Something's Gotta Give (Tempered Steel Book 3) (2 page)

Chance took this as her blessing. He breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Missy Dee. I won’t let you down.”

“You see to it you don’t let
her
down, son. You treat her right, understand? And I’m going to warn you. You’ll have your work cut out for you, convincing her.”

She struggled out of the old chair. “I’ll just see about making some more lemonade. I’ll tell you a few things about Georgia. Then you can tell me all about yourself.”

She winked again. “And don’t leave out the good parts.”

Chance laughed as he got up to hold open the door for her. She thanked him with a nod of her head.

“Yes sir, your mama taught you right.”

****

Chance had nearly finished telling Missy Dee about the fire when they spotted Georgia and her crew coming up the hill, fussing and yelling.

“I think I should help her,” Chance started up from his chair. What Missy Dee had shared with him about Georgia’s childhood made his heart ache. He had known most of it, but hearing it from the old lady broke his heart again. He was more determined than ever to love her, to cherish her.

“You want her thinking you believe she can’t handle it? Oh no, boy, that’s the way to a stern talking to.” Missy Dee snorted. “You go all ‘I’m a male’ on her and she’ll show you the business side of her gun. Let her be, she’ll get enough of them arguing, and she’ll walk away. That’s when those young’uns will know there’s going to be punishment. When she gets all quiet and cold, they know they’ve done wrong.”

Georgia Haines saw the black truck with the familiar golden triple “C” emblem sitting in her driveway as she walked up the hill to the house. She grimaced as she tried to dust off her jean shorts. She was not dressed for company, she reflected, as she noticed the dirty smudge on her white tank top. She hadn’t even bothered with a proper bra today, only the built in thingy inside the tank. And she was not the type of girl who should really go out in public without one. She was well-endowed, they were large and tended to look heavy, but darn it, she was home, not in public.

She scraped the dried blood off her kneecap where she had slid into home while playing softball with her young ones. Blowing her long bangs out of her face, she searched the back of her hair for the rubber band that had held her long strawberry blonde tresses into some order. Apparently, her hair hadn’t faired too well, either. Her violet eyes squinted in pain as she tugged at the errant band.

What in the world was Coalson Construction doing here?
Georgia knew they had no need for daycare services currently. Mac’s wife, Dixie, wasn’t very far along with their first child. Maybe they wanted to make a donation to the peewee soccer team she coached in thanks for helping Chance out of the fire.

The fire
…Georgia still had nightmares about almost losing Chance in that fire. For all that she acted indifferent around him, Chance Coalson had been her quiet crush for as long as she could remember. Several years older than her, he had attended her school and been around town as she grew up. She had been shy and bookish, and a bit on the plump side, in her own estimation, so she had worshipped him from afar. That is until the day her mother had died, then he had come to her rescue and became her hero. It was then she knew that she loved him, and not in a child’s ‘puppy love’ kind of way. But she was too young to express her feelings. And she couldn’t take a chance that he would laugh at her.

              “Miss Peaches, Miss Peaches! There’s a big truck in the driveway! Do you suppose it’s a new kid? I hope it’s not a baby. We could use an outfielder. Does your knee hurt? You’re rubbing it. Why are you pulling your hair?” Tyler “I’ve got a million questions” Johnson stopped to take a breath.

“What do you mean we need an outfielder? We’re doing fine. If you goofballs would stop missing the ball, we could have a real game.” Caleb Frazer defended his position with a push to Ty’s shoulder. He was eight and that made him in charge compared to Tyler’s, “baby age”, of six.

Ty proved he was no baby with a tough shove to Caleb’s chest.

“Boys, please. We’re not going to fight about this,” Georgia stopped tugging on her hair band and reached for the boys.

“He started it.”

“Did not.”

“Did too!”

That was all it took. One minute the two combatants were shouting, the next fists were flying, legs kicking, and general mayhem ensued. Georgia made a vain attempt to reach them, but they were fast, deftly evading her outstretched arms as the other children began to cheer them on. She turned to reprimand the others, ordering them to quiet down, but it was a lost cause. The outcome of the game and the heat of the day had fired their blood, and tempers were too high to be contained.

The moving mound of chaos was coming closer to the house. Georgia became quite desperate as she spied a figure on the front porch with Missy Dee. She couldn’t make out his features, but she knew it was one of the Coalson brothers. Their large bodies and handsome features were hard to miss, even at this distance. If Mac had come to inquire about infant services when Dixie had the baby, her daycare wasn’t at its shining moment right now.

With a last look of disgust at the screaming crowd of youngsters, she decided to give up and let them fight it out. Then she’d bandage them up and deal out a punishment. She might even tell their parents.

Trying to put as much distance from them as possible, she quickened her pace. In an attempt to keep from running down one of the children dancing around her, she twisted to the side and inadvertently stepped on the softball that was laying forgotten on the grass. Her balance teetered and she flailed her arms to steady herself, but to no avail. With a loud thud, and an even louder groan, she landed on her backside.

She heard Missy Dee shout, and Georgia watched as she struggled to get out of her rocking chair to help her. She saw Mac hop over the rail and start running down the hill before Missy Dee could get up. She noticed the children had stopped fighting. They were staring down at her.

Georgia wanted to cry, but she had a visitor, she was a mess, and the children were misbehaving badly.  Now she had gone and done this. It couldn’t get any worse. There was no way Mac Coalson was going to let her watch his child. He might even try to have her shut down.

“Falling at my feet already?”

No! No! NO!
Georgia prayed the ground would open up so she could sink into it.
Not him! Please!

“Can I offer you a lift?” Chance Coalson extended his hand to help her to her feet.

Well, I stand corrected – things could get worse.
In complete mortification, she held out her hand, keeping her eyes lowered so he couldn’t see her tears.
Maybe if I pray real hard it won’t be him standing over me.

Georgia slowly raised her eyes to the handsome dark haired man waiting patiently for her.
Dammit!
Not MacCoalson-
Chance Coalson
. What was it about this particular man that turned her extremely intelligent mind into mush with a single glance of those beautiful blue eyes?

She lowered her glance to his mouth, taking in the still fire-chapped lips and slightly amused grin. Big mistake. Memories of the night of the fire raced through her mind as she looked at those lips. She thought of how those full, sexy lips had coaxed a response from her without any hesitation on her part. What had started as simple resuscitation had turned into the most carnal kiss she had ever received. She had felt devoured by him, even in his weakened condition. Goodness knows what he would do to her now. The Casanova of the County was almost fit as a fiddle and already weaving his magic.

She closed her eyes once more in humiliation.
He probably thinks you’re clumsy, or clutzy, or crazy. Greeaat!

Georgia grasped his hand, noticing the warmth radiating from those long fingers. Hands made for loving a woman, gentle, yet strong. She could feel the still tender scars on his palms. He really was the stuff fantasies were made of, too bad she was grounded in reality. With a mental shake, she hauled herself to her feet.

Almost.

Pain shot up her leg from her left ankle and it buckled under her weight. She would’ve fallen again, but strong arms were around her immediately. She looked up and caught her breath. Chance’s face was just inches from hers. She felt his breath on her cheek and in an effort to avoid those mesmerizing blue eyes, she glanced down.

“Steady there, Peaches.” He murmured with a grin at her blushing face. “They sure got your nickname right, darlin’. You remind me of a peach, from the tip of that flame-licked blonde hair, to your sweet soft complexion and the firm, luscious body, you are definitely peachy all over.” He winked at her. “Want me to carry you?” 

“No!” Georgia screeched in dismay and embarrassment as she wrestled out of his arms, only to cry in pain as her ankle refused to bear her weight.

Chance grabbed at her again, genuine concern on his face. “You’re not kidding, are you? You’re really hurt.” He looked down at her ankle.

Faking. He thought she was faking.
How many women have chased after him with silly attempts to attract his attention? He assumed she was yet another one.

              She was suddenly furious. “No, I am not faking.” Her voice rose with each word until she was shouting in his ear. “Now are you going to help me to the house or are we just going to STAND HERE ALL DAY?!”

My God!
Was that her screaming like a banshee?

Well, this was it then. Now she had really gone and done it, she chided herself as she stifled a groan of despair. This man with his gorgeous body and handsome face and wonderful family probably thought she was insane. She was beginning to question that herself. He made her feel so off-balance, she didn’t know if she was coming or going. She had really messed this one up. She didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of a date, much less a relationship, with this man.
Not that I could ever be that brave…

Georgia couldn’t muffle the tiny shriek as Chance gathered her up in his strong arms, which was no mean feat. She was a tall woman. She wasn’t terribly thin, either. Missy Dee called her wholesome. Georgia thought it had a nice ring to it. Nevertheless, as he lifted her higher, Chance stumbled a bit before he righted himself and marched up the hill and onto the front porch, the now silent children solemnly trailing behind him.

Georgia was dumbstruck. She had assumed he would put his arm around her and help her amble up to the house. Never in a million years would she have believed how easily he had carried her. She tucked her head under his chin and held on for dear life.

She inhaled his delicious scent. It was clean with the slight hint of soap and all male. His T shirt stretched across his broad chest. The tan shorts showed his muscular thighs. And his feet, well, even his large feet were sexy. What was that saying about the size of a man’s feet compared to his…?

Being this close to Chance Coalson was potent stuff indeed. And this was as close as she knew she would ever get to this too-good-to-be-true man. She was determined to memorize every miniscule bit of this.

Georgia noticed that he wasn’t even winded as he crested the hill and hopped up the steps of the front porch. He was just too perfect. He was the best thing that her heart had ever seen. She stared at his long black lashes so near her cheek. If she moved her face a teeny tiny bit closer, she could feel those incredible lashes on her skin.
Did she dare take that step?

She felt his fingers tighten a fraction below her breasts. Maybe if she shifted a little to the right…She closed her eyes.
Oh, mercy, where were these thoughts coming from?
It was just too dangerous to feel this way. He was the first man to make her notice herself as a woman, but his power over women was legendary in these parts. And that put him way off limits in her estimation. To trust a man like him with her heart was just asking for trouble. Hadn’t her mother told her repeatedly about men like him?

“Dance with the devil and get burned every time,” she whispered to herself.

“What did you say, darlin’?” Chance murmured in her ear. Georgia sighed.

Chance felt Georgia’s breath along his bare throat. He knew what had caused the reaction, and he was thankful for it. He felt her softening toward him. He had enough experience with the opposite sex to know she was attracted to him. Before, when she been yelling at him, he thought he’d lost her without ever getting to stake a claim. Now, he could feel her body leaning into his. It was enough to give him hope.

At least now he knew she wanted him.

That thought sent the blood pounding in his ears, and he was on the brink of sending the children on some false errand in the hopes of laying her down on the sofa and making sweet love to her, then and there. He could feel that warm skin through the thin shirt she wore, and he knew she didn’t have a bra on. So beautifully full, her breast lay against his chest. It would be so simple to slide his fingers a little closer and a bit higher. Perhaps she would arch back in his arms and he would…
Oh, hell. What am I thinking?
Chance pulled back, disgusted with himself and his lack of control. He was fantasizing about making love to an injured woman with fifteen youngsters still gathered around him.