Runaway Lover Read online

  Runaway Lover

  Rossi Family, Volume 1

  Palmer Jones

  Published by Sweet Blooms Publishing, LLC, 2022.

  Runaway Lover

  Rossi Family: Book One

  Palmer Jones

  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

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Epilogue

  Also by Palmer Jones

  About the Author

  1

  “You need to chill out.”

  There were certain times in Ashley Kratz’s life when she wondered how it was possible to love someone with every inch of her body and want to throttle them simultaneously. Ashley had fought an uphill battle against her strong-willed daughter ever since she’d learned the word “no.” And some things hadn’t changed.

  Fine. Taylor left her with no choice.

  Time for the “Crazy Mom” to make an appearance.

  Ashley grew louder with each word as she stalked across their tiny apartment. “I don’t need to ‘chill out.’ I don’t need you to change your shoes again. Or your shirt. Or your dang lunch.” She pointed to the door, letting her voice rise to a near shout. “What I need is for you to get your slow butt in that car before you make both of us late!”

  Taylor jogged out of their apartment, leaving Ashley in an ocean of mom guilt for screaming. She checked her watch. Hell, she didn’t even have time for the guilt at this point.

  Pushing her luck and the speed limit, Ashley zipped through the small, quaint downtown, dropping Taylor off at the middle school before making a dash to her new job.

  “At least I’ll only be three minutes late,” Ashley murmured as she whipped into the lot behind the historic building. “Score.” The perfect parking spot right in front of the rear entrance of the coffee shop, a sign that this time would be better.

  She could start over here.

  She didn’t have much of a damn choice in the matter. Sink or swim. It had been like that since escaping Texas. Too bad most days, it felt more like a doggy paddle just to keep her and her daughter’s heads above water. But she’d survive. Always had.

  Ashley jerked open the car door. The moment her sneaker touched the pavement, a truck horn blasted right behind her.

  She screamed, dropped her purse, and spun around to come face-to-face with the grill of a massive cherry red truck.

  She couldn’t even see in the front window, it towered so high. The thing rumbled behind her car, making her ride look more like one of those tiny teacup dogs standing next to a big German shepherd.

  The driver leaned out of the window. “Sorry, ma’am, but you can’t park here.”

  She set her hand on her hip, her heart still racing from the scare. “What? Why not?” She pointed at the sign that said Employees Only for the coffee shop. “I work here now. The owner said to park in the back.” She flung her hand out to the side, unable to stop the sarcasm. “This is the back.”

  The man said something she didn’t catch before the truck’s engine died.

  As he opened his door and stepped out, she kept her ground, twirling the end of her purse strap around her finger. Her history with her ex-husband made her a little leery of dealing with pissed-off men, but she refused to get pushed around. Taylor was safe at school.

  That one thought made her fast-beating heart even out. They’d tried to create a new life in a few big cities. This time, she’d settled on Hinecaster, Virginia. A small town in the middle of nowhere with a decent school system and a minimum wage job. Her new boss must not have called any of her references.

  The truck’s driver dressed nicer than she’d expected. His tan slacks, perfectly pressed and creased, were topped with a blue collared shirt. His light brown hair was cut neatly, like one of Taylor’s old Ken dolls with hair that didn’t move.

  He took off his sunglasses and smiled.

  Okay. That was an incorrect assessment. He was a major step up from those Ken dolls. She swallowed when his amber eyes locked with hers. Damn. The immunity against men that she’d built from her divorce seemed to be waning.

  “I know what the sign says, but can you please move? I need to park right here to change out a window, and I don’t want anything to fall on your car.” He motioned down the street. “There are a few spots behind the building next door. They won’t mind if you park there.”

  Ashley glanced at her watch and stepped toward the door, away from the man with the sexy, subtle cologne and perfect white teeth. It didn’t matter what he looked or smelled like. She couldn’t even think about going there. Men were off the table with Taylor in the picture.

  How the hell did women even handle juggling a job and a thirteen-year-old like Taylor?

  Besides, her daughter surviving middle school trumped anything fun happening in her dating world.

  “I’m already late,” Ashley said, backing toward the entrance. She needed this job to supplement the hit-and-miss child support payments that landed in her daughter’s account. Unfortunately, taking her ex-husband back to court for the rest of it wouldn’t happen.

  Maxwell would have to find her first.

  Sexy-trucker-guy needed to move along and aim that million-dollar smile somewhere else.

  He followed her, taking one step to her two. “Wait. I can help. I’ll move it for you and bring in your keys. Consider it a free valet service.”

  She hesitated, weighing her keys in her hand. “How do I know you won’t just steal it?”

  “Me?” He seemed shocked and then chuckled, looking down at the ground for a moment before bringing his gaze back to hers. “I don’t even have to ask if you’re from around here. I’ll walk you inside.”

  He reached ahead of her and opened the door. “Maybe someone can vouch that I’m not the town’s local car thief. You know, the kind that politely asks for the keys instead of hot-wiring the car.” He leaned down and lowered his voice. “But I can do that too.”

  Ashley caught her smile before it revealed itself and walked into the building. Smiling at hot strangers wasn’t in her rule book. The scent of coffee and freshly baked muffins reminded her that Taylor’s little stunt this morning had kept her from having breakfast. Too late now.

  A woman paused in washing her hands. Long black braids with bright blue tips were tied back at the nape of her neck, showing off a line of lime green piercings along the edge of her ear. “Oh, hey, Kyle. I see you brought us our new girl. Glad you found her. I was beginning worry. You know the motto. Being on time is late and being late is a mortal sin.”

  Kyle. Even his name sounded like the all-American guy. He probably played quarterback and sang in his church’s choir. Their lives couldn’t be any more different.

  “I need her car moved so I can replace the window in Cassie’s office.” He held out his hand again. “I can move it for her if she doesn’t have time, but before she trusts me, I need for you to verify that I’m not goi
ng to take it for a joyride.”

  She let out a hard laugh. “You? I think your Senior Superlative was most likely to never drive over the speed limit. I might have doubts about a few others in your family, but not you.”

  The woman focused her attention on Ashley. “You’re Ashley, right? Since your shift started like five minutes ago, it might be better if you let Kyle move it. Our boss can get in a bit of a temper about timeliness.” She wiped her hands on a towel. “Or anything,” she added under her breath.

  Kyle cleared his throat and wiggled his still-outstretched hand. “Um. Keys, please.”

  Ashley looked up at him, and with a touch of Taylor’s attitude, she dropped the keys into his palm. “Don’t scratch her.”

  “I’ll be lucky if I can fit into her.” He winked, and her stomach flipped. “Ashley.”

  “Thanks”—she narrowed her eyes a touch, unsure of what game he played— “Kyle.”

  His grin widened, and he left, flipping her keys in the keyring around his finger.

  The female sigh behind her made Ashley turn around. “Damn, that man is gorge, ya know?” She grinned. “But don’t mention it to Cassie. She has some grand plan to land him that’s been about two years in the making. I’m Erin.” She lowered her voice and motioned to the front of the store. “Hell, I guess the devil knows when you say her name. I recognize that stomp. Let’s get to work.”

  Erin took Ashley by the arm, tugging her to the front of the store as the thuds on the stairs grew louder. What did she mean by devil?

  “I’m going to walk you through our coffee machine. It makes every drink under the sun and may take some time to get used to. Personally, I liked our old one, but this is nice too. Cost a fortune. Cassie will let you know it at every turn.”

  “Good thing I’m a fast learner. This shouldn’t be a problem.” That was such a terrible lie. It was a wonder she didn’t laugh as she said it. The owner of the last coffee shop she worked in ended up firing her for blowing up their coffee machine.

  As in a literal ball-of-fire explosion and fire trucks screaming to her rescue.

  And the only thing she learned fast was how to survive.

  Ashley surveyed the front counter, all the goodies she smelled on display. “Do you make your own pastries and muffins?”

  “Yes. They are all Cassie’s”—she did air quotes— “secret recipes.”

  The woman who’d hired her entered the room.

  Ashley straightened, hoping she hadn’t seen Erin’s gesture. “Good morning.”

  Cassie smiled brightly. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail with one of those styled bumps on top.

  “Good morning, Ashley. I see Erin is showing you the ropes. Once you get the lay of the land, come upstairs, and we’ll fill out all of the employment forms. I normally hate it when the shop is at a lull, but the timing is great.” Her plastic smile didn’t budge. “Even if you were a few minutes late.”

  So, she had noticed that. “I’m sorry—”

  “Hello?” Kyle leaned into the coffee shop from the back storeroom. “Oh. Here you are.” He walked forward, his gaze holding Ashley’s as if no one else in the room existed. “Not a scratch, and I was right. I could barely fit.”

  She took the keys, not missing the way Cassie’s smile faltered for a moment.

  “What’s this?” Cassie asked, her tone hardening.

  Kyle’s smile deepened, revealing two dimples. “I had to play valet for your newest employee to fix that window this morning. No big deal.”

  “That was nice of you.” Cassie took Kyle by the elbow. “But we do have work to do. I’d love to hear about it later. Do you want to come by for dinner?” She led him from the room, her body suggestively pressing against his arm.

  That made perfect sense.

  Cassie was the Barbie to his Ken.

  Ashley was more sidekick material. A divorced woman, struggling to put decent clothes on her child, while worried her daughter would perfect a new pickpocket technique at school.

  She sighed. The noise must have caught his attention. At the last moment, he glanced back. His smile had disappeared, and the sudden impact of that piercing look hit her square in the chest, stealing her breath. She bit her lip and turned, trying to ignore it.

  That was the best thing to do. Lock down any thoughts of extracurriculars with Kyle because it was no use hoping they’d never run into each other. Hinecaster was barely four stoplights, and this was the only coffee shop in town.

  And don’t forget he’s dating the owner.

  “Ugh.” Erin shook her head and crossed her arms with a huff when they disappeared up the stairs. “She’s horrible. Everything Cassie does is fake. I don’t see how he stands it.”

  “You said they’d been together for two years?” Ashley walked to the sink and washed her hands. Not that she cared about who either one of them dated. She really didn’t. Giving Taylor a normal childhood and making sure she didn’t wear an orange jumpsuit instead of a graduation gown was her one and only goal.

  Erin leaned against the wall beside her, her light brown eyes sharpened along with her tone. “Let me rephrase that. Cassie has chased after him for at least two years. Maybe three by now. He hasn’t seemed to make a move one way or the other. Not that I blame her for trying. She’s single and successful. Kyle is single and successful and—”

  “Hot?” Ashley added. “Hard to miss that part.”

  “Just wait until you meet the rest of them.”

  “The rest of who?”

  Erin raised her eyebrows, the magenta jewel in her eyebrow bar catching the light. “The rest of the Rossi brothers.”

  Brothers. “You mean there’s an entire family of men as hot as Kyle?”

  A throat cleared behind them.

  Ashley squeezed her eyes shut.

  Shit!

  Had Cassie overheard that? She would lose this job as quickly as she’d gotten hired. And she hadn’t even had time to blow anything up.

  Slowly, Ashley turned.

  Nope.

  Worse than Cassie.

  Kyle, both dimples on prime display, stood there with his lips pressed together. He’d heard her. Impossible not to. Her and her big mouth.

  “I never told you where I parked your car.”

  The worry of being fired switched to embarrassed heat, her cheeks no doubt a telling shade of pink. “Uh…”

  “It’s in the lot to the right.” He took a step back. “I’ll see you around, Ashley,” he added and then left. The back door clicked closed a moment later.

  “Girl, your face is bright red.” Erin pointed at Ashley. “Not that I blame you. I’m blessed to have this complexion or else a few of those Rossis would’ve seen me blush a dozen different times.”

  Ashley fanned it. “God, I feel like an idiot for saying that. Do you think he heard me say that?”

  “Absolutely. Although, it’s better that he heard it and you’re only embarrassed. If Cassie thought she had some competition, I’m afraid you’d lose this job.” Erin laughed and patted her shoulder. “C’mon. He’s a really nice guy, but I guarantee you that Kyle knows what the world's female population thinks of him. All of the Rossi men do. Let’s get you up to Cassie to fill out those forms so you can start work. It’s going to be nice having someone else around this place to talk to.”

  “Cassie isn’t really as mean as you make her out to be, is she?”

  Erin paused with a foot on the bottom step. “I was trying to go easy on you. She’s worse. My only suggestion is to stay away from her guy, don’t mess up, and always be on time.”

  Well, she could handle one out of three of those. Kyle was off-limits for more reasons than just her boss having a thing for the man.

  And this time she’d try her damnedest not to screw up. They needed to stay somewhere longer than a few months. Taylor still hadn’t forgiven her for moving them from Texas. She didn’t understand the reasons for leaving, and Ashley didn’t plan on giving them to her yet. When her e
x, Maxwell, went to prison for involvement in a drug scheme, it was easy to request a divorce and get full custody. But now that he was out…things weren’t so easy. She’d swapped phones after he discovered her last number. So far, he’d left her alone.

  Hinecaster was their home now. At least until the money or their welcome ran out and they skipped to a new city. Again.

  2

  The simple three-hour job had turned into a seven-hour ordeal. Kyle took his time with the window replacement and ended up sitting through a lunch date with Cassie at the Mexican restaurant down the street.

  All in an attempt to see Ashley again.

  He loaded his tools into the back of the truck. Why did she intrigue him so much? Ashley was pretty. That was just a basic fact of life. Petite and curvy. But it was something else that caught him off guard.

  A shock to his system that was probably just a trick of his mind. Buying six cups of coffee and four cookies throughout the day just to catch a glimpse of a woman was unprecedented territory. It had been over a decade since he had felt this interest in a woman. And it didn’t get him anything but indigestion from the coffee. She’d been too busy fumbling with that machine to ever start a conversation.

  “Hey, mister? Is this yours?”

  The young girl’s voice made him turn. She held out a cell phone. His cell phone. “Yeah. Thanks.”

  She pointed to the ledge next to the back entrance. “You set it over there. Wouldn’t want anyone to steal it.”