Josh's Challenge Read online

  Timbisha was an interesting little town, Declan thought. He drove by the town’s landmark, Molly’s Diner, and noted the construction equipment filling the parking lot behind the restaurant. Signage emblazoned with King Construction covered the temporary chain-link fence surrounding the work site. His investigation of the town had revealed the sheriff’s family connection to the largest construction outfit in the state. He wondered why Jarod had chosen law enforcement over the family business. That was something he’d have to discuss with Dane.

  Declan shook his head thinking of the man formally known as Special Agent Dane Bainbridge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The man had connections that Declan could only dream of tapping into. He wouldn’t be on this case if it hadn’t been for Dane. After Melissa had filed the restraining order against Harold, Dane had reached out to Declan because Harold Scheck/Klein’s case had been the last one Dane had worked before he’d come to Timbisha to take care of his sister and nieces.

  Declan had told Jarod that he was working a cold case left to him by his predecessor. He hadn’t lied; he’d just left out the part about Dane. He’d been apprised of their history, and neither Declan nor Dane had wanted Jarod’s outlook on the case biased by the connection. Harold Scheck/Klein had ties to drugs, fraud, money laundering, and sex trafficking. He was a slippery son of a bitch and Declan couldn’t wait to get his hands on him.

  He turned onto Melissa Theroux’s street and parked down the block from her townhouse. Five minutes later, a beat-up Honda Civic drove past him and parked in front of the condo. There were two young men in the vehicle, one behind the wheel, who was now texting, and the other in the back seat. The front door opened and a blonde woman wearing hospital scrubs rushed out of Ms. Theroux’s front door and hopped into the Civic. The driver made a U-turn and then sped back into town.

  She had to be the roommate. Declan picked up the file folder next to him and scanned for her name: Angelica Daemon. A preliminary check had found that she had shared a dorm, and later an apartment, with Ms. Theroux while in school. No priors. He tossed the folder back onto the passenger seat after he’d jotted down the Civic’s license plate number. He’d run a check on the driver, and a deeper check on the roommate, when he got back to his room. They looked like a couple of teenaged boys, and his gut wasn’t sending out any alarms to his brain, so he settled himself deeper into his seat. No need to be uncomfortable for a day’s surveillance in the hot Nevada sun.

  Michael James King cooed sweetly in Josh’s arms while he stood in Julie’s hospital room holding the baby and gently swaying back and forth. Gabriel Charles King lay in the tiny arms of his cousin Jessica, who was sitting in her mother’s lap. It said something about the smallness of the little girl that she still fit into Lauren’s lap after her own pregnancy had caused her lap to shrink significantly.

  “…An’ your daddy is my hunkle Jase. We have another hunkle, too. His name is Josh. He’s holdin’ your brother now, so ya don’t hafta worry that we lost him,” Jessica said to the tiny infant. Gabriel struggled to keep his eyes open while the little girl spoke to him, but soon he was falling back to sleep again.

  Michael was awake, his baby blue eyes taking in the new world. Josh smiled into his nephew’s angelic face while he listened to Jessica. The room was filled with hushed voices as the adults held up their cell phones to capture the babies’ first moments of life.

  Suddenly, Julie giggled from the bed. “Is this how their lives are going to be? Camera lenses and cell phones in their faces twenty-four seven?”

  Camille hovered over Josh’s shoulder with her camera. “Of course, dear. We have to start on the baby books right away,” she murmured, clicking the shutter.

  Josh couldn’t help but laugh. “I’d be taking my own pictures if I wasn’t holding this little one.”

  “Oh, do you need me to take him?” his mother asked as if it were a burden, but they all knew otherwise. She wanted to get her hands on one of the twins.

  “Missing him already, Mom?”

  “Well,” she said, handing the camera to James, “if your back is hurting, I wouldn’t mind holding him.” No, Josh’s back was just fine, but he wouldn’t deny his mother the pleasure of holding her first grandson. Again.

  Josh placed a gentle kiss on Michael’s forehead before handing the baby to Camille. Once she had her grandson in her arms, Josh kissed her cheek as well. The whole family was in the room. This wing had been paid for—and built by—King Construction. Therefore, Julie and the twins were enjoying one of the suites. Camille had insisted on a few of them being built in the maternity ward. Timbisha County was made up of large families. The births of new members were joyous occasions, and the birthing experience, she felt, should be as comfortable as possible for mothers, babies, and their extended families. James had agreed, along with the hospital board.

  Jarod’s cell phone chirped. He lifted it from his belt and scanned the screen. When his forehead crinkled, Lauren asked, “What is it, babe?”

  “Missy lost her cat.”

  That got Josh’s attention. “Ginger’s missing?”

  “Daddy, what happened to the kitty?” Jessica was all ears now.

  Josh put a hand on Jessica’s tiny shoulder, careful not to jiggle Gabriel. “I’m sure Ginger just went for a walk, sweetheart. She’ll come back. She’s a very smart cat,” he assured her.

  Now he had to convince himself of the same thing. Ginger hadn’t left Melissa’s side since they’d found her. He studied his brother’s face while he read the text on his phone. Jarod was holding something back and Josh didn’t like it. “What?”

  Before Jarod could answer, Charlie and Marco returned to the room carrying three large pizza boxes and a couple of food sacks. “Sorry we’re late, but Marco had to pick up a fare,” Charlie said with annoyance while Marco smiled an apology. “Anyway, I got a combo, a cheese, and a Hawaiian. There’s a big salad, some cheese bread, and chicken wings in the bags.” He and Marco spread the food out on the table.

  Anyone not holding a baby or confined to a hospital bed crowded around the table. “What do you feel like eating, Jujifruit?” Jason asked.

  “She’s asleep,” Josh said.

  “Can I feed Gay-brell?” Jessica asked excitedly.

  “No,” Lauren said with finality.

  Charlie wrestled Gabriel from Jessica’s arms so that Lauren could eat. Jessica, knowing by the look on her mother’s face that an argument would get her nowhere, skipped over to the table where her daddy was filling a plate for her. Josh snickered at her antics. She was small but deceptively ornery.

  “Holy cow, this is a big family,” said a familiar voice from the doorway.

  Josh turned to see Angelica pumping some hand sanitizer into the palm of her hand as she looked around the room from the doorway. When she met his gaze, she laughed. “I thought I might run into you up here,” she said.

  “I didn’t know you worked the maternity ward.”

  “It’s my rotation this week.” She dismissed him after that to make her way over to a sleeping Julie. “Mrs. King, I need to take your vitals,” she said softly while wrapping a blood pressure cuff around Julie’s arm. Jason and Charlie stood back as the nurse worked but refused to leave the bedside.

  “That nurse is a hotty,” Marco whispered.

  Jarod chuckled. “You think so? She’s kinda old for you.”

  “Exactly,” Marco said with a slow grin. “She was the fare I picked up today.”

  “How’d you finagle that?” Josh asked.

  “Didn’t Charlie tell you? Here,” Marco said, pulling out a homemade business card emblazoned with the words TIMBISHA TAXI SERVICE and handing it to Jarod. “Timbisha is too small for a taxi service, but my grandmother was always needing a ride to church. When I turned eighteen, I asked the four churches in town and the community center if I could post my card on their bulletin boards. I offer rides to people who need them. I charge two bucks a mile. A ride in town averages around five bucks, but I
get more if folks need rides from the surrounding farms and ranches. I’m only doing it for the summer until I leave for college. So far, I’ve made over fifteen hundred bucks! There are a lot of people who need rides in Timbisha County. I stay pretty busy.”

  “Can you pick me up tonight after my shift?” Angelica asked when she’d finished with Julie. “My car is still in the garage.”

  “Sure thing, ma’am,” Marco said with as much charm as an eighteen-year-old could muster.

  She was about to leave, but Josh caught up with her. “What happened to Ginger?”

  “I have no idea, but I’m sure she’s just out cat carousing. I have no doubt that she’ll turn up, Josh,” she said as she pumped more hand sanitizer, rubbed her hands together, and exited the room.

  “Looks like you’ve lost your touch, Josh,” Jarod said.

  “I’m not attracted to Angie.”

  “Interesting, since she’s a physical representation of every woman you’ve ever dated since you started dating.”

  Josh didn’t like the smug look on his oldest brother’s face. “What are you getting at?”

  “Nothing. Unless, your tastes have changed recently.”

  Josh picked at a fingernail. “You know they have,” he said quietly. Jarod had no clue that Josh’s taste had always been for Melissa, and Josh wanted to keep it that way. He’d never hear the end of it if his brothers knew the truth. “What have you found out about Melissa’s stalker?” he asked to distract Jarod from any further interrogations.

  All teasing left Jarod’s eyes and was replaced with disgust. “Not a damn thing.”

  IT WAS AFTER seven when Missy opened her front door after a long day at work and a visit with her mom. The living room was completely silent. No stuttering purr greeted her as she lay her bag on the counter. Angelica wouldn’t be home until after eleven. She had the whole condo to herself.

  It was lonely.

  She opened up the refrigerator and scanned its contents. Nothing looked good, so she opted for a hard cider instead. She popped the top, turned on the television, and flopped onto the couch with a dejected sigh. Just as she was getting comfortable, she heard the beefy growl of an engine winding down next door.

  Her stalker was home.

  Just the thought of telling him that she’d lost Ginger had her eyes filling up. She swallowed to keep the tears from falling, but it was useless. Josh had just met his nephews. She didn’t want to ruin his day by telling him the bad news about her negligence with the cat. She was a veterinarian, for crying out loud, and she’d lost her own pet! It was embarrassing.

  Missy wallowed in self-pity for five more minutes before there was a knock on her door. She knew who it was before she even got up to look out the window, and she couldn’t help the smile that formed on her lips. She took a deep breath and opened the front door. Josh stood there holding a pizza box and a six-pack of beer. It was the best thing she’d seen all day.

  “Hey,” she said, trying not to pout.

  He stepped through the threshold and leaned in to her cheek, giving her a soft kiss. “Hey, yourself.”

  She wanted to throw her arms around him and cry. She’d never felt so needy, especially when the person she was attracted to could potentially be stalking her. The thought made her take a step back. She couldn’t erase the smile from her face, though.

  “Is that for me?” She pointed to the pizza box.

  He grinned, showing off his dimple. “It is. I thought you might be hungry. Don’t get too excited, though. It’s only the leftovers of what Charlie brought for lunch at the hospital,” he explained as he took the food and beer to the kitchen.

  “Oh, how is Julie?” She listened to him intently as he explained how scared they’d been and how Jason and Julie had kept the truth about the twins a secret, and then gave a long description of each baby. The love he felt for his nephews was obvious to anyone listening. As he spoke of his new family members, Missy’s guard slowly came down. Did crazy stalkers love children? She didn’t think so. There wasn’t a mean or crazy bone in this man’s body.

  Still, before she could stop herself, she asked in a dazed whisper, “You aren’t my stalker, are you?”

  Josh lost the grip on a glass he’d been holding. He ended up catching it after a cartoonish juggling act ensued. Beer dripped off the counter where it had sloshed out of the glass. He turned to her with incredulous blue eyes. She felt the beet-red blush crawl up her neck and cursed herself for the question. He shook his head, put down the glass, and stepped into her personal space. Gently, he cupped her cheeks with his warm hands and stared her down. “No, I’m not your stalker,” he said clearly before placing his lips on hers. He kissed her with so much tenderness that her knees went weak. He continued to caress her mouth, licking her lips until she moaned, giving his tongue access to hers.

  White hot heat shot through her body. That boy could kiss, and Missy’s body responded to his sensual demands. Just as she was about to wrap herself around him, he gently pulled his mouth away, leaving her desperate for more. Breathing heavily, he touched his forehead to hers. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not pursuing you.”

  “Thank God,” was all she could manage to say. She’d never wanted a man as much as she wanted Josh King right this second. She was still on fire, so she leaned up to kiss him again, but he leaned away.

  “We have plenty of time for that.” To soften his rebuff, he kissed her lips—chastely this time—then both of her cheeks and finally her forehead. “Tonight I want to get to know you better. You look tired. Tell me about your day.” He grabbed a rag, sopped up the beer from the counter, then got another one from the fridge. This time he took care pouring it into the glass and handing it to her. He filled his own glass, took the pizza box into the living room, and patted the seat next to him on the couch. While he waited for her, he changed the channel to the Giants game.

  She laughed in disbelief. “You are so confusing.”

  “What? You don’t like hanging out with me?” He was teasing her. It would be funny if he hadn’t just kissed her silly in her own kitchen.

  Maybe he’s a sadist.

  Deciding to be bold, she told him the truth. “I love hanging out with you.”

  “I hear a ‘but’ in that answer.”

  “But I don’t understand why you’d want to hang out with me.” There, she’d admitted it. He was Josh King, Timbisha’s Lady’s Man Extraordinaire, and she was just Missy Theroux, nerdy kid sister to the homecoming queen. He’d been confounding her since she’d moved into the townhouse and found that damn box of chocolates on the front porch. No, before that, since he’d flirted with her at Jason and Julie’s wedding. She couldn’t get that dreamy dance out of her head, or the way he’d gently held her. He’d been so sweet, but she’d been too scared to let him know how she felt, and she’d clammed up like a ninny. Was he messing with her or did he really care for her? She hoped it was the latter because she really wanted to kiss him again. Maybe even do more than kiss him. Doing more would be a first for her.

  “You don’t have to understand it; you just have to know that I do.” He took her hand in his and held it while he settled back on the couch facing the television. “Now, tell me about your day,” he repeated.

  She cocked her head. “You really wanna know?”

  “Yes,” he said with conviction. “I want to know everything about you, Melissa.”

  She waited for him to admit he was kidding around. He didn’t.

  “Fine, here goes.” She told him everything that had happened that day in all its boring detail, from the time he’d left her to losing Ginger, and everything leading up to when he’d shown up with the beer and pizza. She left no detail out. He listened to every word, expressed his concern for the missing cat, and vowed to help her find it. They settled into a comfortable conversation, and she enjoyed his company so much that she forgot to be worried about saying something awkward. He flashed his dimple more times than she could count, and soon her heart was f
ull of something that she was afraid to name. He was still on the couch holding her hand when Angelica walked through the door at midnight.

  “YOU TWO LOOK cozy,” Angelica announced after closing the front door.

  Josh gave her a knowing smile. “We are, thank you. How was Marco’s driving?”

  “Gentlemanly,” she answered with a conspiratorial smile. “And convenient.”

  “Oh my God, Angie. You did not put the moves on that sweet boy,” Melissa accused.

  She was so cute Josh couldn’t stand it. “Of course, she didn’t,” he chuckled. “Marco probably put the moves on her.”

  Angelica winked at them slyly. “He’s a bit too young for me, Missy. You know that.”

  “Hey, how was Julie when you left? Or can’t you tell me?” Josh asked with concern for his sister-in-law. She’d seemed fine when they’d said their goodbyes, but he’d noted the paleness of her skin and remembered the fear in Lauren’s voice when she’d explained about the ambulance and the hemorrhaging.

  “Mother and babies are doing just fine. I’m worried about Daddy, though.”

  “Jason? Why’s that?” He’d seemed okay when Josh left the hospital, totally smitten by his new family but getting back to his normal, domineering self. Jason had been a real crabby bastard for the last month. Josh’d had to talk three of their subcontractors out of not quitting in the past week alone.