Chapter Two

James

I don’t make a habit of kissing strange girls I find stranded on the side of the road, but this girl is different.

When I spotted her sitting on the ground next to her car and looking miserable, my first instinct was to find out what the problem was and help her. She seemed dazed, lost in thought, and didn’t notice my truck pull up behind her car. Her eyes were fixed on the billboard the town council chose to put up to celebrate my honorable discharge from the military and my return home to Valor Springs.

I have no doubt in my mind that the residents of Valor Springs are genuinely excited for my arrival—as they would be for any hometown boy—but a part of me has been dreading this day for months.

Perhaps that is too strong, but it perfectly describes my feelings. I knew the town would eagerly welcome me home, and knowing them, I bet they will go all out with the celebration of my retirement.

Medically retired at thirty-five, just the thought alone makes me scoff.

When one has been through the hell that I have, a medical discharge is the best possible outcome, except…I didn’t want to leave the military.

My plan was to make serving my country a lifelong career.

Most people don’t know what they want at five years old, but I always knew I wanted to be in uniform, serving and protecting my country. My father had been a hero who lost his life while serving, so I knew the dangers of war, but I still wanted to serve, still wanted to follow in his footsteps and serve my nation.

And now I’m out.

Seventeen years in the Marines, and now…I don’t know how to do anything else. If I’m not a soldier, what am I?

For months, while lying in that hospital bed fighting for my life, I pondered what the fuck I was going to do with my future once I was officially discharged. The military was my Plan A, B, and C. I’d never entertained the thought of doing anything else.

I knew the town was planning something for my homecoming, but the thought of seeing and chatting with people and pretending I hadn’t lost my life’s purpose was eating at my insides.

This is exactly what I was stressing over when I saw her, the pretty girl stranded on the side of the road, eyes on the billboard with my picture on it.

My initial plan when approaching this girl was to help her and be on my way, but the second she lifted those beautiful golden eyes to me, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to leave her.

I was hypnotized.

She’s gorgeous with her beautiful, bright amber eyes that sparkle in the evening light and strawberry blonde curls that frame her delicate face. She’s a walking wet dream, and I am only a man, one who was absolutely taken by this girl. No, walking away from her is no longer an option.

“Was that real enough for you?”

The second the words are out of my mouth, I want to take them back. Her eyes widen in alarm, and she pulls her hand away as if she’s been burned.

“Oh God!” she gasps, her breaths coming out in unsteady pants, her eyes blinking rapidly at me, and I can see how fast she’s falling into a panic attack. “You’re real! I...I can’t believe I just…”

Fuck!

Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut and let her ride the fantastical wave. Perhaps reality is too much to bear, but I need her to see that I exist in this world as well. I take her shoulders and give them a gentle squeeze, being careful to stay back as much as possible so as not to scare her further. “You’re okay. Breathe for me, gorgeous.”

“I…I can’t!”

“You can. Now look at me!” My voice is hard and commanding, forcing her gaze on mine. I haven’t used this kind of tone on anyone besides my platoon members, but it does the job, and as those pretty eyes finally meet mine, I read the panic in them. “Focus on me and follow my breathing. Okay, gorgeous?”

She nods, her eyes locked on mine as I guide her breathing back to normal. I don’t pull away until her pulse is steady under my fingers. “Feeling better now?”

“Yeah,” she whispers, breaking eye contact, and I notice the flush climbing her neck. “I’m sorry… I don’t know what came over me. I swear I’m not normally this crazy. It’s been a stressful month.”

Her voice is pleading for me to understand, but I don’t need her apology. She is not the only one who felt this irresistible pull between us. “It’s fine,” I assure her. “For the record, I don’t go around kissing strangers’ hands either.” The blush on her cheeks deepens, and she looks away, but I spy the small smile that brushes her lips. I feel her tense shoulders slowly relax, and I take that as a good sign. “Will you tell me why you are sitting on the side of the road with such a dejected look on your face?”

“Right,” she says with a nervous laugh, as if it’s suddenly dawned on her where we are. “I needed a break, so I stopped the car.”

I don’t mention how dangerous the spot she chose is. She is lucky there aren’t many cars that travel in and out of Valor Springs, or getting air would have been the least of her troubles.

“Let me help you up,” I say, offering my hand to help her to her feet. I bite back a growl when her slender hand connects with mine and sparks fly between us. Her fingers are delicate and soft, and I don’t want to release the grip I have on her.

“Thanks,” she says, pulling her hand away, and I mourn the loss of it. “I…I guess I should get going now.”

She reaches for her car door but hesitates, her head lifting to look at the road ahead, and I follow her gaze. In the distance, I can make out a couple of buildings at the edge of Valor Springs; we’re only a few minutes outside of town.

My eyes shift back to the girl, and I notice the hesitation in her movements—and the tremble in her hands as she moves to open the car door.

“Need some help?” I ask, but she simply shakes her head, and I wish her face was turned to me so I could guess what she’s thinking. Even so, her body language is enough to tell me she is not ready to get into the car just yet. “Miss—”

Just then, a loud yowl comes from inside the car, and my eyes shoot straight to the source of the noise. My gaze locks on the fattest cat that I have ever seen—at least, I hope it’s a cat and not some kind of furry black demon. Copper eyes glare at me from inside the car, but I maintain eye contact. I have never seen an animal scoff before, but I am pretty sure this cat does exactly that.

“I think your cat just sneered at me,” I tell the girl, questioning if the chubby little thing is the reason she’s hesitant to climb into her car.

“Don’t take it personally; she hates everyone,” the girl says, turning to face me, and I can almost read the relief on her face at being stopped from leaving. “Whiskers is just cranky because I lost her treats.”

“Understandable.”

“I could have sworn I packed the box in my purse this morning, but I have looked and looked, and can’t find it. I think the box fell somewhere between the seats, but I still can’t find it.”

“Maybe I can help.”

“Yes, please,” the girl says, relief plain in her voice as she moves aside for me. I step up to the driver’s side and lean in, keeping an eye on the cat even as I dig around for the box of treats.

“I don’t believe you’ve told me your name,” I call out, looking under the driver’s seat, but come back empty. “Mine’s James. James Davidson.” Something grabs my attention from under the passenger seat, so I lean in to grab it.

“Abby Miller, and I just moved to Valor Springs,” she responds, before quickly adding, “I mean, I’m about to move to Valor Springs. I assume you’re a local?”

I smirk. “What gave it away?”

Bingo! My hands touch a box, and I figure this is what she was looking for.

“Let’s see…” she drawls in that sweet voice of hers. “Your photo on a massive billboard with the words ‘Welcome home hero’ in all caps and a blinding shade of red were a pretty strong indicator.”

I laugh, deeply amused like I haven’t been in a long time. I tug the box from where it’s wedged and pull back with a triumphant sound, ignoring the twinge in my damaged knee when I do so. I lift the box to Abby, and her eyes light up like a Christmas tree, and once more, I am struck mute. I realize that there is little I wouldn’t do to see that look on her face.

“Is this what you were looking for?”

She nods, jumping into my space and wrapping her arms around my shoulders excitedly, letting me smell her soft feminine scent, and I am hardly surprised when my cock begins to fill, reminding me how fucking long it’s been since I have paid any attention to it.

“You truly are a hero,” she teases, her soft breath brushing the side of my neck, and it takes sheer will to not push the girl against her car and take her mouth with mine. “You have no idea how loud and mean Whiskers gets without her treats. I can’t decide if she has the temperament of a teenager or an old lady.”

Fuck, this temptress doesn’t have the slightest clue how it feels to have the soft body of a woman pressed against mine, and the sensation is killing me.

It’s been so fucking long, the memory is hazy.

I want her.

Abby Miller has no idea how badly I want to toss the box of treats aside and take her right here on the side of the road where anyone could drive by and see us.

She tempts me. With those soft breasts pressed against me and my nostrils filled with her rosy feminine scent, she fucking tempts me.

As if sensing my thoughts, Abby breaks the embrace and pushes back, a beautiful smile gracing her lips as she takes the box from me. She opens it and takes out a treat before passing it to the cat, who eyes her wearingly for a moment before she bites into it.

We both watch as the cat nibbles the treat, and I expect Abby to climb into the car and leave, but she doesn’t.

“So…why Valor Springs?” I ask her, and realize that I am stalling for time—more time to be with her and to avoid my own arrival—and from the way she responds, it seems she’s not too eager to leave just yet either.

The real question is: Why?

“I recently found out that I have roots in Valor Springs.”

My interest is suddenly piqued. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I probably shouldn’t burden a stranger with my troubles…”

“C’mon, you called me ‘perfect’ only a few minutes ago.”

“I was talking about the billboard!”

“How about the fact that I crawled into your car and found the treats, saving you from your cranky cat? We’re hardly strangers after that. We’re friends at the very least.”

Though we’ll be more if I have my way…

I can’t explain why I’m so certain we are meant to be more than just friends, but I am not about to scare away this girl that’s barely gotten rid of the deer-in-headlights look in her eyes.

“Fine,” she says with an eye roll, but I spy the smile on her face. “Up until a few weeks ago, I had no idea that Valor Springs existed.” Her gaze crosses to the buildings in the distance. “Or that my mother was born in that town.”

“How did you find out?”

“Through a lawyer. He showed up right after her funeral with a will and a whole lot of information I was not ready for.” She hugs her arms around her middle, and her eyes take on a faraway look, almost as if she’s reliving the moment once more. “I found out that I had an aunt, and that she had also died not long before my mother. All her property was passed to my mother, and as her next of kin, it legally became mine when she died.”

“I see.”

“Do you?” she asks brokenly, turning those beautiful eyes to me. “Do you really? Because I don’t. How can you live one moment with no family outside the one person you know, and the next learn that you do— did, in fact, have family, but now you’ll never get to know them, because it’s too late and they are gone.”

“If you have roots in Valor Springs, I will help you recover anyone that shares a bloodline with you.”

She shakes her head. “There’s no one left. The lawyer told me so,” Abby says with a bitter laugh. “He said it with so much happiness too, like I would be relieved there is no one left to contest the will or try to fight me for my inheritance.”

The smile disappears, and her lips start to tremble as her eyes quickly fill up. I watch with alarm as she struggles to sniff back the tears, but they spill anyway, seconds before she falls forward. I catch her in my arms, wrapping them around her much smaller frame as her sobs rack her body. Abby buries her face in my chest, and I feel her tears soak my shirt, so raw and gut-wrenching.

I want to find the lawyer who broke the news to her and break his fucking nose for being so tactless, but I settle for comforting the girl in my arms.

“I’m sorry,” she sniffs after a few minutes. “I’m not usually this emotional, but I can’t help it. Everyone’s gone, and all I have left is a cat that doesn’t even like me.”

“I thought you said she hates everyone.”

“She does,” Abby says, pushing back to look at me, and once more, I am taken aback by how fucking beautiful this girl is, tear stained and all. When she looks at me like this, so innocent and vulnerable, I want to solve all her problems.

I want to protect her.

Mine! comes the surprising, unbidden thought.

“Abby…”

“I’m sorry,” she whispers again, her breath catching in her throat when I bring my hand to her cheek and wipe away the tears staining that beautiful face. “I needed a hug. I’m glad you stopped to help. I thought I was ready for Valor Springs—for the truth—but I don’t think that I am.”

I’m here now , I want to say. I want to promise this girl that I will take care of everything from this moment on, but I don’t want to scare her away. Despite our unconventional meeting, we are still two strangers standing by the side of the road, hugging and talking like we’ve known each other for much longer than half an hour.

“Now that we’re going to be living in the same town, you get an exclusive offer of unlimited hugs. As many as you need from me.”

She laughs, and it’s a beautiful sound coming from her. “Thank you, James.” She briefly places her palm over my chest before moving back. “I’ve kept you long enough. You should go ahead; I’m sure people are expecting you.”

My eyes cross back to Valor Springs in the distance, and I know she’s right. There are a whole lot of people waiting for my arrival, but however ungrateful it makes me sound, I am not ready to face them yet.

I don’t feel like a hero. Not really.

The person returning to Valor Springs is a wounded shell of his former self, with too many scars to count and enough trauma to cripple the mind of even the strongest of men. Perhaps it makes me a coward to hold off returning to my hometown, but I am not ready for the attention—the questions and the prying.

No, Abby Miller is not the only one wary of driving the rest of the way to Valor Springs.

“There is a hill nearby that has the best view of the sunset you will ever see in your life. What do you say we go check it out?”