Chaps and Chance

by Evans, Jessie

  “I was talking about my culinary skills,” Cole said, his voice husky. “But I’d love to show you more of the other, too.”

  Layla leaned against the doorframe, sadness flickering across her features. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Tonight was amazing, but it was a mistake. I need to focus on building my own life right now, not fitting into someone else’s.”

  Cole nodded slowly, doing his best not to let his disappointment show. “I can understand that. And if you come stay with me for a few days, I promise to keep things friendly. You can sleep in my bedroom and I’ll take the loft bedroom, the better to get a shot off at anyone stupid enough to come through the front door.”

  Her lips pressed together thoughtfully, making him think she was considering his offer. “Let’s see what tomorrow holds. I’ll call the locksmith and call you once I figure out when I’ll be able to get the locks changed. All right?”

  “How about I sleep on your couch. Then I can be here when you call,” he said, grinning when she started to shake her head. “If you say no, I’m going to have to sleep in my truck by the front gate and I’ll have a horrible crick in my neck come morning.”

  “You don’t have to sleep by the front gate,” she said, pinning him with a stern look. “Wayne’s not coming back tonight. He said I have a week, and he keeps his promises. At least about stuff like that.”

  Cole’s smile faded. “I don’t care. I don’t want to leave you alone. And it’s not because of what happened on the bed. If you were a guy friend who’d had a break-in, I’d be acting the same way.”

  Layla arched a dubious brow. “For some reason I doubt that.”

  He shrugged. “Well, I wouldn’t be dying to kiss him again, but I wouldn’t want to leave him alone. And if he needed a hug to help him feel better, that would be all right. I’m man enough to give another man a hug.”

  “I’m sure you are,” she said, that smile he’d been hoping for finally creeping across her face. “You’re such a mess.”

  “I am not,” he protested with mock anger. “I hug John at least once a week. You can ask him. He gets all stiff and pretends he doesn’t like it, but he secretly cherishes my displays of brotherly love.”

  She shook her head slowly back and forth, but her smile stayed in place.

  “What?” he asked, brows lifting. “You don’t believe me?”

  “No, I believe you,” she said. “I’d just forgotten you’re as sweet as you are silly.”

  He reached out, unable to resist brushing her midnight and silver hair from her face. “I try to be sweet, especially the past few months. Once I realized I could go out any minute, I wanted to make sure I was ready when the time came. With no regrets or things left unsaid or people left wondering how much they meant to me.”

  Layla’s chest rose and fell and her blue eyes began to shine. “Very sweet.”

  Cole’s throat tightened. “Then let me be sweet to you. I’ll camp out on your couch until morning and you don’t even have to make me coffee if you don’t want.”

  After a moment, she leaned in, pressing a kiss to his cheek before she stepped away and started down the hall, throwing her parting words over her shoulder, “You can sleep in that bedroom. The sheets are clean. See you in the morning.”

  Cole stood watching her glide down the hall, moving so gracefully her feet barely seemed to touch the floor. She seemed so much more insubstantial than she had when they were younger, like a spirit trapped halfway between life and death, but she was no less beautiful. And he sensed it wasn’t too late to bring her back.

  Back to the world, back to life, and back to him.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Cole

  Cole pulled through the gate to his family’s ranch at nine o’clock the next morning and went straight to John’s house.

  The locksmith was out of town and wouldn’t be able to get the locks changed at Layla’s place until Tuesday morning. Cole had managed to sweet talk her into coming to stay with him, but only if he got clearance from John, Lily, and his mother first. He didn’t imagine his family would have any issue with Cole helping out a friend, but he wasn’t looking forward to the conversations he’d promised to have.

  He didn’t want to share Layla’s dirty laundry or feed the town gossip machine.

  His mother was a good woman, but she loved to talk with her pottery students and the old folks down at the nursing home, where she taught arts and crafts on weekend afternoons. Cole planned to ask her to keep Layla’s situation private, but he didn’t know how long Laura Mae would be able to honor a promise like that. When it came to gossip, his mother’s love for a story often tested the strength of her integrity.

  That’s why he was going to talk to John and Lily first. If they had any problem with the arrangement, then he could go stay at Layla’s tonight and avoid the chat with his mother altogether.

  When he parked in the driveway and hopped out of his truck, he could hear his nephews laughing in the backyard. He bypassed the front door, walking around the house where he found Carter and Peyton jumping on the trampoline while Lily worked in her garden at the far corner of the large lawn.

  “Uncle Cole,” five-year-old Peyton shouted, a grin dimpling his chubby cheeks. “Come jump! Pop me!”

  “No, me first,” eight-year-old Carter shouted. “Peyton went first last time. Pop me first!”

  “No time for jumping today,” Cole said, grinning when his nephews collapsed on the trampoline with twin groans of suffering. “I jumped with you two days ago. You’ll live, drama kings.”

  “I’m not a drama king,” Peyton whined as Cole headed toward the garden where Lily was standing with her dirty gloves propped on her hips. “I just want to go high and I can’t go high by myself. It’s not fair!”

  “Oh, hush,” Lily called across the lawn. “No more whining or you can take a nap this afternoon.”

  “No naps!” Peyton called out, leaping back to his feet. “No naps, no naps!”

  “I don’t know, a nap sounds pretty good to me.” Lily grinned her crooked grin and squinted up at Cole. “What’s up buttercup?”

  “Not much, Pippi,” Cole said, reaching out to tug one of her fuzzy brown braids. “Just need to talk to you and John about something. He around?”

  “He went on a grocery run.” Lily reclaimed her garden stool and motioned for Cole to take the other one nearby. “He should be back in a few if you want to stick around and wait. I could use some help with the weeds. They’ve gone crazy the past week.”

  “You got extra gloves?” Cole perched on the stool and scooted closer to the row of tomato vines.

  “Worried about your petal soft hands, Princess?” she teased, tossing him a pair of gloves from the basket near her feet.

  “I am. And I’ll take some sunscreen, too, if you have it,” he said, lifting his chin and patting his cheeks. “Trying to keep my pretty face wrinkle free as long as possible.”

  Lily reached back down to dig through her gardening basket. “Well, you know I have that. Can’t keep the freckles under control any other way.”

  “If that’s under control, I’d hate to see what happens when you let them run wild,” Cole said, laughing as a tube of sunscreen came sailing at his head.

  “I’m going to tell John on you,” Lily said, wrinkling her nose in his direction. “He loves my freckles. He thinks they’re adorable.”

  “You’re totally adorable, Pippi. And the most wonderful sister-in-law ever.”

  “What do you want?” Lily squeezed one eye shut, nailing Cole with her stink eye. “If you’re going to try to talk me out of the vacation in April you can forget it. John and I haven’t been on a grown-ups only trip in years. You and the hands can handle things without him for five days.”

  “No, it’s not about that.” Cole cast a glance over his shoulder to make sure the boys hadn’t crept into earshot while he wasn’t paying attention. But Peyton and Carter were still jumping on the trampoline, taking turns doing backflips. “I was
hoping you’d put in a good word for me with John if I need help winning him over. I think he’ll be fine with what I’m going to ask, but just in case, I’d appreciate some backup.”

  “What are you going to ask?” Lily tossed a handful of weeds out onto the grass, the humor fading from her expression. “You know John and I are a team. I don’t like being asked to do things behind his back.”

  “It’s not like that, it’s just…” He trailed off with a sigh. “I’ve got a friend who’s in trouble, and I want her to come stay with me so I can watch her back. She’s not ready to go to the police, but she doesn’t want to stay here unless it’s okay with everyone in the family. Her soon-to-be ex threatened to hurt her and she doesn’t want to put anyone in danger.”

  “Wow. That’s a tough one, Cole,” Lily said, her pale forehead wrinkling. “I feel for this woman, I really do, but I don’t want to put the kids in the line of fire. You know? Do you think this man is a danger to them?”

  Cole shook his head. “It doesn’t sound like he’s laid a hand on anyone but his wife. Layla’s worried he might get jealous and come after me, but I’m not. And I don’t think he’d have the balls to come after her while she’s at my place. He waited until he knew she was alone in her house last night before he broke in.”

  Lily’s eyes widened. “Layla Wheeler?”

  “Soon to be Layla Parker,” Cole said, hating that she’d ever shared Wayne’s last name. “So what I’m saying is, if anyone’s in danger, it’s me. I don’t see any reason for Wayne to mess with you, Mom, or the kids, even if he did get up the guts to try something on our land.”

  Lily took a deep breath as she tugged off her gardening gloves. “I had no idea things had gotten so bad for Layla, but I can’t say I’m completely surprised. The way the Wheelers stay holed up on their property is just plain weird. I’d go crazy if I was stuck with no one but Lawsons to talk to for months on end, and I actually like you people.”

  Cole smiled. “So that means you’re on my side?”

  “That means I’ll think about it and see what John says.” Lily tossed her gloves into her basket as she rose from her stool. “It also means I’m not in the mood to pull weeds anymore. You want some lemonade? I made some fresh this morning. I was in the mood for a taste of summer.”

  “Sounds great.” Cole stood beside her, hooking his arm around her narrow shoulders and pulling her in for a hug. “And thanks for being such a good sister to me. I’m serious. No buttering up involved this time.”

  She reached up, patting his scruffy cheek affectionately. “I’m sorry you had to go through what you did this winter, little brother, but it sure has sweetened you up.”

  Cole huffed. “Bullshit. I was sweet already.”

  “You were,” Lily agreed with a laugh. “But you let it show more than you did. It’s nice. And I’m proud of you for stepping up to help take care of a friend, but Layla should really go to the police. I know it can be scary in a situation like that, but Ned Wyatt is a big old teddy bear. He’d make it painless for her. Or as painless as it can be.”

  “I know,” Cole agreed. “I think I’ll be able to talk her into it sooner or later. She just needs some time and to make the decision for herself. She isn’t in a place where she likes anyone telling her what to do.”

  Lily smiled crookedly. “Well, I can understand that. I don’t ever like people telling me what to do. Your mom is about to drive me crazy, by the way. She had me out in the back forty getting more red clay for her again last week. It took all day and by the time I got back in the afternoon, she had the boys so pumped full of sugar I couldn’t get them to sleep until nine o’clock.”

  “Tell her no next time,” Cole said, laughing when Lily shot him a look that made it clear she knew better than to tell her mother-in-law no if she didn’t absolutely have to. “Or fake an injury and call me and I’ll go get it for you.”

  “I might take you up on that,” Lily said, checking him with her hip as they started toward the house. “Hey boys, y’all want lemonade? Uncle Cole and I are going to have some.”

  “Yes, but bring it to me on the trampoline, Mama,” Peyton said. “I’m too tired to walk all the way into the house.”

  “Do I look like your slave, Little Prince?” Lily said with a huff. “If you’re too tired to walk, you’re too tired to jump, and you should probably come inside and take a—”

  “No naps!” Peyton shouted, making her laugh. “I’ll come get it. I’ll come get it.”

  Lily and Cole headed into the house and Peyton and Carter tumbled in behind them, smelling like sweaty puppies, the way John, Cole, and Bubba had when they were little. By the time Lily had the lemonade poured, John was home from the store. Lily got the boys settled with apples slices and raisins for a mid-morning snack—as far as Cole could tell all his nephews did was eat—and the grown-ups retreated to the living room to discuss the situation with Layla.

  Unexpectedly, John didn’t ask too many questions, simply said that Cole should do what he had to do to and John would keep a closer eye on Lily and the boys while Layla was staying on the property.

  “You’re sure?” Cole set his lemonade down on the glass coffee table in the toy-littered living room. “If you need time to think it over, take it. I can sleep at her place tonight, I just think my house will be safer until she can get her locks changed.”

  “I’m sure,” John said, pulling Lily into his arms and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “I know what it’s like when you finally get a second chance at the one who got away.”

  Lily chuckled as she leaned against her husband. “I didn’t get far. I think we were broken up for two weeks before we figured things out. Maybe three?”

  “Longest two weeks of my life.” John kissed Lily again before turning back to Cole. “Talk to Mom and see what she says, but we’re good. And for what it’s worth, I agree with you. I don’t see Wayne having the guts to come on our property and start something.”

  “But I’ll be sure to call you ASAP if I hear any strange vehicles driving by,” Lily said. “You know sleep and I don’t get along most nights.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate it y’all.” Cole clapped his brother on the shoulder and gave Lily another hug before starting for the front door. “Maybe we can all have dinner sometime this week. I can cook.”

  “Yes!” Lily said at the same time John boomed—

  “No, thank you.”

  Cole laughed as he headed outside, knowing Lily would win the argument. She and the boys loved Cole’s cooking, and she refused to eat pork chops, chicken, or chili every night because her husband had a thing against trying new foods.

  Lily had an adventurous side that balanced John’s hold-steady-and-rarely-embrace-change philosophy. They were a perfect match, a fact that had occasionally made Cole jealous in the past, when forced to watch displays of affection and the easy banter between the long-marrieds at family parties.

  But today the cuddling, kissing, and hum of happiness that surrounded his brother and Lily like a swarm of punch-drunk bees didn’t bother him. Maybe his new “be ready in case this is your last day” way of living had taught him better than to let jealousy taint his time with the people he loved. Or maybe it was the fact that he was going to be spending the evening with Layla that held the green-eyed monster at bay.

  Knowing that he’d be cooking her dinner tonight—whether at her place or his—and going to sleep under the same roof, was all he needed to keep a smile on his face. Even knowing they were going to be proceeding as “just friends” wasn’t enough to dampen his good mood. He was glad to have an old friend back in his life, and the chemistry that had exploded between them last night left little doubt that sooner or later he and Layla were going to become more than friends.

  And when that happened, he was going to teach her that there were some men she could trust with every part of her—body and soul.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Layla

  Layla waited on her front porch wi
th her suitcase by her feet, staring out at the ridge on the other side of the field where the trees were bursting with bright spring leaves, too anxious to stay inside.

  She’d spent most of the day turning the problem of Wayne, what she’d done to Wayne, and what Wayne would do to her if she failed to return home by next Friday over and over in her mind and still had no idea what to do next.

  The naïve part of her said to go to the police, be ready to lie like her life depended on it, and everything would be okay. The panicked part of her said she should hop the next bus out of town, ride it as far as her meager savings would take her, dye her hair, change her name, and become someone else for a few years.

  Or a decade. However long it took for Wayne to get tired of fighting this losing battle and sign the divorce papers.

  The logical side of her, however, insisted that the police didn’t have the tools to handle Wayne—they didn’t have the manpower to watch her twenty-four seven, and if Wayne decided to come for her, a restraining order wouldn’t stop him. Running might work for a while. But in the end, if Wayne were determined to find her, he would. Her husband was moody, violent, unpredictable, and not quite in his right mind, but he wasn’t stupid. He would keep looking for clues until he found one and she’d wake up one morning to find him haunting her new life the way he’d haunted her old one.

  Or maybe she wouldn’t wake up at all. Maybe he’d kill her in her sleep and she would end up dying far from her home and family, isolated by fear the way she’d been for nearly a decade.

  No. Not anymore. Never again.

  The thought echoed through her mind, resonating with a power that quieted the panicked, naïve voices in her head. She refused to lose another day to fear or intimidation. Wayne would never control her again. She had escaped and she wasn’t giving up her freedom without a fight.

  Then you know what you have to do.

  Despite the late afternoon sunlight warming her skin, Layla shivered.