“Eighteen when you got pregnant.”
“And got married.” She didn’t know why she felt it necessary to emphasize the wedding. It wasn’t like any woman had to defend her virtue in this day and age.
“In that order?” he asked.
“What’s your point?”
“My point is Chase Barrett should have kept his hands to himself.”
“You realize you’re criticizing my dead husband?”
Chase’s jaw clamped shut, and his expression shuttered. “I’m sorry. That was dead wrong of me.”
Maddy wasn’t sure how to react. Chase had absolutely been out of line. But he wasn’t wrong. She’d been young and naive when she met Chase Barrett. He’d been older and a whole lot more worldly. He’d sworn up and down that he loved her. But things had raced way beyond her control before she’d known what was happening.
She tried to lighten the conversation. “Since you saved my son’s life, I suppose I can give you a pass.”
“You shouldn’t. Give me a pass, I mean. You should slap me or something.” He looked prepared to take whatever she dished out.
“You’re injured.” She had absolutely no desire to physically hurt him.
“Well, don’t slap me in the ribs.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “I’m not going to slap you anywhere.”
Their gazes caught and held. She sobered again. She didn’t want to slap him. She wanted to kiss him. She suddenly realized she very desperately wanted to kiss him. She hadn’t felt that way in a very, very long time.
Zane arrived. “Two shots of whisky, as ordered,” he announced in a jovial voice.
Chase took one of them with his free hand.
Maddy pointed to the other. “Do you mind?”
“Be my guest,” Chase said.
She took the shot from Zane and downed it.
*
Chase’s injuries were significant. Being in pain was nothing new. He got scrapes, bruises and worse all the time, and rode anyway. But even before the doctor had confirmed late last night that he had three broken ribs, Chase had known he was going to be out of commission for a while.
It wasn’t the end of the world. He’d joined the AEBR tour partway into the season, so he wasn’t in the running for overall points. And he wasn’t riding for the money. He was riding to stay on the road and to keep his memories of Laura-Leigh and Patrick at bay.
So he didn’t want to slow down, and he sure didn’t want to stop. Deadwood was a quiet town between events. He’d have way too much time on his hands. And he absolutely hated the thought of being cooped up with nothing but his own thoughts.
It was eight a.m. and he levered himself out of the motel room bed, carefully pulling on a pair of jeans and a fresh T-shirt. He’d seen a café a couple of doors down. Coffee and pancakes sounded good.
A knock sounded on the door, and he moved on bare feet to answer it.
To his surprise, it was Zane Merrick.
“Mornin’,” Chase greeted. “I thought you’d be on the road by now.”
“It’s only five hours to Billings. I’m not in any big rush. And it’s good to be home for a few days.”
“You live here?” Chase supposed that made sense, given Zane had a sister and a nephew in town.
His thoughts returned to the lovely Maddy, remembering the attraction that had built up over the course of the evening. By the time she’d taken her sleeping son and left for home, Chase had been ready to drag her into his arms and kiss her senseless. Now, he gave himself a shake, reminding himself he was talking to her brother.
“My family used to have a spread up in the valley. Long story in that. But the spread’s gone. Maddy’s the only one left there now. We kept a small parcel with the house.”
“How’s she doing today?”
Zane gave him an odd look, and Chase worried the question might have given away his attraction to her.
“I meant with Riley. Is he over whatever he had going on last night?”
“You mean is he over being convinced you were his father?”
“That’s what I mean.”
Zane shook his head. “You were the first thing he asked about this morning. He rushed into Maddy’s bedroom, expecting to find you there.”
Chase swore softly.
“I came to bring you this.” Zane held out the buckle Chase had won last night.
“I don’t need it.” Chase couldn’t help but wonder if Riley might have liked to keep it. Would it make him feel better? Or would it perpetuate his fantasy and maybe slow down his acceptance of reality?
He decided it was probably better if Riley didn’t have any reminders of last night.
So Chase accepted the buckle, feeling unaccountably let down. “Thanks.”
Zane didn’t leave.
“You want to come in?” Chase asked.
Zane’s gaze narrowed in obvious contemplation.
“You got something to say to me?”
Chase couldn’t help but wonder if Zane had figured out that he was attracted to his sister. He hadn’t done a single thing about it except to think about her. And a guy couldn’t be condemned for his thoughts, although it was better if Zane didn’t know about those thoughts. Chase had thought about her a whole lot, especially last night when every breath he took hurt. Imagining her in his arms was a balm to his pain.
Maybe this was Zane trying to warn him off. Chase wouldn’t blame the man for doing that.
“I’m trying to decide,” Zane began, “if seeing more of you is better than seeing less of you.”
“You mean for Riley,” Chase guessed.
“Who else?”
“Nobody.”
There was no way it was good for Maddy to see more of Chase. It might be nice for him to see more of her. But that was selfishness talking.
“If he doesn’t figure it out for himself, if you leave while this fantasy is still fixed in his brain, he might keep believing you’re him,” Zane said.
“And he’ll think his dad abandoned him all over again.” Chase understood Zane’s worry.
Zane nodded.
“What does Maddy think?”
“She just wants it all to go away.”
Chase couldn’t blame her for that. “Riley’s mama could be right.”
For Chase to disappear right away could be the best way to handle the problem.
“I think she’s wrong,” Zane said.
“I’m not going to impose myself on them.”
“He’s my nephew, and I love him.”
“She’s his mother, and it’s her job to protect him.”
“Mothers don’t always know best.”
Chase couldn’t disagree with that. His own mother made more mistakes then he could count raising him. Erratic and self-centered, she certainly wasn’t the model for child-rearing. But Maddy didn’t strike him as being anything remotely like his mother.
“Why don’t you let me worry about my sister?” Zane said.
“Do I really look that much like him?” Chase couldn’t help but be curious.
“There are pictures at the house.” Zane’s manipulation was pretty obvious.
“I’m not that curious.”
Zane cocked his head. “He was shorter, slighter than you. I think it’s the eyes, the nose, and something about your expression. Stills side-by-side would be fairly startling, but you’d know it was two different men. Thing is, when you start talking and smiling, or especially frowning, it’s like you could be his brother. I think Riley saw you from afar and wanted desperately to believe.”
The supposition made sense to Chase. It seemed likely that it was exactly what happened.
“You’re banking that he’ll figure it out on his own if he sees more of me.”
“We can reinforce that you’re a nice man who looks a lot like his father.”
“A nice man?”
Nobody had ever described Chase like that before. When they were looking for a compliment, they’d say he was h
ard-working, maybe quiet, but never nice.
“He needs to see it for himself,” Zane said. “I’m convinced that’s the only way he’ll get over you. He was in tears when I left the house this morning. He blames Maddy for sending you away.”
That knowledge hit Chase hard. Maddy didn’t deserve her son’s anger. She seemed like a wonderful mother, and a genuinely caring human being. Not to mention smart and sexy. Not that her being smart and sexy had anything to do with his decision. Still…
She’d obviously been dealt some blows in life. He could relate to that, and he was willing to step in and help if he could.
“We can’t have him blaming Maddy,” Chase said.
At the very least, Chase could take the blame on his own shoulders. When he left, if Riley still believed he was his father, then Chase would take the blame himself. He’d be sure to absolve Maddy.
Mind made up, he stepped into his boots. “Let’s go.”
“You had breakfast?” Zane asked.
“It can wait.”
“Maddy makes fantastic pancakes.”
Chase couldn’t help but smile. “You don’t need to bribe me. I’ve already said yes.”
“It’s not a bribe. It’s a reward,” Zane said, opening the motel room door. “For good behavior.”
Chase laughed, then groaned, laying his arm protectively across his ribs.
“Been there, done that,” Zane said sympathetically as they stepped onto the sidewalk that bordered the motel parking lot.
It was hot outside, with heat waves from the morning sun shimmering off the asphalt. Cars whizzed by on the highway, while tourists in colorful T-shirts and flip flops waited for the shuttle bus to take them to the shopping district downtown.
“Billings?” Zane asked, obviously wondering if Chase would compete next weekend.
“The doc’s afraid I’ll puncture a lung.”
“That’s what ended Chet Donavan’s career.”
“I can live with missing Billings,” Chase said. “I can’t live with tanking my career altogether.”
“Amen to that.”
Chapter Three
Maddy couldn’t believe her eyes.
“Daddy!” Riley cried out, launching himself across the living room to throw himself in Chase’s arms.
“What are you doing here?” she hissed over her son’s head.
Riley buried his face in Chase’s shoulder as soon as Chase lifted him off the ground.
She glared at Zane who walked in behind Chase. It was obvious what had happened.
“He’s here to help, Matilda,” Zane said in an undertone, moving closer to her.
“I finally got him to calm down.” She couldn’t imagine how feeding Riley’s fantasy could be expected to help.
“How’re you doing, buckaroo?” Chase asked.
“Good, Daddy, good.” Riley gave an eager nod. “Do you want to see my monster truck? I got it for Christmas. It’s green and yellow, and it has a big ol’ skull on the front.”
Chase set Riley carefully down on the carpet, obviously protecting his ribs with every move. “I’d love to see your monster truck.” His gaze met Maddy’s.
She glared at him, attempting to silently convey her anger. As soon as he left, she was going to have to start all over again with Riley.
“Why don’t you go get it?” Chase asked her son.
“Sure,” Riley readily agreed, taking off down the hall at a trot.
She lifted her hands in helplessness. “I don’t understand. What are you two thinking?”
Chase stepped forward. “Zane says he blames you. He said Riley thought you sent me away.”
“I didn’t send you away. You were never here in the first place.”
“You know what I mean.”
“What I don’t know is how you think this will help. It’s only going to confuse him more.”
“I’ll tell him the truth,” Chase said.
“You don’t think I’ve been telling him the truth?” She struggled to keep her voice down. “He refuses to believe it.”
“Maybe coming from me—”
“Instead of his mother?” She was angry with Chase, but she realized she was even angrier with her brother.
“Why did you bring him?” she demanded of Zane.
“There are differences,” Zane said.
“Obviously.” She found herself looking back at Chase.
There were startling similarities, but there were significant differences in the two men’s looks as well as their personalities.
This Chase was more laid back, slower talking, with a base-line sense of humor she’d never seen in her husband. Her husband was more tightly wound, faster to speak, faster to move, with an edginess that made him seem uber-alert, like he was constantly ready to defend himself. This Chase, on the other hand, acted like there was nothing to defend, nothing to really worry about.
She realized she was the one on edge here. She had good reason, but maybe it wasn’t helping. It was regrettable that he’d shown up again. But the damage was done. There was nothing she could so right now to fundamentally change the circumstances.
Riley once again thought his father had come home. She couldn’t go back in time and stop it, so she was going to have to figure out how to deal with it.
“If it doesn’t work,” Chase said. “If I can’t get him to see reality. Then when I leave, I’ll make sure he doesn’t blame you.”
When she looked into his silver-gray eyes, she saw sincerity. He genuinely believed he was here to help. She was more than a little skeptical that it would work. But she found some of her anger dissipating.
“Here it is.” Riley’s voice echoed down the hall, his running footsteps coming toward them.
He hugged a huge, plastic monster truck to his chest. It had been his favorite Christmas present.
Zane had helped her pick it out. He’d also helped pay for it, since Chase’s life insurance policy had been modest, and her budget was very tight. Maddy had already made a few inquiries about getting a job, even though it was difficult to think of leaving Riley with a sitter or at a daycare.
Chase crouched on his haunches. “That’s a pretty great truck.”
“I got it for Christmas.”
“From Santa?”
Riley nodded, his eyes alight with excitement. “It came with batteries. Mom put them inside.” He pointed to the battery compartment cover, sliding it open to show Chase. “It climbs all the way up the driveway.”
“Are they rechargeable?” Chase asked.
“Yes. The charger is in my bedroom.” Information poured out of Riley. It was as if he was making up for lost time. “I put them in there every night. I also have a bike. It has training wheels. But when I turn four, I’m going to learn to ride it without. Will you be here then?”
Riley’s earnest expression nearly broke Maddy’s heart.
“Why don’t you show me how your truck works?” Chase asked.
“It has a remote.” Riley removed the remote control from where he’d stowed it in the pickup box.
The sound of the motor filled the room, while the lights on the truck came to life, and he sent it across the kitchen floor and onto the carpet. Riley and Chase moved to follow the progress.
“It’s going to be okay,” Zane told her in a low voice.
“It’s not going to be okay.” She blinked hard. “Best case scenario, we get him to understand death and his little heart gets broken all over again.”
Zane wrapped a strong arm around her shoulders. “I hate to agree, but that’s true.”
Maddy sniffed back her tears, refusing to let them fall. She’d cried enough over this for a lifetime. It wasn’t fair that Riley had lost his father. But there was no way for her to change that.
“Are you hungry?” she asked Zane, gathering her resolve.
“You got pancakes?”
“I can make some.”
“If you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind.”
She’d already cleaned up after hers and Riley’s breakfast, but it was better for her to keep busy today.
“I hauled Chase out of bed,” Zane said. “I imagine he’s hungry too.”
“Hung over?”
Chase hadn’t seemed to drink much last night. But she left the party before he did, so who knew what had happened after that? She’d certainly seen plenty of buckle winners celebrate into the wee hours of the morning.
“Three broken ribs.”
“Ouch.” It wasn’t a huge surprise, but her sympathies definitely went out to him.
“He’ll have to skip Billings.”
Maddy knew how important it was for the riders to post scores at every opportunity. Competition was fierce for the overall title. She couldn’t imagine Chase would be happy about missing an event. Then she felt guilty all over again. If he hadn’t saved Riley, he wouldn’t have suffered the initial injury. And it was likely the second fall from the finals bull would have resulted in nothing more than bruises.
“You want blueberries?” she asked her brother.
Zane grinned. “I’ll take ’em.”
“I’m still mad at you.”
“You’ll get over it. You always do.”
Riley’s voice was clear in the kitchen as he spoke above the truck’s sound. “It always gets caught there.”
Maddy couldn’t help but glance into the other room. As she suspected, Riley was talking about the torn corner of her carpet. She felt a flash of embarrassment over its condition. Her floors all needed replacing, but she didn’t have the money to hire installers, and she didn’t have the expertise to do it herself.
Her brothers would help her if she asked, but Zane was in the midst of the bull-riding season. Her oldest brother Lucas had long since moved to New York City. Her middle brothers Eli and Wyatt were both struggling to earn as much money as they could, while trying to find a loophole in a lien agreement in order to get the family’s land back. The carpets might be embarrassing, but replacing them was optional not mandatory.
“Have you got a basement?” Chase asked Riley.
Riley gave him an odd look. “You don’t remember the basement?”
“There are a lot of things around here that are new to me,” Chase said.
“You want to see my bike?” Riley asked. “It’s down there right now.”
Chase (American Extreme Bull Riders Tour Book 2) Page 4