“What’s wrong?” Chase asked.
“Nothing! I just can’t believe how pretty it looks.”
Lori’s house was attached to an empty auto mechanic’s shop, and beyond that was a private dump filled with rusting parts. But in the dark, all that was visible was the big white tent that filled the lot. It was lit from within with thousands of tiny lights. Music drifted through the air.
Jane had helped Mr. Jennings set up the rental and the catering, but she hadn’t quite expected such a complete transformation.
“You sure you want to introduce me to all your friends?”
She shot a look at him, remembering the way she’d clutched his tattooed head an hour earlier. “I’m sure. Plus, I only know about four people here, so it’s no big deal.”
“Well, thanks.”
Laughing, she got out of the truck. She wasn’t the least bit nervous, despite this being their first public appearance together as a couple. Oh, he’d talked big about taking her out on the town this week, but in the end they’d stayed behind closed doors, making up for the nights they’d spent apart. And last night Chase had been busy helping his father narrow down the brochures to the three he was most open to. His dad had never taken that step before, and Chase had hope in his eyes when he talked about it.
Jane took his hand and they walked toward the music. She spotted Mr. Jennings right away and pulled Chase in that direction.
“Jane, you look great! Hey, Chase.” He slapped Chase on the back. “Congratulations on getting back in Jane’s good graces.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re a lucky man. And by ‘lucky’ I mean don’t even
think
about screwing her over. Got it?”
Chase smiled, but tipped his head in agreement.
“Have you met Lori?” He turned and tugged Lori out of a conversation with a grouchy-looking old man who had a pencil poised over a little notebook. He looked like a reporter from the sixties.
Mr. Jennings snuck his arm around his girlfriend. “Lori Love, this is Chase.”
“Oh,
Chase
,” Lori said, eyes flying wide at the sight of him. Chase shook her hand while her gaze fluttered up and down. “Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, Lori. Congratulations on the big trip.”
“It’s not that big of a deal.” Her elbow struck Quinn Jennings’s arm. “I still can’t believe you did this.”
“You can thank Jane. If I’d done this myself we would’ve ended up with a camping tent and a couple two-liters of soda. Thank you, Jane.”
Jane felt her face heat with embarrassed pleasure. “You’re welcome…Quinn.”
Both Quinn and Lori made oohing sounds, while Jane laughed and wished she had a drink.
“Listen to that!” Quinn said. “She called me Quinn! Does she still call you Mr. Chase?”
“Only in private,” Chase answered, drawing more oohing sounds from the couple.
“Oh, jeez.” Jane laughed. “Get me a drink already. I’m not used to having a fun boyfriend. I need a liquid buffer.”
As soon as he wandered out of earshot, Lori grabbed Jane’s arm in a death grip. “Oh. My. God. Are you kidding me?”
“What?” Jane asked, grinning so hard her cheeks hurt.
“I thought Quinn was exaggerating! But now I’m thinking he left a few things out!”
“The shaved head is new.”
“The
shaved head
is new? I can’t believe that just came out of Jane Morgan’s mouth. About her
boyfriend
.”
Jane pressed her hand to her stomach, laughing too hard to answer.
“And that was no lie about him being big. Wow.” Lori stepped close to pull Jane into a hug. “I’m so happy for you. He’s really cute.”
“Thank you. Your advice…it helped.”
“Good.”
When Chase came back with a glass of wine, Lori slipped away to mingle with her other guests. “Don’t forget to take your box of books!” she called.
“What books?” Chase asked Jane.
“Lori and I are starting our own book club when she gets back.”
“Oh, yeah? Can I be in it?”
Thinking of the kind of books they’d be reading, Jane shook her head. “No way. Girls only. Plus, you don’t read.”
“But—” he started, cut off by a blur of movement. A blond woman darted past them and ran straight to Lori to give her a hug. She picked Lori up and spun her around, squealing with excitement the whole time.
“Who’s that?” Chase asked.
“That’s Molly. She’s Quinn’s sister. She’s in the book club, too.”
“Are you kidding?” His eyes stayed locked on the gorgeous woman in skintight leather pants and impossibly high heels. Molly was still squealing. “That girl is related to
Quinn?
”
“Yep.”
As they watched, a man in jeans and a police uniform shirt stopped next to Molly and put his hand over her mouth to stifle the noise.
“And that guy?” Chase asked. “Is he her parole officer?”
“That’s her boyfriend, Ben Lawson. He’s the chief of police here in Tumble Creek. Come on. I’ll introduce you.”
While she made the introductions, Jane waited for a twinge of self-consciousness. That old feeling of being exposed. But it didn’t surface. She just felt…lucky. Even when Chief Lawson’s eyes focused sharply on Chase’s tattoos before he held out a hand. And especially when Molly hid behind her hand and mouthed
Oh-my-God-sexy!
to Jane.
Chase belonged to her now. She’d pulled it off.
She was floating on triumph and barely paying attention to the conversation around her when Chase slid his hand around her waist. “Want to dance?” The sounds of an old Clint Black love song drifted through the tent.
“I sure do.”
Chase led her to the wooden platform that served as a dance floor and curled his arms around her. “I love you,” he whispered into her hair. “You look so beautiful.”
She felt beautiful and happy as his heartbeat thumped against her ear. They swayed in time to the music. A tiny breeze brushed over her back.
“I probably shouldn’t tell you this,” Chase whispered, “but I’m going to marry you someday.”
Her eyes popped open. “What?”
“Don’t freak out. I’m not asking you now. I’m just giving you a heads-up. I know you’ll need time to adjust.”
“We’ve only been dating for a few weeks!”
“Yeah, I know. But somebody’s got to make an honest woman of you. You’ll never manage it on your own.”
“Chase, I…” She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t even know what to feel. Her mind was sending out electric sparks of terror, but her heart was melting into a warm, gooey mess inside her. Eyes still wide, Jane cautiously laid her cheek back on his chest.
“We’ll buy a house and I’ll build a white picket fence first thing.”
Jane shook her head, but couldn’t stop a small smile.
“And we’ll have two kids,” he continued. “A boy named Junior and a girl named Sparkles.”
“Shut up,” she huffed.
“And two rottweilers named Critter and Nutz.”
“Shut up!” Jane gave up and laughed so hard that tears wet her cheeks.
He pulled her tight against him again and kissed her head. “Don’t worry, Jane,” he murmured. “We’ll wait until you’re ready. But I will ask you.”
Jane closed her eyes. All the tension had faded from her body. “All right,” she whispered as the last notes of the song danced away. She waited for the urge to run away, the panicked need to free herself from this commitment. It didn’t come. Instead, a sweet hope opened up inside her.
She leaned back in his arms so she could meet his gaze. “Promise?”
His smile faded and his blue eyes darkened with emotion. “I do.”
Jane stood on her tiptoes and kissed him, and her one single worry about the people watching was a brief moment of pity for the women who couldn’t have Billy Chase.
A very brief moment. This big, tattooed man was all hers, and she was going to keep him.
LEAD ME ON
Copyright © 2010 by Victoria Dahl
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