Defiant Heart (Starlight Cove Book 1)

AFTER SLOWLY DRIVING through the preserve, avoiding all the fallen branches and debris, Brady pulled up in front of the main inn. I turned to him, intent to tell him thanks for the ride, but he was already out of the car and walking around to my side before I could utter a word. He opened my door, one brow cocked when I didn’t scramble out immediately.

I rolled my eyes and stepped out of the car, tossing my bag over my shoulder. “Believe it or not, Sheriff, some people actually use words to tell people what they’re thinking rather than just facial expressions and grunts.”

Still silent, he locked his eyes with mine as he reached out and slid my overnight tote off my shoulder, then he stalked toward the entrance, purple floral bag gripped in his hand.

“You didn’t need to walk me to the door,” I said as I followed behind him. “I don’t think I’ll come across anything that will cause me harm in fifteen feet.”

“I need to talk to Aiden and Addison.”

Oh. Well. That made a lot more sense than what had been going through my mind since we’d pulled up to the scene of the crime—namely, that he couldn’t let me out of his sight because he was as shaken up as I was over finding my van pinned under a tree. But no. People didn’t fret over me like that. I was Luna—the girl with nine lives who always seemed to land on her feet. I couldn’t be knocked down or out, so why bother worrying?

Brady held the door open for me, and we stepped inside, his fingers just a whisper against the small of my back, and I shivered at the touch. Aiden glanced up from the computer he was focused on behind the check-in desk, brows lifting as he split a glance between Brady and me.

“Hey,” Brady said, setting my bag down on the counter.

Aiden’s brows lifted even farther. “Hey…”

If Brady noticed the underlying question in his brother’s tone, he didn’t show it.

“How’re things here?” Brady asked. “I didn’t see too much damage to the property when we drove through.”

Before Aiden could respond, Addison came around a corner and answered without looking up from her phone. “Not awful. We’ve got one downed tree by Cottage Fifteen and a bunch of stray branches, but it’s nothing Ford can’t take care of.”

“Good, because I won’t be able to help for a bit,” Brady said. “Too much shit in town to worry about.”

“Speaking of, how’s it looking for the festival tonight?” Addison pocketed her phone and slipped around the counter, shoving Aiden aside as only a baby sister could. “We’ve gotta set up our booth. Beck’s got the menu all ready, and we’re going to do a raffle for a free weekend stay.”

“Thought we weren’t in the market for giving away free cottages,” Brady said dryly.

A smile swept over Addison’s mouth, and she beamed at him. “We are when there’s promo involved, and this will be great content for our social media.” She leaned forward, elbow on the counter as she rested her chin in her hand, eyes sparkling as she split a glance between Brady and me. “Besides, it seems things worked out okay…”

“What thing—” Aiden started to ask, but Brady cut in before he could even get the sentence out.

“You should be fine to set up in a few hours. The power’s back on. It’s still a mess, but a cleanup crew will be starting in—” Brady looked at his watch, then headed for the door “—fifteen minutes. I’ll be back after my shift.” He pinned me with a look, one that damn near had me melting on the spot. “Stay out of trouble.” And then, without another word or a backward glance, he blew through the door.

“He seems especially grumpy today,” Addison said, staring after her brother.

He did, indeed. One would think all the sex would’ve knocked that stick loose, but apparently I was going to need to work a little harder on that endeavor. He was probably mad because he was going to be stuck with me for a bit while I figured out what the hell to do with my van and how to get it fixed. I’d have to check for auto body shops in town later this afternoon and get that squared away. Maybe I could figure out a rental in the meantime…

Addison furrowed her brows. “And, wait… Did he say he was coming back here after his shift? Why?”

“Because a tree decided to take a nap on top of my van,” I said. “And because your brother’s a Neanderthal.”

“Oh my God!” She clasped her hands over her mouth and dashed around the counter, looking me over from head to toe. “Are you all right? Were you in the van when it happened? Or did he pick you up last night?”

“Jesus,” Aiden said under his breath, his attention on his laptop. “Give the woman some space, Addison.”

I laughed, patting her on the shoulder. “Yes, no, and yes. He dragged me away last night before it got too bad. And I mean that almost literally.”

She cringed. “Sorry about that. It was sort of my idea.”

My brows shot up. “It was your idea that he handcuff us together?”

“He what?”

I waved a hand through the air. “Whatever. Never mind. He’s a caveman, I’m safe, it’s all fine.” I grabbed my bag and hefted it over my shoulder as I headed farther into the inn. “Harper’s gonna be here shortly, and I want to make sure everything’s set up. We still need to sell this, right?”

“Right,” Addison said, eyes pleading. “So if you could—”

Aiden cut her off. “Not do or say anything at all, that’d be great.”

Addison reached over the counter, palmed her brother’s face, and gave it a shove. “Don’t listen to the idiot. What he means is if you could just…you know…not—”

I held up my hand and grinned. “I got it. Be a little less me. Focus on extolling all the wonderful aspects of the resort and Starlight Cove, and mum on the whole deforestation and greedy corporations taking over small-town living. Roger that.”

I gave her and Aiden a thumbs-up, then headed to the parlor. Harper’s one-on-one yoga class was scheduled to start in thirty minutes, but I wanted to make sure the space was perfect. Start off on the right foot and all that. Since it was a little too cool—and a little too debris-strewn—this morning to comfortably be outside for our practice, I was going to have to bring the outside in.

Twenty minutes later, I’d changed out of yesterday’s rainwear and set up two yoga mats in front of the wall of windows, a couple of them open to let in the sea breeze and the sounds of the waves crashing against the shore. A diffuser misted lavender and lemongrass essential oils into the air, and several jar candles flickered around the space.

Having no other guests at the resort was a problem, for sure, but in this instance, it only added to the peaceful ambiance.

Starlight Cove Resort really was the perfect location for this type of activity. With its sprawling oceanside beachfront, it was a haven of tranquility. But even if it wasn’t possible to be outside, I could bring enough of it inside to make it all still feel connected.

I sat on my mat in Sukhasana, facing the floor-to-ceiling windows with an unobstructed view of the ocean, and forced myself to be present in the moment. I inhaled the tranquility and peace of the space, exhaling any fear or anxiety my body still held over finding a huge tree crushing my home. Yes, it was just a van, but that van had been where I’d lived every day for the past three years, and finding it demolished had been heartbreaking.

I continued on for several breaths, but my pulse still fluttered, my nerves frayed. God, if I hadn’t gone with Brady last night—if he hadn’t shown up in the first place—I would’ve been in there when the tree had fallen. I’d talked a big game last night, telling him I was a grown woman who could take care of herself, but I’d just been being stupid.

Of course I could take care of myself—I’d been doing it nearly my whole life—but I couldn’t deny how unexpectedly nice it was to have someone actually looking out for me. Someone checking in on me. Someone making sure I was safe and not taking for granted that I had everything figured out.

And for that person to be Brady…well, that was a twist I hadn’t seen coming.

WHILE SPENDING the day doing what I loved helped keep my mind off my current situation, it had never really left me completely. Harper had been a fantastic student, not overly familiar with most poses but eager to learn more about the practice. And the massage had mostly been low groans of appreciation—from her, obviously—and very little talking, so I took that as a good sign. I’d tried to get her to spill the tea on what the status of the article was or which direction her editors were leaning, but she wouldn’t say a word.

Still, during the quiet pockets of time during the massage, and now after, my thoughts had been consumed entirely by my ruined van. My home. My whole life was in that 6 x 10 space, and I didn’t know where I went from here.

My first order of business would probably be to get it towed and get an estimate on damages to figure out whether or not it was totaled. With Harper tucked back at her cottage, I strolled toward the main inn and called the auto body shop in town, figuring now was as good a time as any.

“Frank’s Auto Body,” a man answered, his voice low and rough, like he’d smoked a pack a day for the past fifty years.

“Hi. This is Luna Lancaster, calling about—”

“Sure, sure, Luna. Has anything changed with your van?”

Brows furrowed, I opened and closed my mouth a few times, having no idea how to respond to that odd question. “Well…kind of? Considering there’s a giant tree crushing it.”

He laughed, a deep, husky sound that reverberated through the line. “Besides that. Sheriff McKenzie already called and got you all squared away. I’ve got your number, so I’ll call you with an estimate once we can get out there and have it towed back here so I can see what we’re working with.”

“Brady called you?”

“Sure did. Several hours ago, in fact.”

If he’d called that long ago, that meant he’d done it shortly after he’d dropped me off at the main inn. Had he mentioned that before he’d left that morning? Definitely not. There was no way I’d forgotten that, even in my haze. And I certainly hadn’t asked him to do so—I’d just figured out where to call fifteen minutes ago.

Which meant he’d just…done it. So I wouldn’t have to worry about it.

Warmth bloomed in my chest, thinking of the big, bad, gruff sheriff taking it upon himself to make the call and take this off my plate. Just because.

“Luna? You still there? Damn phones are always—”

“Yes, sorry. I’m here. That, um, that sounds good. Thanks.”

“Happy to help. Like I told the sheriff, depending on what we find, you might be looking at quite a while before the damage is repaired. Sheriff McKenzie wasn’t sure what your schedule was like or when you planned to leave town, but this is gonna be quite a speed bump if you’re hoping to get out quick.”

The sheriff wasn’t the only one who didn’t know that small detail. No matter where I’d gone these past three years, I never had a plan for where I went or how long I’d stay. Either a freelance gig brought me to a town, or I simply rolled up when someplace felt right, got settled, and then left when the wanderlust struck once again. But I’d been in Starlight Cove for a month and a half, and the urge to up and flee hadn’t hit me even once.

This town—and the people in it—had grown on me, settling deep into my soul. And now…I wasn’t sure I wanted to leave. At the very least, I wanted to stay to see through what I’d started with the motion for discovery on that piece of land. I might’ve only been here for a short time, but I loved this town enough to want to make sure a corporation didn’t snuff out the beauty of Starlight Cove. I’d seen enough to know bringing in a national chain would only crush every single locally owned store along their beautiful Main Street. Businesses would fold. Families would suffer. And I didn’t want to see that happen to the people I’d grown to care for.

I didn’t want to see that happen to Brady and his family, which left me in quite a tight spot, considering our goals were conflicting.

But after? I had no idea. It’d always been my plan to leave, and I hadn’t been quiet about that. Hell, it could’ve been the whole reason Brady felt secure enough to start something with me in the first place—because he knew it wouldn’t last. That I wouldn’t last.

I’d never ached for anything permanent in my life, but as I ended the call, I couldn’t ignore the sharp tug in my heart that felt an awful lot like yearning for permanence. And not just any permanence, but permanence here. With him.

Slipping my phone into my pocket, I stepped through the door to the main inn. I didn’t make it two steps inside before Addison snapped her head up from where she stood behind the counter next to Aiden.

“How’d it go?” she asked with not a little bit of apprehension in her voice.

Shaking off my feelings of unease and grateful for the distraction, I shot her and Aiden a wide grin. “Great! We made plans for tomorrow morning at the Williamsons’ property. She’s going to join me so she can get a front-row seat as I chain myself up and get the scoop straight from the source.”

Addison reared back, her mouth dropping open on a gasp, as Aiden stared at me with wide eyes.

I didn’t even make it ten seconds into the bit before I cracked up, laughing at their horrified expressions. “Oh my God, you should see your faces.”

Aiden scowled, resembling Brady more with every furrow etched into his brow, and Addison actually stomped her foot, her hands fisted at her sides. “That wasn’t funny.”

“Oh, come on.” I giggled. “It was a little funny.”

“What was a little funny?” Brady asked as he stepped inside. His gaze swept over me from head to toe in a move that almost seemed perfunctory if not for the careful way he studied me as if checking that I was all in one piece, or how my nipples peaked at his perusal.

“Luna woke up this morning and chose violence, apparently,” Addison said, glaring at me.

“I don’t know what that means. She hit you? Why, what’d you do?”

“No, she didn’t hit me, you idiot.” Addison rolled her eyes. “And for the love, Brady, would it kill you to at least scroll social media once in a while? You’re not eighty.”

“I’m also not interested. Why don’t you harass Aiden about that?”

Aiden leaned a hip against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest. “It’s cute that you think she doesn’t.”

Addison rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I’m an equal opportunity harasser when it comes to my dumb brothers. Speaking of harassing, why are you out of your uniform? You’re not thinking of going to the festival, are you?” she asked incredulously.

I slid my eyes over to Brady in time to see him shrug. “Don’t know,” was all he said. Enlightening.

Addison smirked and split her gaze between Brady and me, her eyes alight with interest. “Well, well, well, that’s certainly new.”

“What is?” I asked.

“Brady doesn’t usually—”

“Why are you still here?” Brady interrupted. “Who’s helping Beck at the festival?”

“Point taken, you big oaf. And Ford’s with him.” She shut her laptop and tucked it away before stepping out from behind the counter. “I’m heading over there now. Aiden, you good?”

He waved her off without a word, and she headed out. Then, after I’d gathered my bag—which Brady immediately took from my hand—we did the same.

Once outside, Brady walked straight to the passenger’s door and opened it for me, setting my bag inside. But before I could slip in, he pinned me to the car with his body, one hand gripping my hip and the other cupping the back of my neck. With his thumb under my jaw, he tipped my head back before brushing a featherlight touch over my pulse.

“You good?” he asked, his eyes searching mine. As if it was more than a superficial question. As if he truly wanted to know the answer.

So I told him the truth. “I was a little shaky this morning, but I’m okay now.”

He hummed low in his throat, darting his eyes all over my face, probably checking to make sure I was telling the truth. He must’ve concluded I was because he lowered his head and kissed me. Soft and slow until he slid his tongue against mine and turned the kiss into something hungry and deep. Like he was reacquainting himself with my taste. Like he wanted to drown in it.

Finally, he pulled back, leaving me panting for breath and wondering if it’d really be that bad to jump his bones right out here in the open, even with his brother so close. But before I could, he shot me a look that said he knew what I was thinking as he helped me into the car and then shut the door behind me.

“Rude,” I said to myself as I got buckled in, waiting for Brady to slip into his seat.

Once inside the car, he said, “I’ve gotta drop something off quick, and then we can go to the festival if you want.”

I tucked my leg beneath me and turned toward him as he drove us through the resort, a grin spreading across my lips. “Was that your way of asking me out on a date, Sheriff?”

He grunted, the sound low and deep and highly unamused. “Yes or no, lawbreaker.”

“That depends. Will there be funnel cakes at this festival of yours?”

“I didn’t realize funnel cakes were organic.”

“Oh, shut up and answer the question.”

“Of course there will. We’re not monsters.”

I gasped loudly as I reached out and gripped his forearm, loving the flex of muscle beneath my fingers. “Holy shit, was that a joke?”

His scowl deepened, and he kept his eyes glued out the windshield as he parked in front of one of the cottages. “You’ve got until I get back in the car to make your choice, or I’m making it for you.”

With that, he slipped out, grabbing two paper grocery bags from the back seat before heading toward Cottage Thirteen and depositing them in front of the door. The cottage looked like all the others at the resort—well-worn, but well loved, with a plethora of flowers in the pots bracketing the porch steps and nothing inside to hint at any life within. Without so much as a knock, Brady spun around and strode straight back to the car.

Once he’d slid into his seat, I asked, “What was that?”

“Groceries.”

“For who?”

“What’s your answer?”

“What?”

“The festival. Yes or no.”

I blew out a sigh, knowing he’d told me all he intended to about his mysterious delivery. “Yes, obviously. This’ll be my first Starlight Cove festival, so you better make it good.”

He slid his gaze to mine, leveling me with heated eyes. “I think we both know I can make it good.”

I shifted in my seat, still hot and bothered thanks to that kiss and grateful I’d put on panties when I’d changed into leggings and an off-the-shoulder sweater that was thick enough to hide the state of my nipples. The more layers between Brady and my ravenous body, the better.

As he drove us toward Main Street, I studied him in the light of the setting sun. He’d changed out of his uniform before he’d picked me up at the resort and now wore a long-sleeved olive-green Henley that did amazing things for his eyes—not to mention his body—and worn, faded jeans that looked buttery soft. So very different from the buttoned-up sheriff I normally saw.

“Do you usually bring a change of clothes to the station?” I asked.

“What?” He spared me a glance out of the corner of his eye before returning his attention to the road to find us a parking spot. “No, why?”

I shrugged, a smile tipping up the corner of my lips. That meant he’d known he’d be taking me to the festival tonight—or hoping to, anyway. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had the jeans and shirt with him. Had he been busy cleaning up the town while also trying to figure out how to ask me out on a date, while also making sure my van was being looked at? The thought loosed a flurry of butterflies in my stomach, the swoop and flip of my insides a new, if welcome, sensation.

I didn’t get heart-fluttery for men. Didn’t feel like a shaken-up champagne bottle, ready to burst with one little look. At least not until Brady.

With a grin, I said, “No reason. Thank you, by the way.”

“Don’t thank me yet. What if you hate it?”

“Not about the festival. Thanks for calling Frank about my van.” I reached out and rested my hand on his forearm. “That was really sweet of you to do that for me.”

He shrugged, clearly uncomfortable with my gratitude. “It was no big deal.”

Maybe not to him, but to me, it was. I’d been making my own appointments since I was thirteen—doctors, dentists, therapists… You name it, I did it. Had even perfected my mom voice to call myself out of school when need be. His doing this for me was such a tiny thing—probably inconsequential to most—but sometimes those were what hit the hardest.

Showing someone you cared wasn’t always about surprise trips to Paris or spa getaways or a brand-new car with a bow on it. Sometimes it was about filling up their gas tank or making sure their favorite coffee never ran out. Sometimes it was dragging someone out of a thunderstorm, or hanging their only clothes to dry, or bringing them breakfast you’d never eat yourself, or making an appointment so they didn’t have to.

I had no idea how to convey that to him—or even if I should—so I stayed quiet as he parked us within walking distance of the festivities. Main Street had been shut down, with blockades on each end to stop traffic. The hodgepodge of old storefronts were the backdrop to the numerous white tents set up along either side of the street, strings of white lights draped between them to light the path. The vendors ranged from various food booths to crafts to paintings and handmade goods, all from Starlight Cove and the surrounding areas. A local band had set up in the large gazebo at the center of the park, and people crowded around it, dancing in the grass despite the fact that the band was only a couple steps up from awful.

“You wanna dance?” I asked, tipping my head in that direction.

“I honestly can’t think of anything I want to do less,” he said but still reached for my hand and clasped our fingers together.

I laughed, leaning into his side as we walked away from the gazebo and toward the tents. “You sure know how to make a girl feel special, don’t you?”

I’d meant it as a joke, considering his complete lack of tact, but no matter my teasing tone, it didn’t make it any less true. He’d made me feel special, and I wasn’t even sure he realized he was doing it.

Initially, I hadn’t known how to take Brady. Hadn’t known what to do with someone so utterly focused on me. I’d never doubted that my parents loved me, but they’d encouraged and cultivated my independence as a young child, and that hadn’t wavered. They’d always assumed that I could take care of myself. That they didn’t need to worry about me. And though I could take care of myself, sometimes it was nice to know I had someone looking after me. Concerning themselves over my well-being as if my being okay wasn’t a foregone conclusion.

It felt nice to be looked after when I’d spent a lifetime looking after myself.

While there was no denying Brady and I had started this relationship as adversaries, somewhere along the way, things had changed between us. Shifted in a way I hadn’t expected.

I’d stopped seeing him as just the pain-in-the-ass sheriff intent on throwing up every roadblock known to man to stop me from causing trouble in his little town. Instead, I’d begun to see him as just Brady—the man who dragged me away from precarious situations, gave me a place to stay when I didn’t have one, let me crawl into his bed for a snuggle, and took me to a festival when it was very clearly not something he was normally interested in.

Whether he’d intended to or not, he’d allowed me a glimpse of the heart that lay beneath that rugged exterior, the single driving force in everything he did. And I didn’t know what it meant that I was ravenous to uncover even more.