Arizona Caress: She Feels The Heat Of His Hot Embrace

by Bobbi Smith

  Chance found himself staring at Rori hungrily as she sorted through her new purchases. The memory of watching her try on all those gowns that afternoon returned, and he remembered the ones that had been discarded, too—the loose-fitting dress that she'd almost swum in and the one that had been far too tight in the bosom. Chance drew a strangled breath as he recalled how her breasts had come so close to overflowing the bodice of the tight gown with the square-cut neckline. Desperate to keep his mind off the memory of that tempting display of tender flesh, he decided to excuse himself, pleading the need to get cleaned up before dinner.

  "Chance?" Rori's soft call stopped him as he was about to flee from the room.

  Chance paused at the door, turning back to find she was coming toward him. "What?" he asked, anxious to be gone.

  Rori linked her arms about his neck and started to pull him down for a kiss. She wanted to thank him for all he'd done.

  The heady scent of the perfume he'd bought her earlier that day surrounded him and weakened the control he was exerting over his desire for her. Desperate to avoid the intimacy he was sure would destroy the last vestiges of his restraint, Chance turned his cheek to accept her kiss.

  Rori seemed not to notice his diversionary tactic as she kissed him sweetly. "Thank you for everything, Chance. The clothes are beautiful."

  "You're welcome," he grumbled in a hoarse voice, and then he hurried from the room.

  Rori stared at the closed door once he'd gone, wondering at his odd reaction. She wasn't sure whether to be hurt by his avoidance of her kiss or encouraged by it. When she would have fretted about it, the female in her instinctively told her that she was doing fine. Hadn't he paid unceasing attention to her all day? Hadn't he picked out the prettiest and most expensive gowns for her when she would have chosen less stylish and less costly ones?

  Wandering back to the bed where all the new gowns were spread out in a colorful, rainbow array, she studied them for a minute and finally selected the one Chance had said he liked the best. It was relatively demure in style, but of a vibrant turquoise color that Chance had said was perfect on her.

  Since tonight was their first night in St. Louis, Rori had every intention of looking her most beautiful and her most feminine for him. Time was running out. In just a few more days they would be in Boston, and he would see Bethany again. She had to act fast if she was going to win his affections before they got there.

  In his own room Chance took a cold bath.

  Bethany didn't wait for the servant to open the door completely before she rushed into Regina's house unannounced.

  "Regina!" she shouted excitedly.

  "Bethany?"

  The sound of her friend's response from the parlor sent Bethany racing down the hall to find her.

  "He's coming home!" Bethany announced in ecstasy.

  "Chance?" Regina knew Bethany had been impatiently waiting for his return.

  "Yes. His mother got a telegram last night. He was in Denver and on his way."

  "Bethany, don't get carried away now," her friend cautioned. "You know how you two parted."

  "That doesn't matter anymore," she declared, conveniently forgetting the ugly scene at the Richardsons' all those weeks ago. "Chance is coming home, and this time he's going to marry me. There's no way I'm going to let him get away again. As soon as we find out the exact date of his arrival, I'm going to plan a big 'welcome home' celebration. It'll be wonderful, and by the time the night is over, he's going to be mine!"

  Regina saw the determination in her expression and knew that when he got back Chance Broderick was going to have the fight of his life if he intended to hang onto his bachelorhood.

  Chance knocked on Rori's door, expecting her to be ready to leave. Instead, there was silence at first and then what sounded like a muffled curse.

  "Rori?" he finally called out, a bit worried as he knocked softly a second time.

  Then the door flew wide, and he found himself face-to-face with a half-clad Rori. She didn't speak, but reached out to grab him by the forearm and practically drag him into her room. She slammed the door shut behind him.

  "How do your precious little Eastern ladies manage to do this?" she demanded, her annoyance obvious. She was trying to hold the dress up in front while attempting to fasten the back of it on her own.

  "They call for a maid," he answered, his gaze lingering heatedly on her bosom.

  "Oh," Rori replied meekly, the thought never having occurred to her, and then she smiled. "Well, I guess you're going to have to play the part. Here." She pivoted before him, presenting him with her back. "I just can't reach the dam—I mean, darned things."

  Chance cleared his throat in discomfort as he began to work at the closures near her slim waist. He itched to caress the curve of her spine and press a kiss to the back of her neck, but he refrained.

  "Once we get back to Boston, we'll have to find you a maid," he remarked, thinking of how outraged his mother would be to find him in such an intimate setting with a young, marriageable maiden.

  "Why?" Rori broke away from his ministrations for a minute to look at him, her emerald eyes wide and questioning.

  "We'll be living in my family's home, and my mother will be guarding your honor like a she-hawk. I'm sure she'll be quite relentless in protecting you from me."

  "But I don't want to be protected from you, Chance." Her words were so plainly spoken that there could be no denying their true meaning. Her eyes met his imploringly.

  "You may not want to be, but you need to be," he answered gruffly, turning her around so he could finish what he'd started. "Now, no more talk about Boston. Let's enjoy our evening together."

  "Do I have much more to learn before we get to Boston?" Rori asked, hoping her 'lessons' would go on forever.

  "You've mastered talking, dining, and walking. You still have to learn how to dance, but that can come later."

  "I saw some people dancing in Phoenix once. I think it was at some kind of church thing, but Grampa and I didn't go. Will you show me how?" There would have been nothing Rori would have liked more than to be held in Chance's arms right then and there, but at her suggestion he quickly fastened the last button and stepped away from her.

  "When we get home, I'll teach you." Chance knew he had to back out of the request or end up miserable all evening. There was no way he could hold her in his arms tonight after what he'd endured all day. It was best if he touched her as little as possible.

  Disappointment wracked Rori at his refusal, but she didn't let it show. After all, he hadn't said "no." She just had to keep trying and hope . . .

  Chance was staring down at her in her new, fashionable gown, and he was scarcely able to believe that this was the same ragtag little scoundrel who'd pulled a knife on him just a short time before. How could Rori have changed so completely? The only trace of the feisty, scruffy little Indian he could see was the brilliant emerald eyes. All else had changed, and changed for the better. The woman she really was had emerged from hiding, and the revelation was startling. Rori had been transformed into an absolutely beautiful woman. It was as shocking a transformation as that of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. Chance suddenly found himself hoping that when she tried her wings she wouldn't stray too far.

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Bethany was in heaven. "Everything's set," she confided to Regina when they met for lunch. "According to his mother he'll be back for sure tomorrow."

  "What took him so long to get here from Denver?"

  "He had some kind of business to attend to in St. Louis, supposedly. Anyway, it doesn't matter. All that matters is that he's going to be here in less than twenty-four hours!"

  "You're sure you've got everything ready for the party?"

  "Everything," she replied with confidence. "The food, the musicians, the guests . . . all I need is the guest of honor."

  "In more ways than one!" Regina teased.

  Bethany beamed and gave a light laugh. "You're right." She then added in a co
nspiratorial tone, "I've bought the most magnificent gown ever! Wait until you see it!"

  "Bethany, you're hopeless!"

  "Hopelessly in love."

  "Well, I just hope everything turns out the way you expect it to."

  "It will. It has to."

  "This is where you live?" Rori stood outside the Brodericks' Boston home, staring up at the stately, three-story brick mansion with something akin to amazement.

  "This is my home, Doug's and my mother's and mine," Chance answered.

  Rori had thought the hotel in St. Louis was big, but that was for putting up hundreds and hundreds of guests. This huge house belonged to just three people. She shook her head slowly in wonder.

  "Well, shall we go in?" he suggested, realizing that they looked a bit odd standing here with Big Jake on the walk in front of the house.

  Rori's eyes were alive with excitement and more than a little nervousness. She'd dressed with extra care that morning on the train to make certain that she looked her best for Mrs. Broderick. She didn't want to give Chance's mother any reason to dislike her.

  "Is it all right to take Jakie in with us?"

  "Of course. My mother loves animals."

  "Well . . ." Still she hesitated. "Do I look all right? I mean, will your mother approve?"

  "You look beautiful, Rori," Chance told her, his gaze warm upon her.

  "Really?"

  "Really."

  His unflagging confidence buoyed her, and she gave him her brightest smile. "Then I guess we're ready, huh, Jakie?" She patted her pet on his massive head as he looked up at her questioningly.

  Chance took her arm in a courtly manner, and they moved up the stairs to the front door. He didn't bother to knock, but opened it and pushed it wide so they could enter together.

  "Mother! I'm home!" he shouted.

  "Chance?" Agatha had been waiting all morning for his arrival, and her heartbeat quickened as she finally heard him in the hallway. "Chance, thank goodness you've come home! Douglas . . . I'm going to . . . "

  Agatha came flying out into the main hall from the dining room where she'd been drinking a cup of tea. She was expecting to find both of her errant sons standing there looking suitably ashamed of themselves for causing her such distress. Instead, she came face-to-face with Chance, a huge monster of a dog, and the loveliest young woman she'd ever laid eyes on.

  "I'm back, and I've brought along two very special friends, Mother," Chance told her.

  Agatha blinked in surprise as she looked from her tall, handsome son to the beautiful girl at his side. She'd heard the note of pride in his voice and made the only response that seemed logical to her. "Dear Lord, you married while you were gone?"

  "No!" Chance came back quickly, shocked that she would even have imagined such a thing. "No, Mother. This is Rori, and the big guy beside her there is Jake."

  "Hello." Agatha approached with a warm, curious smile.

  "Rori's a very special friend, and I need you to take her under your wing."

  "Rori's a friend?" Agatha repeated in confusion as she met the girl's green-eyed gaze. Rori was not a beauty in society's terms, for right now custom dictated that women like Bethany who were petite and blond were all the rage, but she was special. Her flawless, dusky complexion, her waist-length ebony hair, and her eyes, so round, expressive, and vividly green, set her apart. She was stunning. Agatha frowned slightly. There was something so strangely familiar to her about the girl and yet . . .

  "Actually, she's my ward," Chance explained quickly.

  "Your ward." Her expression was bemused as she glanced up at her son. She saw something there in his eyes as he gazed at Rori, something different . . . Suddenly she was eager to hear what had brought these two . . . these three together.

  "Rori." Agatha presented her with her full attention as she sweetly took her arm to guide her down the hall to the dining room. "Suppose you join me for a cup of tea."

  "Is it all right to bring Jake along? I mean, your house is so lovely and I'd . . ."

  "Please, bring him along. He appears to be quite well mannered."

  "Oh, he is!" Rori assured her quickly.

  "Then there should be no problem. This promises to be a most interesting afternoon, Chancellor. I'm especially curious to find out what has happened to my other son." She glared over her shoulder at Chance, who was following them. "He will be joining us shortly, won't he?"

  "I'm afraid not, Mother," Chance responded, and at her distressed look, he added. "Don't worry, Doug's fine. I'll tell you everything as soon as we settle in."

  And he did. It was almost half an hour later before he concluded his explanation of all that had taken place in Arizona.

  "So Douglas won't be home for some time?"

  "Not until after your first grandchild is born," Chance said with a smile, "But I know he's eager for you to meet Nilakla. He loves her very much, Mother. I know they're going to be happy."

  "You say Douglas has changed?" Agatha asked shrewdly. She'd worried about her youngest, devil-may-care son for some time now.

  Chance nodded. "All for the better," he assured her. "He's grown up. He didn't send for me because he was in trouble like all the other times. He sent for me because he'd made his fortune, and I was the only one he trusted."

  Agatha sighed deeply. "I'm glad he's finally matured, but I'll miss him terribly. You say he loves this woman he's married?"

  "Very much."

  She smiled. "Then that's all, as a mother, I can ask for him. Now, as far as your decision concerning Rori . . ."

  Chance waited nervously for her pronouncement. Knowing what a stickler she was on propriety, he was expecting to feel the bite of her tongue. He did not expect her praise.

  "You did exactly the right thing." Agatha reached over and patted Rori's hand. She'd been observing Rori quietly as Chance had spoken and sensed that there was a great deal more to this young lady than met the eye. "Since you are officially Chance's ward, you will, of course, stay with us."

  "Thank you," Rori breathed. She'd been a nervous wreck since they'd arrived, fearful of making a fool of herself in front of this lovely, gracious lady. Somehow, in her imaginings, she had never pictured Chance's mother as being so wonderful. In her mind, she had been a threatening authority figure. Rori was glad she'd been wrong.

  "What is your full name?" Agatha questioned.

  "Aurora."

  "That's beautiful. It suits you," she pronounced. "And your last name?"

  Rori's expression was blank. "I don't know."

  "You don't know?"

  "We always were just Burr and Rori. That's all. Grampa never said."

  Sensing her discomfort, Agatha dismissed her interest. "Well, no matter. Aurora you shall be from now on. This is going to work out perfectly."

  "Why? What are you up to?" Chance caught the twinkle in his mother's eye.

  "I'm not up to anything, dear son, but there is a welcome home party planned for you tonight, and it will be the perfect time to introduce Aurora to everyone."

  "Tonight?"

  "When Bethany heard that you were returning, she couldn't wait to plan a celebration."

  "Bethany," Chance repeated dully, not sure whether to be aggravated or just plain angry. Caught up in his own discontent, he missed the look of despair that flitted across Rori's face. "What time?"

  "I believe it starts at eight."

  "Then I think I'd better take Rori shopping."

  Rori glanced at him in surprise. "But, Chance, we just . . ."

  "Knowing Bethany as I do, this is going to be a very fancy party. You'll need a ballgown."

  "I'll handle everything, Chance," Agatha spoke up with authority.

  "There's no need, I can—"

  "Chancellor, this is women's business. You go on and do whatever you have to do. I'm sure there's plenty of business for you to catch up on."

  "Yes, Mother." Chance cast Rori a sheepish grin that left her amazed. She'd never seen him back down to anyone.

/>   "That's a good boy. Now run along, and while you're at it, take care of Jake. It is Jake, isn't it?"

  "Yes, ma'am."

  "Well, take care of the dog, Chance. Aurora and I will be far too busy to worry about him right now. Come, my dear. I'll show you to your room so we can see what you've brought along with you, and we can then decide exactly what we need to buy."

  Agatha was thrilled at the idea of shopping for Aurora. She had always wanted a daughter to pamper and spoil. The girl had a delightful figure, and she wasn't too short or tall. She would take her to her own dressmaker, Françoise, and see what she could come up with in time for the party tonight. Françoise was a miracle-worker with a needle and thread, and with an inspiration like Aurora, well, the sky was the limit in what she could do to help her look her best.

  Besides, Agatha thought, she'd never seen Chance react this way to a woman before. Perhaps there was something more here than just a custodial relationship. Perhaps her oldest son had finally met the one woman intriguing enough to capture and hold his heart.

  Agatha knew Bethany thought she was in love with Chance. As much as she liked Bethany and thought her a good marriage prospect for Chance, she felt certain that her son didn't feel the same. He had had numerous opportunities in the past to claim Bethany for his own, and yet he'd never done so.

  This Aurora, however, was different from all the other women he'd known, and yet he'd agreed to become her guardian. That in itself was surprising and pleasing to Agatha. Yes, she mused smiling, it will be great fun dressing this young woman for the party tonight.

  Rori wasn't quite sure what was happening to her. One minute she'd been worried about meeting Mrs. Broderick, and the next, the older woman was insisting that she call her "Agatha" as she rushed her from the house to the dressmaker's.