From beauty queen...to bride?

A Once Upon a Tiara story

If Kenzie Swayne didn’t require a date for a string of upcoming weddings, she’d turn Ramon Torres’s offer down flat. The gorgeous entrepreneur stood her up once, unwilling to let emotion interfere with his ambition. Ramon needs Kenzie’s expertise for a new business venture, so he agrees to escort her. But when secrets from their pasts are revealed, can Ramon make Kenzie his—forever?

Having your story read out loud as a teen by your brother in Julia Child’s voice might scare some folks from ever sharing their work. But CAROLYN HECTOR rose above her fear. She currently resides in Tallahassee, Florida, where there is never a dull moment. School functions, politics, football, Southern charm and sizzling heat help fuel her knack for putting a romantic spin on everything she comes across. Find out what she’s up to on Twitter, @Carolyn32303.

Also By Carolyn Hector

The Magic of Mistletoe

The Bachelor and the Beauty Queen

His Southern Sweetheart

The Beauty and the CEO

A Tiara Under the Tree

Tempting the Beauty Queen

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

Tempting the Beauty Queen

Carolyn Hector

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-08483-3

TEMPTING THE BEAUTY QUEEN

© 2018 Carolyn Hall

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

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Version: 2020-03-02

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“Why are you doing this?” Kenzie asked.

“What?” He had the nerve to sound innocent. “I’m trying to be chivalrous. Haven’t we moved beyond the hostility between us?”

“There’s nothing between us,” Kenzie lied.

The smirk on his face proved he didn’t believe her. “We need to get some things out of the way before we work together on this post office proposal and Felicia’s wedding. All this tension between us is going to make Auntie Bren wonder.”

“Stop calling her that,” Kenzie started to squawk. Before she knew it, Ramon lowered his head and captured her lips with his.

Any sense of irritation or anger fell to the wayside. Kenzie pressed her hands against Ramon’s broad chest. Her thumbs brushed against the buttons of his oxford shirt, tempting her to rip the material open. The familiar dance of their tongues excited her. Ramon broke the kiss and straightened to his full height. Kenzie wanted to smack him and kiss him at the same time.

“Good,” he breathed. “I needed to get that out of the way.”

Maybe they needed to kiss—get those confusing feelings out of her system. The problem: she wanted more.

Dear Reader,

Grab your church fans, ladies and gentlemen, it’s summertime in Southwood, Georgia. Wedding season is upon us—three weddings, a gala and a beauty pageant to be exact—and Kenzie Swayne doesn’t have a date to a single event!

This small Southern town is celebrating its one hundred and fiftieth year—which is about the length of time Kenzie would prefer to have before dealing with Ramon Torres ever again. But being dateless has Kenzie sorely tempted to turn to the man who abruptly ended things with her last summer without a word.

You may have picked up on the behind-the-scenes chemistry between Ramon and Kenzie in The Beauty and the CEO. Their story needed to be told! In Tempting the Beauty Queen, Kenzie mentions her group of friends, the Tiara Squad, and I’ve got the rest of their stories for you, as well. Stay tuned!

Carolyn

I would like to dedicate this to Dr. Henry J. Hector III, aka my dad—The World’s Best Father.

Acknowledgments

I would like to acknowledge all those in the pageant circuits—those on stage, in front of the stage and behind the curtains who come together to make their own Tiara Squad. They remind me of all the fabulous people at Harlequin Kimani Romance—the folks who can take someone like myself and make me sparkle. Thanks!

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

Dear Reader

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Extract

About the Publisher

Chapter 1

“I was able to find a Hamilton ticket easier than trying to find a date for this month,” said Kenzie Swayne, Southwood, Georgia’s town historian. To say she had problems was the understatement of the century. Her strictly platonic go-to date, Rafael “Rafe” Gonzalez, bailed on her this morning. Something about the time being right to go after the woman he loved. Deep down inside, Kenzie knew she needed to be happy for her friend, but damn, couldn’t love wait a month?

With a heavy sigh, Kenzie flipped her word-of-the-day calendar over. “Lugubrious,” she announced. “Yep, gloomy, bummed and bleak pretty much summarizes my life right now.” Where else could a girl get a hot guy who lived in the next town over to show up for important dates and who wasn’t looking for long-term commitments?

At the hint of a chuckle, Kenzie glanced up at her dear friend, Lexi Pendergrass Reyes, who graciously hid her laughter behind her left hand, where her blindingly gorgeous wedding ring caught the fluorescent lights of the room. Kenzie grumbled and leaned back in her black leather office chair and rolled her eyes when the chair hit the wall behind her. Sure, her tiny headquarters in City Hall were small but she had bigger problems. She needed an escort for her cousin’s wedding tomorrow and the four major events of June, when three friends were tying the knot, along with a gala and a beauty pageant.

“Come on now,” encouraged Lexi. She shifted the four teal garment bags into her left hand and leaned against the door jamb. “What about one of the Crowne twins? Surely they’re going to their brother’s ceremony?”

The last wedding Kenzie agreed to attend and be in was a surprise for the bride. At least with Waverly Leverve, knowing about the nuptials meant she could at least back out of this one. Kenzie shook her head from side to side. The coppery, red-gold hair fell over her shoulders. She frowned as she twisted it up into a bun. She couldn’t control her hair in this humid weather, so what made her think she’d be able to control her life?

Last winter Kenzie became fast friends with the handsome Crowne twins, Dario and Darren. They took Southwood by storm when they moved here to run their brother’s garage. The single ladies in town were smitten with the twins and their playboy charm but alas, neither Dario nor Darren would work well as a believable date for her cousin’s wedding tomorrow. Most of the Hairston clan, her mother’s family, coming back to Southwood wouldn’t believe Kenzie was involved in a relationship with either twin. Kenzie did not date playboys. Anymore. Playboys were a waste of time and she saw no need to be strung along by a man with a commitment phobia.

Four weeks. That was how long Kenzie was going to have to endure the scrutinous gaze of her kinfolk, especially Great-Auntie Brenda—Auntie Bren for short. She’d be there for Cousin Corie’s wedding tomorrow, Felicia Ward’s next week and the Southwood Sesquicentennial Gala. In her mideighties, Auntie Bren was a force to be reckoned with. You’d never know her age by looking at her or witnessing her spunk. At her assisted living home in Miami, Florida, she kept friends like a queen held court. At the hundred-and-fifty-year celebration, more of Auntie Bren’s friends would come and hear the story of her twenty-eight-year-old great-niece who was still not married or dating anyone serious. Both the Hairston and Swayne sides of Kenzie’s family were attending and everyone would have a date but her.

“The twins offered to split two of the weddings, one with each, and the Southwood Sesquicentennial Gala and thought the three of us could attend Dominic’s all together,” said Kenzie, “but I can’t. I need someone, as in the same guy, who will be here every weekend. Dario can do the first two but then he’s swapping places with Darren. I think they’re working on a project with Dominic, something about the baby’s room.”

“Aww,” Lexi cooed.

“They look alike but not that much. You know Erin Hairston has an eagle eye. She came here last summer to help Chantal pack up for her big move overseas and had to point out to everyone in the studio how I had more freckles from being in the sun so much.” Kenzie scowled and pressed her fingers against her freckle-covered face. As a child it was bad enough she sported this distinct red hair, but to top it off with more than a splash of freckles was downright cruel. Cousin Erin...perfect Cousin Erin, turned her nose up at beauty pageants to become an occupational therapist. In Auntie Bren’s eyes, Erin was the closest thing to a doctor on the Hairston side of the family.

Lexi, gorgeous since the day she was born, rolled her eyes toward the barbaric florescent lights in the room. “Your freckles are what make you, you.”

“Whatever. The least these spots can do is shield me when I’m dying of embarrassment when my eighty-five-year-old aunt is quizzing me about my sexuality.”

As hard as she tried not to, Lexi laughed. “What? She wouldn’t.”

“She did with Maggie,” Kenzie said of her older sister, Magnolia “Maggie” Swayne. “Auntie Bren started questioning her about whether or not she liked men and Maggie got graphic with the peach in her hand.” Kenzie laughed along with Lexi. “So needless to say Maggie won’t be seated at the family table.”

“With any luck you won’t be seated with Auntie Bren then,” said a deep voice from behind Lexi. “I’m sure she put a hex on me.”

One could hope, Kenzie thought before she realized who the deep voice belonged to at her door. The half laugh she almost shared with Lexi died and in its place came a scowl. By cruel fate, Kenzie’s high school boyfriend, Alexander Ward, had been appointed city manager by his best friend, Mayor Anson Wilson. Kenzie was positive Anson had placed Alexander on the same City Hall floor just to annoy her since he held her responsible for not being able to get close to her friend Waverly. Last year Waverly Leverve came to town as a dethroned beauty queen being taunted by mocking memes of her crying when she’d had to give up the crown. Anson thought he could win her heart but Waverly was destined to be with someone better. “What do you want, Alexander?”

“Aw, babe, is that any way to talk to the higher-ups?”

Kenzie sneered and cut her eyes over at Lexi who made room for Alexander to stand in the doorway with her. “When the higher-up refers to me as babe, he reverts back to an ex-boyfriend.”

Foolish as it sounded, Kenzie had accepted Alexander’s marriage proposal at their high school graduation, caught off guard in front of hundreds of witnesses. She’d figured since they were both attending Florida A&M in the fall there’d be no problem. But the problem came when Alexander made several friends of the female kind over the summer semester. Kenzie didn’t find out about his extracurricular activities until the first week she arrived on campus and was greeted by several other women who claimed Alexander as their boyfriend.

She’d returned to Southwood for a semester and endured a pity party from family and friends every turn she took. Not being able to take it, she’d left town for Georgia State and come back with her PhD in history. So far all she had done was archive the town’s information to bring it into the digital world but Kenzie had been destined to be the first historian of her hometown. Southwood was in her blood and her family made history. The Swaynes, her daddy’s side, and the Hairstons, on her mama’s side, helped found the town a hundred and fifty years ago. So to come back to town after everything she’d been through, in Kenzie’s mind, she’d had the bounce-back of the decade. In her family’s eyes, she was twenty-eight and unmarried with no children.

Alexander doubled over with laughter. “She’s still in love with me,” he explained, giving Lexi a slight elbow to her ribs. Nobody loved Alexander more than Alexander. Everyone had had their role in school. Alexander had been president of their senior class, captain of the basketball team and shared the accolade of most likely to succeed with his best friend, the current mayor. Regardless of the morning’s temperature starting off in the high eighties, Alexander wore a dark suit, including the jacket. The air conditioning these days was spotty, having to work overtime to fight the summer heat.

“Anyway, how are you doing, Mrs. Reyes? Ready to expand your studio?” Alexander went on to ask Lexi. “There’s space right by your building.”

“The building next door to Grits and Glam Studios, is next door to the old barber shop, and it’s historic,” Kenzie retorted and heard the contempt in her voice as she spoke. A hardware store had already disappeared when Lexi expanded her Grits and Glam Gowns to accommodate her successful pageant training studio.

“It’s old, not historic,” Alexander corrected. “The block of land belongs to the city, not the Swaynes, Kenzie. We’re allowed to sell it to developers if we wish.”

Kenzie cursed under her breath and shuffled through the stack of folders on her desk—her contribution to Southwood—and found the file she needed. “Here’s the decree, marking the barbershop as a historic site. Martin Luther King Jr. had his hair cut here and spoke in front of the buildings in the sixties.” The proof shut the city manager up and an awkward silence fell in the room. Both ladies waited for Alexander to leave. He lingered.

“Well, I’m good for now, Alexander,” Lexi replied dismissively. “Thank you for the option.”

Alexander ignored the dismissal. “What brings you to City Hall?”

When Lexi raised a questioning brow at Kenzie, Kenzie refrained from rolling her eyes.

“She’s here to see me,” Kenzie answered. “Is that okay with you?”

“You’re allowed to have visitors,” said Alexander. “It’s kind of cramped in here. Would the two of you like to go into my office and talk? I have a beautiful view of the town square. It’s beautiful this time of year.”

“Yes, it is,” Lexi answered, “but I just needed to drop off Waverly’s dresses for all four events this month.”

“Ah yes, starting with your cousin’s wedding. I thought I saw Corie around town, or more importantly, her fiancé, Hawk Cameron.”

Everyone who was anyone knew about Hawk Cameron, the star athlete for the Georgia Wolves basketball team. In the Hairston family, Hawk was more known as the man who’d knocked up the golden child of the HFG, the Hairston Financial Group. When Corie admitted her pregnancy, she’d been the topic of brief gossip. All seemed to be forgiven since Hawk stepped up as a father. No, Kenzie thought with a frown, since Hawk the athlete stepped up to the plate. Meanwhile, Kenzie was considered a pariah in her family’s eyes.

“Was there anything you needed, Alexander?” Kenzie swallowed past the irritation growing in her throat.

Alexander admitted he had nothing and then said goodbye, leaving Kenzie and Lexi alone. Finally.

“Must be tough working with your ex?”

Kenzie frowned. “Not as bad as working with him as a boss.”

“No chance he’d...”

Kenzie held her hand up to stop her old friend and mentor. “No, thanks. I’d rather run naked through Four Points Park at the height of mosquito season.”

Mosquito season in the South was unlike anything else in the world. “I’ll take that as a definite no.”

“Exactly. I shouldn’t be embarrassed or single-shamed just because I don’t have a date, or a boyfriend, or anything to pass off as a boyfriend,” said Kenzie.

“Hey, last summer you and...”

With a cut of her eyes Kenzie quieted Lexi once again. Days after the abrupt end to her summer fling with him, Kenzie had perfected the art of masking her hurt and frustration with spite and irritation. “Do not mention his name.”

“Don’t be so stubborn,” Lexi joked. “I don’t understand how you can work with Alexander but you can’t with—” Lexi gave pause and consideration for saying the name “—him. You two bonded last summer.”

Kenzie didn’t miss the way Lexi’s fingers bent into air quotes as she said bonded. “And then he humiliated me by standing me up for the party after the Miss Southwood Pageant. You know I hate to be embarrassed,” said Kenzie. “And sure, I was mortified when I found out about Alexander cheating back when we were college freshmen. I could at least deal with Alexander when we started college, and thanks to a lot of therapy, I accept he’s the one who should be ashamed, not me. Working with him, well, he annoys me but that’s it. We have no...”

“Feelings for each other?” Lexi supplied.

An uncontrollable upper lip curl tugged at Kenzie’s face. “Feelings?” She scoffed and waved off the notion. “Not a chance. I want nothing to do with him.”

“That’s why you had his truck towed?” Lexi mused and played along with Kenzie by not saying the name.

Feigning innocence, Kenzie batted her lashes. “Anyone who parks one inch too close to a fire hydrant needs to be reported, Lexi,” explained Kenzie. “I was looking out for the good citizens of Southwood.”

“Yeah, right,” said Lexi with a knowing smile. “Well, look, let me get out of here.”

The back of the black leather chair scraped against the pale gray wall behind Kenzie. It had a deep groove from the numerous times she’d done the exact same thing. “My goodness, let me get these off your hands.” She reached for the garment bags and immediately the wave of guilt hit her. “I’m so wrong. Here you are, five months pregnant in the summertime. A woman in your condition shouldn’t have to stand and listen to me complain.”

Lexi waved off Kenzie’s fret. “Trust me, I’d stand here and talk to you longer. I’ve been hunched over the sewing machine for the last few days getting ready for Bailey’s pageant debut in a few weeks.”

The two of them headed off to the elevators just outside Kenzie’s door. Pressing the circular down button, Kenzie smiled fondly at the image of her seventeen-year-old niece winning Miss Southwood and keeping the Swayne beauty queen dynasty going. It meant a lot to Kenzie to know Lexi saw the beauty queen potential in Bailey. In the pageant world, Lexi was a goddess. Not only did a one-of-a-kind dress designed by Lexi bring good luck, but her guidance as a pageant coach always brought her girls in at least the top five of every competition.

For Kenzie’s family, pageantry ran in their veins. So far six older relatives on Kenzie’s father’s side of the family were former beauty queens and four on the Hairston side, all before the age of eighteen. More had won Miss Southwood between the ages of nineteen and twenty-five, including Kenzie, but Bailey winning would be quite a feat for someone so young. Plus, there hadn’t been a Swayne queen since Kenzie.

“I’m so excited.” Kenzie beamed. “I know the former Miss Southwood is supposed to hand over the tiara but I plan on crowning her myself.”

“Because we both know she’ll win.”

Kenzie gave her friend a high five and the elevator doors dinged and opened. As they waited, Lexi pressed on. “I can’t wait.”

After the elevator doors closed, Kenzie crossed the long hallway of her office floor toward the big bay windows to make sure Lexi made it safely down the front steps. Pride filled her heart at the sight of the well-manicured, lush green lawn of the town center. Cobblestone sidewalks encased the stretch of space in front of City Hall. Scattered diagonal parking spaces filled either side of the roads. Surrounding the area were diverse businesses such as The Cupcakery, Grits and Glam Gowns, The Scoop Ice Cream Parlor, Osborne Books and others in attractive brick buildings with colorful awnings.

Kenzie rolled her eyes at the only thing she considered an eyesore: the upscale Brutti Hotel, built last year. With its modern architecture and glassy windows, and height, it stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the quaint, old town setting. There was nothing historical about the forest area where the hotelier, Gianni Brutti, built the spot and it wasn’t even considered Southwood land but everything about the place irritated Kenzie. The upscale hotel did push tourism, which kept revenue in town, so she guessed she couldn’t be too mad. In the distance a church bell rang. She was reminded once again of her hectic month ahead. Stress over her single status was going to plague her. The second wedding would be worse only in the sense she would be forced to be around Alexander’s and the questions from his well-wishing kin, wondering why the two of them never married. There weren’t many things Kenzie disliked about her small town—the folks around here always remembered Kenzie and Alexander as a couple in high school but forgot about her heartbreak when she’d returned. His family, never knowing the full story, always felt the need to remind Kenzie that they were both still single.

In the reflection of the glass Kenzie spotted a sparkling strand of hair mixed with her awkward reddish mess. As if the stress of her life couldn’t mount any higher, she’d spied a gray strand. Kenzie pressed her head against the cool glass to inspect. To make matters worse, she spotted the silver Ford F-150 truck driving down Main Street. The same tug on her upper lip returned, just as it had when Lexi almost said his name. Ramon Torres was in town.

* * *

There were a few things that could cause Ramon Torres to break the strict set of rules he lived by. After battling childhood obesity, Ramon had a no-sweets rule. But for the debut of the summer cupcake, the Wedded Bliss, sold at The Cupcakery in downtown Southwood, he made an exception. The cupcakes were so famously known and loved, Ramon took time away from his boutique hotel, Magnolia Palace, on the outskirts of town just to get one.

The other ban he broke was his No Kenzie rule. Southwood’s historian had a knack for getting under Ramon’s skin and under his covers. At the moment of spotting the unruly curly red hair secured in a high ponytail on Kenzie Swayne’s head, Ramon Torres contemplated leaving The Cupcakery. Considering the debut of the dessert, he decided to stay.

What he hadn’t planned on was the way his body responded to the sight of Kenzie’s backside in a pair of light-colored jeans. She teetered on a pair of red heels and he recalled how her long legs felt wrapped around his waist. He then ticked off the Yankees’ last world series starting lineup in his mind. If he planned on breaking a rule, let it at least be one, not two, in a single day.

The dozen people separating them weren’t enough. He needed a battalion. Ramon shifted in his boots and tried to blend in with the group of high school–aged football players with letterman jackets. According to the time on his watch, school hadn’t let out yet. Skipping class with identifying clothing to get a cupcake wasn’t smart, but Ramon understood. A couple of bankers Ramon worked with on occasion waited patiently in line. Even the kids he’d seen hanging around in the park doing nothing but skateboarding and intimidating some of the locals stopped and stood in line for a cupcake. Ramon understood the things a person was willing to sacrifice for a cupcake. In his quest for one, he’d put himself in the path of the wrath of Kenzie.

Last summer had given Ramon and Kenzie the spark they’d needed to enjoy some heated moments together. Their time had been brief, but most of all pleasurable, until Ramon realized what a distraction Kenzie had been. He’d moved to Southwood to get away from his controlling family. Generation after generation, the Torres men and women were successful. Ramon knew how to throw a party. The family always teased him about making a “good time” a profession. His oldest brother, Julio, became the mayor of their hometown. Another brother became a United States Marshal and Raul, just one year older than Ramon, owned a booming nightclub in Villa San Juan. Ramon’s own success gene did not kick in until he reached thirty and just as the gears started to grind, he met Kenzie Swayne. Kenzie put a whole new spin on sexy—and bossy at the same time. She’d been a dangerous distraction when he was supposed to get his life together and grow up. He couldn’t live on his parents’ property forever, so when the opportunity to buy the old, plantation-style home in Georgia came open, Ramon took it. Since he’d been so great at making sure his friends always had a good time, whether at a party or on vacation, Ramon turned that into a profession and opened the doors to the boutique hotel for families to come and enjoy the Southern town. Magnolia Palace was his baby, his investment and his chance to prove to his family he’d matured.

They worked together on a favorite pastime of Southwood’s—the Miss Southwood Beauty Pageant—as a favor to his extended family. Lexi Pendergrass, a former beauty queen, had married Ramon’s cousin Stephen. Stephen and his brother Nate were closer to Ramon than his own brothers. With Lexi being kin, as they said in Southwood, Ramon helped her out when the theater downtown, the usual beauty pageant venue, flooded by hosting it at his hotel, Magnolia Palace. With hindsight being 20/20, Ramon now knew he had been in no place to start anything. Had he known hosting the competition would get him involved with Kenzie, Ramon would never have done it. Kenzie wanted a man who was ready to settle down and Ramon was getting on his own two feet.

Ahead of him in line, Kenzie dropped something from her pocket when she retrieved her cell phone from her hip. The ample, heart-shaped view of her behind caused Ramon to forget about the No Kenzie rule. Every red-blooded male in line sighed and cocked their heads to the side to unabashedly appreciate the view. A collective sigh of admiration stretched through the store. Unaware, Kenzie straightened and juggled her oversize purse on her shoulder and committed the ultimate sin...she stepped aside. Whoever was on the other end must have been pretty damn important. Ramon’s jaw twitched with a twinge of something. He couldn’t put his finger on the feeling. He didn’t like the idea of someone so important in her life.

“Torres,” someone called out.

Ramon willed Mr. Myers to keep quiet until Kenzie left the bakery. The retired history teacher went so far as to wave his arms in the air. Ramon offered a quiet head nod in the direction where Mr. Myers sat with three older women. He breathed a sigh of relief when the glass doors closed behind Kenzie.

“Hey,” Ramon said with a head nod in the direction of the table. The line moved forward to the point where the glass counter came into view. Ramon counted the number of people in line versus the number of cupcakes in the display case. If his calculations were correct and if everyone purchased only one cupcake, there would be two left by the time he reached the register.

“Get your stuff and come over here,” Mr. Myers ordered. “I want you to meet my fiancée.”

Fiancée? Ramon thought to himself. Which one? At seventy-eight, Mr. Myers had earned his reputation as a ladies’ man, splitting his time between the two Southwood senior centers. Ramon pointed toward his watch and shook his head, praying the old man understood the silent apology. He didn’t want to be here if Kenzie returned. Bad things happened when she was around. Once, and he couldn’t prove it, Ramon had gone to sprinkle salt on his fries at the Food Truck Thursday event at Four Points Park and managed to get a snow mountain of salt. And even though he couldn’t prove it, Ramon still felt Kenzie had something to do with his name being taken off the Christmas Advisory Council. Anyone with a business in Southwood wanted to be a part of the CAC. The council also helped bring cheer to town. He was also denied membership to a lot of Southwood events because his hotel was slightly outside of Southwood. Also last year, Ramon wanted to invite the whole town to his hotel for a holiday party but the email was somehow lost in the cyber world. And because the committee had gone for an old-fashioned theme last year, guess who had been in charge of all things last Christmas? None other than Kenzie Swayne.

Hell hath no fury like a woman stood up. Apparently Kenzie was the type of woman who didn’t appreciate him bailing on her at the last pageant event last year. That was when Ramon decided to keep his distance and work on a No Kenzie rule...meaning, if he knew she was going to attend the same function as him, Ramon stayed away. So far Ramon had managed not to bump into her face-to-face for six months now. Soon everything would change. Ramon planned on starting up a business not just in Southwood city limits but in the historic downtown area. He was going to get a seat at that damn Christmas Advisory Council this year.

As the cashier argued with a customer, Ramon spied the back of Kenzie’s head leaving the park. The fact his body still reacted to the sight of her proved he needed the No Kenzie rule. Pavlov’s classical conditioning theory went into effect and induced a mouthwatering reaction, much like at his mother’s coquito cupcakes. He still craved her. Just like the desserts, Kenzie was bad for his health and bad for Ramon’s concentration.

“All right, guys,” announced Tiffani, the cashier behind the counter, “after this batch I’m out of the Wedded Bliss cupcakes. I’m shorthanded today, so I’ll need to take a break and make up some more. It will be about an hour until they’re ready.”

Groans from the customers drowned out Ramon’s curses. The line moved forward. Folks behind him left the line, uttering their decision to come back later. As calculated, everyone else in line bought their share of cupcakes, except for the high school students who left, probably due to class. By the time Ramon reached the display counter there were five cupcakes left and no one behind him.

“Looks like you’re in luck,” Tiffani gushed when she realized he was next. “I’ll let you have the rest.”

“The rest?” Ramon imagined himself eating every single cupcake and then imagined how far he’d have to run to work them off. “I really just want the one.”

“But there’s no one else in line and these are going to go to waste once I break out the fresher ones,” Tiffani said as she boxed up the items.

“I’ll tell you what, if you’ll put four in a to-go box and leave them for the next customer who walks in, I’ll take the one and pay you for a dozen.”

“Sounds like a deal to me.”

Once Ramon got his cupcake to go, he turned around at the same time as Kenzie reentered the bakery. Damn, how much was this going to cost him?

Chapter 2

“You’ve got a lot of nerve, Ramon Torres,” Kenzie hollered at his tailored suit. She hated the way her body heated up at the sight of the man. Ramon turned to face her. His broad shoulders slumped. And she even swore he rolled his neck from side to side, preparing himself for battle. The wind blowing between the buildings whipped a loose piece of hair from his annoyingly cute man-bun on top of his head. The man mixed sex appeal with bohemian chic and wrapped it up in a sharp midnight blue suit paired with black snakeskin cowboy boots.

“What did I do this time?” Ramon stopped his long stride in front of the old post office. He didn’t bother trying to sound shocked to see her, which annoyed Kenzie even more.

“Tiffani told me you purchased these. I don’t need you buying cupcakes for me,” she told his backside as she approached.

“So don’t eat them,” Ramon responded.

Kenzie walked around his large frame to make sure Ramon saw the irritation across her face. If there was one thing that set her off, it was a man telling her what to do. Kenzie had worked too hard for the last ten years to grow from a naive girl dependent on her boyfriend. But Ramon wasn’t her boyfriend. No, he made it perfectly clear last summer he didn’t want to be in a relationship with her. “Don’t tell me what to do.”

Ramon sighed heavily. “Do whatever you want.”

“I ought to throw them away,” Kenzie went on to antagonize him. These were cupcakes from The Cupcakery. No one ever threw them away, especially not out of spite. Besides, she’d already had a bite of the delectable lemony dessert when Tiffani informed her the previous customer paid it forward.

“You’re not throwing anything away.” Ramon called her bluff with a sarcastic laugh.

With the box in her hand, Kenzie crossed her arms. “Fine. But I just want you to know from here on out I don’t want you buy me anything.”

“For future reference, Kenzie, I paid it forward for the next person. How was I supposed to know you were going come back into the shop?”

Back? She took in his choice of words and hated the idea of Ramon having the upper hand. He saw her before she did? “So you saw me and didn’t bother speaking? What are you, a stalker or something?”

The square jaw of his tightened. “You were on the phone.”

Being reminded of the call infuriated her more. Alexander had tried to sneak a project by her without her knowledge. No wonder he’d been so friendly in her office. Had his secretary, Margaret, not given Kenzie the heads-up, Kenzie would have had no idea the old post office was being considered for purchase. “Whatever.”

“Well, if we’re done here...” said Ramon, taking a step toward the closed doors of the old post office. In two long strides, Ramon entered, disappearing from Kenzie’s fruitless rant. So what if the man wanted to do something nice for the next person? But why did it have to be her?

The wind picked up on the street, blowing the unsecured hair from Kenzie’s ponytail into her face. With a sigh she set the box of cupcakes on the top step and twisted her hair into a bun. The doors closed behind Ramon and left her staring at her reflection from the mirrored doors. Growing up she’d hated her naturally frizzy red hair, but she hated her face full of freckles more. Now with a glimpse of herself, Kenzie smiled in appreciation. It took her a while but she found her unique look appealing and if she did say so herself, as she looked down at her attire...she looked pretty damn good today.

Common sense told her to head on back home. She’d already gotten her coveted debut cupcakes. Now she needed to get home and destress about seeing her family at the rehearsal dinner tonight. She wondered if there was someone on Craigslist she could hire...or was that illegal?

The clicking of the lion’s head antique brass door knobs on the post office door reminded Kenzie of her nagging suspicions about the building. Alexander planned on meeting his potential client in a few minutes and Kenzie intended to be here. Funny how he didn’t mention it earlier. She understood the position of a city manager needing to bring in business, but at what cost? Buildings in Southwood were historic. Some of them were built before the Civil War. And he’d scheduled a meeting, knowing she was taking the month of June. “Spiteful bastard,” Kenzie mumbled to herself. Her ex had sworn he would not let their past interfere with working together when he was hired as city manager.

A car sounded off at the end of the street and a couple of high school kids in two different pickup trucks were mock sword fighting with each other. Idle hands, Kenzie thought with an exacerbated sigh. When the drivers spotted Kenzie they honked again and waved. More than likely they were up to something mischievous in the post office. Kids loved to run around in there, regardless of the danger signs. Speaking of which, Ramon didn’t need to be in the building playing around, either. Kenzie reached down and picked up her box of cupcakes and headed inside. Ramon needed to leave.

“Ramon?” Kenzie called out his name. Her voice echoed off the empty walls. An old counter filled with dust split the center of the room. The inside windows were boarded up with old newspapers. Sun damage had destroyed the dates of when the papers were put up.

Footsteps sounded off down the hall just beyond the counter. From old pictures, Kenzie knew there was an elevator. The four-story building was also a playground on Halloween. Kids loved to tell ghost stories about using the elevators and getting stuck between floors, but there was no electricity in the building so Kenzie never believed them.

“Ramon.” She said his name once more.

“Are you following me?” Ramon’s voice sounded through the dark hallway.

“What are you doing in here?” She followed the sound of his baritone voice and swore his footsteps moved quicker and farther away. “Stop playing around in here.”

She finally caught up with him. Sun leaked through the paled paper on the back windows and backlit him. Ramon stood in the elevator car, his back against the wall and his arms folded. He could have easily been a model in an ad for sexiness.

“What?” Ramon asked.

Kenzie placed her hands on her hips and stamped her foot. She hadn’t meant to, but she did. “Get out of here.”

“Are you going to make me?” Ramon offered a cocky half grin and stretched out his arms toward her.

In an attempt to back away, Kenzie slipped on her heels but caught herself in the elevator doors and kept herself from falling. Ramon didn’t have the decency to hide his laugh. “You’re a jerk.”

“Thanks,” he replied. “Why are you following me?”

“I am not,” Kenzie said standing her ground. Her eyes caught the debris on the ground by her foot and as she glanced up the air in front of her began to snow. Snow? A loud rumble above her head sounded off. The moment she craned her neck upward something pulled on her blouse and her body was jerked forward into the elevator. Thunder was followed by a hail of ceiling tiles behind her. Ramon wrapped his arms around her body and turned his back to the falling debris.

Nestled against his chest, Kenzie stood still until the deafening sound stopped. She should have been frightened but she wasn’t. With Ramon’s arms secured around her frame she remained safe.

Ramon leaned backward and tipped her chin up. “Are you okay?”

Lost in his almond-shaped, dark brown eyes, Kenzie nodded her head. “I think so. What happened?”

“The avalanche was the floor collapsing just outside the doors.”

Kenzie peered around his arms. The doors were closed. A light flickered but she didn’t know how. The building had no electricity. Then she realized Ramon held his cell phone over her head. She blinked.

“We’re trapped,” she said rather than asked. The silence was proof. The doors were closed from the fall. They were safe from the falling debris but they were trapped. Kenzie peered again at the doors, which now, in her mind, seemed closer than before. Her eyes traveled up toward the ceiling of the elevator...the low ceiling, which grew lower by the second.

“Hey now,” Ramon cooed, placing his hand on her backside. “Breathe with me.”

“I am breathing.”

“Your breathing is erratic,” he pointed out, pressing his hand with the cell phone against her breast. “Your heart rate is accelerating.”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Kenzie said with a dry laugh. She pushed his warm hand away from her breast. Her nipples hardened with his touch. Amazing how her body could flip from a mild panic attack to sheer desire. Damn him. “I get claustrophobic sometimes.”

“Sometimes?” Ramon chuckled.

“Yeah, well, just when I’m stressed and nearly lose my life,” she snapped.

“You’re welcome,” he said.

“What?”

“I just pulled you from danger.”

Kenzie backed away from him. The cool bar on the wall braced her backside. “And I am pretty sure you popped one of my buttons off my blouse.”

Ramon held the light toward her chest to see. As if naked and exposed, Kenzie crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ll let the second floor collapse on you.”

“Technically the third floor.”

“What?”

“Why would you walk into a building you know nothing about?” Kenzie shook her head back and forth. “Never mind, I don’t want to know. You know, if you weren’t such a baby and running from me every time you see me...”

“I don’t run from you.”

Kenzie scoffed at him for interrupting her. “Face it, Ramon. You’re scared of a woman like me.”

“I’m not afraid of you,” Ramon clipped. “I have something to do in here.”

“Like what?”

“I have a meeting with Alexander Ward.”

Dread washed over her. Thank God for the darkness. Heat crept across her face. She was sure a red tint would cover her freckles right about now. “You’re the one he wants to sell to?”

“If the price is right.” Ramon sighed. “And if I can make sure I follow some rules.”

So Alexander had listened to Kenzie’s advice on restoring the old buildings. The fact didn’t ease her irritation. “So you’re just going to buy up every important building in my life.”

“Here we go,” groaned Ramon.

“Here we go nothing, Ramon.” Kenzie bared her teeth in the dark. “You bought my family’s historic home.”

“I bought a business, Kenzie.”

When she heard the tone of his voice Kenzie’s hands went to her hips. “Are you mocking me?”

“No, I am stating a fact. I am a businessman. It goes with the territory and let’s face it, you weren’t in the position to buy the place.”

Though his words were true, it didn’t take the sting out of hearing them. It didn’t take the threat of tears rimming her eyes when Maggie once pointed out that Kenzie didn’t have...what was it she said? A pot to piss in to buy the place. Kenzie credited the plantation home for having sparked her love of history. She delved into the Swayne family tree and its contribution to Southwood. The Swayne family had lived there before the Civil War and harvested a pecan farm. Folklore said the family gave up the home in order to save the farm, which worked in their favor. To this day Swayne Pecans was the highest quality pecan seller in the States; it was passed on from generation to generation and still run today by her father, Mitchell Swayne, and his brothers. Technically she’d never lived in the house. No one from the Swayne side of the family had lived in the house for a hundred years. But that didn’t stop Kenzie from believing the home would return to a Swayne one day, preferably her. And Ramon had the nerve to turn it into a boutique hotel. Granted, the property never looked better, but she’d never admit such a thing to Ramon.

“You’re breathing heavy again.” Ramon moved close to Kenzie’s frame. Large hands pressed against her shoulders. “Take a seat, calm down.”

“I’m not going to calm down. I don’t have time for such luxuries, I’ve got a million things to do and prepare for and I don’t need to be stuck in some dark elevator with the likes of you.”

“The likes of me?” He flat-out mocked her with a hard laugh and an overexaggerated Southern drawl. The elevator shook a bit. Did the space between the walls get tighter?

Kenzie felt the floor beneath her against the back of her jeans as she sat down. She tucked her feet under her legs and adjusted her frame away from Ramon’s when he got down beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. He smelled wonderful, like lemon icing. Kenzie’s stomach grumbled. What happened to her box? Did she drop it?

“What other things do you have to do? You can talk to me. Or have you forgotten we used to be friends?” Ramon asked her while his fingers rubbed the nape of her neck. Kenzie tilted her head against his shoulder. They’d been more than friends at one point. If she remembered correctly, this slick move with his hands toying with the hair at the nape of her neck had landed her in bed with him. Kenzie scooted away. “Tell me what’s going on.”

“I have three weddings to attend, and my baby cousin is getting married before me. Not only is one half of my family coming, I’m attending the wedding solo which means I’m going to spend several hours with the tilt-of-the-head-pity-look from them. Then I’ve got two weddings for my pageant girls and all of them are trying to set me up with their fiancés’ groomsmen and I’m desperate to take them up on the offer because at this year’s gala, I’m going to have my entire family in town, the Hairstons and the Swaynes.”

“Not the Hairstons and the Swaynes.” Ramon gasped dramatically before chuckling.

Kenzie elbowed him in the ribs and pressed her lips together to keep from smiling. “Shut up. You have no idea about family pressure.”

“I don’t?”

“No,” said Kenzie. “And did I mention the Miss Southwood Pageant is at the end of the month this year?”

“Hmm. Has it already been a year? Seems like just yesterday you were walking through the doors at Magnolia Palace and barking out orders.”

“You’re not funny.”

“Sorry, I feel like I should get you flowers or something.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s the anniversary of when we first met,” said Ramon, no hint of mockery in his tone.

A shiver ran down Kenzie’s spine. “And the celebration of the first time I’d been embarrassed in like a decade.”

“By me not escorting you to the final party? Do you know how many parties and events we went to? You had something planned every day for a week.”

“Well, after everything we went through...” Kenzie began clearing her throat. “If you weren’t interested, you should have said so, set the guidelines, not leave me hanging to get myself to the restaurant.”

“You’re mad because I stood you up?” Ramon asked softly. Kenzie responded by rolling her eyes. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, Kenzie.”

“I’m not mad about just standing me up. If you weren’t interested, you shouldn’t have started things up with me and then stopped speaking to me. And don’t try giving me a lame answer like, ‘It’s not you, it’s me.’”

“What if that’s true?”

“Whatever, Ramon.”

“Seriously.” Ramon reached to his side and found her hand. “I’d just finished the reconstruction on the hotel. I didn’t need to get into a relationship at the time. I’d just opened the hotel and you were a distraction.”

“A distraction?” Kenzie’s bottom lip poked out. “Gee, thanks.”

“You’re taking that the wrong way,” Ramon said. He gave her fingers a squeeze. “Kenzie, you are like your hair, fiery and spirited. I moved to Southwood to start my business, not get into a relationship. One night with you and I almost forgot everything I came here for.”

“Yet you still slept with me.”

“I am a man,” Ramon answered, “an utterly weak man who succumbed to the most beautiful, irresistible, sexiest woman on earth.”

And she was a woman, and the two of them together made such a pair in bed. Ramon was the first man able to coax out a primal desire from her. She wasn’t sure she’d ever get it again but was glad and irritated at the same time for at least having experienced the pleasure once—or half a dozen times. Kenzie licked her lips. The anger at him she felt disappeared. “Thank you for your apology.”

“Wait a minute,” said Ramon. “I didn’t apologize.”

“Yes, you did,” Kenzie replied. She pushed their hands onto his thigh and let go, patting his muscular leg before letting go. “You meant to.”

Ramon began to laugh. “What?” He patted Kenzie’s leg and chuckled. “I accept your apology also.”

Kenzie brushed his hand away. “For what?”

“For all your antics. I know you were the one behind loosening the salt shaker at that food truck at the park.”

The image of Ramon’s mountain of salt on top of his curly fries evoked a giggle. “I plead the Fifth.” She pushed his hand away.

“See, I knew you were behind all the crappy things done to me. At least I tried to be nice to you with my antics.”

“Are you going to admit to sending me magnolias this spring?”

“Why would I send you the first batch of flowers blooming this spring?” Humor flooded his tone. Their hand game stopped. Kenzie turned to face him in the dark. Without needing to see his face, she knew he was leaning close to her. She gulped. He’d remembered her favorite flower. Kenzie’s lips throbbed at the idea of kissing him again. Her heart raced with the idea of anything intimate between them again. He was a drug to her and getting addicted to him was not good for her soul.

“Kenzie,” Ramon said softly.

“Ramon... I...” Kenzie paused but she knew as she waited with her mouth open he was going to kiss her. Her world shook; her heart raced. And she swore her heart dropped.

“I think the elevator is about to fall.” In one quick movement Ramon pulled Kenzie onto his lap.

That familiar feeling of being on a roller coaster just before it went down the hill washed over her. Kenzie’s bottom lifted off Ramon’s lap. Her heart dropped. Ramon cradled her in his arms and absorbed the fall for her, protecting her once again.

* * *

There’d been no thought for his safety during the fall. Ramon just knew if the elevator made it to the floor there’d be nothing to absorb the hit. His first instinct was to protect Kenzie. When the elevator dropped, the hydraulics miraculously kicked in and the bounce jarred the elevator doors open to the lower level. Ramon hadn’t noticed the windows from the outside but the light spilled into the hallway where the doors opened.

“Okay, so this time I’m going to thank you,” Kenzie said, wiping the gray dust and dirt off her face.

The sound of her voice filled him with pride. She was okay. Ramon helped her, using his thumbs against her cheekbones, wiping until he saw the freckles. Relief hit him. His heart ached at the fear of something happening to her under his watch. Aside from family, it felt odd to care about someone enough to feel responsible for them.

Most of the businesses in Southwood had commercial space on the first level and residential on the next floor or two. This was a common usage in old towns. No one wanted to live away from their businesses for security reasons. Ramon understood the terror small African-American towns felt when angry white neighbors sought to destroy their homes. Since then, there had been subdivisions in Southwood, but people still lived in these split-plan residences. Without the use of cell phones or any other modern technology a postman in the past never knew when he’d have to meet an incoming stagecoach with the US Postal Service or send a telegraph.

Focusing back on the woman in his lap, Ramon blinked. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Kenzie’s voice was weak but she tried to smile. “Just shaky.”

“That’s to be expected,” he said, easing her off his lap, where the proof of desire grew. That old, familiar, lascivious feeling crept through his veins. Logic fought the uncontrollable rush of excitement and impulse to touch her again. “Let’s get out of here before something else happens.”

Kenzie stood first but used his shoulders to steady herself, not realizing her breasts were in his face. Given what just happened, Ramon knew this was not the right time to reach around for her hips and pull her back to him. This was how things worked when he was around Kenzie. She took all common sense out of the equation, just as she had last summer when he needed to concentrate on business.

Ramon cleared his throat. “Let’s try to find a way out of here.”

Once he reached full height Ramon brushed off the debris from his jacket and did the same to Kenzie’s body. His hands smoothed over the soft contours of her hips and breasts. Again Ramon needed to mentally call out the starting lineup of the Yankees.

“Are you okay?” Kenzie asked him.

Ramon glanced down at his pants, afraid of what she was asking, but realized she meant after the elevator’s fall. “Yeah, I’m good.”

Despite the decrepit state of the building the ground floor wasn’t in a state of disarray. Dust piled on either side of the hallways. A half dozen doors stood outside the elevator shaft and Ramon grabbed Kenzie’s hand to help walk her through the threshold of the door he figured was the exit. A pile of ceiling tiles blocked them and they had to step over it. The red heels she wore were covered with gray dust and the fabric of her jeans was frayed at the knees.

If Ramon had to hold her hand the whole time, he was going to end up pressing her against the wall and kissing her senseless. They needed to get out of here. Alexander Ward should be here by now and Ramon didn’t want the man to think he’d changed his mind about buying the place. It did need a lot of work but he couldn’t beat the downtown location. “Wait here,” he told Kenzie.

Ramon left Kenzie’s side and jogged down the end of hall to the exit door. The silver bar wouldn’t budge. Damn it. Guided by the glow of her cell phone, he hurried back to Kenzie. “It’s locked.”

“Still no service. We can check some of these old offices,” Kenzie suggested, making her way to the first door. Ramon followed her inside to the empty space. The faded paper covering the glass offered light but not a view of people walking around outside. Since Ramon was taller, he started toward the window to peel off the paper but Kenzie did some cheerleading jump and tore off a corner, bringing the whole sheet down. Impressed with the move, Ramon clapped for her and she took a bow.

“Six years of middle and high school cheerleading,” she breathed, “are finally paying off.”

“Are you sure? You’re breathing heavier, unless you’re having another panic attack.”

Kenzie’s eyes widened and her face flushed a deep pink. “I’m older.”

“Ancient,” Ramon teased. He held his hand out for her to take. “Let’s check another room—no one is out on the street here. Maybe we’ll come across the stairs.”

“I think the stairs are filled with furniture.”

“Why do you think that?”

Kenzie moved out the door and explained. “When I was in high school, kids loved coming here and running through the halls, especially during Halloween. This place is haunted.”

“What?” Ramon scoffed and closed the door behind them.

“I’m serious. I heard some kids came out Halloween Eve and things would be rearranged from the last time. So they’d booby-trap the place with rearranged furniture and come back and things would be different the next day.”

“Sounds like kids were playing tricks on each other if you ask me.” Ramon imagined his older cousins doing the same thing to the younger group.

“Maybe, but I believe this place is haunted. I grew up hearing a story about the forties. My great-aunt came here and sent letters to her soldier boyfriend off in the war. She came here every day and mailed a letter. Her beau came back and married another woman from Peachville.”

Southwood bordered three other cities—Peachville, Samaritan and Black Wolf Creek—and had become home of their first post office. Like Southwood, the other cities were founded by citizens tired of the Civil War. Union soldiers tore through South Georgia and burned old buildings and land. When Confederate soldiers came home to nothing, some left and some stayed. Those who stayed worked with the lasting people of the land, former slaves and Native Americans, and rebuilt each city. All three worked in unison into the next century. With so many single women writing to shipped off military men during wartime, this soldier had probably met another woman.

“I think your aunt’s boyfriend was a player.”

Kenzie stopped walking and pondered his statement. Her lips twisted to the side and finally she nodded. “I never thought about it like that. But your belief doesn’t answer the question about the noises heard here. The theater next door flooded last summer, which is why we had to hold Miss Southwood at Magnolia Palace.”

“So?”

“So the flood started from here. The water has been turned off for decades.”

“I’m sure there’s a logical explanation.” They came to the next office. Kenzie took a step inside but Ramon held her back. “Let me inspect first in case there’s a ghost.”

“Okay,” Kenzie sang skeptically. “But if there’s a ghost demanding the blood of a virgin, you’re out of luck.”

His blood pulsed, as he knew firsthand Kenzie wasn’t a virgin, then settled with a splash of jealousy. Sex with her was addicting and it took everything he had to keep his distance. Clearing his throat, he entered the room. The smell of mildew assaulted his senses. Like the previous room the windows were boarded up with paper. Ramon moved to take the paper down before Kenzie.

“We’re looking out the back windows,” he deduced. “Let’s try a room facing the street.”

“Makes sense,” Kenzie surprisingly agreed. She turned and crossed the hall before he had a chance to exit the room and like before, did her cheerleading jump and tore down the papers. Bright light spilled into the room. Dust particles floated through the rays of sunshine. “Bingo!” She banged on the windowpane. Her red-tipped nails sounded off in a rhythmic beat and the hairs on the back of Ramon’s neck rose. He recalled what those nails had done to his back.

Ramon cleared his throat again. Kenzie turned and faced him. “I think we need to hurry up and get you out of here. You sound like your throat is closing or something.”

“Or something,” Ramon agreed. Sweat began to form under his arms. He took the jacket off and laid it on the desk once he entered the musty room. “Do you see Alexander out there?”

Her hand paused in midair, about to knock on the window, Kenzie turned to face him with a scowl on her face. “I’d rather he not be the one to rescue us.”

“History between you two?” Ramon inquired before holding his hand up and swallowing down his first bitter pill of jealousy. “On second thought, this is a small town. Everyone has dated everyone else at one point.”

“I don’t want Alexander to know I’m here. He purposely didn’t tell me about selling the place.”

Ramon wiped his finger against the dusty, cluttered desk. “Not too sure I want to buy the place after all. Seems like a lot of work.”

“Plus you need to make sure you maintain the history of the place,” she reminded him with a sweet grin.

“Oh yes, that it’s haunted.”

The sweet grin disappeared and Kenzie shook her head from side to side. The button Kenzie swore he’d ripped off had indeed disappeared and he was left with a view of her lacy white bra. Ramon swallowed hard and tried not to stare at the swell of her breasts. Dust flew from her curly hair. Her bun was now loose and her curls dangled.

“Laugh all you want. Try spending the night here.”

“I have several bedrooms at my hotel to choose from,” Ramon said.

Kenzie rolled her eyes. “Yes, I am well aware.” She took a step back and craned her neck for a better view out the window. “Let me get on your shoulders.”

The idea of Kenzie’s legs wrapped around his shoulders did something to him. “No.”

“C’mon, I’m not that heavy.”

Ramon rubbed his hands together and licked his lips. “As much as I like your legs wrapped around me, I don’t think doing it now that we’re friends again is a wise idea.”

Getting the hint, Kenzie pulled her blouse together. “Oh.”

“I’ll check.” He moved closer into the room and peered out the dirty glass. “There are more people.” Like Kenzie had done a few moments ago, he banged on the glass. Behind him his companion began pushing the desk against the wall. Before he had a chance to question her, she kicked her feet out of her heels and climbed on top of the desk. Ramon glanced down at the legs of the furniture wobbling. “That’s not safe—get down from there.”

“The two of us banging together will make more noise.”

Ramon paused at her statement. How could being trapped in a building be so erotic? “Kenzie.”

“Hey! Hey!” she screamed at the window.

The jiggling of her body made the desk move more. Ramon wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her off the top. She kicked the top drawer by accident and the compartment fell down, causing old papers to fall to the dust covered ground. Like a child on Christmas morning, Kenzie squealed in delight and shimmied out of Ramon’s eyes. “Oh my God, what’s this?”

“Old papers,” Ramon answered. He knelt beside her and as she whipped her hair off her neck he whiffed the sweet, magnolia scented products in her hair.

“But what kind? Look here,” she said, lifting up what looked like a legal document stapled to a blue construction-like paper. “Bank papers? Deeds? Oh, look.” Kenzie scrambled around the floor and found a brass key. “What do you think this is for?”

Ramon inspected it. “It’s too big for a desk drawer.” He stood up, went to the office door to close it, where he found a closet. “Throw me the key.” She did, but it landed on the floor halfway between them.

“I was a cheerleader, not a quarterback.”

Grumbling, Ramon retrieved the key. The lock turned but the door wouldn’t open. Humidity often caused wood to swell. Kenzie was already behind him when he shouldered the closet open. Musty air hit their noses.

“Son of a bitch,” Kenzie said from between gritted teeth. “Someone has been in here and tried putting in an air-conditioning unit.”

Ramon followed Kenzie’s glare up to the ceiling of the closet. A silver-coated pipe hung from the top tiles. Rust-colored water stained the walls and the floor. Ramon would rather leave the belongings inside and return with a face mask but Kenzie had already started dragging the plastic bags out. She grunted and tugged at the top bag, an old army-green duffel bag. Ramon took it from her hands and tossed it behind them with ease. The next bags, oddly shaped, weren’t as heavy. Kenzie pulled a picture frame from the top bag.

“The date,” Kenzie breathed. “This photograph was taken over a hundred years ago.” She pressed her finger at the date on the corner of the faded, yellowed newspaper clipping. Ramon wondered if she’d paid attention to the picture first. The image in the article was of a sheriff and his men standing over a body. The sheriff held a most wanted sketch and his deputy held up a picture of a newspaper. The fold of a paper obscured the names tagged in the photo.

“I need to look these names up, of course,” said Kenzie. “What else is in here?”

They found more photographs, including some of the post office they stood in when it was first built. The streets were filled with mud. Instead of a sidewalk there were boardwalks. Mud tarnished the hems of the proud women’s dresses. A box contained old, loose black-and-white photographs from weddings and men dressed up in military garb standing in front of an old bus, being shipped off to war. Another framed photograph showed the original structure of the schoolhouse.

“Before Southwood High and Southwood Middle,” Kenzie began, “everyone was taught in the one school. Now it’s used as a shed by the elementary school.”

“I remember my folks talking about being taught in one school back in Villa San Juan.” Ramon had grown up in a Florida island town so small, they’d only needed one for a long time. He realized Southwood and Villa San Juan weren’t so different.

“It wasn’t until the late fifties the little school had enough students and funding for a total of three brick and mortar buildings. After the Second World War, while African-Americans from other towns were coming back to the same segregation they’d left, Southwood’s citizens banded together as they always had since the Civil War.”

“Why don’t you teach history?” Ramon inquired. “Didn’t Mr. Myers retire?”

Kenzie pulled her hair up into a bun, exposing her long neck. “I wouldn’t mind. I’ve substituted before. I can’t possibly think about teaching right now. That’s all I need my great-aunts and uncles to hear. I’m going to show up at these weddings and be labeled the spinster teacher. And now it looks like I’ve just hit the jackpot of artifacts. I can’t wait to show all this off at the gala this month, providing the new buyer lets me keep them.”

Ramon knew she meant him. He shrugged his shoulders. “I haven’t decided yet. There is a lot of damage and I’ve got to keep up the historic regulations.”

“True,” she agreed, still rifling through the closet.

Ramon glanced around the room. The closet had now been turned inside out. In Kenzie’s search, she tossed some things on top of the original bag. Small pieces of paper spilled out from a hole on the side.

“What’s this?” he asked, picking up a square card.

“I have no idea,” Kenzie said, inspecting it in his hand. “I can barely make out ‘Southwood’ at the top. Damn the water damage. I can’t tell. What do you think it is?”

“My gut says an election ballot,” he half teased her. “Maybe the current mayor didn’t win.”

“I wish.” Kenzie frowned. “I hate Anson with a passion. Unfortunately, when he came along, we were doing electronic ballots. No, these look much older. Hmm, the mystery grows. I told you this place was haunted—you may want to rethink buying it.”

“I don’t believe for one minute it’s haunted.”

“You don’t sound too sure.” Kenzie poked his chest. “Scared?”

“I need to come up with a proposal for how I’m going to keep the historic features intact. Maybe I need a historian, someone who can help me with the Economic Development Council.”

“Good luck,” Kenzie huffed and folded her arms across her chest.

“Kenzie, c’mon, why don’t you help me?”

“Why would I want to help you buy this place and turn it into something stupid like a hotel?”

“I already have a hotel. I can offer you something you don’t have.”

Chin jutted forward, Kenzie squared her shoulders. “What can you offer me?”

“If you’ll help me with the proposal, I’ll be your date for all your functions this month.”

“No thanks,” Kenzie quickly responded with a frown. The corners of Ramon’s mouth turned upside down. “Oh come on,” she breathed, “you don’t think I would allow you the chance to stand me up again.”

“We’ve moved beyond that, Kenzie.”

“Oh sure,” Kenzie said, rolling her eyes. “In a matter of minutes we’ve moved on. Whatever. Besides, anyone in town will know we hate each other.”

“There’s a thin line between...”

Kenzie stopped the following sentence from flowing by pressing her two fingers against his lips—that almost kissed her a few moments ago. The same lips that kissed her naked body on a bed of magnolia petals under the full moon.

“You know we can sell chemistry.” Ramon wrapped his left hand around her fingers and kissed the tips.

Kenzie waited a beat or two before pulling away with a step backward. “How so?”

Ramon stepped forward and as if in a dance move, Kenzie backed up against the wall, right where he wanted her. He pressed his hands on the wall on either side of her head. Beneath her blouse her skin rippled with goose bumps. When he dipped his head lower toward hers she pressed her lips together and closed her eyes. Chuckling, Ramon caressed the side of her face.

“Because we can’t deny it.” His lips were practically on hers. He tasted the sweet lemon frosting on her breath.

“Mr. Torres, is that you?” someone yelled and banged on the outside glass.

Kenzie pressed her head against Ramon’s chest and grabbed the lapels of his jacket while Ramon cursed in Spanish. “Think my offer over, sweetheart.”

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