SWNOVELS Chance: Chapter 20
The range openedat ten on Monday morning but Chance and the guys had to get there early for a meeting. Chance tried not to wake Rory, but she emerged from her bedroom anyway, looking disheveled and sleepy. And so fucking adorable he wanted to drag her into his arms and hold her.
He’d already learned that Morning Rory wasn’t precisely cuddly, though. She growled and frowned and gnashed her teeth. Then you gave her coffee and she was better. Now that she was drinking mostly decaf, he wasn’t sure how that’d go. He fixed her a half-caff and took it to her where she sat on the front porch, watching the fog that lingered on the fields. There were deer near the tree line.
“Which ones are they?”
She accepted the coffee with a thanks. “Delaney and Marie.”
“How can you tell?”
Rory shrugged. “Marie is smaller than the rest. Delaney is the bold one. She’s always there first. The others are probably right behind the trees.”
He didn’t know why she named the deer, but it was one of the things he adored about her. For the longest time he’d thought Rory was simply prickly, but in fact she had a soft heart. She was often prickly to protect herself, though sometimes she just didn’t like someone.
Like him, though maybe that tide was turning now. He hoped so. After the way she’d leaned into him on the swing Saturday night after telling him about her ex, he’d thought she might be beginning to trust him. She hadn’t been stiff or uncomfortable when he’d moved her over and pulled her to him. She’d melted against him like it was something they did every day.
He wanted more of that. More of her. He’d do whatever it took to make that happen. Like gentling a baby horse or getting one of those deer to trust him, it took time and patience.
He hated that someone had hurt her so badly. Mark wasn’t worthy of the dirt on the bottom of her shoe, but it seemed like she was still working through what he’d done to her. Not just what he’d done, but also a friend she’d trusted. What kind of person fucked your fiancé behind your back and then married him on what should have been your honeymoon? And what kind of man did that to the woman he’d been planning to spend his life with?
Neither one of them were good enough for Rory in Chance’s opinion. He hoped he never crossed paths with either of them because he wasn’t going to be polite. Wasn’t capable of it.
“Garden looks good,” Rory said, sipping her coffee.
He dragged his thoughts back from revenge against the people who’d done her wrong. “Does.”
The garden was in, thanks to his guys and Rory, Emma, Daphne, and Theo, too. They’d worked on it all day Sunday, and while the plants weren’t as tall as they’d been before, and weren’t yet producing vegetables, Theo would have fresh produce in a matter of weeks.
The farm had been quiet the last two nights. The only alerts he’d gotten had been for nocturnal animals who’d been big enough to trip the light sensors. He didn’t kid himself the danger was over yet. Somebody had crept onto her property and cased the place Thursday night. Friday night, the garden destruction happened and sometime Saturday morning, somebody had drilled a hole into Theo’s kitchen pipe. The two incidents might not be related, but sometimes when it walked like a duck and quacked like a duck, it was a duck.
Could literally be somebody targeting Theo specifically, but Chance didn’t believe it. No matter that he’d told Rory not to jump the gun with assumptions, his gut told him it was about the land. He was gonna find Ronnie Davis and have a chat one of these days.
Chance started down the front steps, coffee in hand. “Gonna let the chickens out and collect eggs. I’ll cook breakfast when I get back.”
“I won’t say no to that. But you don’t have to. I can go to the coop after I finish this cup.”
“Already got it. You relax.”
Chance liked collecting the eggs. It was calming in a way he wouldn’t have thought possible to find them in the hay, waiting for him. When he returned, he fixed eggs and toast and took it outside on a tray.
“Wow,” she said. “Are you trying to butter me up for something?”
“Nope.” He sat on the lawn chair he’d left open and took his plate, digging his fork into the eggs. “I just like it out here.”
Her smile reached her eyes. “Me too. Thanks, Chance.”
“You’re welcome.”
He could imagine filling the porch with more chairs, a couple of tables, and plants. It was already a perfect spot to greet the day and that would only make it better.
As soon as he had those thoughts, he wondered what the hell was wrong with him. Since when did he give two shits about decorating? Or plants? Not only that, but he needed to be careful before he built a future with Rory in his head. She wasn’t glaring at him, but that was a far cry from actually wanting him around.
And though he was impatient as fuck for her to see what was staring her in the face, he wasn’t gonna push. Pushing Rory was bad news because she dug in like a tick and didn’t give up.
“Gotta head to the range, babe,” he told her once they’d finished breakfast and he’d cleared up the dishes. “You gonna be okay?”
She turned those pretty hazel eyes on him. “I’m good, Chance. You don’t have to hover.”
“Not tryin’ to. Just not sure how the pregnancy is affecting you.”
“Right now, it’s making me tired, but my glucose monitor says all is normal. My insulin pump is working as it should, and nothing feels weird. I promise you that if I feel weird, I’ll take care of things first and foremost and then I’ll call someone.”
“Someone?” He wanted her to call him but he had to admit there could be times when he wasn’t able to answer, which didn’t make him the best choice. Didn’t stop him from wanting to be first, though.
“Emma Grace is first because she’s a doctor. Theo is second. You’re third.”
“And 911?”
Her eyes narrowed. “It’s an option, but I’d have to be feeling pretty badly for that. Not everything that happens to me requires the ER.”
He swallowed the fear and nodded. This was new for him, but he had to remember she was an expert at taking care of herself. “Of course not. Just asking. Call me if you want me to pick up anything for you. If those asshat developers return, definitely call me.”
“I have Liza Jane. I don’t need to call you.”
“Please, Rory. Not because you can’t take care of yourself, but because I want to see them, get a feel for what kind of men they are. And though I know this is gonna piss you off, they’ll be more likely to think twice about harassing you if they know you’ve got a man like me around.”
She arched an eyebrow. “My, my, aren’t we suffering from a case of the big head this morning?”
“Just stating a fact, kitten. Those men will think nothing of doing shit like they did the other day, but if I’m here with you, different story. Because I’m big and I look mean when I need to. They won’t fuck with you if I’m around.”
“I’ll keep it in mind, Conan.”
“Call me, Ror. Promise.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, Mr. Big Strong Manly Man, I will call you if Ronnie and RJ return. I will stall them for the twenty-plus minutes it’ll take you to get here by offering sweet tea and batting my eyelashes. I’ll offer to show them the property and then walk slowly until I hear you roaring up the drive in your macho wagon.”
Chance shook his head and laughed. “Good enough. See you tonight.”
She put her wrist to her forehead and tipped her head back. “Whatever shall I do without you, Sir Chancey Pants? My poor feeble lady brain just doesn’t know how I’m going to endure the hours.”
He wanted to kiss her. Just walk over, gather her in his arms, and bend her backwards until all she could do was cling to him. Then he’d kiss the hell out of her. He didn’t though.
“Bye, kitten. Behave.”
“Bye, Chancey Pants. Thanks for coffee and breakfast. And don’t forget that cats have claws.”
“I wouldn’t dare.”
He grabbed his range bag and headed for his truck. When he was backing up to turn around, he looked over at the porch where she stood with her arms wrapped around herself. He thought she might flip him off, because that was a Rory thing to do, but she lifted her fingers and waved. He waved back, his heart filling his chest with emotion. Then he put the truck in gear and headed down the driveway.
It was twenty minutes to the range, and he felt every mile he put between him and the woman he loved.