Chance found the medication in the cupboard beside the kitchen sink, and filled the syringe with the maximum dosage allowed. He figured he would give it to Sam as soon as possible, and carry his stupid ass into their house. When he went back to the yard, Sam was curled into a fetal position. Chance pulled out his left arm, and administered the medication, dropping the needle and supplies by the stump to pick up later. First, he was going to get his friend into the house and make him as comfortable as possible.
It might have been a few years since the two of them had worked together as volunteer firefighters down in San Clemente, but Chance was able to easily heft his friend over his shoulder and take him into the house. Actually, he was able to do it a little too easily, he thought. Chance hadn’t realized just how much weight Sam had lost, damn it. He’d been so focused on the Josie project he hadn’t been taking care of Sam. He carried him down the hall to his room, and there Chance found the problem. Sam had been working on his computer. The military doctors had specifically said that with his type of head injury Sam needed to stay away from computer screens for at least a year, or he would end up with severe migraines. Apparently, Sam was paying as much attention to that advice as he was to Chance’s advice to take it easy and rest, hence the wood chopping. Chance laid Sam down on his bed, and couldn’t help a small grin. At least no matter how bad Sam’s world was, he couldn’t help being an anal son of a bitch, because he’d made his bed.
Chance opened the windows to get a breeze going, but closed all the blinds to make sure the room stayed dark. Then he checked Sam over and saw that his breathing was much easier and he looked like he was sleeping deeply. Chance shut down the computer and left his friend’s room. He went out and scooped up the medical supplies from the backyard, put them away, and then pulled out a bottle of Scotch. Fine, it was only one in the afternoon, but sometimes you needed something stronger than a beer.
He went out to the back deck and looked out at the evergreens lining the other side of Lake Snomish. He ruminated on how much he loved his property, as he took a long sip of Scotch. When Betty and Butch retired here from Southern California, he came for a visit, and fell in love with the area. After the company he was working for went public, and the eighteen-hour work days had substantially paid off, he reevaluated his life. The fact that he had an ulcer at twenty-six that the doctors said was only going to worsen made him really take stock of his choices and their consequences. His last seven years of work success hadn’t left a legacy of any genuine importance. Furthermore, he felt no particular attachment to either his accomplished title or even his company, per se. What Chance Reynolds enjoyed was staying challenged by encouraging others to grab their own brass rings.
After Butch had his scare with cancer, Chance had come here to be with Betty, and it all became crystal clear. Life was fragile and precious. People were important, relationships mattered, and family was the heart of everything. With the money Chance had made, he could now focus on building the family that was important, and that started with making time for the two people who had raised him.
Betty and Butch Hutchins had fostered over twenty children in the sixteen years that Chance had lived with them. It had been magical. No matter how abused, how hateful a child seemed when they first came to live with them, Betty and Butch usually managed to turn them around. Chance had a large extended family. Many of the children kept in touch with Betty and Butch, and some came to visit.
There were two others who really made the difference in Chance’s world. Josie had been living with the Hutchinses when Chance was first placed with them. Josie had been six or seven and he had been three. Little Chance had trouble saying “Josie,” so that was why he called her Zee. He remembered her golden-brown eyes and her laughter and smile. Chance’s parents had died in a car accident and he hadn’t wanted to make attachments to Betty and Butch, but this beautiful girl who would swing him around and play with him, and hold him in the middle of the night when he would have nightmares, well, she had captured his heart. Chance loved his Zee. He was heartbroken when he was four and a half and she had to go back to her “birth” mom. Zee seemed just as heartbroken, and a little scared. She clutched at Betty and Butch and at Chance when it came time for her to leave them. She told them all how much she loved them, and would keep them in her heart forever. Chance hadn’t seen her again until recently, but thought of her often.
Sam was the other foster child that came to Betty and Butch who was a part of Chance’s heart. In all ways that mattered, they were truly brothers. When Chance was six years old, five-year-old Sam came to stay with them. He came with a black eye and a broken arm, and he wouldn’t go near Butch, but he was fine around Chance and Betty. It took Butch five months before Sam would accept a hug from him. That first time, Sam stayed for three years before he went back to his mom. Chance overheard Betty and Butch talking that Sam’s dad was in prison so it was safe for Sam to go home.
Chance was ten years old when Sam came back. This time he looked fine, but he could barely stand up straight. When Chance asked Sam what was wrong, Sam took off his shirt and Chance saw terrible bruising and tape around Sam’s chest. “What’s that for?” Chance had asked, pointing at the tape.
“It’s what they do for broken ribs,” Sam answered.
“How did your ribs get broken?”
“A friend of my mom’s had too much to drink and didn’t like the way I was looking at him.” Sam pulled down his shirt.
“Jesus,” Chance breathed. Then he looked around to make sure that Betty hadn’t heard him swear. Sam looked at him and smiled.
“You still afraid of Betty?” Sam asked.
“I just hate it when I disappoint her,” Chance explained sheepishly. “It’s good to have you back.”
“Yeah, it’s good to be here,” Sam admitted reluctantly.
Sam was two grades behind Chance in school, even though they were only a year apart. That happened a lot with the kids in foster care. Betty and Butch did a great job working with the kids on their homework, so that they could catch up. Chance worked with Sam as well, so that the following year Sam was able to skip a grade, and catch up with the right age group in school. However, since he was always big for his age, he played on the same extra-curricular sports team as Chance. Chance and Sam were a force to be reckoned with on every basketball, baseball, and football team they played for.
Both of them were very protective of those who were not as strong as themselves, and never let others pick on less popular or athletic kids. Sam was twelve and a half when he left to be with his mother for the last time. He came back a year and a half later. This time there were no outward signs of injuries. Chance asked him if his dad had been released from prison again, and Sam said yes. When Chance asked what had happened, Sam lashed out and told him to mind his own business. It took an entire year for Butch and Betty to get Sam to start playing on teams again. When the social workers came for Sam to return to his mother again after he turned fifteen, Butch and Betty hired lawyers and Sam never left again.
Chance kept looking out at the trees, and smiled when he saw an eagle soar over the lake. Fate Harbor was a beautiful place to heal and start a life. He knew to the bottom of his soul that the family he wanted to create was right. Josie was hiding some things, but she’d managed miracles in her life with her sisters and herself, and whatever else there was could be handled. Sam was a train wreck since coming back from Afghanistan, but Chance had seen that before. He was confident that with the right motivation, and some well-timed ass kicking, he could get his friend back to where he needed to be. What’s more, with Josie’s help, maybe Sam could finally confront the demons he’d bottled up from his childhood, which Chance was positive still festered.
Maybe, just maybe, there was some uncertainty that his plan wouldn’t work out. But a little bit of fear was good for you, it just made you work harder. Chance downed his Scotch and went in to check his friend and call the scholarship offices down in Florida.
; Chapter 2
Josie smiled at the sky-blue mailbox. This was it, she had found them. She was so excited to see them in the flesh! It had been over twenty-six years since she had last seen Betty and Butch Hutchins and she couldn’t contain her excitement. She wanted to surprise them. She was here a week early before the Sweet Dream Dessert’s opening, so she thought she could spend a lot of quality time with them. It was going to be wonderful! It would also help assuage the emptiness in her heart, from missing Sarah and Becca, who were so busy pursuing academic life at Florida State University.
Josie turned down the long drive to their house. She loved all of the houses here in Fate Harbor. They were all so far down from the road, surrounded by evergreen trees, with ferns and other emerald greenery spilling around them. It was so different from Florida. As she pulled her car up to the front of the house she was surprised to see a large black truck in front of the house as well. Because Butch and Betty were both in their late sixties she was having trouble visualizing them in such a high truck. Maybe they were having visitors. Good thing she had made extra cupcakes. Making treats for people made her happy. It was a way of being accepted. One of her counselors had shamed her for her need of acceptance, and Josie had stopped seeing her, and found someone else who better understood her. In the end, that psychologist had even recommended that Josie start her own bakery, first because she had a good head for business, but also because baking was Josie’s way of showing love for people, and maybe in small part, a way of gaining acceptance. He said the world needed more love, and he also reminded her that people who went into business doing what they loved were usually more successful than those who didn’t follow their passion.
Josie got out of her car and went to the backseat to get the box of cupcakes, but she bent over too fast, causing her to gasp for breath. She had bound the corset pretty tight today, because her back had been hurting. She liked using corsets instead of braces. She slowed down, and again bent to get the box, and when she got up again she stood looking into a broad chest covered by a flannel shirt. Delighted, Josie looked up, expecting to see Butch Hutchins. Instead she stepped back, as an extremely handsome man was smiling down at her. As she was about to lose her footing, one of his big hands reached around her waist, while the other easily snagged the box from her hands, saving both her and the cupcakes from a fall. “Welcome to Fate Harbor, Zee. I’ve missed you.” He pulled her in and placed his lips gently on hers in a kiss that sent sparks flying out to every nerve ending in her body. Josie couldn’t close her eyes. She was so busy looking into familiar blue eyes that sparkled like her hormones. The beautiful man paused, looking down at her, and then brushed his fingertips down her cheek as Josie straightened away from him.
“Who are you? You seem so familiar. I mean you are acting familiar, but you seem familiar too—damn it, I’m babbling. Give me that box.” Josie stepped out of his arms and reached for the box that he gently placed back into her waiting hands.
“Zee, it’s me, Chance. Do you remember me from San Clemente, when we both lived with the Hutchinses?”
Josie stared at the big man in front of her, with the blue eyes, curly blond hair, and stubborn jaw with a little bit of blond stubble. He was smiling back at her, and then he reached out and stroked a wayward lock of unruly black hair behind her ear.
“Little Chance?” Josie couldn’t stop the tears that clogged her voice. That little boy had been one of the best memories of her life. Looking him over, it was definitely possible. The coloring was the same, so was the straight nose and high cheekbones, and then he smiled.
“Not so little anymore, huh?” His eyes lit up and sparkled exactly like she remembered.
“Chance!” She bent down and placed the box on the ground, gasping a little as she drew herself back up. She opened her arms wide to take him in a hug, but he gripped each of her hands, holding them out from her body, and looked down at her. “Are you hurting, Zee?”
“It’s nothing, I have a bad back and sometimes it acts up. Stop stalling and give me a hug, you big lug.” She laughed up into his face. She couldn’t believe that she was standing next to Chance. She hadn’t even realized how much she’d missed him until she was a second away from holding him close. She pulled at her hands so she could embrace him, but he didn’t let go.
“No, Josie, we’ll do it my way. No more pain for you, do you understand?”
Still looking at him, she saw some of the mischief fade from his eyes, to be replaced by determination, and she realized she wasn’t going to get her hug until she followed his silly rule. This time. As Josie nodded her head, Chance smiled down at her in approval, and she was amazed at the intense pleasure that coursed through her body. For goodness’ sake, this was Little Chance!
Chance couldn’t believe how much more beautiful Josie was in person. God, she was just a little thing. She couldn’t be much more than five feet tall. She was wearing leggings and boots, and some god-awful sweater that had to be at least three sizes too big for her. But every time she moved, the sweater pressed lovingly against her curves, showing off everything that Josie had apparently been trying to hide. What’s more, when Chance had first caught her around her waist to steady her beside the car, he felt the tight binding underneath the garment. He thought she had been wearing a corset, but when she mentioned a bad back, he recalibrated his thinking to consider a brace. What had happened to his Zee?
He released her hands, and let his fingertips drift down the line of her arms, gliding down until they reached her waist. Then he reached behind her back, and slowly drew her toward him as he bent down from the waist, careful to keep his pelvis from coming into contact with her body. Thank God he always wore his shirts hanging out over his jeans. Otherwise Josie would have a very good idea that this hug meant more to him than just childhood friends reacquainting themselves!
Josie lifted up her arms and hugged his neck. Chance felt her inhale his scent and returned the favor. She smelled so good, clean, with a hint of citrus and a womanly smell that must be all Josie. He held on longer than was proper, but he didn’t care, she felt perfect in his arms, just as he had known she would. One day soon he’d lift her up so she would be flush against him. The thought just made him harder. He felt her wiggle so he softened his grip and let her lean back.
“What are you doing here? Do you live with Betty and Butch? Betty didn’t mention you in any of our Skype conversations the last few months.”
Chance saw the wheels turning. His Josie was bright. She realized that the omission was a big deal.
“No, silly, I don’t live with them. I recently moved to Fate Harbor to work on a couple of projects. I mostly telecommute, and I wanted to be close by in case Butch or Betty needed me. I ended up living with them until I was eighteen. They are definitely parents to me, and I want to be there for them now, like they were always there for me.” Chance watched as her pretty golden-brown eyes softened.
“Oh, that must have happened recently, otherwise Betty would have mentioned it. What kind of projects are you doing? Where are they? I got into town early. Did they tell you I bought the town bakery? I just dropped by with a treat and thought I would visit. I wanted to surprise them. I think it’s great that you moved to be close by. Where are Betty and Butch?” Chance would have thought she was nervous, but he remembered her rapid-fire speech from their childhood. Whenever Josie was happy or excited, words and sentences just tumbled out. It was when she was quiet that you needed to worry.
“Oh, Zee, they took off on one of their motor-home road trips yesterday. They went to visit Lake Chelan. I know they intended to be back in time for your arrival.” Chance had known she was coming early, and had talked Betty into taking a quick trip to Chelan. He had bribed her with a three-night stay at a fancy resort, and promised that Josie would be well taken care of. Betty’s only question was to ask how Sam was doing. Apparently, nothing got by his foster mother. Chance had told her that Sam’s migraines were down to twice a week, and he was actually seeing all
the physical doctors that he was supposed to be seeing. Satisfied, she had taken Chance up on his offer and convinced Butch that a vacation was in order.
“Oh…well, I guess I can spend my time getting the shop more in order. I was really hoping to spend this week catching up with them. My time with them—” She stopped short.
“What, Zee? Your time with them was what?” Chance lightly slid his hands up and down her back, feeling the crisscross of laces, confirming that what she was wearing was indeed a corset, but at the same time trying to offer comfort.
“Well, my time with them was the best part of my childhood,” she admitted reluctantly.
“Even better than your time with your sisters?” he probed.
“You know about my sisters?”
“Betty has been talking about your arrival nonstop. She’s so proud of all that you’ve accomplished. I would have thought that growing up with your sisters would have been the best part of your childhood,” Chance stated.
“After Sarah and Becca were born, my childhood kind of came to a halt.” Josie pulled out of Chance’s arms and started to bend down toward the box. Chance stopped her and picked it up for her.
“What’s in here?”
“Some treats for Betty and Butch. Do you want them?” Chance saw that she was already turning to get back in her car, and he was having none of that. Apparently, asking about her childhood away from the Hutchinses was not the way to go. He deftly grabbed her elbow and steered her toward the house.
“I was just making some coffee. Betty and Butch asked me to check on their house while they were away. Why don’t you come in since you made the drive and I’ll tell you about my freelance business like you asked? I would love to sample some of the goods of the town’s new baker.” He smiled down at her, waiting for her to catch on to the double entendre. When all he received was a shy smile in return, he began to realize that his Zee might be a little more sheltered than he had expected. As he guided her into the house, he was surprised by how much that thought pleased him.
Trusting Chance [Fate Harbor] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 2