Chasing Trouble (Texas Trouble)

by McGraw, Becky

  What sounded like a growl rumbled in his chest, then he threw his head back and roared before pushing up to his feet and looming over her, his face a mask of fury.

  "I don't give a fuck about the money," he snarled down at her.

  In the next breath, Jenny was jerked up from the bench and into his arms, then his mouth slammed down over hers hot and greedy, while his hands held her tightly against his body.

  Every synapse in her brain went haywire and she felt dizzy, so she clutched his shoulders to stay vertical. Chase kissed her like he wanted to reach her soul, like he would never get enough. Jenny's heart skittered around in her chest and her arms slid up to circle his neck, then she was kissing him back just as fiercely.

  After a minute, he pulled back and his words were hot over her lips. "You can't leave me...I need you," his said, his voice low, gruff and filled with need.

  "Chase, I--" her words were stopped by his mouth on hers again. He kissed her until she was panting, her nerve endings hyperaware of him and her heart beating out of her chest.

  Finally, he pulled back again and said, "Tell me you're not leaving me...that's the only thing I want to hear come out of those beautiful lips. I'll make this right if you let me, baby."

  She smiled and told him, " What I was going to say is I'm so sorry I judged you...you're a good man and I was wrong." The shriveled raisin that was Jenny's heart these days blossomed with a little hope, but she fought it back down. "I thought you were done with me?" she asked and felt her lower lip tremble.

  "We're nowhere near done, sweetheart," he told her and his mouth closed over hers gently, coaxing, pleading until a shudder passed through her body and she responded with everything inside of her, the frustration and love poured from the depths of her being.

  After missing her so bad while he was gone, Chase savored the sweetness of Jenny's lips on his. They felt like home, just the place he needed to be right then, so he could make love to her again. He'd missed her so damned much.

  Seeing Joel kissing her had sent him into the seventh ring of hell and he'd actually thought about killing his brother right then. He'd come out here to find her and talk. Instead, he found her tangled up with his brother, and Chase had lost control.

  She was his and he wasn't letting her go...or letting her leave him. This last week he'd felt like something was missing inside of him, something vital, and he never wanted to feel that way again. The thought of her leaving twisted his gut into a knot of fear. No, she was right where she belonged, with him.

  Someone cleared their throat and Chase pulled back from her, breathing hard. He glanced over and saw Papa Jack standing there with a big smile on his weathered face. "I took that woman you brought here home," he told Chase then his smile faded. "Heard your mama and Joel going at it in the study when I came in. There's even a crowd outside the door...you know how those biddies like to gossip," he told him.

  "The divorce?" Chase guessed.

  "Yep, I heard that word a couple of times...and a few others I won't repeat. The gist of it seemed to be Joel found that woman of his with his partner going at it like rabbits."

  "That's about it, Pops," Chase told him, shaking his had at his grandfather's colorful summation. "But right now, I'm not in the mood to help Joel with shit, so you'll have to go save his ass."

  Chase was pissed at Joel, and it was Jenny's fault. Jenny knew his show a few minutes ago had just been to help her...teach is brother a lesson. He was a good man too, no matter how misguided his actions had been. She had to do something. "Chase, about what you saw..." Jenny said, putting her hand on his chest.

  He growled and glared at her then said, "I don't ever want to talk about that again, you got me? Nobody is kissing you again, but me."

  Jenny swallowed then nodded. She didn't want to argue with him about anything, she was too happy right now.

  "Good, we're going home, and that's not back to that ranch," he said and put his arm around her waist then dragged her back toward the house.

  Jenny dug in her heels. "Chase, I live at the ranch," she told him. He was being bossy all of a sudden, and Jenny couldn't say that she liked it.

  "Not for long," he said then added, "You want to buy a house, I'm going to make that happen. I don't want you within ten miles of Beau Bowman or his daddy's ranch."

  "I don't want your money," she told him.

  "You're still quitting me?" he stopped and looked down at her in amazement.

  "Not quitting you...," she told him. "I'm still not sure it's a good idea for us to work together though."

  The phone in Chase's pocket rang and he reached inside to pull it out. He frowned then gave her an apologetic shrug and answered it. "Yeah, what's up Dave?"

  Exactly twenty five minutes after Chase took that phone call, Jenny had changed into a pair of his mother's blue jeans, shirt and boots, said goodbye to her parents, and they were headed to a well that had a 'kick' in it. She had no idea what that meant, but she was sure she'd find out very shortly.

  He hadn't wanted her to go, but she insisted. If this was going to be her life, she needed to see stuff like this to learn. Even if it was dangerous, according to him.

  Chase said something mud being too thin causing the problem. All she did know what that was it must be serious, because his face was drawn and his knuckles white on the steering wheel.

  "I wanted to take the helicopter, but it's supposed to rain tonight, so I'm not sure if they'll have clearance to go. The pilot didn't answer his phone," Chase told her with a quick glance.

  "Is the well that far from here?"

  "Two hours south...I'm gonna call again." He reached for his phone in the cup holder under the dash and then used his thumb to scroll until he found the number he wanted and pushed the button.

  The pilot answered when Chase called this time and he told her they were headed to a nearby airport to be picked up. Jenny had never ridden in a helicopter before, she'd never even flown on an airplane, so the idea made her a little nervous. Thus far, her life had been confined to Amarillo, Dallas and Henrietta.

  "We have to hurry there's a front coming in and if we miss the window to lift, we won't be able to fly," he said then pushed her toward the passenger side and told her, "Buckle up, baby."

  When he hit the gas, she was pressed against the back of the seat and they were flying down dark country roads. Jenny had no idea where they were, or even where they were they were going, so she did the only thing she could, she hung for dear life and prayed.

  They made it to the small airfield in ten minutes. It consisted of one hanger and a grass strip, and a shack of some kind Chase told her was where the one man who worked there handled airport business. Chase parked the truck by the hanger then unbuckled and slid out of the truck, before he ran around the truck to her side.

  "Duck when I tell you," he instructed then grabbed her hand and dragged her toward the helicopter near the hanger with its blades running. The closer they got to the aircraft, the louder the engine noise got, and dust and debris floated around their heads. She almost didn't hear him when he told her to duck, but he put his hand on top of her head and shoved her down, so there was no mistaking it. He helped her climb into the back seat and put on the harness, then he took the front seat next to the pilot.

  Jenny's nails dug into the leather seat when they lifted off, almost before Chase shut his door. Her heart was beating out of her chest and adrenaline pumped through her veins, when she looked out the window and saw the buildings on the ground getting smaller and smaller. It was dark, so mostly she saw lights, but it was still breathtaking. She'd like to do this during the day...but she needed to remember this wasn't a sightseeing trip. Chase leaned around the seat and handed her a headset, which she took it and put on.

  Evidently, these weren't just ear protection and had a microphone too, she realized when she heard his sexy drawl fill her ears. "You okay back there, sugar?"

  Jenny felt around the bottom of her left ear and found her mike, then pulled i
t down by her mouth. "Yes. It's beautiful," she told him in amazement and heard him chuckle.

  "Let me know if you need anything...we'll be there in thirty-five minutes or so," he told her.

  Jenny sat back in the seat and leaned over to watch the ground move by them at a swift clip. "You fly a lot?" she asked Chase curiously, remembering the night he flew to Ben's ranch...the night she'd almost run him off for good. Emotion surged up into her throat and she swallowed it down.

  "Yeah, our rigs are spread out all over the place."

  "Will I be flying too?" she asked and couldn't hide her excitement. This was fun.

  "Sometimes, you will. I'll make sure to give you our pilots numbers, so you just call them if you need to go to a rig."

  He always took care of her. Whatever she wanted, or needed he made sure she had it. Chase Rhodes was a good man, and he cared about her, even though she'd tried to run him off. Love for him gathered in her chest and marinated her heart, until it was near bursting with it.

  "Chase?"

  "Yeah, baby?" he answered.

  "I love you," she told him, because she couldn't help herself. Holding that information inside wouldn't do her any good. That kind of thing had to be aired right out in broad daylight, or it meant nothing. Beau had never learned that lesson, and that's why they didn't work. She wasn't going to become like him. Afraid to commit, afraid to love. If Beau didn't learn that lesson too with Jazzie, he wouldn't have a chance at another relationship.

  There was dead silence in the headset, and Jenny's heart dropped a few notches in her chest, then she felt her face heat. Love wasn't something you professed just to have it said back to you, she reminded herself. It should only be said when you mean it, when you can't help saying it. Chase would say it if and when he was ever ready...if he didn't reach that point, she'd move on. Just like she had with Beau. But the thought of leaving Chase for that reason made her feel sick.

  When she thought he wouldn't respond, he finally leaned around the seat again and pinned her with his intense blue eyes. "You're telling me that now? Sugar, your timing leaves something to be desired," he told her with an unbelieving chuckle.

  Not the reaction she wanted, but he evidently didn't feel that way about her...yet. She could deal with that for now. He was right, her timing sucked. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "It just came out...you've got enough on your mind right now. Forget it."

  When the helicopter crested over some trees, she saw a bright orange glow, and then flames. The rig was on fire, and she heard Chase curse then instruct the pilot, "Right there, Pete," pointing toward an opening between some trees in a field.

  Once they landed, Chase opened his door, then came back and opened hers to help her down. He yelled near her ear, "You stick to me like glue, sugar. This is a dangerous situation...duck," then his hand went to the top of her head to push it down and they ran from under the rotors. Once they were clear, Chase gave the pilot a thumbs up, then grabbed her hand and they ran toward the fire.

  There were several fire trucks and men with hoses shooting something on the flames. It looked more like foam than water, so she wasn't sure what it was exactly. A man ran toward them and stopped to yell at Chase, "Boss, it's a bad one...well's wild. The flare failed and the base of the derrick is on fire. They think she might blow anytime."

  "You call a control team?" Chase asked him more calmly than she would have expected.

  "Yeah, they're on the way, but with the rain, it could be morning," he said and as if summoning it, a big fat drop hit her hair then slid down her scalp, then another and before long it was a deluge, and she was soaked to the skin. As with most Texas thunderstorms, the rain didn't last long though, it stopped as quickly as it had began, but thunder rumbled in the sky, and she saw a flash of lightning. The air was hot and humid, like a wet blanket on her shoulders...it was going to rain again soon, for sure.

  "Anyone hurt?" Chase asked gruffly swiping his eyes with the back of his arm.

  "Nah, we got them off the rig before the flare went off."

  "Ya'll try the remote shutdown valve?" Chase asked the man and he shook his head.

  "That was the first thing we tried, it wasn't working. I checked it yesterday, and it was working fine," he told Chase, then added, "Something else had to be wrong too, boss, I've never seen a well go up that fast, and I've been doing this near twenty-five years.

  "Yeah, you're probably right. We won't be able to find out until it's under control, though," Chase told him then grabbed her hand to pull her toward one of the firemen, evidently the chief.

  Jenny saw a medic truck stationed by a nearby fire truck and pulled on Chase's hand. She could help over there in case anyone got hurt. He tugged back then halted his conversation and dragged his eyes to hers his eyebrows lifted in question.

  "I want to go help the medics," she told him then pulled her hand free.

  "It's too dangerous, darlin'," he said and grabbed her hand again.

  "Chase, I need to go help them," Jenny said in frustration seeing that they already had two patients over there.

  He studied her for a long second, then replied, "Go, but if you hear someone yell blow out or run--you run like hell for those trees, got it?" He pointed to some trees about two hundred yards behind the fire trucks. "Get down and put your hands over your head," he told her then walked to the cab of the fire truck and leaned in. When he came back to her he had a helmet in his hand and plopped it down on her head. "And don't take this off," he instructed then secured the strap under her chin. It was heavy and almost made it hard to hold her head up.

  "Yes, sir," she told him and gave a mock salute.

  He pulled her to him and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "Be careful," he told her and smiled, but his eyes were filled with concern.

  "I will...you too," she told him then turned and walked to the medic truck.

  A few hours later, Jenny was working on her fourth patient with smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion. Most were firefighters, but she had another who was a well worker who got singed when he got too close to the burning rig, while trying to do something with a valve.

  The burns weren't bad, so she patched him up with burn cream and gauze, and put butterfly stitches on the cut on his forehead. That guy seemed a little strange to her though, he had been evasive and seemed nervous when she asked him how he got hurt. When she'd tried to get him talking to assess his neurological functions and take his mind off of his injuries while she'd treated him, he gave only short answers.

  Jenny heard a commotion and looked up from the kit she was trying to sort out and gasped. Two men were running from the derrick toward her truck, dragging another man between them. When they stopped and laid him down on the ground at her feet, Jenny's heart stopped then she felt like a fist slammed into her stomach. It was Chase and he was moaning, his face was covered in soot and grime.

  "What happened?" she asked the men with him, then quickly bent down to assess his injuries. He was breathing like a fish out of water, guppy breathing as she'd nicknamed it. He might have dropped a lung, she thought. Quickly she put her hand to his throat and felt that his heart rate was rapid and thready.

  "I don't rightly know, ma'am. We found him on the floor moaning."

  Quickly, she removed his shirt and cut off his pants, then ran her hands over his body trying to find obvious injuries. When she got to his ribcage he groaned. Broken rib or two, maybe a punctured lung...she sure hoped not, because that could mean big trouble.

  She slapped his cheeks and said, "Chase, talk to me, baby...what happened?" He opened unfocused glassy pain-filled eyes that begged her to help him.

  With her voice low and choked with emotion she didn't need clouding her judgment, she asked, "Can you talk, sugar...who am I, Chase? Do you know where you are?"

  "Jenny...oil field," he rasped, then clutched his chest and groaned. She moved his hand to the side and saw that the left side of his chest wasn't rising with the right. Collapsed lung on the left side, she thought.r />
  "Blood pressure cuff," she requested and stuck her hand out. The medic she'd been working with put it in her hand and she took Chase's vitals.

  "Pulse ox level is eighty-six, Doc" the medic told her in a concerned tone.

  Chase's blood pressure and oxygen saturation were both low...too low. She was going to have to do a needle decompression or chest tube, maybe both, here in a field, not in the sterile environment of a hospital to get his lung reinflated.

  And she was going to have to cut open the man that she loved to do it.

  "You have supplies to do a needle decomp and chest tube?" she asked solemnly.

  "You want me to intubate him?" he asked instead of answering.

  Jenny didn't want to do artificial breathing if she could avoid it. Sometimes it led to other complications. Chase was breathing, just not normally, or well. Maybe she could do something about that without having to put a breathing tube down his throat too.

  "Let's wait and see what the decompression does...he's awake and semi-oriented," she replied, then leaned over Chase to listen to his breath sounds and frowned. No breath sounds on the left side of his chest, and there was a definite rattle from broken ribs. She tried to wipe his lips off to see if they were blue, but the soot just smeared.

  "Watch his breathing, and give him some pain meds. I'll get us set up for the decompression," she instructed then got up and went to the back of the truck to look around.

  "Look in the red case in the back," the medic yelled over his shoulder, then added, "I'm going to call for an evac," he told her.

  "We have a helicopter...we'll take him...they probably can't fly here fast enough with the weather moving in," Jenny yelled back then looked up at the sky wondering if their pilot could even get out now. It was late, probably near midnight, but she could still see the swollen rain clouds overhead, or at least that's what she thought it was. It could be the thick black smoke pouring into the sky from the rig.

  "I'll ride with him," she yelled as she dug through the case he'd indicated and pulled out the supplies for a needle decompression. It wasn't something she wanted to do on the man she loved, ethically she probably shouldn't, but she didn't have much choice. He could die if she didn't.