Forbidden Cowboy (Rocky Ridge Creek #1)

Chapter Seventeen

HOPE

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“THE KISSING BOOTH is on fire!” The bedroom door swings and rattles the hanging collector plates on the wall. “Wake up!”

I jump from my deep sleep and out of the arms of the man I love. “What? What’s going on?” I clutch the quilt over my bare breasts.

“The kissing booth is on fire!” Wilma’s shoes scuttle across the wood floor as she rushes to the large bay window. She whips open the curtains.

The bright morning sun blinds me. I turn away and blink until the room focuses. Levi is snuggled into the blanket still fast asleep. I feel his arm draped over my lap. My eyes trail down the sun glistening over his rock hard body to see his trim ass is out for the world to see. Or in our case, Wilma and Faye. Unaware, or unfazed by Levi’s naked body, Faye slaps his leg. I toss the blanket to cover his naked cheeks.

“Nothing I haven’t seen.” Faye smoothes the front of her pink and white floral tea dress in front of the mirror. She repositions the wide-brimmed organza hat. “I wiped both your barebaby bottoms.”

“Too much.” I yawn, rubbing my eyes. “Too early. Too much.”

“Get dressed.” My dress smacks my face. “You too.” The old wood floor creaks as Wilma stomps around the bed and yanks the pillow out from under Levi’s head.

“What? Hope?” His grumble is so damn sexy. His strong arms wrap around my middle and he drags me back beside him. “Good morning, beautiful.”

“We’re not alone.” I kiss his forehead.

His eyelids pop open, hooded and sleepy. I want to stay snuggled beside him for the rest of the day.

His gaze darts to the end of the bed where Wilma and Faye stand. They stare at us with no shame.

“What the hell is going on?”

“The kissing booth is on fire.” Levi’s denim pants hit us both. Wilma has a great right pitch. “Get dressed. I’ll drive.”

Five minutes later, we’re rumbling down the road in the back seat of the twin’s club car. I’m tucked in the groove of Levi’s side and his arm rests over my shoulder.

“Why do we care about the kissing booth?” Levi is still half asleep.

I don’t make eye contact. “We don’t care.” It’s not true. I care. The kissing booth is where we began and now someone has gone and lit it on fire for the third time. I’d bet my life it was a Fox or a Wilde. And I’m leaning toward my father and Jade being responsible.

Rocky Ridge Creek is an up before dawn kind of town. I’m not surprised when the parking lot of town hall has a crowd around the kissing booth.

Wilma jams down the horn. “Get out of the way! Coming through!”

The crowd parts.

“It’s not on fire,” Levi grumbles. He’s a morning person and this grumpy side of him has nothing to do with being woken up early.

“Hey.” I catch his face in my hands and draw his forehead to mine. I feel his pain penetrate with mine. “I don’t want to leave my family either. I know, babe. I know.”

His hand cups the back of my neck. “I love you.”

“I love you.”

He gently brushes his lips across mine.

“Save it for the honeymoon.” Wilma’s foot is heavy and we jerk forward when she slams down on the brakes.

I’m more than happy to climb out of her beast of a club car. She’s a wild driver who ignores stop signs and rides on front lawns. I’m going to walk back to the bed and breakfast.

I’m surprised to find my papa and Mr. Wilde standing on either side of the kissing booth. Beside them is a veiled structure similar in size to the kissing booth.

“What’s going on?”

Levi envelopes my hand.

The two men exchange what appears to be a difficult look. My father’s face is strained and his body is more rigid than usual.

“Pa?” Levi’s hand tightens around mine.

Mr. Wilde makes direct eye contact with Levi. “We’re here to fix things, son.”

The men each strike a match and toss it at the base of the kissing booth. Fire dances up the wood.

“No!” The scream tears out of my chest.

“What the hell?” Levi catches my waist to stop me from running to put out the flames. “This doesn’t fix anything!”

My papa crosses the space and stops in front of me. His hands crush my arms the way he did when I was young and he wanted to thoroughly explain something. Not painful, just a firm grip eye-to-eye.

“Hope, you built the kissing booth from anger and sadness.” His calloused thumb gently wipes away a tear from my cheek. “Because of me. It’s a reminder of how I’ve hurt you. I was so blinded by my own sadness that I never realized I was hurting you. That’s my mistake and you paid for it.” His chest rises with his deep breath. “What I’m trying to say is, I’m sorry.” His big, strong arms bear hugged me. My papa’s always been a hugger, but not with the emotion this one carries today. It makes up for the last couple weeks of ignoring me.

“Fox, you got sidetracked,” grumbles Mr. Wilde.

“Right.” He squeezes me one last time before joining Levi’s father at the veiled structure.

My mama’s guitar strumming draws my attention to her and Levi’s mother. They sing the Fox Lodge theme song. My sisters wave from the sidelines. Jade is there, but she doesn’t wave. Her arms are crossed over her chest and a scowl stretches her face.

“What’s happening?” Levi whispers.

“It’s the Fox Lodge theme song.”

“You mean you sing this every day?”

I grin at him. “Don’t judge us.”

“Drum roll my darlin’,” my papa shouts.

My mom strums a quick drum roll. Our fathers tear off the cover. The red material floats to the ground. Behind it is another booth. Only the big sign painted at the top doesn’t read Kissing Booth . Instead, it reads Whisky Ridge Creek’s Friendship Booth.

Claps of applause and whistles pelt out through the crowd.

Our fathers step in front of the booth and clasp hands in a firm handshake.

“Over here!” They turn and the local journalist snaps their picture.

“All the Fox and Wildes together now!” Mr. Wilde waves everyone over.

“This doesn’t feel real.” I watch my sisters skip over. I see his brothers strut to meet our parents.

Levi spins me to face him. “We did it, Hope.”

I smile. “We did it.”

He picks me up and twirls me in the air. His lips cover mine as he sets me to my feet.

“Save it for the honeymoon!”

We run to the friendship booth for a picture.

Wheeler shakes my hand before pulling me into a hug. Josie hugs Levi. And before I know it, I’m shaking hands with Mr. Wilde, while Mrs. Wilde pulls me in her embrace.

“Welcome to the family, Hope.”

“Something’s missing.” Levi kisses my cheek before running off.

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LEVI

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THE FLAMES HAVEN’T touched the painted sign screwed to the top of the kissing booth. While it might not have meaning to our fathers, it holds a helluva lot of meaning to me and Hope.

I try to yank it off, but fire jumps at my feet. I’ve screwed it in pretty good, if I do say so myself.

“Let me help you, son.” My pa reaches for the far side of the sign. My heart is beating so hard I hope he can’t hear it. I’ve never spent so many days without talking to my pa. He’s the guy who takes the time to explain every single tiny detail to every single situation, big or small. And I’ve missed him.

“Thanks, Pa.”

He nods, understanding the meaning behind my thanks. “On three.”

“I’ll help.” Hart grabs the center of the sign. He doesn’t look at me. He doesn’t have too. His action says a thousand words.

Together, we yank off the sign.

“Just for the record, I think you’re bat shit crazy for marrying a Fox.” Hart claps my shoulder. “But you’ve always been a few peas short of a casserole.”

“Thanks man.”

Hope watches me from the friendship booth. I’m impressed as hell our folks erected an entire booth in less than twelve hours. I’m further impressed they didn’t kill each other doing it.

I stroll in her direction, holding the sign facing her. She meets me halfway.

“Nice sign.”

“I thought it would look nice hanging above our mantle.”

“Our mantle?”

“Hope Fox, if you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m never letting you go again.” I hook my finger under her chin. “I want to marry you.”

“Marry me, cowboy.”

“I want to kiss you.”

Her lips curl in a wide smile. “Kiss me, cowboy.”

I lean down and take her mouth in mine, right here, at town hall, in front of the entire town and our family. And it feels fucking amazing.

“Save it for the honeymoon!”

Her laughter bubbles in my mouth.

“I have many other things I plan to do on our honeymoon.”

“The sooner, the better.”

“I’ll put the duo on it.” I kiss her again.

“What’s going on here?” Thomas runs across the pavement in brown and white cow print slippers. “Put that fire out! Call the fire department! Call the sheriff! This town is out of control! You’re all banned from town hall!”