Every Little Kiss (Sequoia Lake Book 2) Read online

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  ALSO BY MARINA ADAIR Sequoia Lake series It Started with a Kiss The Eastons Chasing I Do Promise You Me Crazy in Love Destiny Bay series Last Kiss of Summer Feels Like the First Time Heroes of St. Helena series Need You for Keeps Need You for Always Need You for Mine St. Helena Vineyard series Kissing Under the Mistletoe Summer in Napa Autumn in the Vineyard Be Mine Forever From the Moment We Met Sugar, Georgia series Sugar’s Twice as Sweet Sugar on Top A Taste of Sugar

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Text copyright © 2017 by Marina Adair All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher. Published by Montlake Romance, Seattle www.apub.com Amazon, the Amazon logo, and Montlake Romance are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates. ISBN-13: 9781477848784 ISBN-10: 1477848789 Cover design by Janet Perr Cover photography by Regina Wamba of MaeIDesign.com

  To my dear friend and plotting partner, Skye Jordan. You never fail to amaze me.

  CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 3 CHAPTER 4 CHAPTER 5 CHAPTER 6 CHAPTER 7 CHAPTER 8 CHAPTER 9 CHAPTER 10 CHAPTER 11 CHAPTER 12 CHAPTER 13 CHAPTER 14 CHAPTER 15 CHAPTER 16 CHAPTER 17 CHAPTER 18 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  CHAPTER 1 After ten years of working graveyards in the ER, there wasn’t much Olivia Preston couldn’t handle. She was skilled, calm under pressure, and knew how to take charge in even the most life-threatening of situations. Yet, as Liv walked around to the back of her car and saw Superdog Stan crumpled near her bumper, lying in a puddle of his own stuffing, a button eye hanging on by a thread, panic bubbled up until she could barely breathe. With her heart thundering in her chest, she scooped up the patient and raced across the parking lot, bursting through the doors of the closest shop she found open. The sun had just risen, the day had barely begun, and already she had a code red on her hands. “I need a twelve-gauge needle, the thickest thread you have, sanitary wipes, and something to pack wounds,” she called out to Mavis, who stood by the checkout counter flipping through a stack of gossip magazines. Mavis Bates was the owner of the fastest senior scooter in town and Pins and Needl

  CHAPTER 2 An hour later, Liv had dropped off a very tearful Paxton at camp, fielded three calls from the camp counselor saying Paxton was still standing at the edge of the park waiting for pickup, and pulled into Mercy General with twenty minutes to spare. Paxton had taken a huge step in the right direction today, and now it was Liv’s turn. And she was ready. She had to be ready. It had taken her a full year to accept that Sam was never coming home, which was step one in Finding Life after Death. Step two had been terrifying, experiencing the loss and grief, which was why she’d acted on that step right away. Moving back to Sam’s hometown to be around people who had known and loved him was as much for Paxton as it had been for Liv. Which got her to today. Step three: adjusting to the environment without the deceased. Liv pulled out her phone, pushed the bottom button, and said, “Siri, what is listed in ‘Olivia, Take the Wheel’ under step three?” “All right. Here is what I found in your

  CHAPTER 3 Liv had become a pro at making lemonade out of all of the lemons life had thrown her way. But today, she was certain she’d need something much stronger. She’d made it through a six-car pileup that backed up the ER for most of the day, a child-neglect case that resulted in casting a four-year-old’s arm and making a call that she was sure would rip apart a family. Then spent her lunch finishing up paperwork and brainstorming how, between the hours of midnight and three a.m., Liv was to become Mercy General’s social liaison without breaking down. But after receiving a call from home, Carolyn explaining how Paxton had barricaded himself in his room after camp, not even coming out for one of his grandma’s famous peanut butter cookies, Liv realized how close she was to tears. Especially right then, with only a stubborn vending machine separating her from the last Hostess cupcake in the entire hospital. She’d checked. Which was why she’d dug up her last four quarters from the depths

  CHAPTER 4 “I’m sure he was just testing his boundaries,” Liv said to the 120 pounds of coiffed hair and When I was a mother censure staring her down from the other side of the kitchen island. Carolyn Preston was as known for her generous nature as she was for her unsolicited advice. She’d give a stranger her last dollar—and then her opinion on how to fix his life. She was an expert in every field, quoted Wikipedia as if it were delivered on stone tablets, and insisted on making tuna casserole even though she knew Liv hated tuna. She was Paxton’s biggest advocate, Liv’s biggest critic—and back from Palm Beach for the summer. When word reached her that Liv needed a sitter, Carolyn had packed up and rented a place across town—even though Liv had offered her the guest room. Liv appreciated the help, but the self-help pamphlets, which were strategically placed throughout the house, she could do without. Saturday night, after a particularly craptastic day at the hospital, she’d reached for h

  CHAPTER 5 After a decade of dealing with panic-driven subjects, Ford had more than earned a PhD in nonverbal cues and body language. And Liv Preston was most definitely interested. A nice thought, and had she been any other woman, he might have considered it. But she was a single mom, Paxton’s mom, and they both had a heartbreaking past. A past he’d played a role in—and that made it impossible. So this attraction between them would never go beyond flirting. “I wasn’t going to steal anything, just returning your dog,” she said. “He seems to have befriended my son.” With a grin, he pointed to the big pot on her right. “The key’s under the fern. But next time you can just try the door. It’s unlocked.” “Oh, I promise there won’t be a next time,” she said, shoving some kind of braided leash made from yarn at him. “Too bad.” Ford stuck his board in the sand, resting one arm at its peak. “Because I can’t promise you the same. Once Bullseye here finds a friend, he has a hard time letting go.”

  CHAPTER 6 Smelling of iodine and still in her scrubs, Liv hurried to the back of the Bear Claw Bakery and plopped down at the end of the table, going low in the seat, a little breathless from her mad dash across the parking lot. She’d just finished a shift at the hospital and was gearing up for her second shift as president of Team Paxton Fan Club when she’d seen Ford standing across the street looking like sex on a stick. The worst part was that he’d seen her. Not just a moment ago, but the other night on the beach. He’d blasted right past the grieving-widow exterior and spoke to that place, deep inside, that she purposefully kept secret. Even more terrifying, she liked what she heard. She could blame the romantic backdrop of the sun setting over the deep blue lake for confusing her. But she was pretty sure it was the man himself. Which was why she’d spent the early part of the week avoiding him. A hard task since he lived just three doors down. But when Liv set her mind to something,

  CHAPTER 7 “I heard you had a magical touch with the ladies,” Dorothy Pines, current citizen in need, said, and Ford sighed. He wanted to argue that it wasn’t the touch that was magical but which lady he was touching that was the game changer. But since he was on the job, and the lady in question was a fifty-pound bulldog named Bubbles who’d gotten herself stuck in an air vent, he let it go. It was Thursday, his shift was coming to a close, and this was the most exciting thing to happen to him since running into Liv on the beach three days ago. Not that he’d seen her since. She’d been playing a one-sided game of Hide-from-the-Neighbor. On Tuesday she’d been watering her flowers when Ford stepped out on
the deck. Liv dove behind the planter, only giving him a reluctant wave when Bullseye sniffed her out for a morning high five to the backside. Yesterday, he’d spotted her pulling up to get Paxton from camp. She took one look at Ford and bolted into the Bear Claw as if hellhounds were on h

  CHAPTER 8 Friday afternoon, Ford arrived at the station expecting to find Harris busy in his office fielding calls from citizens in need. Instead, his desk was covered with missing pet reports dating back a decade, but Ford’s boss was absent. Maybe on a call. Which meant that Ford was free to eat his lunch in peace. Only when he got to his office, Harris was sitting behind his desk, feet propped up, with a blonde in his lap. A giggling pixie of a blonde with big blue eyes, wearing ballet shoes and a tiara. “Hey, Emma,” Ford said to Harris’s daughter, who was already scrambling off his lap trying to get at Bullseye. But unlike other kids who would launch into a dog, Emma stopped at Ford’s feet and looked up, her hands behind her back, little hips swaying. “Mr. Ford, can I play with Bullseye, or is he still working?” Ford looked over at his dog, who hadn’t worked a day since they’d arrived, and said, “He’s on a break, so have at it.” Emma bounced on her toes, the skirt of her dress movin

  CHAPTER 9 “I told you to get to know her, not ask her out on a date,” Harris said into the headset, the wind and chopper blades muffling his voice. “It’s not a date,” Ford shouted back as Bullseye barked into the wind. Ford was leaning backward off the side of a Super Huey, Bullseye strapped to his side in a doggy Bjorn, with only a helicopter skid and a hundred-foot rope between them and rocky terrain. Ty was already on the ground below, and because this was a joint training with CalFire, Harris was next to Ford, hooked into his rappelling gear instead of piloting the bird, and Bullseye was harness-on goggles-down, waiting for the go. Today’s exercise was supposed to be fast roping into uneven terrain, but Harris was making it an exercise in patience. Harris could be a whiner. “As head of community outreach, this is what I do,” Ford added. Harris turned his head toward Ford, and even through his aviator glasses he could clearly make out a bullshit expression. “And you’re doing it when

  CHAPTER 10 “Is this what you had in mind?” Liv asked. Ford looked from the cluster of pine trees above the lake that Liv was pointing out, into her bedroom eyes, and admitted he was up to no good. He’d kept it casual as they’d wound their way along the lake’s edge and toward the first potential ropes-course site. But the knowledge of just how good she felt by his side was almost as troublesome as the empty promise he’d made back on the beach. He should have gone back to bed the second he read her text this morning canceling, taken the out the universe handed him, and run. Only running would have left Liv standing alone, and Ford couldn’t stomach the idea. Not when he’d spent most of last night going over the past two years. Every search, every call, every visit to Sequoia Lake raced around in his mind until the overwhelming itch to pack up and head into another storm became so acute he’d pulled out his bag at first light. But no matter how many times he checked his bag, he always felt

  CHAPTER 11 “It was just a kiss,” Liv repeated for the third time that night, refusing to be one of those women who obsessed over ridiculous things—like how it had been three days since the kiss and Ford hadn’t called. Not that she’d expected him to, or even that she would have known what to say if he had, since “Thanks” was the best she’d come up with. But some kind of word would have been nice, especially since she hadn’t seen his Jeep in the driveway. “Then why did you scout out the bar before agreeing to come inside?” Avery asked, with a knowing grin. “I was looking for Grace,” Liv said primly. “Grace is right there, in the same place she was two minutes ago when we were outside and she waved us in.” Avery pointed to a booth in the far back corner. “Yet you haven’t taken your eyes off the bar since we walked in.” Just like she couldn’t get her mind off the way her body had melted when Ford’s lips touched hers in a kiss that changed everything. It felt like the end and the beginning

  CHAPTER 12 It was past the lunch hour when Ford walked out of the Bear Claw Bakery, a hot pastrami sandwich in hand. Only instead of finding Bullseye in the Jeep where he’d left him, the dog was sitting on a bench in front of the shop, with a stray teddy bear next to him. “Where did you get that one?” Ford asked. Bullseye immediately began grooming his new friend. “Not happening.” Ford grabbed the stolen stuffed animal right as Bullseye was about to start gumming his ear. Based on the amount of saliva dripping off the toy, he’d already given him a tongue bath. “This doesn’t belong to you, so tell me where you got it, and we are taking it back.” Bullseye looked up at him with puppy eyes, as if saying he had no idea what Ford was talking about. When that didn’t work, he started howling. Loud and drawn out and a damn fine acting job. Everyone in the bakery looked out the window to see what the big, bad man was doing to that sweet dog. “Fine, but if some kid goes to bed crying because he l

  CHAPTER 13 “How is this my fault?” Ford asked, because there was no way his friend could be serious. “You asked for volunteers who had the interest and the time,” Harris said with a shit-eating grin. “So I found you volunteers who have all the time and interest you could hope for.” “But can they walk without a cane?” Ford grumbled. “I don’t know, let’s ask. Ladies,” Harris said, addressing the group of ten, who came in all shapes and sizes. The only thing they had in common, besides dogs, was a senior discount card for the Bunny Slope Supermarket. “How many of you can walk without canes?” Every hand went up, except Mavis, who had no dog, but she did have a wheelchair that could do zero to speed-of-light in point four seconds. “See.” Harris clapped Ford on the back. “Now, get to teaching, Officer Doolittle. I approved that permit, so you have two weeks to train four of these teams so they can handle some basic crowd control.” Harris disappeared back inside the station, leaving Ford in t

  CHAPTER 14 Liv’s bones turned to mush. “What?” “Not that, cupcake,” Ford said on a groan. “Although, that I want more than you could possibly know. But Paxton is home, and I’m not feeling gentle tonight.” He sure felt gentle, the tender way he cupped her hip, pulling her closer until she was dizzy with his scent. Yet it wasn’t the desire lacing his eyes that had her taking his hand and leading him to his deck. Although there was enough heat to melt her panties, there was something much more than chemistry humming between them. Something raw and vulnerable. Something desperate. “Whatever you need,” she said quietly as they walked up the steps. Ford stood at the deck’s edge. “Clark White was brought into Mercy General today. He was unconscious, suffering from a punctured lung, and probably has some internal bleeding.” Liv linked their fingers. “Is he a friend of yours?” “No,” Ford said, looking out at the lake. Wetsuit clinging to his hips, water still dripping from his body, the blue li

  CHAPTER 15 “How many more sheriffs’ badges do we have left to paint?” Grace asked, wiping gold glitter off her fingers onto her apron. “I’m starting to see doubles of everything.” Liv was having a hard time seeing anything past her upcoming date with Ford. It had been three days since their impromptu dinner turned dessert, and her body was still tingling. In fact, her whole world felt all tingly. Which accounted for the goofy grin she wore. “At least you’re on paint duty. I’ve stabbed every finger twice.” Avery sucked on her pointer finger. “There is no safety in these pins.” “There’s only one more box, and then we’re done,” Liv said, looking at the rows of drying sheriffs’ badges lining her kitchen counter. “The Stroller Patrol is taking care of the spurs for their feet, and Mr. Burns got us a deal on pink cowgirl hats for the girls.” A few weeks ago, Liv hadn’t known even half of those people except in passing. Now she was making connections, building relationships, and spreading her

  CHAPTER 16 “How about your pillow?” Liv asked as Paxton dragged his backpack down the hallway with one hand, his jacket with the other, his Superman slippers scuffing the floor with each step. “Grandma didn’t put it on the list,” Paxton said, shrugging into his jacket. “She said I
only had to bring what was on the list. And a pillow wasn’t on the list.” “Then no pillow needed,” Liv assured him, kneeling down and zipping him up tight. “But if you decide you need yours, all you have to do is call and I’ll bring it over. You’re right across the lake. I can be there in a few minutes.” “I know,” he said. “You showed me her house.” “That’s right,” Liv said, pulling Paxton’s backpack out of his closet. She’d spent most of yesterday preparing Paxton for the idea of a sleepover at Grandma’s, then all of today wondering if she should just cancel. “Now is there anything else you think you might need?” “I got my cape and my mask.” He patted his bag. “And I packed an extra one in case Grandma wants

  CHAPTER 17 Liv didn’t know how long they lay there, watching the stars and listening to each other breathe, but when she heard a ding come from inside the house, she looked up. “The pork?” He traced her lower lip with his finger. “Sorry, cupcake. It was already burned when I went back inside, so I ordered pizza.” Liv leaned up and kissed his chin. “I love pizza.” “Good.” He stood, not concerned that he was on his back deck in all of his glory. “I’ll go get it.” “You might want to get dressed before you answer the door,” she said, tossing his jeans at him—which he caught midair. If the man got dressed, he waited until he was back in the house to do it, gifting her with an amazing view. Liv lay back and looked up at the sky, wondering when the stars had become so bright. Right around the time she’d opened her eyes. And her heart. This wasn’t just a relationship starting to bloom. This was love. At least the beginning stages of it. Liv had loved before. Knew what the real thing felt like.

  CHAPTER 18 “Sit still,” Emma said a few days later, waving a metallic-pink hair-chalk pen in Ford’s direction. “One more color and then I’ll put it back to normal.” And because normal sounded like something Ford could get behind, and his heels were killing his feet, he shifted his leopard-print tutu and took a seat. His butt squeezed into the tot-size barber chair, Ford looked in the mirror at his metallic-purple-and-pink-streaked tips and cringed. “Are you sure this will wash out?” “Uh-huh. And it turns the bathwater sparkly pink,” Emma said, as if that was an added bonus to letting a six-year-old color your hair. “All right, just don’t get it in my eyes this time.” “I won’t!” Emma said, giving not one but three more strokes of the hair chalk. “Daddy, Ford’s almost ready for his family picture with Bullseye. He just needs his lips glossed.” Bullseye had gotten off light, as far as Ford was concerned. Dressed in a pink tutu with a matching bow behind his ear, he was sound asleep by the