by Lane, Soraya
Chase made a face at Chloe, but it was Hope he wanted to watch. She was smiling, the look on her face contented, none of the tenseness he’d noticed earlier in the week. After they’d made out in his SUV, she’d been hard to read, but being with her now was like stepping back in time. It must have been hanging out with his family, not just being the two of them.
“Work’s good,” Hope said, turning her attention back to him, eyes shining. “I mean, I’m doing something I enjoy, and they pay me well. Once I put on my big girl panties and realized how lucky I still was, I stopped feeling sorry for myself and just started to make the most of it.”
“Hey, you’re a bigger person than I am,” Chase said, turning around and pulling out a chair at the table. He waited for her to sit down before pulling out the adjoining one for himself. “If all this was taken away from me, I’d be a goddamn mess.”
“So still no plans to ever move away from the ranch?” Hope asked.
Chase shook his head. That was something he didn’t have to think about for a second. “This is where I belong. No questions asked.”
They kept coming back to their ranches, their past, every time they spoke, and he hated to see her smile falter when she was reminded about the home she’d left behind. Chase changed the subject, fast.
“I hope you’re hungry, because Chloe likes to feed us like we’re starving.”
“She seems great.” Hope’s smile was easy again, natural. “I can tell you like her a lot.”
“I do.” Chase drummed his fingers across the timber tabletop. “She’s a great girl and Ryder was damn lucky to find her.”
“And you? Does it make you want to find a wife, Mr. Love ’Em and Leave ’Em?”
Chase raised his gaze, stopped drumming his fingers, and closed his palm around the beer bottle instead. He studied Hope’s face, her eyes framed by thick dark lashes, fine features offset by full lips that looked even more damn kissable all pink and glossy.
“Maybe.” He shrugged. “Maybe not.”
“No yearning to settle down?” she asked.
Chase was watching her lips as he listened. “Are you asking because you want to know, or are you just making polite conversation?”
A slow pink stain spread across Hope’s cheeks and he fought the urge to smile. She’d been fishing, only she hadn’t expected him to put out his own line instead of biting. There was something satisfying about seeing her squirm, especially given what she’d just asked him. After Stacey, settling down wasn’t something he’d thought about. Maybe when he was forty; maybe if and when he ever decided he wanted kids. Right now he hadn’t thought about having a woman in his life at all, not since his last relationship. So long as he could have a beautiful woman in his bed when he wanted, he was a happy man. Or at least he had been until Hope had showed up, and suddenly she was the only woman he wanted.
Hope should have just kept her mouth shut, but then she could say that about everything when it came to Chase. He was infuriating and intoxicating all at the same time, and just like had happened before, all the willpower in the world could be shattered in one slow second where this particular cowboy was concerned.
“Forget it,” she said, refusing to even think about what it would be like to be with Chase, to be more than just some fun to him. Sure, she’d like a few more repeats, but the look on his face when she’d asked him about settling down had been answer enough. It told her she’d been right in keeping her secret all this time.
“Need another top up?”
Hope smiled at Chloe. She’d already decided she liked her, and she admired the way she could handle the King brothers. Soft and feminine, but with just enough sass to keep them in line.
“I thought you were having wine with me?” Hope asked, glancing from Chloe’s glass to her face and wondering why the other woman couldn’t stop smiling.
“I thought I’d keep my mind fresh for the game. Start with sparkling water instead.”
Hope went to say something then clamped her mouth shut, raising an eyebrow and grinning at Chloe. “Yeah, sure.”
Chloe burst out laughing and Ryder gave her a play punch on the arm as he joined them. “I thought we weren’t telling anyone,” he muttered in a low voice.
“I haven’t told a soul,” Chloe whispered, still smiling. “I can’t help if someone guesses.”
“Hey, your secret’s safe with me,” Hope said, shutting her mouth and making a zipping action across her lips as if to seal them then throw away the key.
“What, that Chloe’s pregnant?” Chase chimed in.
“Ryder!” Now it was Chloe angry with him, clutching his shirt and pulling him in tight. “You promised we’d tell them together.”
“I, ah…” Ryder looked guilty as he tried to escape Chloe’s hold and failed. “Come on, Chlo, they’re my brothers. I tell them everything.”
Chloe sighed, clearly not able to stop smiling for long. “Worst-kept secret ever,” she announced. “We’re having a baby, and until I reach at least the twelve-week mark, we’re keeping it a secret from anyone outside this room.”
“What about Granddad?” Chase asked.
“We were going in tomorrow to see him and tell him.” She put her hands on her hips and glared at Ryder. “He was supposed to be the first to know, just in case something happened. We wanted him to know he had his first grandchild on the way.”
Hope studied Chase as he held up his glass. There had always been something about him, some thing that made him different from every other guy she’d ever met. He’d been a womanizer, a naughty influence on her, but he’d also been the nicest, most caring guy in the world to her. Which was why she’d never wanted to burden him after their one night together, knowing that on the one hand he couldn’t think of anything worse than settling down, but also that his sense of honor and duty would have forced his hand. And what could have been worse than knowing a man like Chase had settled because he had to, not because it was what he wanted? There was also the fact that she hadn’t wanted to leave her ranch behind and return to Texas once she’d found out, too. And there would have been no way the King family would have let her son grow up without being part of the family, without being in Texas.
“To my gorgeous sister-in-law and my pain-in-the-ass brother,” Chase announced. “You guys are gonna be the best parents, and I can’t wait to meet the first little King baby.”
“Hear hear,” Nate called out from the other side of the room.
Hope tore her eyes away from Chase’s strong, angular face, and looked at her son. He was still happy hanging out with Nate, although she was sure he’d be getting hungry by now.
“Harrison, you want to come grab some fries?”
“And nachos!” Chloe chimed in. “I’ve got beans and plenty of cheese on them, so they should be good.”
Harrison left his toys behind and jumped up, heading over to her. “Help yourself, kiddo. I’ll grab you a drink.”
“Here’s a soda,” Chase said, passing Harrison a can. “There’s more in the fridge and help yourself to anything. The pizzas should be here soon, too, so eat your heart out.”
They all pulled out chairs and sat around the table. Hope reached over and took a nacho, bumping arms with Chase, pleased that he was being so nice to Harrison. She didn’t look up. This whole scene seemed so familiar, and then there was Chase. He was familiar and tempting and seductive all rolled into one, enough to make her want to scream with frustration.
“Has Chase taken you over to see his new place?” Chloe asked.
“No.” Hope sat back, finished her mouthful, and watched Chase. “Where is it?”
Chase shrugged. “About five minutes walk from here, on the ranch,” he said, like it was no big deal. “I was going to take you there the other day but we kinda ran out of time.”
Nate chuckled and she turned to see what was so funny. “Don’t let him pretend like it’s just some modest little guesthouse. It’s insane. I think he’s planning on either lots of guests or a f
ootball team of kids one day.”
Hope glanced at Chase. “How about a grand tour later on?”
“You betcha.” The heat in Chase’s gaze spread through her like wildfire.
“So when do we play poker?” she asked.
“After pizza,” Ryder told her. “And more drinks. Plenty more drinks.”
“One more and I’m switching to soda,” Hope said, smiling as Harrison tucked into the nachos like he’d never eaten before. “Otherwise I won’t be able to drive home.”
“So stay,” Nate suggested, like it was the most obvious solution in the world.
Chase was still watching her even though it was his brother who’d spoken. The question lingered. She felt like everyone in the room was watching her even though she knew they weren’t. Ryder and Chloe had already started chatting about something else, but the intensity of Chase’s gaze was spellbinding.
“What I meant,” Nate continued, leaning across the table and pouring some more wine into her glass, “is that we have plenty of spare rooms in the main house. You and Harrison are welcome to stay over.”
She let out a low shudder, a breath that she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding. Chase had mentioned it the other day, but she hadn’t really let herself think about it again, even if she had packed some things just in case. “Thanks. Maybe I’ll take you up on that.”
Nate might be a hotshot rancher tycoon, but he’d sure as hell stepped up not to make her feel uncomfortable. He grinned and pushed back his chair, and she couldn’t help but wonder whether he would have been so kind to her if he’d known the truth. At the time it had seemed like the best thing for everyone, but now being with the King family and seeing how close they were firsthand was making her wonder if she’d deprived her son of more than she’d ever realized.
“Hey Harrison, what do you say to a sleepover?” Chase asked.
His head snapped around, eyes flashing with excitement. “For real?”
Everyone laughed. Hope ran a hand through his hair when he came closer. “For real. Maybe we can take a look around the ranch in the morning before we go?” She glanced at Chase to check if it was okay.
“It just so happens that we still have a pretty awesome old pony here. How about a ride in the morning?” Chase asked him.
Harrison jumped up and down, hands balled into fists.
“That means yes,” Hope said, “in case it wasn’t obvious.”
“That’s what you used to do,” Nate said to Chase with a chuckle, watching Harrison. “I still remember you getting all excited over stuff and jumping all crazy.”
Cold washed over Hope, a shiver coursing through her body. She didn’t know what to say, hoped no one was watching her.
“I thought he was a cool kid, now I’m certain,” Chase said, waggling his eyebrows at Harrison and making him laugh. “If he’s anything like me then he has to be, huh?”
Hope smiled, pleased she hadn’t overreacted. She was going to tell Chase, she owed it to him, and tonight was plain evidence that she didn’t have any other choice, she just had to figure out how. Maybe once her work on the ranch was done, so she could walk away if she had to without there being professional repercussions for her. She couldn’t afford to be fired, and if the King family threw their weight around, her boss was hardly going to choose her over the biggest ranchers in Texas.
A knock at the door echoed down the hall.
“That’ll be the pizza.” Ryder jumped up at the same time as Chloe did, but he set her straight back down again. “And you, my darlin’, aren’t moving an inch. Don’t forget you’re carrying my little baby in there.” Hope watched as he put a protective hand over her belly, dropping a kiss to her lips. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
Hope wasn’t jealous, but she was envious. All the years she’d been married, it had never been like that even when it was good.
“You don’t have to stay,” Chase said, surprising her. His hand closed over her thigh, his touch as warm as his breath. “Nate didn’t mean anything by it, and just so you know, I didn’t put him up to it.”
“I know,” she replied, guilt mixing with anticipation as she angled her body to face him. “But it’ll be fun, right?”
He moved his fingers, sending goose pimples down her leg. They were facing, so close but so far apart, and if Harrison hadn’t been nearby she wouldn’t have hesitated to give in to her desires. Maybe it was the alcohol making her more confident, making it easier to push the deceit from her mind—it was almost painful not to act on it.
“Don’t,” she whispered as his mouth moved closer to hers.
“Sorry. I have to keep reminding myself to behave around you.”
She took a deep breath and pushed back, reaching for her wine and running her fingers down the stem for something to do. “Maybe later,” she murmured, knowing that it would definitely be later if she was given half a chance.
“How about we go for a walk down to my new place and I show you around, once Harrison has crashed.”
Hope let Chase link their fingers together and she watched them, intertwined. “He likes to stay up pretty late,” she cautioned.
“It just so happens I’m the night owl from hell,” he said, flashing her his dimpled grin. “So is that a yes?”
She wondered what the hell she was agreeing to. “Yes,” she muttered.
Chase looked like he’d just won the lottery. “It’s a date then.”
She had the shivers back, anticipation building in her belly. All these years she’d wondered what if, and now here she was ready to have a rematch with the only man who’d ever truly made her feel alive. There wasn’t a bone in her body that didn’t want Chase, even if it was just for one night again, before she finally told him what she’d kept secret for so long.
Chase ran his hand down her thigh this time and she stifled a gasp, distracted only when Ryder reappeared with enough pizza boxes to feed a football team. “Let’s eat and then we can get this card game started.”
Hope’s heart was still pounding, her pulse racing as Chase gave her one last, slow lazy smile and removed his hand, reaching for a slice of pepperoni. She took a sip of her wine to calm her nerves before doing the same, finally regaining her equilibrium when her son climbed back onto the chair beside her and started to eat.
Coming to the King ranch with her son had been dangerous business, and being so close to Chase? That was almost the worst goddamn mistake she’d ever made, because there was no walking away now, not yet, anyway.
“So tell me, anything else you like apart from Transformers?”
The table fell quiet as Harris pushed up onto his knees, reaching for a piece of pizza and answering Chase.
“Yeah, Spiderman’s pretty cool.”
Chase laughed. “How about Batman?”
Harrison’s nose wrinkled. “Not as cool as Spidey.”
“You know how to shoot a web?” Chase asked, glancing at Hope and making her smile.
“Sure do,” Harrison said, dropping the slice of pizza to his plate and pretending to blast Chase.
They all laughed and Hope took a big gulp of wine. The night was going so perfectly that it terrified her.
Chapter 9
“You make this look so easy,” Hope said, leaning in close to Chloe to see her hand.
“It is!” Chloe grinned at her as she hid her cards. “I was hustling at card games when you were probably playing with Barbie dolls. It’s second nature to me.”
Hope laughed, sipping her beer. She’d ditched her wine earlier and decided to drink with the boys. “So Chase wasn’t joking when he said you could beat the pants off any man?”
Chloe giggled and leaned into her, like they were old friends. It was nice, just hanging out and having fun, relaxing. She hadn’t done this sort of thing in a long while—first her parents had fallen ill and she’d been alongside them as they both battled treatments, then her marriage had started to crumble, the ranch had slipped out of her grasp… There hadn’t been a lot o
f time for just having fun for longer than she could remember. And Chloe was right—she’d been the little girl playing Barbie and Ken, make believing cute little romances and expecting to have a husband and family of her own one day, on her ranch.
“One day I’ll tell you my story,” Chloe said, raising the stakes of the game they were playing without breaking for pause. “And maybe then you can tell me all about how you managed to keep Chase all hot under the collar over you for a decade.”
Now it was Hope’s eyebrows shooting up in surprise. “Don’t be silly.”
“Oh, I’m not,” Chloe said. “I’ve never seen him all rubbed up the wrong way like this before.”
“We have history, that’s all,” Hope told her. “And things didn’t exactly end great between us.” She wasn’t sure how much she knew, or how much she wanted to tell her.
“Hey, it’s none of my business,” Chloe said, grinning at the boys as they stared at her, her voice low. “But one thing I do know is that when you’re dealing with a King, you have to tread carefully. It’s way too easy to put your heart on the line, even when you’re least expecting it.” She sighed. “I never thought I’d feel like this, but Ryder came along and everything changed. Everything.”
Hope nodded. Oh, she knew all right. She doubted she’d ever feel the way she did about Chase again, so she completely understood that when Chloe had fallen for Ryder, she’d fallen damn hard. But at the same time, she couldn’t let things get that serious between them, because then her lie would seem even bigger.
“You do well managing these boys on your own,” Hope said. “One King would be handful enough for any woman and you’ve got to put up with all three of them.”
“You know what? They were intimidating when I first met them, but they’re all gorgeous. And I don’t just mean to look at. They’d do anything to look after me, all of them, and there’s not many guys out there in the world like that.”