Chasing Trouble (Texas Trouble)

by McGraw, Becky

  After all of that, he just wished someone would cut his head off to stop the incessant pounding. Finally, the headache was gone this morning, but his head felt like it was stuffed with cotton, and his mood had definitely not improved. Chase handed Sarah a letter to type and she smiled at him. He tried, but couldn't force one in return. He told her to hold all his calls and went into his office and closed the door, leaning back against it.

  His dad walked into his office through the door of the joint conference room and boomed, "What the hell is wrong with you boy?'

  Chase flinched then told him raspily, "Rough weekend, so lay off, I'm not feeling well."

  "Well you better get better fast, Jenny Anderson just got here, and you need to make sure she has something to do," he told Chase.

  Good god, that's all he needed. He certainly wasn't up to dealing with her today. Chase didn't even want to see her, but his dad was right he needed to suck it up. "I'm going to the conference in Dallas...leaving in two hours," he told him. That was another thing he wasn't looking forward to. Traveling was a grind under normal circumstances, with the dregs of a hangover, he imagined he was going to be in hell.

  "When do you get back?" Jack Rhodes asked him gruffly.

  "Wednesday night, but I'm flying to meet with Dave on Thursday, so I won't be back in the office until Friday afternoon. I'm going to try and help him figure out who's sabotaging the wells. We have to speed things up, the vote is coming up and our latest safety report sucks. They're going to use it against us to try and stop the legislation."

  "But our record is the best in the industry! Until those bastards started setting fire to our wells, we didn't have a problem," his dad protested.

  "Doesn't matter...they'll use the latest data and say we're not any safer than they are, even with the new valve. Unless we can prove that the wells were sabotaged and find the asshole doing it, we're cooked. I wouldn't be surprised if they try to get something through that stops the mandate to use the valve. I talked to the lobbyist and he's pretty concerned. That environmental stuff they tacked on could stop it anyway."

  "Shit!" his dad said and pulled his hat off and slapped it against his thigh.

  "We'll get it worked out one way or another...so, I'm getting involved.

  Suddenly, his dad's eyebrows raised as if he remembered something. "Make sure you're back by Saturday. You need to ask Jenny to the party your mama's throwing. It's Saturday night at the house," he told him and Chase groaned.

  "Daddy, it's not a good idea right now. We have too much going, please ask her to wait," Chase begged. The last thing he wanted was to have to be near Jenny Anderson.

  "She ain't waiting...already hired the caterer's and the band. She's sending out the invitations today," Jack told him.

  "Shit!" Chase said and pushed off the door then walked around his desk.

  "Make sure she's there, you hear? This party is for her, and your mama would be insulted if she didn't come."

  "Fuck..." Chase said and pushed a hand through his hair. "I'll see if she'll come, but I'm not making any promises." There was no telling what that stubborn woman would agree to, and now he was responsible for making sure she was there. Like he didn't have enough to do or worry about.

  "Your mama wants to meet her family too, so tell her they're invited," his daddy told him then walked back through the conference room door. Chase laid his head on his desk and bumped it against his blotter a few times. It didn't help, he was damned afraid nothing would. There was no getting around it short of firing her, he was going to have to work with Jenny Anderson...and if that wasn't bad enough, he was going to have to socialize with her now too. Because his mama had commanded it.

  A knock sounded at his door and Chase looked up as his assistant, Sarah, opened his door. "Chase? There's a Jenny Anderson out here that says she's a new hire? She wanted to see you."

  "Have her fill out all the necessary new hire paperwork in the big conference room, and tell her I'll be in there in a few minutes," he told her and felt his mouth drift down into a frown.

  "But she insist--"

  "I don't want to see her right now, Sarah..." he said plainly, then gritted, "Tell her to fill out the damned paperwork."

  Sarah's lips wobbled and her eyebrows lifted, then she nodded and shut his door. Damn, he never yelled at people. Chase was becoming just what Jenny accused him of being, an asshole...and it was all because of her.

  Maybe he should pass her off to someone else to train and supervise. He had enough on his plate, he'd talk to George Carroll his Resource Director to see what they could come up with. There had to be someone else he could push her off on. He knew it was a chickenshit thing to do, but to keep his sanity it was necessary.

  In the meantime, he'd keep her too busy to get in his way...idle hands and all that.

  He just didn't have the time or energy to deal with drama. The less he saw of the beautiful, judgmental doctor the better, which is why he'd decided to go to this damned conference in Dallas at the last minute.

  Chase picked up the safety manual from his desk, and walked to his door like he was walking the last mile. He looked down at it and smiled, then opened the door. Maybe he could get a little revenge after all. It was a lowdown thing to do, but Jenny Anderson could use to be taken down a few pegs, and this was just the task to do that.

  Before he went to the conference room, Chase took a few minutes to apologize to Sarah, he sat on her desk and shot the shit with her. After they talked, she looked more relaxed and was smiling again, and he breathed a sigh of relief. In the future, Chase had to make a point not to take his anger and frustration out on anyone other than the person who was causing it. It wasn't the way he'd operated in the past, and he certainly wasn't going to start now.

  Jenny looked up when Chase walked through the door looking like he'd walked off the pages of GQ magazine. His dark suit emphasized his broad shoulders and long legs and the white shirt made his tanned skin glow. His eyes caught the vibrant blue in his tie and took on that color.

  Her heart kicked up a notch and bounced around in her chest. Forcing a bright smile, she said, "Morning," her voice trembling slightly.

  He eyed her neutrally for a minute then said shortly, "Here's the safety manual," then slid it across the table to her. "Read it and give me a report on suggested revisions by Friday. I'll be out the rest of the week, so if you have questions, ask my father."

  "You're leaving?" she asked and her fingers dug into her palms where her hands rested on her thighs.

  "Yeah, I have business out of the office. Sarah will know how to contact me, so if you have an emergency, you can get her to call."

  "Can't I reach you on your cell?" she asked past the lump in her throat. He was being so cold, so unlike the funny, happy-go-lucky Chase she knew, the man who'd made love to her. His eyes were flat and lifeless, his mouth unsmiling, which was the hardest thing to take. A sense of loss grabbed her stomach and twisted.

  Jenny glanced at the manual like it was a snake with two heads. He knew safety was the thing she had no clue about. He said he'd help her, train her, but he was leaving. She couldn't help but think he was dumping this to her on purpose. But if it was on purpose, she deserved every minute of the punishment.

  Her confidence that she could do this job took wings then flew out the window. She'd just have to try harder to make him accept her apology, and get him to help her. He couldn't stay mad at her forever, right? He's done with you, Katie Tucker's words came back to her, and Jenny felt her lip tremble.

  "No, employees don't call me on my cell phone. Let Sarah know if you need something," he told her brusquely.

  "Chase?" she said in a soft voice, when it looked like he was going to leave the room.

  "Yeah?" he asked with a raised brow.

  "I'm sorry for treating you the way I did. Can we talk privately?" she asked him looking at the open door.

  "We don't have anything to talk about, no need for the apology, Doctor Anderson. We have a working r
elationship, just like you wanted, nothing more," he told her then turned his back on her and walked out of the room.

  A second later he leaned back in. "By the way you're expected at my father's mansion at seven on Saturday night for a party. If you can't be there, let him know, but it would be awkward, because the party is in your honor, doctor." he told her with an edge to his voice, before leaving again.

  It felt like he'd sucked all the happiness inside her body out in his wake.

  She wondered if he'd be at the party too. Jenny sure hoped so, because maybe she'd have a chance to talk to him then. Sadness flowed through her and she did her best to dam up the tears that wanted to escape.

  "I'm not going to cry," she commanded herself, as if that would do it. But a big fat drop landed right square in the middle of the cover of the safety manual when she stood and leaned over to pull it to her. Jenny picked it up and pulled it to her chest, then grabbed her purse and ran for the bathroom she'd seen in the hall.

  After she had a good cry in a stall, Jenny blew her nose and gathered up the mountain of tissue wads stacked on her lap. She stood then dumped them into the trashcan beside the toilet, before picking up her purse and taking a deep breath. Walking over to the mirror above the sink, she surveyed her ravaged face. A red nose and bloodshot eyes told that she'd been crying, and not daintily either.

  Jenny kind of thought she resembled Rudolph the reindeer after imbibing in a little too much Christmas cheer. That thought should have made her laugh, but instead her eyes welled up again, and she hurried back to the stall. It seemed like all the tears she hadn't cried over the years chose right now to appear.

  Leaning against the wall outside the women's bathroom, Chase ground his teeth and clenched his fists fighting the urge to burst into the ladies room and pull Jenny into his arms to tell her he was sorry. Sarah had come into his office and quietly alerted him that she was in the bathroom crying.

  Her pitiful sobs were quiet, but echoed off the concrete block walls, and pulled at his heart. She deserves every tear, he kept telling himself, but his heart was splitting in two.

  The revenge didn't turn out to be so sweet. He sure didn't feel better. So why had he done it? Because you love her and she hurt you that's why.

  Chase's heart skidded to a stop in his chest and his breath caught when he realized what he'd just thought. He loved her? He'd only known the woman three weeks, the last week of which he hadn't seen her except at the ranch, and that certainly hadn't been pleasant.

  There was no way.

  A sharp pain shot through Chase's chest and he clutched his shirt, trying to breathe evenly. He couldn't be having a heart attack, he was only thirty-two years old, so it had to be a panic attack, he thought. Chase stumbled down the hall to his office and shut the door behind him, then sat behind his desk.

  He loved Jenny Anderson. A woman who thought he was lower than pond scum.

  Chase heaved a deep breath then let it out slowly, then lowered his head to his desk where he banged it against his blotter.

  How stupid could he be?

  She wasn't interested in him, just like the rest of them...she wanted to be his friend. Now, probably not even that. And he was about to make a damned fool of himself, if he didn't get a grip. He'd get a date for that stupid party, that should send the right message and it would also keep him from wanting to talk to her. Maybe Lara was available, he'd have to call her from Dallas.

  He didn't need Jenny in his life, she was presumptuous, judged people without reason, she was haughty at times...she was beautiful, funny, smart and so damned sexy he couldn't be within ten feet of her and not get hard.

  He was thinking with his dick that was his problem, he didn't love her, he told himself. Shit, he was glad he'd booked that conference, because he knew he couldn't be around her now. He had to get the hell out of here as soon as possible, and stay far, far away from Dr. Anderson.

  Chase raised his head from his desk and yelled, "Sarah!" reminiscent of his daddy's bellow in the office. She burst through the door then skidded to a stop.

  "Chase, are you okay today? What's up with you today?" she inquired with a worried frown.

  Shoving up to his feet, Chase began stuffing things into his briefcase. Without looking up from his task, he told her quickly, "I'm fine, I need to leave...now. Can you pack up those handouts for the workshop I'm doing? If you don't have them in five minutes, send the digital files to a copy shop near the convention center in Dallas."

  "Eeek..." she squeaked then ran out to her desk.

  In four and a half minutes, she handed him a letter sized box. "Relax some while you're there, will ya?" Sarah suggested, then hesitated and told him, "You've been working too hard."

  "As daddy says no work is hard, as long as you get it done...thanks, Sarah," he told her then grabbed his stuff and headed for the elevator.

  Jenny leaned out of the bathroom door and looked up and down the hallway to make sure Chase wasn't around. Since she didn't have her makeup with her, there was no way she could repair her face, so she just washed it clean.

  Her eyes were still red-rimmed, but she did the best she could with the cold water that was her only option. She didn't want to, but she had no choice really to go down the hallway to see Chase's assistant. They hadn't told her where her office was.

  Clutching the safety manual in her hand she went back in the conference room and gathered the papers she'd filled out then went to back down the hall. Chase's pretty blonde assistant looked up from her computer when Jenny approached and asked, "You okay?"

  "Yeah, sorry, first day jitters, I guess...um, do you know where my office will be?" Jenny asked then handed her the paperwork. "Let me know if I missed something," she told her in a nasally voice.

  "I asked Chase and he didn't tell me where your office would be, so we'll just pick one," Sarah told her with a short laugh, then stood and set the papers in her chair when she got up.

  Her phone buzzed and Sarah held up a finger then picked it up. "Rhodes Drilling and Exploration," she trilled into the phone.

  "Yes, she's right here...you want to talk to her?" There was a brief silence then Sarah cast apologetic eyes her way. " Um, sure Chase, I'll tell her...have a good trip, and remember what I said," she said then hung up the phone

  Sarah put the phone back down and told her, "He wanted me to tell you to bring your parents and brother to the party Saturday night."

  "They'll be lucky if I show up," Jenny mumbled then cleared her throat. "Fine, thank you...now about that office," Jenny asked and Sarah came out from behind the desk and led her down the hall.

  Jenny picked a small office that had a window, which was far enough away from Chase's for her to maintain her sanity. She wished it was on another end of the building, or on the second floor, or hell, in another building. That last option might be a distinct possibility, she thought, because it looked to her like Chase Rhodes might be trying to get rid of her...might even fire her if she couldn't perform the task he'd given her. Jenny felt heat behind her eyes, then they welled up again.

  No, dammit, she wasn't going to cry again! Sucking in a deep breath, she looked at the safety manual she'd laid in the middle of her new desk like it was written in Chinese. To her, it was. Briefly, Jenny had glanced through it and knew she was sunk if she didn't do something to lessen her learning curve in the oil business. So much for him training her, telling her everything she needed to know, as he'd put it.

  Obviously, now that he was mad at her she didn't need to know anything, other than her pink slip was on the way. Chase had set her up to fail, and Jenny knew it now. Suggestions on changes by Friday? Impossible. And he knew she wouldn't go to his dad for help.

  The fact that he hated her enough to do something so mean caused a sick feeling in her heart. You deserve it, she reminded herself, but that didn't make it better. It made the situation worse, because she was afraid she was falling in love with the man, and now he hated her. If feeling like her heart had been slowly ripp
ed out of her chest when he'd been so cold to her earlier was any indication, the worst had happened and she was already in love with him.

  Jenny wasn't a quitter though, and failure in this situation wasn't an option. No matter how Chase felt about her, he'd given her a job, and she was going to do her best not to let him down...let herself down...or give him a reason to fire her.

  Swallowing hard, Jenny got up from her desk and grabbed her purse and the manual, then headed for Sarah's desk. It was ironic, but she was going to the only person she knew who was familiar with the oil and gas industry, the only one who knew firsthand the perils of lax safety on an oil rig...her daddy. She didn't know if he'd help her, she hadn't seen him in four years, but she had to try. She had four days to complete this assignment, and she needed help.

  "Sarah, I'm going to be out for a few days. I've got to do some research to complete the manual updates that Chase left for me," Jenny told her then leaned down and scribbled her cell phone number on the pad at the corner of the desk. "That's my cell, call me if you need anything."

  "Um, sure...anything you want me to tell Chase if he calls in?" she asked with a soft smile.

  There was a lot she wanted Sarah or someone to tell Chase, because he wasn't talking to her, but she'd created this situation herself, and she was going to fix it herself. The first thing she was going to do to show him how she felt was to get this manual up to date for him...that way he wouldn't have to spend time he didn't have training her.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Jenny didn't call first, she hopped into the truck that Ben Bowman had loaned her and drove to her parent's house. When she stopped at the curb in front of the small three-bedroom bungalow, she sat at the curb and started at the place where she'd grown up.