Prologue

Ricky

“Hello, beautiful! How are you doing today?”

My granny smiles at me and pats my cheek. “You’re such a smooth talker, Ricky, my boy. You’re coming to the dance tonight, right?”

I nod my head and push my hat back so I can eye her closer. My gaze narrows in on the satisfaction on her face. “You better not be planning anything, Granny. I told you already. I’m not looking for another girl. I need a break.”

She huffs and her lavender curls whiff above her head. “It’s been long enough, Ricky. You can’t live your whole life alone just because some slick little hussy broke your heart. Vera wasn’t worth the time you wasted on her.”

Glaring at her, I cross my arms over my chest. “I mean it, Granny. I’m not interested in finding a girl. I’m fine just as I am.”

“Whatever, Ricky. You need to get out. See somebody. Talk to people. You’re gonna turn into a rude, nasty old man before your time if you’re not careful.”

I chuckle. “You just want another notch for your matchmaking belt, Granny. I’m sorry to break your heart but I’m not interested.”

“Just come tonight,” she begs, her wise brown eyes narrowed on mine. “Make an old lady happy.”

“Fine. I’ll be there.” I point a finger at her. “But you better not be planning anything. I’m comin’ to spend time with you. No other reason.”

She nods her head. “Of course. I just want to see my grandson relax. But it’s not like it wouldn’t be a great idea for you to meet a new girl.”

“I don’t need a new girl. I’m fine as I am. I love you for worrying though.”

She reaches out one wrinkled hand and touches my cheek, patting it gently. “I will always worry about you. All of you.”

“I’ll be there. That’s all I’m promising.”

I walk in the door and immediately spot my granny frantically waving her arms. I can’t help but grin. You don’t miss Granny Margot and her partner in crime, Granny Louise. Both of them have permed lavender curls that float around their heads. Both of them love to throw on as much color as possible.

Tonight, the two of them are wearing hot pink western shirts and fitted blue jeans. When I glance down, they’re both wearing sneakers in eye-watering hot pink too.

Hiding my smirk, I walk across and kiss my granny’s cheek.

She pats my cheek and grins smugly. “There you are! I was starting to worry that you weren’t gonna show up!”

“I told you I’d be here.” I sit down in an empty seat next to her and eye the dancers on the old wood floor.

It’s been a while since I’ve been to one of these but it doesn’t seem like anything’s changed. The music is loud and boisterous, everyone’s smiling and happy and the people on the floor are energetic. The people sitting around at the big banquet tables covered with plastic tablecloths are enjoying talking to each other and also having a drink of the punch and munching cookies.

It’s been like this for as long as I can remember. Nothing ever changes.

I lean back and cross my arms over my chest, my t-shirt tightening across my biceps as I rock backwards.

I recognize everyone in this room.

Even as I’m thinking it, my eyes catch on a curvy brunette off to the side, sitting with another woman and watching the dancers. She’s gorgeous! Long, auburn hair and silky pale skin. I can’t see her eyes from here but I can see the gleam of them in the dark as she laughs, throwing back her head. Her hair falls down her back like a waterfall and I swear I can almost hear the ripple of her laugh from here even with all the noise around us.

“What are you looking at?”

“Nothing,” I mumble, dragging my gaze away from her.

Give granny a little bit of leeway and she’ll have me over there like a shot, asking the girl to dance with me before I can even get a word out.

No, thank you! I don’t want any girl. And just to prove to myself how bad it is, I let myself remember Vera and how we first met.

I was on my way to school. High school was really kicking my ass. I was on the football team and having a hard time keeping my grades up enough to keep from getting cut.

Quarterback was my dream. My dad’s dream. He was bursting with pride when I got quarterback. He was at every game, cheering and telling everyone that was his boy.

My mom passed away when I only five. Cancer. She’s a wily bitch. Cruel and unyielding, she hunts you down and cuts into your time you’re given until you have nothing left and you waste away to nothing.

That’s what happened to my mom. One day she was happy and smiling. Her long blond hair fell down to her slender waist. She sang to me every night and read me the best stories.

The next she barely had the energy to stay up herself let alone tuck me into bed. Her long, golden hair was gone and her body had wasted away to next to nothing. She was so damn tired that it was hard to watch her try to do everything that she loved. That was her greatest joy.

Oh, she tried. It was terrible to watch how hard she fought. Some people say that little kids can’t remember things. I remember how hard she fought. How much she loved me and I loved her. She was an amazing woman.

My dad never remarried after she passed away. He said when you’ve had the perfect woman, your heart will never settle for second-best again. It’s all or nothing.

But he raised me and he was a good man. He threw himself into trying to be a mom and a dad.

And I had Granny Margot and Louise. Those two were pistols when I was growing up. I think my dad was frustrated as hell. He not only had to bail me out of whatever trouble I got into… once he had to literally bail my gran out of jail.

She went streaking across the grounds of the local nursing home. The two of them had a bet and she lost so she did it. I can’t help but snicker. Although if I had seen it I don’t think I’d ever be able to forget it.

But that laugh dies in my throat when I open my eyes and realize that she’s currently on her way over to the gorgeous girl across the way.

I leap to my feet and hurry over to her, desperately trying to cut her off. I open my mouth but the words don’t cross my lips before she’s standing in front of her.

“Hello, darlin’. Here’s the man I wanted to introduce you to.”

She nods her head and eyes Margot like she’s a wild tiger in the midst of this tame gathering. “Ummm. That’s so nice of you. But really not necessary.”

“Oh… it’s not a problem,” she says lightly. “This is my grandson, Ricky. I’ve told him all about you.” My head whips around and I stare at her like she has two heads. She hasn’t told me shit about this girl. “I was wondering if maybe you’d like to dance with him.”

My jaw drops and I swear it almost takes my hand to pick it up off the floor. The nerve of granny sometimes blows my mind.

“I don’t really know any of these dances.” I close my eyes and breathe a sigh of relief. But I should have expected that she wouldn’t give it up that easily.

She grins like a sheep-killing pup and I groan under my breath. “That’s no problem.” She grabs onto my arm. “My grandson here knows a lot of these dances. He’s very good. I bet he could take you outside and teach you one of these songs with no problem.”

I stare up at the ceiling tiles and count them under my breath, praying that this isn’t happening right now. Praying that I’m in the middle of a nightmare, sound asleep, and none of it is real.

But judging by the surprise on the girl’s face, it’s happening. Oh boy, is it happening!

“Granny,” I growl under my breath. “You don’t know this girl and neither do I. What the hell are you doing?”

“I can fix that. What’s your name?”

“It’s Caroline. But everybody calls me Caro.”

She stands up and faces me and my breath stutters in my throat. She’s got curves for days and she’s so tiny she barely comes up to the middle of my chest. Her eyes are a soft gray. Her skin is like cream and her dark hair flashes red fire under the lights that flash off and on by the dance floor.

“I’d love to try. If you wouldn’t mind showing me something.”

She seems so much younger than me. I’m thirty-three and this girl looks about sixteen. There’s no way I should go outside with her. I shouldn’t even be talking to her. Hell, the old biddies in town would have a field day with this.

I want to growl at my granny. Demand to know what the hell she’s playing at here.

I nod my head and hold my hand out for hers. As soon as her palm touches mine it’s like a sizzle bursts into flame under my skin. She jumps and hisses, her eyes widening and darkening to emerald green.

“My name’s Ricky.” I huff and fight smacking myself in the head because she already knows that.

But she doesn’t say a thing and I lead her outside. “This one’s easy.” I show her a few steps and she watches me carefully.

Her eyes narrow on my feet and she nods her head. “Okay. Let me try.”

She sets her hands on her hips. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth when she rolls her hips and mimics my moves exactly. I am a fucking pervert and some dad is gonna hunt me down and shoot me like a damn dog and it’s all gonna be granny’s fault.

“That was… that was really good.”

She lifts her head and her eyes lock on mine and then she falls into me, tripping over her booted feet.

“Oof!” She reaches out and grabs onto my shirt, ripping a hole in it as she hauls herself up.

“Oh shit! I’m so sorry.”

My brows go up. “You shouldn’t say things like that, baby. Somebody might wash your mouth out with soap.”

Or paddle that lush ass. Stop it, asshole!

I’m sure she’s legal but just barely and I’m too old for her.

My eyes widen. “I’ve got to go.” I rush off and run inside to find Margot.

“The next time you do something like that, at least make sure the girl is legal, for fuck’s sake!”

She huffs. “Please. She’s legal.”

“Maybe barely. But don’t try and fix me up anymore. That girl’s way too young for me.”

She growls under her breath and I notice that Louise is over talking to her.

“Oh shit,” I whisper and stalk over to them. I don’t know what’s going on but I’m sure it’s not good.

“You don’t say. How old is your little boy?”

I suck in a startled breath, hissing through my teeth.

“He’s five,” she says and I can’t grasp it. She looks barely sixteen.

Louise grins. “That’s an amazing age. They’re so curious at that age.” She shoots me a baleful glare. Apparently my granny has been doing a little gossiping with her bestie. “Unlike some older kids.”

I roll my eyes but I’m desperate to hear more.

“I had Jamie when I was twenty.”

I suck in a breath. “No fucking way! You look about sixteen!”

She snorts with laughter. “No. Definitely not. I’m twenty-five.”

Shit! Now what? Because unlike what I was saying earlier… I want to spend some time with this woman. I want to know what makes her tick. I want to know what she wants to do in her spare time.

I want to know how to make her smile. I want to know all the things.

I want to spend a lifetime getting to know this woman. And it terrifies the hell out of me. Because the last thing I want or need is a woman. Any woman.

Even if she is waking up some part of me that I swore had been destroyed by Vera’s betrayals.

I go sit down next to granny and she smirks. “I told you that I know best, Ricky. Just do what I say and you’re gonna be happy as a clam in mud.”

My forehead creases. I don’t think clams are in mud. But more importantly, I just don’t see me working with any woman. Not long term anyway.

But maybe… just for a little while.