Page 43 of The Moment They Can't Forget

He’d had his hands and mouth on her again last night, and he’d wanted more. Craved more. The woman was turning him inside out, and he didn’t know what to do about it.

Filling up food and water bowls, JD grabbed his coffee and walked outside.

He and Sawyer had built this deck after living in the place for a few months. He’d wanted to get the feel for it before changing anything. It was now his favorite place. One end was a glass conservatory, and the other open, and this was where he headed. The sun had risen, but it was still cool on his skin. Dropping into his lounger, JD stretched out and looked around him.

He’d thought about sharing this place with a woman. Getting another lounger and having her beside him while he drank his morning coffee. Strange how now he could picture the one woman he could never have there.

Zoe Duke was out of bounds to him, and he needed to remember that and not slip up like he did last night. Seeing Jett Hyland with his hands on her had made him angry. He’d turned away before storming over there and breaking the plumber’s face.

Sawyer had asked him what was wrong, and he’d said it was indigestion from the cheese. It hadn’t been.

“No more,” he said to Velma, who hopped up on the edge of his lounger. “I have to fight this attraction to her,” he said to the duck, who quacked back in understanding.

This was his small piece of paradise. No neighbors looking in on him. A pond for his duck and any other birds that wanted to hang out with her. Animals and a home—this was all he needed.

This place was nothing like what he’d left behind in Denver or LA. No one dropped by with air kisses to gossip or tell him he was expected at the country club. He’d thought the life his parents had raised him to live suited him. He’d realized just how wrong he’d been when he left and found freedom.

The buzz on his wrist told him his phone was ringing somewhere. He thought about leaving it, but it could be an emergency at The Gnat or with any of the friends he’d made here in Lyntacky.

Running into the house, which did nothing to ease the ache in his head, he picked up the phone.

“Hopper.”

“Could you bring Parsnip and Pumpkin to school for the petting zoo, JD?”

“Ally?”

“Yeah, it’s me. I may or may not have told my entire class I had two goats that I could bring to school for the fair.”

He took a large mouthful of coffee.

“The thing is, JD,” she said in that soft, squeaky voice Ally sometimes got when she was excited. Funny how he knew that about her. “I may or may not have said it, like, over a month ago, because that rat Levi Tompkins was bragging about bringing his amazing pony.”

“And you said you’d be bringing my amazing goats?”

“I didn’t exactly say your goats, just goats,” she said.

JD felt his first smile of the day.

“And I thought they’d forget.”

“But clearly they haven’t?”

“Levi Tompkins told everyone yesterday that I was bringing two goats. He then laughed in my face and said it was a big fat lie.”

“What did you do to him?” JD asked, entertained by the conversation. He was sure she’d done something, seeing as she was a Duke.

“I knew which computer Levi was working on after lunch and turned the screen upside down. He got into trouble.” She was whispering now.

“I’m standing two feet behind you, Ally,” a deep voice drawled.

“Ssh, Dad, I’m talking to JD.”

He laughed then. This kid was hilarious and kept her family on their toes constantly. Before coming here, he hadn’t had much exposure to children, but he had to admit he enjoyed his interactions with this one.

“That was a clever move, Ally.”

“Dad taught me. He did it to Uncle Ryder once.”

---