Chase (American Extreme Bull Riders Tour Book 2)

by Barbara Dunlop

  “It’s okay. Not all bull riders are the same.”

  “Not all bull riders are your husband.” Piper reached out to touch Maddy’s hand. “How are you holding up?”

  Maddy thought back to Chase and the night before. It was the first time ever that she’d slept with anyone besides her husband. She should probably feel guilty. But she didn’t.

  Making love with Chase had felt good. It had felt right. She didn’t regret it for a moment.

  “One day at a time,” she said to Piper. “I think getting a job is the right move.”

  “It’ll bring balance. It’ll also bring a paycheck. Money becomes more and more important, especially when kids learn to read designer labels.”

  “How are things going at the print shop?”

  Piper had put up her small nest egg to buy the business in order to bring Tristan to Deadwood. She’d confided in Maddy that she’d worried about the crowd he’d started running with in Chicago.

  “It’s holding its own. There’s a lot of competition from online firms, but I’m trying to cultivate some distant customers on the design side. I’m not making a fortune, but I’m paying the rent.”

  “It’d be nice not to worry about money.”

  Since she’d been pregnant right out of high school, Maddy hadn’t had the chance to go to college. Once Riley was in school, she promised herself she’d look into some distance classes. There must be some way to better prepare herself for the job market. She couldn’t see being a card dealer for the rest of her life.

  She heard another car in the driveway. This time, it was definitely going to be Lucas.

  “Here we go,” she muttered, downing the rest of her wine.

  “What’s up?” Piper asked.

  “That’ll be Lucas.”

  Piper’s face paled a shade. “Lucas is here?”

  “He flew into Deadwood to harass me.”

  Piper suddenly looked worried, almost frightened. “I didn’t know he was in town.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Piper?”

  “Last time I saw him, we had a huge fight.”

  “That was years ago.”

  Lucas and Piper had graduated high school together. As far as Maddy knew, they hadn’t seen each other since Piper left for college.

  “He won’t have forgotten.”

  “What—” Maddy stopped herself.

  The fight was none of her business. Besides, Lucas was going to walk in any second. Even if Piper wanted to tell Maddy, there wasn’t time.

  The front door opened and his footsteps sounded.

  Piper’s fingers tightened on her wineglass.

  “Maddy, I’ve got about an hour—” Lucas stopped in his tracks. He stared at Piper as if he’d seen a ghost.

  “Lucas,” Maddy said. “I’m sure you remember Piper.”

  The two watched each other, and the silence stretched. Maddy couldn’t help but wonder what on earth had happened between them that the hard feelings had lasted this long.

  She stepped into the awkward silence. “I told you Piper was going to help me out with Riley.”

  “Piper,” Lucas said in a tense voice.

  “Hello, Lucas.”

  Piper rose shakily to her feet. “I’ll get out of your way.”

  “You don’t need to rush off,” Maddy felt compelled to offer.

  Although, judging by the expression on Piper’s face, there was no way she was sticking around.

  “I’ll call you later,” Piper said to Maddy.

  “Sure. Anytime.”

  Piper seemed to hesitate before walking past Lucas, as if she was afraid he might reach out and grab her.

  Lucas seemed to sense her hesitation. He moved to one side, and she walked past, through the living room and out the front door.

  “What on earth was that?” Maddy asked her brother.

  “What?” Lucas asked.

  “You and Piper. You acted like enemy combatants.”

  “No, we didn’t.”

  “Yes, you did.”

  “I didn’t notice. It was nothing.”

  “Lucas.”

  He walked to the table and pulled out a chair. “We don’t even know each other anymore. I’m here to talk about you.”

  “I haven’t changed my mind.”

  He heaved a sigh as he sat down.

  “You want some wine?” she asked.

  He reached for Piper’s abandoned glass. “No sense letting this go to waste.”

  “I don’t want to fight with you, Lucas.”

  “And I don’t want to fight with you.”

  “You need your money,” she told him in no uncertain terms.

  “I’m making a lot of it.”

  “And you have plans for it.”

  “My plans,” Lucas said, “are to take care of my family. You’re my family. Riley is my family. The best way for me to spend some of it—and I’m only talking about some of it—is on the two of you right now.”

  “And I’m telling you, we don’t need it. What’s more, I won’t take it. I’ll keep my job and tear up your checks.”

  Lucas downed the wine. “You are the most stubborn woman in the world.”

  “And you are too accustomed to being in charge.”

  “I’m obviously not in charge here.” His gaze drifted to the doorway where Piper had left.

  “Is there any way you’re going to tell me what’s going on between the two of you?” Maddy asked.

  “There’s nothing to tell.”

  “You know I’m going to ask her next time I see her.”

  His gaze shot back to Maddy, piercing. “Don’t.”

  Maddy twirled her empty glass, savoring the small victory. “You don’t want me to ask her about nothing?”

  “Mind your own business.”

  Maddy was happy to keep the conversation off her and Riley. “Did the two of you bury a body together?”

  Lucas clamped his jaw.

  A wave of anxiety washed through Maddy. “You’re kinda scaring me here.”

  “There was no body. It was nothing. We were kids. She was stupid, and I was a jerk. We’re both more embarrassed than anything.”

  The front door swung open.

  “Mommy, Mommy,” came Riley’s excited voice, “come see what we bought.”

  *

  Chase had mixed emotions at seeing Lucas’s rental car in the driveway. If his plan was going to work, the two men had to have a serious conversation. But any conversation between them was going to be more complicated today.

  The last time he’d spoken to Lucas, Chase had sworn he hadn’t slept with Maddy. Now he had, and he was willing to bet Lucas would flip if he found out. It would have been nice to have a bit more time to work up to it.

  Riley was in the kitchen, turning a circle to show Maddy his little Stetson and his new six shooter belt.

  “It goes bang,” he told her, pulling out the cap gun.

  “Not in the house,” Chase cautioned, joining them from the doorway.

  Maddy and Lucas were at the table and it looked like they were drinking wine.

  Chase checked his watch. It was only two in the afternoon. He hoped they didn’t need the alcohol for any specific reason—like Lucas was about to take Chase’s head off.

  “You bought him a gun?” Maddy asked.

  Chase couldn’t read her expression, so he decided to take the question at face value. “You have something against guns?”

  “I have something against loud noises.”

  Chase relaxed just a little. “I told him to use it outside.”

  There was resignation in her tone when she answered. “And I’m sure he’ll remember that every time.”

  Riley was already cocking the hammer.

  “Riley,” Chase warned, giving him a censorious look.

  “Yes, sir.” Riley let his gun hand drop and dipped his chin. “Only outside.”

  “Did you have some lunch?” Maddy asked Ril
ey.

  “I had a hotdog and French fries. Bang! Bang!”

  “We went to the Orange Bow Café,” Chase said.

  “You’re spoiling him.”

  “I didn’t want him to starve.”

  “And the present?”

  “Is it my fault the hardware store has a toy section? You can’t take a kid in there and come away completely empty-handed.”

  Chase’s objective had been twofold. Sure, he wanted to make Riley happy. But he also wanted Riley to forget about their visit to the lawyer’s office. As he’d hoped, the cap gun and the hotdog were far more interesting than Chase’s conversation with the lawyer.

  “Mommy, can I play on the porch?” Riley asked.

  “I’ll watch him,” Chase offered. To Lucas, he asked, “Join me?” He held up the six-pack he’d brought back from town.

  Since Lucas hadn’t called Chase out, Chase was going to assume Maddy had kept the change in their relationship private.

  “Sounds good,” Lucas said easily, rising from his chair.

  Maddy looked relieved to be left alone. Chase could only surmise Lucas had already made another pitch about giving her an allowance.

  The two men crossed the front porch and settled in two faded wood Adirondack chairs on the lawn.

  “The two of you have a big problem,” Lucas said as he opened the bottle of beer.

  Chase tensed, waiting for the hammer to fall. Maybe Maddy had shared more confidences with her older brother than Chase had guessed.

  But Lucas pointed to Riley. “He’s your biggest fan.”

  “He’s a great kid,” Chase said, relieved.

  “But he’s not your kid.”

  For some reason, the words offended Chase. They were true, and Lucas was only stating a fact. But it rankled none the less.

  “I have a proposal for you,” Chase said, letting the statement slide.

  Lucas angled his body, looking curious.

  “It’s about the house.”

  “What house?”

  “This house. Your house.”

  “You mean Maddy’s house.”

  “She told me it belonged to all of you.”

  “It does.” Lucas’s tone was implacable. “But she lives here. No if, ands, or buts.”

  “We’re in agreement on that,” Chase said.

  “Why, thank you.” Lucas’s sarcasm was clear.

  Again, Chase blew past the possible negative turn in the conversation.

  “I have some money,” he said. “I recently sold some land and the capital is just sitting there.”

  “And?” Lucas was looking decidedly suspicious.

  “My proposal is that I buy this place from you. Maddy keeps living here as long as she wants, and she takes her share of the profits to use for expenses.”

  Lucas’s eyes narrowed. “You swore you weren’t sleeping with her.”

  Chase looked him in the eyes. “Everything I said to you yesterday was true. But Maddy’s a terrific woman. Riley is a great kid. They haven’t been dealt the easiest hand in the world, and I want to help.”

  Lucas was clearly suspicious. “What’s in it for you?”

  “An investment, for one. I fully expect this place to appreciate. And my dad walked out on me when I was a kid. My mom had to raise me alone. I know it’s not an easy thing to do.”

  Chase moved his attention back to the view and took a drink of his beer. He wasn’t lying, but he wasn’t fully disclosing either.

  “We don’t need your help.” Pride colored Lucas’s tone.

  “You don’t,” Chase agreed. “But Maddy does. Because she’s not going to take your money, and you can’t force her to quit her job.”

  Lucas tapped his index finger against his beer bottle.

  “I know you’re trying to buy back your family’s spread,” Chase said. “You can use the money towards that.”

  “This is part of my family’s spread. What’s to stop you from selling it out from under us?”

  “That’s not my plan,” Chase said. “But write anything you want into the sales contract. You can have right of first refusal. Or I’ll agree not to sell until Riley’s eighteen. Or both. Whatever you want.”

  “She lives rent free.”

  Chase shot Lucas a look of disbelief. “That would be the whole point, wouldn’t it?”

  “I don’t trust you,” Lucas said. “I don’t know you, and I don’t trust you.”

  “Then we’ll put it in the fine print.”

  “There’s something you’re not telling me.”

  There was definitely something Chase wasn’t telling him. But that thing had happened after he made his pledge yesterday, and he wasn’t about to give Lucas an update.

  “Think it over,” Chase said, turning his attention to Riley and pretending the answer didn’t matter. “There are plenty of other real estate deals in the world.”

  Lucas went silent, while Riley plunked away with his cap gun.

  Chase sipped his way through is beer, letting his mind wander to Maddy. She was back in the house right now. He pictured her puttering in the kitchen, maybe picking up toys in Riley’s bedroom. In his imagination, there was a glow to her face, and she hummed as she worked.

  Then he pictured her in her pajamas. And then she was naked, hair tousled, lips swollen, and she was whispering his name.

  “It’s not just my name on the title,” Lucas said, interrupting Chase’s thoughts.

  “Maddy’s?” Chase guessed, bringing himself back to reality.

  “And my brothers.”

  “So you’re considering my offer.”

  “I’m considering it.” Lucas paused, then seemed to make up his mind. “If you can bring Maddy around, I’ll get my brothers on board.”

  “Done,” Chase said.

  “I’m having my lawyer go over the fine print.”

  “If he prefers, he can draw up the whole contract himself,” Chase said, finished with this part of the conversation. Coming up with a deal they could both agree on was going to be a piece of cake.

  Right now, he was framing up his pitch to Maddy.

  Moments later, his brain switched from that to what he’d do with her after Lucas left, and then to what he’d do after Riley went to sleep.

  He couldn’t wait to hold her in his arms again.

  He decided the details about the house could wait until tomorrow.

  *

  “No,” Maddy said the next day as she stood up from the kitchen table, taking a dinner plate in each hand.

  Chase watched her ramrod straight back and knew he had a bigger challenge than he’d anticipated on his hands. “What do you mean no?”

  “It’s not a complicated word, Chase.” She dumped the plates into the sink.

  “You haven’t even heard me out.”

  “I don’t have to hear you out to give you an answer.” She returned for a second load, picking up the butter plate and the basket of home baked rolls.

  “Stop clearing the table,” he said.

  “Why?” She frowned at him. “Are you still hungry?”

  “I’m not still hungry. I’m trying to have a conversation with you.”

  She turned her back and marched across the kitchen. “The conversation is over.”

  He came to his feet. “Why is it over?”

  “If I start explaining why, then it’s not over, is it?”

  Riley ran past the doorway, making a motor noise and carrying a toy airplane, and Chase came to his feet and began helping her clear the table.

  “You’re not making sense.” He snagged the salt and pepper shakers in one hand and an empty platter in the other.

  “I’m making perfect sense. You’re the one who’s lost his mind.”

  “It solves both your money problems,” Chase said, replacing the salt and pepper shakers on the shelf above the stove.

  “I don’t have two problems.”

  He set down the platter and counted to three before responding. “I meant both your mon
ey problem and Lucas’s money problem.”

  “I don’t have a money problem,” she said airily. “I have my money problems solved.”

  “By working at the casino?”

  “Exactly.”

  “Maddy.” He set his hands on her shoulders and urged her to face him. “It’s a good investment. I’m making a good investment.”

  She turned. Her cheeks were flushed, her voice low-pitched. “It’s a pity purchase, Chase.”

  “This isn’t pity. I have the money just sitting there.”

  “And it’s your money.” Her glare was aimed at his chin. “This is even worse than Lucas.”

  “This isn’t me helping you.” He hesitated, but then spoke the truth. “This is me helping Riley.”

  Her gaze suddenly darkened like a prairie storm. “He is not your son.”

  Chase felt like she’d slapped him. He dropped his hands and took a step back. “I know that.”

  “Do you, Chase?” There was a quaver in her voice. “Do you? I notice you haven’t told him that yet.”

  “And neither have you!” The second he spoke them Chase wished he could bite back the words.

  “Daddy?” Riley’s voice was hesitant in the kitchen doorway.

  Chase felt the world sway beneath him.

  “You’re right.” Maddy tipped up her chin and square her shoulders. “Not telling him was a mistake. And I’m going to fix that right now.”

  “No,” Chase pleaded with her.

  She marched toward Riley.

  Chase was instantly on her heels. “Maddy don’t. Not like this. Not when you’re angry.”

  “Riley, sweetheart.” She took his hand.

  “Yes, Mommy?” There was both worry and confusion in his little voice.

  “Can you come and sit down with me?”

  “Maddy, please.” Chase searched for the words that would stop her from taking such a rash action.

  “Mommy needs to tell you something.”

  Chase knew he shouldn’t follow. He knew he should give her some space. But he couldn’t bring himself to back off. A rock had formed in the pit of his stomach, causing an ache of dread.

  “I’m flying my plane.” Riley broke away, and spun, making loud engine noises.

  “Riley,” Maddy admonished.

  Riley stopped spinning. He wobbled. Then he sat down hard on the floor.