by T. J. Kline
“The car is running,” she informed him. “I . . . ” Her eyes fell on Julia’s pale face and her voice trailed off, as if she couldn’t trust herself to speak.
He couldn’t fault her panicked state. The adrenaline coursing through his body like a drug didn’t bode well for this situation. Common sense and training told him to wait for the ambulance to arrive since an emergency vehicle could navigate the streets faster. However, his gut was telling him they didn’t have time to wait. Though he had no idea what could be wrong, he suspected Julia was correct in assuming that it was something with the baby. Chase had no option but to rely on his instinct. He prayed it wouldn’t lead them right into disaster the way it had in Oakland. He’d learned the hard way how wrong his gut instinct could be.
CHASE SCRUBBED A hand over his face as he waited for the nurse to open the electric doors, allowing him into the room outside the emergency room where he could see Bailey waiting, her face buried in her hands. It hadn’t escaped his notice that she’d been nearly hopeless and feeling completely helpless, as she tried not to watch him with Julia from the rearview mirror just before they arrived. He’d planned on staying with her in the waiting room, to comfort her once Julia was in the capable hands of the doctors, but the ER nurse had whisked him along with Julia into the back, pelting him with questions the entire way. He wasn’t even sure who’d finally called Dylan, but Chase had never felt more relieved than when he saw the man come through the doors, looking for his wife.
The electric doors opened with a soft woosh, catching Bailey’s attention, and her head lifted, her gaze locking on him. Before he even had a chance to say anything, she ran at him, her nimble fingers grasping the front of the T-shirt he’d borrowed from Jessie. It seemed like ages ago that they were planning to fix dinner at Julia’s to share some food and laughter with the rest of the Hart clan. The evening had gone from lighthearted to dire in moments.
“Julia? Is she—”
“Julia’s fine, Bailey.” His quiet reassurance released the dam of tears she’d been holding back. A sob of relief burst from her chest and she surprised him by throwing her arms around his waist and burying her face into his shirt. Chase felt his heart lurch but only hesitated a moment before his arms wound around her, pulling her against him. One hand slid up her back while the other stroked her head. He didn’t want to think about how right this felt. “Hey, shh, it’s going to be okay. She’s in good hands.”
Chase drew back, just far enough to look into her eyes. He clearly saw the doubt in them. His hand cupped her cheek before sliding down to the curve of her neck. His thumb traced her jaw before tipping her face up to meet his gaze. “I promise she’s okay. Dylan’s with her right now. The doctor said she was in labor and the baby was lodged in her pelvic bones. They had to do an emergency C-section, but you’ll be able to go see her as soon as she’s out of recovery.”
She shook her head, unable to speak, and her blonde ponytail swung around her shoulders, her long bangs falling into her face before she leaned her forehead into his shoulder. He pulled her close again, his arms wrapping around her tightly. Chase knew he was treading on thin ice. Any second it was going to give way and he’d go crashing through. When he did, she’d see every ounce of emotion he’d felt for her over the years but had tried so hard to continue hiding.
But he couldn’t push her away any more than he could deny the feelings he’d had for this woman as long as he could remember.
“Bailey, I wouldn’t lie to you.”
He felt her relax slightly into his embrace and smile against his shirt. “You did about Billy Cray in high school.”
Chase couldn’t help the half smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth. She wasn’t wrong. He’d made up a last-minute excuse about why the lineman had stood Bailey up for the prom, but he’d had a good reason for it. After hearing rumors about the plans Billy had for Bailey after the dance from some of his football buddies, Chase poured several cups of water into his gas tank, effectively disabling the car and leaving Billy stranded on the deserted stretch of highway heading to the ranch. Hell, Billy should have thanked Chase, because if Justin would have heard what he’d been planning, the man would have never made it to graduation in one piece. But he wasn’t sure how Bailey knew. He’d never told anyone, not even Justin. Chase looked down at her curiously.
“I know all about the prom. Billy got drunk one night a few years ago at the rodeo and asked me out again, saying I should give him another chance since it wasn’t his fault he’d had car trouble the night of the dance. Since you were the one who seemed so adamant that I’d been stood up, I put two and two together.”
“Did he happen to mention what he’d had planned for that night?”
She shrugged one shoulder and sniffed. “Billy was never the brightest cookie in the jar. I got him back by kicking his ass in a pool game and taking him for two hundred bucks.”
He brushed her bangs away from her eyes with his finger, her blue eyes looking so innocent and vulnerable, so unlike the Bailey she usually allowed people to see. This woman might sound like Bailey, but the fear in her eyes belied her usual take-no-prisoners attitude. It was that frailty that did him in. Alarms began to sound in his mind, even as his body heated where hers pressed against him.
Don’t, logic warned. This is a bad idea.
“Guilty as charged,” he offered, staring down into those deep blue pools that seemed to beg for honesty, “but I’m not lying about this.”
Go ahead. Do it. You can blame it on the stress of the moment, his heart reasoned with his psyche.
Even if he hadn’t wanted to kiss her, Chase needed to kiss Bailey. As if reading his mind, Bailey parted her lips and took a slight inhale, pressing her chest against him more fully. He didn’t think about it; it just happened, as naturally as her breath. He dipped his head, his lips meeting with hers in the slightest brush of a touch. Her fingers clenched against the muscles lining his spine and they flexed. Chase’s arm around her tightened, pulling her fully against him, and a soft groan rumbled in his chest.
What in the hell am I doing?
The logical side of Chase’s brain was at war with his heart. As he held her in his arms, her body pressed against his, he wanted to do the right thing, the honorable thing, and that didn’t include kissing Bailey, no matter how good, how right, it might feel. Grasping logic with both hands, he cast it aside, making the conscious decision to give in to his desire. Just this once.
As his lips slanted over hers, his hand cupping the back of her head to draw her closer, Chase didn’t regret his choice. Bailey leaned into the kiss, her hands curling into the material of his shirt, as if she’d been waiting for this as long as he had. The hand around her waist splayed at her back, pressing her lower body fully against him, and he wondered if she wouldn’t run the other way when she realized the erection he was sporting. He didn’t usually react this way to a simple kiss. But the earth quaked beneath him as her fingers found the back of his neck and she opened her mouth to him. He’d known kissing her would be unlike any other woman, but he hadn’t been prepared when her tongue sought his—tasting, testing, surrendering. It was too much.
The faint sound of a clearing throat forced him back to reality, not allowing him to stray any further down the dangerous path he’d made the mistake of traveling. Guilt grasped him by the throat as he looked up, fully prepared to see Justin, eyes blazing and murderous.
Relief flooded Chase when he looked into Dylan’s face instead of the accusatory gaze of his best friend. “Bailey, Julia’s asking for you.”
Bailey mumbled a few barely coherent words of apology before hurrying to the door that would take her to her cousin’s side. What did she have to apologize for? He was the one who’d crossed the line. And, with witnesses. He had to figure out some way of backtracking because, as good as that kiss was—hell, who was he kidding? That kiss had been mind-numbing—he owed Justin his loyalty and playing tonsil-hockey with Bailey ranked right up there with high
treason.
“I should probably get going,” Chase muttered, wanting nothing more than to escape and figure out why he’d thought for even a moment that kissing Bailey might be a good idea.
Dylan crossed his arms over his massive chest and stared at him expectantly, a knowing smirk on his face. The pair had become friends over the past year, bonding over their current jobs and past military history, and it was pretty obvious Dylan had something to say. “What?”
“What was that about?”
Chase wasn’t sure what to say. He certainly couldn’t tell Dylan the truth, not before he told Justin, but he needed to come up with some sort of excuse because Dylan didn’t look like he was going to let this drop anytime soon.
“She was upset about Julia,” he began.
“And I suppose that was how you decided to comfort her?” Dylan didn’t even bother to hide the smile tugging the corner of his mouth farther upward. “A hug is generally the acceptable form of consolation.”
Chase glared at Julia’s husband. For a man who’d nearly lost his wife a few hours ago and had just greeted his new daughter, he seemed pretty chipper. He should have been emotionally exhausted. Chase knew he was and wanted to go back to his wife and child yet here he was, busting Chase’s balls instead.
“Look, I like you, Chase, and this isn’t the first time you’ve helped me. If it weren’t for you . . . ” Dylan closed his eyes for a moment and Chase could see the emotion welling in the man’s face when their gaze met again. “I owe you the lives of my wife and daughter, so I’m going to give you a piece of advice I’ve learned the hard way—if you care about Bailey, don’t waste any time. Life is too precious and you don’t know how many moments you’re going to get, so don’t waste the ones you have.”
Chase wasn’t sure how to respond. He knew Dylan well enough to know it was rare for him to open up this way. They shared quite a few things in common, from their military service to darker things, such as losing men in combat, and while Dylan still suffered from the long-term effects of PTSD, he also understood the guilt that accompanied being a survivor. Chase knew that if he ever needed someone other than Justin who could understand, Dylan would. But he didn’t deserve understanding. He’d killed his best friend, and there was nothing anyone could say that would make that guilt go away. Chase was glad to see the man find happiness, with Julia and now his new daughter, but Chase didn’t deserve any of that. Not when Lance’s wife was raising Mason, his godson, alone.
Dylan seemed to read Chase’s face, to know this conversation wouldn’t end well if he pursued it, and he waved a hand at the nurse to buzz open the double doors leading back into the recovery area. He turned back to Chase, the intensity in his eyes reminding Chase of the night he’d tried so hard to forget. “Don’t let the past, or fear of the future, stop you from moving forward.”
There was a click before the doors opened and Dylan hurried off, back to his wife. Chase stared where Dylan had stood as the doors closed. Justin was the only person who knew what actually happened to Lance, who understood the guilt Chase tried to keep hidden, and the way it was slowly eating him alive. That wasn’t something he could expect any woman to deal with, especially one with her own baggage to shoulder. He cared too much to subject her to that.
Chase wiped his hand over the stubble covering his jaw.
I need a drink.
Chapter Five
BY THE TIME Bailey pried herself from Julia’s side, Chase had already left and wasn’t answering any of her calls to his cell phone. It was probably better if she didn’t talk to him right now. The last thing she wanted to hear was an apology from him for kissing her. She knew it hadn’t meant anything. They’d both been caught up in the moment, worried about Julia and relieved about her prognosis. It didn’t mean anything.
Repeating it over and over again doesn’t make it true.
Having a schoolgirl crush on the guy didn’t make her naive. It might mean something to her, but that didn’t mean he felt the same. And she wasn’t about to admit anything, not to him or anyone else, ever, regardless of the devilish grin Dylan gave her when he’d walked behind her into the recovery room. Thank goodness, he’d kept quiet about what he’d seen, so far. She didn’t have any doubt he’d bring it up later and just prayed he did it privately.
“I’ll drop you off at your place before I head home, if you want,” Dylan offered as they headed toward the waiting room. “Jessie said she’d stay with Julia tonight so I can take care of the dogs.”
She shot him a sideways glance. Bailey didn’t miss the flicker of disappointment in the man’s eyes. He might be surly but he adored Julia and she knew he wanted to stay with her in the hospital tonight. “I’ll go back to the house with you. My bike is still there. I’d be happy to stay and watch the dogs. Just grab Tango and Roscoe and come back. You know you’d rather be here with her anyway.”
Dylan dipped his chin, making it hard for her to see the tender smile that spread slowly over his lips. “I would.”
He turned to look at Bailey, who couldn’t help but feel slightly jealous at the devotion she could see in his eyes for her cousin. As happy as she was for Julia and Dylan, she wondered if she’d ever find someone who felt that way about her. It would have been nice to have someone see her as more than just a nuisance and a hassle to deal with. Or to be seen as more than just a place to pause until something, or someone, better came along.
She cleared her throat, hesitant to speak for fear that her envy would be obvious. “That way you can spend time with your daughter, too.”
He paused as he held open the exit door for her. “What would this family do without you?”
“What?” She snapped her neck to look at him in surprise.
“You’re always the first one to volunteer to help everyone else. And if you hadn’t gone over to fix dinner for Julia . . . I can’t thank you enough, Bailey.” His voice choked and he looked away, embarrassed by the emotion he was barely containing.
Bailey laid a tentative hand on his forearm. “But I did, and Julia and Emily are fine. The person you really need to be thanking is Chase.” Bailey wasn’t about to even try to take credit for saving Julia. She’d been at a loss when she’d seen Julia on the bedroom floor. It had been Chase who’d taken full control of the situation while she’d frozen in panic at seeing her cousin unconscious.
Dylan pressed the key fob to unlock the truck as they approached. “Since you brought him up, you want to talk about it?”
Bailey eyed him as he slid into the driver’s seat. She liked Dylan, liked the way he held things close to his chest. She knew she could trust him to keep whatever she might confess between the two of them, but she’d spent so many years hiding her feelings for Chase that she wasn’t ready to admit to anything. It was bad enough that she’d kissed him. She certainly didn’t want anyone to know how deep her feelings for him really ran.
“Nope. Let’s just chalk up anything I might have done to relief that Julia and Emily were okay.”
“Then, from the look of things, the two of you must have been pretty relieved.” He turned the key in the ignition and chuckled quietly as she rolled her eyes at him. “So, you’re saying this was a one-time thing and nothing that the family needs to get prepared for. Because you know Justin,” Dylan pointed out. “If you blindside him with this, he’s going to have a conniption, just like he did when he found out about me.”
“At least he left you standing. He knocked poor Nathan out cold.” She shook her head at the memory of her cousin being so infuriated catching Jessie and Nathan together that he’d hauled off and punched his best friend. But Dylan was right, it was the secrecy from people he trusted that had set him off. “No worries on my account. I’ve got no room in my life for romantic entanglements.”
“Entanglements?” he repeated, trying to contain his grin. “Yeah, I remember calling Julia that at one time. Look at us now.”
Bailey arched a brow but refused to look his way, continuing to stare out
the window as Dylan turned onto the highway. She and Chase were nothing like Dylan and Julia. Those two were destined to be together from the start. She and Chase were like oil and water. Any sort of relationship they might have had was doomed when she’d turned thirteen. She’d interrupted Justin and Chase trying to convince their dates to go skinny-dipping. Upon hearing of their plans for their dates, Bailey had stolen their clothes while the girls tittered stupidly on the shoreline and dashed back through the woods to the ranch house. That might have been nearly ten years ago, but Chase had never forgiven her, and she’d never forgotten the sight of his seventeen-year-old body as he began his ascent into manhood. She’d thought it was hilarious, but it had cemented the idea in his head that she was nothing more than Justin’s pesky little cousin. He’d treated her that way ever since. Chase was never going to see her as anything different and, maybe, that was for the best.
Having grown up with him her entire life, she knew most of his secrets, just as he knew hers. At least, most of them. Since his return last year, Chase had never been lacking female attention. He’d dated every available woman in town.
Except her.
Bailey didn’t need her psyche’s painful reminder and tried to soothe her slightly wounded ego, reassuring herself that she was leaving town and stupid crushes behind soon anyway. “Deputy Casanova is the last guy I’d hook up with anyway.”
The grunt Dylan made didn’t sound convinced as he drove the truck down the nearly deserted stretch of highway back toward the house he and Julia shared.
“What does that mean?” Bailey glared at him.
“Nothing.” He shook his head but she didn’t believe his innocent act for a moment. “I just remember the days of denial, too.”
“I’m not in denial,” she insisted. Bailey cleared her throat. “I don’t think it’s denial to not get involved with a man-child who can’t make up his mind about what he wants.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He shot her a glance from the other side of the truck.