Chadwick's Rare Find (An Intriguing Romance Novel) (10 page)

“Don’t do that.”  Chadwick’s hoarse command shocked Brittany out of her reverie.  

“Don’t do what?” she asked. 

Chadwick had known that being alone with Brittany was not a good idea.  If she were the type of woman he could throw up against the wall and take out his frustrations on, this would be a perfect setting.  Instead he could only stare at her as she stared at him and do nothing.  He felt like a schoolboy again.  He wondered whether the fact that she was untouched made her more alluring.  He quickly dismissed this thought, remembering their ride in the ambulance.  He had wanted her then and he knew nothing about her at that time.  

“Don’t stare at my lips, unless you want to find yourself in my lap.  You may not know what to do with me, Brittany, but I definitely know what to do with you.  So, be careful.”  Chadwick was tapping his finger on the table.  This had somehow caught her fascination too.  Now she was staring at his hands.  

“I thought you said you had something to ask me.”  Brittany snatched her eyes away from his hands to look into his face.  It was clear that he knew how inexperienced she was.  She personally felt it was kind of rude for him to mention it, but she wasn’t steady enough to make an issue out of it right now.  

Chadwick stood.  They needed a distraction.  Things were getting a little too heated, even for him.  It wasn’t that he didn’t have control; he just didn’t have much of it when he was around Brittany.

“We definitely need to talk.  Do you have any clients to see today?”  

Brittany had stood when he stood.  She was gathering their dishes.  “No.  I am still waiting on my car.  They should be finished with it by the end of next week.” 

“Good.  I meant it’s good that you are off today.  I want to take you somewhere special.”

Brittany liked surprises, but her feelings toward surprises ran warm in comparison to her sisters’.   Christy craved them, whereas Amber detested them.  Any surprise for Amber was almost always met by a totally unexpected or unrewarding reaction.  Brittany generally liked surprises, but she appreciated having some small idea of the nature of the surprise, as well. 

“I have to clean this mess up first.  Will you help me get the dishes in?” 

Chadwick took the dishes she held in her hand and followed her into the kitchen.  Brittany had really made a mess in the kitchen.  He wondered how long it would take to clean it all up.  Chadwick was not used to waiting around while domesticated duties were performed.  His food was always ready when he presented himself.  He rarely saw a dirty dish these days.  They seemed to disappear.  He couldn’t imagine having to cook it in order to eat it and then having to clean up all vestiges of it by oneself.  But looking at Brittany, she did not seem to mind at all.  She was once again moving at the speed of light.  Suddenly he felt her hands in the middle of his back.  

“What are you doing?” he asked as she pushed him toward the sink.  

“I am getting you to your post.  It’s obvious you don’t know a thing about washing dishes.  Stand here in front of this sink.  This is the rinsing sink.  When I hand you a dish you rinse it under the water and place the dish in this rack.  Try to be neat about how you place them so you will have room for all of them.  The forks, knives, and spoons go into this little cup deal here.”  Brittany was leaning over his arm pointing to everything and showing him precisely what he was to do.  Chadwick was having trouble paying attention.  He could smell the soft, sensual scent of her perfume.  Her breasts grazed his elbow each time she reached in to point at something.  

“Okay, I got it.  Let’s get done so we can get out of here,”  he said impatiently.  Chadwick was thinking seriously about begging Brittany to marry him this evening and having her in his bed by nighttime.

“Where are we going?”  Brittany asked as she began soaping up dishes and handing them to Chadwick.  She noticed that he was doing a good job.  He was a bit awkward at first. He seemed to have problems deciding where to place the dishes in the rack, but he quickly sorted it all out and developed a rhythm.  It felt good having a big man like Chadwick helping her wash the dishes.  Brittany glanced at his hands every now and then.  He had big hands with neatly trimmed nails.  She couldn’t help but remember how they had felt on her skin. 

“We are going to one of the quaintest attractions here in San Diego Valley.  It’s an old-fashioned carriage ride.  It’s an hour long carriage ride through the forest along the riverfront.  I went with some family and friends a few years back and it was really nice. You will enjoy it and it will give us a chance to really talk without interference.  We won’t be completely alone either,”  he said meaningfully.

Brittany had a vague idea of what Chadwick wanted to talk to her about.  She knew it had to do with their relationship.  She nervously wondered what his expectations were. Meanwhile excitement was building inside of her.  She had never been on a carriage ride.  She looked forward to the experience.  It sounded wonderful to her ears; a carriage ride along the forest of the riverfront with Chadwick.  She couldn’t wait. 

They quickly finished the dishes.  Chadwick reassured Brittany that she was dressed perfectly for the occasion.  He too had on jeans and a T-shirt.  Brittany outdid him when she returned from her bedroom wearing a pair of tan cowboy boots and a cowgirl hat.  He thought she was adorable. 

The drive to the riverfront took about fifteen minutes.  When they got there Chadwick was glad to see that there were not many people.  However, he became a little worried when he realized that clouds had gathered and it looked like rain.  He assumed rain was the reason for so few people.  Stubborn as always, he refused to change his plans.  It was a closed carriage ride anyway.  They wouldn’t get wet.  

Brittany stopped to look at the horses as they were guided towards the carriages.  There were brown, white, black, and dappled gray horses to choose from.  Neither she nor Chadwick knew much about horses and so they chose a horse based solely on aesthetics.   As they were handed into the carriage by the footmen, Brittany thought she heard thunder, but she was too excited to care.  

The scene unfolded with such beauty and serenity that all Brittany could do was stare.  The forest was thick with trees on either side.  The trail was small.  It was as if she were carried back in time.  She could not see the river, but she sensed it.  The air was humid with its presence.  Chadwick sat across from her.  He was watching her reaction and enjoying it.  He knew how she was feeling.  He had felt pretty much the same way on his first carriage ride.  

“Brittany, I want to know more about you”, he began. He had waited long enough to have this conversation with Brittany.  He needed to get it out of the way, so they could move on. 

She gazed at him.  She had taken off her hat once they had entered the carriage.  It was lying on the seat beside her.  Strands of hair had escaped her ponytail to flirt with her ears and neck.  Her caramel eyes drew him in a way no other woman’s eyes had ever before.  Her lips were moist with a lip gloss she had applied while still in the car.  He had watched her out of the corner of his eye as she layered her lips.  The gloss had given off some kind of fruity scent that made him want to taste it on her lips.  

“We will have known each other for only a week tomorrow.  That doesn’t make a difference to me.  I want to know you.  I want to take you places and experience things with you.  I don’t want this to be casual dating, Brittany.  Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“Don’t you have to go back?”  Brittany didn’t even know where he lived.  She knew he did not live here in San Diego Valley.  

“Atlanta.  I live in Atlanta, Georgia.”  It was as if he could read her mind.  He could see the uncertainty on her face.  “Brittany, I own my own business. I can go anywhere I want to go. I have already made arrangements to stay here for four more weeks.”  

“You are very sure of yourself aren’t you?” Chadwick could feel his heart sinking.  Things were not going as smoothly as he thought they would.  To make matters worse the carriage ride was bumpy.  The horses seemed skittish.  He could hear the thunder and wondered why the carriage driver had not turned the horses around.  

“Brittany, I am trying to ask you to date me.  We can see if we are suitable for each other.  I thought you would want to take it slowly.”  

“Are you sure this isn’t more about seeing whether or not I am suitable for you?  It may take you only four weeks to sort me out, but I can promise you it will take me much longer to get to know you.   Anyway, why would you be interested in someone who may not know what to do with you?"

Brittany knew she sounded petty, but his haughty, managing attitude had set her on edge.  She hated feeling inadequate.  Chadwick was so beautiful.  He was worldly and wealthy; the things she had run from in men.  She knew she was half-way in love with him already.  But she wanted to meet him on equal ground.  She didn’t want it like this.  She didn’t want to feel manipulated and managed.  

Chadwick had the uncomfortable feeling he had been thrust into a science fiction movie.  The carriage was hurtling forward, as if the driver had gone to sleep or wasn’t up there at all.  The sound of thunder was shattering his already raw nerves and the woman he had gotten into the carriage with had turned into Jezebel.   Taking a deep breath he set back in the seat and crossed his arms over his chest.  This would have been a warning for Brittany if she had known more about him. 

“Please tell me what you are talking about,”  he said very quietly.  

“When we were on the patio you said ...,”  

He cut her off before she could finish the sentence. “I know exactly what I said.  I am wondering what it has to do with this conversation.  You do remember why I said what I said don’t you, Brittany?” Chadwick’s voice was softly lethal. “You do remember that you were staring at my lips and making sexual noises?” 

“I was not!”  Brittany was incensed.  She slammed her back against the seat and refused to say another word.  He had insulted and embarrassed her.  

Chadwick didn’t care that she was embarrassed.  She had deliberately turned what should have been a nice romantic gesture into fiasco. He jerked the cord to get the footman’s attention.  There was no response.  The hairs on the back of Chadwick’s neck stood up with his first sense of real danger.  He had felt something was wrong.  Now he knew for sure.  If he were alone he would have opened the door and walked the foot frail to the driver’s seat to see what was going on, but he knew he couldn’t take that chance with Brittany sitting in the carriage.  What if he fell off?  She would be all alone and in danger.   He looked around at the interior of the carriage and noticed the latches that would release the tarp.  He grabbed Brittany’s forearm and dragged her across to sit next to him. 

“What are you doing?!  Get your hands off...,” 

“Shut up, Brittany.  This carriage is out of control.  I pulled the cord and the driver has not responded.  I need to find out what’s going on.  So, please, just sit here and be quiet so I can think straight.”   Chadwick was not looking at Brittany.  He was staring at the latches and trying to decide what to do.  He missed her look of sheer terror.   

He released the latch on the left and then reached to release the latch on the right.  The tarp instantly flew backwards and snapped completely off to be lost along the trail as they surged along. Chadwick heard Brittany scream.  They could both see that the driver was either dead or dead asleep.  He sat in a slump with his chin bouncing off his chest as the horses flew out of control.  Chadwick had never been so frightened in his life.  He felt for sure that he and Brittany were going to die.   He stood on the seat and stretched one of his long legs across the distance that separated the carriage from the driver’s seat.  He eased himself beside the driver and took the reins.  Pulling with all his might, he could feel the horses reining in.   

Chadwick’s hands were shaking as he turned his attention to the unconscious man beside him.  He shook him and watched in disbelief as a small whiskey bottle fell from the man’s jacket and rolled onto the floor of the carriage.  He could hear the man snoring.  Chadwick felt rage rising in his chest.   The steam coming from his nose felt like fire.  He raised his fist and struck the man square in his chin.  The drunken man fell over and continued to sleep.  

“Chadwick, stop it! Don’t hit him again.  Let’s just get out of here.”  Brittany’s tongue had finally come unglued from the roof of her mouth.  She was terribly shaken, but composure was her thing.  She never stayed rattled for long.   She was beginning to feel giddy with relief.  They could have died.  Her relief was short lived when lightening and thunder gave way to a torrent of rain.  

Chadwick watched helplessly, as Brittany was soaked.  The tarp had blown away and they had no shelter.  All they had were horses that neither one of them knew what to do with and an inebriated carriage driver.  Chadwick would normally have found find the situation funny, but not today.  Brittany’s reaction to his kindness and the drunken carriage driver combined had put him in a very volatile mood. 

“I saw a carriage leave ahead of us.  They should come back this way soon.  We’ll ride back with them.  Are you going to be okay?” Chadwick hated to see Brittany uncomfortable, but there was nothing he could do about it.  

“I..I’m fine.” Brittany’s teeth chattered.  She was cold, but she knew better than to complain.  Chadwick looked dangerous.  She knew she was partly to blame. 

Fortunate for them the other carriage wasn’t long in coming.  The carriage driver saw their predicament and quickly reined his horses in.  He whipped out an umbrella and stepped down from his seat. 

“What’s the problem?  Oh,  I see,” was all he said as he noted his fellow employee in a drunken sleep.  “Johnson won’t be able to talk his way out of this one.”   Chadwick had climbed down and once again he had Brittany by the forearm.  This time he was dragging her out of the carriage.  He didn’t allow her feet to touch the ground. Brittany quickly grabbed her hat and shoved it on her head.  She was already soaked so there was no purpose in putting the hat on, but she did anyway.  With her still in his arms, Chadwick had snatched the door open to the other carriage and was telling the occupants to move over.