“Not this time. I’d like to go sit down and talk. Is anyone coming back today?”
“No one planned to. Why?”
He held the door for her and noticed the cast iron cat doorstop. “That’s cool. My grandma used to have one of a dog. Wonder whatever happened to it?”
“Sue probably has it stashed away someplace. Do you know how many antiques and cool ranching stuff are in that room in the barn?”
He turned off the light, shut the door, and followed her downstairs. “Yes, ma’am. I moved some of it in there when Mom decided to turn our grandparents’ house into a guesthouse. That’s where Jenna and Nate live now.”
“And Zach.” She flashed him a smile as they walked down the stairs side by side.
“Can’t forget Zach. He’s sure crazy about you.”
“I love him to pieces. But who wouldn’t? He’s such a sweetheart.” They reached the first floor. She pointed toward Miss Sally’s sitting room. “Do you want to go in here? Those are the most comfortable chairs in the house.”
“I’d like to sit beside you. I might try to steal a kiss.” He pretended to leer at her, which only made her laugh.
“Then it’s the parlor. There are a couple of settees in there.”
Chance stopped in the parlor doorway and glanced around the room. The piano sat in one corner. Had it been right there when Margaret played for Aidan and he sang? Had his great-great-grandfather sat in that side chair while she served him cookies and tea? Or had he been closer, on the settee beside her? He was going to have problems with this place.
“Those don’t look too comfortable. Why don’t we pack it up here and drive over to the park. It’s warm out today. We can sit in the pickup where it’s comfortable and nobody will come barging in.”
She searched his face. “I have the impression this talk is serious.”
“It is.” And the second most important one of his life. The most important one would be when he asked her to marry him. Today, he was only going to try to firm up the foundation.
He found a good spot underneath a large oak tree with new leaves. It was private, hidden away from the picnic and play area, with a view of the creek. Two of the ducks that called the city park home swam lazily up and down the slow-moving stream.
Emily looked around, then turned to him with a hint of suspicion in her eyes. “I bet you’ve brought girls here before. Probably in the dark.”
He laughed, silently thanking her for putting him a little more at ease. “Not since high school. I’ll ’fess up. I didn’t go by my one or two date rule when I was in school. I went with one girl for six months. Another for four. But most of the time, the relationships rarely lasted past a month. Either the girl would decide someone else was more interesting, or she’d start getting too serious.”
“So you were just out to have fun.”
“Exactly. And I never pulled any punches about that. Every one of them knew it from the get-go.” He turned in the seat so he could see her easier. “But I didn’t bring you here to talk about my wild high school days.”
“What do you want to talk about?” She watched him closely.
“You. Me. Us.” He searched her face for any sign of distress or happiness. For the first time since he’d known her, she could have been playing poker. “I love you, Emily Rose. I fell in love with you the night of the fire when I walked into the shelter. You looked up at me with those incredible bluebonnet eyes and such a tender smile . . . I knew you were the woman for me. Beautiful, brave, compassionate. You had me on the line that afternoon at the museum, but you set the hook at the shelter.”
“Chance, there’s no such thing as love at first sight,” she said gently.
“I disagree. I loved you then, and I love you now. But this isn’t an official proposal.” Confusion clouded her expression. “That’ll come when the time is right. I want to marry you, Emily, but I don’t want you to feel pressured. I don’t want you to feel like you have to say yes or no right now – to marriage or to love. I just want you to know that I’m willing to do whatever it takes for us to be together. Even if that means moving to Dallas – or wherever – because you’ve landed the job of your dreams.”
She shook her head, a deep frown wrinkling her brow. “I can’t ask you to do that. You hate the city. You belong here with your family. I’ve never known any family who cared so much for each other and who got along so well. And the town needs you. To build houses, to give encouragement, to protect them.”
“I belong with you, sweetheart. If and when you decide you love me and want me. Living in the city will take some getting used to, but that would be easier than living without you.”
“I’m so confused. I don’t know how I feel. I’m crazy about you, and I missed you terribly when I was in Dallas. But is that really love? Forever kind of love?”
He smiled, trying to hide his disappointment. Even though he didn’t want to pressure her, he’d hoped she would fall into his arms and tell him she was madly in love with him and always would be.
“It sounds like it to me, and I hope it is. But you’re the only one who can sort that out. We’ll take our time and see where this goes. Just keep in mind that you don’t have to choose between me or a great career move. You’ve worked long and hard toward your goal. You’re amazing at what you do, and you deserve the best job out there. I’ll support you and cheer you all the way.”
Tears filled her eyes. Uh-oh. That can’t be good.
“You would do that for me? You’d leave everything you love for me?”
“Yes, I would,” he said quietly. “Because I love you more. I spent a lot of time thinking and praying while you were in Dallas. If the Lord wants us to be together, and I believe he does, why should my goals and dreams be any more important than yours? Sure, I’d rather stay here. But maybe God has something just as good for me somewhere else. Better, as long you’re with me. I’ll never know unless I’m willing to change.”
When she scooted toward him, he moved too, and met her halfway. They wrapped their arms around each other and held on tight to dreams, possibilities, and hope.
He never wanted to let her go. He should have proposed then and there. Swept her off to Vegas and married her before she changed her mind. If she’d said yes.
His shirt felt wet beneath her face. “Darlin’, don’t cry. Don’t be sad.”
“I’m not. Well, yes, I am.” She loosened her hold and straightened enough to look up at him, wiping her cheeks with her fingers. “I feel awful because I can’t give you an honest answer one way or the other. But I’m deeply touched too. Nobody has ever cared for me the way you do, Chance. Not even my grandparents, though I know they love me.”
He shifted on the seat and dug a clean handkerchief out of his back pocket, handing it to her. “People show love in different ways. Take Zach, for example. If he likes somebody, he’s full of enthusiasm. All out, no holding back.”
“He likes everyone.”
“Not quite. There are a couple of kids at church he doesn’t care for. I don’t, either. They’re obnoxious brats. So when he’s in the nursery, he tries to avoid them.”
“And you know this how?”
“I’ve helped out in there a few times when they were shorthanded. I babysit Zach occasionally, so I’m not a complete novice. But I’m better at playin’ than changing diapers. You do want kids, don’t you? You’re good with them. Zach thinks you’re the pick of the litter.”
“Oh, he does, does he?” A smile lifted the corners of her mouth as she stuffed his handkerchief in her pocket.
He didn’t know whether she planned on crying some more or washing it. He didn’t ask.
“He’s a sweetheart. Like his uncle.”
Chance liked that. She called him “sweetheart.” Sort of. “Thanks.”
“I meant Will.”
“Oh no, I’m not going to let you get away with that.” Figuring he needed to lighten things up, Chance tried to tickle her.
Laughing, she
twisted away and slid back across the seat. Resting one hand on the door handle, she held up the other. “Behave or I’ll bail.”
“It’s a long walk back to your van.” He waved his fingers, making her giggle, before he moved back into the driver’s seat. “Want a burger?”
“Sure.” Instead of buckling up the seat belt, she slid back over next to him. “Thank you for understanding and being patient. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and praying too. I’ve asked the Lord to guide me, to show me what his plans are for me. I’ve done it before, back in college. But as Grandpa Doyle suggested, it’s time I checked in with the Lord again about this.”
She cradled his jaw with her hand and leaned up to give him the sweetest kiss he’d ever had. “You are by far the dearest, most wonderful man I’ve ever known.”
Chance got a little choked up, and not just because of her words. If that wasn’t forever love glowing in her eyes, he’d eat his hat.
23
On Saturday night, they decided to go bowling in Abilene with Dalton and Lindsey, Nate and Jenna, and Will. Will protested that he was a fifth wheel, but it wasn’t hard to convince him to come along. He enjoyed the game and didn’t want to let the prospect of beating his brother pass him by.
Nate said he was a little rusty, but the Callahan men and Dalton had bowled in a league the year before. Since Lindsey and Jenna hadn’t been bowling since high school, they didn’t expect to do very well. Emily was the only one who’d never attempted it. In high school, her friends had considered it beneath them. In college, she’d been so busy with other things that she never thought about it.
Though she enjoyed being with her friends, she wished her first foray into the sport had been only with Chance. She was going to embarrass herself. And him.
After she put on the special shoes, Chance helped her choose a ball. “These are the light ones, but they’re still heavy. When you pick it up, use your left hand to help support the weight.” He showed her how to put her fingers and thumb in the holes, and Emily carefully lifted the red ball from the rack.
“Yikes! It is heavy.” She looked up at him with a frown. “I’m supposed to swing this thing around?”
“Not around.” He rested his hand on her shoulder. “Back and forth. I’ll show you how. You’ll catch on pretty quick.”
“I don’t know about this. I don’t want to make everybody wait on me. What if I drop it and dent the floor? Or hit somebody? Or drop it on my toe? Chance, I don’t want to break my toe.” Take a breath and calm down. You sound like a dork. A frightened dork. Which she was.
His arm tightened around her, holding her against his side. “Relax, darlin’,” he murmured softly. “It’s just you, me, and Will. The others have their own lane. You can take all the time you want. It won’t hurt the floor if you drop it. Everybody stays out of everybody else’s way, and I’ve never known anybody who broke their toe.”
“That doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened.”
“Well, it won’t happen to you. Come sit down over here and watch how we do it. When it’s your turn, I’ll give you some instruction. You’re not a weak-kneed wimp.”
“Wanna bet?” She was so scared her knees did feel wobbly.
He leaned down and murmured in her ear, “You’re only supposed to get weak-kneed when I kiss you.” He brushed a kiss on her temple.
Emily almost dropped the ball. “Stop that!”
When he chuckled, she glared at him. He winked and shrugged, grinning unrepentantly. “Reckon it works.”
“Grrr.”
“That’s my girl.” Laughing, he pointed her toward their lane, which was on the end. Their friends were right next to them. Will was taking some practice swings or throws or whatever they were called. He made it look easy. But she knew it wasn’t.
Jenna’s ball started out in the middle of the lane. Halfway down, it slanted off to the right and bounced into the channel beside the lane. She laughed and moseyed back to her seat. Nate gave her a quick kiss in consolation.
“Maybe I should miss all the time.” Jenna batted her eyelashes at her husband.
“Kisses for gutter balls and strikes only. Otherwise, they’re liable to throw us out of here for neckin’.” Nate draped his arm across her shoulders.
Chance showed Emily where to put her ball and where to sit until it was her turn. He threw his ball a few times for practice, wiping out all of the pins on the last one. “I think that strike should count.”
“Dream on, bro.” Will bumped his shoulder. “You ready to start?”
“Yep. Go ahead.”
Will knocked down all but one pin right off the bat. Or out of the gate. Or . . . whatever. As he waited for the pins to reset and his ball to return, Lindsey took her turn in the lane next to them. She only knocked down three pins. Laughing, she walked back to the others and waited for her ball to come back.
Emily felt a little better knowing that Jenna and Lindsey hadn’t done well but didn’t seem to mind. They were having fun. She could too, if she’d relax and not worry about it. Enjoy being with Chance and her friends.
A little red warning flag popped up in her mind – she hadn’t included Chance in the friend category. But she didn’t have the time or inclination right then to analyze it. Besides, he was her date, so he naturally fell into a different column. The more-than-a-friend category? Or the much-more-than-a-friend category?
Focus, Emily. She needed to watch how the others moved. How many steps to take, how far back to swing the ball, and at what point to release it.
Chance was next. Power and grace. He was in excellent shape, either from work or putting his treadmill and weight set to good use. Watching his fluid motion and the muscles ripple across his back, Emily sighed softly.
Sitting next to her, Will made a little sound in his throat.
As her face turned pink, Emily glanced at him, expecting a wisecrack. Instead of a teasing grin, his expression was thoughtful, perhaps even a little wistful. “He’s a good man, Emily. And a lucky one. I hope one of these days a woman will look at me like that.”
Her face grew hotter, but she wasn’t going to belittle his feelings – or hers. “She’s out there. You just haven’t met her yet.” Emily noted that Chance got a strike and clapped.
“Wish she’d hurry up and wander by. Too bad you don’t have a sister. How about a cousin?”
Emily laughed at his grin. “Nope. Both my parents were only children. Sorry.”
Chance joined them, frowning slightly. “What are you sorry about?”
“That I don’t have a cousin to introduce to Will.” Emily stood. “Guess I’m next.” She wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans. “Promise not to laugh.”
“Promise.”
They waited for Lindsey to throw again and take out a few more pins.
“We won’t count the first couple of throws since you didn’t get any practice earlier.” Chance glanced at Will, who nodded. “Do you have an idea what to do?”
“I think so. An idea, anyway. I’ve been watching everybody.” She refrained from adding “especially you.” “I swing it back like this, right?” Without the ball, she demonstrated what she thought was the proper procedure.
“Perfect.”
“I doubt that, but thanks for the compliment. The tricky part is going to be taking the right steps and letting go at the right time.”
“Without going over the line.” Will gave her a cheeky grin.
“You be quiet.” Chance fake-frowned at his brother.
“Who’s gonna make me?” Will grinned and stood up, puffing out his chest.
Emily laughed. It wasn’t the first time she’d seen the two of them act like little boys.
“Y’all behave or I’ll sic Jenna on you.” Nate winked at his wife, who put up her fists and danced around like a boxer in the ring. “She’ll tie your ears in a bowknot.”
“Sounds painful.” Will’s eyes twinkled as he smiled affectionately at his sister.
“You can be her guin
ea pig.” Chance motioned for his brother to sit down. “Shut up and let Emily bowl. Go on, darlin’. Ignore this rowdy bunch. Let’s figure out where you should start.”
They paced out the right distance before Chance handed her the ball, and she slipped her fingers and thumb into the holes. “Line up the big toe on your left foot with that big dot on the floor. Keep your arm relaxed and swing the ball easy, let the ball’s weight do the work.”
Emily lined up in the lane as he’d instructed and breathed deeply. As she took her steps, she swung the ball back, brought it forward, and released it. It hit the floor with a thud and slowly rolled about twenty feet down the lane before dropping into the gutter.
Groaning, she covered her face with her hands, turned, and walked back to Chance. He put his arms around her and held her close. “That’s good for your first try.”
Red-faced, she looked up at him and said sarcastically, “Right.”
“It is. You didn’t drop it behind you or fail to release it and go flying down the lane with the ball. I’ve seen both happen.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope. Of course, it was on a bloopers show, but they’re supposed to be real. Now, turn around and watch Dalton.”
When she faced the lanes, Chance slid his arms loosely around her, resting his hands at her waist, and gently pulled her back against his chest. It felt good in an exciting way, but it was also comforting, as if his calm strength was drawing some of the stress right out of her.
“Watch where he releases the ball in the swing. It’s a little sooner than when you let go. See, it’s closer to the floor at that point. Think about rolling it instead of throwing it. The force to make it roll basically comes from the forward movement of your body.”
“That makes sense. I’ll just pretend I’m rolling the ball to Zach.”
“That’s right, only with a little more oomph than with him. Don’t worry about aiming. Just roll it.” He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Try again.”
“You really need to stop kissing me. It ruins my concentration.”
Emily's Chance (v5) Page 23
