Chance For Love (Colorado Blues) (4 page)

“That’s sad.”

“Yeah but it’s his choice so I can’t push my ideas on
him. I’m sure eventually he’ll come around.”

***

Callie stood and yawned. “I need sleep. Which side is
better for you?” She looked at the bed and her eyes almost drooped.

“I’m happy either side. Take your pick.”

She walked over and pulled back the covers, plumping
up the pillows. “So, does that mean we share a room when we get home or what?”

“Sure, just not when my brothers come over. You can
set yourself up in one of the guest rooms.” He hobbled over to the bed.
“Callie, I appreciate it, I really do. I know I got you over here under false
pretentions to some extent but it will work out in the end, I promise, and you’ll
still get your money.”

“I can hardly blame you for what you did when I’ve
only come over here for the money too. Guess we both have our demons, but I’m
no sorrier than you are for doing it. My sisters are relying on me to clear the
debt and provide for them when they finish school.” She climbed into bed and
snuggled down with the blankets pulled up under her arms.

“So you have no issues sleeping with me then?” Chance
looked down on her and she lifted a hand to shield her eyes.

“I agreed didn’t I? But I did go on the pill so we
don’t get caught out getting pregnant until we’re ready, if we ever are.”

“Yeah good idea. Well, I’m going to have a shower and
crash. Tomorrow is another big drive.” He hobbled toward the bathroom and shut
the door behind him.

Callie let out a sigh of relief. He deserved what he’d
paid for and if truth be told it wouldn’t be a hardship to sleep with him. She
hadn’t been with anyone for ages and besides, he’d paid for her and she was
going to make sure she kept her side of the bargain. She clicked off the
bedside lamp and snuggled into the pillow.

Callie was almost asleep when Chance came out of the
bathroom. He left the light on behind him and closed the door leaving a one
inch gap for light during the night. She could see him walking toward the bed
from the light behind him. A white towel hung around his hips, showing off the
shape of a well-toned body. She kept her breathing even and her eyes closed to
a slit.

When he pulled back the cover, Chance dropped the
towel to the floor and shuffled between the sheets. She heard the intake of
breath as he tried to get comfortable. Unsure of whether to offer him help or
ignore it for now, Callie held still and waited to see what happened before she
did anything.

Within minutes his breathing changed to a deeper pace
and she realized he was asleep. She relaxed and rolled over onto her back.
Though the curtains the red light still flashed, illuminating the dark night
sky. The rumble of semi-trucks driving through town broke the still night as
they passed. The sky was hovering between grey and black when she finally fell
asleep.

***

The smooth chest under her hand was warm and inviting.
Callie rubbed her finger tips over the small nub of flesh and snuggled closer,
the male smell holding her close. A firm hand cupped her butt and pulled her
closer still, another hand stroked the hair from her face. She snuggled her
face into the rough palm, feeling secure for the first time in months.

Callie opened her eyes and squealed. Chance was
holding her tight and her arms were wrapped around his naked body, her legs
twined with his.

“Stay there. You feel good like this.” His eyes were
closed and there was a small smile twitching the corners of his full mouth.
Callie froze. “And stop over thinking this. Just relax for a few more moments
and then we need to get up and on the road.”

She swallowed and looked at the face within licking
distance. His blond hair was cut fairly short but still curled around his ears
and a cow lick graced the corner of his forehead. A day’s growth showed
through, leaving a soft cast of shadow around his chin and over his top lip.
The scar ran from his cheek through his eyebrow and snaked up to the part in
his hair. It was faded but she could see the tiny points where the stitches had
been placed.

Long golden eyelashes wavered and she wondered what it
would be like to have them flutter against her cheek.

“Stop thinking and lie still.”

Callie relaxed and let her head drop back to his
shoulder, snuggling into his chest. The woodsy smell of his aftershave lingered
on his skin, reminding her of pine forests and rushing streams of cool clear
water.

“You tossed and turned all night. Was it that bad a
day yesterday?” His lashes opened and he looked down at her with soft blue
cloudless eyes.

“Yes and no. It’s going to be a challenge for both of
us, but we’re both doing it for good reasons. I don’t want my sisters to grow
up thinking my folks didn’t care enough about them to make provision for when
they’re older.” She swallowed and pushed away the emotion that rushed up her
throat whenever she thought of her parents. “They deserve more.”

“Exactly how I felt about my brothers and why I did
what I did. We’re not that unalike when you think about it. We can make this
work, Callie. I know we can.” He pushed her back on the pillow and raised
himself over her.

“Chance…” Her words were cut off when his lips came
down over hers. She sucked in a breath and the taste of him rolled over her
tongue. He nipped at her top lip and looked down into her eyes. Before she
could say anything he dipped down to her mouth again, this time running his
tongue over the curve of her top lip. Callie tried to grasp his tongue with her
teeth but he evaded her.

Her eyes closed as he latched onto her lips, pushing
his tongue into her mouth to trace the ridges of her teeth. She paused, eager
to respond but wary of letting this get out of control so soon. His body
covered hers and she thrust up, her hips moving of their own accord, a reminder
it had been far too long since her body had been tempted to let go.

Callie wrapped her hand around the back of his neck,
gripping tight to keep him where he was. Her body took over from her mind and
she hooked a leg over his, one hand running down his back and cupping his naked
butt.

He gasped and a moan escaped his throat.

“Sorry, oh Chance, I’m so stupid.” Her heart ached to
see him screwing up his face in pain.

He rested his forehead on hers and kept his eyes
closed until the pain receded. With a deep steadying breath he opened his eyes
and looked into hers. “Sorry, not your fault.” He kissed her again and eased
himself back to rest on the pillow, a hand draped over his face.

“No, I should have known better. You’ve been hurt
badly and I kind of forgot there for a minute.” Heat raced up her cheeks and
she sat up, wrapping her arms around her knees. “If I’d stuck to the plan it
wouldn’t have happened.”

He reached out a hand placing it on her back. “Don’t
torment yourself. I never expected you to react that way or I would have waited
until I was feeling better.” He chuckled and she risked a peek over her
shoulder at him. He burst out laughing and Callie frowned.

“What is so damned funny, cowboy?” She shuffled
around, rose too her knees, and glared at him, her hands on her hips as she
towered over him.

“You and me. Who would of thought a mail order wedding
would have us reacting like this to each. I want you as much as you want me.
You can’t deny it, Callie.”

“How can I when I was just climbing all over you? If
you hadn’t yelped like a girl we would be cozy by now.” She smiled, wiggled her
eyebrows at him and scurried off the bed. “Time to get a move on if we want to
get home tonight, wouldn’t you say?”

She grabbed her clothes bag and hurried to the
bathroom, slamming the door behind her before he was out of bed. She fanned
herself and moaned. How bad was that? Or good, depending on which way you
looked at it. To get saddled with a guy who didn’t turn her on was one of the
things that scared her the most, which was why she’d reacted the way she had
last night. Nothing wrong with sex. It was a healthy reaction and the guy was
her husband after all.

Callie squeezed her eyes shut and fist pumped the air.
Yes!
That hot cowboy was hers and all she had to do was pretend he wasn’t
when there was anyone around until they had the rest of the family eased into
his new way of life. Shouldn’t be too hard to do.

There was a tap on the door. “Hang on.” She hurried
into a pair of comfy worn jeans and button up shirt and ran her fingers through
her hair. Once her teeth were brushed, she checked her reflection in the
mirror. There was color to her cheeks that wasn’t there yesterday. Thank
goodness that day was over and done with. Now to get into the swing of things
as the wife of the hunkiest cowboy she’d ever laid eyes on.

Callie pulled open the bathroom door and stopped.
Chance was standing with a towel around his hips and a smile on his face, one
arm on the door frame.

The startled look on her face changed as soon as she
gathered herself. She leaned against the door and pursed her lips. “So, the
plan for today would be?”

“How about I have five minutes in here to do my thing
and you order us breakfast?” The swell of her breasts under the old cotton
shirt threatened to make him ignore the pain and take her back to bed. Who
could have imagined he would fall for the petite Australian farmer as quickly
as he had? Certainly not him.

Callie licked her lips and he watched her gaze roam
his naked chest. “I guess I could do that.”

“I would prefer to do something else myself. I think
it would be advisable to wait until we get home. At least there is a much more
comfortable bed which would ease the pain on my hip since I’m sure it’s going
to get a workout. I don’t like taking too many pain killers when I have to
drive so far.”

“Um, well…” She stood up and tucked her hands behind
her back. “Yeah, that might be a good idea. I can always drive you know. Give
you a break along the way if you like.” She gazed up at him with such earnest
eyes he was reminded of an innocence lacking for too long in his life.

“I might take you up on that. Breakfast first and then
we can hit the highway.”

Callie ducked out under his arm and hurried over to
the phone to call room service for breakfast. Chance heard her voice as he shut
the door.

An hour later they were in the truck, eating up the
miles toward home.

“Tell me about your brothers. How many do you have and
what do they do?” She tucked a leg up under her butt and turned to watch him.

“Well now, there’s Tyson. He lives next door to me.
Horses are his thing, especially stock horses. You know about Rory. Poor guy.
He really has had it pretty tough.” Chance shook his head and checked in the
rear vision mirror. “He married quite young which was fine because he and Leila
were made for each other. Everyone could see it. She was the sweetest thing and
he adored her.”

“What happened to her?”

Chance glanced at her, taking in everything he said.
“She was on the way home from a doctor’s appointment. Rory thinks she was
distracted because she’d just found out she was having a baby. Never saw the
truck or the stop sign and sailed right through it.”

“That’s terrible. The poor things.” Her eyes misted
over and Chance could have kicked himself. Her parents died in a car accident
too. It must bring it all back. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No, it’s okay. It happened. Nothing’s going to change
that same as nothing is going to change it for Rory. Doesn’t he want to move on
and get on with life?”

“Not really. He’s very bitter about it all. The
brothers have all tried to get him to move closer so we can help him out but he
won’t fall in with the plan. Reckons he’s better off being miserable by
himself.”

“I can understand that. Maybe he’ll come around soon.
How many more in the family?”

“Well, there’s Evan. He’s in Dallas right now. Guy is
hoping to come home and open his own medical practice once he has a bit more
experience. Not sure I would be too happy having him poking around with me, but
that’s cause he’s my brother. Not saying his skills aren’t any good. Passed his
exams with flying colors so I guess someone trusts him.”

Callie laughed, poking him in the arm. “That is so
mean. How could you talk like that about your brother?”

“Cause he’s my brother, that’s exactly why. You didn’t
know him as a kid like I did. Playing doctors with him was never any fun, let
me tell you.”

“Hmmm, I don’t believe you for one minute. Where does
your dad live?”

A cold chill crept up his spine and he glance away out
the driver’s side window. “He lives in town still. In the old house we grew up
in. You won’t be seeing anything of him.”

They drove on for the next few miles in silence. When
a gas station came into view, Chance pulled over. “You might want a bathroom
stop or a drink. I may as well fuel up and it will get us home.” He jumped out
of his seat and, leaning on the truck for support, reached for the fuel hose.

He heard the other door open and then the tap of feet
on the pavement. Chance watched as Callie walked over to the service station
door and went inside. Her worn jeans hugged her shapely butt like a second
skin. As much as he liked them, he knew she would need warmer clothes before
they got to the ranch. Alice Springs in Australia was a lot hotter that
Colorado ever got. With the snow on the mountains all year round, it was colder
than Callie would be used to.

***

Callie pushed open the door to the rest room and
hurried to an empty stall. It stood to reason Chance would be sensitive about
his father, but at the end of the day he was still his father. If her mother
had been the only one killed in the accident she could easily imagine her dad
turning to the bottle. He’d loved her so much, he would have been devastated
without her. A love like that would be hard to get over. She’d just have to
remember to tread carefully there when the subject came up. Maybe one day she
would get to meet her father-in-law and decide for herself if he was a nice
person or not. She did her business and washed her hands before venturing out
to the shop. Chance was at the counter paying for the gas and gestured to her.
“Want anything to eat? A coffee to go?”

“Coffee would be great, thanks.” She waited beside him
until he’d paid and took the take out cup he offered her, grabbing his as well
so he could use his cane. Together they walked back to the truck and she passed
his cup over once they were back on the road again.

“Didn’t mean to bite your head off over the old man.
Bit of a sore point.”

“Fair enough. So, is that it then? Tyson, Rory and
Evan?”

“No. Some days it would have been nice if the folks
stopped there but after a break, my mother surprised everyone with another
child. The baby of the family is Luke.”

“Sounds like you guys clash.” She sipped her coffee
and watched the road ahead.

“Don’t pull punches, do you? Is it an Australian
thing?” Chance glanced at her and she smiled.

“Could be, or it might just be me. Never did see the
point in spouting off bull shit just to make someone happy. I tell it like it
is, cowboy.”

He roared with laughter. “Makes me wonder if I’ve
bitten off more than I was expecting somehow.”

“Too late now, I’ve spent the first check.”

“Did it make much difference?”

“Yeah, it did. The bank gave me the breathing space
now to sort out the rest of the debts. Not that I can do much more for a while,
but at least it’s a start.”

“I can sort out those bills, Callie. I have more money
than I know what to do with.”

“No! Thanks but no. You’ve already done enough and
with the wage you want to pay me on top of it, that’s more than enough.”

“Your call. Just remember it’s there and as my wife
you have ready access to anything you want.”

“Thanks.” She sipped her coffee and looked out the window
soaking up the view as they drove home.