by Lea Hart
“Ms. Val, should I pack some of this up so that young man can take it out to Ronnie?”
“Essie, I’m not sure how our conversation is going to go, so let’s wait and see. We may have to torture him since he’s made our baby girl cry.” Taking a sip of her drink, she studied him again.
Not able to hold back anymore, Chase erupted. “I’ve been calling your daughter for the last four days straight, and she won’t answer her phone.” Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he showed her the display showing all of the calls that he’d made. “I know she wasn’t mad at me when she left, so something happened when she got here. Is there some old boyfriend who’s come around or has Brian shown up? Why won’t she speak with me?”
Throwing her head back in laughter, Val slapped the table. “I knew it had to be something like that, and I told Ronnie, but she insisted you got what you wanted and were never going to call again.” Standing, she moved over to the bar that was set up in the corner. “I think we need a drink because sweet tea is not going to do it.”
Putting his hand against his head, he felt a wave of relief and anger. Anger, because he didn’t know what game Ronnie was playing, and relief, because this could be fixed. “I would’ve been down sooner, but it took Ana and Ella a day to decide to give me your address.”
“I don’t know why they didn’t call and warn me because I’m like a second mama to those girls.” Shaking her head, she poured them both a drink.
“I asked them not to call and warn Ronnie because I didn’t want her to run away. But it seems that we have a technical glitch, and her feelings haven’t really changed.”
Setting a glass of bourbon in front of him, Val sat next to him. “Hold on there, young man. My daughter has worked herself into a pretty good mad, so I wouldn’t plan on this being an easy reunion. She’s convinced herself that all men are rat bastards, and doesn’t want to have anything to do with them. The exception being her daddy and brothers. You’re going to have to talk her down from the ledge, and if I were you, I’d do it as gently as possible.”
Taking a sip of the amber liquid, Chase tried not to shudder. Why did people in the South drink bourbon anyway? “I would appreciate any advice you can give me. I see Ronnie as a strong, confident, successful woman, and don’t understand why she’s so suspicious when it comes to my feelings about her. It’s like she’s two different people.”
“Most people are,” Val replied. “Just because you’re smart in one area of your life doesn’t mean that you are in others. This may surprise you, but Ronnie doesn’t have a lot of experience with relationships. She could run a small country with complete confidence, but please don’t ask her to put her heart on the line.”
“How is that possible?”
Sitting back in her chair, Val gave him a long look. “I sent my girls to an all-girl Catholic school for middle and high school. I felt like it was their best option to become fully who they were without wasting their time worrying what the boy next to them thought. And I was right. They all came out of high school with a solid sense of themselves, and it stayed with them through college. The good news was that it worked. The bad news was that it didn’t give them a lot of opportunities to mix with boys in social settings. Sure, they had their brothers and their friends, but it wasn’t quite enough.”
“It all sounds good to me,” Chase replied.
“Well, I’m not sure that it was since it didn’t provide Ronnie with enough opportunities to try out her wings and get comfortable. Before I knew it, she went off to California for college, and since there were not any good Southern men available, she hung out with her friends and dated little. Don’t get me wrong; I’m proud of her for focusing on her studies because I didn’t send my girls to college to get their MRS degrees. But she never dated much, and that’s been a bit of a stumbling block for her.”
“I never think of Ronnie stumbling over anything, and she seems like the most confident person in the world.”
“She is about a lot of things, but relationships isn’t one of them. Her forceful personality isn’t easy for a lot of men to deal with and it’s made finding one that’s willing to take her on very challenging.”
“Makes sense and, truthfully, I didn’t help myself a whole lot when I didn’t call after our first date. She has every reason to doubt me, and I need to show her I can be counted on.” Taking a sip of his drink, he looked around the room and noticed that the woman named Essie was staring at him with a less than friendly expression.
“What do you think, Essie?” Val said over her shoulder. “Should we tell him where Ronnie is?”
Coming around the island, she stood next to him and lifted his chin and stared into his eyes. Holding his hand in hers, she studied him. “I think he has a good heart and his feelings are true for our sweet girl. And if they’re not, I’ll put a spell on him and make sure he never finds pleasure with another woman.” Releasing his hand, she patted his shoulder and then walked back to the stove. “I’ll pack up some food for him to take to Ronnie.”
Val patted Chase’s knee and smiled. “Essie has the sight, so if she says you’re okay, then we’ll tell you where Ronnie is. Let me get a piece of paper and draw you a map.”
Chase watched Mrs. DuMond rummage through a drawer and silently wondered what rabbit hole he’d fallen into. This was not a world he was used to and hoped like hell he survived it. “Where is Ronnie?”
Val looked up from the directions she was writing down. “She’s at the farm in Folsom. We’ve got around one hundred and eighty acres with four stocked ponds, horse barns, wild turkeys, coyotes, and foxes. It’s beautiful and Ronnie’s favorite place to be. It’s going to take you about two hours to get there, and the traffic shouldn’t be bad. I’ll give you the name of our favorite bakery and suggest you stop there before heading out of town. A misunderstanding always gets resolved quicker if it’s accompanied by chocolate.”
“Thank you, and I’ll be sure to get the biggest cake they have.”
Essie nodded in approval as she placed the Tupperware containers in a bag. “You pick up a nice loaf of bread to go with supper too.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Standing, Chase wondered what his chances were and hoped like hell they were better than fifty-fifty.
Handing him the paper, Val patted his arm. “If all goes well, then we expect you to stay and attend Nana Boo’s birthday party. It’s on Sunday, and the whole family will be there, so it will give everyone a chance to get to know you.”
“Thank you, Mrs. DuMond, and I’d love to come to the party.”
“Good luck and we look forward to seeing you this weekend.”
Nodding, he followed Ronnie’s mama out of the kitchen and knew he needed all the luck he could get.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
After stopping at the house, Chase made his way down the long dirt road that led to the horse barn. Tally, who was in charge of the place, relieved him of the food he’d brought and pointed him in the direction that would hopefully take him to Ronnie.
Looking around, he appreciated the beauty of the land and remembered Ronnie telling him she wanted a farm of her own. He decided he’d love nothing more than to have something exactly like this for their kids and made a mental note to keep an eye out for one.
He spotted his woman walking his way and let out a low whistle. She wore old jeans, a T-shirt, and boots, with her hair falling out of a ponytail and was the best thing he’d ever seen.
Deciding to go on the offensive, he called out to her. “Since you wouldn’t answer my calls, I had to come to find you, Ronnie. Don’t think that you can get away from me.” He watched her stop in the middle of the road and stare at him in disbelief. “Honey, I came to get you since you’re up to your old tricks and ignoring me.”
“You could try calling next time and then you wouldn’t have had to come out and embarrass yourself with the lies you’re trying to sell me.”
Closing the distance between them, he stood silently and drank her in, l
etting his hand run down her arm. “I called you about two hundred times, and not one was answered, so I came down to see how your visit was going in person.” He felt her hand tremble slightly and knew they were going to work it out. “I’m serious about you and am not giving you a chance to get away from me just because we seem to have a technical glitch.”
Raising her eyes from her boots, she glanced up with tears in her eyes. “My goodness, Chase. I don’t know what to say.” She lifted her free hand, tracing his cheeks with her fingers. “I missed your face and thought you were no longer interested.”
“I never want to be the cause of your tears and have no idea why your phone hates mine.” Lifting her up so they were face to face, he captured her lips and showed her how much he missed her and felt relief fill his chest when her legs came up around his waist.
Tearing her mouth away, Ronnie took a breath. “Welcome to the farm.” She let her legs go and slid down his body. “Mama must’ve decided you were okay since she gave you directions.”
Running his hand down her face, he kissed her cheek. “We had a great conversation and, once Essie approved, she was more than willing to let me come out and fix our misunderstanding. Essie packed a bunch of food, and I picked up bread and a chocolate cake to go with it.”
“Well, if Essie gave her approval, then that pretty much seals your fate. She has the sight, you know, and we rely on her wisdom to guide us.”
“What is the sight?”
“Essie comes from a long line of traiteurs, which are faith healers. The tradition comes from the Cajun culture, and it’s a mixture of Catholic prayer and medicinal remedies.” Taking his hand, she led him over to the shade tree that stood next to one of the ponds. “Some traiteurs have the sight, and Essie happens to be one of them. I’m not sure exactly how it works, but she knows things about people, future events, and when to steer clear of something.”
Sitting down, he pulled her into his lap. “Damn glad I got the approval then.”
She wiggled out of his lap and brushed his trousers. “I’ve gotten your nice clothes all dirty since I’ve got horse all over me. I helped wash three this morning after I rode and need to get cleaned up.”
He pulled her back into his lap and kissed her cheek. “Don’t try and get away from me; I missed you and don’t care if you rolled around in the mud.”
“Chase, I want you to tell me why you’ve come all the way out here.”
Tipping her head up, he pressed a kiss on her mouth before answering. “Because you wouldn’t answer your damn phone. I came to get you, woman, and don’t want you to give me any sass about it.”
“My goodness, you sound like you could be from the South. Are you trying to charm me?”
“No…yes. Hell, I’m not sure. All I know is that I don’t want you to get away from me.” Running his hand up her arm, he frowned. “You’re all sass and sway, and you use it to keep people at arm’s length, that and those ten-dollar words that you like to use. But I’m not going to be held at arm’s length, Ronnie. I’m working my way into your mind and heart, so I’ll not have you use something like telephones not working as an excuse. I’m here, and plan on staying.”
Swinging her leg around, she faced him, hugging him tightly. “That’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
“I doubt that, but maybe it’s true because I’m the right man for you.”
“Maybe so.” Releasing her arms, she grinned. “Would you like to go up to the treehouse and make out?” Twisting, she pointed up to the tree that they were sitting next to. “I’ve never had a boy up there, and I was wondering if you might be interested.”
Tipping his head back, he studied a large structure that sat in the arms of the tree. “That looks like a tree mansion. How many kids can fit in there?”
“Well, there are five of us DuMond kids, and about thirty cousins. We’ve never all tried to get in there at once, but fifteen kids can fit comfortably. Now my nieces and nephews are enjoying it, and my brothers just gave it a fresh coat of paint inside and out.”
Standing with Ronnie in his arms, he walked toward the ladder that rested against the tree. “Let’s go take a look. Since I came all the way out here, do you think I have a chance of making it to second base?”
She gave him a slow once over and shrugged. “I suppose it depends how well you do getting to first.”
“Get ready, honey, because I plan on making a home run.” He followed her up the ladder and knew they were heading for their happy ever after.
“We are going to have to thank the person that left these blankets up here,” Ronnie said as she rolled her head to the side.
Letting out a breath, he lifted his head and enjoyed the hell out of the fact he was naked, sweaty, and completely satisfied. A small breeze moved through the windows, and he felt goosebumps rise on his skin, knowing they had reconnected themselves and set things right. “I like this treehouse.”
“Me too and I wonder if this is what my siblings did when they had someone up here.”
Running his hand along her back, he sucked in a lungful of air. “I’m happy to know I was the man that you brought up here.”
“Me, too.” Pushing him off, she sat up. “You’re exceptional at all of the bases, by the way.” She leaned over, grabbed her panties, and wiggled them on. “Now, I need a shower and some food.”
Leaning against her back, he dropped a kiss on her neck. “Are we good?”
She twisted and kissed his cheek. “You scare me, but I’m going to try and get over that because you might be the real thing.”
“Honey, you scare the shit out of me, and that’s how I know you’re the one for me. I’ve told you that before, and it’s still true.” Turning her in his arms, he wrapped her up and laid his head against hers. “This is where we start, Ronnie. With fear, doubt, and shaking hands. We’re starting now and stopping only when we get on the other side of whatever is going to stop us. We’re going to start where we are with what we have and create a life together.”
“All right, Chase Bedford.” Kissing his arm, she closed her eyes. “I’m going to uncage my heart and see what happens. Bravery is my new middle name, and I pray both of us are ready to see what that looks like.”
“I can’t ask for more and want you to know your heart is safe with me.”
“I’m counting on it, Chase.”
“Please do,” he replied as he wrapped her in his arms and held her against his chest, praying she felt his heart beating in rhythm with hers.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“I hope you’re ready, Chase.”
Tracing her fingers, he looked up. “For what?”
Putting her phone down, she gave him a brave smile. “My two brothers and their families are on their way here. I have a feeling that Daddy sent them as the advance guard and they’re going to take your measure and see if you’re worthy of their baby sister’s attention.” Frowning, she looked out the window and sighed.
“What are you worried about?”
“I don’t want those two boneheads to scare you off. I know they’re going to be obnoxious, just like they always are. It doesn’t matter if they’re both over thirty with a successful business, families, and children because they still act the same way they always have which is loud and rude.”
“Honey, loud and rude are my specialties. Who do you think I’ve been hanging out with for the last fifteen years? I’ve played professional sports since I was twenty-one and where do you think loud and rude came from?”
“That’s true. Y’all are probably going to get along like a house on fire.” Laughing, she stood and started picking up the dishes. “I shouldn’t be worried.”
Chase walked over to the sink and turned on the water and took the plates out of her hand. “Let’s get these done quickly.”
“They’re not going to be here for a while, so we don’t have to rush.”
“I want to have enough time to go back to the tree house before they get here.”
>
Shoving an elbow into him, she shook her head. “Your luck already happened this morning. I have to put a couple of the horses on the hot-walker before the kids get here because I know some of them are going to want to ride.”
“What is a hot-walker…again?”
“I’ll show you when we go out there. If you don’t have time to lunge a horse or take them out, you can put them on, and they get a little workout. You can’t put a kid on a horse if you haven’t exercised them a little because one or both of them will get an attitude.”
“Did the horse I rode this week get put on the hot-walker?”
Drying her hands, she smiled into his eyes. “Of course, I didn’t want to take the chance of you getting thrown off.”
“Thanks for the lessons this week; I enjoyed riding around the farm with you.”
“Me, too. I’ve never done that with anybody, and I’m glad we got to share one of my passions.”
“You know, we never did figure out why my calls didn’t go through?”
“Well…”
“Or maybe you did.”
“Now, I don’t want you to get mad. It was a mistake that anyone could make.”
Taking her hand, he frowned. “What happened, honey?”
“I blocked your number after I got mad at you back in November and it seems I never unblocked it, and that’s why your calls wouldn’t go through.” Patting his arm, she kept her eyes glued to the floor.
“You’ve unblocked my number…right?”
Glancing up, she nodded. “Absolutely. Completely unblocked.”
“Let’s try and keep it that way. Okay?”
“Of course,” she replied. “And, now that I know you’ll come and get me if I stray we shouldn’t have any more…misunderstandings.”
Laughing, he took her in his arms. “Doubt it’s going to be that easy, but it’s a nice thought.”
