Josh's Challenge Read online

  Missy was still shaking her head at her sister when Josh returned with a bottled water. “I think Marguerite and the marshal are going to end up together,” he said without preamble.

  Missy shook her head. “No, she doesn’t like him.”

  Josh’s evil smile spread across his face. “Honey, I know women, and I’ve known your sister all my life. Trust me, she wants him. She’s just fighting her feelings right now.”

  Missy didn’t want to talk about her sister anymore, so she changed the subject. “What’s the plan?”

  “For the rest of the day?”

  “Mm-hmm.” She wanted to kiss him…and do other things.

  His knowing smile became sensual. “Did I create a monster?”

  Missy’s eyebrows shot up before she took a shaky breath. “Maybe, but I don’t want to insult your family. This has been a lovely day.”

  “I love seeing you happy, Melissa.” He was the only person who called her by her formal name. At first she’d thought he did it to annoy her, but now she realized that he did it out of respect. It made her special to him. She was taking a big chance on him. No one had ever made her feel this comfortable outside her own family. She took another breath and said what she was feeling in her heart.

  “I love that you can make me happy.”

  He immediately pressed his amazing lips to hers, but Jason’s deep voice didn’t let them get too carried away.

  “Get a room, will ya? There are children present.”

  She sat back guiltily, but Josh didn’t let her get far. “He’s joking,” he whispered in her ear before turning to his brother.

  “Like you’re any better.”

  Jason only chuckled. “Listen, people are starting to leave, but I’m going to barbecue later. Do you two feel like hanging around?”

  It sounded nice, but . . .

  “Normally I’d say yes, but we’ve got to get Marguerite home to relieve Dane. Missy’s mom isn’t doing too well lately,” Josh said, saving her from having to explain things. “And we need to check on Ginger.”

  Aww! Her heart melted.

  “Thank you for a wonderful time, Jason,” Missy said without feeling the least bit awkward.

  Jason drew her into a hug, surprising the new confidence right out of her. “We are so glad you came. Don’t be a stranger, okay?”

  “I won’t,” she promised.

  Josh pulled her away, and together they said their goodbyes, collected a very relieved Marguerite, and were out the door in a flash. She couldn’t wait to be alone with him. She wanted to take a chance on him, wanted to trust him, and Josh was making it very easy for her to let down her guard.

  I’m going to say hello to Mom and then we can go,” Melissa said, opening the passenger door while Marguerite climbed out of the back seat of Josh’s pickup.

  “Hold up, ladies, and I’ll come in with you. I haven’t seen your mom in a while.” Josh hurried around the truck to help Melissa out. Marguerite was quicker, and he had just enough time to shut the door for her.

  “Mom would love to see you, too,” Marguerite said. “I’ll go make sure she’s presentable. It’s been difficult for her to get out of bed lately.”

  He mumbled okay under his breath, troubled that Darla Bainbridge-Theroux’s cancer had progressed. He took Melissa’s hand and together they followed Marguerite up the front porch steps, where Dane stood with the door open to welcome his nieces home. “Hello, young lady,” he said to Marguerite before kissing her forehead and then hugging Melissa. “Hey, Josh. Everything go smoothly at the party?”

  “Right as rain. Sorry you missed it,” he said quietly when he noticed the sadness in the older man’s eyes.

  “Darla and I had a good time today,” Dane answered before calling out, “didn’t we, Sis?”

  Darla sat on the sofa in a pretty red robe that looked way too hot for this time of year, but the thinness of her face told how much the cancer had ravaged her body. Her smile hid how sick she really was, and her polite demeanor covered up the sadness in her dark eyes. “Yes, we did, Dane.”

  She reached out and hugged Marguerite, who kissed her mother on the cheek before excusing herself from the room. Darla held her hand out to Melissa, who’d sat down next to her. When her eyes met Josh’s with surprise, she smiled wide with joy. “Josh King! I haven’t seen you in forever!” She tried to get up, but Josh rushed to her.

  “No need to get up, Mrs. Theroux.” He bent down to hug the woman, taking care not to break her. Damn, she was just skin and bones underneath the robe. “It’s real good to see you, too.”

  “Camille was here the other day, and we were talking about you. I understand you and my daughter are sharing a kitten.”

  “Mom was here? You two aren’t trying to play matchmaker, are you, Mrs. Theroux?” He ignored Melissa’s surprised gasp and Dane’s chuckle. Marguerite was just coming back from the kitchen with several glasses of iced tea on a tray.

  “Of course she is,” Marguerite said as she placed the tray on the table and distributed the glasses. “Camille and Darla strike again.”

  “And you’re next, my dear. Time’s a wastin’, so I’m not going to beat around the bush with you. Tell me all about this Declan character.”

  “Oh, Mother!” Marguerite said with disgust while Josh nearly spit his tea back into his glass. “No, no, and no. You and Uncle Dane are terrible.” She put her glass down, hugged her mother, blew a kiss to Melissa, and said, “Goodnight,” then turned to him and said, “Josh, thank you for driving me to the party.” She turned on her heel and jogged up the stairway to what Josh presumed to be her bedroom. The sun was still up, and dinnertime was around the corner.

  Dane merely chuckled, but Darla’s face turned grim. “Stop laughing. I have to get her settled.”

  “Mom, please don’t talk that way.” The fear in Melissa’s eyes nearly broke Josh’s heart. It was clear that Darla didn’t think she would survive her illness. “Marguerite is having a hard enough time with everything. Leave her alone about men.”

  “Did you meet him?” Darla asked, clearly ignoring everything Melissa had said.

  “Briefly, but if Marguerite doesn’t like him, you should leave it to her to decide what to do. You can’t make someone fall in love, you know.”

  Josh agreed, and to add some levity to the conversation, he decided to satisfy his curiosity about Melissa’s feelings. “She’s right, Mrs. Theroux. I’ve loved your daughter for years, but she’s yet to tell me she loves me back.” Melissa turned two shades of red, and Dane’s eyebrows crawled up his forehead to his thinning hairline. “Too much?” Josh asked.

  Dane cleared his throat. “Just a bit.”

  Darla broke the silence by sitting back into the couch with relief. “Well, I’ll be darned. Josh King, the ladies’ man of Timbisha County, is in love with my daughter.” A single tear dropped down her cheek. “Well, young lady, I’m happy you two dropped by, but after that pronouncement I think it’s time you took your man home and put his heart at ease, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, I think maybe you’re right.” Josh didn’t miss the breathiness of her voice, or the way her knees shook when she stood up. “Love you, Mom. Bye, Uncle Dane.”

  “Mrs. Theroux, it was good to see you,” Josh said.

  “Please, call me Darla. After all, I’m hoping you’ll be family soon.” Darla winked at him, and Josh smiled back. He had a feeling Darla was just as shrewd as his own mother.

  “I’ll walk the two lovebirds out,” Dane said, his deep voice rasping. Josh took Melissa’s hand, and they followed Dane to the front door. Josh turned to shake the man’s hand, but Dane insisted on following them all the way to the driveway.

  “Did your brother tell you about the body they found?” Dane said without preamble.

  “No, why?” Josh’s gut tightened. Another body? When did his small town become so dangerous?

  “Marguerite told me that a body was found and that they think it’s Harold. Uncle Dane, what’s going on
?”

  Melissa’s distress only amped up Josh’s feeling of doom—and his natural instinct to protect her. He held up a hand and looked at Melissa. “Wait, why didn’t you tell me?”

  She shrugged. “There wasn’t a chance at the party.”

  “Damn that Jarod,” Dane mumbled. “Look, I don’t know why Jarod’s decided to keep this a secret, but I feel my niece needs to know that she is still in danger. They found Harold Klein’s body. He’d been kidnapped, tied up, and drugged. His killer is still on the loose.”

  Josh relaxed. “Well, if Klein’s dead, then Melissa’s stalker is gone, right?”

  “Not necessarily. The body had been there a while. We don’t know who’s responsible for harassing you and Missy.”

  Josh met Melissa’s wide eyes and cursed. “You called in McKinley to protect Melissa, didn’t you?”

  Dane reached up and scratched the back of his head. “That’s the odd thing. I called Declan to check up on a specific case that had run cold on me a few years back, a fugitive on the run named Harold Schurke.” Dane looked at Melissa, and Josh swore he was fighting something. “He’d been convicted of many things, but the worst was sex trafficking. It wasn’t until later that McKinley discovered the guy was posing as a professor under the alias Klein.”

  Josh narrowed his eyes. “If Harold died before Melissa started receiving her ‘gifts,’” and here Josh used finger quotes, “then who are we supposed to be looking for?”

  Dane gave a hard stare. “That’s the point I’m trying to make. We don’t know.”

  When Melissa said nothing, Josh put his arm around her. She was shaking from head to foot. “I won’t let her leave my sight until we get this mess cleared up. Thanks for the head’s up.” He shook Dane’s hand after Melissa hugged her uncle. If Dane was worried, then Josh was too. He trusted Dane’s instincts.

  The ride back to the townhouses was quiet. He’d hoped to have that serious talk with her, but now that she was troubled over some unknown creep, the mood was soured.

  “I don’t want to sleep alone tonight.”

  Josh reached across the armrest and grabbed her hand. “You were never going to, Melissa.” Like she’d had a choice, he thought, rolling his eyes heavenward. He’d told Dane he wouldn’t leave her alone and he meant it. He lifted her hand to his lips. “We’ll grab Ginger first, and then we’ll go to my place.”

  She held onto his hand with both of hers, and he could feel a fine trembling in her body. It damn near broke his heart to see her so scared. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her and needed to figure out a way to keep her safe while he was at work. He’d call Jarod and let him know that Dane had spilled the beans before giving him a piece of his mind. It wouldn’t do any good keeping that secret anyway, and Josh was certain that Dane was counting on Josh to blab. Jarod and Dane were usually at odds with each other, and now that Dane’s niece was in danger, that animosity would only amp up. Josh was disgusted with his brother. You protect family no matter what, and Jarod should’ve known that.

  Josh parked in his driveway without lifting the garage door. He didn’t want anyone to have access to his townhouse while he was helping Melissa gather her things and the kitten.

  Both townhouses were dark. “Is Angie still at work?”

  “Probably. They’ve got her on a strange schedule.” Melissa put the key in her front door and turned the knob. “Do you think she’ll be safe here alone?”

  Josh didn’t hesitate. “For tonight, she should be fine. I’m going to set both our townhouses up with alarm systems tomorrow. I never thought I’d have to do that in Timbisha, but I’m not taking any chances. I’ll grab Ginger while you get what you need for an extended stay. I don’t want you alone.” He kissed her soundly and then turned her around so she could get upstairs.

  Josh didn’t like the creepy feeling sliding up his spine. He was sure he was being watched. The sooner they were in his own townhouse, the sooner he could start building his relationship with Melissa and keep her safe.

  MISSY FLIPPED THE light on in her bedroom and rushed to grab a bag, hopefully enough for an extended stay…whatever that meant. I’ve loved your daughter for years, but she’s yet to tell me she loves me back. With Josh, a girl never knew if he was being serious or not, but they definitely needed to talk about their relationship. Missy thought she was finally ready to do that.

  Then there was the information Uncle Dane had imparted to them before leaving tonight. How many people hated her that badly?

  She hefted her bag over her shoulder, grabbed her favorite pillow, and met Josh downstairs. He was cuddling Ginger in his big arms while the kitten purred to her heart’s content, and Missy’s heart swooned.

  “Ready,” she said breathlessly.

  He held Ginger as he took Missy’s bag from her shoulder and slipped it over his own. “You have your keys?”

  She held them up and then followed him out the door, making sure to turn the deadlock. Angelica had a key, so Missy wasn’t worried about locking her out. It was still early, but Angelica wouldn’t be home for a few hours. Night hadn’t fully descended on them, but the front of the townhouse was already shadowed by the setting sun.

  “I should install some floodlights, too,” Josh said quietly as they stepped up onto his front porch. He handed Ginger over to her so he could work his own lock, and within seconds they were inside. “I’ll get us a couple of beers. I think we need it.”

  She followed him into the kitchen, where he placed her bag on a small dinette table. Ginger meowed and stretched before hobbling to the kitchen to beg for kibble.

  Josh immediately complied with the cat’s request, then popped the tops off of two bottles and handed a beer to Missy.

  “Thank you.”

  “So polite,” he whispered before taking a big swig. “Television or talk?”

  Now that made her laugh. “We should probably talk, don’t you think?”

  “Kiss first?”

  “Kissing is just a distraction,” she scolded, half hopeful that he would kiss her anyway. She got her wish.

  He took her mouth quickly before setting her back on her feet. “There, now tell me you love me too, so we can move on from all this awkwardness.”

  Swallowing hard, she whispered, “I love you too.”

  If the situation hadn’t been so serious, the look on his face would’ve had her rolling on the floor with laughter. His mouth hung half open, and his eyes were so wide she thought they might fall out of his head. When he still didn’t answer and the pain of rejection began to bloom in her chest, she took a step back. The move seemed to have startled him because he yanked her to him, kissing her as though the sun rose and set in her mouth. She was consumed by his reaction and, God help her, she wanted to be consumed. Forgetting about their much-needed conversation, she poured her heart and soul into their kiss, hoping that there wouldn’t be any more need for talk. She was quickly discovering that nonverbal communication was much easier anyway. She could show him how she felt, and she trusted Josh to understand what she was saying.

  He didn’t disappoint her. Before she could come up for air, he was already climbing the stairs with her in his arms.

  JOSH HAD NEVER felt a connection this strong to anyone in his life, not even with his brothers. His friendships with Julie and Lauren had been strong, but once they’d married his brothers and become his sisters-in-law, the feeling had become familial, which was completely different from what he was feeling for Melissa.

  Melissa belonged to him and he belonged to her. Lenny Kravitz had it right, Josh thought to himself as “I Belong to You” played softly in the background. She made his life complete. He’d fought for years to put her out of his mind by going from girl to girl, then woman to woman, but none of them had compared to her.

  “I love your voice,” she mumbled sleepily.

  Had he been singing along?

  “I just love you, baby.” He gently rolled her over from their spooned position so he could see the fa
ce he loved so much. “I’m serious. There’s no one else but you.”

  She caressed his face with her delicate hand, an elegant finger tracing his cheekbone and then his bottom lip. Her purple eyes were dreamy and soft when she said, “You already know that there’s never been anyone else for me.”

  And then she giggled.

  “Thank God for that. The idea of you being with another man brings out the green-eyed monster in me.”

  “But your eyes are such a pretty blue,” she said with a teasing voice.

  “Pretty? Girl, no one calls me pretty without paying a price,” he said before he captured her mouth to prove just how pretty things were between them.

  “EGGS AND BACON?” Melissa asked from the open refrigerator the next day.

  Josh looked at his watch. “It’s twelve-thirty. How about we head over to Molly’s for a burger, and then we’ll hit Neil’s Building Supply for some floodlights. Maybe see if they’ve got information on alarm systems.”

  “Sounds like a plan to me. After that, I want to check on Mom again, if we have time before you install the lights,” she said as she bent to refresh the water in Ginger’s bowl.

  “How’s she doing?”

  Melissa stood over the cat as she drank from her dish. “Perfectly healthy.”

  “No, silly, not the cat. I was talking about your mom.”

  Melissa blinked sad eyes and folded her arms protectively over her chest. “She has an appointment with the oncologist in a couple of weeks. We’ll know more then.” She forced a smile, dropped her protective stance, and sauntered up to Josh, who immediately hugged her. She hid the pain from him, but he didn’t take offense. God forbid, if one of his parents or brothers were sick, he didn’t know what he would do.

  By the time they got to Molly’s, there weren’t many seats to choose from except for two at the far end of the counter, but Josh preferred it that way. He could see most of the restaurant and whoever came through the door from that vantage point. They had just been handed their menus when Angelica walked through the glass doors.