Chase the Wind (53 page)

“No, that won’t work.” Chase lifted her chin so he could look
into her sapphire blue eyes. “Because now that I’ve got you, I’m
never going to let you go.”

“I guess we’ll think of something, then.”

They were interrupted by Jamie, whom they could hear hollering
for Jenny from the porch. “Let’s go see what he wants before he drives Grace crazy,” Chase said and took her hand as they went
around the bunkhouse.

“What is going on?” Jamie demanded as soon as they came into view. He noticed their hands and looked again, his eyes opening wide in amazement and the Duncan grin swelling on his face. He shook his head as they came onto the porch. “It’s about time,” he said. “I was beginning to think I’d have to knock some sense into
both of you.”

“What do you mean?” Chase asked as he leaned against the porch
rail and crossed his arms.

“You’ve been mooning over my sister for years, and she didn’t have enough brains to see it.”

Jenny hooked the toe of her boot under his chair. “I’ve got enough brains to knock you flat on your backside,” she threatened. “Let’s see how long it will take you to get up with that broken leg.”

“Did you hear that? I get no sympathy from her. Here I am all busted up and it’s practically her fault, and all she’s does is make threats.”

“My fault? I didn’t make you go riding across a field of gopher holes like a maniac.”

“See, Chase? Are you sure this is what you want in a woman?” Jamie threw his arm up to block the half-hearted blow that landed on his head.

“I’m positive,” Chase answered from his perch on the porch rail, his eyes glowing as Jamie tugged Jenny’s braid.

“Now tell me about those mares you brought in. I want to make sure you did it right.”

Jenny rolled her eyes. “Why don’t we just show you? You know you won’t be happy until you see them.” She and Chase each got under a shoulder and propped Jamie up, his leg sticking out before him. “Can you make it?’

“Yeah, anything for a change of scenery.”

They made their way to the corral that held the mares and sat him down on a barrel so he could look them over. Storm, penned on the other side, was doing the same, alternating between watching with his ears pricked and showing off, dancing around with his tail slashing the air. The mares milled around before him, each one jostling for position in the corral, showing off in their own way.

“They’re perfect,” Jamie said, his eyes shining as he watched the dance going on before him. Jenny was reminded again of how much like their father he was. Ian Duncan had watched his own stock many years earlier with the same look of wonder and anticipation of the future on his face.

It wasn’t long before Ty and Cat joined them at the rail, neither of them talking, each one appreciating the promise that was before them.

Chase and Ty helped Jamie back to Grace’s, and Cat fell into step with Jenny as they followed. Jenny could sense Cat’s hesitance but didn’t say anything, deciding it was best to let Cat take the
lead. When they got Jamie settled, Ty and Jenny sat down to eat
the supper leftovers.

“I was wondering...” Cat began, then cleared her throat.
“Jenny, I was wondering if you would like to go to church with us
tomorrow.”

Jenny stopped her fork in midair and looked over at Chase.
Anything as long as we’re together,
his eyes said.

“Yes, that would be nice. It’s been a long time since I’ve been to
church, and I have just recently found out that I have a lot to be
thankful for.” She smiled at Chase, who was sitting across from her, then looked at Ty, who winked behind Cat. Jenny suddenly
felt as if the weight of the world was off her shoulders. She was
home, she was safe, and she was loved. And Cat was being nice to
her. If Jamie would just quit complaining, life would be perfect.

Chapter Twenty-six

There were only two people missing when the group from the
Lynch ranch attended church the next morning: Jamie, who was propped up in bed with a book, and Jake, who refused to go and wouldn’t change his mind for anything. He promised to look after Jamie, and also threatened to shoot him if he didn’t stop whining.
Grace had decided to join the church goers; the week of waiting
on Jamie hand and foot had left her much in need of a break. She was dressed elegantly in a dress and matching bonnet that shad
owed her face so that the scars were barely visible. Cat was wearing
one of the many creations she had brought back from her last trip
East to visit her aunt. Jenny had only the blue calico, but she didn’t mind. She was amazed to see Chase in a coat and tie, his long hair thrown back over his shoulders, defiantly showing his heritage. He
handed her up into the carriage with the same gentlemanly man
ners as Ty, making Jenny wonder what type of woman his mother
had been.

Cat had decided to make Ty pay for his earlier disdain of her
and kept him at a distance, making him pursue her instead of the other way around. Ty knew it was his penalty for treating her so callously before and bore it with good grace, playing the considerate suitor. Chase and Ty had sat up half the night talking, and
Chase knew that Ty would play Cat’s game for a while before laying
down the law, which was what Cat wanted anyway.

Chase was just happy to have Jenny at his side in the carriage, to know that later, when they were alone, he would have her in
his arms, and he was anxiously awaiting that moment so he could talk with her about his dreams for their future. He held her hand, her skin glowing golden against the dark bronze of his, her fingers
delicate in his work-hardened ones. He felt the calluses in her hand rubbing against his own, felt the strength of her easy grip, and was
proud of her, knowing she would not be afraid to stand beside
him and carry her own weight. But then, all he wanted to do was protect her and provide for her, and he knew it wouldn’t be easy.
There weren’t many men around like Jason Lynch who judged you by who you were instead of what you were. It was not an easy life
being a half-breed, and it would be harder still on the woman who
chose to marry one, especially if she had golden blond hair and
deep sapphire blue eyes like the ones gazing at him now. His smile
did not reveal any of his turbulent thoughts, and the one she gave
him drove them all away.

Jenny was amazed at how much her life had changed in the past twenty-four hours. She felt as if she had been asleep all those years
that she had spent wandering, and had just been awakened by the
kiss of a prince, as in the stories her mother used to tell her. The
sky seemed bluer, the grass greener, the wildflowers waving along
side the road brighter. Even Zane and Caleb, who were riding by
the carriage, seemed merrier. Caleb was grinning at Zane’s endless
monologue, which held many innuendoes about the outbreak of
spring fever that had overcome the locals.

The townsfolk were gathered in the churchyard when the ranch party rode in. Zane and Caleb made their way to the gathering of
young ladies, pursuing interests that had developed at the dance.
Jason joined the gossip of the men. Then the entire congregation
filed in to the ringing of the bell. Chase and Jenny slid into the
back pew, along with Zane and Caleb, while the rest of the party went to their customary place in the third pew on the left. A few heads were turned, a few frowns directed at the long hair on the
half-breed in the back, but all that faded into the background as
their discovery of each other overshadowed everything else.

Chase and Jenny sat hip to hip, thigh to thigh, the blue calico
overflowing onto the dark of his neatly pressed pants, the white
cuffs of his shirt gleaming brightly against the bronze of his skin.
The muscles in his thighs flexed as he tried to find room for his
long legs in the tight confines of the pew. The morning light
streaming through the row of windows turned Jenny’s hair to gold,
and Chase had to fight the urge to pick up the curl that lay on her
breast.
Lata;
he said to himself, when
we’re alone, when we have all
the time in the world.

They stood together, sharing a hymnal, Jenny’s clear soprano blending in with Caleb’s tenor. Zane’s voice was a monotone, and
Chase just followed the words, listening. When the sermon began, Zane fell asleep, Caleb began sketching on a scrap of paper, and Jenny opened her mother’s Bible to follow the scripture. The min
ister started in, his topic addressing the strife that was threatening to divide the country, comparing the slavery in the South to the
slavery of the chosen people in Egypt. He started in on the plagues,
and Chase reached down and flipped the pages from Exodus to
the Song of Solomon, placing a long index finger on chapter two.
Jenny’s eyes followed his finger and she began to read, a soft blush coloring her cheeks as she did so. “Did you forget that my mother
taught me to read from her Bible?” he whispered in her ear.

She grabbed his hand and dug her nails into the palm. “No, I didn’t forget,” she mouthed. He squeezed her fingers, then both
hands relaxed, the fingers weaving together and then resting on his
leg. She felt a twitch in his thigh as her hand settled against it, but
his face was set, giving no indication of the turmoil that her touch
caused within. Jenny looked at his profile as he attempted to con
centrate on the sermon. She tried to imagine what he would be
like if he hadn’t been driven from his tribe.
He would be a great
warrior,
she thought to herself. He’s
so steady, so steadfast in
his
resolve, he
would have to be.
She pictured the regal face covered with
war paint, feathers and beads braided into his long hair, and cov
ered her mouth with her other hand to hide the smile that had
come forth unbidden.

He looked down at her out of the corner of his eye, and drew
his eyebrows down in a frown, as if she were an unruly child disturbing his meditation. She batted her eyes innocently at him, and he pulled her hand up against his chest, holding it tightly to discourage her from causing any more trouble. An elderly lady across the aisle gave them a disapproving look, but Jenny smiled
sweetly at her and even gave her a little wave. Caleb snorted into his paper, which disturbed Zane’s nap and he sat up and began to
blink like an owl, trying to figure out what he had missed.

Jenny couldn’t stand it any longer—she was too full of joy, and
the sermon was suffocating her. Her legs, which wanted to spin
and dance and fly across the ground, began to bounce, her feet
tapping against the floor. The man in front of them cleared his
throat noisily, and the muscles in Chase’s cheek worked to hold
back the laughter that threatened to spill forth.

Miraculously, Jenny and Chase made it through the service, even
managing to give the benediction its proper respect. The minister shook their hands, trying to figure out who they were and where they came from. He relaxed when Jason pointed them out as his employees. Cat was clinging tightly to Ty’s arm, wanting all the
other single ladies to see that she was now with him; she was in no hurry to leave. Chase and Jenny, on the other hand, couldn’t
wait to get back to the ranch and fly away, so they waited by the
carriage and made their plans for the day, wishing the gossip would
run out so they could be on their way.

An hour later, they were on horseback, a cold lunch in their
saddlebags, on their way to the place that Chase had claimed as
his own even though it was part of the Lynch property. It was the place he went to when he needed to be alone, the place where he
had dreamed of Jenny and which he dreamed of sharing with
Jenny.

It took her breath away. A crystal lake was sitting before a ridge
of mountains that rose higher and higher until they disappeared into the clouds. The land rolled softly down, an ocean of sweet
grass that was already knee deep in the early summer. A grove of trees stood off to the side, offering shelter to the deer that came
down to drink at the lake.

Chase watched her face as she looked, trying to see it all but too
overwhelmed by the beauty of it to absorb everything.

“It’s so beautiful, I can’t understand why Jason didn’t build here,”
she said finally.

“The snow gets pretty deep here in the winter,” Chase explained.
“Probably because of the mountains.”