Wild at Heart

by Rhonda Laurel

  Instead of joining everyone at the table, Brooks made a left and was coming toward the bar. Apparently, his maneuver had captured Liv’s attention too. She looked like she was going to break the delicate stem of the martini glass she was holding.

  “Bartender. Another cerveza please.” Brooks tapped on the bar. “And put my friend here on my tab.”

  The bartender set both drinks down in front of Chance. He pulled out his wallet, gave him a twenty. He didn’t want the guy buying him drinks after what he was pulling with Shannon. “Thanks, but I got it, man.”

  “No, it’s not a problem. We’re here for the same reason.”

  “Which is?”

  “To celebrate Fiona’s going to law school of course. You came with Shannon.” The guy extended his hand. “Brooks Malloy.”

  “Chance McGill.” Chance shook his hand, matching his unnecessarily firm grip.

  “I’m a good friend of Shannon’s.” Brooks looked at Shannon like he was eyeballing a prized possession. “She’s probably mentioned me.”

  Chance tilted his head, frowning as if lost in thought. “Nope, I don’t think so.”

  Brooks’s jaw ticked. “We dated not so long ago. She wasn’t ready for a relationship. She can be quite fickle.”

  “Weird. I find her to be very decisive. Too much for most men, maybe, but great for the right guy.”

  “Shannon’s a wild child who likes to play hard to get. We were great together. I think she just needs to sow some wild oats before she realizes what’s good for her.”

  “And what’s good for her?”

  “Wealth. Success. Nice things. She needs a man who can keep up the lifestyle she’s had all her life. A man could go broke trying to make her happy. Don’t take it too hard when she dumps you.”

  “Now I remember who you are.” Chance snapped his fingers, grinning. “You’re the dumb son a bitch that was stupid enough to let Shannon get away.” He raised his beer in salute. “Your loss, my gain, pal.”

  Chance knew by the wild look in Brooks’ eyes that he’d set him off, but he didn’t care. He wasn’t about to play games with the jack ass who was deliberately trying to hurt Shannon.

  * * *

  Shannon tried to keep up with the conversation at the table, but her eyes were glued to Chance and Brooks talking at the bar. They each had their shoulders set, stern expressions like they were getting ready to go a round in a boxing match. Whatever had just transpired, Brooks wasn’t happy about it. She could see the vein on his temple from here. But Chance had a very satisfied look on his face. It was the kind of smirk you gave when you pressed the blaring red button that said do not touch just to see what would happen. He had guts if nothing else. Brooks didn’t meet too many guys that matched his physical composition. The intimidation factor wasn’t working on Chance. Not that she’d take him for someone who’d back down from another man’s macho posturing. When the two men kept inching closer to each other, she knew she had to intervene.

  But before she could, Janie touched her arm. “Shannon?”

  “Yes?” Her eyes darted to Janie.

  “I asked how you met Chance.”

  “Hold that thought.” She jumped out of her chair and beelined it to the bar. Chance and Brooks’s voices were raised, and they were so close, you couldn’t fit a sheet of paper between them.

  “Babe!” she said as she wedged herself between them and put her hand on Chance’s arm. “When you said you were getting me a white wine, I didn’t think you were going to Napa Valley to get it.”

  Chance’s face softened. “Sorry about that. I was just having a friendly chat with Brooks here.”

  Brooks let out a dry laugh. “I think I offended your escort. I offered to pay for the drinks. I meant no offense.”

  “How kind of you to offer, Brooks.” Shannon glared at him. She knew what he was doing. It was an attempt to imply to Chance that he had money. Brooks liked to flaunt his privileges to the world. He’d liked to flaunt her around like his personal beauty queen, which she hated. “I think you forget that some people just like to pay their own way.”

  “What can I say?” Brooks replied. “I’m generous to a fault.”

  Shannon steeled herself to not take the bait. Brooks’s generosity never extended beyond Brooks. She wanted to get on with the evening and not have an ex ruin it. She squeezed Chance’s arm. “Babe, I’d like you to meet the rest of the gang. Why don’t we go back to the table?”

  “Whatever you want.” Chance nodded, but he was still looking at Brooks.

  Shannon gently pulled on Chance, and he finally picked up their drinks and let her guide him back to the table. She didn’t rush, as a matter fact, they slowed to an almost slow-motion stride.

  “What happened?” she asked so only he could hear.

  Chance shrugged. “He was being an ass. I pushed back.”

  “I figured as much,” she drawled. “Don’t let him get your goat.”

  “I’m supposed to be your date. If this were a real date, I would not take kindly to your ex-boyfriend ogling you from across the room and trying to intimidate me. I’d put him in his place.”

  “O-oh,” she stammered as Chance continued to guide her to the table. She watched as he put the beer and wineglass on the table and held out the chair for her to sit.

  More people had joined their table, including Cheyenne’s boyfriend. There was now a spread of food on the table, and they were eating family-style tonight. She was happy to get a reprieve from the third degree by her friends and get something in her stomach. The conversation began to flow, and she was glad Cheyenne snagged the seat next to her. Brian, Cheyenne’s latest man, was a nice guy. He was handsome, polite, and he and Cheyenne seemed to have a lot in common. She could see the look of contentment on her best friend’s face. She’d picked a winner, and it was good to see her with a guy who appreciated her.

  Chance continued to amaze her as he put her napkin on her lap for her and offered to serve her first with each dish was passed around. He may have been rough around the edges, but he had great manners. She was even more impressed when Brooks finally took his seat across the table next to Liv and Chance didn’t miss a beat as he continued to converse pleasantly with everyone. He had total control of his temper, and he knew when to display it and when not to. Like defending her at the bar. She could only imagine what Brooks had said to get him riled.

  “Shannon.” Cheyenne, who was sitting next to her, nudged her and whispered. “Chance is amazing.”

  “Thanks,” Shannon responded. “Brian seems really nice too.”

  “Yes, he is.” Fiona, who’d gotten up from her chair, suddenly chimed in. “I knew you two were talking about men. Shame on you, Shan, for keeping Chance a secret.”

  “I can’t hear from over here!” Janie blurted out as she munched on a dinner roll.

  The ladies all froze. Leave it to Janie to call attention to their squawk fest, mainly because she wasn’t included.

  “You’re right.” Fiona straightened up and went back to her seat. “I forgot my manners.”

  “Where were we before Shannon flew to the bar like a bat out of hell?” Janie played with her fork.

  “You know how impatient I get when I don’t have my wine.” Shannon smiled nervously, trying to steer the conversation away from the spectacle at the bar everyone had witnessed.

  Cheyenne popped a tomato cherry in her mouth. “We asked you how you and Chance met.”

  “Yes. We want details.” Fiona smiled and sipped her wine.

  “Oh.” Shannon waved a hand. “I picked him up at the airport.”

  The crowd laughed.

  “Be serious, Shan,” Fiona said. “Now we know you’ve been avoiding your friends because you were seeing someone new.”

  “We all have new and exciting things going on in our lives,” Liv piped up. “I think we should all get a chance to share some good news.”

  “Hold that thought, Liv,” Cheyenne interrupted. “Shannon. Are you going to tell
us how you two really met?”

  Chance cleared his throat. “We did meet at the private airfield. I was arriving in town to visit my family. Shannon was there on business for Regency.”

  “Chance. What kind of work do you do?” Fiona asked. “If you’re using a private plane, it must be something important.”

  “The plane belongs to my family.” He smiled. “I own Call of the Wild. It’s an outdoor recreation store based out of Knoxville in my home state Tennessee.”

  “You sell kayaks and fishing waders?” Brooks mused.

  Shannon shot an icy look at Brooks.

  “Those are just a few things of the things we sell.” Chance looked at Brooks. “We cater to all outdoor sporting activities. Hunting, camping, fishing, hiking. You name it, we have it to properly outfit people who love out-of-doors sports.”

  “Chance does more than sell the equipment. He’s also an adventurer. He leads expeditions around the world.” Shannon blurted out. At least that’s what she remembered Sam saying. She apparently listened to Sam drone on about her huge family more than she realized. Stats about Chance’s life were racking up like a spreadsheet in her head. The words chronically single were still bouncing around in her head too.

  Brooks sipped on his drink. “Like what expeditions?”

  “I’ve done a few expeditions in Alaska, Brazil, Australia, but one of my favorite places to explore is the Appalachian Mountains. And I’ve been doing a lot of exploration in Texas recently. And I explore the mountains and basins too.” He smiled and squeezed Shannon’s hand.

  She squeezed him back. “Chance is determined to turn all the kids in his family into junior scouts. They love it when he visits.”

  “I’ve also been trying to persuade Shannon to go on an adventure with me.”

  “Shannon hates the outdoors,” Brooks countered. “Shannon, remember I tried to get you to go camping with me at Big Bend? You refused. We went to New Orleans for the weekend instead.”

  Everyone looked at Brooks. The statement seemed to crackle in the air, especially considering his new girlfriend was sitting next to him giving him the evil eye.

  “Shannon’s been a lot more receptive with me,” Chance fired back. “As a matter of fact, we were planning to go camping while I’m here.”

  Everyone’s eyes went to Chance.

  “Chance,” Janie said. “You said you come here to visit family?”

  Shannon wanted to kiss her oblivious friend for intervening in the tense moment. “Chance has famous siblings. He’s Tate and Leigh McGill’s brother.”

  “Oh my gosh! I knew you looked familiar!” Fiona said.

  “Wow.” Cheyenne leaned across Shannon to get a closer look at him, much to Brian’s chagrin. “Now I see the resemblance. Do you sing too?”

  “No. I wasn’t blessed with my siblings’ musical abilities.” Chance scratched at his beard. “But I have been known to play a mean tambourine. Tate and Leigh are the stars.”

  Fiona laughed. “Chance. You are too much.”

  “You’re a star in your own right.” Cheyenne beamed. “I bet Tate can’t scale a mountain.”

  “I don’t think Izzy, my sister-in-law, would let him.” Chance laughed. “But he did climb the rock wall I installed at his cabin for the kids.”

  “Does that sweet Indian motorcycle out front belong to you?” Brian asked.

  “Guilty as charged.”

  “Wait? Shan, you rode here on a motorcycle?” Fiona scrunched her nose.

  She laughed. “I know.”

  “I used to ride,” Josh, Janie’s longtime boyfriend, said.

  “You did not.” Janie swatted at his arm.

  “OK.” Josh held up his hands. “My sister used to date this biker to piss off my parents. He let me ride his hog once. It was exhilarating. But I’m telling you I caught the bug.”

  The table erupted in laughter.

  “Shannon looked damn good on it,” Chance replied. “She’s a natural. I want to teach her to ride.”

  “Think you have the patience?” Shannon flirted back.

  “I’d do anything for you,” Chance drawled.

  “I have to admit, I am a die-hard Tate McGill fan,” Janie said. “He was the wallpaper on my computer until he got married. Then it just didn’t seem right.”

  Cheyenne giggled. “I used to pretend I was married to him. I used to tell everyone I knew him because Cheyenne’s dad provided security for the Blakes. So, in a six degrees of separation kind of way, I did. At least that was going to be my defense if I were ever caught sneaking into his dressing room. And I did try. Janie, remember when we had those backstage passes Shannon’s dad got us? Liv got busted trying to steal a pair of his jeans.”

  “I did not,” Liv shot back, flustered. “It was a sweaty T-shirt. I did get caught, and he was nice enough to not rat on me to my dad and gave me an autographed photo.”

  “That would not hold up in court, and I’d still convict all of you for stalking,” Fiona playfully chided them.

  “Hey. Shannon had a mega crush on him” Janie added.

  Chance raised an eyebrow. “You did, eh?”

  She started to stammer, but Janie came to her aid.

  “OK, in her defense, Shannon had a crush on all the men on the Twelve Horseshoes Ranch. Who could blame her? She grew up around them,” Janie replied. “I used to be so jealous of her when she hung out with Avery.”

  “Chance does vaguely remind me of Tate, but the physical resemblance is where it ends. He’s his own person. It’s one of the things I like about him. He doesn’t let people dictate to him who he is.” She didn’t know why she was rushing to his defense, but she was and she decided to roll with it.

  “But it’s nice that you two connected,” Cheyenne said. “You two don’t have to navigate the waters of being around rich and famous folk. You’re on equal footing.”

  “Brooks and I are dating,” Liv suddenly blurted out. The table went quiet.

  “Liv.” Brooks gave her an incredulous look.

  Well, that was one hell of a segue. Everyone looked at Liv.

  Liv straightened her shoulders defiantly. “I’m sorry to just let it rip like that, but I’ve been dying to announce it.”

  “I’m glad you brought it up, Liv,” Chance said. “Shannon and I were hoping that her friends would understand about her moving on so fast after Brooks. I think it’s wonderful you two have found each other. It makes this all less awkward. And I think it’s refreshing to not have to tiptoe around anymore. It’s obvious you and Brooks feel the same way.”

  “Right.” Liv fiddled with her napkin. “I’d like to move on. Brooks and I are happy. It’s nice that Shannon has moved on and is happy too.”

  Brooks stared daggers at Chance, but Shannon felt like she could kiss Chance right now. She was incredibly grateful.

  “I’m glad that’s out in the open,” Janie said.

  “Yeah, you’re right. We’re all adults.” Brooks nodded in agreement. “So when are you going camping?”

  “Why is that any business of yours?” Shannon looked at him, frowning. He was up to something.

  “I was thinking of going camping myself,” Brooks replied. “The gang hasn’t been together like this since forever. It would be a good way of clearing the air once and for all. Why don’t we make a long weekend of it? Do some camping, hiking.”

  “It was meant to be more of a romantic weekend,” Shannon replied.

  Liv glared at him. “Brooks. We have tickets to the symphony this weekend.”

  “We can do that any time. How often do we have a real-life explorer to guide us?” Brooks folded his arms across his chest. “That is, if Chance is up to it.”

  “That’s a great idea,” Chance drawled. “Shannon and I had plans to be alone, but I’m also open to a new adventure. It could be fun. What do you think about it, sweetheart?”

  Shannon wanted to scream no, that it is a terrible idea. But there was a bevy of reactions around the table. Her friends were h
appy that they’d get a chance to do something together, which was a good thing. But that wicked gleam in Brooks’s eye meant he was up to no good. Chance was playing along, but she suspected part of his reasoning was to shut Brooks up. Here’s goes nothing. She was doubling down and hoped it didn’t backfire on her.

  “I’ll have to get used to sharing Chance with my friends, but I think it’s a great idea.” She laid her head on Chance’s shoulder.

  “What fun! We’re going camping this weekend,” Cheyenne squealed.

  The group resumed talking around the table.

  “Remind me to never play poker with you. Good bluff,” Chance said in her ear.

  “I’d mop the floor with you.” She turned to meet his gaze.

  “Looks like we’re stuck pretending for a little while longer.”

  “I guess so,” she replied.

  They continued to talk about camping for a while. Everyone was psyched about spending more time with each other. The only people who continued to look tense were Liv and Brooks, who were just realizing the consequences of their actions. They’d just told the world they were together and no fireworks went off.

  She announced around ten that she had to get going. She did have to work in the morning. They wrapped up with everyone hugging again and getting assignments for the weekend together. Soon she was back on Chance’s motorcycle as he drove at a steady speed. The gentle vibration from the seat wasn’t the only reason she felt a light humming in her body. When they’d arrived back at Rafe and Leigh’s house, it seemed too soon. She found herself wanting more time with him. As soon as he set the brake stand and got off, he grasped her by the waist and helped her off the bike too.

  “Did you have fun tonight?” he asked.

  “Yes.” She took off her helmet. “Thanks for coming with me. I couldn’t have survived that nightmare without you.”