by T. J. Kline
Who are you kidding? You still want her.
Chase might be able to put on an act for the hometown crowd and convince them of his nonchalant confidence, but he couldn’t lie to himself. He wanted Bailey. He’d been tempted to take her at her word to stay and hope that she would fall in love with him, eventually. But he knew if he did that, she’d end up regretting her decision, just like her mother.
“Hey, they’re calling us up,” Justin yelled through the fence. “You ready?”
Giving Bailey one last look, he could read the plea in her eyes, but Chase forced himself to turn his back on her and walk through the arena gate as the chute crew ran in with three tables and nine chairs.
“Here we go! This is the final round of Cowboy Poker, where the boys are separated from the men and one team is going leave with the prize money.”
The announcer teased the lead clown about how he wasn’t participating as each man was humorously introduced and took his chair. Chase just hoped they all left in one piece. In spite of the act he was putting on and what he’d told Bailey, he was just as concerned as she was for their safety, especially in this final round. He knew from past experience, they saved the meanest bull for the final round.
“Is everyone ready?”
As their designated team leader, Justin looked toward them for confirmation. Gage looked as white as a sheet but nodded once, and Chase had no doubt he’d be one of the first to bolt. He couldn’t blame the guy considering Justin hadn’t exactly been forthright with what Cowboy Poker entailed. He also knew that, as a local boy and deputy, there were expectations of him, so he played his part, shrugging indifferently even as the adrenaline coursed through his veins, making his muscles quiver. While he looked bored and cocky to the crowd, he was sizing up the other two teams.
One was a group of guys from out of town who he didn’t know. They were on the smaller side, but they’d been fast and nimble during their round. His best guess was that they would all wait until the very last second to leave their chairs in hopes that someone else would jump first. He also noticed they were twitchy, which meant they were trying to make the others nervous, hoping for a reaction. He wasn’t going to fall for it. The second was a team of locals. One worked at the hardware store, one was working as a bouncer at a bar outside town, and the last was Michael Walker, whose dad was probably in the stands placing bets right now. He knew Justin had been looking for a way to get back at Walker for what he’d done to Bailey, and it looked like he might just have the opportunity to see Walker knocked on his ass without having to lift a finger. There was no sweeter justice.
The announcer drew his attention back to the gate. “Now let’s make way for Blindside. He’s called that because you’re not gonna see him coming when he hits you.”
The gate jerked open and an enormous red bull took one leap into the arena before stopping cold. His black eyes fixed on the tables in the center as he started pawing the tilled dirt. He took a few steps closer and Chase saw two of the out-of-towners rocking forward onto their toes, preparing to run. They were as good as out already. The bull turned away from the men but quickly spun back, surprising the clowns, who jumped out of the way. The crowd gasped as the bull charged the first table, as all three of the smaller men ran, leaving their chairs behind to suffer the bull’s wrath. Gage jumped to one side, barely avoiding the table that flew his direction, but it was enough to take him out of the competition as well.
As the bull slowed to a jog and focused on them once again, Chase could see the beast looking from one table to the next, deciding where to attack. Walker’s team made the mistake of locking eyes with the bull and it charged. The animal flipped the table, knocking Walker to one side while his teammates ran for the fence. Chase shook his head when he saw Walker was still in his chair, allowing him to reset his position, leaving the three of them abreast with Walker on his right and Justin on his left. Only Justin had a clear view of the bull bellowing in fury behind Chase. Twisting as far as he could in his chair, Chase tried to keep his eye on the bull.
“Where is he?” Chase asked.
“He’s by the chutes, but he’s watching Walker right now.”
Chase played to the crowd, pretending to yawn, and a nervous laugh sounded from the bleachers. One of the clowns ran between them and the bull and the animal complained loudly.
“He’s slowly making his way toward Walker.”
Chase heard the animal pick up speed and turned in time to see him shift direction, heading straight for Justin. The image of Lance’s face as he lay dying in Chase’s arms flashed through his mind, and he heard Justin’s name being called from the stands. The last time he trusted his instinct, Lance had been killed. This time, he prayed it would save his friend, and Chase leaped from his chair between Justin and the bull in time to learn that the animal didn’t need the speed of a freight train to feel like one when it hit.
NO! THIS CAN’T possibly be happening.
Bailey stood outside Chase’s hospital room while the doctor talked quietly with his father and Justin. Bailey heard a couple of words out of context but none of them were making her feel any better about his condition.
Contusion . . . concussion . . . fracture of the lower rib . . .
Justin turned and looked back at her as the doctor explained the situation to Justin and Chase’s father. He needed time off work to recover and let the rib heal. That, because he’d been hit in the back, there was risk of swelling around the vertebrae, which could cause temporary paralysis. That there was the possibility of swelling around his brain from the concussion.
“Can I see him?” Bailey ignored the warning look from Chase’s father, and Justin’s disapproving shake of his head.
Bailey didn’t care what either of them thought or how much they might protest. She had to go in to see him, even if he wasn’t awake yet. She had to tell him the truth, should have already told him, and wasn’t about to let anything stop her again. Chase’s father must have seen the determination in her face and gave her a sharp nod, holding the door open for her.
“Just a couple of minutes. The doctor says he can go home tonight, but Justin’s going to stay with him to keep an eye on him.”
The sheriff fixed an accusatory glare on her cousin and she wanted to feel sympathetic. She’d been on the receiving end of that kind of finger-pointing most of her adolescence, but she’d begged Justin not to go through with this.
Ducking under the sheriff’s arm, Bailey heard the quiet snick of the door shutting behind her. There was no sound in the room other than the steady beep of Chase’s heart rate and oxygen monitors. She ignored the empty bed near the door and slid the curtain aside to reveal the only man she’d ever loved, lying in a hospital bed, looking pale and helpless. She’d never seen him looking anything but completely in control of every situation. She couldn’t bear to see him this way.
“Chase?”
Bailey moved around the corner of the bed between an ugly pink vinyl chair for visitors and the IV stand. She was trying to be as quiet as she could but every click of her heels seemed to echo in the quiet room. The toe of her boot snagged the wheel on the bed and sent her tumbling forward, trying to catch her balance, and Bailey landed against the rolling tray, sending the water pitcher crashing to the floor.
“How is it possible that someone so beautiful can be such a klutz?”
The sound of Chase’s voice, even in pain, sent her heart soaring. “Chase!” She hurried toward him, reaching for his hand.
“Wait, before you slip and end up in the bed next to me, let me call a nurse to mop this up.” He reached for the call button on the side of his bed.
“I don’t care.” Bailey picked her way through the puddle and to his side. “I’m so sorry.”
He tried to laugh but pressed a hand against the ribs on the left side of his waist. “What do you have to be sorry for? I’m the idiot who jumped in front of a bull. Maybe I should have listened to you.” He glanced up at her and winked playfully, his emerald eyes mischiev
ous in spite of the pain she knew he must be in.
“Stop, please.” Bailey reached for his hand. “Stop making jokes.”
Chase grew serious as he met her gaze. “Would you have really stayed if I’d agreed not to do the tournament?”
Bailey looked away. How could she tell him now that she’d been bluffing, that she was still planning on leaving, even sooner than she originally planned? She could tell him why, but didn’t think it would matter. Until she knew exactly what was happening with the band, she couldn’t lie to him and she couldn’t make any promises to Chase about the future.
“I didn’t think so.” She saw the disappointment in his eyes, heard the bitterness in his voice.
“The doctor said he was releasing me, and Dad said Justin was staying with me tonight?”
“No, I am.”
She hadn’t meant to say it, wasn’t even sure where the idea had come from, but once the words were out of her mouth, she realized the practicality of it. Once she got him home, she could explain the situation with the band, at least as much as she understood so far. She could admit to him that she’d changed her mind, that she wanted to stay but wasn’t sure how to make it a reality. He’d be forced to listen since he couldn’t run away.
In fairness, up until now, she’d been just as prone to walking away as he had, but she was ready to put a stop to that trend. They both needed to stop beating around the bush and come out and tell one another what was going on in their heads, even if that meant she had to do it first. Come hell or high water, Bailey was telling Chase how much she loved him and that she always had.
“HERE IS FINE.”
Chase was exhausted and he’d only made the short trip from the car to his living room. Gracie lay next to his chair looking bored, but he knew she was watching intently as Justin helped him into the recliner and Bailey set the television remote on the arm of the chair.
He wished she’d go home. The last thing he wanted was to be forced to watch her every move knowing that there wasn’t a damn thing he could do to convince her to stay. At the same time, he felt like a selfish bastard for asking her to.
Justin carried his clothes from the rodeo into his laundry room and came back to the front of the recliner. “Need me to get you anything else?”
“My gun.”
Justin’s mouth set in a grim line.
“It was a joke. I’m fine.”
“You sure you’re okay with her staying instead of me?” Chase rolled his eyes and Justin held up his hands. “Look, I know there’s something going on between the two of you, and I really think you two need to work it out, but I’ll stay if you’d rather. I owe you one. You probably saved my life.”
“Eh, probably.” The corner of his mouth tipped up in a grin, but Justin didn’t return the smile the way he expected him to and he could see the regret in his friend’s eyes. He knew that kind of guilt and didn’t wish it on anyone. “I’m fine, Justin. Just a little banged up and bruised. I’ve had much worse happen.”
Remorse tinged Justin’s blue eyes. “I know you have. I get the feeling you saw this as your chance at retribution.”
Chase tried to shrug and grimaced at the pain it caused to radiate in his side and toward his back. “Maybe. But I was the one who insisted we go through with it. You’ve got a kid and a wife. I’ve got . . . ”
Bailey walked in and leaned against the door frame, holding a glass of water and the prescription the doctor had sent home for pain, watching the two of them. Chase let his gaze take in the worry on her usually smooth brow, the concern coloring her deep blue eyes, the tension she held in her shoulders. “No one is relying on me,” he finished.
Justin turned and saw Bailey. “Don’t be so sure.” He headed toward the front door. “Call me if you need anything, otherwise, I’ll come hang out with you tomorrow.”
“Monday is your busy day,” Bailey reminded him, quietly. “I think you have a full schedule.”
“Then I’ll clear it, or get another doctor to cover me. Doc Martin in El Dorado Hills owes me one.”
Bailey stood in front of Chase and handed him the water before tipping a pill into her hand and holding it over his. He set the water on the side table. “I don’t want it.”
“Chase, stop acting macho. Take the damn pill.”
His gaze met hers defiantly. “No. I don’t need it.”
“According to the doctor, you do,” she argued. “Why do you have to be so frickin’ stubborn?”
“Me?” He shifted in the chair, hating that he was arguing from a seated position. It made him feel helpless and vulnerable. Hell, with his busted ribs and the room still spinning from his concussion, he was helpless. “Look, unless you’re going to pry open my mouth and shove it down my throat, give it a rest.”
Bailey arched a brow. “You think I won’t?” She planted her hand on her hip. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten that I warned you something like this would happen. If you’d listened to me—”
“We wouldn’t have won the prize money,” he finished for her.
“Which you spent on a hospital stay,” she pointed out just as quickly. Bailey took a deep breath and he could see she was trying to fight between her compassion and her aggravation. “I don’t want to fight with you. Please, take the medication and I will leave you alone if that’s what you want.”
Was that what he wanted? Hell, no. If he got what he wanted, she’d be naked in his bed with him right now while he made love to her. She’d be whispering his name, admitting she loved him. But he wasn’t going to get any of the things he wanted.
“Fine.” He tossed the pill into his mouth and swallowed, chasing it with the water and handing the cup back to her. “Happy?”
Bailey bit the corner of her lower lip and he instantly regretted the harsh tone. “No,” she murmured, taking the cup and heading back toward the kitchen. “Not at all.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
BAILEY WAS TIRED of sitting in the kitchen, hiding from Chase’s animosity. She didn’t blame him, not in the slightest. He’d offered himself to her, confessed as much as his ego would allow, and she’d rejected him without explanation. Maybe she was more of a Hart than she thought since it was the same thing Justin had done with Alyssa and Jessie had done with Nathan. But she was going to make it right. Even if he refused.
Her phone vibrated in her back pocket and she glanced at the screen. Franklin, Alyssa’s attorney, was returning her call, and she slipped out the back door to talk with him privately.
“Bailey? Alyssa told me you needed some help. I’m happy to do whatever I can.”
She’d met him only the one time but Alyssa spoke so highly of him, and often, that Bailey felt completely at ease trusting him. “I really appreciate it. I think I’m in a bit of a bind. Have you ever heard of JD Allen? He’s a manager for recording artists.”
“And a crook.”
Bailey felt her heart drop. She’d had her suspicions after Tucker’s messages but prayed it was only nerves.
“I know he’s worked with Elijah, Alyssa’s ex-husband, to get several artists more exposure or to cross over into film. At least, that’s what they claim to do. They are really just taking your money for nothing but a promise they don’t deliver on. You shouldn’t trust him.”
“He signed my band. They’re in LA now and one of them started to question him on why he’s booking concerts and appearances when we haven’t even cut our demos yet.”
Franklin sighed into the phone. “Sounds like his usual MO. He’ll start making demands from the band that you can’t possibly fulfill. Double-booking tour dates, lavish parties on your dime. When the band can’t fund it any longer, he’ll claim you’re breaking your contract, then throw you to the wolves as amateurs. But not before he’s cleaned everyone out.”
“They’ve been waiting on me to get into the studio and now JD’s suddenly booking concerts, a tour and threatening to find another lead singer.”
“Once that album is cut, he’ll have you guys
by the throat. I have a friend who’s a reputable agent and works with a great manager. I could put you guys in touch with him. However, we have to get you out of this contract with Allen first. Did you already e-mail me a copy of it?”
“Yes.” Bailey couldn’t believe this was happening. This opportunity she’d been basing her decisions, her future on was no more real than a desert mirage. How could she not have seen this?
But at the same time, she felt a glimmer of hope. If Franklin could get her out of this contract, free her from her commitment . . . Bailey quickly squashed the idea. She couldn’t leave the rest of the band in a lurch, without a singer. Until they could find someone else, she was still shackled to this runaway freight train.
“Can you be here tomorrow?”
Franklin’s question broke through her thoughts and she glanced back at the kitchen door. Chase needed her. She couldn’t just leave him. Not with so much left unspoken.
“Bailey, you need to take care of this now. The longer Allen is controlling your interest, or the band’s, the deeper he’s going to sink his teeth in and the worse it will be to try to get him to let go. But, if you can cut him loose now, you can choose the path that’s best for you. It’s just how this business is.”
This was what her mother abandoned her husband and child for? A life of cutthroat, backbiting crooks? Bailey thought she’d recognized the cost to pursue her career, had weighed the pros and cons, but that had been before Chase had reminded her what she loved about singing, how she was able to reach into someone’s soul to heal them, the way he had with her. How could she have ever thought she’d prefer any life over working at the hospital with Blake, having her family standing beside her every step of the way, and being loved by the one man she’d thought was out of her reach? Bailey had never expected to feel attached to this place, but with Chase to hold her each night, she wanted to call it home forever. Bailey knew exactly what she wanted now, and with Chase, she could have it all.
She heard Chase’s voice calling from inside the house and turned to see Gracie staring at her through the screen, whimpering quietly. “I have to go, Franklin.”