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Chapter One

June 2012

NOAH TAGER SWERVED and avoided burying his pickup in the big blue mailbox on the sidewalk Thank you, Jesus He threw his truck into park and cut the engine The street sign on the far side of theticket beat a totaled truck And he had a feeling Forever’s Finest, the police force that patrolled the Oregon college toould forget all about the ticket when he called for their help

Chief Fairhter into the alley beside The Three Sisters Café where he tried to introduce his palm to Josie’s face Not his fist No, the asshole went for the open-handed slap

Through the windshield, he’d seen Josie Fairmore pull her hand free from her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend and block the slap Noah had been too busy trying not to hit the ain

But Chief Fairirl’s boyfriend failed to connect with his target And her brother? Dominic would jump at the chance to have a physical “conversation” with the asshole who had helped Josie earn her reputation as the town bad girl Although he knew she wasn’t as “bad” as certain gossips led everyone to believe Just a little wild

Noah slammed the door to his truck and ran down the sidewalk toward the alley Oh hell yeah, he was ready and willing to fight alongside the Fairht now in the alley

But a cloud of gloo over his head It rained questions as he reached the gap between the two-story historic buildings

Was this the first time? Had Travis tried this before? Why the hell had Josie stayed with Travis’s sorry ass after the incident during the ho parade? After Travis had allowed the blame to fall on her shoulders?

Noah ground his teeth together He’d talked Doossip-prone triplets, the owners of The Three Sisters Café, had stuon It was bad enough everyone would be talking about the fact that Travis, the quarterback and hero of the hour, had been caught with Josie’s black silk panties in one hand Beating the younger kid up would only add fuel to the gossip mill, Noah had told his friend

Plus it wasn’t a fair fight Travis was just a kid Eighteen And without his offensive line, Travis didn’t stand a chance

But now Noah wished he’d kept his mouth shut and thrown a punch or two back then himself He wouldn’t hesitate to use his fists today

He rounded the corner and spotted Josie

But Travis was gone

Goddamn coward

Noah froze on the edge of the paveravel-covered space between the two buildings Josie stood with her back pressed against the ceh and her eyes open He had banished the words “Do after Josie started high school But he wasn’t blind She possessed the kind of beauty that dared s and curved hips could have walked her straight into acareer

Except s for the next cover girl And even if someone saw her and offered her a contract, it would probably be a one-way ticket to the cover of Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue

He’d witnessed Josie in a barely there bikini once Yeah, he’d silently thanked the genius that had invented the two-piece swi at his feet or talking to his friends—anything but looking at Josie Fairh to hat he could never have

Right now, in the alley, it wasn’t her curves, barely hidden by her fitted spaghetti-strap tank top and jean cutoff shorts that stunned hi to pull Travis off her He’d expected to find her radiating fear Travis had failed to lead his teauy was still big The threat of a slap from a man that size would inspire some serious terror

But eighteen-year-old Josie Fair for help She stood with her feet planted hip-width apart, are screamed don’t mess with me