Chapter One
Rosa
“You have to give me the recipe for your blueberry muffins!” Margaret begged as she took a crumbling bite.
“If I do that, how will I ever sell any?” I said with a grin.
“Fine,” she said with a wink, dropping a couple of dollar bills into the tip jar. “One of these days, young lady, I’m going to figure out what that secret ingredient is though.”
I winked at her. “It’s love—don’t you know that?”
The elderly woman rolled her eyes at me and laughed as she left the bakery. I smiled when the next customer in line stepped forward. Rugged and handsome, he was new to the area. At least new to me. I’d only been there for five years, so I was still largely considered an outsider. He was fresh, though, working in the city and living somewhere in town for the past few weeks. There was something about him that made my heart race. A blush rose to my cheeks.
“The usual, Peyton?”
“You know it.”
I grinned and turned away from him, trying to hide the beads of sweat that had started at my hairline. He always made me feel like my skin was on fire, a towering man with strong Irish features and kind eyes. I couldn’t resist fantasizing about him late at night. On the days when he didn’t come into my small bakery, I felt like a sheep without a shepherd. Pouring his coffee and adding an ample amount of chocolate shavings, I quickly snapped on the lid and handed him the cup.
“Extra chocolate?” he asked with an easy grin.
I nodded, looking down at the register and entering his total. He handed me a five, as he always did. Our hands touched briefly, sending small chills of desire coursing through my body. It had been too long since I’d known the touch of a man beyond Peyton’s passing graze. Every weekday, it was the same routine, and this Friday was no different. He waited until the touch was over, the change safely nestled in his hand, before dropping it into the tip jar.
“Keep the change. You always give me extra chocolate for free.”
I nodded. “Thanks. Big plans for the weekend?”
“Not yet. How about yourself?”
“Nope, just the usual. This place doesn’t run itself. I like to spend the weekends getting it cleaned up. Makes things easier during the week when the rush hits.”
He looked around at the empty storefront. He didn’t know that most of my customers ordered online and had the baked goods delivered. How could he know that when we never talked beyond the counter? I wondered how it would feel to have his hand linger longer than a few seconds. I could almost feel his gruff beard as it bristled against my neck, moving lower down my body.
“So . . .?” he said, catching my attention.
“So, what?” I shot back, unaware that he’d been talking to me.
He raised an eyebrow. “I was just wondering why you always give me a little extra. I’m sure the tip doesn’t cover the cost.”
I shrugged my shoulders. “You just look like you need a little sweetening up.”
He smiled and turned away. I loved watching him leave, his skin-tight jeans showing off his perfectly sculpted backside. It was a view that I would never get tired of. I did hate it when he left, though, especially on Fridays. It meant that I’d have to go through the next two days without seeing him. With a sigh, I turned my attention back to the waiting cookie batter on the counter and reminded myself again that I had to get a boyfriend.
“Hey,” said Peyton.
I spun around instantly, and he was already at the counter again. “Is everything okay?”
“Perfect,” he said with a sly smile. “I was just wondering if you have plans tonight. I’ve heard there’s a great jazz band playing in the city.”
“Really?” I said enthusiastically.
“Well, I don’t know if they’re really that good, but we can find out together,” he said playfully.
“Right,” I muttered. “Yes. I would love to go with you.”
“Great, pick you up here after you close?”
This was going to be my first date in at least a year, and if my body was any indication of how I felt about him, it wouldn’t be the last. I needed some time to pick out an outfit and take care of my personal things. Plus, I needed time to think about Peyton as a person. Was I really ready to take a chance again? The last relationship I was in had left deep and vibrant scars on my heart.
“How about eight? Is that too late?”
Peyton grinned. “Band doesn’t go on till nine. We can eat there and skip dinner.”
“Sounds perfect.”
I watched him go again, praying the day would pass by quickly. When my part-time help came in at noon and I left to go to the bank, I stopped at my house and dug through my closet. Everything that I owned was outdated. I didn’t have any of the usual feminine staples. No little black dresses or frilly lace negligees graced my closet. With a dramatic sigh, I stormed out of my small house and hopped back into my car. I needed to go shopping.
* * *
“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” I muttered to myself. “This is a terrible idea.”
I looked at my reflection in the mirror. Though I didn’t look half bad in the tight leather dress, I had other reasons to be worried about starting a relationship. Reasons that were deeper and darker than anyone I knew in this town could imagine. The last conversation I’d had as ‘Brandi’ played through my mind as I finished putting on my makeup.
The stranger who had driven me to Dumont, Maine looked like all the other agents I’d met. They shared the same blank expressions, looking at me only when they were forced to. One of them had explained it early on—the less I knew about them, and vise versa, the safer it was for everyone. That’s how life worked when you were on the run.
“This is your new identity,” he’d whispered as he handed me a manila folder. “You need to forget everything about your former life. Forget about Brandi.”
“How do you do that? Just forget someone that you were for your entire life?” I’d asked, young and naive.
“You learn to do it. Otherwise, you’ll slip up, and I promise that the men hunting you will find you. We can only offer you protection up to this point. After this, it’s up to you to bury your past.”
“Thanks,” I muttered sarcastically. “So, that’s it? I’m just supposed to start over?”
“We’ve given you a severance package and a new identity in exchange for your cooperation. What more did you think you would get?”
I shrugged. “A friendly face, maybe?”
He shook his head. “Then get a dog. With two grand in unmarked bills, you should be able to buy a few companions.”
“Are all of you agents so cold and careless?”
He barely glanced in my direction as he hit the Door Unlock button, signaling that the conversation was over. “Lady, you’re lucky to be getting any help at all. I’ve seen people on the run for a decade before getting anywhere. You’ve got it made. Just be grateful and get out.”
“You’re an asshole,” I hissed.
He shrugged. “That’s life—have a good one.”
“I can’t believe you’re with the government. You have no heart,” I muttered.
Unable to sit there without crying any longer, I’d left the vehicle, and the agent had sped away just as the tears started to fall. I hadn’t bought a dog, a stripper, or anything else. Instead, I’d bought a rundown, boarded-up home and storefront, spending years of my life making it into what it was now. But now, that could all be threatened. Peyton was wonderful, too sweet to be a hitman. I knew that at some point in my life, I would have to take a risk. There was no one better than Peyton to venture into those uncharted waters with.
I gave myself one final glance in the mirror before heading to my car. As I drove the few short miles to the bakery, I tried to keep my confidence up. He liked me and it was just a date. I parked around the back in my usual spot, and to my surprise, he was already there waiting for me. My heart started to flip as he stepped from his car and shot me another stunning smile. I knew that he was dangerous in that second, but I didn’t care. I wanted every part of him and nothing was going to stop me from fulfilling that need.
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