Three Little Words (Fool's Gold #12)

He grabbed her hand and lightly kissed her knuckles. “I would never do that.”


“Then what happened?” Linda asked eagerly. “You came back, took one look at her and realized she’d been the one all along?”

“Something like that,” Ford admitted.

Just words, Isabel told herself. It wasn’t true, but it sounded good for company. Still, she found herself wishing he was telling the truth. That he had taken one look at her and had known they belonged together.

Foolishness, she thought. She and Ford were only pretend-dating. None of this was real. She was passing through town and he was a guy who didn’t know how to be in love. They didn’t belong together.

Sure, the kisses had been great and she was looking forward to more. She liked his company and enjoyed seeing him. They shared a sense of humor, and she had the sense that if she needed him, he would be there, but that was different. They were friends and their relationship was something they’d created to fake out the world.

* * *

“YOU DID GREAT tonight,” Ford said as he drove through the quiet streets of town.

Isabel leaned against the door and drew in a breath of cool air. She’d had just enough wine to give herself a slight buzz. She wasn’t going to start singing anytime soon, but if she started giggling, she might have trouble stopping.

“I had a good time. I thought you and Clyde would talk a lot of business, but you didn’t. They’re a fun couple.”

“I agree.” He glanced at her. “You’re a fun girlfriend.”

“Thank you. Except for this car, you’re a really good boyfriend.”

He pulled into her driveway and parked. “I love my Jeep. Do not mention the flames.”

She opened her door and stepped out. “Admit it. They’re starting to embarrass you just a little.”

He came around and put his hand on the small of her back. “Never. They represent my lost youth.”

“If these flames are your lost youth, you need to go out and find it.”

They reached her back door. Ford turned the door handle and sighed. “When are you going to start locking your door?”

“This is Fool’s Gold. Nothing bad is going to happen.”

“It could.”

“Oh, please.” She brushed off his comment. “You want to come in?”

“I am in.”

“Okay.” She kicked off her shoes and walked barefoot across the hardwood entryway. “That’s always the best part of the evening. Even the heels that start out comfortable usually end up hurting by the end of the night. There’s math involved. An inverse relationship between how gorgeous the shoes are and how much they hurt my feet.”

She dropped her purse on a small table in the hall and started toward the living room. Halfway there, she paused.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

Ford shrugged out of his suit jacket and hung it on the coatrack by the door. His tie followed. He toed out of his shoes and then walked toward her with an air of determination that made her tummy get all fluttery.

“You have this strange look in your eye,” she murmured. “It’s predatory.”

“That’s how I’m feeling.”

She swallowed against her suddenly dry throat. She wasn’t nervous, not exactly. If she had to define the tingle in her body, she would say it was anticipation.

He reached for her and she sidestepped him. “We have to talk first,” she said.

One eyebrow rose. “I’m not that interested in conversation.”

“Still, it’s necessary. Before we do, you know, the sex thing.”

His mouth twitched. “The sex thing?”

“Uh-huh. Because that’s where this is going.”

He shifted so he was leaning against the wall. “Good to know. What do we have to talk about?”

This was not the best time for her head to be fuzzy, she thought, sure she had a comprehensive list memorized but unable to recall it that second.

“I’m on the pill,” she began. “I like having my periods regulated, and my doctor said it was safe for me to stay on it after my divorce.”

“I brought condoms. We’ll still use them.”

“You planned this?”

“I was optimistic. Besides, I’m a SEAL. It’s my job to be prepared.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I thought that was the Boy Scouts.”

“Them, too. What else?”

“I don’t think I’m doing it right,” she admitted. “The sex thing. If I was good in bed, Eric wouldn’t be g*y.”

“You don’t have that much power.”

“It wasn’t very good with Billy, either.”

“Or the hordes?”

She sighed. “Right. Him, too. I think it’s me. That I’m not—” She waved a hand up and down the front of her body. “Maybe there are parts missing or something.”

He straightened. “Is that it?”

“Don’t you want to talk about the parts?”

His gaze drifted over her body. “I would love to, but not in the way you mean.” He took a step toward her. “Because if that’s all, I’d like to get started.”

She scurried back a couple of steps. “No, that’s not all. You can’t undress me.”

“Is this an Amish thing?”