First Kiss Read online

  She picked the file back up and turned toward her computer. No need to cry over a friendship that was lost at the age of twelve. No matter what a man promised you when he was a boy, it was no longer valid when he was a man.

  Cade tucked himself back into his small car. He wasn’t sure what he thought he’d find when he arrived at the cemetery. Maybe he thought he’d find nothing and no one. He had planned to be late enough to pay his respects privately and escape. The last thing he thought he’d find was Olivia Baker crying over his father’s grave. He drove away from the cemetery. Hundreds of people had been laid to rest there from movie stars to John Does. He wondered which one he would be.

  The road curved back down into town and the “Welcome to Aspen Creek” sign stood prominent at the entrance. Below it was a growing list of notables who had once called Aspen Creek their home.

  Lillian Rose had grown up in that town and gone on to be a Hollywood icon of the golden picture era. Rose Bridge bore the name of her family. The ranch on the hill, overlooking both Aspen Creek and Aspen Hills, still had a Rose decedent living there.

  Hunter Galloway was an author. Cade remembered having to read one of his books in school. Maybe that was something he should do again. They’d named the town library after him, so maybe he was a good writer.

  Celeste Kirby was a gold medalist in figure skating. He’d actually known her, he thought back, but he couldn’t really remember any details.

  The last plaque that had been added to the sign was Home of Cade Carter. M.V.P. Superbowl XX—the rest of the Roman numerals had chipped away.

  Cade let out a snort. They’d honored him with cheap paint. Well, it was indicative of his career.

  The play he’d been credited with, which had earned him that M.V.P. title, was the play that had nearly killed him. His shoulder cramped, and when he straightened it, a pain shot through him all the way down to his leg. There was no need for fancy signs to make him remember what he’d had. He had plenty of pain, everyday, to remind him of that.

  He passed by Sloan’s Diner. The old, green Ford pickup was still parked on the side of the building. Mr. Sloan had had that truck for a million years. Cade smiled as he rolled through the stop sign at the corner. He’d eaten more meals in that diner than he had at his own kitchen table back in Green Bay.

  Green Bay. That reminded him. He’d better call Ashley. His stay was certainly going to take a few more days than he’d expected.

  He drove down Main Street, slow and easy. The pace hadn’t changed. With that noted, he remembered why he’d left. He needed people and fast pace to survive. He could feel his own life slipping away as he drove through town.

  The bank was up ahead. He could just stop, take care of everything he needed to, and head back home. Then he thought better of it because that would mean having to face Olivia. The one thing he’d never forget about Olivia Baker was her temper. The very thought made him laugh aloud. He tilted his head so he could see his reflection in the review mirror. Above the rim of his glasses, he could still see the scar that ran through his eyebrow. Yeah, she’d made forever marks on him in more ways than one.

  No, he’d save facing Olivia for another day. He sped up and cleared through the rest of town as he headed for Rose Bridge. As he crossed it, his fingers tensed on the steering wheel. Twelve years was a long time to stay away from home, and the closer he drove to it, the more anxious he became.

  It was just a house. No one lived there anymore. He took a deep breath. God, this trip was going to kill him.

  Cade pulled up in front of the house where he’d always lived… until the day he’d driven away forever. The large oak in the front yard shaded the driveway, which was in need of repair. He pulled into the drive, put the car in park, but didn’t turn the engine off. He’d never felt so alone in all his life.

  The grass looked as if it hadn’t been watered in years. The paint was peeling from the house and the porch swing hung from only one chain. The large detached garage at the back of the driveway had a broken window in the door.

  He let out a long sigh. He’d have to hire someone to fix this dump up before he could sell it.

  Was this his father’s idea of getting back at him for abandoning him?

  Cade turned off the car and slowly climbed out. He stood there, grasping the door and the roof of the car until feeling came back to his leg, and then he slammed the door and limped toward the porch.

  An eerie wind blew through the trees and Cade stopped again. He glanced to his right and took in the sight of the small house next door. It had been Olivia’s house once, but unlike his, she’d never called it a home.

  The window, which overlooked his father’s driveway, had been her bedroom. It faced his bedroom window. How many nights had they talked into the wee hours of morning from behind the screens? They’d made a million plans between the ages of six and twelve. Some were well thought out summer days with a picnic near the river, while others were conjured up ways on how they could run away from home. Olivia was usually the one wanting to run, and Conner was quick to get in on those plans. How ironic that she and Conner had returned to Aspen Creek, and he’d run.

  His attention shifted to the tree in the back yard. He couldn’t help but smile when he noticed the pieces of their tree house still lodged among the branches and the tire swing swaying in the breeze.

  It was the building that tree house that gave him the scar over his eye. Olivia sucked at swinging a hammer, but if he remembered right, Conner fared worse. She’d nearly driven a nail through Conner’s hand. He’d cried like a baby and bled a lot. Olivia turned from builder to nurse. She’d bandaged his hand and kissed his cheek. Even so many years later, Cade could feel the sting of jealousy burn through him.

  He shifted his stare from the tree house to the lot behind his father’s back yard.

  He slowly walked through the back yard to the edge of the property and stood almost frozen in his footsteps.

  The property which extended into the hillside had belonged to his father. Out of his generosity, he’d built a house there among the groves of Aspen trees for his sister and her son.

  Conner had lived there most of his life, just feet from Cade, but they’d never lived the same kind of life. In hindsight, Cade had had a beautiful childhood, even without a mother. But Conner, well, his life had always been hell.

  Now, as the breeze blew around him, he looked beyond the trees to where the house had stood. Only the burned out shell remained. Conner had died there. That much he knew.

  He forced himself to look away. The midday heat was getting to him. He needed to go inside and get a drink of water. Then he would assess what needed to be done and figure out whom to hire to take care of it.

  Cade Carter didn’t belong in Aspen Creek anymore. He felt that deep in his bones.

  He walked back to the front of the house and pulled out the key he’d shoved in his pocket before he’d left Green Bay. Chances were his father had never changed the locks.

  But as he lifted the key to the lock, the door pushed open under the slight weight of his hand. Well, that made sense too. It was Aspen Creek. Who was going to break in here?

  Cade stepped into the house and shut the door behind him. It was dark and musty. His father must have holed up there for months.

  Immediately he noticed the television stand was empty, and there was a dust-free space where the TV had sat. He cringed. He knew exactly who had been there. Surely, his aunt had helped herself to anything important. He’d have to ask Olivia if his aunt had been there for the funeral. Perhaps that had been the opportune time to clean the house out while everyone else was mourning. He wouldn’t put it past the witch.

  As he moved through the house, it grew darker where the drapes were closed. He hit the light switch, but nothing happened. Great, the power had been turned off. Slowly he started up the steps, each one harder than the last. When he reached the landing, he turned toward his bedroom and paused outside the door with his hand on the handle. He
should have been back there. What kind of son completely forgets the father that loved him?

  He turned the knob and pushed open the door.

  For a moment, he just stood there looking in. Not one thing had moved from its place in twelve years. All of his trophies and medals were right where he’d left them. The posters still hung to the wall, and his running shoes were still tucked under the bed. Either his father had closed him off too, or he’d kept it the way it was in case he came back.

  Cade walked into the room. It wasn’t hard to pick up on the fact that someone had been there—recently. Every trophy had been dusted and the carpet had been vacuumed.

  Did his father know he’d be home?

  Had he set it up for him to return?

  Or had he spent all of his time there?

  Cade felt the air in his lungs grow thick. He left the room and shut the door behind him. His father’s room was next to his and it too looked the same, though the bed was rumpled. But it was the next room that caught his eye. There was a twin bed by the window, fully made with throw pillows and a quilt at the foot, and a dresser he didn’t recognize sat against the wall. But the object that had caught his attention was a crib in the corner of the room.

  That had never been there. Cade felt his palms start to sweat. What was his father doing with a nursery set up in his house?

  The June heat was closing in on him just as the house was. He needed that glass of water.

  He hurried down the stairs as quickly as his stiff joints would let him and straight to the kitchen, but he stopped as he crossed the threshold and held his chest. His father had died in that room. He felt it. Cade closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He too had had his brush with death. He never wanted to feel that feeling again.

  Pushing past his feelings, he opened the cupboard, pulled out a glass, and turned on the faucet. No water.

  “Damn it.” He set the glass down on the counter. Well, he wouldn’t be staying there.

  Again, he looked around the kitchen and into the other room. He’d have to stay in town and work on getting the utilities back up and running. Then he’d have to formulate a plan to clean the house up. No one would buy it the way it was. This certainly wasn’t what he expected when Ashley had forced him to head to his father’s funeral.

  He headed to the front door, but something caught his eye under the couch. He bent down slowly and picked up the little car. It had been Conner’s. The unsettled feeling of death washed over him again. Cade looked up the stairs toward the room with the crib. Toys and cribs—someone had been staying with his father. Still an uneasy feeling kept with him. Whose baby had been staying there, playing with childhood toys? What had his father been up to since Cade had left him twelve years ago?

  Olivia turned off her computer and gathered her purse from her desk drawer, picking up the contents that had spilled out earlier. She’d expected Cade to follow her into town, but the familiar pang of disappointment, which usually accompanied any thought she’d had of Cade over the years, was all she’d gotten.

  Parker walked through her office door. His tie had been loosened and he carried his suit jacket over his arm. She loved that he took his job seriously enough, even in the small town, to still dress like a big city bank president. That was some of the allure when he’d offered her the job. Parker Woods was a considerate and kind man.

  “I’ll walk out with you,” he offered.

  “Thanks.” She walked to the door, turned off the light, and followed Parker out of the bank as the security guard locked the door from the inside and waved.

  Parker dug his keys from his pocket. “Any plans tonight?”

  “No. Not much in the mood to do anything but fall into bed.”

  He gave her a slow, thoughtful nod. “I’m really sorry about Austin. He was a good man.”

  “Thank you. He was a good man.” She unlocked her car door and opened it. Austin had been gone nearly a week, and it hurt every day to know she wouldn’t be stopping by to see him after work.

  “I was wondering if you and Gage had a free night this week.” He stepped toward her. “I have my kids, and I thought we could all go get a pizza.”

  Olivia didn’t want to even think about making plans. She didn’t want to get too cozy with Parker Woods. Mixing business with pleasure always spelled disaster. However, when she grew tired of mourning Austin’s death, Parker might be the perfect distraction—but not yet.

  “I’m still unpacking. Can I give it some thought?”

  Parker stepped back. “That’s fine.” He unlocked his car and opened the door. “Hey, if you need any help getting settled into the new house, let me know.”

  “Thanks.”

  Olivia climbed into her car and shut the door. Parker waved as he drove away, but she sat quietly, her keys still in her hand.

  Her new house was a fresh start. When she bought it, she hadn’t thought she’d be so lonely. Guilt plagued her. Austin had lent her the money, and when she tried to make plans to pay him back, he wouldn’t hear of it.

  “It’s for you and my Gage. Take care of him.”

  She didn’t know a month later…well, that it would all be over.

  Tears stung her eyes again, and she wiped them away. She should have seen it. She should have known Austin was up to something. Olivia and Gage had been perfectly happy living with him when they’d moved back from Grand Junction after Gage was born. She’d ignored the idle rumors that they were having some inappropriate affair and just was happy for once.

  Gage gave Austin such pleasure. It shocked her the day he mentioned she should get a place—then he gave her the money.

  “Cade has his own money now. He doesn’t need what I’ve saved. Conner is gone. You’re the only one who’s ever taken care of me. You deserve it.”

  His words lodged in her chest.

  He’d known his last days were coming, but that was a secret he’d kept from her. Emotions stirred in her that she didn’t know what to do with. She loved that crazy, old man, but he shouldn’t have done what he did.

  Well, she’d get the money back to the rightful owner. She’d just have to pay Cade.

  Olivia started the car and backed out of the space. Maybe she could talk to Parker about a loan from the bank. If she could just pay Cade off in one lump sum, she’d never have to see him again.

  She was sure that was what he would want.

  If she knew anything about Cade Carter, it was that he hated the fact he had to come back to Aspen Creek and he was making plans again to escape as quickly as he could.

  Chapter Three

  It was dreary when Olivia pried her eyes open the next morning. Rain softly pelted the roof with its rhythm and the sun’s rays had not yet made it through the clouds.

  Gage had been up all night with night terrors, and she’d slept, again, in the chair next to his crib.

  She didn’t know why he had them, but people told her he’d grow out of it. They’d had this same routine for almost eighteen months, and she was beginning to wonder.

  Now that it was time to get up, he was resting peacefully.

  Olivia pulled the light blanket over his sleeping body and rested her hand on his head. She’d never expected to become a mother, but it was the greatest gift anyone had ever given her. She’d protect her son with her life if she had too, and she’d love him enough for two parents.

  She brewed a pot of coffee and quickly took her shower before Gage woke. She readied him, and they headed into town to start their Friday morning.

  Gage quickly fell into place at the daycare center as Miss Michelle carried him off, and he waved goodbye to Olivia. She, on the other hand, was not feeling as ecstatic about her day.

  As she started her car, she contemplated her finances. The daycare bill wasn’t due for another week so she could splurge on a gourmet cup of coffee and a muffin at Molly’s. Maybe that would make this pathetic morning sunnier, even if just emotionally.

  She parked the car, pulled out her umbrella and
headed toward the small building that had once been the original location of the bank.

  “Tell me they make decent coffee here.” The voice rang out from behind her.

  She turned to find Cade standing only inches from her.

  His hair was wet, and he wore his sunglasses on the back of his neck. She’d been so angry with him yesterday she hadn’t taken a moment to realize what an enormous man he was. Perhaps that was because his shoulders had been hunched and his tail was between his legs. But now he towered over her, and even though he didn’t play football anymore, she could tell he obviously still trained.

  His biceps pushed the limits of the T-shirt he wore, which was wet and clinging to his sculpted chest.

  Olivia cleared her throat and her mind. “Best you’ll find on this side of the mountain.”

  He chuckled at that. “Well, Aspen Hills probably just charges more.”

  Was he trying to be easy with her? He obviously knew who she was now. She let out a slow breath. She didn’t want to be nice to him. That old friendship didn’t belong there anymore. Now he was the man she owed, and she didn’t like that either. But when he smiled and it sparkled in his eyes, she was twelve again.

  Cade reached around her and opened the door. “It’s drier inside.”

  She hesitated for a moment then started inside and closed her umbrella.

  The bakery wasn’t as busy as usual. Most people, like her, were probably taking their time getting into town.

  Molly Fields stood behind the counter with her infectious smile. “Mornin’, Olivia. What can I do for ya?”

  “I’d love a mocha and a cran-orange muffin.”

  “Comin’ up,” she said as she looked past her toward Cade. “And for your friend?”