by SJ McCoy
Hope frowned, wondering why he hadn’t called. It was her turn to curse. “Damn! He may have called, but he wouldn’t have got through. I switched my phone off and left an I’m-unavailable-call-the-office-if-you-need-me message on it.”
Uncle Johnny smiled. “Then perhaps you’d better call him?”
Hope thought about it as they approached the house. “I will.”
“Good. Whatever went wrong between the two of you, I’d like to see you put it right.”
“Thanks, Uncle Johnny, I would too. I just wish …”
“Don’t worry about your father. I’ll help you with him if it’s necessary.”
Hope flung her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. “Thanks, Uncle Johnny. You’re the best!”
He laughed. “I have my uses; I’ll admit that much. But remember Hope, your father cares; he just isn’t very good at showing it. He wants to protect you, and he wants you to maintain your independence, at the same time. That’s not an easy line to walk—not for anyone—but especially not for your father.”
Hope sighed. “I know. I just wish he’d try listening to me, sometimes. You know, being close instead of being in charge?”
“I do know, but he was never very good at being close to anyone. He was close to your mom, but after … after she was gone, he never dared open his heart again.”
“I know. But I wish he hadn’t closed me out when he closed the rest of the world out. I lost her, too. She was my mom. I was twelve years old.” She stopped. She wasn’t going to go getting all emotional; Uncle Johnny shouldn’t have to deal with that.
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “I understand, sweetheart. He did the best he could. He still does.”
Hope nodded. She knew it was true. How could she ask for more from her father than he was capable of giving? Even if she needed more from him.
When Uncle Johnny left, she unpacked her things and wandered around the house looking out the windows at the mountains and the river rushing by below the deck. She loved this place, but that wasn’t why she was staring out the windows. No, she was trying to pluck up the courage to call Chance. She was thrilled that he’d asked Uncle Johnny for her number, she hoped it meant that there was a chance for them, but she wasn’t totally sure. She blew out a big sigh. She wasn’t sure? Well then, all she could do was call him and find out.
Chapter Seven
Chance sat on the back porch with his hands folded behind his head and his feet up on the table. He felt like shit. He’d had this weird gnawing feeling inside him all day. He needed to talk to Hope. He needed to know if she was seeing Matt. And if she wasn’t, he needed to know if she wanted to see him again. He’d been turning it over and over in his mind all day. Even if the story about her and Matt was just the press making something out of nothing, that didn’t necessarily mean that she’d want to see him. She might hate him for having walked out on her; even though logic told him that wasn’t the case. Dr. Johnny would surely have treated him differently if it was the case. Granted, he had been short with Chance on the phone, but he’d still given him Hope’s number. Another possibility was that she wasn’t mad at him at all, she might just be indifferent. She might have been fine with him walking away at the end of their stay in Oregon. That had been the original plan; in fact, that had been what she suggested. Maybe she was fine with it all, and he was blowing everything out of proportion? He took his feet down from the table and leaned forward, resting his head in his hands. He was blowing it all out of proportion, that was for sure. This wasn’t him; this wasn’t what he did. He didn’t waste his time sitting around driving himself nuts over ifs, buts, and maybes. And certainly not over a woman. He looked up at the perfect blue sky. What would Chloe think if she could see him now? They used to laugh together at the drama other couples created. They’d each helped their friends through teenage heartbreak and witnessed the angst caused by misunderstandings and false starts. He sighed. Chloe would kick his ass for him right now, he was sure of it. But what would she tell him to do? He was being pathetic, but only because he didn’t know what he could do. If he could call Hope, he would. He looked at his phone sitting on the table and jumped like a startled rabbit when it began to ring. He made a face; it was no doubt Mason or Shane checking up on him.
He picked it up and stared at the screen. The name on the display was Hope. He stared at it a moment longer trying to process. Then he gave himself a shake and hit the answer button.
“Hope?”
“Chance!”
A big grin spread across his face at the sound of her voice. “Hey.”
“Hi.”
“How are you?”
She laughed. “Grateful that you can’t see me right now. I’m grinning like an idiot and hopping around. I didn’t know if you’d answer.”
He chuckled. “I wish I could see you right now. You’d laugh at me, too, I’m doing about the same thing you are.”
“You are?”
“Sure am.”
“Yay! So, you’re pleased to hear from me?”
“Happier than you know. I tried to call you.”
“Uncle Johnny told me you’d asked for my number. I’m sorry there was no way to leave a message.”
“I was too, but it doesn’t matter now, does it?”
“It doesn’t. It’s so good to hear your voice. I’ve missed you.”
Chance felt his throat tighten and had to blink a couple of times. “I’ve missed you too, honey.” She made a strangled little sound that made his heart clench. “Are you okay?”
“Yes! I’m sorry.” He could hear the tears in her voice. “I … I … Oh, screw it! I’m going to say it; you can no doubt hear it. I’m blubbing here.”
He smiled. “I thought I just got something in my eye.”
“You mean, you …?”
“Yeah.” He wasn’t going to say it out loud, or he might just really start to blub. “I’m sorry, you know. I screwed up, the way I left.”
“It’s okay. You did what you needed to do. I’m not going to say I understand, but I respect your choice.”
Chance closed his eyes. That was what he loved about her. No drama, no demanding explanations. “Thank you. It was the wrong choice.”
“It was?”
“It was for me. It might have been the best choice for you.”
“No, it was the wrong one for me too, but you made it, all I could do was respect it.”
Chance nodded. “Is there any way you’d give me a second chance?”
She laughed. “I’m the one who’s hoping for a second chance.”
“If you still want this one, you’ve got him. He’s all yours.”
He could hear the smile in her voice. “I like the sound of that. When?”
“I don’t know. I’ll come out there, I’ll find a way.”
“Oh, shit!”
“What?” Chance frowned.
“I’m an idiot. You don’t know I’m here.”
He frowned harder. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I’m right here. In Paradise Valley.”
“You are?” His heart began to pound in his chest. “You’re at your Uncle’s?”
“Yes! There was another stupid story in the press about me and … did you see it?”
“I did.” It didn’t matter anymore. He already knew it wasn’t true.
“Chance, there’s no truth …”
“It’s okay. I understand.”
“No. You don’t. You have to listen, hear me out. The only reason I ever even talked to Matt was about you. I ran into him at a party, and he said he knew you. I couldn’t talk to him there because people were watching us. I stupidly invited him over for lunch, thinking that would be away from the gossipmongers and hoping he’d be able to tell me how you were, and if … if …”
Chance was smiling now. Her explanation made him happier than he would have believed possible. “If what.”
“Oh, you! You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you?”
/>
“You’re the one who told me I had to listen. So, yeah, go on. You were hoping he could tell you if …”
She laughed. “I’ll get you back for this. If he thought I still stood a chance.”
Chance closed his eyes and smiled.
“Say something.”
“You do. You have a Chance. Do I have a Hope?”
Her voice sounded so tender as she replied, “You do.”
“Can I come see you?”
“Yes, please, or shall I come to you?”
“You don’t know where I am.”
“I don’t care. I’ll find you.”
He chuckled. “It’ll take me twenty minutes to get to you.”
“Do I have to wait that long? Can I meet you halfway? Say, at the Mill Creek turnoff?”
“Only if you’re sure you have a reliable vehicle and you know exactly where you’re going.”
She laughed. “Have a little faith in me?”
“I do.”
“Okay, then I’m going to hang up on you now, and I’ll see you in ten minutes.”
~ ~ ~
Hope grabbed the keys to Oscar’s Land Rover from the bowl on the entry table, grateful that he’d told her where they’d be. As she drove up by her aunt and uncle’s house, she pulled her phone out, not wanting them to worry.
Uncle Johnny answered. “Do I need to guess where you’re going?”
“I think you know.”
“I think I do. Have a good time. Thanks for calling.”
“I didn’t want you to worry.”
“Thanks. Let me know if you won’t be back tonight. Just text.”
She felt the heat in her cheeks. She was a grown woman, but back here she was still little Hopey, and Uncle Johnny was looking out for her.
“I will.”
She checked herself in the rearview mirror before she turned out onto East River Road. She would have retouched her makeup if she’d had more time, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was getting to Chance, just as fast as she could.
When she approached the turnout, he was already there. She knew it was him. A big black pickup sat in the parking lot. It had to be Chance’s vehicle. It was big and strong and obviously no stranger to hard work. She pulled in beside it and peered into the cab. There he was smiling back at her. Her heart leaped, and her hands began to shake.
She opened the door and ran around to meet him. He climbed out of the truck and hurried toward her, then stopped a few feet away. She stopped, too, and met his gaze. Those beautiful light blue eyes were shining. “Hope.”
She loved the sound of her name on his lips. She smiled and nodded, not sure she’d be able to speak around the lump in her throat. He held his arms wide open, and she flung herself at him. Those big strong arms closed around her and crushed her to his chest. He felt like home. She buried her face in his chest and breathed him in. “I missed you so much.”
He tucked his fingers under her chin and tilted her head up. The pain in his eyes took her breath away. “I’m so sorry.”
She shook her head rapidly. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is that we’re here now. Together.” She slid her arms up around his neck.
He nodded and closed his arms tight around her waist pulling her against him as he lowered his lips to hers. She closed her eyes, and a shiver ran down her spine as he nipped her bottom lip. Then his mouth claimed hers in a way he hadn’t done before—it was a demanding kiss, his tongue sweeping inside her mouth, his arms crushing her to him. She clung to him as she kissed him back, needing him for support as her knees went weak, and never wanting to let go of him again. That kiss felt like both an awakening and a homecoming. In it, her body remembered every kiss, every touch they’d shared, and her whole being felt a sense of belonging, of peace at being back in the place she belonged.
It was a long time before their lips finally parted and he lifted his head. He looked dazed—she felt dazed. They stared into each other eyes until he eventually nodded, as though some decision had been made, some question answered. Part of her felt that she knew the question and the answer. Was this it? Was it right? Were they meant to be? In that kiss, the answer had been given, and it was a resounding yes.
There was so much to be said, but words weren’t going to do it. He unwrapped his arms from her waist and took hold of her hand. “Do you want to stay with me?”
She nodded. She did, in whatever sense he meant it.
He led her to his truck, then hesitated, looking at the Land Rover. “Should we take that thing home first? I’d hate to leave it sitting out here by itself.”
Hope sighed. If it were her vehicle, she wouldn’t care, but it wasn’t. She could drive it back to Oscar’s place, and Chance could follow her up there, but she wanted to go to Chance’s place, to be in his home. That was important to her somehow. “I could follow you in it?”
Chance pressed his lips together.
She smiled. “What’s up, are you worried about the neighbors seeing a strange car outside your house?”
He gave her a wry smile. “It’s not about neighbors, remember I told you, I live on the ranch. Every single Remington will have seen or heard about that Land Rover by morning, and they’ll all know what it means.”
“They will?”
He shrugged and looked the tiniest bit embarrassed. “They’ve been worried about me since I came back.”
Her smile grew wider. “They know about me?”
“Yeah, I’m sorry, I …”
She laughed. “I’m not sorry, I’m thrilled.”
He stepped closer, trapping her between his body and his truck. “I’m glad.”
Her arms came up around his neck again, and soon she was lost in another kiss. She wanted to melt into him, his body felt hot and hard, pressed against hers. She wished there were no clothes keeping his skin from touching hers. He lifted his head abruptly. “Wherever we’re going, however we’re getting there, we need to go now.”
“Well, I don’t care who sees me if you don’t. The way I see it, either I can follow you home, or we can climb in the back of your truck.”
He chuckled. “You’d better follow me then. The back of the truck can wait until a starry night in the summer.”
As she climbed back into the Land Rover, Hope had to smile. She’d like to think they’d still be together when the summer rolled around—and beyond.
~ ~ ~
Chance pulled out onto the road and checked his rearview mirror; not so much to make sure Hope was following as to make sure she was there—that he wasn’t imagining this. Half an hour ago he hadn’t known if he’d ever see her again and yet here she was following him home. He grinned to himself and put his foot down.
When he turned into the driveway of Remington Ranch his grin faded. Would he make it to the cabin without running into anyone? Mason and Gina might be around; they liked to take a stroll with baby Phoenix in the evenings. Shane might still be at the guest ranch. Beau and Corinne might be visiting the barn with little Ruby. He shrugged. What did it matter? It wasn’t that he wanted to hide Hope from them. No, it wasn’t that at all. It was just that he wanted her all to himself. He didn’t want to waste precious time introducing her to the family. That would come, he hoped, but for tonight he wanted it to be about the two of them. He drove past the guest ranch and the barn without seeing anyone but the horses. He pulled up outside the cabin and a few moments later, Hope pulled up beside him and jumped out of the Land Rover.
“It’s beautiful!”
He nodded. “It is, but right now all I can see is you.”
“Aww, did someone give you lessons in sweet talking since I saw you last?” Chance narrowed his eyes at her, and she laughed. “What? I don’t remember you talking like that before.”
“I didn’t know what a good thing I had then, did I? Now I’ve missed you for over a month, I need to tell you what I think when I think it.”
She came to him and slid her arms around his waist, looking up into his eyes. “What, ins
tead of leaving me a note about it and disappearing?”
He closed his eyes for a moment, regretting that as one of the dumbest decisions he’d ever made. “Yeah. Something like that.” He drew her closer and dropped a kiss on her lips. “I’m sorry.”
She smiled. “Don’t be. It’s over, done with. We learn from it and move on.”
He nodded. He’d never been very good at that.
“Are you going to invite me in?”
“Yeah. Welcome to my humble abode.” He took her by the hand and led her to the front door, wondering as he did how messy it was in there. He took pretty good care of the place, but he knew it wasn’t anything like she was used to.
Once they were inside, she stopped and looked around. “Oh, Chance. I love it!”
He raised an eyebrow at her. “You do?”
She nodded enthusiastically. “It’s perfect; it’s real. Normally when you see a log cabin, it’s nice, but it’s fake. They’re usually wannabes, but this is the real deal.” She wandered around the living room taking everything in. “I love it. It’s you.”
He smiled. “Thanks.” Now she was here, he wasn’t sure what to do. Back up at Mill Creek, there had been an urgency between them, he’d needed to get her back into bed, to reconnect in every sense. He still felt that need, but the moment had been broken. He wasn’t sure she still felt it. “Do you want a drink? I have some of that wine.”
She stepped toward him. “I’d like some, but there’s something else I’d like more first.” She rested her hands on his waist and tugged on his belt, pulling him closer until his hips touched hers.
He looked down into her eyes; they were glazed with lust. Putting his hands on her shoulders, he smiled. Now he knew what to do. He brushed his lips over hers then took her by surprise by scooping her up into his arms, just like he had all those times in Oregon when her ankle was bad.
Her arms came up around his neck, and she smiled as he carried her into his bedroom.
“I missed you,” she whispered as he set her down on the bed.
“I missed you more, honey. I was such a damned fool. I shouldn’t …”
She reached up and pressed a finger to his lips. “Please, don’t. I want to be here in this moment. I want to enjoy you; I want you to enjoy me. Let’s be happy and focus on now. Leave the past behind?”