by SJ McCoy
Chance laughed. “And I wouldn’t know how to be if they did. All I’m saying is I’m not leaving you alone on an empty beach with a twisted ankle and with a hundred steps back up the cliff being the only way out of here. So, if you just get up and jog around for a minute, I’ll get out of your hair. But, until you do that, you’re stuck with me.”
“Okay then!” She got to her knees and pushed herself up to her feet, wincing as she did so. “There, see? I’m fine. I can stand.”
“Well, good for you. I’m mighty pleased to see that. You just carry on with your run and I’ll be on my way.”
She gingerly tried to put her weight on the twisted ankle. She tried to make light of it, but Chance could tell she was hurting bad. He wasn’t going to say anything. He’d let her figure it out for herself.
She made a face and met his gaze. “Does this mean I’m stuck with you?”
Chance nodded grimly, not wanting to let her see him smile.
“And you’re not a serial killer?”
He shook his head, allowing himself to smile this time.
Her face clouded over. “Or a reporter?”
That question didn’t surprise him. He’d wondered about the hat and glasses; she probably was someone famous somehow. Which probably meant she was lucky he was here. He had no clue about celebrities, and up until this moment, he’d have said he had no interest in them, either. “No, ma’am. You’re safe on that score. If you’re worried about reporters, you’re probably worried about me recognizing you. I’m sorry to have to admit that I don’t.”
She nodded. “I think I already knew that.”
Chance shrugged. “Sorry.”
She laughed. “Oh my goodness, don’t be!”
“Okay, I won’t be. Have we established that letting me help you back up the steps is less dangerous than making me leave you down here?”
“Yes, I think we have.” She was standing on one leg, favoring the twisted ankle. “And even if you are a serial killer, right now I would very much appreciate being able to lean my weight on you; otherwise, I’m going to have to sit back down. It hurts.”
Chance stepped toward her and offered his arm. She grasped it with a strength that surprised him. She was both stronger and in more pain than he’d realized. He took a few steps to see if she was able to move with him. The way her fingers dug into his arm each time she had to put weight on her ankle told him there was no way she’d make it up the steps. He was going to need to rethink this. He could put her over his shoulder, but he had a feeling she wouldn’t go for that. He stopped and met her gaze. “This isn’t going to work.”
She surprised him by laughing. “How can you say that? We barely know each other.”
He stared at her for a moment.
She looked embarrassed. “Sorry, I have a strange sense of humor, which only seems to get worse when I’m uncomfortable. I tend to see the line and say it, which isn’t always appropriate.”
Chance smiled. With a few exceptions, who had recently become his friends’ wives, he wasn’t used to beautiful women who had a sense of humor.
~ ~ ~
She clung to his arm, wishing he’d stop smiling at her like that. She was embarrassed enough that she’d fallen flat on her face. Now she was embarrassing herself further by coming out with stupid lines.
“Would you mind if I picked you up?”
This time she bit her tongue. She couldn’t keep making stupid jokes, and she certainly wasn’t going to admit that she wouldn’t mind at all. And where had that thought even come from? She shook her head, resigning herself to reality. “I don’t mind, if you don’t. I don’t see me ever getting off this beach if you don’t.”
“Agreed. We have two options, I can give you a piggyback, if we can get you up there, or …” She’d swear there was laughter into his eyes. “I can scoop you up in my arms and pretend to be a knight in shining armor.”
She had to laugh. “I think I’ll take option number two. I’ve never had a knight in shining armor.”
“I find that hard to believe. I’m sure there are guys lining up to sweep you off your feet.”
She let out a bitter laugh. “If only you knew!”
He took her by surprise as he stepped in close, wrapped one arm around her shoulders and hooked the other behind her knees. Before she understood what he was doing, he had literally swept her off her feet and was holding her to his chest. Her arms instinctively reached up around his shoulders—any girl would do that, right? She had to hold onto something.
“Want to tell me about it?” He started walking back up the beach to the steps.
She looked up into his eyes; they were a beautiful light blue color. She’d thought he was handsome earlier today, seeing him close-up like this only reinforced that, but it wasn’t just his looks. There was something magnetic about him. She shook her head. “No. I wouldn’t want to bore you with my sad story.” As he carried on walking, she realized she’d effectively closed down conversation. She didn’t want that. She wanted to know more about him, even if she didn’t want to tell him who she was—or that she’d just been publicly and unceremoniously cheated on. “What about you, what’s your story? I saw you at the clinic this morning, is that why you’re here?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I brought my dad. Did you bring someone?”
“I did. My …” She didn’t want to call Toby her assistant, that would no doubt raise more questions. “… friend’s mom.”
His eyes narrowed as he looked down at her. Oh no, he probably thought she meant boyfriend, but didn’t want to say so. She didn’t know how to reassure him, and even as she thought that she realized she was being quite ridiculous. Why would he even care?
They reached the bottom of the steps and he tightened his grip around her. “Are you ready for this?”
“I am, it’s not a problem for me, is it? How about you? I guess a cowboy from Montana must be in pretty good shape.” He stopped dead and looked down at her. She felt as though those light blue eyes could see right into her soul.
“How do you know that?”
“Ah, sorry. I couldn’t help overhearing you talk with your little admirer in the grocery store.”
His face relaxed and he started up the steps. “Yeah, she was inquisitive, to say the least.”
“I almost left without buying anything when I heard her asking you twenty questions.”
He raised an eyebrow, but didn’t look down at her. He was focused on making his way safely up the steps.
“I’m hoping not to be recognized while I’m here. The way she was questioning you made me wonder if I’d be in for the same treatment. I decided I’d take a chance, though.” She couldn’t figure out why he seemed to smirk at that.
“And why’s that?” he asked.
“Some people are just nosy in general, and some people, especially younger women, are just nosy when it comes to good-looking guys. I took a chance that she was one of the latter group, and I was right. I think she was still daydreaming about you while she rang me up.” She’d swear there was a hint of pink in his cheeks. It could simply be the exertion of carrying her up all these steps, but she had a feeling she’d embarrassed him somehow. They were almost at the halfway point now. She knew from her descent that they were approaching the lookout area where there were benches. She had a feeling he didn’t need to stop and rest, but she wanted to. Otherwise they would reach the top too soon and this journey in his arms would be over. “Can we take a break when we reach the benches?”
He nodded. “If you need to. I’m fine if you want to carry on.”
“I’d like to stop.”
When they got there, he set her down gently on one of the benches. He let go of her and for a moment they looked into each other’s eyes, their noses inches apart. She had to wonder what it would be like to kiss him. His eyes widened as if he’d heard her think that. But she realized he hadn’t; he was simply surprised that she still hadn’t unwrapped her arms from around his neck. She let go quickl
y, and, feeling embarrassed, she stretched her legs out in front of her. Her ankle was starting to balloon. She doubted she’d broken it, but it was a nasty sprain.
“How does it feel? It looks pretty bad.”
She stared at her ankle, not wanting to meet his gaze. What was it about this man that made her keep embarrassing herself? “It’ll be fine.”
“It doesn’t look like you’ll be running again for at least a couple of weeks.”
She shrugged. “I hadn’t planned to run while I was here anyway. I’m sure it will be healed by the time I go home.”
“Where is home? Or shouldn’t I ask that either?”
She smiled. “It’s only fair, since I know where you’re from. Home is LA.”
He nodded. Not seeming too impressed with her answer.
“Let me guess, you’re one of those native Montanans who hates all Californians because of a handful who give us a bad name?”
He laughed, a deep rich sound that sent shivers down her spine. “Nope. You’ve got me all wrong there. I’m not a native of Montana. I’m from California, too.”
“Really? What made you move to Montana?” Whereas a moment ago he’d been laughing and had seemed relaxed, her question made him shut down. His eyes narrowed, his lips pressed into a thin line and he shook his head.
“I wouldn’t want to bore you with my sad story, either.”
The change in him and the way he said it gave her the impression that his story was much sadder than hers. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”
He turned to look at her and smiled again, a smile that looked like he wanted it to be real, but it wasn’t quite. “No, I’m sorry. It’s just not something I talk about. At least, I never have. That’s partly what this trip is about for me. I finally decided I need to come to terms with my past, and I figured that some time out, walking the beach might help me.”
“Good luck with that. And if you want a listening ear, I’d be happy to lend one.” His chin jerked up and he gave her a questioning look. She was surprised herself that she’d said such a thing. She shrugged. “Sometimes when you’ve got things to work through, it’s good to have someone who will listen. It’s better if that someone is a stranger. They won’t judge you and they won’t feel the need to offer their opinion. At least that’s how I feel.” She gave a little laugh. “If I’m honest, I suppose that’s the kind of someone I wish I could find to talk to.”
He nodded, but he didn’t say anything. He certainly didn’t take her up on the offer. Boy, did she feel stupid now. Why had she even suggested it?
“Are you ready?”
Oh dear. It seemed he was. He was just doing his duty as a good citizen and she was offering her support as though they could be friends. “Yes. I’m sorry to have held you up.”
There he went narrowing his eyes at her again. She wished she knew what that meant. Was he puzzled about what she’d said or was he pissed at her for saying it?
He got to his feet and came over to her. As he leaned down beside her she could feel that pull toward him again. She’d always thought magnetism was a strange word to use about people. Now she understood it—and no, she was not going to let her mind go anywhere near the animal part. She might be able to stop her mind, but her body was reacting to him even without her permission. As he leaned down and put his arms around her she could feel the butterflies in her stomach and the pounding of her heart. As she reached her arms around his neck as he stood up, she’d swear she could feel his heart beating against her. She closed her eyes for a moment, wishing they were holding each other in very different circumstances. How crazy was she?
Chapter Five
When they reached the top of the steps, she smiled up at him. Chance smiled back. He didn’t know what to make of this woman. The way she felt in his arms, the way his body was reacting to her, knocked him completely off balance. He’d never felt this way around a woman. He hated admitting that. He wanted to add since Chloe, but he couldn’t. He hadn’t even felt this way around her. He and Chloe had been kids. This woman was all woman, and damn, did she make him feel like a man.
“Are you okay?” she asked. Those blue eyes of hers were the same color as the ocean and they had the same effect on him. Looking into them he was mesmerized, and, somehow, she gave him the same feeling of peace. “You don’t have to answer if you’re out of breath.”
“No! I’m fine.” Damn, she might make him feel like a man, but he didn’t need to go all caveman and declare his physical prowess. “Where are you staying?” He realized he’d been pretty dumb not to ask that question before they came up the steps. “I’m staying in the cottages over there.” He jerked his chin since he could hardly point.
She smiled. “We’re neighbors then. I’m staying at the house just beyond the cottages.” She pointed to the big house Chance had noticed earlier. That was no summer cottage. He nodded. Where else would he expect a movie star, or whatever she was, to be staying?
“Let’s get you back there then. Is your friend there?” He knew from the way she’d said it earlier she was talking about a boyfriend. And crazy as it seemed, he knew he wasn’t going to like having to hand her off to some guy after he’d carried her all the way home.
She rolled her eyes as he started walking toward the big house. “I knew that was what you thought when I said it earlier. I called him my friend because I didn’t want to tell the truth.” Chance opened his mouth to speak, but she put a finger up to his lips—a move that surprised him, but not as much as his desire to lick it did. He pressed his lips together to help him resist the urge. “He is my friend,” luckily she didn’t seem to notice his reaction, “but he’s also my assistant. I had no idea how that would sound, but since you already know that I’m hiding from reporters, the fact that I have an assistant doesn’t seem like such a big deal.”
So, he wasn’t a boyfriend? Chance smiled. He couldn’t help it. As soon as he realized he was doing it, he stopped. He needed to say something, but he didn’t know what. “Am I allowed to ask what you do?”
“I think that’s only fair since you just carried me up a hundred steps. I run quite a large company.”
“What kind of company? Sorry, but it doesn’t explain why the press would be interested in you.”
“You’re not one to be fobbed off easily, are you? Okay, I own a big name athletic wear company. I started it while I was still modeling athletic wear.”
Chance took a moment to process that. She’d been a swimsuit model? It explained a couple of things; he’d thought she moved like an athlete, and he could see that a former model, if she were a big name, would still attract media attention. He nodded. “Okay.”
They reached the driveway of the big house and Chance realized that he was slowing down. It wasn’t that he was tired, she didn’t weigh much. It was simply because he didn’t want this walk to end. Once they got to the house, he’d see she was okay and then he’d leave. There’d be no reason to see her again and something inside him was railing against the prospect of never seeing her again. He walked up the driveway and climbed the few steps of the grand entryway to the huge oak front door. She wriggled in his arms and pulled a key out of her pocket. He watched as she unlocked the door and then he pushed it open.
“Where to?” he asked once they were in the foyer.
She pointed to the left and he carried her through to a huge great room with a wall of windows offering spectacular views of the coast. He walked toward the sofa and instead of lowering her onto it, he knelt down beside it, placing her on it, but not letting go. She didn’t let go, either. Her arms were still looped around his neck. He held her gaze, wondering if she felt it too or if he was going crazy.
“Thank you,” she breathed.
He nodded and finally released his grasp on her. She clung to his neck a moment longer, her eyes searching his before she eventually let go. Chance closed his eyes. He felt as though he’d lost her. And wasn’t that just about the craziest thought he’d ever had? He got to his feet,
needing to break the spell and get back to reality. “Do you have any ice? You should probably get some on that ankle.”
She looked at him as though he was talking Japanese. Then understanding dawned. “Oh, yeah, please. There should be some in the freezer.”
“And where’s your phone? You should keep it by your side.” Reality sucked, but Chance knew he was going to have to get out of here and leave her to it. He went over to the kitchen and opened the huge fridge, then tried again. This time he found the freezer and was pleased to find a bag of frozen peas. He took them over to her. “What else can I get you?”
“My phone’s on the counter over there.” She pointed.
He fetched it for her and placed it on the coffee table, watching as she pressed the frozen peas against her ankle.
He grabbed a couple of the fancy throw pillows and gently placed them under her foot. “You should elevate as well as ice. Will your friend be able to take you to the emergency room?” He felt dumb as soon as he’d asked. Someone like her would no doubt call the doctor to come to them. She was hardly likely to go and sit in the emergency room, was she?
She gave him a long, measured look. “Toby. My assistant, that’s his name.”
Chance nodded, not sure why she felt the need to tell him that. “Okay, so will Toby be back soon? Will he be able to get a doctor for you?”
She shook her head slowly. “He’s staying at the clinic with his mom.”
Chance narrowed his eyes at her. She struck him as a pretty smart woman, but admitting, to a man she didn’t know, that she was staying here alone was a pretty dumb move.
She gave a little shrug. “You’re not a serial killer. You’re a good guy, I can tell.”
“At least you have to hope I am,” he said with a smile.
She shook her head adamantly. “I don’t hope so, I know so.”
So, she was staying here by herself, she’d just twisted her ankle and would struggle to get around, but she wasn’t his problem. And the way she made him feel could become a problem if he spent much more time around her. It was time to go. He went back to the counter and picked up the notepad and pen. He wrote his number down and took the notepad and placed it on the table beside her. “You can call me if you need anything.”