Chasing Christmas

by Shanna Hatfield

  Jessie considered her friend’s words. She tried to imagine things from Chase’s perspective. She’d seen hordes of women watching him everywhere they went like he was the last piece of rich, decadent chocolate on the planet. Even when he’d been with her, women had approached him and tried to garner his interest, gain his favor.

  From what she’d observed, he didn’t seem interested. Mostly, she got a sense that the attention made him uncomfortable and uneasy. She supposed it wouldn’t be hard for him to jump to conclusions that weren’t true based on what he probably experienced with a degree of frequency.

  The women she’d seen attempt to interact with him that day would probably have done exactly what he’d accused her of. Besides, he hadn’t spent enough time with her to know she’d never do such a thing.

  He had no way of knowing the thought of being married to a man like him, one who exuded rugged masculinity, made her mouth dry and her thoughts scramble. Why would she want to feel that way all the time?

  No, she was perfectly happy to return to her quiet, unassuming life. She liked doing graphic design for people she enjoyed interacting with over the phone or online, but had no desire to meet in person. Socializing face-to-face was a form of torture for the introverted girl.

  Brought up short by her thoughts, she realized Stacey was right. Jessie could easily turn into one of those recluse-types who never left their home. Maybe she’d be an eccentric old lady with an apartment full of cats. She already had Tinsel.

  “Promise you won’t let me turn into one of those freaky people who refuses to talk to people face-to-face,” she said, clasping Stacey’s hand as they climbed into a cab.

  Caught off guard by the statement, Stacey gave her an odd look. “What in the world made you say that?”

  “Just promise. You know I much prefer to work with people I never have to see in person. Don’t let me become an antisocial weirdo who avoids any interaction with other humans.”

  Stacey laughed and gave Jessie a hug. “I promise. You wouldn’t ever be like that anyway. You may be shy and a little reserved, but you like people. You have great relationships with your clients and your friends.”

  “Thanks, Stace.” Jessie worked up something that resembled a smile. “I sure hope Ashley figures out how to fix this before we leave tomorrow. I want to be able to go home and forget this whole debacle.”

  Stacey snorted. “That is not going to happen, my friend. You’ll remember marrying Chase Jarrett for the rest of your life. I mean, no red-blooded woman could forget his sizzling hazel eyes, the hair that practically begs you to run your fingers through it, or that full, pouty bottom lip just made for kissing.” Stacey grinned. “Not that I notice these things.”

  Jessie raised an eyebrow, illustrating her disbelief in Stacey’s claim. “That’s what you generally notice, along with the breadth of his shoulders, if he looks like he works out, and how his jeans fit.”

  “Speaking of jeans,” Stacey whistled softly. “Did you notice how well Chase fills out his?”

  Jessie glared at her.

  “Oh, come on. I couldn’t help but check him out. When I did, it was under the assumption he was still free game, not your lawfully wedded husband.”

  A frown met Stacey’s teasing smile. “Thanks for the reminder.”

  Stacey nudged Jessie with her elbow after they got out of the cab and she paid the driver. “Admit it. You checked out his jeans, didn’t you?”

  “Maybe.” Desperate to change the subject, Jessie looped her arm around Stacey’s and tugged her toward the hotel door. “Speaking of jeans, did you know Chase’s friend Cooper is the one who was in all the Lasso Eight advertisements? He got married yesterday. I think this town is probably full of broken-hearted women.”

  Stacey grinned. “Two eligible, hunky, hottie cowboys off the market in one weekend. What a devastating blow to women everywhere.”

  Jessie laughed. “What am I going to do with you, you nut?”

  “Remember who made it possible for you to meet the cowboy of your dreams.”

  “More like a nightmare,” Jessie muttered as they hurried inside the hotel.

  They’d barely stepped inside the lobby when the flashes from half a dozen cameras went off, temporarily blinding them both.

  “Mrs. Jarrett! Where’s Chase?”

  “Can you give us a statement about your wedding?”

  “Is it true you two are really married?”

  “Did you know it was more than a publicity stunt?”

  “How did you two meet? How long have you been in love?”

  Pelted with questions faster than she could process them, Jessie gave Stacey a desperate look. Her friend planted herself between Jessie and the reporters. “Mrs. Jarrett has had a long, tiring day. If you have questions, please address them to Ashley Jarrett, her publicity agent. Thank you for understanding.”

  Before any of them could say anything further, Stacey grabbed Jessie’s arm and propelled her into an open elevator. Randomly, she began pushing buttons for various floors.

  “Why’d you do that?” Jessie asked as the elevator stopped on the hotel’s third floor.

  “So they won’t know what floor we’re on.” Stacey stepped off the elevator and glanced down the hall. “Come on.”

  Together, they made their way up the four flights of stairs to their room.

  Jessie collapsed on the bed with a deep, dramatic sigh. “What am I going to do?”

  “I’m sure Ashley will get this all straightened out by morning. Let’s get some sleep and see how things look tomorrow.”

  Jessie stared down at the ring on her finger. Although it wasn’t a style she’d chosen for herself, she loved the band that looked like tooled leather and the diamond that sparkled in the lamp light. She’d tried to return it to Ashley at the rodeo, but the woman assured her the ring was for her to keep.

  Recalling how right, how amazingly wonderful it felt when Chase took her hand in his and slipped on the ring, she wished, for just a moment, the vows they’d exchanged had been sincere and she really was his wife.

  Then again, he obviously looked for the worst in people, jumped to false conclusions, and acted like a jerk when things didn’t go his way.

  Before she allowed him to monopolize any more of her thoughts, she needed to go back home to her cat, to her tiny apartment, to her neatly organized and ordered life.

  And tomorrow she would.

  Chapter Seven

  The buzzing of her phone awakened Jessie from a troubled sleep. She’d tossed and turned for hours before finally giving in to her exhaustion. A glance at the clock showed it was barely past seven in the morning.

  She switched on the lamp by her bed and grabbed her phone.

  “Jessie Pierce speaking. May I help you?” No matter where she was or what she was doing, she always tried to sound professional and approachable when she answered her phone. Particularly when she didn’t take time to look at the caller ID to check who was trying to get in touch with her.

  “Jessie, this is Ashley. I’m so, so sorry about what happened yesterday, and last night. I tried to get Chase to talk to you but he was… well…” Ashley cleared her throat. “And I apologize for calling so early, but I wanted to catch you before you left for the airport. Would you and Stacey please meet me for breakfast in an hour? We need to discuss yesterday’s unfortunate mishaps and the available options to rectify the situation. I’m truly sorry to put you in this position, but I’d really like to talk about it in person.”

  Jessie’s first thought was to tell Ashley no and ask her to email whatever papers she needed to sign to annul the marriage. Then she thought of her own revelation about her tendency to hide away from real live humans when she had the opportunity to interact with them in person. “That would be fine, Ashley. Where would you like to meet?”

  “There’s a nice restaurant in the property across the street from your hotel. Go through the hotel lobby to the left and keep going past the casino. You’ll see the
restaurant sign. I’ll be waiting there for you at eight. And thank you for being so understanding about this, Jessie. You are one in a million.”

  “I don’t know about that, but we’ll see you soon.” Jessie laid her phone on the table beside her bed then rolled onto her back and stretched. Determined to make it through the meeting with Ashley and wipe her hands of the entire fiasco of marrying Chase Jarrett, she jumped out of bed and hurried down the hall in the spacious suite she shared with Stacey.

  When she flicked on the overhead light in her friend’s room, Stacey pulled a pillow over her face. “Turn that light off and let me sleep. I need another hour or two before I can function.”

  “Ashley called. She wants to meet us at eight. Come on. Get up and get moving, Stace. You’re the one who got me into this mess, so you better believe you are coming along to help get me out of it.”

  Stacey opened one eye and stared at Jessie to see if she was serious. At the stern look on the woman’s face, Stacey opened the other eye and sat up. “What did Ashley say?”

  “Just that she wanted to meet us for breakfast and discuss the details. So get a move on.” Jessie returned to her room and hurried to take a shower.

  Ashley had provided her with several pieces of western clothing that Jessie loved. She slipped on a pair of dark jeans with contrast stitching down the outside of the legs and pockets accented with bling. After slipping on a soft navy blouse with a navy and burgundy geometric patterned vest that reached almost to her knees, she tugged on the cowboy boots she’d worn yesterday afternoon. She loved the way they looked and felt on her feet. When Ashley told her she could keep them, she almost did a happy dance. Almost. Had she been the type of person to break into spontaneous exhibitions of excitement, she totally would have done it right there at the booth that donated the boots in exchange for the promotion Ashley had given them for being one of the wedding sponsors.

  Jessie quickly blow dried her hair and pulled it up in a messy bun. She finished her morning ritual with a few coats of mascara, lip gloss, and a light spray of her favorite perfume.

  Unsure how much time she’d have to pack her things after breakfast, she took a moment to stuff her suitcase with as much as it would hold then filled a canvas tote she’d purchased with the overflow. Ashley told her if there was anything she wanted to keep that wouldn’t fit in her luggage, to let her know and she’d make sure it was shipped.

  Thankfully, Jessie managed to get everything stuffed or tucked away. She fingered the rose bracelet a moment before slipping it on her wrist.

  For reasons she refused to examine, it made her smile every time she looked at it, reminding her of the lovely afternoon she spent as a very handsome man’s cherished wife. Too bad that feeling hadn’t lasted through the news they were really married.

  In light of how easily her emotions entangled with Chase yesterday, it was probably for the best they part ways with her mad, insulted, and thinking he was a spoiled brat.

  Jessie picked up her purse, stuffed her phone inside and hurried into the luxurious sitting room of their suite. When Ashley told her the trip included all expenses, Jessie had envisioned a standard hotel room with two queen beds. She’d dreaded the thought she might end up staying in a room that smelled of cigarette smoke and stale beer.

  The moment she and Stacey set foot inside the fancy hotel, she knew they would have a nice room, but she never imagined they’d stay in a suite that cost more per night than she made in a month of doing graphic design work.

  When they followed the porter into the suite, Stacey squealed and did a little jig while Jessie gazed around, taking in the beautiful surroundings.

  For one weekend, she owned the opportunity to live a life that was nothing like anything she expected or anticipated. One she didn’t think she ever wanted to experience again.

  Especially if it involved Chase Jarrett.

  “Ready to go?” Stacey asked as she breezed into the room wearing spiked heel boots, leggings, and a long sweater. Hoop earrings dangled from her ears and she’d taken time to straighten her hair. She looked trendy and hip, as usual.

  Jessie nodded and followed her friend out the door and across the street. They found the restaurant with no trouble. Ashley waited just outside the door and greeted them both with hugs.

  “Thank you so, so much for meeting us this morning. I can’t tell you how much we appreciate it.” She opened the door and motioned for them to precede her.

  “We?” Jessie asked as Ashley led them to a large table at the back of the restaurant where Chase sat drinking a cup of coffee.

  For a moment, Jessie thought about turning around and leaving, but Stacey and Ashley both stood behind her, blocking her retreat.

  To his credit, when Chase saw her, he rose to his feet and gave her an apologetic look before pulling out the chair next to him.

  “Miss Pierce,” he said, motioning for her to be seated.

  With great reluctance, she sat down and draped her purse strap over the arm of her chair. When her arm inadvertently brushed against his, she felt tingles racing from her head to her toes.

  “Look, Miss Pierce, I’m truly sorry about what happened, and especially about what I said last night. It was uncalled for and untrue. I hope you’ll accept my apologies. I’m sorry.” Chase did look repentant as he gazed into her face.

  The light in his eyes, one that had intrigued her from the first second she’d looked into them, drew her, but she ignored it. She disregarded the imploring look on his face and the sincerity in his voice.

  After giving Chase a curt nod that he could interpret any way he liked, she picked up the menu and feigned interest in the breakfast selections. In truth, seeing Chase, sitting next to him, had left her stomach churning and her mouth so dry, she felt like she’d eaten a big scoop of sawdust.

  She took a sip from the glass of ice water in front of her and scowled at Stacey when her friend tipped her head toward Chase and grinned.

  Chase didn’t waste time in getting to the point. He glowered at Ashley. “Please tell me you found the pastor and can get this all straightened out. With it being a weekend, he didn’t actually file the marriage certificate yet, did he?”

  “Well, technically, he filed it electronically about an hour after you two signed it.” Ashley studied her menu, refusing to look at her cousin. Let’s order our food before we get into the discussion.”

  It didn’t take long for a server to take their orders and deliver steaming plates of food to their table.

  As soon as they’d finished eating, Chase got down to business. “Why did the old codger have to be tech savvy? I would have assumed Pastor Randall was senile and half out of his mind,” Chase groused. “So what can we do to fix this? We can get an annulment, can’t we?”

  “You can, but…”Ashley lifted a glass of ice water and took a long gulp before words spilled out of her mouth at such a rapid rate, Jessie could barely keep up. “Your wedding is the talk of the town and my phone is nearly exploding with sponsor requests, promotional deals, and companies that want to hire you to be their spokesperson. Several news outlets have requested interviews and press releases. Who knew rodeo celebrity weddings would be so popular? If you get an annulment, Chase, all that goes away.”

  He scowled at Ashley. “None of that makes me ride any better. Let it go away.”

  Jessie was surprised when he looked at her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “It isn’t fair to Jessie to ask her to be any more involved in this mess you created than she already is. Tell them all no and show us where to sign for the annulment.”

  “But, Chase, think about it. Some of the endorsement deals are too big to turn down. You could make as much doing one commercial as you make all year competing. It wouldn’t take up that much of your time and you’d have extra money to put into the ranch. You could buy that bull you’ve had your eye on.”

  From the way Chase winced, Jessie realized Ashley knew what to say to garner the most impact with her cousin. He shi
fted in his chair and rolled his shoulders, as though he could shrug off the ideas and dreams Ashley had prodded.

  Ashley smiled at Jessie. “You’d only have to do it for a year. One year. After the rodeo finals next year, you two could call it quits and move on. If the marriage remains in name only, you could probably even get the annulment then.”

  Ashley opened a folder and slid it across the table. Chase gave it a perfunctory look before tossing it down on the table and fixing his questioning gaze on Ashley again. “Essentially, you capitalized on Huck Powell’s announcement last night that he’s retiring. I’ve become the next favored bull rider, with an abundance of sponsors, commercials, endorsements, the whole works, along with a hefty bank account. That’s all fine and dandy for me, but what’s in it for Jessie? You can’t expect her to give up a year of her life for nothing.”

  Jessie hid her surprise behind a cup of tea. Why did Chase care what happened to her? It didn’t matter what anyone said, she wasn’t staying married to the cowboy. Not with the tantalizing scent of him pervading her nose and his warmth seeping into her soul.

  She needed to get far, far away from the man, not agree to spend an entire year as his fake wife.

  Ashley looked to Jessie again. “In exchange for your agreement to remain married, you would receive monetary compensation. From what I’ve gathered, you do well with your own business, which you would be able to continue, by the way. I think it would be fair at the end of the year if Chase paid you a lump sum equal to what you would earn in a year.”

  Jessie shook her head, refusing to take the slip of folded paper Ashley held out to her.

  Chase whipped the paper away from Ashley’s outstretched fingers and glared at the sum before plopping it down in front of Jessie. “Is that what you make a year?”

  She glanced at the figure on the paper and gave a nearly imperceptible nod. Would it be worth it to make double her usual income just for being Chase’s wife in name only? She’d have to join him for a few interviews, but beyond that it didn’t sound like she’d have to spend much time with him. Her understanding of the information Ashley shared was that most of what was required focused solely on Chase. Did she have it in her to pose for pictures with him, pretending to be his wife?