"Yeah, tomorrow," he said, then added, "I'll pick you up at six...semi-formal," he told whoever was on the phone. "Thanks, sugar...I'll see you tomorrow," he drawled in that sexy rumble, then disconnected the call and tossed his cell on his desk. He was obviously making a date for tomorrow night...for the party. Jenny's eyes burned, and she blinked a few times when a fist of jealousy punched her in the gut.
"Did you need something, Doctor?" he grated and leaned forward putting his elbows on the desk.
Jenny sucked in a shuddering breath, then said, her voice trembling, "No, I'll talk to you about it on Monday..."
She pushed up to her feet and threw the reports down on the corner of his desk, realizing she had to get the hell out of here before she broke down. A tidal wave of emotion was in her throat and quickly headed for her eyes. She spun on her heel and walked out the door, then picked up her pace when she reached the edge of Sarah's desk, until she was almost running down the hallway to her office.
By the time she reached it, her head felt like it would explode if she didn't let off some of the steam built up inside of her. Jenny slammed the door and twisted the lock, just before the dam broke and a loud sob escaped her. She leaned back against the door and slid to the floor, then cradled her head in her hands.
There was no way she could continue to work here. It would be emotional suicide she realized sadly. But she'd already committed career suicide, so she was trapped...unless she did something else. Maybe Ben would hire her to work at the ranch, until he decided if he was going to sell it.
He'd given Beau the option of taking it over, but he said that wasn't in his plans. Ranching wasn't the life he wanted. It wasn't the life she wanted either, but her options were limited now.
If she could work there a couple of years, maybe she'd be able to get another job as a physician...or open her own practice. Hell, maybe she'd go back to school and take the classes she needed to become a vet. Jenny loved animals, so that would be a good transition.
It would probably take her three years to do it though. All she had was time at this point, so she'd think about it. The thought of more student loans made her cringe, but she'd done it before, she could do it again.
Student loans...Chase had paid hers off, that was the only thing she had to work out. Maybe Ben could offer her a solution. She'd talk to him about it when she got home tonight, because she still hadn't found a place to rent or buy. Her attention had been elsewhere, on finishing the reports she'd put on Chase's desk.
A fist pounded on the door behind her vibrating across her back with its force.
"Jenny, open the door!" Chase demanded angrily, then pounded again when she didn't immediately respond.
She hiccupped then wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "G-g-go away, Chase..." she told him in a gravelly whisper.
"Open the fucking door!" he demanded again then pounded his fist against it. "I want to talk to you," he said in a less angry tone.
"I c-can't t-t-talk to you right now," she stuttered and pushed up to her feet then ran to her desk for the box of Kleenex she'd needed too often lately.
Pulling out a wad of tissues, she wiped her eyes, then blew her nose loudly.
She heard his head thunk against the door, then he said in a calmer tone, coaxing almost, "Jenny, please...open the door."
Her stomach seesawed and she sucked in a deep breath, then walked to the door and unlocked it. She turned her back and walked back to her desk to pick up her purse. When the door opened and Chase walked inside, Jenny ducked her head so he wouldn't see her ravaged face.
"I'm going home," she told him in a hoarse voice then went to push by him.
Chase's hand on her arm stopped her and he pulled her against his chest and rested his chin on top of her head. "I'm sorry for being an ass..." he told her then dropped a kiss in her hair. She sucked in a sharp breath to hold back the fresh wave of tears winding up inside of her. "Shh...don't cry, baby," he said in a tortured voice then his strong arms closed tighter around her.
Neither of them spoke, he just held her for a few minutes. When her tension eased a little, he dropped his arms and stepped back to look down at her. "You okay, now?"
"Not, really...better though, thanks," she sniffed and dotted the corner of her eyes with a tissue.
"I looked at the reports...you did good. They're excellent, thanks for working so hard on them. That's all I wanted to say," he told her holding her gaze for a long time, before he shook his head and walked back out of her office.
Chase waited for her in the lobby, and walked her to her truck, then got in his own truck and left. He probably had a date with someone else tonight, Jenny thought morosely. She would have a date too, with two men...Ben and Jerry. After the hell she'd gone through today, she needed some Chocolate Therapy.
On the way to the ranch, Jenny stopped at the convenience store and bought a half gallon of ice cream and rented several tearjerker movies. When she got to the ranch she dressed in her oldest, holiest yoga pants and an old t-shirt, then sat down in front of the TV with a spoon, the carton of ice cream and a box of tissue. Her first aid kit for a broken heart.
Jenny knew the symptoms, she didn't need to be a doctor to diagnose herself. Tonight, she would start on the road to recovery, because she finally faced the fact that no matter what she said to him, Chase was never going to forgive her.
Being in love with the man, there was no way she could be near him every day, see that smile for other people, but never her, and watch him date other women and keep her sanity. She'd turn in her resignation tomorrow night after the party.
***
Chase stood in the mirror retying his bow-tie for the third time. Tuxedoes weren't his thing, but his mother would expect it. Blue jeans and t-shirts were more his speed. Even the suits he wore at work weren't him. It got tiring doing what was expected of him, instead of what he wanted to do. Sure, he stood up to his mother when he disagreed, and mostly did what he damn well pleased, but on some things, he complied just to keep the peace.
Like attending this damned party. He wanted to attend it about as much as he wanted to be covered in honey and staked out on an ant pile. She was going to be there, and he didn't know how he'd be able to keep his hands off of her. He had to though, he was going with Lara. Chase didn't double dip--it was his golden rule. When he was out with a woman, he was with her, even if she was just a friend.
Since he'd made that call to Lara on Friday, Chase had regretted it.
At the time, it seemed like a good idea, because Lara would be a distraction, without being a complication. They were friends, nothing more. Now though, he was afraid arriving with her was going to cause drama that he didn't need...with Jenny, and with his mother.
He'd talked to Joel earlier in the day, and he was going to be at the party too, a command performance. He was coming stag, so Chase knew there would already be drama. His mother would get the picture that he and Karen were done, and Chase knew she'd probably blow a gasket.
After running a comb through his hair, Chase huffed out a breath and grabbed the keys to his Jag off of the dresser, then quickly walked through the house to the garage. He was late, it was already six, and he was supposed to be picking Lara up right now. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and called her to let her know he was late.
Thirty minutes later, he pulled up in front of her house, and Lara came out right away, locking the door behind her. He caught sight of what she was wearing and almost swallowed his tongue. Semi-formal to her evidently meant semi-dressed. When she turned away from the door and walked toward the car, he almost threw the car in drive to make a getaway.
Good god, the silver dress she had on was so short, he could almost see the top of her thigh high stockings. He could definitely see the bottom of them to know that's what she was wearing. A Band-Aid would probably cover her breasts better than the strapless dress, he thought, and it was so tight it looked like she'd been fitted at a sausage factory.
Yep, tonight w
as definitely going to be interesting, he thought when she leaned down on her silver come-fuck-me heels and opened the door then ease down into the seat beside him.
"Hi, honey," she said brightly with a wide smile then leaned over to kiss his cheek.
"Um...hi, sugar, you look...great," he lied smoothly and forced a smile.
Putting the car in drive, Chase hit the gas hard and the powerful car shot down the street. He didn't care about the speeding ticket he was likely to get, he just wanted this night over with quickly. They'd make an appearance, he'd pacify his mother, say his hellos, then get the hell out of there, before all hell broke loose.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
A waiter with a tray of champagne passed Jenny and she stuck her hand out and grabbed a glass. It was her third, but she needed the reinforcement. Her nerves were shot from waiting for Chase to arrive, so she could get what she had to say out in the open. All afternoon she'd rehearsed what she was going to say in her head, and if she didn't calm down, she was afraid she'd blurt it out to him as soon as he walked through the front door.
She'd introduced her mom and dad to Jack and Curly Rhodes, and they were off in a group across the room, evidently having a grand time. They both looked great, better than great...they looked happy. She'd introduced Nick to Papa Jack and they'd talked a few minutes, then Papa Jack had hauled him away from the part to his workshop. Even though her whole family had come with her to this party, she was alone, and worried.
She was still going to recommend he hire her dad for the safety job, but she was resigning. Joel evidently sensed something was up with her, and he was doing his damndest to distract her. Chase's handsome, super funny younger brother seemed to be feeling better than he was the last time she'd seen him. From talking to him now, she realized that both of the Rhodes men had been blessed with charm and good looks in spades.
Jenny just realized that he'd spoken to her, and searched her brain for what he'd said. He'd just told her that's what he'd decided to do after his divorce was final.
"So, a dude ranch?" she repeated with a chuckle that sounded fake in her ears.
"Yeah, I love ranching, but think that would make more money than cattle or horse ranching. I'm gonna have cattle and horses there anyway, they guests will just be paying me to work there...free labor," he told her with a shrug and a wink. "Ever seen the movie City Slickers?"
Champagne glass halfway to her lips, Jenny burst out laughing and sloshed champagne right down her cleavage. She gasped and Joel jerked a handkerchief from his back pocket then put it to her chest and dabbed. "Thanks for giving me a reason to do this," he told her with a grin and a dimple creased his cheek. "I take it you've seen the movie?"
"Who hasn't? It's a classic, one of my favorites," she chuckled and put a hand on his shoulder. The champagne already in her system made her a little dizzy and she wobbled on her high heels and fell into him. Automatically, his hand went to her waist, his eyes darkened, and her breath caught in her throat.
The hair on her neck stood up right before a deep familiar voice drawled sarcastically, "Looks like I'm late for a lot more than the party."
Joel set her away from him and she turned to face Chase.
Chase's face was red and his eyes sparkled angrily. "Poaching, brother? How's the divorce coming along?"
Joel snorted and glanced behind Chase to Lara Spencer, who Jenny hadn't noticed, until now. As impatiently as she'd been waiting for him to get there, Jenny was amazed she hadn't seen them come in. Emotion pushed up into her throat and her stomach did a twirl at seeing the woman with him.
Jenny wasn't too upset though, the other woman looked just like what she was...a bimbo. In that silver dress, she looked like she sold something other than real estate for a living. Her red hair was teased so high, Jenny wondered if there might be a bird nesting up there.
"Doesn't look like there are any claims here, brother," Joel retorted just as sarcastically then slid an arm around her waist. "And the divorce will be final at the end of next month, if it's any of your business."
A gasp sounded behind them and Jenny glanced back and saw Curly Rhodes. She had been making her way through the crowd toward them, but stopped cold when she evidently heard what Joel said. Jenny tensed and Joel must've noticed, because he looked back over his shoulder and groaned.
Chase laughed loudly and Jenny pinned him with angry eyes, then turned back to Joel. "Let's go for a walk..." she said frantically, then slipped her arm around his waist and all but dragged him toward the patio doors.
"You can't save him!" Chase yelled then his laughter boomed behind them.
Jenny rushed Joel through the doors, down three steps, then headed across the wide yard toward the garden off to the right.
"Your brother is an asshole," she grumbled and dropped her arm to grab his hand and drag him behind some bushes.
"Tell me something I don't know..." Joel agreed and followed as she spotted a concrete bench they could sit on. "Have I mentioned how gorgeous you look tonight, Jen?" he asked with a grin as they sat down. "You make me want to poach, but I think it would be like kissing my sister," he told her with a shudder.
Jenny smiled at him and squeezed his hand. "You're probably right. And even though he's an asshole, I'm in love with your brother," she told him and her smile faded.
"Did you tell him that?" Joel asked.
"No, and I'm not going to...we're done, and I'm moving on," she told him with her mouth, but the words rang hollow.
Joel groaned and took her shoulders in his hands. "Why the hell would you, a smart beautiful woman, be stupid enough to fall in love with him?"
She shrugged and said, "Didn't mean for it happen, it just did. Then I screwed everything up, and now he's done with me..."
"What just happened inside was posturing, sweetheart. He was pissed off I had my hands on you. He wasn't acting like a man who's done," Joel told her kindly.
"You don't know the half of what happened, Joel. It's over, trust me...I'm turning in my resignation tonight. I think it would be better for both of us if I left, we're only going to wind up hurting each other," she said then looked down at their hands. After a moment, she looked up and told him with a smile, "I'm going into ranching too...sort of."
"What?!?" he yelled and stood up. "You're a goddamned doctor, and you want to be a rancher?"
"Shhh...sit down," she told him and patted the seat beside her. He sat back down beside her and huffed out a breath, as she continued, "I'm thinking of going to vet school. I'm going to work on Ben Bowman's ranch to help pay for it. Last night, Ben agreed to it and forced me to take back the money Chase had given him to pay off my loan. He also gave me a lot more, because he said I'd earned it working on his ranch for two years when Beau and I were together. I'll give that to Chase, then I can make payments on the rest."
"You want to be a vet?" he asked and shook his head.
"Yeah," she told him with a grin, "I love animals, and dealing with them would be a lot easier than dealing with humans, I think."
"I think you're right," he agreed with a chuckle then he looked over her shoulder, his eyes narrowed, then he said, "I want that too, sugar," and he pulled her to him roughly then his mouth closed over hers.
Jenny was shocked and put her hands on his shoulders to push him away, but he held her snugly against him and ground his mouth against hers for all he was worth. She couldn't breathe, and the kiss was definitely not turning her on, so she tried to push against his shoulders once more. Suddenly, Jenny pitched forward when his body flew away from hers and he landed on his ass in the grass.
Jenny gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. She hadn't pushed him that hard, she thought. Then she noticed another pair of feet beside the bench. Her eyes traveled up long legs, across a heaving broad chest to Chase's cover boy face...enraged face. There was murder in his heated blue eyes.
He wasn't looking at her though, he was glaring at his brother. "Keep your fucking hands off of her," he hissed and Jenny saw his fists
clench at his sides
"Or what? We're both single, and it's none of your business, now is it asshole? You don't want her, I do...where's the problem?"
"Don't fucking go there, Joel. I'm warning you," Chase grated then took a step toward him.
Jenny pushed up off the bench and stepped in front of Chase, putting her hands on his chest. "What the hell is wrong with you?" she asked breathlessly. "He's your brother!"
Chase didn't reply for a minute, then he looked down into her eyes and the rage and hurt there took her breath away. Jenny was not going to be the cause of friction between them. She'd caused enough trouble since she'd met Chase...it was time for her to let him go.
Putting her hand on his cheek, she looked into his eyes and said, "I need to talk to you...now."
Joel got up from the ground, brushed the dirt and grass off of him, then winked at her and walked away. That sneaky snake, she thought. Well, he might have had good intentions with what he did, but it wasn't going to make a damn bit of difference now. She'd made her decision, she just needed to tell Chase.
"Sit down," she said and did so herself.
His blue eyes burned a hole in her, and he shoved a hand through his hair, but he complied and sat beside her.
"What?" he said gruffly then looked at the fountain in the center of the garden instead of at her.
"Thank you for the opportunity to work for Rhodes...but I'm turning in my resignation...I can't work with you," she told him bluntly, because she couldn't think of a way to soften it, and she was too nervous anyway. Chase's head whipped around so fast, it almost spun off his shoulders. He opened his mouth, but she put her fingers over his lips.
"Wait, let me finish," she told him softly. "I have the money to pay you back most of what you put out to hire me...the rest I'd like to make payments on."
Chasing Trouble (Texas Trouble) Page 19