by SJ McCoy
Chance laughed. “How can you know that from the two minutes she was in here?”
His dad gave him a stern look. “I’m a good judge of character. She’s a good girl, I can tell. And, more importantly than that, she’s good for you. I only need to look at you to know that. You’re different. I like her for making a difference for you.”
Chance hung his head. He didn’t know what to say.
“Go on with you,” said Alice. “Leave him alone, you’re embarrassing him, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen Chance embarrassed before.”
His dad laughed. “There’s a first time for everything. I’ve never seen him embarrassed his whole life.”
Chance looked up at them with a smile. “It is kinda weird, huh?”
His dad nodded, looking much more solemn. “It is. In fact, it’s weird enough to make me drop it. You’ll figure it out for yourself, and me busting your ass about it won’t help you figure it out any faster.”
“Thanks, Dad.” Chance went and perched on the bed beside him and wrapped his arm around his shoulders. “How are you getting on? Seems like they work you hard in here. You were sleeping last time I came in.”
His dad nodded. “Yeah, this is my kind of place. They make you work for it. There’s no room for pussies.”
“Frank!” Alice scolded him.
He just laughed and looked up at Chance. “I like that doctor friend of yours. He’s one of those smart people that still has a lot of common sense.”
Chance laughed. “Yeah, I never thought about it like that before, but he is, isn’t he?”
His dad nodded. “All too often those snooty doctors have a million letters after their name, can spell the names of diseases all in Latin, but can’t tie their own shoelaces. Dr. Johnny’s not like that. He’s good people. He has a woodworking shop, too. I’ll bet it’s a good bit fancier than mine, but still.”
Chance smiled. “I’ll bet he’s not as good at it as you are, though.”
His dad smiled. “I guess we’ll never know, will we? And since we won’t, I’m going to agree with you. Anyway, what are you getting up to while you’re here?”
Chance shrugged. They’d said they were going to leave the subject of Hope alone, but his dad and Alice had to be curious as hell, and his dad was giving him a chance to talk about it if he wanted to, without pressuring him to do so. “Well, after we’ve seen you guys, me and Hope are going to go visit the market this afternoon. I read in the paper that it’s supposed to be a really good one.” He looked at Alice. “Do you want me to pick up anything for you?”
She smiled. “I don’t think so. We’ve got everything we need here.”
“You can do me a favor, if you would,” said his dad.
“What’s that?”
“Take lots of photos? I read about the market, too. It looks good and they hold it down by the docks. I’d love to see some pictures of it.”
Chance nodded, feeling guilty again. He was getting to see something that his dad was missing out on. “Maybe I can spring you from here for a couple of hours next week and take you to see it?”
His dad smiled. “I’d like that, but we’ll have to see how I’m getting on. I want to make the most of every minute that I’m here. I can’t be playing hooky to go to the market.”
Chance smiled. “We can play it by ear.” He understood where his dad was coming from, but he decided to have a word with Dr. Johnny. He’d like to find a way to take his dad without him having to miss any of his sessions.
Chapter Fourteen
As they drove away from the clinic, Hope studied Chance’s face. “Is everything okay?”
He nodded. “Yeah. You?”
“I’m fine, but you look a little preoccupied.”
“Sorry. I guess I’m just thinking about my dad. I feel guilty that he’s stuck inside there, while I get to go out and visit the market and have fun with you.”
“Yeah, it doesn’t seem fair, does it? But at least with all the work he’s doing at the clinic he’s getting himself in better shape to be able to go out and do fun things himself again soon.”
“He is. He’s working his ass off.”
“Uncle Johnny’s always been like that. He’s a positive kind of person, he believes anything’s possible. He’s proved it time and time again with his own hard work.”
Chance nodded. “I like the philosophy, it’s just that, from what I’ve seen in life, sometimes you can work as hard as you like, but it still doesn’t make things possible.”
Hope wasn’t sure what to say to that. She was aware that she had led a charmed life compared to most. She came from privilege, and just because she liked to work hard, she couldn’t claim she knew how it felt to have to work hard.
Chance turned and smiled at her. “Anyway, we’re out to have fun this afternoon.” He turned and looked at the walking stick resting on the backseat. “I wish you’d gone for the wheelchair.”
She laughed. “I don’t need it. The stick is great. I feel conspicuous enough in a big silly hat and dark glasses. Sitting me in a wheelchair would only draw more attention, don’t you think?”
Chance laughed. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
The streets around the marketplace were busy, it took them a while to find a place to park. Chance raised an eyebrow at her as he turned the engine off. “What do you think, are you going to be okay? We’re going to have to walk a ways to get to the market.”
Hope smiled. “I’ll be fine.” Chance came around to help her out and handed her the stick. “Thanks.”
She was surprised how much the stick helped her. She was able to walk at a normal pace and it felt so much better to be getting around under her own steam than to be confined to a wheelchair and dependent on Chance to push her around. The only downside was that she didn’t get to lean on his arm. She liked that. When she leaned on him she could feel the raw energy that he gave off. He might be here in a small seaside town, but he felt like a wild animal, contained by his environment—but only just.
When they reached the main marketplace, Chance stopped and looked down at her. “Where do you want to go? What do you want to see?”
She laughed. “Everywhere and everything. You’re probably going to regret bringing me here. I love looking at all the trinkets, and I love looking at the clothes and checking out the local produce. What do you think, can you handle that?”
He rolled his eyes and sighed, but he couldn’t hide his smile. “I guess. Now I really wish you were in a wheelchair and I could just push you along when I get bored.”
She laughed and slapped his arm. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“I’ve told you before, never dare me.”
She nodded. “Never dare you and never ask you to make a promise, right?”
He nodded, the laughter gone from his face, and she wanted to kick herself for saying that.
She stepped closer and put a hand on his shoulder. He looked down at her and the pain in is his eyes made her heart hurt from him. She reached up and touched his cheek and gently brushed her lips over his. “I’m sorry.”
His head jerked up as if she’d stung him with her kiss. Damn. That wasn’t the reaction she’d hoped for.
“Sorry. That wasn’t at you. I thought I saw … There was a guy with a camera.”
“Shit!” Hope closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath. All she needed was someone recognizing her and taking photos—especially of her kissing Chance!
“It might have been nothing. I mean, it’s market day in a tourist town. Lots of people are going to be taking photos.”
She nodded. “Let’s hope it was nothing.”
Chance put his arm around her shoulders. In that moment, she felt as though nothing could harm her. He was there; he was her protector and nothing could get to her. She smiled up at him and froze when she saw the look in his eyes. He lowered his lips to hers and kissed her gently.
She closed her eyes and kissed him back. She wondered how his lips, which pressed into a t
hin line so often, could feel so full and soft against hers. It was only a brief kiss, but it awakened something in her. She wanted to cling to him and make it last, but all too quickly he lifted his head and smiled.
They wandered up and down the aisles browsing the stalls. Chance did his best to make the right noises and sound interested as she pointed things out to him. He wasn’t really interested though, she could tell. He perked up a little when they reached a stall for a local vineyard.
“You like wine?” she asked.
He nodded. “I might seem like a heathen, but a couple of my friends are quite knowledgeable and they’ve taught me a thing or two. I know what I like at least.”
She smiled. “And what do you like?”
He grinned. “This is where I’m proud to be a Californian. I don’t like white wine, no matter how many times I try it. What I like are big, bold cabs.”
She smiled. “I wish we could go to Napa.”
“I do, too.” He met her gaze and she knew they were both talking about more than wine tastings. “But even more than that, I wish I could take you to Lake County. The wineries there haven’t mastered marketing yet, but they’re doing great things. They supply a lot of the grapes for some of the Napa labels, and they’re coming up with some great wines of their own these days.”
“I read an article about Lake County a couple of weeks ago. I’d love to visit.”
Chance held her gaze for a moment. She wanted him to suggest they should go. Her mind was racing, thinking that maybe this could be their excuse to meet up again. She raised an eyebrow, hoping he might say something. He didn’t
The guy on the stall came out to them and handed them a couple of postcards. “Sorry, I couldn’t help overhearing you talk about Lake County. They’re producing some great wines these days, and if you like big, bold cabs you need to try our Twin Pines”
Chance smiled at him. “I have. It’s great. Do you have any?”
The guy grinned and turned back to the stall.
Hope looked up at Chance and he smiled. For a moment, she thought he was going to say something about them maybe taking a trip together, but of course he didn’t. “I’m so glad you get to try this.”
She nodded. So was she. She was normally more of a Pinot girl herself, but she was open to try anything, and she certainly didn’t consider herself to be a wine snob.
The guy handed them each a sample. Hope watched Chance drink his; he just knocked it back and grinned at her. She felt like he was issuing her a challenge. She would normally sniff and swill, but she thought better of it. She knocked hers back too and smiled at him. It tasted great.
She wanted to laugh; she’d swear the guy’s nose turned up a little as he watched them. He no doubt wanted them to savor all the subtleties, but what the hell? It tasted good and that was all that really mattered, wasn’t it?
“What do you think?”
She smiled. “It’s wonderful. I’ll take a case.”
The guy grinned and Chance raised an eyebrow at her.
“Wonderful. I’m afraid I can’t let you have a case here and now, but if you let me have your address we can ship overnight and you’ll have it tomorrow.”
“Oh.” Why hadn’t she thought? She really didn’t need to be giving out her name or the address where she was staying.
Chance was thinking on his feet much faster than she was. “If you’re sure it’ll be here tomorrow, that’ll be awesome, I can give you the address where I’m staying. But if it’s not going to be tomorrow, I’ll have to leave it. I’ll be going home again and I can buy it in the local store there.”
“It’ll be tomorrow.” The guy obviously didn’t want to lose the sale.
Hope stood back and watched as Chance gave his name and the address of the cottage—and then paid. She hadn’t intended for him to do that. When they were all done, the guy handed Chance a bottle. “I wouldn’t want you to have to drink anything else tonight while you’re waiting for your delivery.”
Chance grinned. “Thanks.”
“And do you mind if I ask where home is? I’m always curious to know where the wines are selling and finding new friends for us.”
Chance nodded. “Montana. Paradise Valley.”
The guy grinned. “In that case, you’re either buying from Deb or from Bryan over at the liquor store.”
Chance nodded. “Both of them.”
“That’s great. Give them my best when you see them.” He handed Chance a card.
“Will do.” Chance turned to Hope. “Are you ready?”
She nodded. She was. Her ankle was starting to ache badly from standing around like this. Walking on it wasn’t much fun either, but at least while she was moving she was somewhat distracted. They thanked the guy and carried on browsing down the row of stalls.
“I got the case for you, you know.” Chance turned to look down at her as they walked. “I only jumped in like that because I didn’t want you to be put on the spot about giving out your name and address.”
She smiled. “I know, thank you, and I appreciate it. You must let me give you the money for it.”
His eyebrows came down as he frowned at her. “No. I got it for you.”
She opened her mouth to argue and then thought better of it. She felt bad that he was spending money on her, but the last thing she wanted to do was offend him by saying so. “Then thank you.”
He grinned. “You’re welcome. And thank you for not arguing about it. Was that as hard as it looked?”
“What?”
“Biting your tongue like that.”
She laughed. “No, it wasn’t. It was catching myself in time before I argued with you, that was the hard part.”
He smiled. “It always is, isn’t it?”
She gave him a puzzled look and he shrugged. “The hard part is always stopping yourself from reacting automatically. Once you catch yourself, you can see reason; but if you don’t catch yourself in time, you can cause all kinds of problems.”
She nodded. He was right. “Yeah, I’m just so used to taking care of myself. I don’t want to put anyone out. I especially don’t want to put you out, you’ve already done so much for me.”
He smiled. “Everything I’ve done is because I want to. That’s why I’m glad you didn’t throw it back in my face.”
“Me too.” Someone jostled her as they walked through the crowd and she almost lost her balance. Chance’s arm shot out to steady her and she clung to him gratefully. He felt like a wild animal about to pounce as he stared around, searching for whoever it was that had pushed her. For a moment, he looked like a different person completely from the man she knew. She held tighter to his arm and waited for the moment to pass. When he looked down at her again, she smiled. “Like you just said, the hard part is catching yourself before you react.”
“What do you mean?” He still had a wild look about him, as though he was ready to attack whoever had pushed her.
“If you hadn’t needed to stay still for me to lean on, you would have gone off through the crowd to find him, wouldn’t you?”
Chance nodded slowly. “I would. It’s instinct for me. If someone hurts someone of mine, someone I care about, then … I need to … I have to …” His words trailed off and he sucked in a deep breath. “I still have my demons, I guess.”
She squeezed his arm and smiled up at him. “But you’re not letting them control you.”
He met her gaze and shook his head. “Maybe.”
~ ~ ~
Chance’s heart was still racing. When that asshole had nearly knocked Hope off her feet, all his instincts had kicked in and Chance had wanted to find him and take him down. He was grateful now that Hope had needed him to keep her upright. If it wasn’t for that, his temper might have won out—then where would he be? He didn’t want to think about it. It no doubt would have ruined their afternoon, and probably the rest of their time together. He sighed. Would he ever get past that? He knew what it was about. He knew where it stemmed from. What he di
dn’t know was how to stop it—or even if he wanted to. It had become a part of who he was.
“Do you want to get out of here?” asked Hope.
Shit. Had he gone and ruined everything?
She smiled. “I was thinking we could go back to the house and take care of that bottle of wine.”
“Did I scare you off?”
She shook her head. “It’s okay, really. I get it.”
Chance nodded. He wondered if she really did. How could she?
She looked up into his eyes. “Okay, I’m trying to understand it, is probably a more honest answer. But the point is the same, I’m not saying I want to leave because of the way you reacted just now. I’m saying I want to leave because my ankle is aching like crazy, because I’m all shopped out, and because we have a good bottle of wine and an evening ahead of us.”
He smiled. “Well, since you put it like that … Let’s go.”
When they got back to the house, Chance helped her inside and set her up on the sofa. “Do you want a drink?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yeah, shall we crack open that bottle?”
He laughed. “We can if you want, but I was thinking water; I’m thirsty.”
“Oh.” She did her best to look trite, but she didn’t quite pull it off.
Chance went through to the kitchen and poured two glasses of wine and two big glasses of iced water.
She smiled when he handed hers to her. “Thank you.”
He nodded. “I hope you really do like it and you weren’t just being polite.”
She laughed. “You just wait till you know me better. You’ll understand that I don’t say things just to be polite. That usually only ends up making things worse.”
Chance nodded. He agreed. But her words made him sad. He wasn’t going to get to know her better, no matter how much he might like to. In a week, their time together would be over and that would be it.
