Today
Cole Wylder sequestered himself in a corner of the Sweetheart Creek community barn, dutifully allowing the music and celebration of Brant and April’s marriage to weave around him. He couldn’t figure out the tradition of holding a wedding reception for people who eloped. Wasn’t the point of eloping to avoid the whole dog and pony show?
Still, it was a Sweetheart Creek ritual to hold a reception a month after a couple made their way into Mr. Lovely’s chapel for a quick elopement on New Year’s Eve, and his brother’s was no exception.
Cole swiped a hand over his jaw, trying to steady himself. He’d been on edge, uncomfortable in his own skin since the moment Jackie had kicked him out of her place last night. He’d walked home—several miles along darkened gravel roads—needing the space to think, having more than enough energy to burn after that kiss.
It had been just a kiss.
One kiss.
Okay, several.
And he was coming undone like a chicken locked in a henhouse with a pack of foxes.
For whatever reason, he couldn’t stop thinking about Jackie.
Or the way she’d kicked him out.
She’d proclaimed he was no good for her. And that had been like a giant flashing billboard reminding him why he’d sworn off women.
Cole nodded to Travis Nestner, the town’s mayor, as the man went by, clutching a cluster of plastic juice cups in his fingers, no doubt for his triplet daughters. A few paces to his left, two teenagers were kissing, and Cole swiveled, putting his back to them. The converted barn, now a community center, was where he guessed at least half the townsfolk had received their first kiss. Himself included.
And right now, seeing others lock lips only made him wonder how to get the strawberry-scented woman named Jackie Moorhouse to kiss him again.
Seriously, though. What was wrong with him? Why couldn’t he think of something other than Jackie? Was it because he’d felt a connection with her that had been like a floodlight aimed at his soul when they’d touched?
It was a good thing she was stronger than he was. She was making them stick to the promises they’d expressed.
She was also right in demanding more than a night or two—which was all he was offering. Except he wasn’t actually offering, was he? Because if he was, that would reflect poorly on him. And right now he was avoiding all potential negative press.
Or at least trying to.
So what had he been offering Jackie when he’d asked if he could kiss her?
Nothing. It had been purely selfish.
Which meant he hadn’t changed as much as he’d hoped he had. And that meant he needed to avoid her, since she was an obvious temptation, a distraction, a hint at what could become his fresh new downfall.
He sighed as he crossed his arms, frowning at his own weakness.
“Too bad she’s taken now, huh?” Wade Ross asked, leaning against the wall beside Cole. The man smelled of beer and broken dreams.
“Sorry?” Cole immediately scanned the room for Jackie before following the man’s gaze to the bride. “Oh, April.” Right. It was her party, last night’s fight with Brant long forgotten by the looks of things. She was beaming, her arms wrapped around Cole’s brother as they danced. “I’m glad they found each other.”
“That’s what you’re supposed to say when you come back too late and lose out.” The man belched and staggered off.
Cole shook his head and wondered if trying to rebuild his reputation would be an effort in futility.
“It’ll take time,” a woman said from beside him.
Cole turned to find Daisy-Mae Ray batting her heavily mascaraed eyelashes at him. Behind her, someone crossed the room, waving merrily at people, a bounce in her step that sported a slight limp after last night’s tumble: Jackie.
Daisy-Mae was smiling up at him, not willing to accept his rejection, apparently. Maybe what Jackie had said last night hadn’t been right. It wasn’t that people just remembered who he’d been. Maybe they saw the real him. The one he’d tried to run from. If so, it was pointless to overwrite that version of himself, because it would always pop right back up again.
If that was the case, then Jackie was the evidence. Because despite his attempts at change, he was ready to throw it all away for a chance to be with her. He would have taken her to bed last night if she hadn’t shown him the door.
He rubbed the heel of his hand over the tight spot in his chest. The dismissal still hurt.
It had just been a kiss.
And boy, had they kissed. It had been hotter than the lava that had chased him while guiding hikers down a Hawaiian volcano.
As Daisy-Mae pressed closer, whispering something in his ear, his gaze caught on a pair of sparkling eyes across the room—eyes that quickly looked away. Jackie’s.
He sighed and dragged a hand over his jaw again, fighting the instinct to go to her. It was going to take a while to stop thinking about her and last night.
Maybe it really had been a mistake to kiss her, because it sure hadn’t answered any of his questions about whatever it was she was hiding from the world. Instead, it had only created more.
Daisy-Mae laughed, having no doubt read how tortured he was about Jackie. “Go get her,” she whispered, then winked over her shoulder as she sashayed away.
He let out a breath and turned, only to find Violet Granger facing him, a plastic glass of punch extended his way.
“Whoa!” he said, stopping short of being splashed with the orange drink. “Almost ran you over.”
“Would you like one?” She waved her plastic cup of juice in front of him, her eyes bright and hopeful.
“No, thanks.”
The only thing he wanted was to clear away whatever caused Jackie the sadness he saw in her eyes—even though he figured she was perfectly capable of doing it herself.
Wow. He really needed to get that woman out of his mind.
“This is quite the party, isn’t it?” Violet said. She shifted so she was standing beside him, her arm pressing against his. “So tell me about your adventures.” She leaned a little closer and curled the fingers of her free hand around his biceps. “I hear you were away for a few years.”
She was sweet, she really was. He gently peeled her fingers from his arm. “Sorry, hon. I’m, uh…”
He didn’t know how to get out of this smoothly. Violet’s expression was already crumbling. It was ridiculous, but all he could think of was how Jackie might feel about him having another woman flirt with him.
No, it wasn’t about Jackie. It was about turning over a new leaf, wasn’t it? About making it clear to the town that he’d returned for his family and that they were his priority.
Across the building, Jackie was chatting with people, moving among the crowd gathered at the edge of the dance floor. Was she leaving? They hadn’t even said hello.
No, she was doing a slow loop of the room and soon might cross his path.
Violet quirked her lips in resignation. “I heard she’s been waiting for you since you left.”
Cole gave himself a shake, trying to focus. “What’s that?”
“Jackie.”
“Pretty sure she hasn’t.”
She’d called kissing him a mistake, had she not?
He spun away when Violet reached for him again, and bumped into someone who’d come up behind him. His arms instinctively went around the woman, keeping her from tumbling backward. She felt familiar, safe, and a stir of longing swirled within him.
Jackie.
He was momentarily rendered speechless as their eyes connected, her fingers gripping the front of his shirt as if they’d just broken a hot, steamy kiss and she craved more. Her lower lip was red from being chewed, and he found it impossible to break his gaze.
“I thought we weren’t doing this any longer,” she said, amusement in her breathy voice. She hadn’t loosened her grip, and her body was taut in his embrace. His hands had started their own exploring, edging from her narrow waist to her shoulder blades as if he was preparing to brace her for the demanding kiss his heart was pounding for.
He abruptly loosened his grip and shuffled backward, putting space between them. “Sorry,” he said, unable to keep from eyeing her outfit’s tucks and curves. She was wearing cowboy boots. Jeans that hugged her thighs like a bull rider waiting to leave the gate. A black Western shirt with pearly snaps up the front, and delicate white stitching detail that spread over the shoulders and down to where she’d left the top two snaps open. His gaze arrested, he didn’t notice what she’d done with her hair.
“I’m not sorry,” she whispered.
He blinked, forcing himself to break the connection. She gave him a flirtatious wink and walked away.
She was leaving him wanting once again.
It was a marvelous view, though, the Wranglers enhancing the curves of her hips and high waist. He wondered what color her underwear was tonight, and if he’d ever get a chance to see it.
Cole gave himself a shake. Wow. He really needed to get out of her orbit before he roared back into his old ways, wild and without a thought to consequences.
She’d warned him she was a flirt. This was a game that meant nothing to her. She didn’t want him.
But he wanted her. He wanted to call out and ask how her knee was. Kiss her again. Hold her.
He lost sight of her in the thick crowd, then moments later she reappeared off to the side, near the gift table by the doors. As she circulated she would often reach out, touching someone’s arm, offering a quick word and a laugh. Everyone adored her. Lots of men’s gazes trailed after her.
Cole struggled with a rush of adrenaline and an urge to fight, protect and start staking claims.
Jackie, now wearing her coat near the exit, glanced over her shoulder, giving him a private smile. It hit him like a cow butting her head into his solar plexus. He needed to be close to Jackie. Now.
He lifted a foot to start after her when a small voice inside his head warned, “Don’t do it. This isn’t why you came home.”
Cole halted in his tracks. Sure, he felt a primal urge to rest a hand on Jackie’s hip and tell all the other men in the room she was his. But that was no excuse to repeat past mistakes. Just because he wanted to find out what was going on in that beautiful, cheerful woman’s mind… No excuse. She deserved better, and he was moving on, changing his life.
Starting right now.
* * *
Jackie stood outside the barn, gulping a blast of frosty January air. What on earth kind of game was she playing?
She’d been jealous of Daisy-Mae, and then Violet, for flirting with Cole, and she had no right to be. One kiss did not mean a thing to a man like Cole Wylder, and she’d be wise to remember that.
Plus she had rejected him.
He wasn’t looking to start a family or even date right now, so it didn’t matter what she’d felt when they’d kissed last night, or when he’d turned around and bumped into her minutes ago. She could practically still feel the burn of his hands on her body. The way their eyes had locked, the way she’d become all too aware of everything to do with the handsome man.
The kiss had been a mistake.
Cole Wylder was not a keeper.
Jackie leaned against the cold wooden barn, undecided on what to do. Should she stay out here a bit longer to collect herself, then go back inside and dance and pretend she was loving the reception for Brant and April? Or should she leave?
If she went home, she could curl up with her tablet and binge read on the couch, with Goose nestled beside her. If she went inside the barn she could get another slice of Maria’s apple pie, which was pretty darn good, too.
But going inside could lead her toward another poor decision. Another kiss. Another step into something that would surely be unhealthy.
Home it was.
JackieLynn Moorhouse was done drooling over Cole Wylder.
Again.
* * *
Cole stepped out from under the glow of the entrance light, allowing his eyes to adjust to the semidarkness. He scanned the grassy parking area behind the barn, scarcely noticing the music wafting through the night air. Almost immediately, he spotted a figure moving through the shadows.
He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, “Jackie!”
She spun around, and he could’ve sworn her face lit up before she schooled her expression. Then again, it was pretty dark, and his mind could be playing tricks on him.
It still zinged him, thinking how she’d brushed him off as a mistake. And somehow intrigued him, because how could she not have felt what he did every time they touched?
He hustled forward, weaving between rows of dusty pickup trucks, until he caught up with her.
Her eyebrows rose in question.
Shoot. He’d jumped into action without a plan. He’d stepped out for a breath of air, spied her familiar form moving across the parking lot, and had reacted.
He pushed back his hat, exposing his forehead to the chilly night, then readjusted it as though that could buy him time to think. “You leaving?”
She nodded, shifting her car keys to her other hand. “Why? Wanna come with me?” Her tone was flirty, not serious.
He wanted to accept, but was fairly certain she was only toying with him.
He leaned against the blue Ford beside him, scratching the back of his left calf with the toe of his right boot.
“You know I do,” he replied easily, pleased that his voice sounded casual.
“Do I know that?” she retorted smoothly.
He wasn’t used to her quick responses or the fact that she seemed to be made of Teflon. Everything ended up back in his court when they bantered. She wasn’t playing hard to get; she might actually be hard to get—despite the rumors saying she wanted him.
He’d seen Jackie Moorhouse in action, and she could take or leave Cole Wylder, her catch-and-release cowboy.
Silence stretched between them, and she didn’t move toward her car with the taped-up bumper, expecting him to follow, accepting her invitation. Which meant it hadn’t truly been one.
“So, uh, you regret kissing me, huh?” Cole said finally, wincing.
Not cool, man. Not cool.
To his surprise, Jackie stepped up to him, wrapped her arms around his waist and placed an ear against his chest. She snuggled in, her warmth a reprieve from the late January chill. He hadn’t grabbed a jacket when he’d left the barn, and after a second’s hesitation, he slid his palms across her back. Down over her ribs, the narrowing of her waist, before the flare of her hips. He stilled his hands, knowing he would have no resistance if he continued exploring. He’d kiss her again.
She’d tell him it was a mistake.
He’d feel that same hollow sense of loss once more.
“The stars are out tonight,” she said.
Cole tipped his head back until the brim of his hat no longer shielded his view. Lots of stars were twinkling up there, so bright and close in the crisp night air he felt as though he could reach out and touch them.
“What are we doing?” he asked, when the silence grew once again. He was used to female contact going somewhere. Not that he was complaining. This was nice, too.
“It’s called snuggling.”
“Oh…” he said, drawing out the word as though comprehension was dawning. “This is what women are always wanting after sex. A body hug.”
She giggled, the sound easing any lingering tension as it vibrated against him.
“Are you going to kiss me?” he asked, unable to help himself.
She studied him, her lips twisted in contemplation. “I haven’t decided yet,” she said at long last.
Amusement tugged at him. “Why not?”
“It’s not you, it’s me.”
“Ouch.” He released her, clutching at his chest as if she’d stabbed him.
She didn’t laugh, and he wanted to touch her, console her, reassure and comfort her.
“We’re both trying to get somewhere and…”
“And?”
“Something casual would be bad news for both of us,” she said quickly. “I’m looking for more than that, and you’re looking to repair your image around town. A one-nighter with the town flirt won’t help.”
A trace of anger had thickened her voice, as though she was as dissatisfied with her image as he was with his own.
“That’s not you, Jackie. You’re more than that.”
She gave a short laugh that sounded pained. “Spare me, Cole. My longest relationships can’t outlast a dairy product’s best-before date.”
“Yeah, but you have a…” He caught himself reaching for her, and dropped his hand. He didn’t have the words to heal her.
“I have a what?” she asked. The anger was gone, and he swore a sadness and need to be recognized had replaced it.
She seemed so alone.
He shook his head, knowing he was projecting again.
“You have a sadness,” he said, looking away. At the truck beside him, the dry grass underfoot, the stars shining brightly in the sky. Anywhere but at her.
It felt important to connect with this woman, to tap into that pain so it could be released. But he didn’t know how to get from here to there. And even if he tried to, he had a feeling Jackie might put up barricades.
Anyway, something like that would lead to entanglements, which would distract him from working on his family relationships.
“You have a sadness, too,” she replied at long last.
He finally allowed his glance to skitter her way. “I do?”
“Yes. You’re different than you were.”
They regarded each other for a moment.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Me?” She laughed, the heaviness that had settled over them broken like a flock of birds startled out of a bush. “I’m fine. It’s you I’m worried about.”
“Jackie,” he whispered, sliding one hand around her waist and tipping her chin up with the other. “Have I ever told you you’re an amazing liar?”
* * *
“Excuse me?” Had Cole just called her a liar?
“You’re doing as okay as I am,” Cole murmured, his voice low and deep. He still had her chin propped on his pointer finger, his body close to hers. They really had to stop meeting this way. “And the kiss wasn’t a mistake.”
“It wasn’t?”
“It was the highlight of my year.”
“We’ve barely finished January.” She ignored the thrill she felt at the idea that Cole had enjoyed kissing her. It had felt pretty spectacular from her side of things, but she had the benefit of years of crushing on the man.
She needed to tread carefully, or she was going to fall for Cole. For real. More than some silly little crush.
“Fine, then. The highlight of the past twelve months. And the year before.” He released her chin. “For a very, very long time. I only wish our timing was better.”
“Right!” she agreed, giving him a wry look that loosened any tension that had built up, putting them back on track. Just friends. Light and fun. Not talking about things that could impact her fluttering, failing heart.
“If I was in a place where I was looking for something serious…” Cole paused again, as though afraid to misstep. But he was also acting as though she was some desperate, clinging woman he had to let down carefully so she didn’t go berserk. Wasn’t she the woman who’d shown him the door last night?
“Why do you assume I want the bother of a boyfriend and someone who’s around all the time?” She flicked the brim of his hat, then crossed her arms, jutting out a hip.
“Don’t you?” he asked, tugging his hat back into place.
Automatically, her gaze cut to the side, revealing the truth before she could lie to him. Nuts. What was it about this man that made her constantly tip her hand?
“Then I’d better give you a goodbye kiss,” Cole whispered.
“What?” Jackie felt her heart beat faster.
“Kiss you goodbye so you can go about your life.”
She smiled, knowing it was a line, but adoring it for what it was. A move to get what he wanted.
“You’re such a player,” she said coyly.
He stepped back as though hurt. She reached out, grabbed his shoulders and pulled him close. Their lips locked within seconds, and Jackie draped her arms around Cole’s neck. His body felt so good snugged up against hers, and she dreamily wondered how long their resolve would last before they found another reason to kiss.
She caught herself. What was she doing? She was practically offering herself up as a second helping of repeated mistakes.
Although this was a goodbye kiss.
A goodbye kiss that seemed to say hello!
They finally broke apart, stirring the cold air around them. She sighed, her arms still draped across his shoulders. “Don’t let it go to your head, but I’ve gotta tell you. Nobody can kiss like you.”
She caught herself moving toward his mouth again, as though magnetized. He caught her, giving her a long, deep kiss, and she felt any lingering resolve to end it weaken.
It didn’t seem to matter what she told herself. As soon as Cole’s eyes met hers, or he touched her, every grain of logic and resistance fell away. And then she began to wonder… Could this work? What was the harm in what they were doing? They both knew it wasn’t going anywhere real. And it wasn’t like she had anything better to do with her time, or any other offers out there… Man, she was trying so hard to change, and here she was, right back to thinking like her old self, looking for trouble. No wonder she hadn’t yet found love.
She pushed away. “If we go any further, someone’s going to get hurt, because this is not what we want. It’s not part of the plan.”
“Although, if you got hurt…” He bent to the side as though he could study her knee through her jeans. It was still tender and rainbow-colored after last night’s tumble over Rusty. “…maybe I could kiss you better.”
“Cheesy,” she warned.
“I know.” He shot her a look filled with apology. “Is your knee okay?”
“It’s fine. Mostly.”
“I’m totally open to kissing it better.” His gaze tracked downward again. “If I recall, you have very sexy legs.”
She shivered at the idea of his lips on her skin. He was grinning, and heat and tension were building between them like a sudden storm that could bring a flash flood. She struggled against the pull of temptation; the gravity drawing her into the black hole of kissing him again.
“I’m pretty sure this whole thing is a bad idea,” she stated. With a sharp inhale to brace herself, she stepped back, hitting the fob to unlock her car. A shooting star glided across the dark night. She didn’t have time to make a wish before it was gone.
“I’m sorry. I…” She was facing him again, and could feel herself leaning closer, waiting for one of them to break, to lead them into another kiss. She needed to leave. Now.
“It’s fine,” Cole said quickly, shoving a hand into his hair after pulling off his hat. Then he took a large step forward, dropping his hat back on his head. “You drive me crazy, you know that?” He pulled her in for a kiss that was long, hard and deep.
She gasped for air when he ended it, dizzy with the knowledge that she had this effect on him.
“Totally crazy.” He forced himself to step back, and she knew he wasn’t being a player. This wasn’t an act to get what he wanted. It wasn’t a line.
It was the truth.
Dangerous, dangerous truth.
“You drive me crazy, too,” she admitted.
“Promise me.” He cleared his throat.
“Promise what?”
“That you’ll be the strong one.”
“The strong one?”
“Because you make it difficult to say no.” As though realizing what he’d said, he chuckled, all awkward and boyish. She hated how it endeared him to her all the more.
She’d naively believed that Cole returning to Sweetheart Creek as a changed man would save her from her crush. So far it had made her only more intrigued, and him even more irresistible.
Cole’s bright eyes locked on hers, and she felt that gallop her heart did whenever it seemed as though he saw only her. He brushed a strand of hair off her face.
“You know I won’t be able to think of anything other than when I’ll get to kiss you again,” she said in a husky voice. Jackie batted her lashes, masking the truth. She wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about kissing him again, but he didn’t need to know that.
He laughed, his eyes crinkling, before he grew serious again. “Me, too, Jackie.” He gave her a soft kiss. It was tender and full of promise.
“You keep kissing me.”
“That one was a goodbye.”
“It was? Hmm. Barely even registered.”
He choked on a laugh. “You wound me, woman.”
“It’s why you adore me, and won’t ever stop thinking of me. Try not to turn into a stalker, m’kay?”
He was smiling, trying to fight it and losing. “You are the most spectacular woman in Sweetheart Creek, you know that?”
“I do.” She winked and climbed partway into her car, breathless with the idea of being called spectacular. “But don’t start thanking me yet. I plan to fully torture you.”
“Yeah? How so?” He leaned against the car’s frame, holding her door.
She lifted a shoulder. “I’m sure I’ll think of a few ways.”
“I’m certain you will.”
He closed the door, and she forced herself to steer her car home before she changed her mind and threw herself all over the man who, with just a few kisses, had managed to fully capture her heart.