by Jill Sanders
Chapter Fifteen
Lauren was dying to get out of the theater. Savannah kept her arm tight in her hands, keeping her in place. Finally, a few songs into Roy's set, the music slowed and Savannah was asked to dance by Grant. Lauren turned to exit, but when she turned she bumped into Chase's chest. Looking up, she saw determination in his eyes. Without saying a word, he put his hand on her back, pulling her close as he took her hand in his.
They started moving across the floor slowly as other couples swirled around them faster. His eyes never left hers as they glided across the floor. She hadn't realized he'd danced them towards the side doors, but when the cool air hit her shoulders, she jolted awake and was freed from the trance of his eyes.
Dropping her hand, she stepped back and looked around. There was a small patio enclosed by iron fencing. White lights hung on a string overhead that went from tree to tree along the patio. No one else was outside as she walked to lean on the iron fence.
His warm hand came to her shoulder, turning her towards him.
“Talk to me. Tell me I'm not alone in the way I feel.”
She shook her head. “No, you're not alone. I just don't...I can't...” She sighed.
“You can. You heard what your sisters said. You've shouldered the burden long enough. Let someone else help you out. I'm here. They're here for you as well.” He pulled her closer and when he leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips, she felt something inside her shift.
How had she denied herself for so long? Why hadn't she seen it sooner? She was in love and it was the farthest thing from what she wanted. She needed time to think. Time to sort out what this meant for her and more important, the ranch.
“Chase…” She looked up into his eyes. “I need some time. I need to understand everything.”
He kept her gaze for a moment, then sighed and rested his forehead on hers. “I understand. Just don't take too long, Lauren.” He pulled back and smiled down at her. “Let's go back in and enjoy the rest of the evening, shall we?”
When she nodded her head, his smile grew. “Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?”
She shook her head, and smiled a little.
When they walked back in, the floor was full of people jumping and dancing to the loud music. Lauren lost herself in the beat and let her worries float away with every soft song. By the end of the evening, her feet hurt, her head was dull from the wine and champagne, and she was still no closer to understanding what she wanted out of a relationship with Chase.
Early the next morning, she decided an overnight trip to the cabin would help clear her mind. She didn't want to face her sisters just yet, so she decided to sneak out her new French doors. She knew she was being a coward, but she needed this time to do some serious thinking. Since she had a new lock she wanted to put on the door and a few other items that had needed replacing at the cabin since the break in, she packed a larger bag than normal, which meant Dingo would have to stay behind since she wouldn't be able to ride up with her on Tanner's back.
“Sorry, girl. It's just this once. I promise you a big juicy steak when I get back.” Dingo sat and dropped her head, appearing to understand the situation as Lauren shut the glass doors behind her, leaving her best friend behind.
The long ride up to the hills helped clear her mind and she made it to the halfway point by noon. Sitting under the tree that she and Chase had sat under a few weeks back, she leaned against the trunk and thought about her future.
It wasn't that she was opposed to being married, she just didn't know if Chase was the right person. She'd always dreamed of having a relationship like her folks had. They'd been quite the team. Her father had taken care of everything around the house, everything except the kitchen. That had been her mother's domain. They had always laughed and enjoyed each other so much and she knew that when her mother died, her father never really recovered from the loss.
She always like to list out the pros and cons of every major decision she had before her, a little trick she learned shortly after signing the marriage license seven years ago.
She started with the cons. Staying married to Chase would mean giving up some of her freedom and her responsibilities around the ranch. Living in a house with two sisters and a husband would get tiring. The old place was big, but not big enough for the four of them for too long.
She couldn’t think of any others, so she started listing out the positives. Chase had always been there in her life. She couldn't remember a time when he or his father had been around the farm. She'd grown up with him being a best friend in school. Would he make a great husband? He seemed to want to take care of her and the ranch. Not to mention he got along great with her sisters. She knew that the physical relationship with him was great, but she didn't really have much to compare it to. It was a nice thought, having someone else there to shoulder some of the burden with the ranch, someone to help make major decisions, to be there to talk to when things got rough.
She sighed and stood up, dusting off her pants. She was picking up her water bottle when she heard the gun shot. She jolted up and automatically reached for her gun. Looking around, she gauged that the shot was less than a mile east of her position.
She doubted any of her men were up this far, since most of the cattle were down in the valley. Rushing over to Tanner, she decided a quick scout around couldn't hurt.
Tanner danced around a little as she put her foot into the stirrup; she didn’t hear a sound until she was flying through the air. Lauren heard a loud shot as a bullet passed right by Tanner's ears and landed in the tree that Lauren had been sitting under. She tried to hold onto Tanner's reins, but the horse went up on his hind legs, causing her ankle to twist in the stirrup. For a moment she thought she could get him under control, but he bolted when another shot landed right at his feet. Her foot popped out of the stirrup and she lost hold of the reins as she was thrown back several feet. She landed on her back as her head connected with a large rock and then everything went dark.
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