Looking around, she asked, “Where’s your ride?”
Absently, he jerked his chin to the far right where his old baby blue pickup truck sat, he said, “Belle’s over there.”
She whipped around in that direction and chuckled. Turning back to him, she smiled sweetly. “After all this time, you kept her.”
With her soft hand in his and her face beaming, he nearly lost all thought. Something kicked him in the gut. Never had he wanted to sweep her up in his arms and take possession of her lips more so than he did now.
How could she make him forget all he’d lost by just one beautiful look? But, she did. And it haunted him that this woman could force all clear thought from his brain. No other woman had ever been able to erase any of his painful musings. Only the bottle had.
“That’s as good of place as any to talk.” She pulled him out of his reverie and to the truck. “Well, come on, I don’t have all day. Mrs. Cohen will be out from under the dryer in twenty minutes, so hop on it.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He couldn’t quite suppress the chuckle from his voice.
Only an hour ago, he would’ve bet anything that today of all days he couldn’t be coaxed to smile never mind laugh. But with Tessa everything seemed to disappear, his heartache, his feeling sorry for himself.
Once inside the cramped, chilly truck cab, he turned on the engine and flicked the heater to high. Laying his arm along the back of the dark blue leather seat, he swiveled so he faced her, his bent right knee lying on the seat. “Okay, shoot.”
She seemed to burrow into the opposite corner, keeping as much distance as possible now. Glancing at him quickly, she looked away, nibbling on a thumbnail. Silence throbbed in the tiny space. His nerves stretched to unbearable lengths.
He took the time to study her and try to absorb the fact that for the second time in as many days they were utterly alone. Wonder rushed through him. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined this possible.
A little over thirty-six hours ago, he’d gotten that horrible phone call from Father Tom. Without thought, he’d tossed all his clothes in a bag, gathered his mechanics tools together, and then set out from Virginia. The ten-hour drive had given him too much time on his hands to think.
His ambivalence on coming home to Connecticut had strummed to life. There hadn’t been any question in honoring his granddad. But there had been in seeing Tessa again. In his heart he longed for the meeting, yet knew how risky the prospect would be; he suspected he’d give away his buried feelings. He hadn’t counted on them rushing to the surface and nearly choking him though.
Just thinking about it now had him shifting uncomfortably in his seat and drumming his fingers against the steering wheel. “Come on, Tessa, don’t keep me in suspense here.”
Dropping her hand, she blew out a gusty sigh. Turning to him fully now, she aimed her piercing green eyes straight at him. He swallowed hard. “I can’t see what good this will do any of us, Chance. First of all, you don’t play by the rules.”
Confused, he asked, “What rules are you talking about?”
She threw up her delicate hands. “Oh, brother. You mentioned the baby in front of my granny when I motioned to you not to.” Pain throbbed in her voice, piercing his heart.
Last night rushed back to him now and he winced. “How was I supposed to know she’d react like that?” He still shook at the old woman’s sobbing, as if her heart had been breaking. He’d never have thought it of her, thought that old lady Warfield had any emotion in her. He was wrong. And that fact bothered him.
“If you’d just went along with me, none of that would have happened at all. I can’t trust you.”
It felt as if she punched him in the gut. How many times had he heard that from the people he’d let down? Composing himself, he hung on by his fingertips. “This has nothing to do with trust, Tessa.” He waved a hand back and forth between them. “We have nothing to do with trust.”
“Hah!” she snorted. “We have everything to do with it or this marriage you’re pushing for can’t work.”
“How do you figure that?” It’s just a business arrangement. He wished she’d stop talking in circles and just tell him what the problem was.
“First this, then who knows what else?” Panic entered her large, luminous eyes, catching him by surprise. She was dead serious about this. “The next time I turn my back what will you tell granny, huh? About the times we used to sneak into the old Greenville house with the neighborhood kids? Or all the times we met when we shouldn’t have? Are you going to tell her about playing spin the bottle with me and the others, too?”
All the memories came rushing back to him now. Forbidden to see each other, he had pushed the limits and sought her out on more than one occasion. But it was the experimental kisses that haunted him. Hers were so soft and innocent. “We once had our own private game of spin the bottle away from the others. Do you remember that?” His voice grew huskier with each word. A coil of heat churned inside him, low and deep.
He watched the transformation in her. The fear leaked out of her expression. Her lips parted and a pink flush colored her flesh. Dropping his gaze, he spotted the rapid pulse at the base of her throat. Lower, the black vest she wore over her white shirt strained as she sucked in each quick breath.
Chance slid closer to her. With his hand gliding along the back of the seat, he tentatively reached out, snaring a spiral curl in his fingers. “So soft. I always imagined it would feel like this.”
Lavender tickled his nostrils, drawing him in. “You were thirteen I think the first time…” He stared at those lips, so full and alluring.
She nodded. “It was over too soon. I wanted more.” Heat licked through him when she looked at his mouth, and then slowly back into his gaze.
In the depths of her eyes, he saw her need crying out, just like he had last night. His middle clutched. With everything he had in him he resisted leaning in and taking what he desperately wanted. Tenderly, he reached out with his left hand and cupped her satiny cheek. He brushed his thumb over the softest flesh he’d ever felt beneath his hands. “Tessa.” It came out on a groan. “Sunshine, I can’t give you more than I have inside me.” Nothing.
Moisture gathered and clung to her lashes. “I know,” she whispered hoarsely. “You can’t love me. No one can.”
An invisible hand squeezed his chest. “Shhh, now! Just because I don’t have any left, doesn’t mean there isn’t someone out there for you.”
She tried to laugh. Only a puff of air escaped. “My daddy murdered a man, Chance. My mother’s lover. Then he turned the gun on himself. Who in their right mind would want to get mixed up with me, the product of his craziness and her wildness?”
Put like that he couldn’t disagree. He had first-hand experience at having to live with his own parents’ past. “Sunshine, I wish I could tell you it doesn’t matter, but we both know it does. Look at me, my old man got so drunk one night he froze to death on the railroad tracks. And hell, my mother killed herself by accidentally drowning herself in booze and pills.” He tried to stop the pain from entering his voice. He failed.
Continuing, he said, “Why in God’s name you want a baby from me, I’ll never know. But, I give you my word, I’ll do it.” And I’ll support it, too. All the more reason for me to go after my dreams and make something of myself.
She shifted so now her head rested on his shoulder. He pulled her closer, tucking her into his chest and wrapping his arms around her. He buried his face in her hair. He swore the soft springy curls smelled of warmth and sunshine. “You feel so good,” he said his thoughts aloud.
Sniffing, she said, “Granny doesn’t want me to have a baby by you. She even wants me to go see this doctor who will give me birth control pills.”
“But you don’t want to, do you?”
The shake of her head against him gave Chance his answer. Pulling back, she looked up into his eyes. Hers, clouded with tears, revealed the inner battle she fought. His heart lurched. “Oh, suns
hine.”
Grabbing the lapels of his suit jacket, she said, “She wants me to go along with you so you’ll get out of town. While you want me to marry you in order to be able to sell the pub and start your project for kids. But, what about me, Chance? Don’t I count here?”
He groaned, and then swore.
“And you two are trying to best each other with me in the middle.” It hit him then, she’d overheard the verbal tug of war. Something shriveled up inside him.
“Tessa, about last night—”
“Don’t bother explaining. I’m no prize either, I know that.”
“That’s not true.” It came out fiercer than he’d intended. How could he convince her he’d exaggerated, even lied?
She swiped a hand across her eyes, trying to stem the flow of fast-falling tears. The opportunity to right the wrong impression was lost when she spoke again. “I can’t trust you not to hurt granny. You may hate her, but I love her.”
When he’d gotten the phone call about his granddad, he never thought it would be the beginning of all this. He didn’t want to get involved with Tessa or care about what the hell happened to her. But he did. And he didn’t want to be one more person in a long line that hurt her.
He blew out another breath. “All right, she’ll never hear it from me about our secret meetings when we were growing up, all right? I wouldn’t want her to take it out on you.” And he meant it, with everything inside him, he meant it.
Disbelief chased across her delicate features. Next came confusion. She seemed to be holding her breath when she asked, “Why?”
With the utmost care, he used the pad of his thumb to gently wipe away her tears. Nearly choking on the words, he said, “Call me crazy, but I really don’t want her to know about us. Somehow—” his voice cracked. He cleared his throat, and then continued, “Somehow it would be like betraying us. Betraying those few precious times when we didn’t give a damn about the stupid feud and only cared about what we wanted.” Each other.
For long, silent moments she stared at him. He hoped she could see the sincerity. A tear glistened on her lashes, hanging there. She blinked and it dropped onto his thumb. “I hated the secrets and lies, still do, but I wouldn’t have given those times up for anything. It was like we could finally be ourselves.”
Growing uncomfortable with exposing so much of himself, Chance pulled back slightly. His heart ached at the loss of contact, but he pressed onward, knowing the more he said the more buried emotions came to the surface. And right now he couldn’t deal with them.
He waved a hand in front of her and asked, “So which finger?” When she wrinkled her brow, he explained, “So I can prick it and sign my oath in blood.”
That got a giggle and a jab in his ribs. “Cut it out, will ya? This is serious stuff.”
Rubbing his side, he said, “You’ve still got quite a right hook there, sunshine. Remind me to wear a bullet proof vest or something next time.”
When she briefly stuck out her tongue at him he chuckled, and then centered his attention back on her mouth. Suddenly the laughter died and a charge ignited in the tiny space of the truck cab. His breathing became shallow and labored as if he’d run a race.
“Do you feel it?” she asked softly, her gaze locking with his now. Her eyes turned to liquid emerald green and he groaned out loud.
“Yes,” he choked out. Slowly, he leaned in toward her, inch by inch, measuring her reaction. The pulse at the base of her throat throbbed wildly and a flush crept into her cheeks. Her quick, hot breaths fanned his face, stirring his growing passion. And she parted her full peach-colored lips. “Do you know how long I’ve waited to kiss you again?” he asked, his voice rough and husky.
“Forever,” she answered in a breathy tone that sent shivers down his spine.
“And then some.”
Closing her eyes, her lashes cast dusky shadows on her alabaster skin. Chance’s middle tightened and heat blazed through his bloodstream. Only a few inches separated him from her now. Just a little more and I can taste those sweet lips of hers.
Suddenly the door behind Tessa was yanked open and she nearly tumbled out. He jumped in alarm at the unwelcome intrusion and grabbed for her as she fell backward yelling. Her friend Jewel swiftly caught her. Between his pulling and Jewel’s pushing they got Tessa back in the truck safely.
“Geez, are you trying to kill me?” Tessa asked, twisting to look at her friend.
“Scoot over,” Jewel commanded. Turning, she said, “Bree, you go around to the other side, okay.”
A minute later Chance was cramped in his truck cab. Bree sat beside him while he held Tessa flush to his side with Jewel stuffed into the passenger seat. Mentally he swore, thinking by marrying Tessa he not only took on her granny but these two as well.
“What in the world is going on?” Tessa asked, glancing around him to blink wide-eyed at Bree. The warmth of her body pressed against his stole through him and her lavender scent lingered all around him. He swallowed a groan, thinking he’d been so close to her soft, full lips. Just another minute and I’d have tasted her.
He intervened, saying, “They’re going to put their two cents in, sunshine.” Weary acceptance colored his words; he knew there wasn’t any way out of this one either. He rubbed her tense shoulder to give her his support.
“Well, at least he’s smart,” Jewel said with an edge to her tone. “We don’t approve, but we talked to your granny and she seemed resigned to the fact.”
“You mean, condemned to the fact,” Chance muttered under his breath.
The ladies must have heard him; they all burst out laughing. With that the two women flanking Tessa and him appeared to relax, the aggression leaking out of them.
“You’re right about that,” Bree said. “Listen, we of all people know what it’s like to be forced into marriage.”
Chance jerked around to face her, puzzled at her admission. “How’s that?”
“Never mind that now,” she said, waving it aside. “Tessa can explain our situations later. The thing is, we want what’s best for Tessa.”
“We don’t want her to end up hurt,” Jewel piped up, causing him to swivel his head to look at her. The frosty glare spoke of retribution.
He glanced down at Tessa shrinking beside him and covering her face with her hand. “Oh, brother,” she mumbled.
A blast of anger shot through him and he lashed out. “Oh and you think her granny hasn’t been doing that to her all these years.” He looked from one to the other. “If you’re such good friends where the hell have you been? Why didn’t you help her?”
The air crackled, shooting sparks. Stunned silence reigned. Then he spotted the guilty expressions on both women’s faces.
Tessa broke through the growing tension, saying softly, “They’ve tried all along, Chance.”
“But not enough,” Jewel admitted.
“Especially lately.” Bree reached over and briefly squeezed Tessa’s clasped hands. “We’re sorry, honey. We’ve been so wrapped up in our own lives that…” she trailed off.
“It’s all right, really,” Tessa said. “Granny’s been a little better and I’ve been working a lot of hours, so it helps.”
Inwardly, Chance ached for her. No way was he going to let her suffer any more at the hands of her own grandmother. Nor at mine. He’d keep his promise to stop baiting old lady Warfield, even if he had to choke on it.
“All right, sunshine, we’ve got a deal, right? We’re a team.”
Turning to him, she gifted him with a radiant smile that had his middle doing flip-flops. Holding out her hand, she said, “Deal!”
Her warm tiny hand fit in his perfectly. Thrills raced through his veins at the feel of her flesh touching his. Her long fingers wrapped around his skin as well as his heart. Somehow he realized that this wasn’t going to be easy at all. Six months with her may very well unravel all his cleverly wrapped up feelings and emotions. A sliver of fear poked his gut, but he stayed focused on the way she glowed
, happiness written in every feature.
“Stop looking goo-goo eyed, you two,” Jewel said, bringing Chance out of his reverie. “We’ve got a wedding to plan.”
“A wedding? But it’s just going to be something simple, right?” Chance looked at each one of their beaming faces and knew he couldn’t compete. He threw up his hand in defeat.
Chapter 8
The muffled voices behind the double oak doors rose in volume, making Tessa cringe. Sitting on the floor in the small foyer, she leaned her head back against the sturdy barriers. The wreath of flowers atop her crown slipped and she quickly righted the drooping headpiece. The white satin and lace wedding gown rustled softly at her slight movements. Looking up at her two dearest friends, she asked, “You’d think two old women would know how to act in church, wouldn’t you?”
The pair, in their matching tea-length, rose silk dresses, shot her varying degrees of sympathy. Bree shifted her bouquet of pastel pink roses and baby’s breath from one hand to the other, saying, “Oh, sweetie, I’m sorry. I thought they’d have gotten it out of their systems this last week.”
Tessa blinked back tears. Sniffing, she said, “Hah! They’ve been going at it for most of their lives, or hadn’t you heard?”
“Don’t cry, Auntie Tessa,” Sydney, Bree’s little girl, said, squatting down to her level and placing the child-size basket filled with multi-colored flower petals by her side. Her favorite white tulle dress she wore spread around her and skimmed the floor. Her blonde hair shone like a halo in the stream of bright sunlight coming through the fanned window from behind her. And her big cobalt blue eyes looked at Tessa solemnly. “Grownups always act silly when they want their own way.”
Gasping, Tessa could only stare at her little flower girl. “Out of the mouths of babes, huh?” she asked Jewel, who’s increasing frown only proved the situation was getting completely out of hand.
Making up her mind, she shifted forward, kissed Sydney on the forehead and hugged her tight. The sweet scent of baby powder and green apple shampoo tickled her senses. Pulling away and cupping the precious child’s round face in her palms, she said, “Okay, kiddo, it’s time to stop this nonsense and get on with the wedding.”
Lies of the Heart (Heart Romance #3) Page 5
