way to travel to and through the trouble spots. Most of that is about planning.”

They were also going to be offering workshops on dealing with local terrorists and hostage negotiations, but he doubted the mayor wanted to know the details about that.

“We’ll also be providing corporate retreats,” he added. “A facility where they can practice their team building.”

She nodded. “A nice steady source of income.” She paused. “Has Ford decided if he’s willing to move back to Fool’s Gold?”

Justice stared at her. How in hell did she know what Ford was thinking? “Not yet.”

She nodded. “He’s been gone a long time. The transition to civilian life is bound to be difficult for any soldier. But with what Ford has seen...” She sighed. “He has family here, which he probably considers both a blessing and a curse. I can’t help thinking he’ll need their support. There are other considerations, as well. What about Mr. Whittaker?”

“You know about Angel?”

“I’ve heard a few things. We haven’t yet met, although I’m looking forward to that.”

She moved toward the doorway. He found himself following, although he couldn’t say why.

“You’ll have some kind of physical-fitness facility?” she asked.

“Yes. And an outdoor obstacle course.”

“You’re very close to Josh Golden’s cycling school.” She handed him a business card. “You might want to speak to him about using the facilities. Cycling provides overall conditioning.”

He took the card. “You came prepared.”

“I’m always prepared, Justice. This is my town and I take care of my citizens.”

He got the message and braced himself for the warning. He told himself she was just an old lady who made smart guesses, but he didn’t believe it. She knew things and that meant she could easily have figured out his issues. She was going to warn him off, and he couldn’t blame her for that.

“You’ll find the city is very supportive of your venture. If you need anything, contact me directly and I’ll get you in touch with the right person. You belong here, Justice—I have a feeling about that.”

He’d been captured once. On a mission. Held and beaten for a few hours. He’d barely begun to prepare himself for the ordeal when his team had broken in and rescued him. He’d been as shocked by their arrival then as he was by the mayor’s words now.

“You’ll want to provide some community outreach,” she continued. “Maybe self-defense classes, something for children. You’ll be welcome in the community regardless, but it’s nice to give back. You’ll feel better about yourself, and the transition will be easier for all your staff.”

She smiled again. “I doubt your employees are just regular folks, are they?”

“Not really.”

“I thought not. They’ll need to find their footing, as well. Some of them will believe that’s not possible. You and I know otherwise. It’s up to us to show them what Fool’s Gold has to offer.”

“I hadn’t thought of classes for the community,” he admitted.

“That’s why I’m here. To offer possibilities.” She lightly touched his arm. “Welcome home, Justice. I’m glad you found your way.”

He wanted to tell her he wasn’t sure he was staying, but even as he thought the words, he knew they weren’t true. He had decided the second he’d returned. Seeing Patience had sealed the deal. He might not be able to have what he wanted with her, but he couldn’t seem to walk away, either. An uncomfortable dilemma.

Mayor Tilson wished him the best and walked out of the warehouse. Justice reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone.

“Is it Fool’s Gold?” Felicia asked by way of greeting.

“It is.”

“Great. It’s going to take me a couple of weeks to wrap everything up. Maybe three. I’ll let you know when I’m on my way. In the meantime I’ll notify Ford and Angel and get going on the plan. Send me pictures of the building and the outlying area. I’ll coordinate with the lawyer on the purchase and investigate leasing options, as well.”

Felicia wasn’t one for pleasantries. She got right to the problem and in a matter of seconds, had sixteen solutions. She could list them in order of success ratio, danger or cost. She was the smartest person he knew, and probably one of the ten most intelligent people in the world. At times that made her challenging to work with, but she was never boring.

“How are you?” he asked, mostly to mess with her.

She sighed. “Really? We have to do that every time we speak?” There was a pause. “I’m fine, Justice. Thank you so much for asking. How are you enjoying Fool’s Gold?”

“It’s very nice.” He grinned. “Are you calculating how much work you could have gotten done if we hadn’t wasted time on that exchange?”

“No. I’m trying to be more social. I’m going to be living in a small town and I want to be like everyone else.”

He didn’t have the heart to tell her that would never happen. She was many things, but “just like everyone else” wasn’t one of them.

“Did you see her?” Felicia asked. “Your friend?”

He’d told her a little about Patience—that they’d known each other back in high school. But not that she’d haunted him and that the memories of her had kept him anchored and strong.

“I have.”

“Is she how you remember?”

He thought about the feel of her in his arms. How she’d kissed. He remembered her laughter and her spinning in the middle of an empty storefront.

“She’s better.”

* * *

JULIA HELD OUT her arms. “Congratulations, Patience. This is everything you’ve wanted.”

Patience hugged her boss. “I know. I’m so excited.” She’d gotten the lease from Josh and had taken it over to an attorney that morning for a quick review. The next order of business was telling the woman she worked for that she would be leaving.

“What’s your time frame?” Julia asked, releasing her.

“Six weeks,” Patience said. “Maybe eight. I thought I could work part-time for a while, if that’s okay with you.” She held up her hands. “I feel like I’m leaving you in a lurch.”

“You are, but so what? This is like winning the lotto. You can’t turn your back on opportunity. We’ll talk about who would do best with each of your clients. After we do that, you can call all your regulars and let them know what’s happening.” Julia’s good humor faded slightly. “Just don’t let them go over to Bella’s place.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Patience murmured, eager to avoid that particular conversation.

Bella and Julia were sisters. Estranged sisters. They owned competing salons in town, which required the good citizens of Fool’s Gold to be careful if they wanted to keep the peace.

Patience promised to contact her clients within a couple of days and left the office. She’d come in on her day off to tell Julia what had happened. Now she had a thousand things to do and no idea of where to start.

As promised, Great-Aunt Becky’s lawyer had sent the check overnight. The money was currently sitting in her checking account. Ava had already researched where to put the money for Lillie’s college fund, and they would pay off the mortgage at the end of the week. Once the lease was signed, they would start ordering the equipment and talking to a contractor about remodeling the store.

Patience stepped into the salon, prepared to get her purse and move to the next item on her list. She was stopped by a tall blonde waiting by her station.

“Your mom said I’d find you here.”

Patience saw her friend Isabel and laughed. “No way. When did you get back?”

“Yesterday.”

They hugged.

“Did I know you were scheduled for a visit?” Patience asked, excited to see her friend.

“No. It was kind of unexpected.”

Isabel lived in New York and worked in marketing. Like Patience, she’d grown up in Fool’s Gold and still had family here.

Patience glanced at the clock on the wall. It was nearly eleven-thirty. “Want to get an early lunch and catch up?”

“I was hoping you were going to say that,” Isabel admitted. “I have so much to tell you.”

“I can’t wait to hear it.”

They took the short walk to Margaritaville and were shown to a quiet booth by the window. After ordering diet soda and guacamole, they pushed aside the menus and looked at each other.

“You first,” Patience said.

Isabel tucked her long blond hair behind her ear and shrugged. “I’m not sure where to start.”

Patience had known the other woman all her life. Isabel was a couple of years younger, so they’d never hung out in school, but shortly after Ned had walked out on Patience, leaving her with a newborn, Isabel had flunked out of UCLA and returned to Fool’s Gold. They liked to joke that their moments of disgrace had brought them together. They’d been friends ever since.

“Before I tell you my sad tale,” Isabel said, “I want to see pictures.”

Patience laughed and handed over her phone. Isabel flipped through the photos. “She’s getting bigger by the minute. She’s so pretty. Tell Lillie I can’t wait to see her.”

“I will.”

Isabel passed the phone back. Their server appeared with drinks, chips, salsa and guacamole. Isabel waited until they were alone to put her left hand on the table and wiggle her fingers.