Wild at Heart (Healing Harts)

by T. J. Kline

  “Chase.”

  “And how is our town deputy? He seemed pretty interested last night when I saw him sitting outside your house. I sent him in to check on you.”

  He had been spying! “Thanks a lot.” Bailey didn’t bother to hide the sarcasm in her tone. “I woke up in his shirt with him in my bed.”

  Blake’s deep-timbered laughter rang through the phone line, making her head pound painfully. “Oh, damn it hurts to laugh this hard, but you are so very welcome. So did that get him out of your system?”

  “Welcome? I should kick your ass. He’s trying to get me to agree to give him a chance to convince me to stay. I can’t stay, Blake. This is not what is supposed to happen.”

  “Bailey, who are you trying to convince?” She heard his microwave ding in the background. “Here is the guy you’ve always wanted, putty in your hands—and I saw him last night, he’s definitely putty.” Blake sipped at something. “Crap, that’s hot. Now you can stay here, and the two of you can get married, buy a house, have ten babies, and live happily ever after. Isn’t that every woman’s dream?”

  She didn’t miss the anguish in his voice and furrowed her brow as she rubbed her fingertips against her temples. There was too much in that one statement for her to decipher but she made a mental note to spend some time talking with him about his past. “Not mine and you should know that by now. I don’t want to stay here. I don’t want to have kids, at least, not anytime in the near future. Yes, I want him but if I don’t go now, I’ll—”

  “What, Bailey? Turn into you mother?”

  “I can’t do what she did. She set her dream aside when she had me. She moved here and was miserable. I won’t make everyone around me miserable the way she did. I can’t settle until I’ve at least given it a shot.”

  Blake sighed into the receiver. “I didn’t know your mother but I do know you. Singing isn’t your dream, no matter how much you try to convince yourself it is. You’re good at it so you’re using it to run away. Which is fine, as long as you acknowledge the truth. At least be honest with yourself. Right now, you’re at a crossroads and there is no right or wrong answer. You just need to decide which of these two paths you’re willing to give up on because, unfortunately, darlin’, the two things you want are mutually exclusive.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  CHASE EASED HIS truck down the driveway of Justin’s veterinary clinic, grateful to see another car there. Not only would it mean Justin would be too busy to have a long, drawn-out argument, but there would also be a witness around, which would keep the conversation civil—he hoped.

  Alyssa, Justin’s new wife, greeted him as he entered the office. “Morning, Chase. How’s Bailey?”

  “So, you’ve already heard, huh?”

  She shrugged. “I’ve heard Justin’s side of the story, but I also know you and, if you say nothing happened, I believe you.”

  Chase leaned over the counter and crossed his arms. “I appreciate that, Alyssa. Now can you convince your husband of the same?”

  “She tried.” Justin stood in the hall, his hand over the knob of the exam room. “I don’t have time or the inclination to deal with you right now, Chase, but I am going to kick your ass for this morning. Now, if you’ll excuse me, Mrs. Burr and her cat are waiting for me.”

  “Don’t mind him. He’ll be out in a minute,” Alyssa assured Chase as Justin disappeared into the exam room. “He only came in for her because she panics if her cat so much as sneezes and Justin can’t tell her no. He’s just giving him a shot and he’ll be finished.”

  “Great,” he quipped, rolling his eyes, unsure whether he should feel worried or relieved. “How’s Sam?”

  Justin’s stepson had just begun teething and, as sweet as Alyssa could be, Justin had mentioned that the sleepless nights were making her grumpy.

  “I think we’re finally through the worst of it. Justin let me sleep last night so I got a full eight hours for the first time in forever. I almost feel like a new person. But, I guess his staying up didn’t really work out well for you.”

  The door of the exam room opened. Justin towered over the elderly woman he escorted out, carrying her pet carrier for her. “There you go, Mrs. Burr. Boots will be good as new before his dinner tonight. Just remember to add a little olive oil to his canned food once in a while, or a little canned pumpkin, to help with the hairballs.”

  “You’re such a sweet boy to come in just for my Boots.” Mrs. Burr reached up and patted Justin’s cheek with her gnarled hand. “Your mama, God rest her soul, raised you three right.” Mrs. Burr frowned. “If only that cousin of yours could have had more of her influence.” She shook her finger at Justin. “She needs to settle down and get married.”

  “You’re probably right, Mrs. Burr.” He glowered at Chase over the woman’s head.

  She laid a hand on Justin’s forearm. “Don’t you worry. Some women just need a little more time to find the right one. That’s how I was with my Oliver. He tried to convince me to marry him for nearly six months.” She giggled at the memory. “Oh, I led that man on a chase and when I finally said yes, we were happy together for nearly forty years. I think that girl will be just fine.” She turned her watery blue eyes to Chase. “Well, hello, Deputy McKee. I didn’t see you there. How is that daddy of yours?”

  Chase smiled down at the frail woman. “He’s good, ma’am. Can I walk you to your car?”

  Mrs. Burr smiled and winked at Lyssa. “Look at that, Lyssa. Two handsome men fighting over walking an old lady like me to her car.” She laughed as Chase held open the door for her before offering her his elbow. “It’s going to be a mighty fine day, a mighty fine day.”

  After Chase saw the woman off, raising his hand in a wave, Justin turned on him, the smile he’d pasted on his face for Mrs. Burr gone. “I trusted you.” He clipped his shoulder against Chase’s as he pushed past him, heading for the clinic door.

  “And I still haven’t given you a reason not to.” Chase felt the slither of guilt creep over him. He wasn’t lying but he wasn’t exactly being honest. At least, not yet. “You asked me to go talk to her, so I did. She was on a date so I waited outside her house to make sure she got home okay.” He pushed open the door Justin let shut in his face. “When I saw she was drunk, I went inside to check on her. You’d have done the same thing. I spent most of the night on that uncomfortable couch of hers until she got sick.”

  Justin paused at his office door. “Yeah, well, that wasn’t where I found you this morning. That doesn’t explain how she ended up in your shirt either. Damn it, Chase.” Justin ran a hand over his short hair, his blue eyes boring into Chase’s. “You promised me. I warned you what would happen if this got out of hand.”

  Chase frowned at Justin’s reminder. He wasn’t wrong. It was the one thing causing him to question this decision. But Bailey was adamant that she was leaving, even if she allowed him to try to convince her to stay. If he wasn’t ready, she would leave him behind and at least they tried. If he was wrong and he was ready, he wasn’t letting her go without a fight.

  “Things have changed.” Chase wasn’t about to tell him that one of those things was Bailey’s response to their first kiss, or the way her body seemed to fit against his like they were two parts of a whole. He walked into the office, shutting the door behind him, and slouched into the chair across from Justin’s desk. “I can’t help the way I feel about her. I never have been able to.”

  “Of all the women trying to get you to go out with them, why would you pick Bailey? She’s family.”

  “Not mine.”

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Chase saw the rage flare in Justin’s eyes again and held up his hands. “Just the other day you were bitching because I said you weren’t. Now that it suits you, that’s okay?”

  “Look, I promised you I’d try to convince her to stay, Justin. I want her here, too. More than you know.”

  “Oh, come on, you’ve known her since she was little. You know how she is.” Justi
n threw a hand to the side, dramatically. “Hell, you heard Mrs. Burr. Everyone knows how Bailey is.”

  “She’s not a kid anymore. When are you going to stop treating her like one?”

  Chase could see Justin’s hands grasping the sides of his desk, his knuckles white as he leaned over it. But he was already in for a penny. “Whether you want to admit it or not, Bailey is a woman. You said yourself that she had a crush on me growing up. Well, guess what? I care about her. I always have. I care about what happens and whether or not she’s happy.”

  Chase stood and paced in front of Justin’s desk. “You said yourself that you’d like to see Bailey settle down. Would it be so bad if it was with me?”

  “Are you seriously asking me if I’m okay with this?”

  “Yeah, I guess I am.” Chase ran a frustrated hand through his hair, knowing that if Bailey ever got wind of what he was about to admit, she’d run for the hills. “I’m in love with her and have been for a long time. You asked me to convince her to stay here. I’m asking you for your blessing to convince her to stay with me.”

  Sliding into the chair behind his desk, Justin stared at Chase as if he’d lost his mind. “You and Bailey? Really?”

  “I’m afraid so.” Chase breathed a sigh of relief. At least it didn’t look like he was about to get his face rearranged.

  “I just can’t back you on this, Chase. I think you’re barking up the wrong tree. I love Bailey and I’d do anything for her, but she’s too much like her mother.” Justin shook his head, exhaling slowly, and looked at Chase apologetically. “She’s never going to be satisfied making a life here with a small-town cop. And, after everything you’ve been through, what you’re still going through, I don’t think you’re ready for this. I know you, man. You’re going to want more than she can ever offer you.”

  “Then I’ll do it without your blessing,” Chase warned.

  Justin sighed and shook his head. “And I hope you’ll understand when she breaks your heart.”

  CHASE RAISED A hand to knock on the door just as Bailey opened it, her thumbs poised over her phone as she sent a text message.

  “Oh!” She jumped backward in surprise. “You’re back?” A slight smile curved those pretty pink lips and he felt yearning grip him. He was dying to kiss her again, but he had to see where they stood first. She hadn’t sounded certain of his proposal when he left this morning. “I was sort of waiting to hear from the hospital that you’d been brought in with a broken nose.”

  “Aw, were you worried about me?”

  He could see the hesitation flicker in her eyes. She wasn’t any more sure how to act with him after the past twenty-four hours than he was. They had crossed a line in their relationship and, while he wanted their easy friendship back, he wanted what could lie ahead more.

  “Let’s just say, I wasn’t not worried. I saw Justin’s handiwork on Nathan’s face for kissing Jessie.” She pressed one fingertip against his jaw, turning his face to one side. “Looks like you got off pretty easy for him finding you in my bed this morning. Did you pay him off?”

  Guilt slid its icy grip around his throat. He’d told Justin the truth about his feelings for Bailey, but he couldn’t admit them to her until he found some solid ground. Until he was able to establish what sort of relationship they could even have, he was only guessing and hoping that she might feel the same. He’d already jeopardized his friendship with Justin enough by telling him. If he couldn’t convince Bailey to stay, he was risking enough of his heart without her knowing the depth of his feelings. Not to mention, if she turned her back on their future, Justin would likely blame him. There was a good chance he would lose both people who meant everything to him.

  “Something like that. Where are you heading off to in such a hurry?” Chase pushed Justin from his thoughts and tucked his fingers into the pockets of his jeans, unsure what to do with them when all he really wanted to do was to reach out and run them through her hair, to pull her close and lose himself in her. Instead, he waited for a sign from her.

  She turned and locked her door. “I have to get to Jessie’s and clean the cabins. She’s got an entire camp of girls coming in a couple days.” She sighed in exasperation when her phone vibrated in her hand as she looked down at it. “Or not.”

  He tried to hide the knowing smile curving his lips and sent up a silent thank-you to Jessie for taking his call after he’d met with Justin. The last thing he wanted was for Bailey to know he’d talked to her cousins and set a plan into action. “Something wrong?”

  “Apparently, Jessie decided today was as good a day as any to start getting Aleta ready to take over my job. She’s going to clean the cabins.”

  “So, you’re free now?”

  She tucked her phone into her back pocket and slid the key into the door to unlock it. “I guess so.”

  “Good, then you’re coming with me.” Slipping his hands around her tiny waist, he spun her to face him and flipped her over his shoulder amid a squeal of surprised protest. Gracie began barking loudly from the backseat of the truck, trying to poke her head out of the open window.

  He was relieved when he felt laughter instead of fury shake her body slightly as she hung upside down against his back. “You’re a police officer. You should know that this is against the law.”

  He reached up and gave her a quick swat on her perfect behind. “Not when it’s where you want to be,” Chase teased as he opened the truck door and dropped her onto the seat.

  Gracie leaned her head between the door and headrest to give Bailey several swipes of her tongue in her ear. Before she could protest, Chase couldn’t resist the opportunity to drop a quick kiss to her smiling lips before shutting the door. Jumping into the driver’s seat, he let the engine rumble to life before pulling into the road.

  “Where are you taking me?”

  “You’ll see.”

  “Chase.” He could hear the warning in her voice. “I need to stay home and start packing. I’m supposed to leave in two weeks.”

  He clenched his jaw, not wanting to think about the fact that she might not actually want to stay or worse, that nothing he did would be enough to change her mind. He had to give her a sufficient reason, to remind her of what she already had here or, at least, what they could have.

  “Come on, Bailey. It’s one afternoon. It’s not like you’re packing up the entire house, just some clothes.”

  “Maybe not, but I have to work at the clinic most of the week.” She didn’t meet his gaze when he glanced her way, staring out the window at the passing landscape instead.

  Chase reached across the middle of the truck and captured her fingers between his. “And I’m on duty the next few days. You come with me. When we get back, I promise to cook you dinner and maybe I’ll even help you pack.”

  She rolled her eyes and smirked as she looked at him. “You are going to cook me dinner? Doesn’t that break your macho cop code or something?”

  “It’s not your aunt’s enchilada recipe, but I can grill a mean burger.” He turned back to the road. “And who knows what goodies I might get to pack for you.” He shot her a sly, sideways glance, expecting a laugh. The frown that creased her forehead surprised him, and his laughter died in his throat. “Hey, I was only kidding.”

  She bit her lip, nervously glancing at him. “What did you actually tell Justin?”

  “What did you expect me to tell him?”

  “I don’t know.” She shrugged. “There’s not really anything to tell. According to you, we’ve only kissed, right?” She gave him a questioning look, waiting for him to elaborate on the events of the night before. She was fishing to see if anything more had happened between them.

  When he simply nodded, she went on. “But I know you pretty well, Chase. I just don’t see why you feel the need to tell him anything.”

  “You know he sees you like a sister, Bailey. I only explained why he found me in your bed this morning.” His thumb traced the side of her hand as he deliberately neglected tel
ling her about his confession and Justin’s opinion of it. It would only upset her, and he was praying he could prove Justin wrong. “I didn’t want him to feel like I betrayed his trust. He’s my best friend. I won’t lie to him.”

  She scoffed bitterly, shaking her head. “And what exactly would you lie about, Chase? We agreed that this was nothing more than a platonic relationship, right?”

  He rolled his eyes skyward before looking at her. He doubted she believed that any more than he did but he wasn’t about to argue with her about it. He would simply show her how unrealistic that expectation was.

  “He sticks his nose into my business enough,” she continued.

  “You need to cut him some slack. He only acts overbearing because he loves you. That’s what family does.” He let go of her hand and signaled to take the exit from the main highway to the road that would lead to Jessie’s part of the ranch. “I care what Justin thinks because he’s a good friend and he’s like a brother to me. Even if I don’t always agree, I respect his opinion. At the very least, he deserves my honesty.”

  She arched a brow sharply as she turned to look at him. “Are you lying about nothing happening last night?” Chase clenched his jaw and let out a breath on a heavy sigh. “You don’t want to keep secrets from Justin, but you will from me? What aren’t you telling me?”

  “Bailey, why do you want to keep looking for trouble where there isn’t any? Why can’t you just trust me when I tell you that nothing happened?”

  “Because.” She looked back toward the window.

  “Because why?” He hadn’t told her what happened last night because, as innocent as it had been, he hadn’t wanted her to feel embarrassed. But if it was going to cause this much contention between them, enough that she thought he was hiding information and lying to her, it wasn’t worth it. “Bailey?”

  She took a deep breath before he saw her shoulders slump forward. “Because I know what I’ve wanted to do when I was sober,” she muttered. “I can only imagine what I might have done drunk.”

  He hadn’t expected to hear that much honesty from her. Chase pulled the truck to the shoulder of the road and turned in the seat to face her. “Come again?”