not to wince. “See, I knew you would ask that.”
Joss accused gently, “You slept with her.”
“Only once. And technically, well, there was no sleeping.”
She laughed again. Really, she had the best laugh. “Jace, I believe you’re a dog.”
He tipped his drink and stared down into it. “Maybe I was. Not anymore, though. I have changed my ways.”
She made a disbelieving sound. “Right.”
“No, seriously, I’m not the man I used to be. Too bad I’m not real clear on who, exactly, I’ve become. I lack… direction. Everyone says so. I’m not interested in women anymore. I don’t want to get laid. Or married. Also, I’ve given up my place in the family business and my family is freaked over that.”
“You live here in Thunder Canyon?”
“No, in Midland, Texas. Or I did. I have a nice little spread outside of town there. But I’ve put my place up for sale. I’m moving. I just don’t know where to yet. In the meantime, I’m here for a weeklong family reunion—a reunion that is going on right now, here at the resort, over at DJ’s Rib Shack.”
“I have another question, Jace.”
“Shoot.”
“Is there anything you do want?”
“That, Jocelyn Marie, is the question of the hour. Please come with me back to the Rib Shack.”
She was running her finger around the rim of her drink again. “You didn’t answer the question of the hour.”
“All right. There is nothing that I want—except for you to come back to the Rib Shack with me.”
Her smooth brow furrowed a little. “And I would want to go to your family reunion because?”
“Because only you can protect me from my family and all the women who want things from me that I’m not capable of giving them.”
She shook that head of thick brown hair and sat straighter on her stool. “Before I decide whether to go with you or not, I need to get something crystal clear.”
“Fine.”
“I want you to listen very carefully, Jace.”
He assumed a suitably intent expression. “I’m listening.”
“I’m. Not. Going. To. Have. Sex. With. You.”
“Oh, that.” He waved a hand. “It’s okay. I don’t care about that.”
“So you say now.”
“Look, Joss, I like you. You’re the first bright spot in my life in months. I just want to hang around with you for a while. Have a few laughs. No pressure. No drama. Nothing hot and heavy. No big romance.”
She stared at him for several seconds. Her expression said she still wasn’t sure she believed him. Finally she asked, “So you want to be… friends? Honestly? Just friends?”
“My God, I would love that.” He put some money on the bar. “The Rib Shack?”
She downed the last of her margarita. “Why not?”
Chapter Two
Joss surprised herself when she agreed to go with Jace.
But then, she got what he meant when he said that he liked her. She liked him, too. And not because he was tall and lean and handsome with thick, glossy dark hair and velvet-brown eyes. Not because he smelled of soap and a nice, clean, subtle, probably very expensive aftershave. Not because he was undeniably hot.
She didn’t care about hot. Her life had pretty much crumbled to nothing a week before. Finding a hot guy—or any guy for that matter—was the last thing on her mind.
Jocelyn liked Jason because he made her laugh. Because, even though he carried himself like he owned the world, she could see in his eyes that he really was flummoxed by life, that he used to be one guy and now he wasn’t that guy anymore. That he wasn’t all that familiar with the guy he was now. Joss could relate to that kind of confusion. It was exactly the confusion she felt.
She entered the Rib Shack on Jace’s arm. The casual, Western-themed restaurant was packed. Jason Traub, as it turned out, had a very large family.
“Jason, there you are,” said a good-looking older woman with a slim figure and sleek light brown hair. “I was starting to wonder if you’d already left.”
“No, Ma,” Jace said, his charming smile not quite masking the wariness in his eyes. “I’m still here.”
Jace’s mother turned a bright glance on Joss. “Hello.”
Jace made the introductions. Joss smiled and nodded at his mom, whose name was Claudia.
Claudia asked, “Do you live here in town, Jocelyn?”
“No, I’m from Sacramento.”
Jace said, “Joss is staying here at the resort.”
“With your family?” his mom quizzed. Claudia had that look, Joss thought, the look of a mother on the trail of every bit of information she could gather about the new girl her son had brought to the family party.
“I’m here on my own,” Joss told her. “Having a great time, too. I love the spa. And the shopping in the resort boutiques. And I’m learning to play golf.” All of it on Kenny Donovan’s dime, thank you very much.
An ordinary-looking man a few years older than Jace’s mom stepped up and took Claudia’s arm. Claudia beamed at him, her golden-brown eyes glowing with affection. “Darling, this is Jocelyn, Jason’s new friend. Jocelyn, my husband, Pete—we’re staying here at the resort, too. A romantic getaway, just us two old folks in the Governor’s Suite.”
Joss was in the Honeymoon Suite, but she didn’t say so. It would only be asking for more questions than she was prepared to answer at the moment—which was kind of amusing in a dark sort of way. She hadn’t even hesitated to tell Jace that she’d run away from her own wedding. But somehow, with everyone else, well, she didn’t want to go there. And she really appreciated that Jace was keeping his mouth shut about it.
He seemed like a great guy. And his parents were adorable, she thought. So much in love, so attentive to each other. There should be more couples in the world like Claudia and Pete.
Claudia said, “I hope you’ll join us for dinner tomorrow night, Jocelyn. It will be at the home of Jason’s twin, Jackson, and Jackson’s wife, Laila. They have a nice little property not far from town.”
“Yeah, you should come,” Jace said with enthusiasm. “I’ll take you.”
Joss gave him a look that said he shouldn’t push it and asked, “You have a twin?”
Claudia
