☼
The air blew over his face as he rode the bike down
the interstate. Chase missed Vicki. He’d been gone to Atlanta for
his job for a month and could say with all certainty he missed her.
They hadn’t talked a lot but had had comfortable silences.
The lazy mornings where they’d just laid in bed, in
each other’s arms, meant more to him than she could ever know.
That’s when he’d felt a connection with her. Not that he hadn’t
other times, but then, she’d been the most honest, he believed.
Those sleepy days were wonderful memories that he held tightly.
He wove around a slower car and continued on. There
had been something in her voice that had him saying yes, even
though he hadn’t been sure he would be able to pull it off. In that
moment, he’d known he’d find a way to make it there. Never
believing a day would come when a Boshay, much less Vicki, would
have asked him to come to her would have arrived, he had no
intention of letting her down.
He’d sent her a message saying he would meet her at
the courthouse. He checked the time and asked for a bit more speed
from the machine. The roads weren’t all that busy yet, for which he
was grateful. He slowed as he left the interstate and did so even
more as he entered Cottonwood Falls.
Chase parked in front of the courthouse and swung
his leg off the bike. He shoved a hand through his hair and strode
to the steps.
“Chase.”
He paused and turned. His breath left him in a
whoosh. Vicki hurried along the sidewalk toward him.
Holy
shit.
The strapless turquoise dress had a pink ribbon
waistband. Her long tan toned legs spilled from the bottom, and the
heels only added to the picture. Her blonde hair had been braided
and wound around her head except for two tendrils on either side of
her face, giving her a soft and sultry appearance.
“Damn,” he muttered as she slowed to a stop by him.
“You’re beautiful.”
She flushed. “Thank you. You’re wearing the hell out
of that tuxedo.”
He offered her his arm. “Shall we?”
There was a moment’s hesitation before she nodded.
“Let’s.”
He offered her his arm and kissed her when she
slipped her arm through his. Her taste rocked him, and he almost
forgot they stood by the courthouse steps out in public. Instead,
he wrested his libido back under control and walked up the stairs
with her.
“I just have to slip into the bathroom and take this
final item to Cheryl,” she said as they walked across the floor,
her shoes clicking.
“I’ll see you in there.”
She made her way toward the bathroom, and he watched
her move. Confident. Sexy. His idea of the perfect woman.
The small ceremony was simple, but there was no
denying the love between the couple. Chase stood with her as they
listened to the vows. He couldn’t keep his eyes off of her. Vicki
paid total attention to the words being spoken between the new
couple.
After it was over and they kissed, she showed them
the cake she’d had made for them. Along with the man of the cloth,
they enjoyed some cake and took pictures.
Tim hugged her, and Chase listened to their
conversation.
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” Tim asked.
“Please. This is your wedding night. I’ve got your
shifts covered.”
“What about your weekend?”
“I’m not the newlywed. Go on, take your bride, and
do all those things I know y’all’ve been doing. Just as a legal
couple now.” She grinned and hugged him.
After one to Cheryl, the small gathering broke up.
Vicki left the rest of the cake for those working in the building,
and Chase escorted her back outside.
“Thank you for coming,” she said as they neared the
steps.
“You’re welcome. When do you have time to talk?”
“I can talk for a little bit now, but I have to take
his shift, so I’m on duty in two hours.”
“Have your uniform in your car?”
“I do.”
“Come to my house.”
“I’ll be right there.”
She pulled in his drive about five minutes after
he’d arrived. He was over talking to Mrs. Candace when she drove
in. With a kiss to the older woman, he walked back to his
place.
“Good to see you again, Ms. Boshay,” Candace called
out as Vicki exited the car.
“You as well, Mrs. Mallery.”
“You’re looking beautiful in that dress.”
She smiled. “Thank you. We were at a wedding.”
“Good, maybe he’ll get some ideas and settle down
here.” A pointed look before she went back inside her home.
“Come on,” he said.
“She loves you,” Vicki stated as she walked up the
few steps and entered his home.
“I know. I love her, too.”
“That much is obvious to anyone who sees you with
her, Chase.”
She stood there in his kitchen, wringing her hands.
He shut the door behind him, grateful to be out of the heat. While
the tux wasn’t like full combat gear in the desert, he still would
prefer something lighter.
“I’m going to change.”
She just walked to his cabinet and pulled down a
glass, which she filled with tap water then drained swiftly. He
furrowed his brow. Something was different about her, but he
couldn’t put his finger on it. He propped his hip on the
fridge.
“What’s going on?”
She jumped as if he’d startled her. “I thought you
were going to change.”
He loosened the bow tie at his neck. “Change of
plans.” He moved toward her, trapping her between him and the
counter. “You’re skittish.”
“Just a little tired is all.”
He tsked. “Vicki. Vicki. It’s more than that.” He
slid his fingers along one freed tendril before skimming them along
her cheek. “What’s going on?”
“Are you planning on moving back to Cottonwood
Falls?”
He cocked a brow. “Wedding got to you that much?
Want to get hitched, is that it? So sure you want to tie your name
to mine?”
Pain flashed in her gaze before ice replaced it.
“You know, Chase, sometimes, you’re one hell of a man; then others,
you’re just one hell of an ass. Never mind.” She shoved him out of
the way and yanked his door open.
He grabbed her arm. “Where are you going?”
“Anywhere but here.” She glared at him over her
shoulder. “Let go of me.”
“We’re not done talking.”
She snorted. “Yes, we are. You want to make stupid
jokes and not be serious, I don’t want to waste my time.”
The cop in her overflowed and put the steel behind
her words.
The moment he released her, she stepped outside.
“Running away, Vicki?”
“No, but I have more important things to do than
entertain a boy who only wants to play man on occasion. I asked a
serious question, and you have to get stupid.” She slammed her car
door and drove away with a flurry of wheels.
“Chase Ellery!”
Jogging over to the porch next door, he waited for
the further admonition from the woman there.
“Yes, Mrs. Candace?”
“Boy, some days, I don’t know what gets into that
head of yours. I suggest you track her down and make nice.”
“She’s fine. I’ll apologize later.”
“I suggest sooner rather than later.” She pruned
some dead leaves off her ivy. “Before you lose her altogether.”
“She’s on her way to work soon.”
“Did you even look at her, Chase? I mean really look
at her. Take in the circles under her eyes. The exhaustion. I could
see it from over here, and I’m an old woman. Not to mention the
other thing.”
Yes, he’d noticed the exhaustion. But the “other
thing”… He wasn’t sure he understood her meaning. “What are you
talking about?”
“Think on it. Really think. I’m sure you’ll figure
it out. Think fast.” She disappeared back in her house once
more.
Chase yanked the bowtie off his neck with a
curse.
“None of that on my porch,” she called out.
“Yes, ma’am.” He jumped off it and cursed all the
way back to his place and up the steps. He recalled Vicki as he
went to his bedroom and stripped out of the tux. It hit him, and he
wavered on his feet.
“No way. Right?”
His suspicions hummed with life. He changed swiftly
and set about tracking down the woman who’d just been in his place.
She wasn’t answering his calls.
Like that would stop him.
“What are you doing here, Chase?” Vicki asked,
looking up from her computer.
“You weren’t answering my calls.”
“It’s two in the morning. I’m working. I don’t have
time to play games.”
“No game.” He put his hands flat on her desk.
Her belly quivered at the look in his eyes. Damn her
for having these emotions.
Can I blame my condition?
As much
as she wished she could, she knew it wasn’t fair. He’d been doing
this to her long before she’d gotten knocked up by him.
She flicked her attention back to the information
she was typing in. Tim was horrible with his paperwork, and since
the night was slow, she was helping him with some of his.
“I don’t mind doing this right here, Vicki,” he
announced, snaring her attention once more. “However, I’m not sure
you want everyone to know our business.”
Panic set in, but she forced herself to remain calm.
With a calculated yawn, she said, “Let me finish this entry then I
can give you five minutes.”
He snorted. “You’ll give me more than that.”
“This isn’t a hotel, Chase. You don’t get to demand
my time.”
“Aren’t you an officer of the law? Aren’t you here
to protect and serve?”
“Just sit down,” she snapped.
He did with a cocky grin and stretched out long,
muscled legs. It took her longer than it should have to finish up,
but she did. She angled her chair toward him and said, “What can I
do for you, Mr. Ellery? Do you have a complaint to file?”
“Are there any people here other than us?”
“Two people down in the tank sleeping off a rough
night. Why?”
“Can they hear us?”
“No, Mr. Ellery. Your complaint will be
confidential.”
She knew she was pushing him to his limit. His gaze
sharpened and honed to a dangerous edge she’d not seen since he
first rolled into town.
“Keep going,” he warned.
She picked up a pencil and tapped it on the notepad
at her wrist. “What would you like to discuss?”
“The real reason you called me back to Cottonwood
Falls.”
“You came for the reason.” Her toes scrunched up in
her boots.
“Not the only one.”
She tossed her pencil down. “Look, I get it. You’re
the bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks. I was the spoiled
girl who made your life hell. I had wanted to talk to you, but
apparently, you’re still living in the time of high school. I don’t
have that luxury and no time or desire to play that game. When you
want to grow up and talk, let me know. Otherwise, go, do whatever
you do.”
“Fair enough. What’s going on between us?”
“Besides a pending murder charge? Nothing.” Her grin
was anything but pleasant.
“What good is it going to do you to kill the father
of your child? What type of message would that send our baby?”
Her eyes grew wide, and her mouth dropped open. She
recovered but knew he’d already realized the truth. “What are you
talking about?”
☼
The comprehension hit Chase like the broad side of a
barn. It couldn’t miss. He’d had to think about Mrs. Candace’s
comments for a while until her implication dawned on him. Now,
Vicki’s reaction solidified that.
“No more lies. No more partial truths. Give it to me
straight.”
She held up a hand and answered the ringing phone.
Her tone professional and kind. Even so, he wondered how he’d
missed it before. During their time together, he’d learned her body
until it was an extension of his own. There were subtle changes he
shouldn’t have missed.
“I’m almost two months along.”
He thought back. “The night at the falls.”
“That’s what I figured.” She sighed. “Look, I’m not
after anything from you—”
“I’ll move back here, and you’ll move in with me
until we find a bigger place.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Wait, what?”
“You’re carrying my child, Vicki. I plan to be there
for every facet of this progression.”
“Didn’t you just move to Atlanta for a job?”
“I did. I’ll have them get me something in
Macon.”
She shook her head. “No. I don’t want to be
something you
had
to do.”
He captured her chin in his hand. “I’ve missed you,
Vicki. More than I wanted to admit to myself. I missed your body
against mine. Lying there, just being with one another. Watching
you dance like you think no one is looking.”
“No.”
“Let me finish.” He swiped his thumb over her lip.
“I can’t promise it’s love, not yet. But my feelings for you are
stronger than anything I’ve felt for anyone. I want to make you
happy. I want to wake with you in my arms and sleep the same way.
You know I had an obsession with you in school; this is so much
more than that.”
“I can’t be part of something to get back at my
father and brothers, Chase. I just can’t. Especially with a
baby—”
He covered her mouth. “Nothing about this is
revenge. You’re right. I have to let it go and stop fracturing
everything good that comes into my life.”
“I don’t want you to wake up one day in the future
and regret this.”
“A child is a precious being, nothing to ever be
regretted. My old man was an ass, and yours still is. We can be
better parents than we had.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” The word slid easily from his lips. For the
first time in his life, he had absolutely no doubts.
“Positive.”
She kissed his palm and nodded. “Okay.” A swift
touch of her tongue to her lips. “I would have told you.”
“I know.”
“How did you know?”
“You’re different. A bit fuller, and there’s a glow
about you I didn’t see before. This look in your eyes like you’re
protecting the most precious of secrets.”