From New York Times bestselling author Brenda Jackson, comes a new trilogy starring three Westmorelands who are impossible to resist: Zane, Canyon and Stern

Stern Westmoreland never makes mistakes—until he helps his best friend Jovonnie “JoJo” Jones with a makeover…for another man. Now Stern wants JoJo for himself. Their attraction is undeniable and there’s only one way to test it: one long, steamy night together as much more than friends!

New York Times USA TODAY

“Brenda Jackson writes romance that sizzles

and characters you fall in love with.”

—New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Lori Foster

“Jackson’s trademark ability to weave multiple

characters and side stories together makes shocking

truths all the more exciting.”

—Publishers Weekly

“There is no getting away from the sex appeal and

charm of Jackson’s Westmoreland family.”

—RT Book Reviews on Feeling the Heat

“Jackson’s characters are wonderful, strong, colorful

and hot enough to burn the pages.”

—RT Book Reviews on Westmoreland’s Way

“The kind of sizzling, heart-tugging story Brenda

Jackson is famous for.”

—RT Book Reviews on Spencer’s Forbidden Passion

“This is entertainment at its best.”

—RT Book Reviews on Star of His Heart

Dear Reader,

I love writing about the Westmorelands because they exemplify what a strong family is all about, mainly the sharing of love and support. For that reason, when I was given the chance to present them in a trilogy, I was excited and ready to dive into the lives of Zane, Canyon and Stern Westmoreland.

It is hard to believe that Stern is my twenty-sixth Westmoreland novel. It seemed like it was only yesterday when I introduced you to Delaney and her five brothers. I knew by the time I wrote Thorn’s story that I just had to tell you about their cousins who were spread out over Montana, Texas, California and Colorado.

It has been an adventure and I enjoyed sharing it with you. I’ve gotten your emails and snail mails letting me know how much you adore those Westmoreland men, and I appreciate hearing from you. Each Westmoreland—male or female—is unique and the way love conquers their hearts is heartwarming, breathtaking and totally satisfying.

I love writing stories where best friends fall in love. In this story, Stern and JoJo are best friends who understand each other and want the best for each other. I enjoyed how they finally realize their relationship is based on more than a close friendship—it is grounded in true love.

I hope you enjoy this story about Stern and JoJo.

Happy reading!

Brenda Jackson

Stern

Brenda Jackson

www.millsandboon.co.uk

BRENDA JACKSON is a die “heart” romantic who married her childhood sweetheart and still proudly wears the “going steady” ring he gave her when she was fifteen. Because she believes in the power of love, Brenda’s stories always have happy endings. In her real-life love story, Brenda and her husband of more than forty years live in Jacksonville, Florida, and have two sons.

A New York Times bestselling author of more than seventy-five romance titles, Brenda is a recent retiree who now divides her time between family, writing and traveling with Gerald. You may write Brenda at PO Box 28267, Jacksonville, Florida 32226, USA, email her at writerbjackson@aol.com or visit her website at www.brendajackson.net.

To my husband,

the love of my life and my best friend,

Gerald Jackson, Sr.

Happy birthday to all the members of the 1971 Class

of William Raines High School in Jacksonville, Florida.

You know what milestone we hit this year and we are

still the greatest. Ichiban!

To my good friend Linda Reagor.

Thanks for the hunting lesson. I appreciate you!

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. —John 15:13

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Epilogue

Excerpt

One

“Stern, what can a woman do to make a man want her?”

Stern Westmoreland, who had been looking through the scope of his hunting rifle, jerked his head around at the unexpected question, nearly knocking the cap off his head.

He glared at the woman beside him who was staring through the scope of her own rifle. When a shot rang out, expletives flowed from his lips. “Dammit, JoJo, you did that on purpose. You asked me that just to ruin my concentration.”

She lowered her rifle and frowned at him. “I did not. I asked you because I really want to know. And if it makes you feel better, I missed my target just now.”

Stern rolled his eyes. So what if she had missed her shot now? Nothing had stopped her from taking down that huge elk yesterday when he had yet to hit anything, not even a coyote. On days like this he wondered why he always invited his best friend on these hunting trips. She showed him up each and every time.

Lifting his rifle and looking through the scope again, he drew in a deep breath. He knew why he always invited JoJo. He liked having her around. When he was with her he could be himself and not a man trying to impress anyone. Their comfortable relationship was why she’d been his best friend for years.

“Well?”

He lowered the scope from his eye to look at her. “Well what?”

“You didn’t answer me. What can a woman do to make a man want her? Other than jump into bed. I’m not into casual sex.”

He couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’m glad to hear that.”

“What do you find funny, Stern? It’s okay for you to be into casual sex but not me?”

Stern stared at her in astonishment. “What in the heck is wrong with you today? You’ve never been into drama.”

JoJo’s expression filled with anger and frustration. “You don’t understand, and you used to understand me even when nobody else did.” Without saying anything else she turned and walked off.

He watched her leave. What the hell? JoJo was being temperamental, and in all the years he’d known her she’d never been temperamental. What in the world was going on with her?

Deciding he wasn’t in the mood to hunt anymore today, he followed JoJo down the path that led back to his hunting lodge.

* * *

After a quick shower, Jovonnie Jones grabbed a beer out of the refrigerator, pulled the tab and took a refreshing sip. She needed that, she thought as she left the kitchen to sit outside on the wooden deck and enjoy the picturesque view of the Rocky Mountains.

A few years ago Stern had stumbled on this lodge, an old, dilapidated place that sat on more than a hundred acres of the best hunting land anywhere. In only two years, with the help of his brothers and cousins, the building had been transformed into one of beauty. It was a perfect hunting getaway. It offered black bears, deer, fox and other wildlife, but this was mainly elk country.

The lodge had been a good investment for Stern. When he wasn’t using it, he leased it. It was a huge two-story structure with eight bedrooms, four full bathrooms and wooden decks that wrapped all the way around the house on both the first and the second floors. The common area included a huge kitchen and dining area and a sitting room with a massive brick fireplace. Plenty of floor-to-ceiling windows provided breathtaking views of the Rockies from every room.

She eased down in one of the outdoor cedar rocking chairs. Even after her hot shower and cold beer, she was still feeling frustrated and angry. Why couldn’t Stern take her seriously and answer her question? It should work in her favor that she was best friends with a man most women believed to be the hottest thing on legs. Stern got any woman he wanted. If anybody ought to know about a woman’s appeal, it should be him.

JoJo chuckled, remembering. In high school, girls would deliberately pretend to befriend her for no other reason than to get close to Stern. It never worked for long because once Stern learned the truth he would drop them like hot potatoes. He refused to let anyone use her. To him, friendship meant more than that. If those girls didn’t want to be her friend because of who she was, then he wanted no part of them.

In truth, most of the girls she’d known in high school, and even some of the women she knew now, preferred not to hang around with someone who wasn’t very girly. JoJo preferred jeans to dresses. She liked to hunt, practiced karate, could shoot a bow and arrow, and knew more about what was under the hood of a car than most guys. Of course, that last skill set had come from her father, who had been a professional mechanic. And not just any mechanic—he had been the best.

A deep lump clogged her throat. It was hard to believe he had passed away two years ago. He’d suffered a massive heart attack while doing something he loved—working on a car. Her mother had died when JoJo was eleven, so her father’s death had left her parentless. She’d inherited the auto mechanic shop, which had given her the opportunity to come out of the classroom and get under the hood of a car.

After she had gotten the teaching degree her father had wanted her to get, she’d obtained a graduate degree in technical engineering. She had enjoyed being a professor at one of the local community colleges, but owning and operating the Golden Wrench was what she truly loved.

“So are we still on speaking terms?”

Stern placed a tray of tortilla chips and salsa on the table beside her. He then slid into the other rocker.

“Not sure if we are or not,” she said, reaching over and grabbing a chip to dip into the salsa and then sliding the whole thing in her mouth. “I asked you a question and you didn’t answer me because you assumed I wasn’t serious.”

Stern took a sip of beer and glanced over the can at her. “Were you serious?”

“Yes.”

“Then I apologize. I honestly thought you were trying to mess with my concentration.”

A smile touched her lips. “Would I do that?”

“In a heartbeat.”

“Well, yes,” she admitted, trying to hide her amusement. “But I didn’t today. I need information.”

“On how a woman could make a man want her?”

“Yes.”

Stern leaned forward in his chair and pierced her with a dark, penetrating gaze. “Why?”

She lifted a brow. “Why?”

“Yes, why would you want to know something like that?”

She didn’t answer right away. Instead she took a sip of her beer and looked out at the mountains. It was a beautiful September day. A red fox flashed through a cluster of pine trees before darting between a patch of woods to disappear.

After she’d gathered her thoughts, she turned back to Stern. “There’s this guy who brings his car to the shop. He’s sexy. Oh...is he sexy.”

Stern rolled his eyes. “I’ll take your word for it. Go on.”

She shrugged. “That’s it.”

Stern frowned. “That’s it?”

“Yes. I’ve decided I want him. The question is, how can I get him to want me, too?”

* * *

As far as Stern was concerned, the real question was, had JoJo lost her ever-loving mind? But he didn’t say that. Instead, he took another sip of his beer.

He knew JoJo better than he knew anyone, and if she was determined to do something then that was it. He could help her, or she’d find help somewhere else.

“What’s his name?” he asked.

She slid another chip into her mouth. “You don’t need to know that. Do you tell me the name of every woman you want?”

“This is different.”

“Really? In what way?”

He wasn’t sure, but he just knew that it was. Using the pad of his thumb, he rubbed the tension building at his temple. “First of all, when it comes to men, you’re green. And second, for you to even ask me that question means you’re not ready for the kind of relationship you’re going after.”

She threw her head back and laughed. “Pleeze, Stern. I’ll be thirty next year. Most women my age are married by now, some with children. And I don’t even have a boyfriend.”

He wasn’t moved by that argument. “I’ll be thirty-one next year and I don’t have a girlfriend.” When she looked over at him, he amended that statement. “Not a steady one. I like being single.”

“But you do date. A lot. I’m beginning to think that most of the men in town wonder if I’m really a girl.”

He studied her. There had never been any doubt in his mind that she was a girl. She had long lashes and eyes so dark they were the color of midnight. Those eyes were staring straight ahead now, looking out over the thick woods. She had her bare legs lifted in the rocker with her arms wrapped around them. Her pose emphasized the muscles in her limbs. He knew she did a lot of physical work at the shop, but the two of them also had memberships at a gym in town.

She had changed out of her hunting clothes and was wearing cut-off jeans and a short top. She had gorgeous legs, long and endless. But he knew he was one of the few men who’d ever seen them. She opened the shop at eight and closed after five. It wasn’t unusual for her to work late if she had a car an owner needed. And during that whole time, she wore an auto-mechanic’s uniform splattered with grease. A number of men would be surprised how she looked wearing something other than that uniform.

“You hide stuff,” he finally said.

She glanced over at him, frowning. “I hide what?”

“What a nice body you have. Most of the time men see you in your work clothes.”

Her frown deepened. “Well, forgive me for not wearing stilettos and a slinky dress while I change a carburetor.”

A vision of that flashed through his mind and he smiled as he took a sip of beer. “Stilettos and a slinky dress? You don’t have to go that far, but...”

He glanced over at her and saw she was pouting. He kind of liked it when she pouted. She looked cute.

“But what?”

“You would probably gain more men’s interest if you were seen around town after hours in something other than jeans and sweats. You’re a female, JoJo. Men like women who look soft and sexy once in a while.”

She studied the contents of her beer bottle. “You think that might do it?”

“Probably.” He suddenly sat up straight in the rocker. “I have an idea. What you need is a makeover.”

“A makeover?”

“Yes, and then you need to go where your guy hangs out. In a dress that shows your legs, a new hairdo—”

“What’s wrong with my hair?”

Honestly, he didn’t think there was anything wrong with her hair. It was long, thick and healthy. He should know. He’d helped her wash it numerous times over the years. He loved it when she wore it down past her shoulders, but these days she rarely did.

“You have beautiful hair. You just need to show it off more. Even now you’re hiding it under a cap.”

He reached over and took the hat off her head. Lustrous dark brown hair tumbled to her shoulders. He smiled. “See, I like it already.”

And he did. He was tempted to run his hands through it to feel the silky texture.

He leaned back and took another sip of his beer, wondering where such a tempting thought came from. This was JoJo, for heaven’s sake. His best friend. He should not be thinking about how silky her hair was.

“So, you think a makeover will work?”

“Yes, but like I said, after the makeover you need to go where you think the guy’s going to be—with a date. Whenever you pull it all together, I’m available.”

She met his gaze. “Not sure that will work. If I’m with someone, he might not check me out.”

“Most people around here know we’re best friends and nothing more.”

“He’s new to town and probably won’t know that.”

Stern thought for a moment. “You’re probably right. I wouldn’t come on to a woman if I saw her with another man. But you want him to accept you as you are. The woman who works as a mechanic during the day and the same woman who can get all dolled up at night, right?”

“Right.”

Stern smiled. “Then I suggest you let him see you with another man. Makes it obvious that you can be sexy when you want to be and that other men appreciate you. I bet once he’s seen you, even if you’re with me, he’ll contact you for a date. And then when he does see you in your work clothes, he’ll look beyond the uniform and imagine what’s underneath.”

Stern’s smile faded. For some reason the thought of men checking out JoJo that way, of men calling her for a date, bothered him. Suddenly, he was thinking that maybe a makeover wasn’t such a great idea after all.

“That’s a wonderful idea, Stern! As soon as I get back to Denver I’m going to get started on the makeover. First, I need to find out where this guy hangs out. Then I’ll find the name of someone who can make me look pretty.”

“You’re already pretty, JoJo.”

She patted his hand. “Ah, that’s sweet of you to say, but you’re my best friend so your opinion of my looks doesn’t count. I’ll get in touch with your cousin Megan for the name of her hairstylist, and it shouldn’t be hard to find a makeup artist. Then, I’ll go shopping. I’ll get some of your other cousins and sisters-in-law to go with me because they all like to shop. I’m excited.”

He took another sip of his beer. “I can tell.”

Why did her interest in a man bother him? The only reason he could come up with was that she was his best friend and he didn’t want to lose their special bond. He didn’t want to lose her. What if this guy found it strange that a man and woman were best friends? What if he pushed her to end the friendship they’d shared for years?

His gut twisted. His brothers and cousins had always said they wouldn’t want any girlfriend of theirs to have the sort of close relationship with another man that he and JoJo shared. What if this guy thought the same way?

Stern did not like problems, and he always preferred dealing with them head-on.

Stern frowned. “What’s his name, JoJo?”

She chuckled. “You don’t need his name, Stern. Besides, you’ll find out soon enough when I set my plans into motion.”

Stern took a sip of his beer. He couldn’t wait.

* * *

Later that night, JoJo lay in bed staring up at the ceiling. Things were going better than she’d planned. When she realized back in the spring that she was developing feelings for Stern, she had been horrified. How could a woman fall in love with her best friend?

Rather suddenly, it seemed. On their last trip here to the lodge in April, she had come downstairs one morning, ready for another great day of hunting, only to find Stern still in his pajamas. Or, partly in them. He had on the bottoms but not the top. And in that instant, on that day, she’d seen him not as her best friend but as a sexy man who had the ability to stir any woman’s blood. He had certainly stirred hers. She hadn’t been able to stop staring at his massive shoulders, his impressively broad chest and perfect abs. And once she’d started thinking of him as a sexy man, she couldn’t seem to stop. By the end of the day she’d been a basket case.

But it was more than just sexual chemistry messing with her mind. By the end of the trip she’d realized she had fallen in love with him. Maybe she’d always loved him, but until that day she had accepted their relationship as nothing more than a very close friendship. Now, her heart wanted her to admit what she’d been denying for years.

She’d known she had to come up with a plan or risk losing her best friend forever. She might have fallen in love with Stern, but she knew he didn’t love her. He was one of the most eligible bachelors in Denver and his weekends were filled with dates.

So one day two months ago, when she read a romance novel a customer had left behind in the break room, an idea popped into her head. She would find another man to fall in love with, someone who could take Stern’s place in her heart.

She’d been inspired by the heroine in the book, who was also in love with a man she couldn’t have. To shift her focus off of the forbidden man, the heroine began dating her next-door neighbor. Eventually she fell in love with her neighbor. At the end of the book the couple married and lived happily ever after.

Okay, so it was pure fiction—but it was still an idea that had merit. On that day, JoJo had decided to become the owner of her destiny, the creator of her own happiness.

She’d just been waiting to run into someone interesting. For the next two months, she’d waited. And just when she thought she would never meet a man who could pique her interest...in drove Walter Carmichael needing a new set of spark plugs for his Porsche.

Something about him drew her attention, and he didn’t have a ring on his finger. She quickly dismissed the notion that his good looks, impeccable style and suave manner reminded her of Stern.

When she did a routine customer-service follow-up call, she found that Walter had a nice phone voice, too. He had everything going for him. Now she had to make sure she had everything going for her. And the best person to help her was her best friend, the man she was trying not to love.

Two

Stern looked up when he heard a knock on his office door. “Come in.”

It was Dillon, his oldest brother and CEO of Blue Ridge Land Management, a firm that had been in their family for more than forty years. Dillon was the one in charge, their brother Riley was next in command and Stern and his older brother Canyon were corporate attorneys. His cousin Adrian would be starting in a couple of months as one of the company’s engineers.

Dillon entered Stern’s office then closed the door behind him and leaned against it. Stern had seen that look on Dillon’s face before. It usually meant he was in a world of trouble.

“Any reason for your bad mood today?” Dillon asked, staring him down. “Your first day back from vacation and I’d have thought you’d be in a good mood, not the opposite. I heard hunting went better for JoJo than for you, but please tell me that’s not what has you upset. You’re not a sore loser. Besides, thanks to her father, she not only knows everything there is to know about cars, she’s also an expert marksman, a karate champ and a skilled archer. She’s been showing you up for years.”

Stern tossed a paper clip onto his desk and stared at it for a long moment before glancing up and meeting his brother’s gaze. “I’m well aware of all JoJo’s skills, and that’s not what’s bothering me. She informed me while we were on our trip that she’s set her sights on another target—and it’s not an elk. It’s a man.”

Dillon raised a brow. “Excuse me?” He moved from the door to take the chair in front of Stern’s desk.

“Just what I said. So maybe I am a sore loser, Dillon. JoJo has been my best friend forever and I don’t want to lose her.”

Dillon stretched his long legs out in front of him. “I think you better start from the beginning.”

So Stern did. Dillon said nothing while he listened attentively. When Stern was finished he said, “I think you’re getting carried away and not giving JoJo credit for being the true friend that she is. I don’t think there’s a man alive who can come between you two or mess up your friendship. I think it says a lot that of all the people she could have gone to for advice, she came to you. She trusts your judgment.”

Dillon stood. “If I were you, I wouldn’t let her down. And as far as your bad mood, you know the rules, Stern. No one can bring personal garbage into the office. Canyon just got back from his honeymoon and is in a great mood, understandably so. Yet you were going at him about every idea he tossed out, just for the hell of it. You owe everyone at the meeting, especially Canyon, an apology and I expect you to give it.”

Dillon then walked to the door and opened it.

“Dil?”

Dillon stopped and turned around. “Yes?”

“Thanks for keeping me in check. I’m sorry I behaved inappropriately.”

Dillon nodded. “I accept your apology, Stern. Just make sure it doesn’t happen again.” He then walked out and closed the door behind him.

Stern rubbed his hand down his face. He could handle anybody’s disappointment but Dillon’s. When their parents, and uncle and aunt, died in a plane crash nearly twenty years ago, they’d left Dillon and his cousin Ramsey in charge. It hadn’t been easy, especially since several Westmorelands had been younger than the age of sixteen. Together, Dillon and Ramsey worked hard and made sacrifices to keep the family together. Dillon had even gone against the State of Colorado when they tried forcing him to put the youngest four kids in foster homes. Those were just a few of the reasons why Dillon deserved his utmost admiration and respect. Even now, he helped keep the family together.

Presently, there were fifteen Denver Westmorelands. Stern’s parents had had seven sons—Dillon, Micah, Jason, Riley, Canyon, Stern and Brisbane. Uncle Adam and Aunt Clarisse had had eight children: five boys—Ramsey, Zane, Derringer and the twins Aiden and Adrian—and three girls—Megan, Gemma and Bailey.

Over the past few years, everyone had gotten married except for him, the twins, Bailey and Bane. In June Megan had married Rico, a private investigator; Canyon had up and married Keisha Ashford, the mother of his two-year-old son, last month; and Riley and his fiancée, Alpha, would be getting married at the end of this month. It was still a shock to everyone that his cousin Zane, who had once sworn he would stay a bachelor for life, would marry his fiancée, Channing, over the Christmas holidays.

Stern tossed another paper clip onto the desk before picking up the phone and punching in Canyon’s extension.

“This is Canyon.”

“Can, I apologize for acting like a jerk in the meeting today.”

There was a slight pause. Then Canyon said, “It wasn’t your usual style, Stern. We haven’t argued in years. What’s going on with you? I leave to go on my honeymoon and come back and you’re not yourself. What happened on that hunting trip with JoJo?”

Instead of answering Canyon’s question, Stern said, “Let’s meet for lunch and I’ll call and ask Riley to join us. My treat.”

“What about Dillon?”

A wry smile curved Stern’s lips. “No need. He just left my office after chewing me out, so he’s straight.”

Canyon released a low whistle. “Glad it was you and not me.”

* * *

“Hey, JoJo, we need a new set of tires for a ’75 BMW and I don’t think we have the model number in stock.”

JoJo glanced up from her computer screen and smiled at the older man who’d stuck his head in her door. Willie Beeker had worked for the Golden Wrench for more than forty years, first with her father and now with her. He’d been set to retire the year after her father’s death and she knew he’d only hung around the past couple of years to give her the help and support she needed. Although he’d trained a number of good men, any of whom could step into his shoes, no one could take his place.

She’d known Beeker all of her life. He and her father had become best friends while working together as mechanics in the army. Her father had gotten out of the military, returned home to Denver and married. Years later, the two friends hooked back up when Beeker had divorced and moved to Denver. While growing up, she’d seen Beeker as more than one of her father’s outstanding employees. She’d considered him an honorary uncle.

“No problem, Beeker. I’ll start checking around immediately.”

Beeker entered her office. “Things were crazy off the bat this morning, and I didn’t get the chance to welcome you back and ask how things went last week.”

JoJo leaned back in her chair and smiled. “I brought down an elk on the third day.”

“That’s great, girl! You didn’t make my boy too mad, did you?”

Her smile widened. “Um, maybe just a little. But Stern will be fine.”

She couldn’t help remembering their final days at the lodge. They’d put up their hunting rifles and pulled out the playing cards and checkerboard. He had whipped her hands down in all the games except one, and she had a feeling he’d felt sorry for her and had given her that one.

JoJo always appreciated unwinding at the lodge with Stern and this past trip had been no exception. After their first conversation about her makeover, he hadn’t wanted to discuss her request again, which made her think he wasn’t crazy about the idea. But he had promised his help and she couldn’t ask for more than that.

“Did the 2010 Porsche come in while I was away?”

Beeker raised a brow. “No. Why?”

“Just curious. It’s a nice car.”

“You sure that’s all you admire?”

She held Beeker’s questioning gaze. “Yes.” Since her father’s death he’d stepped in as a surrogate father to her, but she didn’t want to worry him needlessly.

Beeker nodded. “So you think he’ll ever settle down and marry?”

Now it was JoJo who raised a brow. “Who?”

“Stern.”

JoJo frowned. How had they moved from the driver of the Porsche to Stern? “I don’t know. Why do you ask?”

Beeker shrugged. “There have been a lot of weddings in his family lately. His cousin Megan in June, Canyon last month, Riley later this month and Zane before the end of the year. The single Westmorelands seem to be falling like flies.”

“Stern dates a lot, but he doesn’t have an exclusive girl.”

Beeker chuckled. “If anyone would know, you would.” He checked his watch. “Let me know when you locate those tires so I can send Maceo to pick them up.”

Maceo Armstrong was her newest employee, fresh out of mechanic school. “I will.”

It took JoJo less than thirty minutes to make a few calls, find the tires and dispatch Maceo to make a run across town. It was only then that she allowed herself to consider Beeker’s question about Stern. Like she’d told Beeker, Stern didn’t have a serious girl right now. But she knew that didn’t mean he wouldn’t meet someone eventually. After all, as Beeker had said, there had been a lot of Westmoreland weddings and engagements lately. Because of her long friendship with Stern she also was close to his family.

She’d known that Canyon had been quite taken with Keisha Ashford three years ago, so his decision to marry wasn’t a surprise. But she had been surprised at Megan’s marriage, only because of the swiftness of the romance between her and Rico Claiborne. And Riley’s and Zane’s decisions to marry were definitely shockers. Could such a thing happen to Stern? What if Stern began seeing a woman seriously and the woman convinced him to end his close friendship with JoJo out of jealousy? So far it hadn’t happened, probably because none of the women he dated saw her as a threat.

Stern would be a good catch for any woman. Besides being handsome and wealthy, he was a nice person—insightful, kind and considerate. And she didn’t just think that because he was her best friend. He dated a lot, but he never treated any woman shabbily. He let them know up front where he stood in regards to relationships and he’d said more than once that he had no intention of settling down or thinking about marriage until after his thirty-fifth birthday. That meant he only had five years to go. And he’d only have that much time if some woman didn’t come along to sweep him off his feet. JoJo had never worried about that before, but the family trend seemed to be that the Westmoreland men were vulnerable to love.

JoJo shook her head. Vulnerable? She couldn’t imagine that word connected to Riley or Zane. And because she knew them so well, she figured that if they were making a long-term commitment, it was because they deeply loved the woman they were marrying.

And because Stern never did anything half-step, there was no doubt in her mind that one day he would meet a woman and fall in love just as deeply. And when that happened, where would it leave her? She knew the answer without having to think hard about it.

Alone.

That meant she had to move forward with her plan. It would be imperative to have someone special of her own before Stern met someone and married. Pushing away from the desk, she stretched her body before grabbing a clipboard off the wall. As she left her office she knew pursuing Walter Carmichael was more important than ever. In a few days she would know where he liked to hang out and then go from there. Wanda, her fiftysomething-year-old know-it-all receptionist, was on it and if anyone could find out the information it would be her.

Like Beeker, Wanda was another trusted employee who’d worked for the Golden Wrench for years—ever since JoJo was in high school. It had been Wanda who had explained to JoJo why it meant so much to her father that she take those etiquette classes and dance lessons, although she’d hated every minute of them. She much preferred being under the hood of a car instead of acting like a simpering idiot the way most teen girls behaved. She and her father had compromised. He would let her go hunting with him and Beeker and take the karate and archery classes she loved, if she learned what she needed to know to be a lady every once in a while.

She’d never been interested in boys the way other girls had been, mainly because the boys sought her out and not the other way around—it hadn’t been for her looks, but for her wheels. Thanks to her dad, she’d always driven a smooth-looking muscle car, a guy’s dream. And just as Stern had known the girls’ motives for faking friendship with her, she’d been very much aware of the guys’ motives. That was yet another reason her friendship with Stern meant so much to her.

Whether it happened in a few months or in the next year, one day he would be forced to end their friendship. And the last thing she wanted him to do was feel guilty about having to cut her loose.

Then there was that other problem she’d found herself contending with during their weekend away: her newfound attraction to him. More than once while they’d been playing cards, when his attention was squarely on the hand he held, her attention had been squarely on him. When had that little mole on his upper lip started to look so sexy? And when had long eyelashes on a man become a turn-on?

If those thoughts weren’t bad enough, when he had dropped her off at home and given her the usual peck on the cheek and hug, she had felt her heart pounding deep in her chest. Yes, she was into Stern bad, and the only way out of it was to turn her attention to another man.

Still, the memory of Stern singing in the shower, whistling through the lodge while he cooked breakfast or humming late at night while they sat together on the deck playing checkers was embedded in her brain.

She was so lost in remembering that she didn’t slow her pace when she rounded the corner until her body hit the solid wall of a man’s chest.

* * *

“Whoa. Going to a fire, Jo?” Stern asked, reaching out to steady her.

She seemed to blush, and he couldn’t help wondering what she had been thinking about. He had a feeling her thoughts hadn’t been on work.

“Stern, what are you doing here?” she asked, sounding somewhat breathless.

He lifted a brow. “Any reason I shouldn’t be here?” he asked, releasing her and then turning to fall in step beside her.

“No, but it’s Monday and we just got back yesterday.”

“I know but I met Riley and Canyon for lunch at McKays, and thought I’d check to see how things are going since I was in the neighborhood.”

“Oh.”

Was that disappointment he heard in her voice? Did she wish it had been that other guy—the one whose name she refused to give him—to show up unexpectedly and not him? That thought didn’t sit well with him. “You don’t sound too happy to see me.”

She glanced over at him. “Don’t be silly. I’m always happy to see you.”

He didn’t say anything for a moment. Was he being silly? Was the whole issue silly—the very issue that had nagged at him and kept him up last night to the point where he had snapped at his brothers this morning? Had he gotten chewed out by his oldest brother for nothing?

Pushing those questions to the back of his mind, he asked her, “What are your plans for later?”

“Um, nothing. I haven’t unpacked yet and will probably do that and laundry. Why?”

“No reason.”

They entered one of the bays where Beeker and another one of her employees had a car up on the lift changing out the struts. Stern greeted the men as he and JoJo passed through.

“How many cars do you have to work on today?” he asked as he continued following her to the bay she normally used. He watched as she glanced down at her clipboard. “So far there are only five scheduled. But you know how that might end up on a Monday.”

Yes, he knew. Back in high school, when her father was alive, he and JoJo had been hired out to do odds and ends in the shop. He had enjoyed learning from her father and Beeker and all the other guys. And Wanda had been a hoot. JoJo’s father’s death had hit him as much as it had hit her. Joseph Jones had been a man Stern had looked up to, a man he had respected, a man who’d spent a lot of time with him.

Stern had spent as many days and nights with JoJo and her father as he had at home. He’d gone on hunting trips with them. Mr. Jones had taught him the proper way to handle a gun and Beeker had taught him and JoJo how to shoot.

“You want to take in a movie tomorrow night?”

She glanced up at him and he wondered why, in all the years he’d known her, he had just realized how mesmerizing her eyes were.

“A movie?”

“Yes.” They’d gone to movies together a number of times, too many to count, and never had they considered them dates or anything more than two friends hanging out. Why did he suddenly feel that this invitation was different?

“What’s playing?” she asked, eyeing him suspiciously. “The past couple of times we went to a movie we saw ones that none of your girlfriends wanted to see. So you took me. Must be one of those blood and guts flicks.”

He couldn’t help but chuckle because she knew him so well. “There is this new action movie that came out this weekend. Riley claims it’s good.”

“And the reason you can’t find a date for tomorrow?”

“Not trying to find one. We still need to talk.”

“About what?” she asked, checking her watch.

“About that request you asked of me at the lodge.”

She stopped walking and hung the clipboard at its designated place on the wall. “If I remember correctly, you didn’t want to talk about it.”

She was right. The more he thought about the makeover, the more he thought it wasn’t a good idea. If a man only cared about outside appearances, then he might not get to know the JoJo that Stern knew from the inside out. She had a heart of gold, and she was cheating herself if she pursued a man who would only zero in on her looks.

But he knew JoJo and she had made up her mind about this guy whose name she refused to give him. The thought of this unnamed man made him mad, and then madder each and every time he thought about him. So Stern decided that the best thing to do was to keep an eye on her and make sure she didn’t get into trouble or into any situation she couldn’t handle.

“Well, I do want to talk about it now, and I’m thinking a makeover might not work after all.”

She frowned. “Why?”

He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Your mystery man won’t get to know the real you.”

She rolled her eyes. “He can get to know the real me later. First, I need to get him to notice me. So I think the makeover will work, and you did say you would help me. Don’t try wiggling out of it now.”

“I’m not.” He paused. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Hurt?” She glanced around as if to make sure none of her employees were within hearing range. “Are you saying you don’t think that a makeover will help me? That I’m so much of a reject that even a makeover wouldn’t do me any good?”

“No, that’s not what—”

“Well I’ve got news for you, Stern. I’ve seen even the ugliest of women and men become beautiful and handsome. So there’s no reason to believe a makeover can’t do wonders for me, too.”

“That’s not what I was insinuating, JoJo.”

“Doesn’t matter. I’ll show you,” she said, then walked off toward the first car she would be working on.

He rubbed his hand down his face in frustration. What was going on here? He and JoJo never fought or argued about anything, and now they seemed to be bickering back and forth about every damn thing.

All he’d said was that he didn’t want to see her hurt. Why would she think he’d meant that a makeover wouldn’t help her? In truth, he knew it would help her and that’s what he was worried about. Men would be coming on to her for all the wrong reasons.

He glanced over at her as she leaned over the car to look under the hood. He couldn’t help noticing how her work pants stretched tightly over her backside. Her perfectly shaped backside. Damn, why was he checking out JoJo?

He drew in a frustrated breath. “I’ll call you later.”

“Whatever,” she mumbled without even bothering to look up.

Stern left, feeling as if he’d made the situation between them worse instead of better.

Three

“Here’s the information you wanted on that Carmichael dude.”

JoJo looked up into the face of a petite blonde who didn’t look her age. A copy of Wanda’s birth certificate in her employment file indicated she was nearing sixty, but if you asked Wanda she would swear she wasn’t even fifty yet. And since she had the face and figure to back it up, no one had dared to call her on it.

JoJo picked up the card Wanda had tossed on her desk. “He lives in Cherry Hills Village.” The Village was one of the most affluent suburbs in Denver.

“You’re surprised? Look how he dresses. Look at the car he drives. Not to mention what he does for a living.”

JoJo nodded. “He’s thirty-one, the same age as Stern. And according to what you’ve found out, he’s not in an exclusive relationship.”

“Also like Stern.”

JoJo shifted her gaze from the card to Wanda, who was pretending to peruse JoJo’s bulletin board. She’d known Wanda long enough to recognize the smile the older woman was trying to hide. “Well, yes,” JoJo admitted. “Like Stern.”

Wanda tilted her head and met JoJo’s gaze. “Come to think of it, there’s a lot about this Carmichael man that would remind a person of Stern. Is there a reason for that?”

JoJo decided she didn’t want to hold Wanda’s gaze any longer. The woman was sharp. “What do you think?”

JoJo couldn’t resist watching Wanda out of the corners of her eyes. She saw Wanda look thoughtful for a moment before she said, “Do you really want me to tell you what I think, Jovonnie?”

JoJo tried to ignore the tension building at her temples. Whenever Wanda called her by her full name JoJo knew Wanda would go into “it’s time I tell it the way I see it” mode.

“Don’t you have a switchboard to cover? You are on payroll,” she reminded her.

“Don’t try pulling rank on me, young lady. This is my lunch break, and need I remind you I am entitled to one?”

“No you don’t have to remind me, but I’m working through mine, so if you don’t mind, I—”

“I do mind,” Wanda interrupted, resting her hip on the edge of JoJo’s desk. “And the reason I mind is because I think you’re making a big mistake.”

Seeing that she wouldn’t be getting any work done until Wanda had her say, JoJo tossed her pen on her desk and leaned back in her chair. “Evidently, you want to get something off your chest.”

“I do.”

JoJo nodded. “All right, you have the floor.” She placed the card down on her desk.

Taking JoJo at her word, Wanda stood and paced in front of JoJo’s desk. Wanda was a beautiful woman who had gone through two marriages. The first had ended in death and the other in divorce. Wanda would tell anyone that the second marriage had been a mistake because she’d tried to find a man who could replace a husband who was irreplaceable.

Wanda had fallen in love with a cop at the age of twenty-one, and he’d left her a widow with a newborn baby at twenty-eight. She had remarried at thirty-four and divorced at thirty-seven. She and her ex were both still single and remained friends. It wasn’t unusual for him to drop by the shop every so often to take Wanda to lunch or dinner.

Tension now throbbed at JoJo’s temples. She had a ton of paperwork to do, and like she’d told Stern, she needed to go home to unpack and do laundry. She’d become impatient with the pacing when Wanda finally stopped, snagged her gaze and said, “You’ve fallen in love with Stern.”

JoJo was glad her backside was firmly planted in the chair or she would have fallen out of it. She was totally positive she hadn’t given her feelings away so how had Wanda figured things out? JoJo didn’t want to believe what her father had always jokingly said about Wanda: that she had a sixth sense about stuff that wasn’t any of her business.

When JoJo didn’t say anything, but just sat there and stared, Wanda said, “Admit it.”

JoJo quickly snapped out of her moment of stunned silence. She reached across her desk and picked up the pen she’d tossed aside earlier and pretended to jot something down on one of the documents she picked up. “I won’t admit anything. Don’t be silly.”

“Not silly, just observant. And you should know by now that I don’t miss a thing.”

JoJo replaced her pen on the desk and tilted her head. “And just what do you think you haven’t been missing?”

Wanda smiled. “The way you’ve started looking at Stern when you think he won’t notice. The way you smile whenever you see him. How excited you were to go on that hunting trip with him. You acted like it was your first time when you do it two or three times a year.”

JoJo waved off her words. “All circumstantial evidence.”

“Yes, but then you decide to check out a guy who could be Stern’s clone. To me that’s an obvious sign.”

JoJo nibbled on her bottom lip before allowing a frown to settle on her face. “You make me sound pathetic.”

Wanda shook her head. “Not pathetic. Just confused.”

Now it was JoJo who needed to stand. Instead of pacing, she moved to the window. It was a beautiful September day, but all she had to do was look up at the high mountains to know Denver would get an early winter. And a pretty cold one, too.

She turned around and, not surprisingly, she found Wanda leaning her hips on JoJo’s desk. “Let’s just say your theory is true. Mind you, I’m not saying that it is,” JoJo said. “But let’s say, for the sake of argument, that it is. What’s wrong with me moving toward a sure thing instead of getting hung up on a lost cause?”

“Why would you think Stern is a lost cause?”

JoJo thought long and hard about Wanda’s question before answering. “He’s only a lost cause when it pertains to me. I know him. He’s my best friend, and he knows that’s all he’ll ever be to me. There’s no need for me to waste my time wanting more. Knowing that, I’d go to a plan that might work.”

“Walter Carmichael?”

“Yes. He’s just what I need to move ahead in another direction.” Away from Stern.

“And what if that doesn’t work?”

JoJo smiled. “It will. I intend to learn from the best.”

Wanda stared at her for a minute. “Please tell me you’re not doing what I think you’re doing.”

JoJo shrugged as she went back to her desk and sat down. “Okay, I won’t tell you.”

Wanda shook her head. “It’s not going to work, JoJo. When one man has your heart you can’t replace him with another. I learned that the hard way.”

JoJo watched as Wanda squared her shoulders and walked out of the office. One day, JoJo decided, she would have a long talk with Wanda and get the facts about what had happened with her second marriage. Why had it been so difficult to move on and fall in love again with a good man?

JoJo was certain it wouldn’t be that hard for her to shift her affections from Stern to Walter. She’d never been married to Stern, after all. Falling for another man shouldn’t be difficult.

In a way, she was looking forward to showing up at the Punch Bowl on Saturday night. From the information Wanda had just provided her with, it seemed that’s where Walter hung out on the weekends. She’d heard it had live entertainment and was a nice place to dance, a place where women went to meet men.

She drew in a deep breath knowing this weekend she would be in that number.

* * *

“This must be serious.” Zane Westmoreland opened the door to his cousin.

Stern walked past him and into the living room. “What makes you think that?”

Zane shrugged as he followed. “You’re here. I can’t recall the last time you came visiting.”

“You’ve had a house guest and I didn’t want to intrude. I heard she’s gone for now.” Stern was talking about the woman Zane would be marrying over the holidays. Stern was still somewhat in shock about that. If anyone had told him that his cousin Zane, the one man who not only knew women like the back of his hand but who also enjoyed them tremendously, would settle down and marry, Stern would not have believed them.

“Channing had to go back to Atlanta for work. She’ll be moving here from Atlanta permanently next month.”

“Think you can last until then?”

Zane smiled. “Not sure. She’ll be back in a few weeks for Riley’s wedding. We’ll spend Thanksgiving with her folks and then we marry on Christmas Day.”

“Sounds like you have it all planned out,” Stern said, sitting on the couch and stretching his long legs in front of him.

“I do.” There was a pause. “So what brings you by on a Monday night, Stern?”

Stern would think the reason he’d stopped by was obvious. Zane, who was six years older, had a reputation for knowing women. Not just a little about them but practically everything. Before he’d become engaged to Channing, Zane had been the family expert on the subject, and Stern figured the kind of knowledge Zane possessed didn’t dissipate with an engagement.

“It’s JoJo.”

Zane’s brow lifted. “What about JoJo?”

Stern released a slow breath. JoJo had been his best friend for years so everyone in the family knew her. “She asked me for a favor.”

“What kind of favor?”

“She wanted me to tell her how to make a man want her. There’s this guy she’s been checking out. Only thing is, he doesn’t seem to reciprocate the interest, so she wants me to tell her what she needs to do to stimulate that interest.”

Zane nodded. “Oh, I see.”

Stern frowned. “Well, I sure as hell don’t.”

“You wouldn’t.”

Stern’s frown deepened. “What is that supposed to mean?”

A slight smile touched Zane’s lips. “It means that since JoJo’s your best friend, you’re too close to the situation. If you were another woman it wouldn’t be a big deal, but because you’re a man, to you it is a big deal.”

“Of course it’s a big deal. Why should she worry about making a man want her? If the guy doesn’t have the sense to want her on his own, why should she worry about it?”

“Because she evidently wants him and wants him to want her in return. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

Stern figured there was a lot wrong with it.

“So what did you tell her?” Zane asked.

Stern leaned back against the sofa cushions. “When I didn’t take her seriously at first, she copped an attitude. That’s the last thing I needed so I offered a few pointers. I told her that she probably should wear more dresses. JoJo has great legs, and she should flaunt them more. I also suggested she stop hiding her hair under a cap. Her hair is one of her strong points. I particularly like it when she wears it down.”

Zane nodded again. “Anything else?”

“I told her that after her makeover, she should find out where this guy hangs out and go there, impress him as the new and improved JoJo. I told her if she decided to make such a move then I would go with her.”

“Why?”

Stern’s brow bunched in confusion. “Why?”

“Yes, why? Why do you feel the need to go with her?”

“Because I don’t know the guy,” he said defensively. “She won’t give me his name or tell me anything about him, other than that he brings his car in to get it serviced from time to time.”

“That’s all you need to know. If you ask me, that’s more than you should know. JoJo is a grown woman who can take care of herself.”

“You don’t know that.”

Zane chuckled. “We’re talking about JoJo, Stern. The same woman who can hit a target with a gun or a bow and arrow with one eye closed. The same woman who has a black belt. You and I both know she can take care of herself, so that means there’s something else bothering you. What is it?”

Stern frowned as he stared at the floor and mumbled, “Nothing.”

Zane didn’t say anything for a minute. “There is something, Stern. You didn’t come here because you wanted to see my pug face. There’s something bothering you, so come clean. I can only help if you do that.”

Stern paused. “I’m afraid, Zane.”

Zane lifted a brow. “Afraid? What are you afraid of?”

“That I’m going to lose my best friend. What if she gets serious with this guy and he has a problem with our relationship? You’ve said enough times that you wouldn’t want any woman of yours to share the kind of relationship with a man that JoJo shares with me.”

“You won’t lose her,” Zane said, trying to reassure him.

“You can’t be certain of that, and I can’t take that chance.”

Zane shook his head. “You’re going to have to trust her judgment.”

“I trust hers. I just don’t trust his.”

Zane rolled his eyes. “But you don’t know him.”

“Exactly,” Stern said, standing. “That’s why I need to find out who he is and check him out.”

“I think you’re going at it all wrong.”

“I don’t,” he said, heading for the door. “Bye, Zane. You’ve given me a lot to think about.”

“No, I didn’t. I suggest you examine your own feelings for JoJo,” Zane replied. But Stern was already out the door and didn’t hear what his cousin had said.

* * *

The next night JoJo stepped onto her porch and inhaled deeply to fill her lungs with crisp mountain air. She had put her hair in a ponytail before placing her favorite Denver Broncos cap on her head, but instead of her usual jeans and T-shirt, she was wearing a blue blouse and a pair of black corduroy slacks. She’d also grabbed a jacket because the evenings were turning cool.

She heard a sound, turned and then smiled at the man coming up the steps. Her heart raced. Stern’s well-toned physique was displayed in a pair of jeans, a blue Western shirt and a Stetson. He looked way too handsome for his own good.

She checked her watch. “You’re on time.”

“Aren’t I always?” Stern said, glancing around. “I hope you don’t stand out here on the porch waiting for all your dates.”

JoJo adjusted her cap. “You aren’t a date. Come on,” she said, grabbing his arm and heading down the steps. “I’ve already locked up and turned on the alarm. The movie starts in twenty minutes.”

“Whoa, what’s the rush? There’s not much traffic out so we’ll make it.”

She knew he was right, but she was looking forward to tonight. Any time she got to spend with Stern made her all giggly inside. She was certain those feelings would pass once she knew more about Walter. And speaking of Walter...

“I’m going to get that makeover this weekend,” she said as she got into the car and buckled her seat belt.

Stern glanced over at her after buckling his own. “Why?”

She felt the huge smile that spread across her face. “I found out where my guy hangs out on the weekend and I plan to show up.”

Stern held her gaze for a moment and then asked, “Where?”

“I’ll tell you only if you promise not to show up.”

“Not making that promise, JoJo.”

She rolled her eyes. “Then I won’t tell you. Why are you being difficult about this, Stern? Do I show up at places where I know you’ll be taking your dates?”

“No. But I’m not the one asking for advice on how to reel someone in. Besides, I want to make sure he doesn’t get disrespectful with you,” Stern said, pulling out of her driveway.

She frowned. “Dammit, Stern, I can take care of myself. If I can catch his attention, we’ll talk, listen to music and dance. It shouldn’t be hard to tell if he’s interested.”

He turned to her when the car came to a traffic light. “But he’ll be interested for the wrong reason.”

“I can handle it.”

He grunted. “So you’re really going to go through with this?”

“Yes. Of course. I thought we cleared up the issue of how serious I was last week.” He was acting too much like a big brother to suit her.

A couple of hours later, to her way of thinking, Stern was not in the best of moods. The movie was good and she had enjoyed it, but each time she stole a glance at him, he was frowning.

“That sour look will get stuck in place if you don’t get rid of it, Stern,” she teased as they walked out of the theater.

He looked over at her. “Funny.”

“You don’t see me laughing. The movie was your idea, but I don’t think you enjoyed being here,” she said, sliding into the car when he opened the door for her.

“I enjoyed the movie, and I enjoyed your company.”

JoJo wasn’t convinced. She glanced at her watch. “It’s early. You want to drop by McKays for coffee?”

“That sounds good.”

At least he wasn’t in a rush to get her home, she thought. “I talked to Megan about the guy that does her hair, and she suggested I talk to Pam, so I’m doing that tomorrow. I hope she’ll be able to recommend someone who can do my makeover. She always looks good. In fact, all the women your cousins and brothers married look great.”

Pam was married to his oldest brother, Dillon. A former movie star who’d been a regular on one of JoJo’s favorite soaps years ago, Pam had given it all up to return to her home in Wyoming to raise her three younger sisters when her father died. That was when she’d met Dillon.

“What if I told you I like the way you look?” Stern said, intruding on her thoughts.

She rolled her eyes. “You would since you’re my best friend. Besides, I’m not trying to impress you, remember? However, I appreciate the fact that you gave me some advice at the lodge. It’s advice that I’m putting to good use since I consider you an expert on what men like. I’m going shopping on Friday, and after talking to Pam I’ll be contacting someone who can perform miracles on my hair and help with my makeup.”

He didn’t say anything. He just redirected his focus on the road. But she would swear she could hear his teeth gnashing. Why was he upset about her setting her sights on a guy? When minutes passed and she could feel the tension radiating between them, she couldn’t stand it any longer. When he pulled into McKays’ parking lot and brought the car to a stop, she turned to him as she unbuckled her seat belt. “What’s wrong with you, Stern? I thought you understood. Why do you have a problem with me going after a guy I want when you do the same with any woman you want?”

Stern didn’t say anything for a long moment. “Is it wrong for me to want to protect you, JoJo?”

She drew in a deep breath. Little did he know, she was trying to protect him...mainly from herself. If Stern had any idea that she’d fallen in love with him, he would probably race toward the nearest mountain, away from her.

“It’s wrong if I don’t want to be protected. You’re acting worse than Dad ever did. Even he had the good sense to loosen the binds when I got older. In fact, he would tell me all the time that I needed to get out more, date, get dressed up and meet boys. He didn’t worry about me because he knew I could take care of myself. Why don’t you?”

“That’s not it.”

She lifted a brow. “Then what is it?”

Stern frowned, not knowing if he could explain how he felt without sounding selfish. Was he willing to deny her a chance to be happy just because he didn’t want to lose her? “Nothing. I’m just in a bad mood. Sorry.”

He started to open the car door to get out when she reached out and touched his arm. “Why are you in a bad mood?”

He shrugged. “Craziness at the office. My first day back yesterday didn’t go well.” No need to tell her how he’d been a jerk in front of his brothers and how Dillon had read him the riot act. “Work was piled high on my desk. I have a lot of cases to prepare for this week. A ton of stuff to do with little time.”

He saw the sympathetic look in her eyes and felt like a heel for stretching the truth. The number of files on his desk was manageable and had nothing to do with his mood.

She patted his hand. “Don’t worry about it, Stern. You can do it. You always do. You’re bright. Intelligent. A hard worker. And you have a good head on your shoulders.”

He couldn’t respond. What she’d said was the JoJo way. She’d always had the ability to make him believe in himself even when the odds were stacked against him. Like when he’d wanted to play basketball in high school but his grades hadn’t been the best. She had tutored him and when he’d wanted to give up, she wouldn’t let him. She’d encouraged him by saying some of the same things to him then that she had said just now. And, dammit, she always had him believing it. “Thanks, JoJo.”

How in the world had he been blessed with a best friend like her? A lot of people considered them odd because of their unique friendship. And there were some, like his cousins Bailey and the twins—Aiden and Adrian—who thought they would eventually become more than friends. He had told them time and time again that he didn’t see JoJo that way. She was his best friend and nothing more. He refused to think anything had changed.

“Ready to go inside?” he asked her.

“Yes, I can use the coffee. I need to finish inventory. We’re running out of supplies too soon. Something isn’t adding up.”

“Then I’m sure you’ll find out what the problem is,” he said, getting out of the car. “You’re always on top of stuff.”

He came around the car to open the door for her. “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” she said.

“No problem.”

Pushing the car door shut behind her, he took her hand and together they moved toward the entrance of McKays, a popular restaurant in town. It was only when they were inside and greeted by the hostess that he released JoJo’s hand.

And only then did it occur to him how good it had felt holding it.

* * *

“Thanks for the movie and coffee tonight, Stern.”

“Don’t mention it,” he said, following her inside her home. Whenever he took her out, he would come in with her and check things out.

After their little discussion in which he had explained why he was in such a bad mood, his attitude had vastly improved. Over coffee, he’d joked about Aiden and Adrian and their plans now that they had finished college. Aiden, who had gone into the medical field, was doing his residency at a hospital in Maine. Adrian, who’d gotten a master’s degree in engineering, would start working for Blue Ridge as a project engineer in a couple of months. Adrian had decided to travel abroad before returning to Denver to settle down and start work.

She and Stern also talked about all the excitement swirling around the Westmoreland households, with all the recent marriages and engagements. The one thing she noted was that Stern thought it was really funny that some of his cousins and brothers figured he would be next—even though he didn’t have a steady girlfriend.

“Everything checks out,” Stern said, coming out of her kitchen.

“Only because you scared away the bogeyman.” She chuckled and took off her cap, tossing it on a table before removing the band from her hair to let the waves flow around her shoulders. She wondered if the person who would do her hair for the weekend would suggest cutting it. She’d never gotten her hair cut, but if it meant getting Walter to notice her, then she would definitely consider it.

JoJo almost jumped at the feel of Stern’s hand in her hair. She hadn’t heard him cross the room.

“I love your hair,” he said softly, running his fingers through the strands.

His fingers felt good. “I know,” she said. He had always complimented her on her hair and she knew from their conversation at the lodge that he thought she shouldn’t hide it under a cap.

“Tell me you won’t cut it. Ever.”

“Umm, can’t do that. The hairstylist might suggest I cut it as part of the makeover.”

When she heard his teeth gnashing she glanced up at him. They were standing closer than she’d realized. “You’re supporting me with all this, right?” she asked, trying to sound in control of herself, of her emotions. Why did he have to smell so good?

He didn’t say anything as he continued to run his fingers through her hair. Why was heat beginning to flow through her? It’s not like he’d never played with her hair before. When they were younger he would pull her pigtails all the time, and then when she got older, her pigtails became ponytails and he would pull those, too. And more than a few times he’d helped her wash her hair when they’d vacationed at the lodge. But that was before she’d discovered she had feelings for him, before she’d begun lusting after him. Some of her dreams about him were totally X-rated.

She cleared her throat. “Well, if you still plan to go into the office early, you better go home and get a good night’s sleep. And I still have those inventory reports to go over before I can call it a night.”

“Yes, you’re right,” he said, pulling his fingers from her hair and checking his watch. “It’s getting late.”

“Yes, it is.” Was it her imagination or did his voice sound a little throatier than usual? He was still standing there, and he had reached back up to run his fingers through her hair again. Why was her body shifting closer to him? Why was her face tilting toward his?

More heat streaked up her spine and she was swathed in feelings she had never felt before.

And then Stern’s fingers tightened on several strands of her hair and he lowered his mouth to hers.

She leaned up to meet his lips, feeling weak in the knees as their lips touched. Sensing she was about to lose her balance, Stern wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss. At least she had the presence of mind to grip his shoulders. Voices echoed through her brain: this is wrong. This is Stern. He’s my best friend and we shouldn’t be engaging in this sort of thing. But she ignored the voices as sensations overtook her.

And then he did something that made her gasp in shock. He deepened the kiss even more, literally sucking her tongue into his mouth and devouring it. Never had she been kissed this way. To be honest, she’d never really been kissed at all. That sloppy, wet kiss Mitch Smith had planted on her lips right before Stern had clobbered him, when they’d been in the tenth grade, was nothing compared to this. In fact, it was crap compared to this.

This was the kind of kiss that romance novel authors wrote about—the kind that rendered you senseless and boneless at the same time. She couldn’t help wondering if this was a test. Stern knew about her inexperience when it came to men, yet she had boldly set her sights on a man. Was he kissing her merely to show her what to expect? To see how good—or awful—she was?

That wasn’t a bad idea, she thought. Then he could give her pointers so she wouldn’t mess things up with Walter. Yes, that had to be it. That had to be the reason he was kissing her like this. He was kissing her to give her suggestions afterward. In that case...

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