REAL GOOD MAN

  THE LAST BEST PLACE FOR LOVE

  GIULIA LAGOMARSINO

  Copyright © 2025 by Giulia Lagomarsino

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover Design by Artscandare

  https://artscandarebookcoverdesign.com/

  Photographer: Wander Aguiar

  https://www.wanderbookclub.com/

  Model: Daniel M.

  CONTENTS

  Characters

  Introduction

  1. JR

  2. Josie

  3. JR

  4. Josie

  5. JR

  6. Josie

  7. JR

  8. Josie

  9. JR

  10. Josie

  11. JR

  12. Josie

  13. JR

  14. Josie

  15. JR

  16. Josie

  17. JR

  18. Josie

  19. JR

  20. Josie

  21. JR

  22. Josie

  23. JR

  24. Josie

  25. JR

  26. Josie

  27. JR

  28. Josie

  29. JR

  30. Josie

  31. JR

  32. Josie

  33. JR

  34. Josie

  35. JR

  36. Josie

  37. JR

  38. Josie

  39. JR

  40. Josie

  41. JR

  42. Josie

  43. JR

  44. Josie

  Also by Giulia Lagomarsino

  CHARACTERS

  Parker Family:

  Patriarch and Matriarch:

  Ben and Clara Parker

  Children:

  Liam Jeffrey Parker

  Michael Benjamin Parker

  Jeffrey Michael Parker

  Krista Lia Parker

  Lizzy Clara Parker- runs The Beaver and Boot

  Callahan Family:

  Patriarch and Matriarch:

  John and Lenore Callahan

  Children:

  Wyatt Callahan

  Austin Callahan

  Clay Callahan

  Sheriff’s Department:

  Beatrice Fletcher- works at the police station

  Sheriff Maverick Wynne

  Deputy Sheriff Remington Cross

  Side Characters:

  Josie Nash- runs the apothecary shop

  JR- the fixer

  River Ainsley

  Cheyenne- works at the bank/ Bailey’s best friend

  Kasey-causes trouble at the bar/hits on the men

  Mrs. Agatha Abernathy- Bailey and Cheyenne’s cranky neighbor

  Lincoln Delaney- has a crush on Clara Parker

  Georgia Bennett- Bailey’s Mom

  Ellie May- runs The Last Best Place For Style

  Loretta- works at the bank with Cheyenne-practically second mother

  Jack Harding- Tattoo parlor

  Mayor Jane Cameron

  Mother- Sydney Walker

  Stepdad- Carl Walker

  step sister- Dakota Walker

  Pastor O’Donnell

  Bud Carson- drugist

  Archer Savage- elusive character who appears in town

  Caroline- nurse at hospital

  Roy- cook at The Beaver and Boot

  Colt Spencer- butcher/barber

  Cora- works at the diner

  Ruthie Kearns- diner owner

  Mrs. Walker- runs the B & B

  Ruth Preston- old lady who works at the bank

  Daughter- Ada

  Granddaughter- Rose

  Dick and Colleen own hardware store

  son- Scott and his wife Linda

  Mrs. Buttersworth- random citizen

  Cassidy Hill- owns Once Upon a Bookseller

  INTRODUCTION

  Real Good Man

  Tim McGraw

  released 2002

  1

  JR

  The last place in the world I expected to be was the ass end of nowhere in western Montana.

  And yet here I was, all the same.

  My tires slid on the slick roads as I passed the gas station along the curve into town. Winter was just giving way to the beginning signs of spring, but it was still way too damn cold for someone like me. I preferred mild winters as opposed to the snow-filled, freezing temps only a place like this could endure.

  Kicking up the heater, I checked my phone one last time for directions, grateful that this trip would be short. With any luck, I’d have a new job in a warmer state by this time tomorrow.

  “What the hell?” I muttered as I pulled up to an apartment building.

  This was not at all what I was expecting. Archer didn’t stay in a permanent spot.

  Ever.

  Motels were his go-to mode of living, yet the address didn’t lie.

  “Son of a bitch,” I muttered under my breath as I shoved the door open and got out. A heavy sigh filled my lungs as my boots sank in the melting snow.

  Slamming the door, I stalked up to the front door, cursing the snow, the weather, and the fact that I was way too far north in No Man’s Land. Punching the buzzer, I waited impatiently for the asshole to answer the door.

  “Yeah?”

  “Let me up.”

  Dead air greeted me, which wasn’t that much of a surprise. It wasn’t like he was expecting me.

  But the buzzer sounded, nonetheless, allowing me access to the warmth of the apartment building. Stomping the snow from my boots on the wet mat, I made it two steps before Archer opened the door down the hall and glared at me.

  “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “I could ask you the same thing,” I snarled, marching past him into his apartment.

  All it took was one look to know I was well and truly fucked. He wasn’t just hanging out here. He had moved in. It wasn’t exactly decorated, but for a man like Archer, he might as well be spending the rest of his life here.

  The door snapped shut, rattling the thin walls. “I told you not to contact me again.”

  “And I might have listened if you hadn’t fucked me over,” I said, spinning slowly as I checked out the place.

  “What are you talking about? I left you a replacement.”

  I barked out a laugh at that. “Is that what you would call that dumb shit? He fucked up the first day. The job went south because he didn’t know his ass from a hole in the ground. You have to fix this!”

  Except Archer wasn’t exactly the type to be ordered around. Neither was I, which was what made us work so well together. We got shit done. Or, we used to until six months ago when he vanished on me.

  “Since you left, I haven’t been able to get a single fucking job. I’ve been all over the place, but the moment they realize who I am, that’s it.”

  “That lands on you.”

  “No,” I snapped. “You fucked up. You walked off a job. We had a plan, and⁠—”

  “Alright, alright,” he shouted, shoving his fingers through his hair. “I’ll fix this.”

  “How?”

  His gaze narrowed dangerously on me. “I said I would fix it, and I will.”

  For a solid minute, neither of us moved as the standoff rooted us both in place.

  “I’ll be around.”

  Walking out, there was only one thing I needed right now after the ride I’d had, and that was a beer. I’d seen a bar not too far from the building and headed back that way, cursing when I saw the busy lunch rush.

  Parking at the back of the lot, I cursed walking through the slush melting over every inch of the lot. “It’s like they don’t know what a fucking snow plow is,” I muttered.

  The warmth of the bar hit me instantly, thawing my freezing fingers. My toes would take a little longer.

  “I’ll be right with you!” a blonde woman called out as she hustled behind the bar.

  The whole place was packed, and the only available seats were those at the bar, unless I wanted the table right beside two ladies who were arguing over a burger and fries.

  Sliding onto the stool, I waited a good five minutes for the blonde to quit running down orders and delivering drinks.

  “Sorry about that,” she sighed with a smile. “What can I get for you?”

  “Beer.”

  “Anything in particular? Light, dark⁠—”

  “Whatever’s on tap,” I answered quickly. I didn’t need a rundown of everything they had.

  Grinning, she grabbed a glass, filling it to the brim. “Anything else?”

  Shaking my head, she leaned forward on the bar top. “You don’t say much, do you?”

  “Got nothing to say.”

  “I haven’t seen you around here before.” Holding out her hand, that bright smile should have pissed me off. “Lizzy.”

  “JR.”

  “Well, enjoy your drink, JR.”

  Thankfully, she left me alone after that. I didn’t mind a pretty face, but I wasn’t sticking around long enough to enjoy the perks in the area. I was only about halfway through my drink when that peace was destroyed.

  The commotion behind me drew the attention of the whole bar.

  “You
need to leave,” Lizzy said, her arms crossed over her chest.

  It was clear the man was already drunk. Stumbling forward a step, he fell right into her, but she just shoved him aside and let him fall to the floor.

  “Your whole damn family thinks you’ve won!” the man shouted. “This isn’t over!”

  “Yes, it is. And if I have to call the sheriff down here, you’ll be breaking that promise you made, and I don’t think you want that,” she threatened.

  Grunting, I was just about to turn back to my drink when I saw him snake out his hand to grab her ankle as she turned away. I was on my feet the next second, grabbing the man around the neck before he could touch her.

  Hauling him to his feet, I snarled in his ear. “Either you walk out of this bar on your own, or I’ll make sure the only way they take you out is in a body bag.”

  Light filtered into the dark space as the front door opened. It didn’t take long for the man to find me and the fucker I was holding. He stomped over and grabbed the man by the jacket, barely sparing me a glance as he turned and hauled the man out of the bar.

  “Thank you,” Lizzy said, that smile back on her face. “I had it under control, but thank you all the same.”

  Grunting, I took my seat again, but the beer was long past doing a damn thing for me.

  “Let me get you a fresh one on the house,” she said, already pouring a new one.

  “That’s not necessary.”

  She slid the beer over the bar top. “Maybe not, but I always pay my debts.”

  I lifted the glass in thanks. “Any good hotels around here?”

  “That depends. Do you like roaches or flowers?”

  “Neither,” I muttered.

  “Then I wouldn’t suggest going to the motel. And the bed and breakfast really doesn’t look like your style unless you want Mrs. Walker to bring you breakfast in her housecoat.”

  “I’ll sleep in my truck.”

  “If you want, you can stay at my rental in town.”

  “Don’t want to put you out.”

  “You’re not. I just had a tenant move out. Technically, it’s my family’s rental, not mine. But if you’re in town for a few days, it’s all yours,” she said, taking out a set of keys and tossing them my way.

  Catching them, I narrowed my eyes at her. “You’re awfully trusting with strangers.”

  “Trust me,” she winked, “there’s not a single person in this town who doesn’t know who that house belongs to. If you destroy it, you won’t get far.”

  “Sounds like I should take my chances with my truck.”

  “Take the offer,” smiled again. She did that a lot. Always full of smiles. “You did me a favor. Now let me do one for you.”

  At the sound of the bell, she spun on her heel and headed into the kitchen for another order.

  Downing the rest of my beer, I set the keys on the counter, feeling strange about staying in someone’s house. But the thought of staying in my truck overnight in the freezing temperatures wasn’t all that appealing either.

  “JR!” she called out as I took the keys. “Here.”

  She slipped a note in my hand, then spun with a tray of food in hand over to another table. Scribbled on the paper was an address with a smiley face. I wasn’t quite sure how I could say no to that.

  Sliding out my phone, I dialed Archer’s number. “Yeah, I’m staying in town tonight. Call me when you have something.”

  2

  JOSIE

  The sun was shining, the snow was melting, and the smell of spring was in the air. There wasn’t a single thing that could diminish my happiness as I adjusted the flowers in the vase.

  The bell over the door of Rock and Root Remedies chimed cheerfully, letting me know I had my fourth customer of the day. And I knew exactly who it was without looking.

  “Good morning, Mrs. Abernathy! I have your order ready.”

  Spinning to greet her, the old woman looked exactly the same as every time she came in. Hunched over with a scowl on her face, she wasn’t exactly the friendliest person in town, but I still greeted her with a smile, hoping one day I would break through that hard exterior.

  “How are you this morning?” I asked as she grunted her greeting.

  “My bones ache.”

  “Well, how about I throw in something special for that. Try it out for a week and tell me if it helps at all.”

  Hustling over to my drawers, I found the spices and grabbed a root of ginger and one of turmeric. Adding it to her order, I brought the bag of goodies over.

  “I put in some turmeric and ginger. Add them to your meals or into your tea and you should start to feel some relief.”

  “I could get spices at the store,” she grumbled.

  “You could, but they would be ground and not nearly as potent as the roots I added for you.”

  “I have to ground them?” she shrieked.

  “Just grate some into your tea,” I explained calmly. “Trust me on this. It’ll do wonders for you.”

  Leaning heavily on her cane, she snatched the bag out of my hands and turned for the door. “I still say you’re a witch.”

  “Not a witch,” I corrected. “I just believe in natural healing.”

  For as much as she grumbled about my remedies, she kept coming back for more.

  “I don’t know why I keep coming here. You’ve probably put a hex on me.”

  “That seems rather unlikely. I’ve never chanted a single thing in my life.”

  “I hear you muttering all the time when you ground up your concoctions,” the woman said, turning to pin a glare on me. “That thing!” she pointed at my work table.

  “A mortar and pestle. Honestly, Mrs. Abernathy, I’m not the only person in the world who uses one. And I’m not muttering anything. I’m singing, but I keep my voice low because I know you don’t like the noise.”

  Narrowing her eyes, she grunted at me before turning back for the door. “Still think you’re a witch.”

  “I’ll make sure to wear my hat the next time you come in,” I teased.

  Rushing ahead, I held the door open for her, earning myself a nasty look of vexation before Mrs. Abernathy hobbled down the sidewalk to her car.

  “Goodbye, Mrs. Abernathy! Have a magical day!” I called out, giggling to myself when she looked sharply over her shoulder at me.

  Now that Mrs. Abernathy was gone, I turned on some music and went about filling orders. Since a lot of my customers were older folks, I delivered a lot of my orders, choosing to close down the shop early on certain days of the week instead of forcing them to make the trip into town.

  Only Mrs. Abernathy insisted on picking up her order. She was a stubborn old woman, and I hoped to be just as tough when I was her age.

  At three o’clock on the dot, I closed down the shop and grabbed the box of orders, carrying it out to my car. In a few weeks, I would be able to walk to town without freezing my butt off, but until then, I chose to drive my beater.

  Delilah started with a sputtering chug, but when she turned over, she purred as if she were new.

  “Good girl,” I smiled, patting the dash. “I know, it’s rough in the winter, but you’re doing so well. If you could just make it another winter, I would really appreciate it. Gotta pay off those bills before I decide to let you retire.”

  I didn’t dare tell Delilah I would replace her. That would be just mean.

  So, Delilah and I went about our rounds, making the last stop at Mrs. Bennett’s house. She wasn’t elderly, but she loved to be included in my rounds, and she always had a tasty treat waiting for me.

  “Hey!” I called out as I walked in the front door. I had a sort of standing invitation to her house. The last time I tried to knock on the door, I got a ten-minute lecture about how it was a waste of time for both of us, and I should just walk in.

  “In the kitchen!” Georgia called out. “I made sugar cookies and I have tea!”

  “Sounds great!”

  Setting down my box, I kicked off my boots and hung up my coat in the closet before making my way into the kitchen at the back of the house. Her son was already at the table, a scowl on his face as I entered.

  “Brody, don’t look so happy. It’s a beautiful day outside.”

  Georgia glanced over, a smile touching her lips as I took my usual seat that just happened to be across from Brody’s. We both knew she wanted to set us up, and every time I stopped by, she tried her best to make it happen.