Wild at Heart

by Rhonda Laurel

  “I plan to propose next weekend. I slipped the ring on Leigh’s finger the other night while she was sleeping, and I think it will be a little snug when she plays the guitar. I’m getting it resized. Which gives me all of next week to find Joe and have a civil discussion with him.”

  “He hangs out at an old honky talk over in Bristow. You may want to check there too.”

  “I’ll do that.” Rafe forked a spoonful of chili into his mouth. “Are you still taking Shannon and her friends camping this weekend?”

  “She sent me a text saying she’s shopping.”

  “Shannon is always shopping,” Rafe mused. “Listen, I want to say—”

  Chance held up a hand. “I know what you’re going to say. Shannon is your boss’s daughter. I have no intention of getting involved with her or hurting her in any way.”

  “Oh, Shannon can handle herself.” Rafe laughed. “And as far as being involved, I’d say you are already in the deep end of the pool. Just be careful not to drown.”

  “When have you known me to get all tripped up over a woman?”

  “Never,” Rafe said thoughtfully. “But there’s a first time for everything. Shannon has a way of getting men to do whatever she wants.”

  “It’s going to take more than sparkling eyes and cute dimples to get to me,” he insisted.

  “Says the man going on the spur-of-the-moment camping trip.” Rafe smirked. “Have a good time.”

  “Thanks.”

  They spent the remainder of their lunch talking about the Leigh and the ring. He knew his sister would be over the moon when Rafe proposed. He just hoped Rafe didn’t put it off trying to track down Joe. If there was a whiff of happiness in the air, Joe would appear just to rain on everyone’s parade. Chance feared his father wasn’t going to let his little girl go without causing Rafe unnecessary grief. Anyone who’d ever been anywhere near them knew Rafe loved Leigh to pieces.

  As he got on his motorcycle and drove out of the Bright Star parking lot, he couldn’t help but smile at Rafe’s comments about Shannon. So Fancy Girl was a heartbreaker. He believed that. Brooks was registering off the macho-meter charts because he had something to prove. She may have been the one that got away or simply the one that told him no. He looked like he wanted to throttle Chance when he’d put his arm around Shannon. It couldn’t hurt to play up the role of boyfriend this weekend to drive the point home. Shannon wasn’t interested in Brooks anymore.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Shannon made a right turn on the road leading to Rafe and Leigh’s house. She was an hour early, but she was going stir crazy at home. The shopping didn’t take as long as she expected, and she wanted to get out of the house before her parents came home asking a million questions.

  She was worried the camping trip was a bad idea, but when her friends texted about how excited they were, she couldn’t back out.

  It seemed her friends were very excited about spending the weekend together and were texting like a bunch of teenagers. They were excited about the camping, but they were also interested in Chance. Questions from Cheyenne, Fiona, and Janie had come in all day, and she was doing her best to craft her answers and keep them consistent. She’d told them they’d been seeing each a short amount of time but didn’t commit to a time frame. Things were still in the hot and heavy stage, but they’d yet to discuss having a future. It was just enough to keep it mysterious without telling an outright lie. If she had in fact been dating him, she’d probably be on the phone talking into the wee hours of the night with Cheyenne.

  Chance said he’d be ready to go when she arrived to pick him up. There was no reason to think he would have changed his mind. He was the kind of guy who was a straight shooter. She actually liked that about him. He didn’t mince words, which was refreshing. She wondered if any more situations would arise for some more improvised kissing. It was shaping up to be a romantic couples’ weekend. She wouldn’t be put off if he did it again. They had to make it look good if they were to keep up pretense of being in a relationship.

  She waved as Chance came out of the house. He looked gorgeous in a green shirt and a pair of jeans. It should have been a crime for a man to look that damn appealing.

  “Hey, Fancy Girl, you’re early.”

  “I got through shopping faster than expected, so I thought I’d come over.” She did a little twirl. “What do you think? Am I ready for camping?”

  “I think you’re ready to do a photo shoot for Camping Monthly.” He stroked his chin. “You picked some good brands that are durable and will be good for this weekend’s activities.”

  “I saw the outfit on display, and I couldn’t help it. I got the matching accessories too.”

  “Did you get any camping gear?”

  “Yes.” She hit the button for her trunk. “A really sweet guy named Mark helped me pick out some things. He gave me a really good discount too for being a first-time customer.”

  “Let me guess. I bet he said there was some more merchandise coming in next week if you were interested. I bet he wrote his number on the back of the receipt. Ten bucks says it’s his cell phone number.”

  “You are such a cynic. Some people are just helpful.” She rifled into her purse for the receipt. “OK. There’s a number on the back.”

  “Is it the same as the printed number of the store on the front?”

  She flipped it over. The numbers didn’t match. The area codes weren’t even the same. “He’s dedicated to his job.”

  “Please don’t tell me you signed up for their loyalty program. If you did, he’s going to call you and ask you out.”

  “No.” She stuck the receipt back into her wallet. “He asked, I declined. My dad does own a security firm. I know better than to pass out my personal information all willy-nilly.”

  “Glad to hear it.” He continued to look at her bags. “Aside from his trying to hit on you, he did suggest some good gear. I have my bags ready. We could leave now if you want.” He turned to go back inside. “Pop the trunk for me.”

  “You’re not scared of my driving anymore?”

  “Still terrified.” He grinned. “But if you can ride on my motorcycle, I think I can put up with your lead foot.”

  She watched as he went into the house and retrieved the bags. A few minutes later they were on the road. She was chatting away, but he’d suddenly become very quiet.

  “It’s OK if you don’t want to go.”

  He looked at her. “What?”

  “I said…” She turned down the volume on the radio. “If you’ve changed your mind, we can cancel.”

  “No.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I was thinking about something Rafe and I talked about at lunch.”

  “What is it?” She knew she was being nosey, but she wanted to know what had him in a pensive mood.

  “Rafe’s been trying to track down my deadbeat daddy Joe to have the engagement talk with him so he can propose to Leigh. But Joe’s been avoiding him on purpose.”

  “Where do you think he is?”

  “Could be a number of places.” Chance sighed. “But I know he’s always on the road because he’s a truck driver, or he’s at his favorite watering hole.”

  “He doesn’t frequent the Bright Star?”

  “Not unless he wants Cal to throw him out on his duff,” he replied.

  “Where does he work?” She looked at her watch. There was still time to take a quick detour.

  “Hog-Tied Trucking.”

  She hit the GPS button on her display screen. The GPS prompted her for a geographical search request. “Map Hog-Tied Trucking.”

  “What are you doing?”

  “We’re going to find your father. Rafe and Leigh shouldn’t have to wait to get on with their lives. It’s OK to take a detour when true love is at stake.”

  “I like how you think.” Chance flashed her a smile.

  She made the U-turn like the GPS voice directed her to do and put on her blinker for the freeway entrance.

  “Why do
n’t you and your dad get along?”

  “I don’t want to talk about Joe,” he responded.

  “I think you just said it all.”

  “I didn’t say anything.”

  “I can hear the disdain in your voice.”

  “I didn’t say anything any kind of way.” He looked at her.

  “Yes, you did.” She shook her head in disagreement. “Your voice lowered, and you looked out the window as if trying to get away from it. It’s a tell about how you feel about the subject even if you won’t verbalize it.”

  “We don’t all get perfect parents with tons of money to spoil us. Some of us get a crap deal.”

  “My life isn’t perfect,” she fired back. “My family has its issues too.”

  “I don’t want to talk about my family issues. I’d rather talk about you.”

  “OK. What do you want to know?”

  “Why were you avoiding your friends before the party last night?”

  “It’s complicated.” She tapped the wheel. “I needed to do some growing up.”

  “It happens.”

  They pulled into the parking lot of the trucking company. There were trucks with trailers moving about, but she was careful and maneuvered around them, following signs to the main office. A few minutes later she was parked in front of the building.

  “This shouldn’t take long.” He reached for the door handle. “Stay in the car.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Where would I go?”

  “I don’t know. But I don’t want a bunch of grungy truckers leering at you.”

  “Can we focus on the reason we’re here?”

  “Yeah,” he said. “I’ll shake some sense into that ornery old goat if I have to.”

  “Wait.” Shannon put her hand on his arm. “This may be none of my business, but I’m going to say it anyway. I know you’re not thrilled about seeing your dad, but pick your battles. Right now, the goal is to get him to talk to Rafe, who’s trying to do the right thing before proposing to Leigh. A little civility can go a long way to accomplish a goal.”

  “OK.” The tension left his face.

  She smiled at him. “Good.”

  She watched as he walked into the main office. It was a noble thing Rafe was doing, trying to be traditional by having a talk with Leigh’s dad. But Joe apparently was a sore spot for Chance. The ferocity in his words sent a shiver down her spine when he talked about his father. What could his father have possibly done that would cause Chance to react that way? She focused on the door, and a few minutes later Chance came out.

  “What did he say?”

  “Nothing.” Chance fastened his seatbelt. “He wasn’t there. He’s on the road, taking a payload to Colorado.”

  “Did you leave a message?”

  He looked at her. “Yes. I did. It said call your son, it’s urgent.”

  “How’s he going to know which son? He has two.”

  “Trust me. He wouldn’t call Tate if his life depended on it,” Chance said. “Tate’s the lucky McGill. He got rid of that old bast—”

  Shannon shot him a stern look.

  “That old man a long time ago.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Let’s get on the road. This was a waste of time.”

  She put the car in drive and pulled out of the parking spot. “I wouldn’t say that. You tried, and you left a message.”

  “Which he will ignore.”

  “When is the last time you spoke to your dad?”

  “I don’t know. A year.”

  She suppressed the urge to say wow. A year without talking to her father would seem like a tour of military duty to her. Her dad was overprotective, and he still treated her like she was ten, but she couldn’t imagine not having him in her life. He was her anchor.

  She retrieved the saved GPS setting for Big Boulder and gave the system a few seconds to update the new destination. The estimated time of arrival was an hour. There was plenty of time to pick Chance’s brain about his problems with his dad. It tugged at her heart that he had such a strong dislike for the man.

  “There you go.” She made a left onto the road. “The fact that it’s been so long will pique his interest about why you came to visit him. He’s going to reach out to you.”

  “Are you always so irrationally optimistic?”

  “Only when I think something is worth fighting for.” She bit her lip.

  “New topic.” He shifted in his seat to have a good look at her. “I usually start my weekends on a better note.”

  “What would you like to talk about?”

  “How are we playing up this phony relationship?”

  “I’d say to act normal.” She looked at him. “What do you do when you’re in a relationship?”

  “Spend long weekends in bed,” he mused. “What do you do?”

  “Um.” She hesitated. “The usual things people do when they date. Go to dinners and movies. You know, see if the spark can withstand the ennui of the day to day. It takes about two dates to ferret out the compatibility factor.”

  “Two dates? Yikes.” He whistled. “Pretty hard for a man to make a good impression based on two dates.”

  “No, it’s not, if you’re really interested.” She smiled.

  “You’ve set yourself quite a trap, Ms. Stanton.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “No matter what he does, the guy is going to burn hot and fast. It’s a no-win scenario.” He gave her a knowing look. “Sounds like our fake relationship will be the longest one you ever had.”

  “Not even close. But life is too short to waste time. If it’s a right fit, it’s a right fit.”

  “OK.” He held up hands in defeat. “Back to the subject at hand. Are we in love? Is this our first weekend together? Are we sharing a sleeping bag?”

  “Sleeping bag?” She wrinkled her nose. “Why would we be sleeping in sleeping bags when the lodge has very comfortable accommodations? I mean, I’m glad we brought them along, but Brooks booked us a really nice lodge with a fireplace and a jacuzzi.”

  “You mean we’re sleeping indoors? What’s the fun in that?”

  “Controlled temperatures, indoor plumbing, and food that’s fit for public consumption. Did you really think we would be in tents and wiping our behinds with leaves?”

  “I should have known,” he growled. “Brian ordered an appletini, for heaven’s sake.”

  “I thought that was a bit much.” She couldn’t help but laugh. “For a guy who’s pining to take a walk on the wild side and ride a motorcycle, I think he’d want something a little more pungent than a frilly cocktail.”

  “He should have ordered a whiskey neat like Cheyenne.”

  “Maybe.” She checked her mirror before switching lanes. “Back to our story. We’ve been dating a couple of months. Neither of us has brought up the L-word yet. Guys and girls are going to sleep in separate rooms. So, there won’t be awkwardness about sleeping together.”

  “Why do you think we’re going to go full slumber party mode?” He laughed.

  “I haven’t seen my friends in a while. They’re going to want to get together and catch up on gossip. I don’t expect you to mingle with the guys, so I’ll make up something about you wanting your own room.” She cleared her throat. “Nice touch with the kissing. I think everyone totally bought it.”

  “I thought you’d like that. It was what you wanted.”

  “You wish.” She balked. “Is that the kind of shtick that gets the ladies back home?”

  “I do very well, thank you very much. You look like the kind of woman who likes to be kissed.”

  “What woman doesn’t like to be kissed on the lips?”

  “I didn’t say lips.”

  She veered out of the lane then moved back when she heard a horn blow. She didn’t have a comeback for that, so she was glad when he wiped that smirk off his face and continued to talk.

  “I just want to know the PDA situation. If this is going to work, we need to be on the same page. Are we hot and
heavy? New lovers?”

  “PDA?” She laughed. “I’m shocked you know what that means. I mean that isn’t typical mountain-man lingo.”

  “I occasionally peek my head out from the rocks I live under to see what my contemporaries are doing. And to see if there are any Tate McGill look-alike contests going on.” He raised an eyebrow.

  He wasn’t letting that comment go. Who cared if he looked like Tate? But apparently, he did. “OK. You’re more evolved than my first impression of you,” she teased. “What was your first impression of me?”

  “Out of my league,” he said.

  “Oh.” She kept her eyes on the road. “Thank you, I think. Is that supposed to be a compliment?”

  “Yes.” He tugged on his shirt collar. “Back to our backstory.”

  “Yes. We have a smoldering passion that we’re both exploring.”

  “Got it.” He nodded. “Spontaneous kissing is OK.”

  “And affection. Holding hands or your arm draped around me would be a nice touch too.” They were supposed to be falling in love after all. People in that stage of a relationship were always all over each other but in a cute, sweet way. If they were going to sell this farce, she wanted it to be the romance to end all romances. She wanted the man she’d dreamed about all her life but could never seem to find.

  She wanted a man who knew just what to do to make her feel safe. She wanted a man who knew who he was and wasn’t impressed by the money and the toys. She wanted a man who knew the key to happiness was being vulnerable and not being afraid to show a softer side of himself.

  “I think I can manage all of that,” he said. “Feel free to cop a feel of my ass if you want.”

  “I’m more of a sit on your lap kind of girl.”

  “Even better. I’ve never refused a woman who wanted to sit on my lap.”

  “Remember, it’s just pretend. It’s not a lap dance. I mean, I like being near you, so I sit on your lap as a sign of intimacy. But don’t get any ideas.”

  “Too late. I’ve already had a ton of ideas.”

  “I bet you did.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s all part of the couple experience. For instance, if I was your girlfriend, I’d want to heal whatever it was that makes you so unhappy when you talk about your dad. Your happiness would be important to me.”