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  The Last Kiss

  Romance on the Ranch Series

  Verna Clay

  This book is dedicated to Small Town, U.S.A.

  The Last Kiss

  Romance on the Ranch Series

  Copyright © 2017 by Verna Clay

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

  For information contact:

  [email protected]

  Website:

  www.vernaclay.com

  Published by:

  Verna Clay

  Cover Designer:

  Elaina Lee (For the Muse)

  Photo:

  CanStock (zigzagmtart/cowboy)

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Preface

  At the conclusion of Angel Kisses (book 9), Harris Brightman was injured not only physically, but emotionally. He was betrayed by the woman he loved. And although the story ended on a somber note, I refused to allow his anger toward Lucinda Bergamot to end their romance.

  In The Last Kiss, Harris will have to confront not only his anger, but also his love. Once and for all, he'll have to face the demons of resentment and unforgiveness.

  As for Lucinda, she's swallowing her pride to apologize to Harris, his family, and the townsfolk of Paxtonville, and what better avenue for doing so than working for their local newspaper. With just one article she can make her heartfelt apology known to all.

  Harris, of course, is too bitter to recognize her apology for what it is—the truth. However, his mother's forgiveness of Lucinda paves the way for others in town to follow suit.

  As in most of the Romance on the Ranch stories there is a secondary romance and this time it involves a young man introduced in Christmas Kisses (book 5), Justin Blake. Throughout subsequent stories he was mentioned, but not much was revealed about him. This story changes that. The secret he has been harboring for years is about to be discovered by a female college student who gets stuck in Paxtonville.

  In every way Phoenix Phillips is the opposite of Justin, but the adage that "opposites attract" is certainly true in their case. However, attraction is much different than commitment, and I wonder which will become the stronger force for Justin and Phoenix.

  Of course, the last book wouldn't be complete without bringing many of the characters from previous stories (some had large parts, others small) back into the storyline.

  Finally, heartfelt thanks to readers of this series and those who have emailed with comments and suggestions. And a special thanks to everyone who left reviews at online sites.

  Verna Clay

  Sequence of books in the

  Romance on the Ranch Series:

  Dream Kisses

  Honey Kisses

  Baby Kisses

  Candy Kisses

  Christmas Kisses

  Rock Star Kisses

  Forever Kisses

  Forgotten Kisses

  Angel Kisses

  The Last Kiss

  Table of Contents

  Preface

  Prologue

  Chapter 1: Escape

  Chapter 2: Tow

  Chapter 3: Promise

  Chapter 4: $2,100

  Chapter 5: Answer

  Chapter 6: Chica

  Chapter 7: Payments

  Chapter 8: Extra Extra

  Chapter 9: Confrontation

  Chapter 10: Friends

  Chapter 11: Chick Flick

  Chapter 12: More Friends?

  Chapter 13: Cortez

  Chapter 14: Ya Think?

  Chapter 15: Lasso

  Chapter 16: Idea

  Chapter 17: Why Not?

  Chapter 18: Close Quarters

  Chapter 19: Research

  Chapter 20: Viola

  Chapter 21: Phoenix Rising

  Chapter 22: Exhale

  Chapter 23: Secret

  Chapter 24: I.D.

  Chapter 25: Funds

  Chapter 26: Laramie

  Chapter 27: Mom's Place

  Chapter 28: Grad Day

  Chapter 29: Yes or No?

  Epilogue

  Author's Note

  SOMEWHERE by the Sea Finding SOMEWHERE Series

  Novels and Novellas by Verna Clay

  Prologue

  Standing beside his brother in the gazebo at the Triple T Ranch, Harris Brightman smiled as he moved his gaze from Eli to Angel, and heard Eli say, "I do." In the month since Eli's latest altercation to defend Angel against tabloid reporters, the two had announced their engagement. Their mothers, Tooty Brightman and Ann Martinez, had begged for more time to plan the wedding, but the subject had been non-negotiable for Eli and Angel. So, barely a month later, a crowd of guests had arrived for the nuptials.

  Pastor Pixley asked for the ring and Harris reached into his vest pocket to produce the bride's magnificent band and hand it to Eli. As Eli placed it on Angel's finger and repeated the words, "With this ring…" Harris' attention was diverted by someone in the crowd. Barely keeping a frown from marring his features, he stared at the woman who was now in profile and speaking to the man beside her. Anger, hot and white, flashed inside of him. Why was Lucinda Bergamot here and speaking to Ward Culpepper, editor and owner of Paxtonville's only newspaper?

  For the remainder of the ceremony, Harris maintained a happy expression, all the while fuming inside. How could Lucinda have the audacity to show up at Eli and Angel's wedding. He wondered if Ward knew who she was, or was she playing him for a fool, too?

  "You may now kiss your bride," Pastor Pixley said loudly into the microphone. Eli slipped his arms around Angel and kissed her with such passion that the crowd snickered, and then broke into laughter and clapping. When the kiss ended, the holy man asked the newlyweds to face everyone and called out exuberantly, "May I present Eli and Angel Brightman!"

  Harris clapped along with everyone else and waited for his turn to exit the gazebo with Angel's Matron of Honor, Lady Hannah Wyndham, who had arrived two days earlier from England with her husband Lord Alexavier Wyndham, the Earl of Alderbury. Of course, to family and friends and the townspeople, Lady Wyndham was simply Hannah and her husband was Alex. And, because of their work for Borders Removed in Africa and survival of a harrowing ordeal that almost cost them their lives, they had become heroes in the state of Colorado.

  Hannah held Harris' arm as he led her down the steps of the gazebo and onto the grass; then he turned to her and said, "Excuse me. I need to catch up with someone."

  "Sure, Harris," she said absentmindedly because Justin Blake, from Dixie's Cuppa Joe, was asking her a question about serving the beverages the coffee house had generously donated to the wedding.

  As Harris hastily made his way through the attendees he lost sight of Lucinda and Ward. When he finally located Ward, Lucinda was gone. To Ward he said, "Do you know who that woman with spiky black hair was standing beside you?"

  Ward, a really short man, looked upward and grinned. "Sure do. She's the one who betrayed you."

  "So why is she here and why were you talking to her?"

  Ward placed a stubby hand on Harris' shoulder. "You need to prepare yourself for this, Harris." He hesitated before saying something that blew Harris' mind. "She's my new reporter."

  Chapter 1: Escape

  Lucinda Bergamot had watched Angel Martinez and Eli Brightman's wedding while sitting beside her new employer, Ward Culpepper, the owner and editor of The Paxtonville Weekly, and dreaded the moment when Harris would notice her in the last row. He’d been standing next to his brother in his role as best man and when
rings were exchanged, he'd glanced up and scanned the guests. Quickly, Lucinda had shifted her attention to Mr. Culpepper because she didn't have the courage to meet Harris' gaze. For the remainder of the ceremony she'd kept her eyes averted from his and then excused herself as soon as he started down the gazebo steps.

  The truth of the matter was that Harris had every right to be furious with her. After all, she'd exposed the illegitimacy of his birth to a sixteen year old and the identity of his birthfather, a former rodeo star named Laramie Walker, a.k.a. Lucky Larry, to the world.

  Now, driving back to Paxtonville and the duplex rented by her secret employer, Barry Lombard of The Seattle Daily, Lucinda thought about the scheme he had conceived of sending her to Paxtonville to work for the local newspaper, presumably to make amends for her lapse in judgment, but secretly to uncover sensational information about the famous people living there. The devious plan instigated by the editor-in-chief had fallen into Lucinda's lap. A week before the article about Harris was to be published she had rewritten it to be less revealing, but just as interesting. However, the scummy editor had published the original text, and because of that, she'd decided to quit the paper even though she had no money to sustain her for long, and would probably end up living out of her car before landing another job.

  She'd entered Mr. Lombard’s office to give notice, but before the words were out of her mouth, he'd enumerated the many famous people living in Paxtonville and revealed a plan that might redeem her. Of course, his motive was to obtain a scoop, or rather, secrets to print on these people, and although Lucinda had played along with his scheme, she'd had one of her own. She would make amends to Harris and his family and the town with a published apology and excellent reporting, while at the same time making Lombard believe she was doing his bidding. She’d grovel to Lombard if need be because…because…

  She didn't want to admit the reason, but it was blatantly staring her in the face—she had deep feelings for Harris, and before she'd made her misstep, he'd had deep feelings for her.

  Now, returning to her small duplex, she choked back tears when she remembered Harris' kisses and how sweet he had been. He may be a famous rodeo star and tough as nails in the ring, but he was also kindhearted, tender, and loyal. Not like her. She pulled into the carport of her temporary home and swiped her eyes.

  Rather than continue her morose musings she thought about Eli and Angel's wedding. They had looked so happy, and now, in retrospect, remembering the past weeks traveling the circuit with Harris, Larry, Eli, and Angel, she could see the telltale signs of love growing between them that she’d missed at the time. She had thought they were just friends, and perhaps that was true at the beginning, but time and close quarters had resulted in love.

  Lucinda exited her car and dug through her purse for her duplex key. Entering the combined living and dining area, with a modest kitchen separated by a bar, she dropped her purse on the bar. The other rooms in the duplex were a bedroom and bathroom. The home was tiny, but had fabulous wooden floors, was freshly painted, and adequately furnished. Originally, Lombard had wanted her to stay two months, but he’d extended it to three, giving her plenty of time to go undercover and discover secrets that would sell massive amounts of his newspapers. She grinned sardonically. The creep had a big surprise coming. She wasn't about to do his bidding. In fact, when the time came, she was going to march into his office and loudly tell him exactly what she thought of him. Then she was going to quit!

  She headed toward the coffee pot. She needed plenty of caffeine to finish her apology to the people of Paxtonville, but more specifically, Harris and his family. The article had to be perfect and the deadline for inclusion in the next edition was Monday.

  Chapter 2: Tow

  Towing the portable coffee cart owned by Dixie's Cuppa Joe, Justin Blake turned his 1965 Ford F-250 truck from the private road leading to the Triple T Ranch, onto the highway toward Paxtonville. The wedding had been magnificent and he was thrilled for Eli and Angel, and although the ceremony had been limited to friends and family, the crowd had been huge with the Brightmans and Martinezes sparing no expense, and Cecelia MacKenzie, Justin's employer and Eli's aunt, sister to Eli's famous father, Miles Brightman, had donated the use of the cart.

  It had been several years since Justin suggested to Cecelia that she expand her business to include the cart, and she'd loved the idea. The investment had paid for itself many times over.

  Justin sighed with appreciation. The years working for Dixie Kosky and then Cecelia MacKenzie had helped him cope with the horrific loss of his parents from a plane crash. Moving to Paxtonville at the age of fifteen to live with his grandmother had dramatically changed the direction of his life. When he'd turned eighteen, he'd applied for a job at Dixie's Cuppa Joe and been hired as a barista, and when Dixie and her husband Al had sold the coffee shop to Cecelia to move to Denver to expand their popular ChocoDrops candy line, Cecelia had kept him on. Eighteen months later she had promoted him to manager so she could spend more time with her adopted daughter and new husband—world renowned artist, Connor "Mac" MacKenzie.

  Now, years later, Justin thought about the many weddings he'd attended, including Cecelia's. His favorite, however, had been that of shy Tessa Branigan to famous rock star Sean Barfield. He smiled as he recounted more weddings and then shifted his focus to a new morning coffee blend he'd been contemplating and wondering what to name. Top-o-the-Day, Wacky Wake Up. He decided those names were hokey.

  On the road ahead he noticed a car pulled off the pavement in the opposite lane, with smoke billowing around a female who had her head stuck under the hood. Immediately, he prepared to stop and help. With all the crazies in the world he refused to leave a woman stranded at the edge of the road. He made an illegal U-turn, pulling in behind her vehicle. A young woman stepped around the front of her car and waited for his approach. She appeared wary, which was to be expected. He said, "Hello, ma'am. With that blue smoke it looks like you may have a piston problem." He paused at the passenger door to keep from spooking her.

  She assessed him and asked, "Do you live around here?"

  "I do. I live in the next town, Paxtonville. Have you called for a tow?" From her hesitation he knew she hadn't, so he offered, "I know the owner of a towing company with fair prices and you're only about five miles from town. But I can look under the hood if you'd like."

  The woman, who was probably in her early twenties, assessed him again before motioning him forward. She gave him a wide girth and watched as he pulled his hankie from his pocket. First he checked the radiator cap and then inspected the hoses. After that he dropped to the ground to look under the car. When he stood again, he said, "You got oil dripping, so it looks like engine trouble. Do you want me to call my friend?"

  The woman blew a breath and nodded.

  Justin retrieved his cell phone from its belt holder and said before making the call, "By the way, my name is Justin Blake." He speed dialed a number and after one ring the call was answered. He said, "Hey, Tommy, this is Justin, there's a lady with engine trouble off the highway about five miles east of town. Are you free to give her a tow?" He listened and replied, "Great. See you in a few."

  The woman was still standing several feet away and he said, "I'll wait here until he arrives."

  "Thanks for your help, but you don't have to do that."

  "You’re right, ma'am, I don't, but I refuse to leave any woman stranded on the side of the road."

  She shrugged. "Thanks." There was an awkward silence before she said, "My name is Phoenix."

  Justin smiled. "Nice name. I've never met anyone named Phoenix." There was another silence and then he said, "I work at the coffee shop, Dixie's Cuppa Joe, in Paxtonville; that's why I'm towing the coffee cart."

  Phoenix frowned. "I work at a coffee house part time during the school year and can't wait to quit."

  "Really? Why?"

  "Because I want more out of life than serving coffee. Are you working your way through college?
"

  Justin was a little shocked by her rudeness. "No. I actually enjoy my job, and I've been doing it for years."

  She blushed. "Hey, look, I didn't mean to offend. That's just my take on the job. In September I'll be starting my senior year at the University of California in Fresno."

  "Yeah? What's your major?"

  "Business Administration."

  "Sounds promising."

  "It is. It'll land me a great job."

  Justin asked some non-personal questions about her field of study and decided she was an overachiever with a chip on her shoulder. As for her appearance, her shoulder length wavy brunette hair with wispy bangs matched the color of her eyes. She was of average weight and height, and besides the chip on her shoulder, wouldn't stand out in a crowd. However, the more they talked, the more he realized there was something compelling about her that he couldn't put his finger on.

  She pointed behind him. "Looks like the tow truck is here. You're relieved of babysitting."

  Phoenix knew she was being rude, but she had encountered enough losers in her life. It didn't matter that this guy, well, actually, cowboy, was kind, polite, and really good looking with dark brown hair, blue eyes, and dressed to impress in a black, western-cut suit, and bolo tie. However, the only men that would ever interest her would be successful and rich. Being a barista was pretty low on her totem pole of success.

  The man—Justin—walked toward the tow truck that had passed, stopped, and was now backing to the front of her car. The burley driver hopped from his cab and gave Justin a slap on the back. While they conversed she grabbed her insurance information from the glove box.