Love's Ride (McCallister's Paradise Book 4)

by Rhondeau, Chantel

  Chapter 11

  Chelsea hit save on her laptop and closed down the programs. It was Friday, and she had the entire weekend off to enjoy the beach. She intended to read the newest romance by Rachelle Ayala while soaking up the sun.

  Unbidden, thoughts of Brad invaded her mind, as they often had this past week. Following her lunch with Sierra last weekend, Chelsea left with every intention of calling him. One thing held her back. It was true she’d never find a perfect man. Everyone had rough days, and she could deal with that. Brad’s bad days seemed to outnumber the good whenever he was around his family. Dating Brad meant weekly family dinners, which in turn meant she had to deal with scenes like that every single week. It was a lot of stress, more than she wanted to handle just to have someone to date.

  She did picture herself with children, but her earlier thoughts about already being too old to find love and have a family were just panic speaking. With her two best friends deliriously happy, Chelsea wished she could have that for herself. However, she wasn’t going to settle if it meant being with someone who had more of a tendency to grumble about problems then to try and find a solution.

  Still, she was torn. Maybe a phone call couldn’t hurt. At this point, Brad might have decided he didn’t want to see her anymore, but if there was a chance for a future with him, Chelsea owed it to herself to find that out. Calling and asking him to go for a drink wasn’t committing to marriage. It could be a friendly outing, and then she’d see where things went from there.

  A light tap sounded on her office door, interrupting her musing.

  “Come in,” she called, closing the laptop to keep any prying eyes from accidentally seeing her patient notes.

  The door opened and Mark Setzer, the island’s psychiatrist, flowed through it with his characteristic fluid motions. “Chelsea, my dear. Getting everything tidied up?”

  Nodding, Chelsea tried to picture herself with Mark rather than Brad. They were in the same profession, and Mark seemed like a positive person. Then again, he was altogether too calm. She couldn’t see him teaching her to ride horses. “What can I do for you, Dr. Setzer?”

  Mark sat in the chair across her desk, his blue eyes penetrating hers behind his wire-rim glasses. “I’m wondering if you have your patient files ready for me yet.”

  “What patient files?” Had she forgotten about a patient who needed to switch care to Mark?

  Mark’s forehead furrowed with lines and he glanced at her desk for the briefest of seconds. The man was nervous about something. “Didn’t Mr. McCallister tell you that I was taking half your patient’s and Kelly is taking the other half?”

  Taking her patients? “Mr. Brad McCallister?”

  At Mark’s nod, anger slowly erupted deep inside her belly, rising until she felt hot and sweaty.

  “He said I needed you to take over my patients? You’re sure?”

  Mark’s mouth dropped open and then closed with an audible snap. “He told me about it last weekend, said he’d tell you to get the files to me, but then I never heard from you. I thought you were leaving voluntarily. I never guessed he’d fire you. What happened?”

  Chelsea balled her hands into fists, for the first time understanding how someone could let anger take control. “He’s firing me because I won’t date him? No way! I’ll fight this. That’s sexual harassment. He can’t do that!”

  She wondered if Sydney knew. Surely if her friend heard about this, she’d put a stop to it. What was Brad thinking? She knew he had a tendency to be hotheaded but had never imagined he would do something this drastic. That certainly answered the question of whether he wanted to try dating again.

  Across her desk, Mark seemed to shrink in his chair. “I’ll let myself out. Good luck, Chelsea.”

  He practically slid to the ground before standing from the chair and rushing from the office.

  Maybe she looked intimidating when she became pissed. That was all to the good because Brad McCallister was about to see just how intimidating she could be.

  * * *

  Sydney stood over him while Brad struggled to stuff things into the hiking pack. “You have too much,” she said. “It’s never going to fit. I thought Chelsea wanted minimal supplies. It looks like you ordered the entire sporting goods store.”

  Ignoring her, Brad placed one more shirt on the pile, then fought with the zipper. He still didn’t know what he was doing, but he wouldn’t let his sister know that.

  “Is Chelsea excited?” she asked. “I haven’t seen her all week because I’ve been so busy going over grant proposals for the charity. I think I need an assistant.”

  Brad paused in his zipper battle, looking at his sister from beneath the black hair that had fallen across his eyes. “Chels doesn’t exactly know about the trip yet.”

  “Doesn’t know? Oh, boy.” An amused smile broke out on Sydney’s face. “I thought you wanted to leave tomorrow.”

  “Don’t laugh at me. We will leave tomorrow. I just have to talk her into it first.”

  “You know she has an important job, right? She can’t just pack up on a moment’s notice and leave for two weeks.” She rolled her eyes. “Sometimes you men can be so clueless.”

  Brad turned his attention to the smaller pack he’d ordered for Chelsea, carefully stacking envelopes of dehydrated food into the bottom of it, hoping he could fit enough for them to at least eat a meal every day. “I’m not clueless. I already made arrangements for her job. She just needs to hand over her patient files tomorrow morning to the others and we can leave.”

  “And that gives her exactly zero time to fill the other doctors in on stuff, or to tell them what she normally does at the drug addiction meetings for the people from New Beginnings.” Sydney flopped on the couch along the outside wall of his office, swinging her feet off the ground to lie down. “This is going to be a disaster. What were you thinking?”

  That was easy enough to answer, not that he’d tell his sister. He thought if Chelsea didn't have time to think up a reason she shouldn’t go with him, she wouldn’t be able to say no. She wanted this trip, wanted to have more adventure. Brad had taken care of all the pesky details. He’d mapped out a route to get to the northern beach, hoping he’d found a good place for them to make camp for a week while they waited for the helicopter to retrieve them from the small stretch of white sands on that side.

  “I’m telling her tonight,” he grumbled, slipping a package that claimed to be beef stroganoff but pictured no actual meat into the bag. “I probably should have bought those meal replacement packs instead, like they use in the Army. I’m afraid pasta and rice are going to get old very soon without meat to go with them.”

  “At least you won’t starve,” Sydney said. “Out there all by yourself while Chelsea stays here eating five-star meals at Shane’s restaurant.”

  “She’s not staying here.”

  “Oh, right, because every woman loves being told what to do and then having less than twenty-four hours to do it in.” She snapped her fingers. “I completely forgot.”

  Brad shook his head, ignoring his sister’s sarcasm. If she turned out to be right and Chelsea needed more time, he’d merely postpone the trip an extra day. The main thing was not giving her too much time to think about it. Once he got her out into nature and they spent time together, she’d remember why she had liked him during the horseback ride and why she agreed to date him. He was a good guy, better when his brothers weren’t around.

  Most of the time, he didn’t have to see his brothers outside of work and family functions. It wasn’t as though Chelsea would be subjected to him fighting with them all the time, and he would work on finding ways to stop the fights entirely. That was something he intended to explain while making her dreams come true. By the end of two weeks, she’d know who he really was. If she walked away after that, he’d let her go, but he at least wanted a chance.

  After putting the food into her backpack, Brad tossed the fire starting kit on top.

  “Why not take a
lighter?” Sydney asked, peeking at the remaining supplies on the floor. “That thing looks complicated.”

  He shrugged. “It’s what the survivalists all say they use, at least the ones who can’t make fire on their own with nothing more than wood.”

  “Yeah, but you know the center of the island is pretty high. Are you going around or across it?”

  “Across,” Brad confirmed. Wouldn’t hurt to have Sydney know where they headed, just in case something went wrong.

  “It rains more in the evenings up there, even now that the rains have slowed down on this side of the island. It also gets cooler, probably close to sixty. That doesn’t sound too bad, but if you’re wet when the sun goes down, you’ll freeze your asses off.”

  How did she know so much about it? Maybe Sydney had picked up survival tips from the people at New Beginnings. All of them had been homeless at one time or another in the harsh winters of New York City.

  “I’ll pack a lighter in my stuff, just in case,” he decided. “I don’t want Chelsea feeling like she didn’t accomplish her goals of survival, though. I’ll only use it if I have to.”

  “What about condoms?”

  Brad choked on his saliva, feeling heat rush to his face.

  “Don’t act so shocked,” she said. “Two weeks, just you and her, tons of time for romance. You did pack some, right?”

  Though his face still burned, Brad nodded. “It’s taken care of.”

  A loud banging sounded outside his office door, startling them both. The door flung open, flying inward to smash against the back wall. Chelsea strode through, and Brad took one look into her eyes and wished he could disappear.

  “We need to talk,” she snapped.

  “Hey, Chels.” Sydney sat up and patted the cushion beside her. “Come in and tell us what’s wrong.”

  Chelsea made no attempt to cross the room. “The problem is that your brother’s an asshole.”

  Gulping in an attempt to moisten his dry throat, Brad couldn’t seem to make any words form. Why was she so pissed?

  Sydney simply shrugged. “You’ll have to be more specific, Chels. Which brother? I have four, and they’re all assholes at one time or another.”

  Sydney’s attempt at humor only seemed to infuriate Chelsea more as she favored her with a glare, then pointed at Brad. “Him, of course.”

  She dropped her hands to her sides, clenching them so tightly her knuckles turned white. “How can you fire me just because I don’t want to date you? I swear I’ll sue if you do this, and I’ll win too.”

  “Fire you?” Brad gasped, finally getting some words past the knot of anxiety blocking his speech. “Where would you get a stupid idea like that?”

  “Mark Setzer wanted half of my patient files and told me to give the other half to Kelly. He said you are replacing me.”

  Sydney stood, shaking her head and patting Brad’s shoulder as she walked past. “Good luck, little brother.” Carefully, she eased around Chelsea and walked from the office, closing the door behind her.

  Hopping to his feet, Brad held his hands out, hoping to calm her somewhat by remaining calm himself. “I don’t know why Dr. Setzer thought I planned to fire you, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.” He spread his arms wide, indicating the packs and supplies surrounding his feet. “I planned a trip for you... for us.”

  “A trip?” Chelsea searched the room for a few moments, then went limp, sagging against the closed door. “You’re planning a survivalist trip?”

  Closing the distance between them with large steps, Brad took her hands lightly in his, staring into her eyes. “Even if you decided you hated me, I’d never fire you. I asked Dr. Setzer to cover your caseload for a couple weeks. I didn’t say you were leaving. Also, he wasn’t supposed to talk to you. I said I’d handle it.”

  She seemed to relax for a few more seconds but then snatched her hands away. “Why didn’t you tell me? I haven’t heard anything from you for nearly a week, and you expect me to go on a trip with you?”

  “I planned to talk to you today. If I had told you too early, I was afraid you’d find a reason not to go.” Brad took a step back, scrubbing his hand over his face and willing his pounding heart to slow. If this didn’t work, things were over with Chelsea. He couldn’t let that happen. “I know my disagreement with Shane upset you. I thought a lot about what you said, how I shouldn’t do a job that makes me miserable and find a way to get along with my brothers. You’re absolutely right.”

  “I am?” She tilted her head slightly, blinking slowly. “Did you quit your job?”

  “Not exactly. I can’t do that to my family.” Brad picked his way across the remaining supplies to the couch and sank into the cushions. “Please come in here and see what I’m planning. Before you say no, I want you to give this trip some real consideration.”

  Chapter 12

  Chelsea released a shaky breath while Brad stared at her expectantly. It was crazy that she’d let herself get so carried away and believed he’d fire her, but that had seemed like the most reasonable explanation for giving away her patient files. Mark had certainly thought she’d been let go.

  Once she felt sufficiently calmed, she made her way to the couch, sitting far enough away from Brad that she wouldn’t accidentally brush her leg against his. She didn’t want to give him the wrong impression.

  “Why did you plan all this without asking me first?” she asked.

  Brad’s hazel eyes held hers, seeming to plead for understanding. While Chelsea wanted to thaw and let herself melt into Brad’s strong embrace and say she forgave him, she knew she couldn’t do that. She couldn’t expect perfection from the man, but she also couldn’t let him railroad her.

  “I thought this was the only way,” he said. “If I could prove how much I like you, prove that I’m willing to do what it takes to make you happy, then maybe you’d agree to date me again. I want to get to know everything about you, see if we’re compatible or not.”

  She shook her head. “Brad, you’re no more in charge of my happiness than I am of yours. You can’t make me happy, and I wouldn’t even try to figure out how to do that for you. Happiness comes from within.”

  “I know that. I’m saying this all wrong.” He leaned into her, resting his shoulder against hers and grabbing her hand to twine their fingers together.

  Despite Chelsea’s plan to keep physical contact to a minimum, she couldn’t pull away. She liked how she felt when Brad touched her. Never before had she experienced such an excitement that at the same time felt right. When people talked about knowing they were meant for someone the first time they met, Chelsea had always thought that was a lot of romantic mumbo jumbo. However, she had to admit that she felt a pull toward Brad, as though something more was going on than a man with a sexy body, which had never fazed her before now anyway.

  “I’ll give you a chance to explain, Brad, but I’m not sure taking this trip together is a good idea.”

  “I knew that’s what you’d say. What about your grand adventure? You said you wanted this. Don’t let your frustration at me make you give that up. Besides, we get along great when my brothers aren’t around.”

  Chelsea chewed on her lip while looking at the overly stuffed backpacks in the middle of the office floor. “I do like you, Brad, but I’m afraid being stuck together for a few weeks in harsh conditions might show us too much about each other.”

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “I can be bitchy and a grouch when I’m hungry,” she explained. “We already know you lash out and get angry pretty quickly. What’s going to happen if you’re grumpy and I’m hungry? Things could get ugly fast.”

  A soft chuckle bounced Brad’s chest.

  “You think that’s funny?”

  “Nope.” He grinned. “What’s funny is you talking about me getting pissed off. I hate to tell you, but you do a pretty damn good job of that yourself, doc. I was scared shitless when you opened that office door.”

  Chelsea smil
ed, knowing he had a point. When walking from her office over to Brad’s, she’d been angrier than she ever remembered being before. But maybe that was another reason not to take this trip. Brad provoked a side to her that she hadn’t known existed, one she didn’t particularly like.

  She sighed, knowing she couldn’t blame that on him. Brad was no more responsible for her anger than he was for her happiness. It hurt her feelings when she thought he had tossed her away so easily. It wasn’t about her fear of losing this job that made her mad. It was the thought that Brad could throw her aside like yesterday’s garbage.

  “I just don’t know, Brad.” Almost without consciously deciding to, she stroked his cheek, trailing her fingertips over his jaw line. “I want to like you, I really do, but I’m afraid we might be too different to work out.”

  A light shudder ran through his body. “When you touch me, it doesn’t feel like we’re different or even that we want different things. It feels like you want everything that I do.”

  Suddenly his hand was in her hair, gently tugging to tilt her head upward as he closed in on her mouth. The pounding of her pulse combined with the clean linen scent coming from his clothes was nearly intolerable. She’d been waiting for him to kiss her since their first dinner together, and now it would finally happen.

  Brad moved with excruciating slowness, his mouth nearing hers at a maddening pace. “It feels like you want this.” His breath bathed over her face, smelling of citrus, and still he didn’t make contact.

  Chelsea’s entire body zinged with sweet anticipation. Who cared if Brad was nowhere near perfect? He excited her in ways she’d never known before, her body longing for more without quite understanding what more might be.

  She ran her hands through Brad’s hair at his temples, edging herself just close enough to his mouth that her lips brushed his. “I do want it,” she said. “It’s all I’ve been able to think about.”