A Charming Kiss (FATE #1)

Chapter 1

One

HEIDI

“If I didn’t have bad luck, I wouldn’t have any luck at all…” Heidi muttered under her breath as she stared up at the sign, standing next to the second flat tire on her car – in as many miles. One spare – two flats – three miles until the next town.

Super-screwed didn’t begin to touch on half of it.

Dumped six months before the wedding, listening to Joe’s lies as he used her and strung her along like a fool.

Months later, her bank account was emptied, a string of bills in her name because Joe was not only slimy – but sneaky too!

Her ex-boyfriend – ex-fiancé – had done quite a number on her, ruining her life back in Sacramento, so much so that she wasn’t sorry to see him go, and now – this.

Stranded on the side of a small two-lane rural road that didn’t show up on her GPS, which stopped working ten minutes ago.

The only reason she’d made the turn off the road was the bright green sign that said ‘Fate’ and a painted, weathered sign that said ‘Gas’ instructing her to follow Wishing Well Road.

So she turned.

All roads lead somewhere, right?

Except when your fuel light comes on… and you get a flat, while pulling over for the first flat.

Double flat.

Flatter than flat.

Super-screwed.

“Oh, come on!” she shouted at the sky angrily.

“This isn’t even funny anymore.” Only for a rumble of thunder, a crack of lightning in the distance, and a breeze indicating that she was about to be stuck and wet if she didn’t shut her yap or cool down.

“Okay… okay… I’m sorry, but it’s been a lot lately, and I could use a break,” she whispered painfully, popping the trunk of her Jetta station wagon like that was going to do anything.

She was going to need two spares – not one… oh, and cell service would be amazing.

Her phone had zero bars.

A loud squawk nearby made her leap into the air – and step right into a pile of horse excrement that she didn’t realize was even there.

Without having two spare tires, both of her rear tires were flattened completely; she hadn’t bothered to explore around the car other than to keep from putting it in the shallow culvert on the side of the broken paved road that had seen better days.

The smell was horrifying – making her wonder just how fresh it was… and if some sexy cowboy was going to come back and whisk her away. Instead, she turned to see a police car with its lights on.

“Fan-freakin-tastic,” she grumbled, pulling her sneaker out of the muck with a disgusting and nauseating suction sound that was enough to make her gag.

Looking down, she flinched – and then rolled her eyes at the biggest four-leaf clover glued in poop on the toe of her sneaker.

Ignoring the police car, she looked up at the clouds again with a pained expression. “Nice touch… thanks.”

As the patrol car door opened, Heidi groaned again in dismay as the redneck version of Barney Fife got out of the car and swaggered toward her.

“Can I help you, Miss?”

“Nope,” she replied cheerfully, popping her lips emphatically as if to press the matter. “I’m just admiring the smelly scenery.”

“Steppin’ in it too, I see.”

“Oh, this? It’s just a bit of a mess…”

“Ma’am, that pile of crap almost went up to your ankle,” the officer chuckled, actually hooking his thumbs in his belt loops as he rocked back on his heels. “If you need a bit of help then…”

“I’m good.”

“Are you sure?” he asked pointedly. “'Cause you’re about three miles from Fate – and it’s nearly ten miles to Ember Creek, fifteen if you’re lookin’ for Yonder.”

“I’m not,” she muttered disgustedly as she tried to drag the side of her sneaker in the grass to rub off ‘things’ that were distinctly clinging onto the canvas of her shoe for dear life. “I’m not looking for anything or anyone… and I just need…”

“A shower?” he chuckled, still standing about seven or ten feet from her. “A ride? A rabbit’s foot? Something?”

“Har-de-har-har,” she retorted, brushing her foot against the grass once more while holding onto her car because nothing was budging. “I could use a new pair of shoes, a ride into town, and a break – if you really want to know the truth.”

She expected the officer to say something, to make another smarmy comment, to laugh once more at her expense… but when she glanced up, she hesitated. He was staring at her under the brim of a much-too big cowboy hat with his arms crossed over his chest.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he said simply – and Heidi could have sworn there was a twitch at the corner of his mouth.

If he was laughing at her, she’d end up in jail.

The temptation to push him into the pile she was fighting off might end up being too much for her.

He uncrossed his arms, walked back to his patrol car, and she could hear the squawk of the radio from where she stood, glaring at him.

“Maybelline…?”

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” she muttered, rubbing her forehead as she listened.

“I’m out here on Wishing Well Road and I’ve got me a gen-u-wine damsel in distress…

” The way he drawled ‘genuine’ reminded her of something from the Dukes of Hazzard reruns she’d watched as a child.

Her aunt used to have a crush on Bo and Luke Duke…

except this wasn’t a television show and none of this was funny.

“I’ll need a wrecker too - at Wishing Well Road and Baird Farm cut off – a silver ‘Far-From-Tootin’ with two flat tires… ”

“It’s a Volkswagen,” she snapped, flinging out a hand. “A VW Jetta wagon – TDI edition.”

“Ooooh,” he mocked, grinning at her. “It’s a ‘turbo-diesel-injection-fancy-schmancy edition’…”

“That’s not what that stands for…” she ground out between clenched teeth. Officer Nitwit never even acknowledged her as he continued, baiting her verbally to whoever was on the other side of the radio…

“I’m gonna be a hot-minute while I handle Princess Poo and her dirty little shoe, who's ankle-deep in the middle of an existential crisis pretending to be Cinderella…”

“Can I get another officer? You know what – I’ll just wait for the tow truck.”

The officer muttered something else under his breath, laughed, and then put the microphone back into his car via the window instead of opening the door.

That was it, she was in the middle of Redneck Hell, and this was a test – obviously a test from Above that she was failing miserably.

Looking up at the clouds, she whispered ‘Seriously?’ before looking at the officer once more.

“Do you believe in good luck?” he asked her – and her mouth dropped open in shock at the audacity of the man before her.

“Are you seriously coming onto me?” she snorted in disbelief.

“You’re on Wishing Well Road with a four-leaf clover nearly poop-glued to your shoe…”

“Oh my gosh, you are coming onto me – aren't you?”

“I believe in destiny…” he drawled.

She rolled her eyes, flinging up both hands in defeat. There was no doubt in her mind anymore. This was most assuredly Redneck Hell - and this guy?

A minion.

“I need my purse. I think I’ve got mace in there…

” she muttered, realizing he was between her and the driver’s side door where her purse lay near the center console.

Maybe she could reach it from the passenger side, except her door latch usually had a problem.

It was constantly hanging up on that side.

“Take off your shoe…” he ordered.

“I’m not taking off my shoe – and don’t all freaks and weirdos want to see boobs first, not the feet?” she replied, glaring at him, as she struggled to pull her shoe from the disgusting cow-or-horse-bodily-creation that nearly superglued her shoe to the remnants of asphalt on the dilapidated road.

“I’m not here to see your feet – or your chest,” he chuckled, tipping his hat back slightly as he smiled at her. “I’m just being friendly, you know – the neighborly sort and…”

“Too friendly,” she shot back, cutting him off and stepping back from the man, before bumping into the hatch of her car – and nearly falling over.

In that brief moment, she could see herself nosediving into the pile like something in a horrible spoof clip, swinging her arms wildly in a desperate attempt to keep from toppling over.

The officer did the unthinkable that left her speechless – and disgusted.

Officer Hillbilly literally swept one arm under the back of her legs and swung her up, deftly removing the shoe before she could say a word – and threw it into the grass on the other side of the road.

“Hang on to me,” he grunted, making a face.

“Why are you grunting? I’m not fat,” she shrieked angrily – first her shoe and now fat jokes?

He winced again, holding up his hand pointedly.

She was so grossed out, and nearly flipped out of his arm, the one that had been holding her around the waist. Things were out of control, moving too quickly, and she scrambling to keep from falling onto the crumbling asphalt that had entirely too many potholes - and the horse poop.

“Would you stop wiggling around…” he began again, grunting.

“You’re assaulting me…” she spat.

“Lady, I’m trying to help you…”

“Don’t you touch me with that…” she yelped, pointing at his filthy hand.

“I’m not, but hang on…”

“You’re hurting me, Scrawny-Conan…”

“I’m trying to keep from dropping you… and Conan? Did you just call me Conan? Really?” he chuckled, perking up at her insult. He was taking her words in the wrong way… and then grunted again, hefting her up once more.

“This is ridiculous…” she snarled, rolling her eyes.

“Not exactly how I pictured meeting my sole-mate…”

“We are not soulmates!”

“Sole. Sole – as in shoes?” he chuckled again, hefting her up a little higher in his arms.

“Oh, I see. Someone’s got jokes…”

“Someone has a poor sense of humor…”

“Because Officer Hillbilly is assaulting me… or is this a kidnapping?”

“If you wanted to know my name – all you had to do was ask,” he chuckled as he set her down in the grass beside the rear door of the patrol car. Turning, she plopped down into the seat inelegantly and crossed her arms.

“Shut up,” she glared at his grinning face – trying to ignore the way it made his eyes crinkle at the sides in the best way possible.

She was a sucker for laugh lines, and this man had spent some time in the sun, working on growing those lines like a madman.

“And my name is Heidi – and I don’t want to know your name at all. I want to be left alone.”

“Well, Miss Heidi… I’m your Chance,” he said with a mocking bow as he leaned on the open window frame, smiling at her.

“My chance at what?”

“Happily ever after… Heidi.”

“You’re dreaming.”

“Nope,” he chuckled once more, smiling with an arrogant, smug look that grated on her nerves in the worst way. “I’m Officer Jack Chance with the Fate P.D… and I’m about to take you away.”

She did a double-take at his words.

Did he just actually admit his name was… Jack Chance? As in ‘this man had jack chance of impressing her’?

“Come… again?” she managed to choke out.

“I am taking you into Fate for a new pair of shoes, my sweet and foul-smelling little Cinderella – and then we can figure things out once we get your ‘carriage’ a few new ‘shoes’ while we’re at it…

and soap,” he chuckled, holding up his hand sheepishly causing her to rear back once more at the mud, filth, and other things on his hand from forcibly removing her shoe.

“That’s what you get,” she snapped just before he reached into the car and caused her to shrink away once more. “Don’t wipe that on me!”

“I’m not,” he chuckled, holding up a roll of paper towels that were on the back dash of his cruiser. “I’m just trying to make sure I don’t smear any of this all over my steering wheel… or me.”

“You’re disgusting.”

“Should I leave you here?” he asked, taking a seat in the police cruiser and looking at her in the rearview mirror.

Instead of answering him, she crossed her arms over her chest and looked away from his gloating expression– and those eyes.

“Thought so. Heidi, we’re gonna have to work on your pillow talk. ”