Chapter One
Cupid, Texas
"Valentine's Day. Today is the cheating snake's wedding day," Taylor Braxton said, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder before taking a sip of wine. Her third glass of the evening. "I'd like to propose a toast to his new wife. May she never find him in her bed with someone else, like I found her in mine."
The three women clinked glasses.
"Maybe it was for the best. After all, lawmen are known for being serial cheaters," Meghan, one of Taylor's best friends, said in her quiet librarian voice. She gave a shake of auburn hair, her emerald eyes filled with sympathy.
Still the same after all these years, Taylor wondered if Meghan ever raised her voice even during a climax. Did she scream with passion, or just say oh? And Taylor never wanted to know the answer to that question.
Yes, lawmen cheated, but many men were sleazebags who thought infidelity was nothing.
Kelsey, Taylor's other best friend leaned in close. "Well, if you hadn't found him locked in the arms of another woman, you wouldn't have come back to Cupid."
"True," Taylor agreed.
Pushing her dark brunette hair back over her shoulder, Kelsey smiled. "I can't believe we're all here together again. Just like the old days when we were young and naive and so vulnerable. Now, we're all grown up and--"
"Still single," Meghan said with a sigh.
"Yep, no eligible man on my radar," Kelsey admitted. "Who would want to date a woman with three pain in the ass brothers watching over her?"
Kelsey's announcement surprised Taylor. Of the three of them, Kelsey was who she thought would walk down the aisle first. Instead, not one of them was wearing a ring, and frankly, she found it odd she'd come the closest to a honeymoon.
"I don't want a man. I'm giving up. I'm going to remain single the rest of my life," Taylor announced.
After her last attempt at love, the time to step away had arrived in the form of a revealed booty call. Now, her focus on the family business was the most important thing in her life.
"Oh yeah, that's the life I want," Meghan replied, sarcasm dripping in her tone. "Always the third wheel when you're around couples. Every holiday your relatives asking if there is something wrong with you or have you tried online dating. Blind dates with your next-door neighbor’s son, who is so kind that he still lives with his mother." She shivered. "No, thanks."
Meghan's appearance fitted the sweet, innocent librarian image, but her tongue was sharp and precise. Sometimes even Taylor was shocked at what came out of her smart mouth.
Setting her wine glass down on the table Kelsey leaned forward. "Or your brothers’ glancing at every man you bring home like he's a terrorist, and should they learn he's sleeping with their sister, he would wake up six feet under." Kelsey giggled. "They don't know, but I lost my virginity the first semester of college during pledge week."
"Ohh...with someone you cared about?" Taylor asked.
She sighed. "Not really. We were two virgins who wanted to rid ourselves of the stigma. A fumbling, truly awful, awkward experience. After that horrible first time, I concentrated on my studies and not on men."
"What about you, Taylor? When did you lose your virginity?" Meghan asked.
"Prom night," she said, shaking her head. "Billy Ray Smith."
"Oh my gosh, he's married and living one town over."
"Thank God. He was mistake number one. I was young and foolish." And oh, so stupid, she thought.
That night he'd convinced her everyone was doing the nasty and if she didn't give it up, she would be the only virgin left in school. Curious about the forbidden fruit and wanting to fit in, she listened to him.
Meghan laughed. "Well, we certainly know who popped my cherry. Max Vandenberg, football superstar jerk.”
The three women sighed. Kelsey shifted uneasily in her chair. "We thought we were going to change the world."
Taylor snickered. "I think the world changed us."
Meghan giggled. "Remember that silly superstition from high school?"
"Which one? There were several," Kelsey said. "I especially liked the one where the football boys had to put a pair of girl's panties on the top of the goal post if they wanted a winning season."
So many things happened in a small town where gridiron was king. The football team could get away with so much more than the other school sports.
"While the drill team practiced in our uniforms, all our undies were stolen from the girls' gym. I remember going commando, like, yesterday." Taylor chuckled.
Kelsey turned toward her. "Max Vandenberg was the panty thief. Did you hear that he played professional football for the Dallas Cowboys for a while?"
"Until he got hurt. Now he's back." Meghan shook her head. "Right back here under my nose - the big jerk. He’s coaching at my school."
"Why does it seem like many of our classmates left and eventually returned."
"Yes, Ryan Jones is back. My brother told me he's sheriff now," Kelsey said, drinking another glass of vino. "He was my ex. So two exes back in town and another one's married and lives nearby."
"I don't consider Billy Ray an ex."
Sure, Taylor lost her virginity the night of prom, but recognized she would never marry Billy Ray. Redneck was a polite term for that kid. The ex that crushed her was in Dallas where he belonged with his skanky new wife.
Sitting there, she glanced at her besties from grade school.
"Wonder how many girls fell for that Cupid superstition? Did you guys ever do that one?" Taylor asked.
"Oh no," Meghan said. "I didn't like getting undressed in gym class."
"Oh no," Kelsey echoed. "If my brothers caught me dancing naked around the statue in the town square, I would have been sealed away in a nunnery until my female parts shriveled. What about you?"
"No," she said, thinking she didn't believe that nonsense.
Taylor looked at the two women sitting at the table. She poured the last of the second bottle of wine. The music seemed louder, the laughter shriller, and yet she was having so much fun, she didn't want to stop. Tomorrow she'd probably regret the amount of alcohol they were consuming, but tonight felt good. Old friends, memories, and alcohol helping her forget the importance of this damn day.
"You remember when all the cheerleaders did the naked Cupid dance, all hoping to find their true love. How did the magic work out for them?" Kelsey said with a laugh.
Taylor shook her head. "I remember. The football team showed up unexpectedly with cameras in hand and when the squad returned to school they faced suspension."
The principal had decided to make them examples.
Meghan frowned and gazed at the women, her blue eyes large, her expression one of disgust. "Don't feel too badly for them. They're all married. In fact, most of them have babies. If the superstition is true, it worked very well for them. What the hell is wrong with us?"
Taylor threw her hands up. "I'm not looking to get married. Right now, my focus is my parents' restaurant. I don't need a man."
After her disastrous engagement, the time had come to put the idea of marriage and children and happily ever after on the shelf.
Turning in her chair, Meghan looked at Kelsey. "What about you? Do you want to marry?"
Kelsey leaned on her hands. "Yes, I would like to find a man, but my brothers run them off faster than a deer during hunting season. So I'll be working on the boutique I'm preparing to open for business. One year is all I have to make a profit. Or I'll be moving back to the city. What about you, Meghan?"
She tossed back her hair and stared them straight in the eye. "I'm twenty-five years old. I'm ready. My ovaries are beginning to shrivel like a prune. Bring on the right man and I'll race him to the altar."
The idea hit Taylor smack in the stomach, and while it seemed preposterous, the idea was too good to pass up. She shook her head at the two of them, giggling. "Then let's do it."
Frowns appeared on their faces as they stared at her. "What?"
She checked her watch. "It worked for all those other women. Why not us? The superstition says at midnight anyone chanting and dancing naked around the fountain will soon meet their true love. I've never believed in the notion, but hey, I'm game. We've got thirty minutes. Let's go kick some Cupid butt and see if that superstition is real or not."
Meghan's eyes widened. "You want me to take off my clothes and dance in front of you and everyone else in town, chanting some silly verse?"
"Oh, most people will be asleep and I've seen you au naturel before. I'll be too busy dancing to notice you and your jiggling tatas."
Laughing, Kelsey gazed at Taylor. "And you think this is going to work."
No, she didn't believe in superstitions. She walked under ladders, stepped on cracks, and black cats didn't frighten her. Friday the thirteenth was just another day and dancing without clothes around a statue wasn't going to land her a husband.
She didn't want or need a man in her life. But she'd do this for her friends.
"We're late bloomers. Everyone else did this in high school. We never had the courage, but now we're older, some of us desperate. Let's do it."
Kelsey lifted her glass and drained the alcohol. "I'm in. What about you, Meghan?"
"Oh, it's starting again. During high school, you girls could get me into more trouble. You're back in town less than twenty-four hours and already you're plotting mischief."
"Oh, come on, it'll be fun," Taylor said, downing the last of her drink and signaling the waitress.
"The temperature outside is colder than a well digger...and we're getting naked," Meghan whined. "Tonight, other women are being wined and dined and we're going to dance without our clothes, in the town square? Something is wrong with this picture."
"Think of the thrill. The tales you can tell your children," Taylor said, the adventure of doing something dangerous sending a ripple of excitement through her. Years had passed since her last prank and this was the kind of stunt that got her juices flowing.
"Daring." Kelsey grabbed her purse. "I haven't done anything like this since college. I'm just drunk enough my logical, rational side is being held hostage by my fun side."
"Are you in?" Taylor asked not certain Meghan would agree.
With a sigh Meghan finished her wine. "I don't want to be the only old maid. Of course, I'm in."
* * *
Taylor was giggling hard when they left the bar, the three of them laughing as they all but dragged poor Meghan. The girl was always a laggard, but give her enough alcohol and she knew how to party with the best of them. At least, she had years ago. They hadn't been bad kids, just teenagers testing their new adult skills and failing more often than not.
"I could be fired if we're caught," Meghan said. "Public nudity is not exactly the proper behavior for the school librarian. My contract says something about a moral issue."
Moral, schmoral - they weren't holding an orgy. A little silly fun that had gotten many kids in trouble.
Kelsey handed her the bottle of wine they'd managed to sneak out of the bar. "Take a swig, Meghan, it will give your courage a boost. Besides, we're not going to get caught. We're not stupid teenagers."
"No, we're stupid adults," Taylor said smiling. College was the last time she'd done anything this wild and crazy. Her sorority had broken into Phi Beta Kappa's house and stolen all the jock straps, greased them with Vaseline, and hung the undergarments in the trees outside the gym.
Clouds drifted across the moon casting eerie shadows and she felt a rush of excitement. "Five minutes until midnight. Hurry, girls."
Squealing, they ran the final two blocks to the fountain. They arrived, huffing and puffing, and stopped to stare at the sculptured God of Love.
"Dancing around this statue is going to help us find the man of our dreams?" Kelsey questioned. "Whoever made up this shit is sitting back somewhere laughing at how many fools stripped off their clothes and danced in the moonlight."
"In the middle of freaking winter," Meghan added.
Part of Taylor agreed with Kelsey, but the other part, the more reckless and wild part, urged her on. "Come on, girls, we're doing this. We're going to prove this is either the biggest farce in town, or it’s going to work for my friends. Just not for me."
"I hope this is worth it," Meghan said as they all began to remove clothing, each one looking to make certain they weren't the only one stripping.
"Will it look funny if I leave my boots on?" Kelsey asked.
"Naked. You have to be naked according to the superstition," Taylor said, yanking off her footwear, the cold stones hard against her feet.
"As soon as the church bell strikes midnight, we're going to dance around the statue for one minute. Then I'm putting my clothes on and walking home," Meghan said, shivering in the buff. "You girls are going to be the death of me yet. If I come down sick--"
"We'll have a hot looking guy deliver you a box of Kleenex and chicken soup."
Kelsey started laughing. "Look, girls, I got a boob job while I was in college. Aren't they nice?"
She held up her tits for all to see and Meghan turned away groaning. "What am I doing?"
"I'm not looking at your breasts," Taylor said, giggling as she removed her bra. Maybe this wasn't one of her smarter ideas. The cold had her own poor nipples shriveled to the size of a raisin.
"Hurry, midnight is almost here," Meghan said, her words slurred from the alcohol. "Let's do this and put our clothes back on before we catch pneumonia."
"We better get some action from this," Kelsey replied, jumping up and down on the sidewalk, nude.
"And not legal action," Taylor said with a giggle.
After she finished undressing, she folded her jeans and sweater neatly and placed them on a bench. "Okay, I'm ready. Let's do this."
Passing the bottle of wine one more time, laughing and chuckling and hoping the alcohol would give them some much needed warmth, Taylor tried not to look down.
"We're being so naughty," Meghan said, giggling drunkenly. "Never again."
"Oh, come on, next week we're taking you skinny dipping at the lake," Kelsey said.
"Not during the winter, we're not," Taylor replied.
The church bells started to chime. With a scream, they laughed and began to run and dance, giggling hysterically as the three of them ran around the God of love.
"Oh, Cupid statue find us our true love," they chanted as they danced nude around the fountain in the town square, laughing at the absurdness of what they were doing.
"Nuts," Meghan said. "All this is going to do is give us frostbite on our girly bits.”
Taylor thought she might be right, but what a way to go. It felt freeing and exhilarating and she couldn't think of a single crazy thing that could pique this outing.
Headlights turned onto the street and they glanced at each other, their eyes wide. Shrieking, their hands trying to cover their female parts, they ran but their clothes were too far away.
"Oh no," Meghan said.
Red beacons flashed on top of the car. A shiver of fear raced down Taylor's spine setting panic into motion.
"Run, girls," Taylor yelled. "Run, it's the sheriff. Everyone split up, he can't arrest us all."
Kelsey and Meghan ran in different directions, running down the intersecting streets, leaving their clothes and purses behind.
Taylor wasn't departing without her boots. The footwear had set her back almost a month's pay and she couldn't leave them on a park bench. Grabbing her stuff, she tried to pick up her friends’ as well, but her arms were full.
Lights shined on her.
"Halt," a man's voice instructed. "Drop everything."
Oh great, she was the one who would be going to jail for dancing in her birthday suit in the public square.
* * *
During football season, Sheriff Ryan Jones caught one or two young teenage girls either about to dance or dancing naked around the Cupid statue. He kept encouraging the council to remove the statue, but tonight, three grown women with well developed female bodies were doing the Cupid Stupid move. Long legs, perfect round asses, and breasts that were mouthwatering tempting.
Sworn to protect and serve, he pushed the images from his brain and told his cock to go back to sleep. False emergency.
Valentine's Day, he'd meant to be here earlier before the bells dinged midnight, but the Raffsberger's cat created a disturbance in the alley that sent him on a feline pursuit. That pussy caused him more trouble than even the town drunk, Simon Connally. At least he could lock up Simon, but the feline stared at him with those laughing green eyes. Once again, the sheriff was on a cat chase.
Missing midnight, he'd arrived just in time to find three nude women dancing and chanting around the God of Love. And one of them was none other than Taylor Braxton. A girl from high school who if he hadn't been dating her best friend, he would have chased. But that was years ago.
"Don't move," he yelled, jumping out of his car and walking toward her. He didn't pull out his gun, because frankly, he didn't think she qualified as a dangerous criminal.
"Hi, Sheriff," she said, chattering and shivering in the cold, her arms crossed over her breasts, a palm covering her womanly bits. "How are you tonight?"
"I'm warmer than you," he replied, unable to stop his eyes from taking advantage of her nakedness. "Aren't you a little old for this?"
Jumping up and down, her arms wrapped across her breasts as she tried to get warm, he admired her curves. Since he'd been her best-friend's boyfriend right up until graduation, he never had a chance to pursue her before leaving for the military. And it was just as well given how Kelsey let everyone know her feelings about him when they broke up.
"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Taylor said, her teeth clicking as she shivered.
"Oh, you're desperate to find love?" Maybe it was his lucky night after all.
"No, but my friends think they're sitting on the shelf. I don't need a man."
Oh crap, he didn't like the sound of this conversation, and during his time in the Marines, those words were repeated to him more times than he cared to admit.
He laughed. "One of those."
"What do you mean one of those?" she asked, her voice rising. "Don't you think you could let me put my clothes on?"
He ignored her statement. One of the consequences of her Cupid Stupid dance was what he called his law enforcement embarrassment. Sometimes in order to keep people from doing a silly thing more than once, you let them experience the effects of their actions. "A woman who is anti-men."
She shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe I have reason to be.”
Walking behind her, he took out his cuffs. "Place your hands behind your back."
"Oh, come on, Ryan, you know I'm not dangerous."
Sure, he knew she wasn't threatening, but she needed to be taught a scary lesson.
"You're breaking the law," he said, leaning in close. A whiff of her breath let him know she'd consumed alcohol. "I'd say you're intoxicated and naked and both of those are against the law."
"We had a little too much fun."
"Come on, uncross your arms and put them behind your back," he said, feeling like he was being mean, but making an example of her so her girlfriends wouldn't be tempted to try again.
Moving her arms to the back, he almost regretted her compliance. She had a nice set of breasts that made his job even more difficult.
"Your girlfriends ran off and left you to face the consequences of your actions," he responded, slipping the cuffs around her wrists.
"Look, we were celebrating my ex getting married on Valentine's Day. We drank too much wine and decided we never did this in high school. We'd do it now."
A twinge of sympathy gripped his stomach. Okay, perhaps she had a reason to be drinking.
"I ruined the party," he said, glancing around the park, knowing they were long gone or just waiting for the opportunity to claim their clothes. "Where did your friends take off to? They're also under arrest."
"Oh no," Taylor said. "I'm not talking. I'm not giving up any information on them."
Strolling to the bench, he observed all the clothing. "They left their purses and clothes behind."
She cursed. Opening the first handbag, he pulled out the driver’s license. "Meghan Scott. Isn't she the new school librarian? The school board will be displeased to hear she's got a warrant out."
He remembered the cute little auburn spitfire from school. She'd seemed so sweet and innocent and seeing her naked butt running down the street was quite pleasant.
"Please, Ryan, she didn't want to do this and I convinced her. She'll be fired."
"I can tell you who the third person is without even opening her purse. Kelsey Lawrence."
Taking the heap of clothing to his car, he grabbed a blanket from the backseat and carried it back to her. He didn't want to take her to jail. The paperwork, the embarrassment for her, the scarring of her permanent record. It was what he called the Stupid Cupid prank. Over the last two years, he'd seen it dozens of times.
Wrapping the woolen cloth around her, she lifted her chin defiantly and met his gaze. "You're really going to take me to jail?"
Not responding, he led her to his car and eased her into the back, like a common thief. She sighed, the sound dejected.
"I never thought I would have to call someone to bail me out."
"No, you never thought you would get caught dancing naked in the middle of town," he said, shutting the back door of his patrol car.
Crawling into the driver’s seat he looked in the rearview mirror. "Where do you live?"
She frowned. "Nine twenty-six Hideaway Court. Why?"
He started the car and drove, letting her think he was taking her in. "Do you think your girlfriends are close by?"
"Don't have a clue. But you have their clothes. So I'm sure they're out of sight somewhere."
Chuckling, he drove to her townhouse only a couple blocks from downtown. "What did you do with your car?"
"I walked to the club. Due to the nature of our celebration, I thought it would be best to walk in case I had too much to drink. I didn't want to get a DUI or hurt someone."
Pulling in front of her house, she was quiet as he parked. Silence filled the automobile, even his radio had stopped crackling. Why did he feel like the boy in the diaper delivered him some good fortune? How did he go about asking a naked woman in the back seat of his patrol car for a date without looking like a real perv? He didn't.
"Every year, I arrest or take home kids who have decided to test the Cupid Stupid superstition. Seldom do I detain grownups, but if I do, I take them to the pokey where they belong. You're receiving a break for several reasons. One, you didn't drink and drive, and two, you said your ex was married today. For those two reasons, I'm giving you a pass. If I ever catch you near that damn sculpture, nude again, you will be charged and incarcerated."
Over the last year, he'd taken ten naked dumb kids home to their parents and only arrested one adult. And the reason the man had woken up incarcerated was because he'd been inebriated and waving his dick around peeing on the figure. City workers had to scrub the statue and drain the fountain while Ryan tried to convince the city council to knock down the God of Love.
"Thank you," she said, relief evident in her voice. "Are you going to press charges against my friends?"
"No, but you give them my warning. Any of you girls ever do this stunt again, I'll be waiting."
Usually his threat was enough to make people regret their decision.
"I'll remove the handcuffs and help you carry their stuff inside." He crawled out of the car.
Going to the back, he opened the door. "Lean forward."
As he unlocked the cuffs, his eyes feasted on her lovely rounded derrière.
"You know, I've never been cuffed before, and I must say they're very uncomfortable."
"They're supposed to be," he said and released her.
Pulling her arms in front of her she rubbed her wrists, keeping the blanket firmly tucked around her. Reaching for her hand, he helped her from the car. She stood and they were face to face, staring at each other, and he had the craziest urge to kiss her. Her lips were so ripe and full that he wanted to pluck them with his own. That craving would have to wait for another night.
"Thanks again, Ryan. I know what we did was crazy, but we didn't plan on getting caught."
"Nobody ever does. They think they're going to get away with the silly antic."
She stepped out of the way and he reached in and pulled out the stack of jeans, boots, and purses. "I'll drive around and see if I can find Meghan and Kelsey."
"They won't come out for you."
"It was nice of you to take the fall for them," he said, thinking not many women would do that for their friends.
"I persuaded them we should do this. I'm the one at fault."
"Yet, you don't want to marry?" he asked, shaking his head. "Seems kind of crazy."
"We did it for fun. Meghan wants to get married, but I barely escaped the noose once. I'm not looking for another chance," she said.
All he could think was, too bad. He'd been drawn to her in high school and now a mature woman, she was even better.
Hurrying to her door, she dug in her handbag for her key, the blanket sliding down, exposing her shoulder. Once the portal opened, a red dachshund greeted them, barking and yelping his happiness at her being home, the dog’s nails sticking in the blanket and edging it down.
"Zeus, down," she commanded.
Ryan followed behind her, carrying in the stack of clothes and boots. Boxes sat on the floor. The townhouse had a homey atmosphere, but clearly she'd just moved back into town.
Turning to face him with the cloth tucked carefully around her hiding all her girly parts, she gazed at him. "Why don't you come by the restaurant one day and I'll fix something special for you. Not one of the regular items, but a specialty I'm working on not on the menu yet."
Now was not the time to ask her out; he knew dinner would be the perfect moment to ask.
"I'll come by tomorrow," he said.
"I'll have chicken picante waiting for you."
"Looking forward to it."
"Goodnight, Officer Ryan," she said and walked him to the door, shutting it behind him.
Stepping out onto the porch, he glanced up at the stars shining brightly. In Afghanistan, the nighttime stars had been brilliant, almost like he could reach out and touch them. A trickle of unease scurried down his spine and he pushed the memories away.
Maybe coming back to Cupid had been a good idea after all. Taylor Braxton had become a hot looking woman. All he had to do was convince her to go out with him. And he would, tomorrow.
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