“I should get going.” He glanced over at Pastor Reed, but avoided his gaze. “Remember, tomorrow night.”
“I haven’t forgotten. You’re going to be there, right?”
“I’ll do my best.” He offered an amiable smile, then backed away from the pair.
As he crossed the street toward his office he wondered if he was going to be able to resist her or if he even wanted to. She was becoming more bold about her feelings, and if he didn’t start reciprocating she might think he wasn’t interested.
He paused at the door and looked back across the street at her. Her attention was focused on the pastor, but the moment his gaze settled on her, she turned her head in his direction. Caught, he couldn’t help but meet her eyes. She smiled, then looked back at the pastor. That smile.
He sighed and stepped into the office. It wasn’t going to be easy to wrestle his way out of the desire that she stirred in him. He was beginning to wonder if he even wanted to escape it.
Would it be so wrong to simply embrace what he was feeling? Sure, common sense warned him against letting the heat that burned within him ignite, but common sense didn’t have anything to do with passion.
If he was going to have to see her on a daily basis and then regularly around town, then he needed to get his head straight about what he wanted. Not just for his sake, but for hers as well.
He spent the rest of the evening distracted by patients. When it was time for him to head home, he realized that the next day he would be at the meet-up with her. He needed to make a decision by then as to what he wanted. He had the feeling that she wasn’t going to wait much longer to find out.
Chase spent most of the next day mulling over his options. When it was time to leave for the meet-up he hesitated to even go. It was much simpler not to make a decision. But deep down he knew that not going would be making a choice.
He drew a deep breath and closed his eyes. In his mind he pictured a moment that had been burned into his memory. It was the moment that she’d first looked at him—that Karen had first looked at him—with those beautiful eyes and winced. The usual explanations had followed, but it was that expression that had made him aware of her intentions. Karen had been everything he thought he’d wanted in life. She had been his perfect match. Yet, he hadn’t been hers. How could he expect to be anyone else’s?
Hope, a woman from a completely different style of existence, who he barely knew, could only lead to that expression once again. Maybe it would take a month, maybe a year, but eventually she would look at him and explain why she wasn’t the one for him. Could he endure that again?
The breakup was still fresh. He hadn’t even taken the time to heal from it. What were the chances that things would be different with Hope?
The memory of that look in Hope’s eyes flashed before him and all at once it struck him that it was more of a risk not to take the chance. If there was even a shred of possibility that Hope could feel for him the way he suspected he felt for her, then it was worth a million breakup lectures.
He grabbed his keys and headed out the door. He was certain that by the time he returned he would know the answer.
Chapter 11
Hope fiddled with the collar of her shirt. As much as she wanted to wear something a bit more alluring, she’d chosen a blouse with a button-up collar to hide her scar. It wasn’t that she was ashamed of it, but she preferred to keep it hidden.
As she walked toward the meeting hall, she wondered if Chase’s comments about her being from the city explained why he didn’t respond fully to her flirtation. She tried to push the insecurity out of her mind as she opened the door.
There were several people gathered in a large sitting area. All the chairs were pulled up close so that they could chat. A flutter of nervousness caused Hope’s cheeks to flush. She hadn’t been a stranger in a group of people since she’d joined her first support group during treatments for cancer.
She thought of her friend Michelle, who’d been by her side through so much, and who had managed to remain strong despite the loss of her husband. That first day she’d walked into the group, Michelle had been the one to greet her with a warm smile and an offered hand.
Now she was faced with an entirely new group of people who knew nothing about her. That was actually a little refreshing. So far she was not a cancer survivor, she was just a new neighbor.
She noticed that Chase was not among the group of people. After their encounter at the church, she wondered if he would show. Something about the way he drew back from her made her think that he might not.
She walked toward the group with each passing moment building the anticipation within her. Would they like her? Would they think, as Chase had mentioned, that she was just city folk on vacation?
“Hi.” She paused at the edge of the circle.
A woman with glasses and a wide smile stood up and thrust out her hand. “Hi, you must be Hope. I’m Adrienne from Chase’s office. Are you Hope? I just guessed, because we don’t get very many new people around here—plus you look like a Hope, unless you’re not Hope, then I honestly don’t know what you look like.”
Hope laughed and took the woman’s hand. “Yes, I’m Hope. Thank you for letting me join in tonight.”
“Oh, it’s no trouble at all,” a tall woman called out from her chair. “We’ve all been sitting here talking about you, so you might as well join in.”
“Maud!” Adrienne rolled her eyes. “We weren’t just talking about you, Hope, we were talking about lots of things.”
“Like him.” Maud grinned and pointed at the door.
Hope turned to see Chase as he walked toward her.
He gave a strained smile and tipped his head in the direction of the group. “I thought I might be a topic of discussion.”
Hope was relieved to see him, but she was also surprised by the gossip in the group. It all seemed lighthearted, but perhaps a bit excessive. Then again, she’d never lived in a small town before.
“Only because you’re so popular, Chase.” Adrienne gave him a light pat on the cheek. “I had no idea you were coming tonight.”
“Yeah, you haven’t been here since you broke up with Karen.” One of the men in the group nodded.
“Actually, she broke up with him.” Maud pointed her finger at the man.
“Stop!” Adrienne waved her hands in the air. “That is not up for discussion. Understood?”
Chase grimaced and started to turn toward the door.
Hope caught his hand and tugged him back. “This was your idea, remember?”
“Oh yes, that’s right.” He rolled his eyes.
“If you really don’t want to stay, I’ll understand.” She lowered her eyes. In just a few minutes she’d discovered that Chase had recently been through a breakup and that he was the one who’d been left behind. It was clear that he might be uncomfortable in the group.
“No, I want to stay—right here.” He glanced down at his hand still held by hers.
She blushed and released it. “Sorry, I just didn’t want you to leave so quickly.”
“All the more reason to stay.” He slid his hands into his pockets.
She stepped past him into the circle of chairs. Within moments, a frenzy of conversation erupted. She found herself swept up in every detail about the town—from the new teacher at the school to the piglet just born on someone’s farm. Chase was the least talkative; however, he did glance over at her a few times with a reassuring smile. The conversation spun around in circles until it landed on a very hot topic.
“It’s my land and no one gets to tell me that it’s not.”
“No one is trying to tell you that it’s not. But there is a law that says you can’t hunt in that particular area.”
“I don’t care about anyone’s law. It’s my property and I’ll hunt on it all I want.”
“You’re being unreasonable.”
“No, he’s not.” A third person jumped into the argument. “If we buy a piece of property we
shouldn’t have to report to anyone what we’re doing.”
“It’s because it’s too close to the school,” a fourth person piped up. “What if a stray bullet hit one of the kids?”
“It’s miles from the school!”
“Bullets can travel miles!”
Hope sank back in her chair. This was a debate that she had no interest in getting involved in.
Chase caught her eye and he leaned close. “This might get a little wild.”
“How wild?” She enjoyed the way his lips hovered near her ear for privacy.
“Let’s just say, property rights and hunting rights are the prime reason for public fist fights around here.”
“Oh, that could be interesting.” She laughed.
“Not really.” He shook his head and looked back at the group. “Good people, but not great at debate.”
“I was hoping for a quieter evening.” She met his eyes. “I guess this isn’t the best place to try to get to know someone.”
Chapter 12
“Do you want to get out of here?” He grabbed Hope’s hand. He hadn’t intended to, but he did, and once he had it in his grasp, he didn’t want to let it go.
“Sure. I don’t think we’re needed any more.” She grinned. “They obviously have other things to talk about.”
Chase smiled in return. He enjoyed the fact that she had a good sense of humor.
As they stood up, she was proven right. No one even batted an eye when they slipped outside.
“There’s a nice place to walk by the pond. Unless you need to get home?” He met her eyes. She hadn’t yet pulled her hand away. He hoped that she wouldn’t.
“No. Toby was fine when I left. I’d enjoy a walk.”
“Great.” He gestured to a park entrance a few blocks away. “At this time of night you can see so much in the sky.”
“That sounds wonderful.”
He noticed her tighten her grip on his hand as they walked. So she was aware of the contact. How could she not be? His palm had to be sweating. His skin hadn’t stopped tingling since he’d taken her hand.
“So, Toby is doing okay?”
“Yes. When I walked him today I had to slow him down quite a bit. I got the sense that he wanted to take off running.”
“Be careful.” Chase frowned. “He’s a powerful horse. If he takes off and you’re in the way you could get hurt. Maybe you shouldn’t exercise him any more.”
“Chase?” She stopped right in front of the entrance of the park and waited for him to look at her.
He looked into her eyes and she reached up with her free hand to stroke his cheek. “Toby wouldn’t hurt me. Just like I wouldn’t hurt you.”
He swallowed hard and tilted his head away from her touch. “Of course you wouldn’t think Toby would hurt you on purpose, but you can’t always predict how things will turn out. He’s a wild animal, after all. And…” He met her eyes again, his chest tight with uncertainty. “Maybe I am too.”
For a brief moment there was silence between them, then she broke it with a laugh.
She stroked his cheek again. “Is that the problem? You think you might hurt me?”
“Apparently that’s laughable to you?” He caught her hand and held it in his.
“It is.” She searched his eyes. “You are the last person on earth I’m afraid of, Chase.”
“But you don’t know me.”
“I do. I know that you love animals. I know that you make every effort to help other people. Your compassion is endless. You’re strong and creative and quite possibly the best-looking cowboy I’ve ever seen.”
“I’m not a cowboy, I’m a vet.” He grinned.
“Oh well, a girl can dream.” She grinned back and stared into his eyes. “Chase, I like you. I think you like me too. I don’t want to waste any more time.”
“What do you mean?”
She leaned forward so fast that he thought perhaps she’d tripped, but if she did, her lips ended up on his in the most delicious accident that had ever occurred.
He caught his breath and returned the kiss without hesitation. All the reasons why he should resist didn’t matter in that moment as her warmth became his. The taste of her was both exotic and soothing, a foreign flavor that had been absent from his heart from the day he was born.
He drew back, only because what swept over him was too powerful for him to comprehend.
“Hope, I’m not sure.”
“You don’t have to be sure.” She drew her hand from his and caressed his cheek again. “I’m not asking for anything but a chance, Chase. You don’t have to be afraid of me.”
“I’m not afraid.”
She raised an eyebrow. “No?”
“No.” He tightened his grasp on the hand that he still held.
“It’s okay if you are.”
He tightened his lips for a moment. Then he swept his arm around her waist and pulled her close. He gazed hard into her eyes as his lips neared hers.
“I’m not.” He kissed her with all the passion that had been pent up since the moment that he’d set eyes on her. As desire rippled through him, he thought he might never stop kissing her.
It was Hope that gave him a light shove, followed by a laugh. “Okay, I see that you’re not afraid at all. So how about that walk?”
He nodded and let her lead him into the park. As they passed through the gates he felt a rush of certainty. No matter what happened next he wasn’t going to regret taking a chance.
As they began to walk along the trail she looked over at him.
“So a breakup, hm?”
“Just going to throw that out there?”
“It seems like something you might need to talk about.”
“It’s not.” He frowned. “I’m sorry, it probably is. It’s just a little awkward, don’t you think?”
“Why?”
“After we just kissed like that—to talk about another woman?”
“It’s not awkward at all—unless you’re still together.” Her eyes widened. “You’re not, are you?”
“No. I would never do something like that. It’s just—we only broke up a little while ago, and I know traditionally it’s best to wait some time before getting involved with someone new.”
“So then, what you’re saying is, we’re breaking the rules?” She squeezed his hand.
He smiled as he looked back at her. “I guess that’s what I’m saying.”
“Makes it even more fun, doesn’t it?” She leaned close to him and kissed his cheek. “I don’t mind being a rebel. Do you?”
“Not if it’s with you.” He tilted his head so that he could catch her lips in a slow kiss.
When he drew back she rested her forehead against his. The intimacy of the moment quickened his heartbeat. “How can you be so brave?”
“You give me a good reason to be.” She smoothed her fingertips along the curve of his jaw. “It’s not brave for me to kiss you, but I know it’s brave of you to kiss me back. I’m not going to ask you for more than you are ready for, Chase. Can you trust me?”
“Yes. Yes, I think I can.” He brushed his lips in a light caress along her forehead.
Chapter 13
Hope shivered at the brush of his lips. Chase’s arms tightened around her, as if he thought she might be cold. But that was far from the truth. In fact, a thin sheen of sweat coated her skin.
“Tell me what happened, Chase. Maybe I can help.”
“It’s not really something I want to talk about.” He began to walk again and she matched his stride.
“Then what about the pastor?”
“Pastor Reed? What about him?”
“There seemed to be some tension there.”
“All these questions…”
“I told you that I’m curious.”
“So am I.” He spun around to face her and continued to walk backwards in front of her. “What about those clothes? What were you doing before you showed up in my life, Hope? I’m pretty sure a graphic artist
who works from home doesn’t need to dress like that.”
“I was in the corporate world—advertising and a much different position than I’m in now.”
“I see. And you did well in that world?”
“I disappeared in it.” The fresh air that drifted across the pond filled her lungs. “I distracted myself with it. When there isn’t time to think—to breathe—it’s easy for years to go by.”
“But something happened that woke you up?”
“Yes.” She paused and smiled a little. “And it’s not something I want to talk about just yet.”
“Then we’re on even ground. And that’s okay, don’t you think? A little mystery never hurts.”
“Maybe. But I also don’t want to tread on your toes by mistake. Knowing what’s hurting you might make it easier for me to avoid doing that.”
He brought his hands palms together and let out a heavy breath. “Yes, okay. I see your point. But there’s not much to know. Guy meets girl, guy really really likes girl, girl not so much.”
“I’m sure it was just that simple.” Hope rested her hand against his chest and felt the pounding of his heart. “Were you in love with her?”
His lips parted, but he didn’t speak. He just stared at her with such pain in his eyes that she regretted asking the question. “You don’t have to answer that. I’m sorry.”
“I just didn’t expect it, I guess.” He sighed and looked up at the star-filled sky. “This is the problem.”
“It doesn’t have to be a problem.”
“It will be.”
She rested her hands on his chest and looked into his eyes. “Chase.”
He tilted his head away as his jaw tightened. “Hope, I know that you mean well, but once things get going—”
“They’re already going. Aren’t they?”
“I mean, I’m not in a place where I should be getting anything going.” He closed his eyes.
“Chase. Look at me.” She waited until he opened his eyes again. “It doesn’t have to be a problem. We have this moment—right here, right now. It’s not the past, it’s not the future—it’s just us. So why should we miss it?”
Forty and Free: A Sweet Romance Series Bundle - Books 5 - 8 Page 42