Finally she said, “Chase, we can’t fully blame your father for what happened.”
At that pronouncement from her, he slowed the truck, pulled over to the side of the road and braked. “What do you mean we can’t blame him? He intercepted our letters.”
She needed to be closer to him and she couldn’t do that with the seat belt on. She unfastened it and angled toward him on the bench seat.
“If I had had less pride, fewer insecurities and more common sense, I would have contacted you somehow. The same goes for you. Why did you give up without a fight? Why did I? There could only be one reason. We weren’t ready for a relationship, let alone a marriage. Not if we could let go that easily.”
Chase switched off the ignition, unfastened his seat belt and moved closer to her. “Easily?”
When she gazed into his eyes, she saw so many things. He was devastated by what his father had done. The loyalty Chase had given to him, the years of his life—he might now feel they were wasted.
He reached out and caressed her arm. That was the tenderness she liked so much in Chase.
“I’m sorry for what my father did,” he said huskily. “I’m sorry you got caught up in his need for control.”
Then without warning, Chase was kissing her. It was wild and took her back ten years. It was so like their first kiss, unbridled. It was so like the first time they’d made love.
Darkness was falling with a vengeance now. The forest surrounded them. His hands touched her as if he wanted more than a kiss as he leaned her back against the door. She found herself pulling his shirt from his waistband. She wanted to feel his skin. She needed to. Their day together reminded her how much she loved being with him, how infatuated she’d been, how hard she was falling again.
He broke away only long enough to murmur, “I have a condom in my pocket.”
She didn’t stop to think about that. Had he known this was going to happen? Had she, deep down, known, too, because of desires she’d kept secret all these years?
“Are you sure?” she asked him. “Are you sure you’re just not angry and frustrated at your father and you want to get back at him?”
“Lucie, this has nothing to do with getting back at my father. Believe me. Do you know how many nights I’ve dreamed of doing this again?”
Yes, she did. Because if she was honest with herself, she had dreamed about it, too.
In no time at all, he unzipped his jeans. Somehow she divested herself of her panties while he tore open the condom packet. Then he was pulling her onto his lap. He was holding her as she faced him. This wasn’t roses and champagne. It wasn’t a hostel in Scotland. It was a pickup truck on the Bar P and she knew it. She also didn’t care. This was a side of her Chase brought out. This was a side of her she wanted to be free.
She maneuvered herself up until he slid inside her; then she lowered herself onto him. With his groan, she knew she felt the same satisfaction he did. With her moan, he was sure he was pleasing her. He had a condom, and even though they were using it, if he hadn’t had one, she’d still be making love with him like this.
He found his release as she reached for the stars and grabbed them. Delicious prickles ran through her whole body and after they ebbed away, she felt boneless. Chase was embracing her, and she was so glad he was. Still, as the night breeze blew through the windows, both of them were silent.
The colder night air made her shiver, and Chase said, “I’ll give you a little room to get...straightened up. I’ll be right back.” He helped her onto the seat and then he stepped out of the pickup.
She wondered what was going through his head. She hadn’t known for ten years, and she didn’t know now.
He gave her a good five minutes. Her cheeks had cooled down, and so had the rest of her body by the time he climbed back into the truck.
Staring out the windshield, he said, “Maybe that will give us closure.”
“Is that what we needed?” She had a feeling what they’d just experienced would never bring closure.
Since Chase’s silence told her he obviously wasn’t ready to express his thoughts or his feelings, she sighed. “I’d better get back, not only to my car but to my apartment. I don’t want rumors floating around that I’d been out all night. And you—you need to make sure your father’s okay.”
Instead of looking out the front window now, Chase faced her. “How can you even think about my dad?”
“I can think about your dad because I lost mine.” Not a day went by that she didn’t miss him.
“I never want to go back to our ranch.”
Softly she offered, “But you will. You’re that kind of son.” It was one of the reasons she admired him so.
They didn’t speak on their return drive. Lucie could see some of Chase’s excess energy had subsided. He was definitely calmer and not in as much of a hurry. Eventually they pulled up at the barn at the Bar P.
Lucie said, “I’ll come inside with you, just to make sure everything’s okay.”
Chase wrapped his arm around her, pulled her in for a tight hug and then let go.
They climbed out of the truck and met at the back. They didn’t hold hands as they walked up to the house. In fact, in some ways, she felt more separated from him—maybe because they were both confused, maybe because too much was happening at once.
Chase’s mom met them in the living room. It was obvious to see she’d been crying. Lucie saw the guilty look on Chase’s face and then he masked it.
Florence wasn’t accusatory when she said, “Warren told me what happened, and he’s in his den. Chase, I did not know about the letters. Please believe me.”
Lucie could see that Florence was afraid Chase would pull away from her, too. He would associate his dad with his mom and think of them as a unit that had tried to destroy his happiness.
But apparently Chase could easily see that she was telling the truth. “I believe you, Mom.”
“Please don’t let this put a permanent wedge between you and your dad.”
“I don’t know how it won’t.”
Lucie lightly touched Florence’s arm. “I think the two of you should talk this out. I need to get back.”
“I’ll walk you out and make sure you get on your way safely,” Chase said firmly.
He did that without reaching for her, without touching her, without kissing her.
At her car, he suggested, “You call me once you’re back inside your apartment. I want to know you’re safe.”
“I’ll call,” she agreed without protest, not only to ease his mind, but to ease hers, too. Maybe by the time she called, he’d know how to proceed with his parents. She meant what she’d said to him about making things right with his father. You never knew how long you had someone you loved. Chase would deeply regret that he didn’t fix this if something happened to his father. The time was now.
On the way back to Austin, Lucie was determined not to let happen what had happened the other night—getting distracted while driving. She kept her concentration on the road, not on Chase. The traffic wasn’t light, but it also wasn’t so heavy that she’d feel insecure driving. She was exhausted, though. The day of sun and music and walking, the night of emotion that had blown up in their faces, had worn her out. She was sure Chase was tired, too.
She traveled up the ramp into the parking garage and around the first level into the second, then pulled into her assigned space. It was about twenty car slots down from the elevator. She’d walked it many times and wasn’t the least bit nervous about it. Tonight, though, she suddenly stopped walking.
Had she heard footsteps behind her?
She listened. She heard nothing. She was becoming paranoid.
She hurried to the bank of elevators, nodded to the security guard, entered the car, then took the elevator to her floor. Once inside her apar
tment, she went to her sofa and sank down on it. She pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed Chase. He answered immediately.
“How are you?” she asked.
“Shell-shocked,” he answered succinctly.
Just how much had their lovemaking contributed to that?
“How’s your dad?”
“I haven’t talked to him, but Mom checked on him. She even took his blood pressure. He seems okay. I don’t know when we’ll hash things out.”
“Chase, do it soon, for your sake, as well as his. Don’t let this fester. It will only make the situation worse.”
“I don’t see how it can be much worse. He wants to control my life, and I’m not going to let him. One of us has to win.”
“Instead of winning, instead of trying to be right, can’t each of you find what will make you happy?”
“Not if we don’t agree on what happiness is. Lucie, this isn’t your battle. I’m sorry you got mixed up in it.”
Was that a dismissal? Was that an I-don’t-want-to-think-about-this-anymore end to the conversation?
They were both exhausted, and that had to factor in.
“Chase, try to get a good night’s sleep. That will help. Things have to look better in the morning.”
“No, they don’t have to. But someone like you always thinks they will. It’s just another reason I like you, Lucie. I had a great time today, and it’s not something I’ll soon forget. I hope you enjoyed the day, too.”
“I did.”
They could talk about the day, but not about what had happened in the pickup truck. Their silence became the end of their conversation. Chase said, “Good night. Take care of yourself.”
“You, too.”
He ended the call.
There was no talk about seeing each other again, no talk about further conversation. She’d have to see him to sign the annulment papers, wouldn’t she?
Time would tell.
She made herself get up from the sofa, take a shower and go to bed.
Everything would look better in the morning; she was sure of it.
Wasn’t she?
Chapter Nine
Lucie had finally found the perfect office space Saturday morning, filled in all the details and had all the paperwork sent to Emmett Jamison at the Fortune Foundation headquarters. She would help him set up the office quickly so that the funding could flow. To celebrate, she’d called Ella and was meeting her at an out-of-the-way but excellent deli for lunch. Ella arrived first, and happily waved when Lucie walked in. Her friend had chosen a back-corner table where they’d be pretty much out of sight. It was early for the lunch crowd, so the deli was quiet enough for them to have a decent conversation.
Lucie plopped her purse on the table and said, “I want the works today. Barbecued pork club, cheese fries and sweet peach tea. I’m forgetting the salad in celebration.”
Ella laughed. “A job well done. From what you described, this space sounds perfect.”
“Two main closed-door offices and plenty of room for cubicles,” Lucie added. “Now all they need are more programs to funnel the funds to. I’ll be on the lookout for those while I’m still here.”
“Now that that task is off your shoulders, tell me what’s been filling your time. You said you wanted to talk to me about it. I get the feeling it’s a who, not a what.”
“How could you know that?”
“I know women, and I’m getting to know you. It’s the sound of your voice. I’m right, aren’t I?”
Lucie had told Ella she wanted to discuss something personal with her. She could talk to Amelia, but their snatches of time were so limited that she’d decided to confide in Ella.
“There’s a man from my past who’s been a secret for ten years.”
Ella’s eyes widened. “Give me the details.”
So Lucie did.
Ella listened intently, not interrupting even once. By the time Lucie was finished, she was surprised she almost felt like crying. Because she didn’t know what to do next?
“So your pickup-truck interlude yesterday—was that serious for him, too?”
“I don’t know. He was in such turmoil about what his dad did.”
“Don’t you feel betrayed, too?”
“I feel manipulated, but his father did that from the beginning, so intercepting the letters doesn’t come as a huge surprise. If I’d been sure of my relationship with Chase, if I’d been older, I might have flown back here to Texas to see him. But I didn’t and he didn’t. Neither of us acted.”
“And you take that as a sign you weren’t meant to be together?”
“Not then,” Lucie admitted.
“But you two are headed in different directions now.” Ella could see the obvious problems.
“We are, but maybe I shouldn’t keep thinking about what my mother expects from me and my responsibilities. Maybe I should think about how I feel.”
“Seeing what I’ve just been through, I think you should take any risk for love. Would you consider settling in Austin permanently, stopping your work, maybe finding something as important to do here?”
“It’s a lot to think about,” Lucie said, confused by it all. “I suppose I’ll figure it out eventually.” She sighed. “There’s no solution now, so let’s talk about something else. Is Ben still on his hunt for other Fortune relatives?”
“Actually something sort of monumental happened.”
“Tell me,” Lucie coaxed.
“Ben went to meet with Jacqueline Fortune, Gerald Robinson’s mother.”
“What did he discover?”
Ella shook her head and frowned. “Unfortunately the woman is in a nursing home and suffers from dementia. When she heard the name Jerome Fortune, she started yelling, ‘There is no Jerome Fortune. Jerome Fortune is dead.’”
“Oh, my goodness. Ben must have been so disappointed,” Lucie sympathized.
“He’s not stopping there. He believes there’s more to the story. He’s working with Keaton to get more information.”
“So Keaton’s in the area?”
“Actually he’s in Austin. Why?”
“I have a charity event to attend and I need an escort. Of course, I wish Chase could take me, but that’s not possible, not without everything splattering all over the tabloids and newspapers and cable channels. But since Keaton’s here, maybe he’ll escort me.”
“Go ahead and give him a call now. I’ll go place our orders. It’s not like I can forget what you want for lunch.”
Lucie laughed and pulled out her phone. Checking her contacts, she found Keaton’s number, not expecting him to answer. But he did.
“Keaton, this is Lucie Fortune Chesterfield.”
“I heard you’re in Austin finding space for the Fortune Foundation’s new office.”
“I’ve accomplished that. How are you doing? I heard that you just started a job at a brand-new firm that only handles the most prestigious projects. Is that fact or fiction?”
“It’s fact,” he responded. “I’m just taking a break before I start.”
“I’m glad you’re in Austin. I have a favor. Can you take me to the Museum of Plein Air Artists’ fundraising gala tomorrow night? Are you possibly free?”
“Of course I’m free for you. I don’t have an active social calendar right now.”
“Do you want me to text you the details?” Lucie asked.
“That sounds good. Do you want to meet there or do you want me to pick you up?”
“Do you mind the publicity if you pick me up?”
“Not at all. We’ll be seen together at the gala, and I’m sure there will be photos, maybe TV coverage. We might as well go all out.”
“Thank you, Keaton.”
“Anytim
e. I usually have my phone on, so text me whenever you want.”
When Lucie ended the call, she felt...odd. Her date—if you could call it that—with Keaton would help cover up what was going on with her and Chase. She was debating with herself about how she should tell her mother the whole story. But her mum was out of cell phone contact again and she’d said she’d call when she was back in civilization.
Lucie was beginning to hope that would be sooner rather than later.
* * *
Back at the apartment, Lucie was worried about Chase and his dad, about the annulment, about everything. She only knew one way to appease some of her worry. Picking up her cell phone, she went to her contact list and pressed Call for Chase’s cell phone number. He answered on the first ring.
“How are you?” he asked, forgetting about small talk.
“I’m good. How are you?”
Evading her question, he responded, “I’m getting ready to leave for Masey’s Horse Auction Center. Would you like to come along?”
“Where is it?”
“About a half hour from here. I can pick you up, you can come to the ranch, or I can meet you there.”
She thought about the implications of all three choices. “Will you be there long?”
“Probably a few hours.”
She considered being followed and what she could do to prevent that. If she used her driver, that car was a definite target. She might be better off in the rental again.
“I’ll meet you at the auction house. Does that work for you?”
He gave her the address. “That works just fine. Are you thinking you can make sure you’re not followed?”
“Exactly.”
“And you feel comfortable driving there?”
“Chase, stop being protective. I’m fine. I only got into trouble the other day because of the rain and the potholes and...our argument. I’m not distracted now and today’s a sunny day. I’ll text you when I arrive at the auction house and you can text back where to meet me.”
“Sounds good.”
An hour and a half later, her wig in place, her jeans hugging her hips and legs and an oversize green T-shirt completing the ensemble, Lucie parked on the gravel parking lot of the auction house. She texted Chase and he wrote back that she should meet him at the snack cart right outside the main entrance.
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