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“I don’t think that’s true, Joshua. To be fair, he only started to dislike you when we began dating.”
The Prescott brothers had always been protective of their little sister. She had been the jewel in their crown. As the oldest, Boone had taken it upon himself to act as Honor’s guardian. It had driven her crazy to be treated like a child, which had led to many fights between Honor and Boone.
Being a father provided Joshua with insight. He knew without a shadow of a doubt he would protect Violet’s heart the same way Boone had tried to safeguard Honor. And Lord help the young man if he acted as wild and foolish as he once had.
“I sure gave him plenty of reasons to dislike me,” Joshua said, reflecting on his teenage antics. “It must have been hard to see your boyfriend go head-to-head with your brother so often. Sadly, I never really stopped to consider how my actions affected other people. I wonder sometimes how things might have been different if I had acted accordingly.”
“It’s impossible to go back and change the past.” There was tension laced in Honor’s voice. He wondered if she was thinking about what might have been if the circumstances had been different.
He reached for her chin and lifted it up so their gazes locked.
“I’m sorry for every ounce of pain I inflicted on you,” he said in a tender voice. “And I hate that we’re on opposite sides regarding Bud’s estate.”
Honor shrugged. “It can’t be helped, can it? It’s just the way it is.”
“I suppose not,” he said, gently stroking the line of her jaw with his finger. “Honor Prescott, you’re still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. For the record, any man would be fortunate to have you.” His own words served as a reminder of how blessed he’d once felt to have been loved by Honor. “And I know it’s been a long time since we’ve done this, but I’d like to kiss you.”
Chapter Eleven
I’d like to kiss you.
It had been a long time since Honor had kissed a man. The last time she had kissed Joshua he’d been more boy than man. If she was being honest with herself, this kiss had been in the back of her mind since she’d first seen him at the ranch a few weeks ago. But with so much standing between them, a kiss had seemed impossible.
Her mouth felt dry. All she could do was nod. He dipped his head down and placed his mouth over hers in a tender, romantic meeting of their lips. He tasted sweet like cinnamon. As his lips moved over hers, Honor wished it could go on forever and ever.
Kissing Joshua felt like coming home. It was familiar and achingly gentle. It took her back to a more innocent time when she had believed in fairy-tale endings and enduring love. Her nostrils were filled with the rich, woodsy scent of him. She raised her hands up and trailed her fingers along the nape of his neck. Her fingers brushed against his hair.
When the kiss ended, Joshua swept his lips against her temple. His touch was feather light. He threaded his hands through her hair and pulled her back toward him for another kiss. When they finally broke apart, Honor felt breathless.
This is what had been missing from her life for all this time. Sparks. Not a single man had ever made her feel the way Joshua did. This feeling of being one with another person. A connection that withstood separation and pain and disappointment.
Joshua ran his palm against the side of her face. “Honor. You’re making me feel like I’m sixteen all over again.”
She looked up into his eyes. “I haven’t felt like this in a long time. Not since we were together,” she whispered.
“I feel the same way,” he said, letting out a deep breath.
Fear rose up inside her. Joshua felt something, too. It made it all the more real and frightening. She had been down this road before and gotten terribly hurt in the process. It was like playing with fire. This pull she felt toward Joshua could cause her heartbreak down the road. Sharing a kiss didn’t change a thing. There were still huge chasms between them.
For so long Honor had stuffed her emotions down, fearful of cracking into little pieces. She had mourned the loss of Joshua so fiercely that her heart hadn’t been able to open itself up to anyone else ever since.
Was she just gettin
g carried away by the moment? She was a very sentimental person. Perhaps that’s all this was. Nostalgia over the past and her first love. An inability to close the door on something that had ended a long time ago.
“I can tell your brain is racing with a hundred different thoughts.” He reached out and smoothed a spot on her forehead with his fingers. “And this little frown needs to go away. Stop worrying so much.”
Honor couldn’t think of a single thing to say. She had been worried ever since Joshua stepped foot back in town. It always felt as if raging rivers stood between them. On some level they both knew that this brief interlude would quickly fade away in the harsh light of day. When they each woke up tomorrow morning, nothing will have changed. If the injunction held out, there would be resentment simmering between them. And if the sale of the ranch was approved, Joshua would be leaving Love and returning to the life he’d built in Seattle.
It was best to focus on lighter things. If only for tonight. When Joshua had told her about embracing Violet as his own despite the fact that she wasn’t his biological child, Honor had felt a strong urge to tell him about the child they’d lost. But what good would it have done? Much like the rest of their relationship, it was water under the bridge.
“You said that you wanted to see any new additions to town. I have something to show you,” Honor said, tugging Joshua by the arm and leading him a few feet down the street.
She stopped in her tracks and pointed at the building. “Look! It’s the Free Library of Love. Isn’t it magnificent?”
“Wow. It’s fantastic,” Joshua said as he admired the building. “Love is patient. Love is kind. Corinthians.” He read the words imprinted on the front of the library.
“Love never fails,” Honor said, wishing in her heart it was true. Love had failed both of them in the past. And here she stood with Joshua in the moonlight having just shared a fantastic embrace with him. She must be all kinds of crazy to have ventured down that road with him again.
