If Jelly Beans Were Kisses
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About this ebook
Detective Zachary Tillman, Jill's new partner, has her back while his manner and nearness send heatwaves through her recently divorced sworn-off-men heart and body.
Together they have to find the mole before any more cops die. As the attraction between them escalates, so do the plans of the villain who wants her dead.
Virginia Barlow
I enjoy knitting, crocheting, and quilting. I love roses and the smell of gardenias. I have two large dogs who like to keep me company while I write. Beethoven is an Aussie/ Great Pyrenees mix and Mozart is a Mastiff/Collie mix. I occasionally bake when the mood strikes me. Mostly I consider cooking and baking necessary evils. My husband of forty years is my greatest fan/critic and I don't know what I would do without him. My family is my greatest support and I love every minute I spend with them. Life is a journey and I can't wait to see where it leads me next!
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If Jelly Beans Were Kisses - Virginia Barlow
Can I give you a lift?
A sexy male voice spoke to her right.
Turning, she met Tillman’s blue-eyed gaze.
Tempting. Getting into his car would break her vow to keep men a minimum of six feet away. This one possessed black hair, mesmerizing blue eyes, a sexy smile, and a killer body. Gazing down at his handsome face and breathing in the warm musk of his skin sent tingles through her. The man’s sex appeal hit her like a semi-truck, and her stomach fluttered with excitement. With little effort, he could have her naked in bed doing all the things Doug said she wasn’t any good at. Her brow wrinkled. She couldn’t risk the pain of rejection, and recent experience taught her all men were douche bags, no matter how appealing. Shaking her head, she answered his question the only way she could. No thanks. I need the exercise. See you at work.
You’re wet, cold, and you’re in your bare feet. Not to mention your broken arm and the bruises I know you’ve got. Get in the car, Andy, and tell me why your scumbag ex took your wheels.
You saw Doug?
Jill tripped on a rock and stubbed her toe. Cursing, she hobbled on one foot to see the damage, ignoring Tillman.
I did.
He shifted into park and climbed out. Striding toward her, he opened the passenger door and waved her toward it. What would my grandma say if she knew I let a lady in distress walk home alone, wounded, in the rain and did nothing to help?
Jill stared at him and then at the car. She’d be too close and breathe the same air…
Praise for Virginia Barlow
A Fallacious Seduction
is a must read for romance readers who love a good western!"
~ In D’tale Magazine
If you’re a historical western romance reader, you’re going to love ‘Wylder Bachelor’. If you’re a fan of feisty, independent heroines, pick up ‘Wylder Bachelor’. Highly recommend!
~ N. N. Light’s Book Heaven
I loved this book! [Coconut Macaroon Scandal] Lots of twists and turns, with all the characters getting exactly what they deserved at the final denouement. The chemistry between the main characters was very believable and I loved Emma’s grandmother’s ghost stepping in to help her. This is a great story and I couldn’t put it down.
~ Net Galley Review
If Jelly Beans Were Kisses
by
Virginia Barlow
Jelly Beans and Spring Things Series
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.
If Jelly Beans Were Kisses
COPYRIGHT © 2022 by Virginia Barlow
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Contact Information: info@thewildrosepress.com
Cover Art by Jennifer Greeff
The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
PO Box 708
Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708
Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com
Publishing History
First Edition, 2023
Digital ISBN 978-1-5092-4838-4
Jelly Beans and Spring Things Series
Published in the United States of America
Dedication
For Cynthia Jane, your strength and beauty are amazing!
Chapter One
Dallas, Texas
March 2018
The dismal gray rain and darkened sky mirrored Jillian Rose Andrews’ mood as her partner’s casket lowered into his grave. The clink of the chains and the hum of the motor filled the silence between the sobs of his widow and the rest of the people in attendance.
Too young to die, Julio Garcia should be home drinking beer and listening to his six-year-old son beg to play in the rain, not dead, lying in a silver casket dressed in a black suit and red tie. Julio hated suits, neckties, and occasions requiring him to wear them.
They’d been set up.
By whom, she didn’t know, but she would find out.
When she set up the time and place to meet her informant, she thought they would get a tip on the Castillo Cartel out of Mexico and make plans to end them. Instead, she and Julio walked into an ambush of the cartel’s heavy hitters armed with metal-piercing bullets and the element of surprise.
Her partner played quarterback in high school and tackled her to safety behind a concrete wall when the first rounds flashed from the cartel’s gun barrels. Bullets pelted the area behind them as they sat side by side, gripping their service weapons.
Where’s Tio? Did you see him when we walked in?
Julio’s whisper drifted toward her above the noise of the gunfire.
No.
Her informant kept to the shadows on previous meetings until he knew she came alone.
A machine gun flashed to their right. We are outnumbered and too exposed. We need to get the hell out of here, or we’re dead.
Jill glanced to her left. There’s a stairwell over there.
The old warehouse along the train tracks seemed the perfect out-of-the-way place to meet until now. Tio preferred dark corners and alleys. Places no one recognized him, and he could escape with ease, melting into the darkness like a shadow.
Okay. On three.
Julio’s voice dropped a decimal as he peered around the corner.
They jumped and rolled. The stairs hurt like hell all the way down. She had the bruises and the broken arm to prove it.
No sooner did they stop and run for cover than their attackers followed.
They’re down here!
A male voice yelled from the top of the stairs.
The area where they landed had little light.
Jill glanced around for an escape and sucked in a deep breath. Tio’s body is over there.
The amount of blood pooling around him told her he sported multiple wounds not consistent with life and didn’t die easy.
Damn! We’ve been played.
Julio’s growl echoed her own thoughts.
Who could have known our location and the time of the meet?
She frowned and shook her head in disbelief.
We’ll work it out later. Right now, we need to move. Come on. I see sunlight over there. Run. I’m right behind you.
Julio tugged her to her feet, and they ran like all the demons of hell chased them. Because they did.
Bullets hit the walls around them, spraying them with debris, but they kept going toward the slash of light streaming through a half-open door.
As Jill kicked it open and glanced behind her, she realized Julio had been hit. If the patrol car cruising the street hadn’t come by when it did, they’d both be dead. Her partner lasted two hours after they got him to the hospital. He died protecting her back, using his as a shield, and she would never forget his sacrifice.
The chilly rain snapped her back to the present. Shifting her feet to keep her heels from sinking into the grass, Jill wiped tears from her eyes. With this weather, no one would know if the moisture running down her face were tears or raindrops.
Conway, Martinez, and Blake eyed her from the other side of Julio’s grave. Detectives in the same precinct, they blamed her for her partner’s death, saying the time and place to meet came from her contact. She suggested they go inside the warehouse when the informant didn’t show, not Julio. Though neither she nor Julio mentioned the fact afterward, Jill wondered where they got the information. Conway and company accused her of being the one to tip the cartel off.
Growling beneath her breath, she glared at her tormentors. Not wanting to hear more of their opinions, she stepped to Maria’s side and gave her a hug. I am so sorry for your loss. Julio was the best of the best, and I’ll find the bastard who did this. I promise. If there is anything I can do for you or Juan, just ask, okay?
Julio’s widow hugged her back. Don’t listen to them.
She lifted her chin in Jill’s tormentor’s direction. "My husband told me the truth at