Just One Kiss (Fool's Gold #10)

He pulled up in front of a large house. There were several cars parked in front already. People stood on the porch, chatting.

Patience touched his arm. “Justice, are you okay?”

He turned to her. The sight of her face calmed him. He could stare into her eyes and find equilibrium again. With Patience around, he could handle the eccentricities that were Fool’s Gold.

“I’m good.”

“If you’re sure.”

She waited, but he didn’t say anything. She turned to the people on the porch.

“Okay, the pregnant woman is Heidi. She’s married to Rafe, who’s the brother of Shane, who’s the father of the baby. Annabelle and Shane aren’t married yet. She didn’t want to walk down the aisle pregnant. It’s kind of funny because Annabelle is sort of traditional, so for her to do this all backward isn’t like her. But they’re blissfully happy together.”

She studied the crowd. “You met everyone else at the work party. Don’t worry about remembering names.”

“I remember their names.”

“You can’t. You’ve only been in town for a few weeks.”

He allowed himself a slight smile, then started on the left. “The two blondes are Dakota and Montana. Next to them are Finn and Simon. The older woman is their mother, Denise, and the white-haired lady talking is Mayor Marsha.”

“Wow.”

He shrugged. “It’s part of what I do, but remember, I was friends with Ford way back when.”

“If I hadn’t been born here, I doubt I would have remembered everyone’s name.”

“It’s a parlor trick.”

“A good one.”

He wanted to impress her and knew the danger of making her believe in him. He reminded himself he had to make up his mind. Was he willing to risk getting involved with Patience? Did he trust himself that much? Or was it too late to have the conversation? Because he was starting to think he was already in too deep to find his way out.

* * *

PATIENCE HELD THE tiny baby in her arms. “Aren’t you handsome?” she whispered to the sleeping little boy. “So precious.”

Annabelle sat on the padded rocking chair in the baby’s room and smiled. “I feel useless. Everyone is helping out so much there’s nothing for me to do.”

“Oh, you should hold him,” Patience said, walking toward her.

Annabelle shook her head. “I wasn’t complaining. I was very stressed about having him. I wasn’t sure I would know what to do. But it turns out I don’t have to worry at all. We’re never alone, and I mean that in a good way.”

“How’s Shane handling fatherhood?”

“He’s excited and freaked. It’s a fun combination. He kept saying having a child was no big deal. Nature takes care of the details. But he’s discovered it’s not exactly like having one of his mares drop a foal.”

“The power of being smug,” Patience said, returning little Wyatt to his mother’s arms. She settled in the chair next to Annabelle’s and leaned close. “He’s adorable.”

“I think so.” Annabelle grinned. “So, tell me. How many casseroles are there in my freezer?”

“At last count there were thirty-two, but more are coming. Oh, and there’s a beautiful fruit arrangement in your refrigerator. Very upscale. There are cookies and brownies and I’m not sure what else.”

Annabelle leaned back in the rocker. “I love this town. I’m never leaving.”

“No one wants you to.” Patience gave her a quick hug, then stood. “I need to head back. I’ll call you in a couple of days to see how it’s going. By then you should be less busy here.”

“Thanks for coming by.”

“I wouldn’t have missed it.”

She returned to the front part of the house and found Justice talking to Clay Stryker. When Justice saw her, he excused himself and joined her.

“You ready to go?”

She smiled. “Are you done pretending to be excited about the baby? Did you want to hold him?”

He flinched. “No.”

“Not a kid person.”

“I like kids. Babies make me nervous.”

“So you’re ready to go?” she asked, amused by his infant phobia.

“Say the word.”

They walked out of the house and made their way to his car.

“What about you?” he asked as he held open the passenger door. “Did you hold the baby?”

“Of course. He’s wonderful. So tiny. I remember when Lillie was first born. I was so scared.”

He closed the door and walked around to the driver’s side.

“You had your mom,” he said as he slid onto the seat.

“And Ned,” she added. “Although by then, things were already falling apart. He left shortly after. But even with half the town in my living room, I was still terrified. I was too young to be a mother. I had no idea what I was doing. But from the first second I saw her, I loved her so much.”

She glanced at him. “Do you remember your mom?”

“Some. She was always hugging me.” His mouth twisted. “As I started getting older, I would squirm away. Now I wish I hadn’t resisted so much.”

“It’s part of growing up,” she said quietly. “She didn’t blame you.”