Josh's Challenge Read online

  “Honestly, I think he was more exhausted than his wife. When I checked Julie’s vitals before I left, your brother was asleep in the chair next to her bed with a baby on his chest and holding Julie’s hand. That man is a multitasker even in sleep,” she said around a delicate yawn. “Listen, I’m beat. I’m heading upstairs for a shower and my own bed. You two behave, now,” Angelica lilted as she schlepped up the staircase.

  Josh turned to Melissa, whose eyelids were a bit droopy as well. “I should get going. Tomorrow is a workday for both of us.” He kissed her forehead as he stood up.

  “You…you don’t have to leave if you don’t want to.” She blushed adorably, testing his resolve and making him regret his decision to wait, but he pulled her into his arms anyway.

  “I told you, we have plenty of time for that.” He smoothed the hair from her face. “When I make love to you, I want you to be fully conscious. You’re dead on your feet, babe,” he whispered before stealing a soft kiss. As he pulled away, she leaned into him demanding more. Not one to deny a beautiful woman, Josh let her have what he’d been holding back earlier. He tilted her head for a deeper fit and plunged his tongue softly into her sweet mouth. She tasted so damn good, and he made sure to pour what he was feeling into the kiss. Melissa wasn’t a one-night stand— would never be with him. If she let him keep her, he would get down on his knees and thank the good Lord every night. He had to gain her trust. She’d accused him of stalking her just today and she needed time. He needed her to trust him one hundred percent.

  When he released her, she was humming softly, her eyes at half-mast with exhaustion and arousal. He had to cut his losses now before she attacked him. “We’ll look for Ginger tomorrow morning before we go to work. Thanks for spending the evening with me.”

  “Goodnight, Josh,” she said a bit dreamily before closing the door behind him. As he stepped off her porch, he turned to see her standing watch through the window. He waved before he made it to his own front door.

  HIS ALARM WENT off at five-thirty, disrupting hot dreams of the girl next door. He hadn’t slept much, and now he was sorry he’d left her last night. He dragged himself out of bed and into a cold shower. As the sand washed from his eyes and the sleepy haze dissipated from his brain, the decision that had been taunting him since she’d moved back to Timbisha burst through the fog like a rocket.

  I am going to marry Melissa Theroux.

  Quietly obsessed with her all of his life, he didn’t want a summer fling with her. He wanted forever. Yeah, he’d gone out of his way to seek out women who were nothing like her, in looks or in heart, only to be left disappointed. High-maintenance women never kept his attention for long. They threw themselves at him on a daily basis and, quite frankly, they were boring. They were never what he needed.

  Melissa was different, charmingly awkward at times but not when she was helping some poor creature, or when her temper was up…or when she was turned on. In those moments, she was confident, self-assured, and caring. She was real.

  And now that both of his brothers were married to Josh’s best friends, he didn’t want to wait around for his own happiness. He suspected his sense of urgency was exacerbated by his nephews’ births. However, deep down, he knew that Melissa had always been the girl meant only for him. How he knew this had more to do with his instincts rather than his feelings for her. He just knew.

  Having come to the conclusion that he was done being a bachelor, he threw on his jogging shorts, a shirt, and some running shoes before texting Melissa to see if she was up yet. As he was putting his keys in his zippered pocket, his phone chirped with her reply that she was on her way over to his house. He smiled at his phone, tucked it in the pocket with his keys, and opened the front door…where he found a ratty box blocking the front steps.

  It was meowing in a pitiful but familiar way.

  Melissa came up the walk just as Josh opened up the box and lifted Ginger into his arms.

  “Oh my God!” She reached for the cat and hugged the animal to her chest. Ginger was purring now but seemed sleepy and out of sorts.

  What the hell?

  He saw the envelope at the bottom of the box at the same time Melissa went to reach for it. He grabbed her wrist to stop her. “Don’t touch it. I’m calling Jarod,” he seethed, just barely containing his rage.

  She warily backed away from his anger, but he didn’t have the capacity to soothe her yet. He took a breath through his nose and hit speed dial.

  “This better be good,” said a sleepy Jarod, the lazy bastard still in bed.

  “The son-of-a-bitch left Ginger in a box on my front porch. There’s a note at the bottom but we haven’t touched it,” he gritted out through clenched teeth.

  Sheets rustled on the other end of the phone. “I’m on my way. Is the cat all right?”

  “I think so. She’s alive, but Melissa is checking her out now,” Josh said quietly as he rubbed the back of his neck in frustration. She was examining Ginger through teary eyes on the other side of the porch, still keeping her distance from Josh. It pissed him off even more that she was so far away.

  “Melissa is at your house already?” Jarod had a teasing tone in his voice that Josh did not appreciate.

  “Now’s not the time for your teasing, asshole. Just get your lazy ass over here. I want to end this bullshit before I lose it.” Josh clicked off and turned to Melissa. “How is she?”

  She sniffed, which damn near broke his heart. “Dehydrated, listless, but she’s purring. I need to get her to the clinic.”

  Josh clenched his fists. “I wanna go with you, but I have to wait for Jarod.”

  “I can’t wait that long. She needs intravenous fluids.”

  Josh wanted to pull his hair out. The psycho was probably out there watching, waiting for Melissa to be alone, but one look at the kitten and he knew he couldn’t keep Melissa here. He pulled her into his arms. “I will be there as soon as Jarod is finished collecting evidence. Text me when you get there so I know that you’re safe.”

  “I will,” she said distractedly as she continued to look at the cat.

  Gently, he put his finger under her chin to get her attention. “Promise me, Melissa,” he commanded.

  She surprised him then. She leaned up and kissed his cheek. “I will text you as soon as I get there.” He escorted them to her CRV, making sure it was devoid of intruders, while she went inside to retrieve her car keys and the pet carrier. Once she’d secured Ginger into the front seat and herself behind the wheel, he kissed her goodbye. He made sure no one followed her down their street, and when she finally turned the corner, he went back to the porch and seethed at the dirty box that had contained his cat.

  Fifteen minutes later, his cell phone chirped, indicating that she’d made it to the clinic, just as Jarod pulled up in his cruiser. “This shit’s getting old,” he deadpanned.

  Josh said nothing while Jarod put on latex gloves and pulled a camera from his bag of tricks. He placed markers, took pictures of the porch, the box, and different areas of the front yard. Josh didn’t understand everything his brother photographed but stayed quiet while Jarod worked his grid. Finally, Jarod was ready to examine the note. He reached in and opened it up. Instead of a word jumble this time, there were clippings of letters glued all over the body of the note. He swore as he read the message and then raised worried eyes to Josh.

  “What’s it say?”

  “‘Stay away from what’s mine. Making you disappear will be easier than the cat.’” Jarod placed the note on the porch and took more photos.

  Josh kicked one of his patio chairs onto the lawn.

  “Throwing a fit isn’t going to keep her safe. You know that,” Jarod muttered as he looked through the lens. “Keep your head on, Josh. We’ll get this creeper. Sooner or later he’s going to screw up.” He put the camera down and began to place everything he’d collected into evidence bags. “By the way, I’ve got some help from the U.S. Marshals’ office.”

  Hands still on
his hips, Josh looked at his brother. “Did you call them?”

  “No,” Jarod admitted. “Interestingly enough, Marshal McKinley is tracking the same professor that Melissa put a restraining order on, and only the first name, Harold, is legitimate. This guy is a douchebag—the professor, not the marshal—because Melissa isn’t the first woman he’s harassed.”

  Josh swore under his breath. The catnapping and the message to Josh meant the suspect was nearby and watching, was much closer than anyone dared to think. He waited for his brother to explain further what he’d learned about Harold the stalker and the amount of danger he presented to everyone involved.

  When Jarod continued with his work and didn’t say anything, Josh lost his patience again. “Are you going to tell me the rest or just be a prick?”

  Jarod put everything in his cruiser and turned to Josh. “I can only tell you that we are doing everything in our power to get this son of a bitch. Marshal McKinley is an old FBI buddy of Dane’s.” Jarod climbed into the cruiser. “Where’s Melissa now?”

  “She took Ginger to the clinic.”

  “Alone?”

  Exasperated, Josh explained, “I didn’t like it either, but I had to wait for your lazy ass to get here, and I couldn’t stop her from taking care of the cat. She texted when she arrived. She’s safe for now.”

  Jarod shook his head in disgust. “Stick close to her, Josh. McKinley’s been doing surveillance both here and around town. He drives a black pickup with Texas plates, so if you see it, do not approach. If Missy is being watched, we don’t want to tip off Harold, understand?”

  Josh nodded but didn’t like it.

  “I’ll call you when I know more,” Jarod promised as he started the car, then backed out of Josh’s driveway, which was typical of Jarod. Just drop a bomb and leave.

  Missy donned some scrubs from the supply closet to cover the shorts and shirt she’d thrown on for her morning jog. Ginger was resting quietly in a kennel with a saline drip attached to her leg. They’d taken blood samples. Doc had concurred with Missy’s suspicion that the cat had been drugged. As soon as the toxicology results confirmed their suspicions, she’d call Jarod.

  First the chocolates, and now my cat.

  She wondered what the note said. Another threat? And why had Ginger been delivered to Josh instead of her? Did her stalker know that Missy considered Josh half owner? She eyed the patients waiting to be seen and wondered if one of them was her stalker.

  “House of Stark?” she called out, reading the name listed on the chart. Sounding confident was a joke at this point, but she tried her best.

  “Hey, Missy.” To her surprise, Charlie Armstrong stood up with a carrier full of puppies.

  “Hello, Charlie. Obsessed with Game of Thrones, I take it?”

  “Only a little,” he replied facetiously.

  “Come on back,” she instructed while she glanced at the chart. “Ah, vaccinations today.”

  Charlie placed the crate on the examination table. There were seven border collie puppies inside, in all their black-and-white fluffiness. As Missy readied the vaccines, Charlie handed her an envelope. “Camille is having a welcome home party instead of a baby shower since the twins are coming home tonight. Here’s your invitation.”

  “Oh my. Thank you,” she said, stuffing the envelope in her pocket. She’d open it later when she had time. “How is everyone doing?”

  Charlie talked nonstop about his sister, the new babies, and how dopey Jarod, Jason, and Josh were around the twins. He even showed her all the pictures he’d taken on his own cell phone. Charlie was pretty dopey about the babies himself. He couldn’t hide his pride at being an uncle. “I hope we don’t give the twins brain damage before they can walk. Don’t cell phones give off a lot of radiation?”

  She laughed outright, startling the patient she’d been examining. Charlie soothed the pup while Missy prepared for the vaccinations. “Not enough to be concerned about. Here, hold her like this. Time for shots,” she instructed.

  The brief bright spot in her day darkened after Charlie left with the puppies. The toxicology results confirmed that Ginger had indeed been drugged. Doc made the call to the sheriff’s office. Missy would text the information to Josh later. She cursed herself for being a coward and not calling him, but she’d never seen him as angry as he had been this morning.

  Josh was the “fun-loving” brother, not the menacing one. That title was reserved for Jason. In her heart, she trusted that Josh would never turn that famous King Brother temper on her, but the look in his eyes had still frightened her, so she’d texted him instead of phoning. She was busy anyway, she assured herself, and didn’t have time for a conversation.

  By noon, Missy was filling her water bottle in the breakroom. Because of the chaos this morning, she’d shown up to work sans lunch. Her worry over Ginger had ruined her appetite anyway. She was just screwing the lid on the bottle when strong arms wrapped around her from behind. “Have you eaten?” Josh said in her ear, his breath hot on her neck. Goosebumps formed on her arms.

  She shook her head because her voice had disappeared with her appetite.

  He turned her around and kissed her lips. “How’s our kitten?”

  “Better. I’m taking her home tonight. How did you get back here?”

  “You think I’ve never been in the back of this clinic?”

  She glared at him. He was joking, but she wasn’t really in the mood.

  He retreated a bit and said sheepishly, “Sorry. Are you hungry?” He gently moved the wisps of hair that had escaped her sloppy ponytail out of her face.

  “Maybe a little,” she admitted, feeling better now that he was there. “Yeah, I could eat.”

  “Good! Get your purse, I’m taking you to lunch.”

  “I left without my purse or proper work attire. What you see is what you get.”

  He kissed her for real then. It turned into something a bit desperate until her sister’s voice disrupted the interlude.

  “Oh, thank God. I thought I was going to have to pull out the big guns to get you two together,” Marguerite laughed. “I’m hungry. Let’s all get some lunch so you can tell me what the hell went on this morning.”

  “What are you doing here?” Josh asked accusingly.

  Marguerite raised one of her finely plucked eyebrows. It was the look she gave Missy whenever her decrees were being questioned. “Checking on my sister. What are you doing here?”

  Josh grinned evilly. “Checking on my girlfriend.”

  Missy missed the approving smile on her sister’s face because she was too busy gawking at Josh.

  I’m his girlfriend?

  “How’s Ginger?”

  Coming out of her daze and not wanting to discuss the change in her relationship with Josh to her busybody sister, Missy recounted the events of the morning as the trio rode in Josh’s pickup to the diner. Josh held her hand the entire ride to Molly’s, and she loved it.

  “Declan says Harold has a history, Missy. He’s dangerous,” Marguerite said.

  “Who’s Declan?” Missy asked.

  “He’s a U.S. marshal,” Marguerite answered with distaste and a dramatic eye roll.

  “And what is wrong with him?”

  “Nothing,” she huffed. “I’m sure he’s a perfectly nice person.”

  “But you don’t know for sure?” Josh asked teasingly.

  “Of course I know for sure. He’s an old friend of Uncle Dane’s, so that makes him okay. How did this conversation turn into twenty questions about Declan McKinley?” Marguerite demanded.

  Well, would wonders never cease? A man had finally rattled her sister’s cage. Missy sneaked a look in Josh’s direction to see a dimple form in his cheek. “He’s not interrogating you. Jeez, calm down,” Missy scolded while stifling a laugh. “What did this Declan have to say about Harold’s past?”

  Back on track, Marguerite explained what the marshal had told her and Jarod. “Harold used a false identity when he was your professor. A
pparently, before that, he’d harassed another girl who’d filed charges against him, too.”

  Missy sat stunned. Josh, strangely quiet, parked the truck at the crowded diner. Harold had definitely harassed her, but he’d backed right off after she filed the report. Missy had merely thought him annoying, not dangerous—at least not until she’d moved to Timbisha. Things had escalated here, but why? She said nothing more and hoped they could change the subject once they got into the diner.

  The restaurant was packed, but they found stools at the far end of the counter, two on one side of the corner and one on the other. Marguerite quickly took the single stool on one side, while Josh and Missy took the other two, making it easy to speak to each other without leaning over the person in the middle. Even so, Missy found that Josh leaned in to her anyway, and, God help her, she found herself leaning in to him, too. He smelled so good, and he’d said she was his girlfriend. The thought was thrilling and something very new to her.

  Marguerite poured sweetener into her iced tea. “Jarod handed me an invitation to the twins’ welcoming party this morning. I almost snorted coffee out of my nose.”

  Josh laughed. Missy elbowed him in the ribs.

  “Are you going, Missy?” Marguerite asked.

  She pulled her own envelope out of her pocket. “Charlie gave me mine this morning. I haven’t opened it yet.”

  “But are you going?” Marguerite insisted. “Oh, what I am asking? Of course you are. We’ll ride together.” The decree seemed reasonable, but Marguerite normally liked to make an entrance. Missy squinted at her sister. Did she detect a bit of self-consciousness in Marguerite? What had that Declan said to make her sister’s notorious bravado falter?

  “How about we do this,” Josh offered. “Melissa and I will come and get you. That way I get to walk in the door with two beautiful women. I have a reputation to maintain, after all.”

  “You think I’m beautiful, Josh? Why didn’t you say something sooner?”

  Missy knew her sister was teasing, but it irritated her anyway. Josh could have anyone, including Marguerite, but his answer washed the irritation away.