Chapter 2
ROYCE
She was even more beautiful up close.
The woman had medium-length blonde hair and hazel eyes that looked green in a certain kind of light. Royce had asked a few people in town about her and managed to get her name.
Penny Klein.
That name had quickly become his favorite.
Earlier in the day, he’d parked out front of her work hoping to catch a glimpse of her.
He knew how that sounded. He also knew better than to make a habit of it.
But after seeing her around town a few times, always alone, always looking like the weight of the world sat squarely on her shoulders, he’d wanted one more look.
Penny wasn’t the kind of woman who went out often. He’d gathered that much without meaning to. She came and went from work and home. From what he could tell, she didn’t have a boyfriend, and she kept to herself.
He’d nearly stopped her on the street half a dozen times to ask her out, but then the bomb fell.
Penny wasn’t just any girl.
She’d moved here recently, which wasn’t a problem for him. The problem was her family.
Penny was related to the Taylor family.
“If you keep staring at her like that, she might call the cops.”
Royce’s arm rested on the bar top, and with effort, he dragged his eyes over to his friend.
Quinn smirked at him. The fact that she could read people so well was why she’d been hired here.
She’d worked at the club since it opened and had seen plenty of turnover.
Even after all this time, she hadn’t settled down.
“She won’t call the cops,” Royce murmured, more to himself than to his friend.
“Oh yes, she will. That girl? She’s cautious. She doesn’t do things on a whim.”
He wanted to tell Quinn that Penny showing up at the country club tonight proved otherwise. But Quinn didn’t know the full extent of his interest—or his problem. Infatuation sounded too flimsy for it, but he didn’t have another word.
He’d never felt this way about any woman. Not a single girl he’d met had ever captured his attention like this. That was probably why he’d never had a real girlfriend.
“Just do me a favor and don’t scare her while she’s here,” Quinn said. “I don’t want to hear about Shane banning you. I like when you visit me at work.”
Royce grinned at her. “Awww. You like me.”
She rolled her eyes. “I like the tips you give me.”
He threw his head back and laughed. This was how they were.
They knew how to push each other’s buttons, but Quinn was also one of the few people he felt he could confide in.
He wanted to tell her he had feelings for Penny, but he wasn’t sure how she’d take it.
Quinn had seen her fair share of bad men trying to take advantage of unsuspecting women.
And Royce didn’t want to be lumped in with men like that.
He brought his Coke to his lips and took a sip. The ice clinked against the glass as he returned his attention to the dance floor.
Out of nowhere, Bentley materialized. He slapped his palms on the counter and beamed at Quinn. “Okay, I need something good.”
Quinn arched a brow, and Royce bit back a smile. Their family didn’t drink. Alcohol had ruined their grandfather beyond recognition. When Bentley asked for something good, he just didn’t want to sound weird ordering what most people considered a chick drink.
“He wants a Shirley Temple,” Royce tossed over his shoulder.
A few women down the bar giggled, and Bentley scowled at him. “Could you say that a little louder?”
“Sure.” Royce nodded, then took a deep breath.
Bentley’s hand clapped over his mouth before he could do just that.
Quinn snickered and placed the drink in front of Bentley. “Here you go, hot stuff.”
His brother grinned his thanks and brought the straw to his lips. He leaned against the countertop and surveyed the room. “Anyone standing out tonight?”
He must have noticed Royce looking, because immediately his eyes found the object of Royce’s interest.
“Oh, heck no, Royce. You can’t.”
Irritation flared to life within Royce’s chest, and he cut his brother a dark look. “I beg your pardon?”
“That’s Penny—”
“I know who she is.”
“So you know she’s off-limits.”
“No one is off-limits. That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“But Dad—”
“Dad doesn’t get a say in who I talk to.”
Bentley’s brows rose, and his eyes widened to comical proportions. “Please tell me you haven’t—”
Royce sighed. “No, I haven’t.”
He didn’t add that he hadn’t done anything yet, because that would just get Bentley even more suspicious. He turned to face his brother. “But if I decided to ask her to dance, you’d keep your mouth shut because you know this feud is ridiculous.”
His brother groaned. “I’m not getting in the middle of this.”
“You’re right. You won’t.”
Once again, shock flooded Bentley’s features. But rather than argue, he shook his head. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
And that was the problem, wasn’t it?
Royce didn’t have a clue what he was doing.
All he knew was that he wanted a chance with Penny Klein, and he wasn’t going to let some old family grudge decide the answer for both of them.
Bentley took off shortly after that, leaving Royce alone with Quinn.
She leaned over the counter, resting her forearms atop it. “I get it now,” she said quietly enough for only him to hear.
He grunted, still watching Penny as she spoke to some random guy. The smile she wore wasn’t one of her genuine ones. He’d seen what she looked like when she was happy. And that smile? It was one of those polite smiles people gave when they were nervous and wanted out.
He’d lost track of how many times he’d wanted to cross the room and give her an escape from a conversation with a man who wasn’t taking the hint.
But Penny didn’t look helpless.
She looked like a woman perfectly capable of handling herself, whether Royce liked standing back or not.
Quinn laughed. “Dang, you have it bad.”
He startled, having been dragged from his thoughts. Again. “What?”
She nodded in Penny’s direction. “This isn’t going to end well.”
“Who says it has to end at all?” he muttered.
He’d said it quietly enough that not even Quinn could have heard him. She proved as much when she continued.
“So, she’s one of those… Taylors?”
“Her last name is Klein.”
Quinn’s brows furrowed. “Then what does she have to do with the Taylors and that ridiculous feud your family has going on?”
“They’re her cousins.”
“Ah.” Quinn nodded. “And you’re hung up on her.”
“Yeah,” he muttered, scrubbing his jaw. “She’s…” He blew out a breath. “I can’t describe it.”
“Oof. That doesn’t sound good.” His friend laughed.
He frowned at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you haven’t been able to take your eyes off her. I’ve never seen you this way with anyone. Do you even know her?”
“I know she’s a therapist. I know she’s related to my father’s enemies.”
She giggled. “Technically, I think they’re supposed to be your enemies, too.”
“Not my circus, Quinn.” He refused to be drawn into something that should have been resolved long before he was born. “Anyway, I know she’s big into family. One of her brothers is engaged to a Palmer, and her other brother is a local ER doctor.”
When Quinn was quiet for too long, he glanced over to find her staring at him like he’d sprouted a second head.
“And just how have you figured all of this out?”
He shrugged.
“Oh, Royce, you poor thing.”
“Oh, be quiet,” he muttered.
Quinn studied him for another beat, and her teasing softened. “Be careful with her.”
That got his attention. “I’m not going to hurt her.”
“I know you won’t mean to.” She tilted her head toward Penny. “A woman like that? She’ll notice if you come on too strong.”
Royce looked back toward the dance floor. Penny had moved away from the man who’d been flirting with her, and something in Royce’s chest eased.
“I know, but I’ve got to figure out a way to get to know her better,” he said.
And he did.
The thought of scaring Penny off sat wrong with him. He didn’t want to corner her or force some grand moment because he’d worked himself into a state. He wanted to meet her. Talk to her. See if that strange pull between them was more than him losing his mind over a pretty woman in a country club.
Quinn’s voice turned dry again. “That serious, huh?”
Royce placed his cup on the counter. “Could be.”
Then he moved through the room and headed toward the exit.
If he could catch a quiet minute with Penny outside, maybe they could have the conversation they hadn’t gotten at the bar. And if she didn’t want that, he’d back off.
He could do that.
Probably.
Royce waited outside longer than he expected to. He wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or a bad one. Penny didn’t seem to like big crowds, and she didn’t seem to like loud noise. He didn’t mind either one. Heck, he was usually game for anything that set his heart pumping.
Maybe that was part of the draw.
Penny was his opposite.
She had a calmness about her, a carefulness, like every step she took mattered. For a guy who would jump from a plane on a dare, Penny Klein called to some quieter part of him he hadn’t known was there.
When she finally emerged from the country club, Royce was standing near the edge of the parking lot, close enough to be seen but not blocking her path.
Thank goodness she was alone.
She slowed when she caught sight of him. There was a flicker of caution in her eyes, but it was quickly joined by something else.
Curiosity?
Intrigue?
He didn’t move. Nothing good would come from scaring her off. And when she straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin, he knew he’d made the right choice.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded.
Her voice was like liquid gold. Soft and sultry while also confident and commanding.
Royce grinned. “Hoping for a chance to talk to you.”
She stiffened, her eyes narrowing. “Why?”
“Because I tried to buy you a ginger ale, and you disappeared before I could introduce myself.”
Her gaze flicked over him, cautious but not unfriendly. “I didn’t expect you to be right beside me.”