Chapter One
He didn’t need this. He definitely didn’t want it.
But he couldn’t deny wantingher. He’d wanted her since she’d first come to the campgrounds almost a year ago.
Peering past the partially lifted curtain on his upstairs window, Hendrix Becker murmured to himself, “Why is she here?”
Here where she could continually tempt him.
“You’d think a grown-ass man could resist one woman.” One soft, sexy, very sweet... mom. “Right, keep reminding yourself that she’s a mother.” Not that her mom-status figured into his fantasies. Or rather, it was there as something to further admire, a great example of her generous, caring heart.
Whenever he spoke with her, which seemed to be nearly every day, her status as a loving mother was as obvious as her beautiful hair and eyes, her smile, her friendly nature.
“Shit.” December was supposed to be his alone time, so he could suffer the holiday season in peace and quiet. When he’d purchased the Wild Rose Point RV Park nearly two years ago, he’d deliberately planned the closure of the property to avoid all the fuss and fanfare of Christmas, the overbearingcheeriness, and the inevitable desperation shaded by sadness and disappointment. Last Christmas had worked like a charm. For an entire month, he’d been the only full-time resident.
Ah, the blessed solitude. Just him with his thoughts. His annoying, grinding, caught-on-a-loop thoughts about shit that should have never happened on Christmas. At least no one had been forced to suffer his mood with him.
It should have been the same this year.
After the New Year, he would open again and every spot would quickly fill. Christmas would be forgotten and people would get back to normal. He’d be spared from most – or maybe just a few – of the memories.
Yet thereshewas, Josephine Collins, sweet Joey, sweeping off the porch of the tiny cabin while her seven-year-old son sat in the dirt, enacting fights among superhero figures. One of those figures was missing an arm. Hendrix squinted his eyes and realized one of the figures was actually a Barbie...wearing only a top.
Hmm... Even more interesting, Barbie seemed to be kicking the most ass. His mouth quirked – until he caught himself.
Screw it. Stepping away from the curtain, he headed down the stairs and strode to his front door with a long, determined stride. He’d remind her of the rules and put an end to this nonsense right now. If he kept it brief, he might even be able to resist imagining her in her swimsuit.
Or naked.
Or under him.
Josephine could be headstrong and she tried to direct everyone in her orbit.Nicely– which just made it worse. She’d utilize that sweet voice, tip her head a certain way and smile, and people found themselves doing whatever she wanted before they even realized it.
She was a people person and few were immune, including him. On top of wanting her, he liked her. A little too much and that was a problem because he was rarely fit company for nice, ordinary people. His own family could attest to that.
During the holiday? No, definitely not. Better that he spend it alone.
As he opened his door, a gust of wind cut through his long-sleeved T-shirt. The Oregon coastline offered plenty of cold, wet, windy weather in December, but thankfully no snow or near-zero temps. Not like Indiana.
And damn it, that put his thoughts right back to that awful day with pristine snow everywhere, the type of cold that could cut like a knife, and his miserable judgement that had cost lives. For a moment, he squeezed his eyes shut, willing the awful images out of his head.
Of course he had the perfect target, the very best of distractions. He opened his eyes and zeroed in on Josephine. His blood still surged, but now for a different reason. God, she would be the hottest type of distraction.
Her son, Ryder, let out a muffled shout as his play turned rough and Barbie sent superheroes flying. While still pantless.
Mouth quirking in amusement, Hendrix again got on his way. He was vaguely aware of an overcast sky with rain-bloated clouds, but mostly his attention was on Josephine.
Thanks to the wind, blonde, corkscrew curls escaped her loose braid to dance across her face. Still, she made an absurd attempt to sweep the walkway leading to the small – aka miniscule – wooden cabin that she rented.
She hadn’t yet noticed his approach, but Ryder called out in excitement, “Mr. Becker!” The boy launched to his feet and raced forward in his typical greeting that showed a desperate need for masculine attention.
No, that wasn’t fair, really. It was just that, for some reason, Ryder liked him. Hendrix wasn’t able to figure it out.
Skidding to a halt in front of him, Ryder held out the half-naked Barbie and said, “I got a Wonder Woman.”
Well, hell. How was he supposed to reply to that? Surely the kid knew it was a Barbie, especially with her absurdly arched feet and big boobs. Hendrix held back a smile. “Guess that explains why she was beating up everyone else.”
Ryder grinned, showing off an empty space where one of his front teeth should be. Leaning closer, he confided in a rasp, “I gotta find her some pants.”
