I caught Jonah out of the corner of my eye, heading my way. “It was really nice talking to y’all. I have to get goin’.” I took off for the doors.

“Hey,” Violet called after me. “Aren’t you going to get lunch with us?”

“I’ll take a rain check,” I shouted over my tensed shoulders. I didn’t look back until I pulled my truck out of the parking lot.

Chapter Sixteen

I spent the rest of the drive stewing over the mess that had become my life. Jonah Pruitt, Violet, and all my unresolved issues with Joe. I didn’t know how to resolve any of them, which made me feel even worse.

When I turned down my street, I gasped. Joe’s car was parked in my driveway.

He was home.

I tried to settle the raging butterflies in my stomach. Could he be done with his assignment?

But when I pulled into the driveway and saw his face, my stomach balled into a lump that weighed ten pounds. He was sitting on my front porch waiting for me. And he didn’t look happy.

I opened my door and climbed out as he came down the porch steps. “Joe, I know you were upset—”

Before I could finish my sentence, his arms were around my waist, pulling me to his chest as his mouth found mine. I reached for his face, holding him close in case he changed his mind.

But he covered my hands with his and lifted his head, searching my eyes. “I don’t care about the stupid truck, Rose. I only care about you. I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry too. I could have waited, but—”

He kissed me again, long and deep, letting me know exactly how much he’d missed me. “No more talk about this mess. I only have a few hours, and I don’t want to ruin it.”

My heart seized. “You’re not done with your job?”

He shook his head. “Not yet, darlin’, but we’re close. I had a break for the afternoon, and I drove straight here when I found out. I tried calling you, but you weren’t answering your cell phone.” He took in my dress. “Where’ve you been?”

“Church. How long have you been here?” I hated that I’d missed a single minute with him, especially after what I’d been through.

“Not that long. Maybe fifteen minutes. Since when did you start goin’ to church?”

“This morning was a one-time thing I hope to never repeat. I’ll tell you about it later.” I pressed my lips to his. “I can think of something better to do with our time.”

Joe grinned. “Then why are we still outside?” He lifted me up so that I straddled his waist, pulling the back of my dress down to cover my behind.

I giggled, swatting his shoulder “Joe, what are you doing? I’m about to flash the neighbors.”

“I’ve let Mildred down by not giving her a show. I plan on making up for it.”

“Well, it’s all for nothin’. She’s not home yet. She was at church too.”

His eyebrows lifted, a suspicious look covering his face. “You and Mildred were at church together?”

“It was sort of a coincidence. Let’s leave it at that.”

Joe didn’t look convinced, but he must have decided he’d rather focus on his conjugal visit because he climbed the steps, still holding me like I weighed nothing until he reached the front door. Then he slid me down his front while he pushed through the door. Muffy followed behind him, jumping up on my legs and wanting to be petted.

“Not now, Muffy,” Joe mumbled against my lips as he slammed the door and unzipped the back of my dress.

I grabbed his cheeks, kissing him as he pushed me backward down the hall. He paused in my room, tugged my dress off my shoulders and let it drop to the floor so I was only in my underwear.

“I don’t want to lose you, Rose.” His eyes were filled with fear.

“I’m not going anywhere.” I caressed his cheek with my fingertips.

He kissed me again, and we spent the next half hour proving how much we loved each other. Afterward, I lay in his arms, staring up into his face. His mouth was drawn down, and his eyes were full of worry.

“Joe, I’m sorry I bought the truck without you. I know how much you wanted to help me.”

He shook his head slowly. “I’m glad you got a truck. Really, I am. You’re right. It’ll come in handy with the business. I’m not sure why I didn’t think of it sooner. You have every right to be friends with Mason Deveraux. I was worried he’d tell you my secret before I was ready, but then I realized he’s hiding from his past too. I have no right to ask him to stay away from you as long as he’s not making any moves to try to steal you away from me.”

I chuckled. “Steal me away from you? What makes you think he’d do that? We’re friends, Joe.”

His fingers swept stray hands of hair from my cheek. “You’re a beautiful woman, Rose Gardner. I’m surprised you don’t have a line of men trying to win your heart.”

I laughed, shaking my head. “Now you’ve lost your mind. You know most of the people in this town think I’m odd. You were the first man who ever paid any attention to me.”

“But you’re different now. You were pretty before, but you dress differently now and your hair’s styled. But more importantly, you have a confidence you didn’t have before. You’ve grown into yourself, and people are noticing…men are noticing.” He swallowed. “I admit that it makes me nervous. What if you decide you’ve outgrown me? What if you decide that Violet was right, that you should date other men? We’re starting to look at a future together. I worry that you’ll think you need to experience life more first. Life without me.”