by Linda Warren
“I’m on fire,” he said against her lips, reaching for a condom on the nightstand.
“Me, too.”
When he was fully sheathed he rolled onto her, and she welcomed him boldly, opening her legs. His lips found hers in a slow, drugged kiss as he thrust into her. She wrapped her arms and legs around him and held on for a ride that was better than any Ferris wheel.
A long time later their sweat-bathed bodies lay entwined. Shay kissed the swirls of hair on his chest, hating to end this moment. This time out of time when she’d found happiness with a man named Chance.
She eased from the bed, but he pulled her back. “Just one more minute.”
“If we take a minute, it’ll be ten and then twenty.”
He tucked her long hair behind her ear. “You’re amazing. It was amazing. Better than I’d even imagined in my dreams.”
She kissed his hand and forced herself to stand. “I’ll be smiling the rest of the day, and Darcy will want to know what’s wrong with me.”
“Nothing. Everything’s right because…what are you doing?”
She ran her hand across the top of his foot. “These are some big feet.” Her fingers trailed to his instep and he jerked, grinning.
“You’re ticklish,” she teased.
He yanked her back into bed and covered her naked body with his. “Nobody messes with my feet.” A lopsided smile lifted the corners of his mouth.
“But me.” She kissed him and he groaned.
“Yes, you…because—”
“Oh, Chance, look at the time. Where’s my bra? My panties?” She jumped out of bed, stopping him. She was afraid he was going to say the words she feared—that he loved her. But she knew he did. She felt it in every touch, every kiss. He couldn’t love a woman who kept secrets from him. Not until she told him the truth.
WHEN SHAY WALKED INTO her house, she could hear Darcy and Nettie.
“Stop jumping on the sofa,” Nettie was saying. “If you don’t, I’m going to turn you into a toad for good.”
“Can you do that, Nettie? Can you really?”
“No, she can’t,” Shay said, placing her purse on the kitchen table. “And what are you doing, jumping on the sofa? You know you’re not supposed to.”
“Mom,” Darcy shouted, and leapt down. “I was just showing Nettie how the sofa could be a trampoline.”
“It’s not,” Shay reminded her.
Nettie got to her feet. “I’m going home to peace and quiet.”
“Tell Nettie you’re sorry for not minding her.”
“Sorry,” Darcy said, hugging Nettie around the waist and then turning to Shay. “Look.” Her fingernails and toenails were purple. “Cool, huh?”
Before Shay could respond, the girl jumped up and down again. “Did you get us a car?”
“Yes, it’s—”
Darcy screeched and ran to the garage.
Nettie searched Shay’s face as if she were reading her palm. “I’d say you spent the afternoon with a tall, dark stranger and enjoyed every minute.”
Shay couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face. “Yes, I did.”
Nettie hugged her. “Good for you.” Then she drew back and pointed toward Blanche’s room. “She’s asked for you about four times in the last thirty minutes.”
“I’ll check on her.” Shay headed for Blanche’s room and then turned back. “Thanks for staying so long.”
“Anytime. You know that.”
“Love you.” Shay hurried to her room and changed into jeans and a T-shirt. As she started to put her heels away, she noticed the dirt on them and remembered the carnival. She would always remember this day. A longing sigh escaped her. How she wished she could see Chance tonight. Wake up in his arms and…
“Shay!” Blanche called.
She made her way across the hall.
“Where in the hell have you been?”
Shay closed the door so Darcy couldn’t hear. “Buying a car.”
“You’ve been with a man,” Blanche accused. “You’ve been with that Hardin boy.”
“He’s hardly a boy.”
“I told you to break it off.”
Shay ignored the warning. “Did you want something?”
“Yes. I want you to listen to me. He’s trouble. Mark my words, you’ll regret it.”
“A few hours ago you wanted him to get your rings back.”
“It’s very clear you’re not going to encourage that.”
“No,” Shay replied, trying not to lose her temper.
“He’s no good to us then, so get rid of him.” Blanche slapped a hand on the bed. “Go away. I spent thirty hours in labor and look what I got—a no-good daughter who won’t even help me.”
Shay backed out of the room and left her mother with her bitter thoughts. These little bouts of jealousy were hard on Shay. Her mom wanted to control her completely, but that wasn’t happening.
When she reached the living room, she heard Darcy scream. Oh, no. Were the Bennett boys teasing her again? Shay hit the back door at a dead run, then stopped so fast she almost flipped.
Darcy had Chance by the hand and was leading him toward the car. “This is our new car,” she was telling him. “It’s white,” she added, as if Chance were color blind. She yanked open the passenger door. “This is where I sit. No one sits there but me and Tiny. Cool, huh?”
“Very cool, hotshot.”
Darcy slammed the door. “Can I sit in your truck?”
“Sure.”
Shay folded her arms across her chest. “The car has lost its appeal, huh?”
“No.” Darcy made a face at her. “I can sit high up in Chance’s truck. I can go through creeks, rivers, hills, mountains and all kinds of mud. I don’t want to get our car dirty.”
“Oh.” In a child’s mind pretend was what it was all about.
Darcy looked up at Chance. “Can I wear your hat?”
“Can I wear your hat, please?” Chance corrected her.
Darcy frowned. “I don’t have a hat.”
With a grin, Chance knelt down in front of her. “It’s polite to say please when you want something. It’s good manners.”
“Oh.” Darcy seemed to straighten her little frame. “Can I wear your hat, please?”
“Yes, you may,” Chance replied, and plopped it on her head.
Darcy was out the door in a flash, Tiny on her heels.
“You’re so good with her,” Shay said, and moved into his arms, pressing against him and just loving the man he was.
He kissed the top of her head. “I couldn’t stay in that apartment without you. I hope you don’t mind me coming here.”
She played with a button on his shirt. “Mind? I was trying to think of a way to get out tonight.”
He leaned back, hope in his eyes. “Can you?”
“No.” She took his hand and they walked into the house. “Is Darcy okay in your truck?”
“Yes, but I better go let the windows down so she doesn’t suffocate.”
Shay poked him in the chest. “That would be nice.”
And so their evening went. They were together, that was the main thing. Darcy wanted pizza for supper, but Shay wanted her to have something healthy. Chance solved the problem by offering to pick up pizza and stop for a salad.
He looked at Darcy. “Would you like to go with me?”
Her head shot up. “You mean, like, in your truck? It’s gonna be moving and everything?”
“I hope so.” He smiled.
“Oh, wow. Golly gee, yes.” Darcy ran for the door.
Chance kissed Shay. “I really hope we don’t have to go through any rivers or creeks.”
“Not with my kid,” she called as he went out the door.
When they came back, Darcy’s eyes were almost popping through her glasses with excitement. “Wow, Mom, you won’t believe it,” she said, placing the salad on the table. “You push a button and the window goes up and down. You push a button and the seat moves and you push a bu
tton and the air-conditioning gets cooler or hotter. And you push a button and the seat gets warm. Really, Mom. And I had my own control. How cool is that?”
“Supercool.” Shay winked, taking the pizza from Chance.
“I like buttons,” Darcy said, sliding into her seat.
“I like buttons, too.” Chance looked at Shay’s mouth and warmth suffused her whole body.
Almost in slow motion, she licked her quivering lips.
Chance walked past her to get to his chair. He patted her butt and whispered for her ears only, “Stop teasing.”
She giggled and they sat down to eat—like a real family.
That phrase lingered in her mind. That’s what she wanted—a real loving family. It was a fantasy, though. She knew a fallout was coming and she had to be prepared. For now she was selfishly clinging to her secret, clinging to Chance. The truth would only hurt him and she was trying to protect him from the pain.
Would he understand that?
CHAPTER ELEVEN
BEFORE CHANCE KNEW IT, June had arrived but he hardly noticed. He was happier than he’d even been, and it was all because of Shay. She’d reached his heart when no one else could. At times he found it hard to keep his mind on business. But he managed. Since the weather was nicer, the rigs were drilling.
He’d taken the helicopter in for service and it was being delivered back today. Then he’d be off for the Giddings field. He cleared up his paperwork and left notes for Cadde and Kid on the Crocker Number One well. The geologist predicted this would be their biggest producer so far. Cadde wanted it watched closely.
But Chance drew the line at working late. He usually landed on the roof about five, showered, changed and was at Shay’s by six. No way was he giving up time with her, especially Tuesday and Thursday nights, when she came to the apartment after her classes at the University of Houston. Cadde could yell all he wanted, but Chance wasn’t clocking in twelve to fourteen hour days.
He had other interests besides the oil business.
His main interest was a green-eyed lady named Shay.
As he was about to leave, his phone buzzed. He picked up the receiver. He really needed to hire a secretary.
“Yes,” he said into the receiver.
“Mr. Hardin.” The receptionist’s sugary voice came on the line. “There’s a Mrs. Renee Calhoun here to see you. What do you want me to do?”
“Send her up,” he replied, wondering what Renee was doing in Houston.
He opened the outer door and ushered Renee in. She looked elegant, as always, in a beige designer suit and pearls.
As she took a seat, he asked, “What’s up?”
She sat her purse on the floor. “I came to ask a favor.”
“Fire away.” He leaned back in his chair. “I’m pretty easy.”
“You’re a very nice young man. I miss you at the ranch.” She looked around the office. “Your new venture seems to be going well.”
“So far so good.” He paused. “So what’s the favor?”
Renee reached for her Louis Vuitton bag and rifled through it. She pulled out a black velvet ring box and placed it on his desk. He’d seen that box before. Blanche’s rings. This was a puzzling development.
“Could you please give those to Shay?”
He looked at the older woman’s face and saw nothing but peace there. “I thought you’d never change your mind. You were very angry.”
She folded her hands in her lap. “Sorry you had to witness that.”
“It was a normal reaction.”
“It was a jealous reaction,” she corrected. “But I got over it.”
“What changed your mind?”
“When I heard that Shay was not Jack’s biological daughter, something shifted in me and I could see my behavior for what it was—pure jealousy.” She waved a hand toward the box. “Those are Blanche’s rings and she should have them. I know what a wedding ring means to a woman. Besides, I really don’t want to keep them in the house any longer.”
“That’s very generous and forgiving.”
She rose to her feet. “What can I say? I’m a saint.”
Chance stood, too. “Can I ask you a favor in return?”
She slipped the purse over her arm. “Sure.”
He pushed the rings toward her. “Would you please give these to Shay yourself?”
“Oh, Chance.” Clearly that was something she didn’t want to do.
“She feels bad about trying to steal them, and if you two met again I think it would close that door on the past forever.”
Renee picked up the rings. “For you I’ll do it, but I really would rather not see Blanche.”
“Don’t worry. She never leaves her bedroom.” He quickly scribbled directions on a piece on paper. “The house is easy to find and it’s on your way out of town.”
Chance walked around his desk and handed it to her. “Thank you.”
“Yeah. That’s the problem with being a saint. You’re an easy target.” She headed for the door.
“Renee.” Chance didn’t know how to phrase his question. He didn’t even know why he wanted to ask it, but it was there at the front of his mind, urging him on. He had to know.
“Yes.” She looked at him.
“May I ask you a personal question?”
“Depends how personal.”
“No.” He shook his head. “It’s not about you. It’s about me.”
“Oh, well then, ask away.”
Chance took a long breath. “Did you ever see my father with another woman?”
“Heavens no. He was devoted to your mother.”
Chance watched her face. “You said that a little too fast.”
Her skin paled. “Chance, I don’t know anything.”
But she did. High Cotton was a small town and gossip was rampant. “What do you know?”
“Nothing, really.” She slipped her purse higher on her arm. “Your mother came to the ranch collecting donations to send the basketball team to state. She came in, we had coffee and talked.”
“And?”
“We got to talking about men and relationships. She said she’d loved Chuck since high school and there would never be anyone else for her. But she added that lately Chuck had been distant and working a lot of overtime. I think she suspected he was seeing someone else.”
“He was,” Chance said. “I just don’t know who.”
“Chance.” Renee touched his arm. “Let it go. It’s been over twenty years. Let them rest in peace. It’s time to live your own life. Take that from a woman who knows.”
“I’ll try,” he promised.
She hugged him. “I think you’ve found someone to help you. Am I right?”
He tried to hide a smile, but couldn’t. “Yes, I’m seeing Shay. She’s a wonderful person, just like we thought from the start.”
“Trust those first instincts. They’re almost always right.” Renee reached for the doorknob. “Now I have a delivery to make. Goodbye, Chance.”
“Bye,” he called, and fumbled for the phone on his leather belt. Shay answered immediately.
“Renee Calhoun is coming your way,” he said. “I just wanted to give you a heads-up.”
“What? Chance, why is she coming here?”
“Relax and trust me.”
“Chance…” He clicked off and headed for the helicopter pad, ignoring his ringing phone. He hoped she trusted him enough to know that he wouldn’t send Renee over there with murder in her eye.
No way would he let anyone hurt Shay.
She was the one thing in his world that was rock-solid good and he intended to hold on until the last turn of the Ferris wheel.
SHAY WAS SO NERVOUS she could barely finish Mrs. Willet’s hair. What did Renee want with her? Chance had said to relax and trust him, and she found that was all she could do.
Mrs. Willet paid for her services and walked to the door. “My, there’s a big old Cadillac driving up.”
Mrs. Taylor jumped out of Nettie
’s chair to look. “Wonder if she’s lost?”
“I’ll take care of it,” Shay said, and removed her smock.
Darcy joined Mrs. Taylor at the window. “Golly, she looks like a fairy godmother.” School was out, so Darcy had to go to work with Shay and sometimes she grew bored. “I want to go.”
With her hand on the door, she said, “No. You stay here with Nettie.”
“I wanna come,” Darcy wailed.
“Read your book. I won’t be long.”
“No,” Darcy snapped in anger.
Nettie came to Shay’s aid. “If you don’t mind your mother, I’m going to turn you into a big fat toad.”
Darcy whirled around. “You don’t know how to do that.”
Before Shay could intervene, Nettie flung out her arms. In the gypsy blouse she looked like a bird about to take flight. “Abracadabra, saints and sinners, doubters and believers…”
Darcy scurried to her chair and buried her face in her book, peering over the top at Nettie.
Nettie lowered her arms and winked at Shay. Those made-up incantations had worked on Shay as a child and still seemed to be potent—at least to a little girl.
Shay opened the door and went out to meet Renee, who stood by the Cadillac looking elegant and sophisticated.
“I’m sorry,” was all Shay could say.
Renee waved a hand, her diamond rings flashing. “Don’t worry about it, sugar. I know Blanche and how she can manipulate people.”
“Still, it was wrong, and I should never have—”
“I could write a book about the ‘never haves’ in my life, so let’s just leave it in the past where it should be.”
“You’re so gracious—not at all like the woman I’d heard about for so many years.”
Renee lifted a fine arched eyebrow. “The bitch, huh?”
Shay nodded.
“That works both ways, sugar. Blanche and I used to be friends, two young girls from poor families looking for a better way of life. We just happened to fall in love with the wrong man.”
“Jack Calhoun,” Shay murmured. “If I never hear his name again, I’ll be happy. For so many years I believed he was my father.” She looked down at her hands, and the scent of permanent solution wafted to her, reminding her of who she really was. “I have to be honest. The main reason my mother was able to talk me into going to Southern Cross was that I thought I had…a right…a right as Jack’s daughter to be there. When I saw how beautiful the place was, I felt cheated out of so much…but it was all a lie. My life was a lie…”
