“Did you see the way he knocked the crap out of Brooks? I’m no fan of violence, but Brooks got his ass handed to him.”
“And it was none too soon,” Fiona chimed in.
“How ridiculous is it to have all those muscles but have a glass jaw?” Janie mused.
“I think you have a winner, hon. He’s handsome, kind, chivalrous. He’s all the things we thought we’d never find in a man.” Cheyenne turned to him. “Chance, if you need anything, just knock on my door.”
He nodded. “Will do.”
“Goodnight, Shannon.” The ladies each kissed her on the cheek. They then each turned to him and gave him a hug.
“I think it’s wonderful Shannon has someone like you in her life.” Cheyenne sniffed. “I meant what I said. You’re a good guy, Chance. You’re perfect for our Shannon.”
The ladies closed the door and Chance was left alone with Shannon and his thoughts. First thing, he needed to get her comfortable.
“Shannon. I want you to take a few sips of this tea for me. It will warm your insides and help you sleep.”
“OK.” She lifted up and took a few sips. “Yum.”
He looked at the bandage on her head. He hoped the gash wouldn’t leave a scar. He felt scars added character to a person, but he knew Shannon wouldn’t see that way. Plastic surgery was always an option if it bugged her that much. But he hoped for a minimal blemish she’d be willing to live with it. He made her take a few more sips before he took the cup out of her hand. He needed to get her into her pajamas. He wasn’t thinking when the ladies were there. He should have asked them to do it.
“Shannon, I need to help you into your PJs. Is that OK with you?”
“Yes.”
“If that makes you uncomfortable, I can get Cheyenne back in here.”
“Not necessary.” She looked into his eyes through sleepy lashes. “I trust you.”
He went into the dresser drawer and found a pair of pink pajamas. He gently removed her pants and shirt and put the pajamas on as gently as he could without disturbing her bandaged foot.
“There. Nice and comfy.” He pulled up the covers. “I’m going to take a quick shower.”
“OK.”
He moved like lightning around the bathroom as he brushed his teeth, stripped, and put the water on as hot as he could make it. He jumped in, and as soon as the hot water and the bubbles from the soap began to soothe his body, he thought about the day and how quickly things went from fun to dangerous. Shannon was hurt, but he had to remind himself that she was OK. She didn’t have a concussion or require surgery, and that was a good thing. She was in bed, hopped up on painkillers, and she was feeling mellow.
He turned off the water and toweled off. The most terrifying thought was how much he’d come to care for her in such a short amount of time. He wiped his face with the towel and looked into the mirror. What was he doing? He really hadn’t tried that hard to untangle himself from her. He was willing to change his plans to go camping with her. He wanted to support her. The weekend could have been a wonderful time for her to reconnect if Brooks hadn’t tried to corner her by the cliff.
What the hell was that idiot thinking? No, he knew what Brooks was thinking. It must have been difficult to get over someone like Shannon. The scheme to make Shannon jealous had blown up in his face and managed to hurt Liv as well. Liv seemed too smart to fall for Brooks’ smarmy charm for long. Hopefully, she’d see the blaring warning signs and cut her losses before Brooks broke her heart. He finished dressing and was ready for bed, he opened the door to find Shannon still awake.
“Come here.” She patted the bed. “Don’t sleep on the couch. Sleep with me.”
“OK.” He took the blanket off the couch and moved over to the bed. He lay down and put it over him.
“Chance? Are we going to see each other again? I mean after we leave here.”
“Do you want to see me again?”
“Yes, I’d like that.”
“Good, because I was going to ask you to be my date to Tate’s birthday party.”
“Awesome.” She smiled and nestled closer to him.
“Shannon.”
“Yes?” she said sleepily.
“What happened to you in Paris?”
“Something terrible,” she moaned.
The blood in veins went cold. He lifted he his head up off the pillow and rested his elbow on the bed. “What happened?”
“Some bad men took me, but Daddy got me back,” she mumbled just before she succumbed to sleep.
Chance wanted to wake her and ask her all sorts of questions, but he knew it was better to let her sleep. If this wasn’t the incoherent rambling of a person on powerful pain meds, then she was telling him her secret. The secret that made her have a restless night’s sleep the other night. The secret that worried Cheyenne when they talked about it.
He wanted to take her in his arms and tell her everything would be fine. He wouldn’t let anyone or anything hurt her again. He wanted to tell her that he was falling for her.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Chance parked his motorcycle in Tate and Isabelle’s driveway and took the porch steps two at a time with the presents in his hands. He loved spending time with his nephews. They were rambunctious and curious. And he looked forward to spending the day with them, helping them find a birthday present for their father.
He thought he’d have to go phone shopping to replace the cell phone that got damaged when he dove into the river to rescue Shannon, but a courier had delivered a new phone to him this morning. It was the latest model smartphone from Shannon and had all the bells and whistles. It did everything but cook dinner. It was already programmed to his phone number, and when he turned it on, she’d set his wallpaper to be a picture of her holding up a sign that said “new phone for my hero.”
He was happy that she was feeling better when he dropped her off at home. He was sure she’d mend in no time. She was as resilient as she was beautiful, and he knew nothing would slow her recovery. She was more upset that the sprain would limit the types of shoes she could wear. For the time being, she’d have to shelve the sexy heels for something more practical. He was over the moon about the chat they had about seeing each other again. A real relationship was beginning to blossom as news of their fake relationship continued to grow among their family and friends.
The door was unlocked as usual. He turned the doorknob and opened it, expecting the boys to be standing by ready to go. Instead, there was a stillness in the house with the exception of the humming he heard coming from the kitchen.
“Hello?” He closed the door behind him. “I’m looking for the McGill family.”
“Hi, Chance!” Isabelle answered. “I’m in the kitchen.”
He dropped the presents on the coffee table and strolled to the kitchen doorway to see Isabelle washing her hands at the sink. There were sandwiches, chips, and a pitcher of iced tea on the table.
“Chance, how are you?” She turned off the tap, dried her hands on a towel, and came over to give him a hug.
“I’m doing just fine, sugar.” He kissed her on the cheek. “Where are the boys?”
“Tate took them to get a haircut. They’ll be back soon. In the meantime, I made you some sandwiches to get your energy up for the day ahead.”
“Awesome.” He held out the chair for her to sit. “I come bearing gifts. I left them on the coffee table. Just a few things for the boys to add to their camping gear.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
He laughed. “I did. Owen told me to bring him a present when I called last week.”
“What am I going to do with that boy?” She shook her head.
“The boy speaks his mind. It’s refreshing.”
“As his mother, it can be embarrassing.” She put her hand to her forehead. “Both their grandfathers encourage it.”
“No worries about the gifts. I’m happy to do it, and it’s what uncles do. And since I live the furthest away, I have to bring my A game when I visi
t.”
“They love you sans the presents and talk about you non-stop to anyone who will listen.” She smiled. “You’re the adventurous uncle who lets them climb anywhere, get dirty, and teaches them cool things about nature. The dirty factor alone garners high marks from all the kids.”
“I do what I can.” He looked her over. She appeared content and happy. “You’re looking good. How was the vacation?”
“Exhausting. I need a vacation from my vacation.”
“The kids keep you busy?”
“What kids? I had to keep up with my parents.” She laughed. “They love to spoil the kids, and I have to rein them in.”
“What’s with the food? I told you I was taking the boys out to lunch.”
“This is fuel to help you keep up with them. A few hours with those terrors and you’ll feel like you haven’t eaten in days. What’s new with you?”
“I had a great time at the trade show in—”
“Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.” She waved her hand. “What’s going on with you and Shannon?”
“Isabelle.” He put his hand on his chest. “I’ve never known you to be so rude.”
“Oh.” She straightened up in her chair. “Of course, I’m interested to hear what you’ve learned from the trade show. I think expanding the store is a great idea.”
He smirked. “But?”
“You’ve had new personal developments that kind of outshine your business pursuits.” She smiled. “You go from a dating drought to a monsoon.”
“Hey, I date.” He bit into his sandwich.
“Sure, you do.” She nodded. “But you never date long enough to bring anyone here to meet us.”
She was right about that. He hadn’t dated anyone in a long time he thought was real relationship material.
“Bringing someone around the family is a relationship marker. I wouldn’t want to mislead anyone.”
“I know,” she agreed with a nod. “But imagine my shock when I found out my cautious brother-in-law spent the weekend with Shannon Stanton of all people.”
“What’s so surprising?” He stopped munching. Was it ridiculous that he and Shannon could be together? “You think we’re not suited for each other.”
“It’s nice that you’re diverting your normal dating modus operandi.”
“There is something I’d like to get your advice on.”
“OK.” She clasped her hands together and rested her chin on them. “I’m here to help. What’s going on?”
“Well.” He looked around to make sure no one was within earshot. “Come closer, I don’t want the whole world to know. You have to promise to keep this between us.”
“OK.” She moved in closer. “I won’t tell a soul.”
“I need help.” He took a deep, exaggerated breath. “Picking out a present for Tate.”
Isabelle leaned back and threw her napkin at him. “You are awful.”
“I couldn’t resist.” He laughed as he took a bite out of his pickle. “You are so easy.”
“No. I’m just a pushover for you.” She stuck her tongue out at him.
“OK.” He took a swig of his iced tea. “What do you want to know?”
“Fast forward to the part where you two became an item. John Jacob said her father called and said that Shannon told him you were her boyfriend.”
“Who knew successful business tycoons traded gossip?” he mused.
“They do when the woman in the story is their daughter and goddaughter. You better believe they have their ears pressed to the grapevine.”
“First off, Shannon was looped out of her mind on pain meds when she talked to her dad.”
“How did you end up going camping with her in the first place?”
“It’s complicated.”
“So, this is all a big misunderstanding?”
“I didn’t exactly say that,” he replied.
“What about Shannon?”
“She’s beautiful, smart and interesting.”
“I know all those things. How did this come about?”
It was lightning really. They’d both jumped in with both feet and hadn’t realized it. “It’s like I said, complicated.”
“Is evasion a McGill trait?” She squinted at him. “I feel like I’m talking to Matt when doesn’t want to tell me how something in the house got broken.”
“If it is a trait, we got it honestly from Joe,” he grumbled. “You know Rafe still hasn’t had the talk with him.”
“I know.” She sighed. “I was hoping Joe would do the honorable thing and return his calls. He has to suspect what Rafe wants.”
“He does, that’s why he’s being a maddening asshat about it. He’s probably tickled pink that anyone in this family wants to talk to him. I say Rafe should drop it and pop the question.”
“He wants to be traditional. What do you think would happen if he told Leigh that Joe had been avoiding him for weeks?”
“It would break her heart.” He sipped his iced tea. “I don’t know why she still has faith in that man. He was a lousy father to us and downright wretched to Tate.”
“Leigh never saw that side of him. I think despite hearing it from you and Tate, a part of her wants to hold out that her dad is a good guy. She’s realistic, but think about what it would take to come to grips with Joe being not so nice. It’s like shattering a child’s innocence.”
He hated that his sister had compassion for that monster. But a part of him was glad she’d never bared witness to his abuse.
“Which I am grateful for.” He wiped his mouth with his napkin. “I went by the trucking company.”
Isabelle’s eyes widened. “You did?”
He saw the way Isabelle was looking at him. “It wasn’t my idea. Shannon decided we should go give Joe a talking to, so we went. The dispatcher said he’d be back in a week.”
“But you didn’t stop Shannon.”
“I know the look a woman gets when she’s on a mission. I was not foolish enough to stop her.”
“Shannon has that special touch, eh?” Isabelle grinned.
“Izzy.” He put his hand on hers. “Shannon and I just fell into whatever it is we’re doing. I don’t have a label for it because I’m in unfamiliar territory. The truth is, I don’t know what’s happening, but I like whatever it is.”
“Oh, Chance.” Isabelle got up and gave him a hug. “I felt the same way when I met your brother. I was falling into an abyss, and I didn’t want to be rescued.”
“The abyss of love?” He raised an eyebrow. “Bad title for one of Tate’s songs.”
“A good abyss.” She swatted at his hand. “You know what I mean.”
He did. He likened his journey with Shannon like a deep dive into the ocean. You’re in tune with every emotion as you venture to a place where humans fear to tread. It was exciting, scary, but worth the trip. Heaven help him because for the first-time muddled euphemisms about love were making sense to him.
They heard a vehicle pulling up in the driveway. A minute later, the sound of little sneakered feet thundered through the house.
“Uncle Chance!” the boys shouted as they stampeded toward him with arms open.
Chance stood and braced himself for the rush of hugs coming his way, followed by the flurry of questions. They had indeed been to the barbershop. Their blonde curly manes looked a few inches shorter than he last remembered.
“Hi boys,” he said. “Looking good.”
“Chance.” Tate gave him a hug. “Good to see you.”
“You too.”
“We saw your motorcycle outside. It’s cool. Can we have a ride?” Matt said.
“No,” Isabelle answered. “Motorcycles are for big boys like Uncle Chance.”
“We have to be that old to ride?” Owen looked at Chance.
“Wow,” Lucas said. “He’s big too.”
Chance laughed, trying not to feel like a fossil. It was also karmic payback for the swipes he took at Hunter about his age.
“Uncle Chance, is
it true you have a new girlfriend?” Matt asked.
Chance shot Tate a dirty look.
Tate tossed him his car keys. “They may have overheard me talking to Leigh on the phone.”
“Uh huh.” He turned to his nephews. “You ready to have some fun today, boys?”
“Boys, I want you to be on your best behavior and listen to Uncle Chance.” Isabelle straightened their clothes.
Chance herded the boys back through the living room and out the front door. The questions were coming at rapid-fire succession. They were a curious bunch indeed. He unlocked the car and made sure everyone was safely belted in. It was definitely going to be an eventful day.
* * *
Shannon took her time walking down the corridor. It had been two days since she’d returned to work, and it was still a little tricky getting around. First off, she missed her heels. The stylish flats she wore were nice, but they felt like orthopedic shoes compared the stilts she walked on every day. Secondly, she was painfully aware of the height difference, as almost everyone in the building was taller than her. Thirdly, she was at a disadvantage from scurrying away from her father. Her parents had returned from Montana, and after she refused to stay with them at their house, her father’s solution was to check on her at Regency several times a day. But the good news was that she was on the mend, and the orthopedic surgeon said the minor sprain was healing rather nicely.
Chance sent her a beautiful bouquet of flowers and a note that said he was looking forward to her getting better, because once she was healed, they were going to have a long talk.
Brooks had sent her an apology bouquet, but she didn’t want anything to do with him. She’d also blocked his number on her cell phone. Janie called and told her that he and Liv had broken up. Liv accused him of not being over Shannon. She wished she could talk to Liv and explain to her that Brooks didn’t really want her. It was the fact that she didn’t want him anymore that had really gotten under his skin.
She entered the office to find Sam talking to Rafe and Hunter. Whenever they got together that meant they were trying to problem solve.
“Shannon. How’s the ankle?” Hunter asked.
Wild at Heart Page 12