Chase sighed, not wanting a lecture tonight. “Like I said, I know what I’m doing.”
Shep walked around the table and cupped Chase’s shoulder. “Brother, let me be the first to tell you, this plan you think you’ve got all figured out, without any doubt in my mind, will completely fall to shit.”
“Is this your idea of a pep talk?” Chase frowned.
Shep patted his shoulder and gave him a measured look. “Nah, brother, it’s a warning.”
* * *
Sometimes Harper wished she smoked. In older movies, whenever someone needed a break, they would go out for a cigarette, and they always seemed to feel better after. If she smoked, she wouldn’t be sitting on a milk crate, staring at the dumpster, crying all alone.
The night could not be any darker tonight, or any quieter, reminding her of the night they found Houdini. The same night when everything in her life changed.
When she had left for culinary school in Denver, she’d started packing her car up a week before she left. Now, as she sat there, she realized she still had so much packing to do.
Why? kept echoing in her mind.
Where had the excitement gone? And where were her lists that she made to ensure she didn’t forget anything?
Her heart told her that her dreams were still very much there. She wanted to be a chef. She wanted people to enjoy her food. She did not want to be the woman from the small town in Colorado who didn’t know her place in the world at twenty-six years old. Yet, the longer she sat there, the more she realized that something inside felt empty. Wrong. Cold.
Before she could figure out what was missing, the bar’s back door opened. She quickly glanced away, swiping away her tears.
“Looking for another puppy?”
Chase’s tender voice slid across her, and she forced a laugh, hoping she masked her sadness. “No, my puppy quota has been filled.” Her voice came out choked, even to her ears.
Unsurprisingly, Chase reached for another crate, flipped it over, and sat directly in front of her. She’d seen from the last few months that he always seemed to be an in - your - face - and - let’s - talk - this - out type of guy. Maybe that’s what made him so put-together. She discovered she liked that about him. Especially since Brody was the exact opposite.
She stared at his jeans as he widened his legs and took hold of her crate, pulling her in close, his legs hugging hers. She anticipated what was coming before it even happened. He tucked a finger under her chin, lifting her head to meet his steady gaze. “What’s wrong?” he asked gently.
Lost in his eyes, her chin quivered. “I’m not exactly sure.”
The light beaming down from atop the bar’s back door revealed the concern in his expression. “You’re leaving your friends and family, Harper. This isn’t going to be easy. Did you honestly think it would be?”
“Maybe.” She shrugged, swiping away another fallen tear that she refused to stop. “I guess things are just sinking in or something. It’s like you have a plan and have all these ideas, and then you don’t really think about how things are going to affect you, you know.”
Chase tilted his head to the side, his knuckles sliding over her cheek. “You moved to Denver before. Wasn’t it equally as hard then?”
She became lost in that touch and how right it felt. “I didn’t have the friendships that I have now,” she explained.
His eyebrows squished together. “Did your friends suddenly vanish? I remember you having close friends in high school.”
Her body heat began to rise, building beads of sweat along her back. She couldn’t really tell if that was from Chase’s touch or her anxiety. “I did have a few super-close friends, but they all moved away to go to school when I did, and they never came back. When I moved to Denver, I was excited to leave Brody. I think that part might have overshadowed the fact that I was leaving the people I knew.”
Chase gave an understanding smile, his eye contact steady. “Because you were so desperate to gain your freedom?”
“Exactly.” She nodded, spilling another tear from her eye. “I needed to be me for a little while without him.” During that time, she found herself. She discovered her passion and got the first feel of her purpose, and she’d been chasing that same sensation ever since.
Chase’s posture was still until he brushed his knuckles across her cheek. “That time was good for you, just as Vegas will be good for you. You’ve wanted this dream for a really long time. Owning a restaurant in Vegas, that’s a big deal, Harper. You deserve that. You’ve worked hard for it.”
She nodded. “I couldn’t agree with you more. I have wanted this for a really long time. Just before I finished school, it was all I thought about. I had these huge, exciting plans. I could finally do something with the money my parents left me. I thought I had it all figured out.”
He stroked her cheek again. “Then why the tears, beautiful?”
“Precisely. Why am I sitting here crying? It’s like something inside of me suddenly feels very broken, and I have no idea why.”
Chase went still. “You’re not changing your mind about Vegas, right?”
She laughed softly at the concern on his face. “Don’t worry. Vegas is still the dream.” She understood Chase’s hang-up. Maybe she even loved him for it. He thought of her dreams above all else, just as Brody did. Though that’s what both Chase and Brody did not realize. She had lost enough in her life to realize she alone was responsible for herself, and neither of them really had any say in what she did, even if they liked to believe they did. But all the same, there was an emptiness in her chest that she could not ignore. “It’s why my sitting here and crying like a baby is confusing. I want to go Vegas. It’s all I’ve ever wanted. There is this huge opportunity just waiting for me. I’m getting the second chance I wanted after I had to leave the TV show. And yet . . .” She turned away in a sad attempt to gather her thoughts.
“This is going to be hard, Harper,” Chase said gently, tucking a finger under her chin and drawing her gaze back to his soft eyes. “Your friends are here, as well as Brody. But just because something is hard doesn’t mean it’s not good for you. River Rock will always be here. Your friends will be here. You can always come home to visit, or we can come visit you.”
His mention of we wasn’t lost on her. She stayed focused on what she was feeling without adding his thoughts into the mix. Something was unsteady . . . unsure . . . and she kept reaching for the truth that seemed so far away. “I know you’re right.” She drew in a huge deep breath and blew it out slowly. “Ugh. I guess I didn’t think this was going to be so hard.”
He arched an eyebrow at her. “You thought you were just going to pick up and leave and never look back?”
She gave a firm nod. “Precisely.”
Chase harrumphed, staring at her like her eyeballs had fallen out of her head.
“What’s that look for?” she asked.
He hesitated, then slid his fingers over the long strands of her hair, tucking them behind her ear. “That doesn’t sound like the Harper I know. You’re warm and full of light. I can’t ever imagine you walking away from your home without feeling something about that.”
Her breath caught in her throat. Her mind only seemed to cloud further. All this talking wasn’t going to do her any good, only make things harder. “You’re right—this should be hard.” She forced a smile, trying to get past all this, and rose. “Feeling emotional is normal, right?”
Chase nodded and stood with her. “I think anyone would be having a hard time with this.”
“Ugh. Thanks for the chat. Let’s get back to the party.” She gave her hands a shake, shielding the emotions from Chase. She needed to think. On her terms. Because while what he said made sense, the anxiety still lingered.
Before she could step through the door, Chase snagged her hand, pulling her back to him. “Do you honestly think I would fall for that?”
“Fall for what?” She blinked.
“You can’t hide from m
e, beautiful.” Chase cupped his hands on her face, holding her close. Intimately. “You can’t be that upset then suddenly be fine.” His lips dropped to hers, and his kiss took her away from there. “Stay real with me, all right?” he whispered against her mouth. “Let me be here for you.”
She reopened her eyes. “Okay. I’ll try.”
He tucked her hair behind her ear again, his gaze following his fingers then returning to her face. “So, then, are you all right?”
She drew in a long, deep breath before she answered him, “Maybe not right now, but I will be.”
“Now that’s much more a Harper answer.” He smiled.
Apparently, he did not need to hear more, since he opened the door for her to return to the party. She strode in with him hot on her heels. Now, if only she could convince herself that everything was going to be okay.
Chapter 9
The next morning, Chase’s mood was tense when he arrived at the ranch to a clear blue sky greeting him. The sun hit the mountains at just the right angle, making them and the ground below look lush and green. Though even the beautiful day could not improve his mood. Especially since Todd was already in the cabins inspecting his work.
When Chase exited his truck, with Houdini in his arms, his mother gave him a wave from the kitchen window. He waved back, and she vanished from the window, obviously gone to get ready for her day.
Chase moved to the big shade tree in the front yard, his chest weighted. Something had shifted last night with Harper. He felt that shift right down to his bones. The clock ticking in his mind was growing louder each day, reminding him that soon Harper would leave. And Shep’s warning replayed in his thoughts.
He placed Houdini down on the grass, then sat beneath the tree, leaning against the trunk, waiting for Todd to finish. A small stick lay next to his legs. He picked it up, tossing it gently in front of him. Houdini barked, then pounced, missing the stick completely. Chase chuckled when the pup finally latched onto the stick, growling, shaking his head. Though his smile faded almost as fast. His cravings for Harper weren’t subsiding; they were only growing stronger. Spending those extra minutes buried inside her this morning had been more important to him than being on time for Todd. Harper had become more of a priority than the one thing he valued the most—his new company.
And that was a problem.
Chase did not really know how much time went by while he played fetch with Houdini, when tires crunched gravel. He glanced sideways, finding Nash’s truck driving toward the house.
Nash parked next to Chase, and the door opened a second later, with Gus charging toward them, his ears flopping in the wind. Houdini bolted to Chase, hopping onto his lap. Chase gave Houdini a gentle nudge off his legs to teach the pup to be brave, and rose. Houdini stayed close to Chase’s legs when Gus came over and gave the puppy a sniff.
A second later Gus took off, his nose to the ground, with Houdini trotting behind him, his little tail wagging.
Dressed in Levi’s and a wrinkly T-shirt, Nash looked like his usual disheveled shelf. “Any word about the bastard who left him in the dumpster?” he asked when he reached Chase, gesturing at Houdini.
Chase suddenly realized that with all that had been going on, the last thing he’d thought about was checking in with Darryl. He needed to change that. “Not yet,” he explained. “Which I take to mean Darryl hasn’t caught the sonuvabitch.”
“Shame.” Nash smiled when Gus turned around, noticed the pup behind him, then dropped down onto his belly. Obviously wanting to play, Gus took off running and Houdini followed. “It almost makes me want to get another one.”
Chase parted his lips.
Nash interjected with narrowed eyes, “I said almost. There’s no goddamn way I can raise another Lab, no matter that he seems calm now. Maybe the pup’s still not feeling well. Lab puppies are insane. And Gus has never grown out of that insanity.”
Not Houdini, Chase wanted to say. There was something steady in Houdini’s personality. Calm and wise, even. Instead of saying so, he shrugged. “Can’t blame me for trying.” Because finding Houdini a home was still on the list of things he needed to do.
With the dogs running past the cabins, Nash shoved his hands into his pockets and asked, “I take it the inspector hasn’t finished yet?”
Chase shook his head and moved to his truck, leaning against the front bumper. “He went into the last cabin a few minutes ago. I’d think he’s probably wrapping things up soon.”
Right as his mouth shut, Todd exited the cabin, stopping to measure the stairs.
“What’s he doing now?” asked Nash. “I thought he just needed to check the things that failed the inspection before?”
Chase frowned. “You and me both.” Not wanting to get too far ahead of himself, Chase turned to Nash, focusing on other things. Once the guest ranch opened, the show would then belong to Nash. “How’s the planning going with Emma?”
“So far, so good,” Nash said, watching the dogs play off in the distance before glancing Chase’s way again. “While she’s got some amazing ideas about what marketing we should do going forward, we’ve been brainstorming the hell out of how a day will look at the ranch for the guests and all those little things.”
Weight pressed against Chase’s chest, heavy enough to catch his breath. He had been so wrapped up in himself and Harper and the build of the project, he hadn’t taken the time to talk to Nash about anything. “Such as?”
“Who we need to begin hiring as staff.” Nash whistled at Gus when he was getting closer to the driveway. Gus and Houdini came running back, with Gus way up ahead. “Shep is interviewing people now for the handful of positions. I’m heading over to the tack shop later to pick up all the tack and stuff we need for the cattle runs.”
Christ, they were so close to the grand opening Chase could taste the sweetness on his tongue. Now all they needed was this damn inspector to pass the build. “Wrapping things up, huh?”
“Yup.” Nash squatted down, petting Gus then extending his affection to Houdini once he caught up. “We’ve got a good solid group of ten horses in the herd for the guests.”
“And things are still good for you to head things up once we open?” He gave Nash the out if he had changed his mind. They could still hire someone to fill that role.
Nash gave a half shrug. “Yeah, I’m in. It’ll be better than sitting around doing jack shit all day.” He gave Chase a quick look but within that look, Nash’s sense of purpose held strong. Nash needed this as much as Shep needed this venture to succeed, because as the oldest brother he felt it was his duty to see that Blackshaw Cattle didn’t crumble into bankruptcy. Chase needed this for his reputation with builders and investors. And Nash needed to find a reason to wake up every day.
“Good.” Chase smiled.
Nash straightened after the dogs took off again, with Houdini nipping at Gus’s legs. “When is all the furniture for the cabins coming?”
Chase allowed the subject change. Nash didn’t share his personal struggles with anyone. “The second we pass the inspection, we can have the furniture delivered. It’s all ready and sitting in the warehouse.”
Behind them, more crunching of tires against gravel had Chase glancing over his shoulder. A red Mazda made its way toward the house.
“Expecting anyone?” Nash asked, watching Gus take off running to the car.
“Nope.” Chase jogged forward, snatching up Houdini as he tried to follow, keeping him far away from tires.
When the car came to a stop, a woman exited, giving Gus a pat on the head. Pretty and thin, she looked out of place here in her high heels and black pantsuit, a notepad in her hand.
“Can I help you?” Chase asked, placing Houdini back down on the ground. This time, the pup stayed near him.
The woman’s clear blue eyes that were surrounded by black-rimmed glasses crinkled with her smile. “You can if either of you are Chase Blackshaw.”
“That’d be me.” He offered his hand.
&nb
sp; She smiled, returning his hand shake. “I’m Katie Sanders, a reporter from the River Rock Tribune.”
Nash’s brows shot up, mirroring the surprise shooting through Chase.
She took out a pen from the top of the notepad. “Emma Monroe contacted me about doing a piece on the new guest ranch opening and thought it would be great for the community to see what you’ve got going on here.”
Nash turned to Chase and gave a knowing look. “Marketing.”
Before Chase could reply, at maybe the worst time possible, Todd said, “I’m done.”
Chase turned around, restraining the curses sitting on his tongue. The last thing he needed was a reporter hearing Todd’s findings. He glanced at Nash, discreetly gesturing at the reporter.
Nash gave his million-dollar smile, then hit Katie with it. “I can tell you everything you need to know about the Blackshaw Cattle guest ranch.” He sprawled his hand across her lower back. “Why don’t we talk over here?”
Chase waited for there to be distance between them before he addressed Todd. “We all set?”
“The fixes you made are solid. Really great job,” said Todd, signing off on the piece of paper clipped onto his clipboard. He clicked his pen shut then lifted his hard gaze to Chase. “Though I’m afraid I found bigger issues here.”
Chase’s smile began to fade. “What issues?”
Todd handed him the piece of paper. “Six sets of your stairs are off code measurements. And five of the toilets in the comfort station don’t have sufficient space around them.”
Chase stared into Todd’s eyes, looking for any sign this guy was working with Clint. One time to fail him over small things seemed plausible. But twice? “Is there a reason you didn’t point these issues out the last time you were here?” he asked.
Todd tucked the clipboard under his arm and gave an easy shrug. “That’s an error on my part. I didn’t see them.”
Chase inhaled and exhaled, trying not to lash out. What was worse for his reputation than failing an inspection was word getting out that he had a temper when it came to dealing with inspectors. On top of that, he had a reporter right behind him to document it all.
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