running shirtless in the bright spring sunshine, his gorgeous flirtof a dog right next to him on this exceptionally beautiful day. Did the sky truly look bluer than ever, or was it Gwen’s imagination?
It was like a disease she’d never had before. Man sickness. She could not get him off her mind. She could not pry her eyes away from him, as he ran past the store window.
Maybe that was why it had felt so good when Jax held her.
He and the dog ran down a small hill, nearly disappearing from her view. Gwen stood up on her toes, leaning into the window for balance, and—
“Ahhh!” She nearly upset a huge bucket of gladiolas at her feet.
“Gwen?” Joanie came flying out of the back room. At five feet tall and maybe a hundred pounds, she was like a tiny cyclone, always busy and always stirring things up. “Are you all right?”
“Yes. Fine. Sorry I scared you. I was just…” She righted the gladiolas and then glanced guiltily at the window, thinking she was safe, her crime hidden. But just her luck, Jax ran back into view.
“Oh, I see,” Joanie said, a whole new tone coming into her voice.
“No. Really. It’s not that—” The flat-out lie stopped Gwen cold. She really tried hard not to lie.
“Oh, honey, don’t apologize. I appreciate the sights as much as any woman. Don’t you just want to go up to him and thank him for being kind enough to run past our window?”
Gwen just whimpered in another Romeo-like communication.
“You know what my mama always said?” Joanie continued. “If God wanted him to be ugly, he would be. But he’s not, and I happen to think that beauty is a thing to be admired, whether it’s a pretty flower or a tree or the sky or a man.”
“Oh. Okay.”
“Besides, I’ve known him forever. Believe me, he wouldn’t mind.”
“I believe you about that,” Gwen said. “How do you know him?”
“Every woman in town knows Jax. If they weren’t friends with his mother, they knew his sisters or they dated him or had a daughter who dated him or a friend who dated him. But everybody knows him.”
Gwen grinned. “But how do you know him?”
“I’ve known his mother for years. And he also dated my two younger sisters. That man has a way with women.”
“I know.”
“You do?” Joanie sounded so shocked, it was funny.
“I mean…I didn’t mean it like that. Really.” She tried to backtrack.
“No, it’s okay. I didn’t mean it like that, either. It’s just that you haven’t shown any interest in men since you came here, so I was surprised.”
“He’s been kind to me, and I guess he can’t help but be charming.”
“Oh, he can’t. It’s in his genes. His father, Billy Cassidy, was the best-looking man I ever saw. The funniest. The happiest. He never met a stranger. Never hurt anybody.”
“What happened to him?” Gwen asked.
“Somebody shot him almost twenty years ago. He was a cop, too. Walked into a convenience store one night when he was off duty, and stumbled into a robbery. There were a half-dozen people in the store, and he put himself between all of them and the guy’s gun, trying to talk the guy into giving up, and the guy shot him dead, just like that. It was just one of those things, you know?”
“Yeah. I know.”
“Jax was only eleven, I think, and the oldest, the only boy. He grew up fast. I mean, he still knew how to have a good time and everything, but underneath all that…He was a big help to his mother and really good with his sisters. They could have fallen apart, but the whole family just kind of pulled together and kept going. You’ve got to admire people who can get through something like that and still find a way to be happy.”
Oh, yes. Gwen was just starting to see how hard that was—to pick up and keep going. To be anything close to happy.
And yet, Jax and his family had done it.
So…maybe he could show her how.
Sure. She could just walk up to the man and tell him she was a wreck and that being in his arms had
It was like a disease she’d never had before. Man sickness. She could not get him off her mind. She could not pry her eyes away from him, as he ran past the store window.
Maybe that was why it had felt so good when Jax held her.
He and the dog ran down a small hill, nearly disappearing from her view. Gwen stood up on her toes, leaning into the window for balance, and—
“Ahhh!” She nearly upset a huge bucket of gladiolas at her feet.
“Gwen?” Joanie came flying out of the back room. At five feet tall and maybe a hundred pounds, she was like a tiny cyclone, always busy and always stirring things up. “Are you all right?”
“Yes. Fine. Sorry I scared you. I was just…” She righted the gladiolas and then glanced guiltily at the window, thinking she was safe, her crime hidden. But just her luck, Jax ran back into view.
“Oh, I see,” Joanie said, a whole new tone coming into her voice.
“No. Really. It’s not that—” The flat-out lie stopped Gwen cold. She really tried hard not to lie.
“Oh, honey, don’t apologize. I appreciate the sights as much as any woman. Don’t you just want to go up to him and thank him for being kind enough to run past our window?”
Gwen just whimpered in another Romeo-like communication.
“You know what my mama always said?” Joanie continued. “If God wanted him to be ugly, he would be. But he’s not, and I happen to think that beauty is a thing to be admired, whether it’s a pretty flower or a tree or the sky or a man.”
“Oh. Okay.”
“Besides, I’ve known him forever. Believe me, he wouldn’t mind.”
“I believe you about that,” Gwen said. “How do you know him?”
“Every woman in town knows Jax. If they weren’t friends with his mother, they knew his sisters or they dated him or had a daughter who dated him or a friend who dated him. But everybody knows him.”
Gwen grinned. “But how do you know him?”
“I’ve known his mother for years. And he also dated my two younger sisters. That man has a way with women.”
“I know.”
“You do?” Joanie sounded so shocked, it was funny.
“I mean…I didn’t mean it like that. Really.” She tried to backtrack.
“No, it’s okay. I didn’t mean it like that, either. It’s just that you haven’t shown any interest in men since you came here, so I was surprised.”
“He’s been kind to me, and I guess he can’t help but be charming.”
“Oh, he can’t. It’s in his genes. His father, Billy Cassidy, was the best-looking man I ever saw. The funniest. The happiest. He never met a stranger. Never hurt anybody.”
“What happened to him?” Gwen asked.
“Somebody shot him almost twenty years ago. He was a cop, too. Walked into a convenience store one night when he was off duty, and stumbled into a robbery. There were a half-dozen people in the store, and he put himself between all of them and the guy’s gun, trying to talk the guy into giving up, and the guy shot him dead, just like that. It was just one of those things, you know?”
“Yeah. I know.”
“Jax was only eleven, I think, and the oldest, the only boy. He grew up fast. I mean, he still knew how to have a good time and everything, but underneath all that…He was a big help to his mother and really good with his sisters. They could have fallen apart, but the whole family just kind of pulled together and kept going. You’ve got to admire people who can get through something like that and still find a way to be happy.”
Oh, yes. Gwen was just starting to see how hard that was—to pick up and keep going. To be anything close to happy.
And yet, Jax and his family had done it.
So…maybe he could show her how.
Sure. She could just walk up to the man and tell him she was a wreck and that being in his arms had
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