Tempting Chase_Burlap and Barbed Wire

by Shirley Penick

  He couldn’t move. A horse whisper escaped him. “Katie?”

  She shook her head. “Drink your milk, Chase. I think I’ll take mine to my room.”

  As she fled out of the room. He said quietly, “My room.” Then he drank the milk, rinsed out the cup and pan, while he thought about her reaction and what it might mean.

  Katie was kicking herself as she rushed into Chase’s room. She’d freaked out when he’d looked at her as a woman. She’d been waiting for that moment for ten long years, and when he finally did, she’d rabbited. It had scared the crap out of her. Desire fought with fear. And fear of taking the next step had won.

  Could she, should she, risk her lifelong friendship with him for a chance at something more? What if it failed, what if they tried it and it destroyed their relationship? Was it worth the uncertainty? The answer to those questions was not to be found.

  She felt like such a fool.

  Sitting frozen on his bed, she heard him walk down the hall. He paused at her door and she held her breath. Wanting him to come in. Fearing that he would. It seemed like hours that he stood outside her door as her heart beat a frantic tattoo. She didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed when he continued down the hall to his brother’s room.

  Katie shivered as a chill settled over her. She finished her milk and crawled under the covers, certain she wouldn’t be able to sleep, as she turned over the last few minutes in her mind.

  But the milk worked as it always did, and she drifted off to sleep, to dream of possibilities.

  In the morning she woke with it firmly decided, that it was worth the risk. And the next time she had the chance she would be brave and reach out for what she wanted. But that was not happening this morning, she had a store to run. He had a ranch to work.

  Emma met her in the kitchen. “Tony and I are coming to town with you this morning.”

  “Emma, you don’t need to do that. I’m sure you were right last night, and it was a foiled burglary, which means I’ll be just fine.”

  “I’m coming with you, and we’ll make sure that’s true. If it is. I’ll let Tony play in the park and I can keep an eye on your customers to make sure no one looks weird.”

  “And if they do?”

  “I’ll call the Sheriff,” Emma said decisively.

  “And if it’s some tourist?”

  Emma shrugged. “Drake can sort that out, or Drew.”

  Katie shook her head. “You all are being ridiculous. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

  “Better safe than sorry.”

  “Fine, but you’ll bring Tony back here for his nap.” She wasn’t about to let Emma tire Tony out too much.

  “If I feel confident you’ll be safe, yes. If not, I’ll put him down in your bed upstairs. That way I’ll be within shouting distance.”

  Katie put her hands on her hips. “I still think you’re being over-dramatic. And I plan to sleep in my own bed tonight.”

  Emma said, “We’ll see.”

  Chapter 12

  Katie finally shooed Emma and Tony off in time for the little boy’s nap. There were no more broken windows, and no one had been the least bit shady. There were plenty of tourists, as they were enjoying the last of summer. Lots of people were in the mountains to fish and camp and play on the lakes, one more time, before school started and the weather turned.

  They would have a few more weekends of craziness after school began when the aspen turned golden. The contrast between the dark green of the evergreen trees and the yellow aspen was a sight to behold, so they would have lots of tourists on weekends until late September or early October.

  She had a few weeks before she would start swapping out her fishing and camping gear for winter paraphernalia. Most of her store stayed the same because skiers still wanted to take back souvenirs, and the local population’s needs didn’t change that much. So, it wasn’t a huge job and was in fact, kind of fun.

  Katie was busy thinking about her winter plans when a young girl walked in the door. She looked about ten or eleven and walked with hunched shoulders and her hair hanging in her face. Katie waited for someone to follow the girl in the store, but no one did. The girl wandered through the store for a few minutes before finally coming up to the counter with a few packages of cheese and crackers. She laid the snacks on the counter without looking at Katie and then dug up some money out of her pocket and laid it on the counter.

  Katie smiled at the girl who was peeking at her through her hair. “Looks like you need a snack.”

  The girl gave a slight nod but didn’t smile or speak.

  Katie rang up the sale and told the girl how much it would be, then she counted out the amount of money the girl had pulled out of her pocket and noticed she was off by seventeen cents.

  She told the girl, “You need another seventeen cents.”

  The girl’s shoulders drooped, and her chin quivered. She started to push one of the packages to the side when Katie cleared her throat. “It’s okay. You can keep it, I have some extra change that I can use.”

  The girl’s head jerked up and she looked at Katie with wide eyes. Then she grabbed up the snacks and hurried out the door. Katie quickly followed the girl to the door to see where she was going. The girl had already torn open one of the packages and was eating like she hadn’t eaten in days. Then she scurried between two buildings and was out of sight.

  The rest of the day Katie wondered about the girl. She hadn’t been very clean, her hair was dirty and stringy, there had been a smudge on her cheek and dirt under her nails. She hadn’t looked familiar, so was she a tourist?

  All kinds of questions went through her mind. Where were her parents, was the first one. She would keep an eye out for the girl.

  Drake came into the store at almost closing time. After exchanging pleasantries, he said, “So we discovered that your attackers have warrants out for their arrests. They won’t be getting out of jail any time soon. In fact, several states are arguing about who has precedence. It seems those guys have been paving a path of destruction for a while. Everything from robbery to breaking and entering to disorderly conduct. Possibly even kidnapping. I haven’t read through the whole list of offenses laid at their feet, yet. But you are safe from them. Any other trouble around here?”

  Katie was relieved to hear they wouldn’t be set free. She didn’t realize she’d been worried about retaliation until the tension flowed out of her at his words. “Everything has been quiet. It must have been a fluke or an accident.”

  Drake nodded. “I’ll keep an extra watch on the store and apartment anyway. I heard you don’t plan to go out to the Rockin’ K tonight.”

  Katie shrugged. “I don’t think I need to. Do you?”

  “You would be safer out there for sure, but I don’t foresee any issues. Keep your eyes and ears open though and if something startles you, do not hesitate to call immediately. Understand?”

  “Yes sir.” Katie grinned at his attempt to be stern. She imagined he pulled it off just fine with strangers, but not so much with her or anyone that had always known him.

  He saw her smile and huffed. “Gotta get going, you be careful.”

  “Don’t worry I will. Thanks for letting me know.”

  She didn’t think about the girl again until she was getting ready for bed. She wondered if she should have mentioned her to Drake. She would try to do so next time she saw him.

  Chase was both relieved and concerned when Emma told him that Katie was determined to stay in her own home tonight. He was relieved that she wouldn’t be sleeping in his bed and causing him to think all kinds of crazy thoughts. He was also relieved that he wouldn’t accidentally bump into her in the kitchen, with her skimpy pajamas just barely hiding her curves. But he was concerned that she wouldn’t be safe in her apartment. His father had told him that Drake had called to say the men that had accosted her would not be getting out of jail, probably ever.

  He’d texted her to make sure everything was okay, and she’d told him
to stop being a mother hen and go to bed. That she would be fine and if she needed anything, she would call the Sheriff’s department first and him second.

  He didn’t feel like he had anything else he could say to that, so he’d told her goodnight. Maybe they could get together on her day off, so he could make sure she was doing all right. He’d have to see what his father had planned for the day. He did have a job to do and while his dad was often accommodating, that didn’t mean he could just do as he pleased, either.

  He knocked on his brother’s door from their adjoining bathrooms. He heard Cade grunt a welcome, so he walked in.

  Cade looked up from his phone where he was obviously playing a game that he’d paused. “What’s up?”

  “Katie’s staying at her house tonight.”

  “Pretty obvious, since she’s not here.”

  “Just thinking, that we could possibly do something with her on her day off.”

  Cade shook his head. “No can do. I’m taking Tanya to Granby for dinner.”

  Chase felt his eyebrows raise. “To the steak and lobster place?”

  “Yeah, she got pissed that we were hanging with Katie last Wednesday and then heard we’d been at the bar waiting for her on Friday. She’s on a warpath, so I’m taking her out.”

  Chase didn’t know what to say because he thought Cade should kick her to the curb. “I’ll do something with her then. What time are we getting off that day, so you can shower, shave and kowtow?”

  “I talked dad into early, seven to four thirtyish, but you don’t have to work those hours if you want to work later.”

  “No that will be fine. I’ll take Katie to a movie or something, get some dinner.”

  Cade frowned. “Don’t go to that new super hero one. I want to see it too.”

  “You could take Tanya.”

  “Riiiight. When hell freezes over. You know she only likes sappy shit or overly dramatic, depressing, want to kill yourself movies.”

  Chase held in a “I keep telling you” comment and walked out the door.

  He debated texting Katie to set something up for Wednesday, and then decided she probably was tired, since neither one of them had slept worth a shit last night. He had a couple of days, so he wouldn’t disturb her tonight.

  As he got ready for bed he thought about their encounter in the early morning, and wondered what would have happened if she hadn’t run away. Or if he would have kissed her. He had no idea what might have transpired. Good or bad.

  Thoughts were spinning in his head as he thought about the possibilities. When he crawled into bed a while later he realized that no one had changed the sheets from Katie sleeping in his bed last night. His whole bed smelled like her, especially the pillow. He groaned and couldn’t decide if he wanted to get up and change them or bury his face in the pillow. Exhaustion hit him like a fist and he did neither, he gave into it, and dreamt of her.

  Chapter 13

  Wednesday finally rolled around and Chase had plans with Katie. He’d just barely managed to wait that long. He needed to make sure she was all right. They’d decided on dinner and a movie, but not in Granby where they could run into Tanya and Cade.

  Dinner was Mexican, the hotter the better and margaritas to cool the burn. They passed food back and forth like they always did. Chase liked chimichangas and Katie wanted a ginormous burrito, plus they had to have nachos first, with all that dripping cheese and jalapenos.

  Katie said, “My mouth is on fire.”

  “That’s what the margarita is for.”

  “I drank it all.” She looked sadly into her glass.

  He fought the grin that wanted to take over his face. “Order another one.”

  She shook her head. “I won’t be able to walk, and I will fall asleep in the movie.”

  “I’ll poke you and wake you up, at least when you start snoring.” He shoveled in another huge bite.

  “I don’t snore.” She frowned at him.

  He swallowed and shook his head. “I beg to differ. I’ve heard you snore on multiple occasions.”

  “I think it was Cade, not me. Or Emma, yeah Emma.”

  Chase grinned. “Are you going to blame it on the dog next?”

  “I don’t have a dog. And most of your dog’s live outdoors, or in the barn. Except for that old yellow one that sleeps in the kitchen and he’s too old to move.”

  “Maybe you could blame it on Dolly.” He offered teasingly.

  “That’s not a bad idea, but I still don’t believe I snore.” She frowned. “That’s not very lady-like.”

  He looked at her in her jeans and no makeup, she was a tomboy through and through, she was still a sexy little thing, but not at all lady-like. He thought he better throw her a bone, before she wacked him with something. “You snore softly and daintily.”

  She snorted. “Ow, I got hotness in my nose.”

  “No sinus problems for you, then.” He tried to keep the smirk off his face and didn’t think he succeeded.

  She pointed her fork at him and tried to look fierce. “You are a pain in the butt, Chase Kipling.”

  He returned the gesture. “Right back at you, sweetheart. So, do you want another margarita? All that food will help soak up the alcohol.”

  “What a great excuse,” she said tapping a finger to her bottom lip in thought.

  He knew she wanted one, so he continued, “And the movie has too much action for you to fall asleep.”

  “And the walking?”

  “I’ll carry you if I have to.”

  “Ha! That would serve you right. Okay, you talked me into it.”

  He grinned at her while he signaled the waitress, Katie was a little bit of a lightweight where liquor was involved, so two margaritas very well could put her out. They were having a lot of food though, so he wasn’t worried. He could carry her if he needed to, she was such a little thing, physically anyway. Personality wise she was a giant.

  She got a huge grin on her face when the waitress set the second margarita down in front of her and took a big slurp. He hoped he hadn’t encouraged her to his, or her, detriment. But she tucked back into her burrito, so he relaxed.

  Katie was having a blast with Chase at dinner, they’d only gone out together without Cade along once or twice. Cade being the more gregarious of the two normally carried the conversation, so it was interesting to have it be only Chase. He wasn’t reticent at all, so she supposed it was just easier to let Cade run off at the mouth rather than try to get a word in edgewise.

  She probably shouldn’t be drinking a second margarita, but they were so tasty and cooling to the tongue. Even if she did get a little loopy, she knew she was perfectly safe with Chase, he would never let anything happen to her. She loved that she was both safe with him and could be herself. No fear of either danger or rejection.

  She was happy she could be comfortable in her jeans and a flirty top. She’d slapped on some mascara and lip gloss and called it good. If she’d been going out with any other guy she would have obsessed over what to wear and put on real makeup. So, there was definitely something to be said for going out with a buddy. She wouldn’t mind a kiss or two, but there were definite tradeoffs.

  “So, want to try the Karaoke thing again on Friday?” she asked.

  “Sure. I don’t know what Cade will be up to.”

  She looked at the hot guy across the table from her and didn’t miss his brother one bit. “We seem to be doing fine without him.”

  He grinned. “We are, aren’t we. I guess we don’t have to always be the three musketeers.”

  “Nope, but if he wants to come that’s cool, too.”

  His grin dimmed a little. “Of course.”

  “I’m getting full. What time is the movie?”

  “We’ve got about forty-five minutes.”

  “Good. I think I’ll get this boxed up for tomorrow and we can drop it by my house on the way to the theater.”

  “We can do that.”

  When they stood to leave she felt a
definite kick from the alcohol, but it wasn’t too bad, she hoped. She made it to his truck and clambered up into it, thinking it seemed a lot higher off the ground than it normally was.

  When he pulled into the alley at the back of her building near the stairs to her apartment, and then volunteered to run her food up, she didn’t argue, but thankfully handed him the keys. While he was gone she leaned her head back against the seat and watched the darkness through slitted eyes. She saw movement down the alley a bit and sat up straighter. It looked like someone was by the dumpster of their little grocery store. She didn’t move, just sat and watched. When Chase came bounding down the stairs she saw the figure scurry off. Something was familiar about the person. Was it simply someone from the store that she knew?

  Chase climbed in the truck and handed her the keys. “Ready to roll? Time for some action.”

  She laughed at his enthusiasm and thought about a different kind of action she could engage him in. That idea made her shiver and forget all about the person in the alley.

  Chapter 14

  Chase was sweating like a pig, sometimes ranch work was damn hard work, and it didn’t help they were having a heat wave. They were bailing hay today so not only was it hotter than hell and fricken hard work, it was a filthy job on top of it. He couldn’t decide if he wanted to jump in the river or go straight home to a shower when they finished for the day.

  His brother was in a horrible mood and refused to talk about it. Chase assumed it had something to do with Cade’s date with Tanya. He figured Cade would talk to him about it when he’d sorted it all out and had made a decision. Cade didn’t talk through his thoughts but instead weighed everything in his mind, and once he’d come up with a plan he would talk about it. More as verification of the idea than anything else.

  The only redeeming factor of the day so far was thinking back to his evening with Katie last night. The movie had been great, and they’d chatted about it while driving home until Katie finally said, “I need to lay down for a minute”. Then she’d curled up on the bench seat of his truck and used his leg as a pillow. How she could lay down like that and keep the seat belt on, he had no idea. Plus, he didn’t think the split bench seat would be very comfortable.