TAKE A CHANCE (Chance Colorado Series) (9 page)

The idea of her surrounded by books seemed to fit. Now that he thought of it, he seemed to remember her, as a kid, dragging a book around with her more often than not.

“Have you thought of asking for donations for the lending library? I know my mom and Katie have boxes of books stacked out in the barn. I bet they’d be willing to help.”

“That was something the girls—” She started forward but stopped, her face wrinkling as if she were in pain when she put her weight on both feet.

“Are you hurt?” He cleared the distance remaining between them by vaulting over the boxes blocking his path.

“No.” She chuckled, accepting the hand he offered as she teetered on one foot. “I sat on my foot too long and cut off the blood flow. Now it’s at that icky, tingly stage.”

Not quite what his imagination had conjured when he’d started up the stairs tonight. Instead of finding her trapped and injured, he’d found her alone and frightened. Almost as bad.

“Listen. I’m off duty tomorrow. I’ll come by your place to pick you up and we can come up here together to figure out what you need to take downstairs. I make a pretty decent moving man.”

Allie stared into the dark shadows, shaking her head. “You don’t need to do that. It’s kind of a lot to ask.”

“No, I don’t
need
to,” he said—though in an odd way, he felt as if it was exactly what he needed to do. “But I want to.”

She looked up again, her expression hard for him to read. “Okay, then. If you’re sure.”

“I’m sure. I’m also sure that what we need to do now is get you out of here.”

He swept an arm behind her legs and lifted her off her feet, ignoring her startled little squeak just as he tried to ignore her arms slipping into place around his neck.

“I can walk out of here on my own,” she said quietly, her warm breath feathering over his cheek.

“I’m sure you can,” he agreed. “But it’s already almost one in the morning, and with the way you’re limping, I’d have to clear all those boxes for you to be able to get out of here. This is much faster.”

He wouldn’t add that holding her like this was a lot more enjoyable than stacking boxes could ever be.

She seemed as if she might argue the point that it would only require waiting a few minutes for her to fully recover, but she didn’t. What that might mean he didn’t know and didn’t care. All that mattered was that they were on their way out and she was in his arms.

“Flip that switch for me.” He motioned his head toward the floor lamp they stood beside.

“Off?” Her voice squeaked with the question, as if she couldn’t believe she’d heard him correctly. “You want me to turn it off?”

“We can’t very well leave it on all night, unattended. It’s an old lamp and this is an old building.” The last thing he wanted to be responsible for was starting a fire he’d get called back to put out before the night was over. “Burning this place down would look bad on my record. Firefighters don’t get promotions for starting fires.”

She smiled at him then, as if the little joke helped relax her, and she grasped the switch. Instantly the inky black that had been held at bay by the old lamp engulfed them. Her free arm fastened around his neck and a shiver ran through her body.

“There’s a flashlight in my shirt pocket,” he offered, not wanting to risk falling over something while carrying her.

Her fingers stroked along his chest as she hunted for the pocket opening before sliding down the soft fabric to retrieve the light. In the dark, the movement felt somehow more intimate than he had expected, and his heart raced with an increased blood flow.

“There’s a button on the end,” he said softly, his lips close to her ear.

She fumbled with the light, her breath coming in short, quick little puffs. Heat radiated from her skin, warming him. After what seemed like an eternity, the bright beam shot down toward the ground to guide his feet, and he made his way from the room.

The big grandfather clock struck one as he stepped off the last stair and Allie jerked, clamping both her arms around his neck, pressing her cheek close to his shoulder. He could live with that. In fact, one of the best new ideas he could think of was to take that old clock on all his dates.

Only this wasn’t a date, he reminded himself. This was his best friend’s little sister.

“I’m… My foot is…” She seemed to search for words, her breath catching before she started again. “I can walk by myself now.”

“I guess you can at that,” he agreed, reluctantly lowering her legs to the floor, but keeping his arm around her back as if his brain had forgotten to tell his muscles he was supposed to let go.

Her face tipped up toward his, barely visible in the sliver of moonlight reflecting through the big windows up front. Her breathing matched his own ragged pace and her heart thudded against his chest.

Or was that his heart?

As if some strange spell possessed him, he felt himself unable to move, his face hovering above hers. And then, as if drawn by a force outside his control, he dipped his head toward hers, every fiber of his being straining toward the kiss he was about to take.

She lifted her left hand to his cheek, her fingers soft and trembling against his skin. Her right hand followed, still clutching the ultrabright little light, shining the beam directly into his eyes.

With the jolt of light, his senses cleared, returning from wherever they’d been held captive. Hers too, apparently.

“Jiminy Christmas,” she muttered, backing away from him until she bumped into one of the small café tables, sending the condiment bottles clattering against one another.

Logan cleared his throat and slipped the flashlight from her hand, shining a path ahead of them. “We need to make sure your car starts so we can get you on your way home,” he said.

She muttered something that sounded vaguely like agreement as she followed behind him. At the entrance, she stopped and pulled a key from her pocket, her fingers trembling in the beam of light as she locked the door behind them.

Her car started on the first try.

“Whatever you did earlier must have done the trick,” she said.

“Yeah, well, you still better get it in for a checkup.”

“Right,” she said, putting the car into gear. “See you tomorrow, I guess. If you’re sure.”

“I’m sure. See you tomorrow,” he echoed, watching as she drove away, remembering only after it was too late that they hadn’t specified a time for him to show up at her house.

Not surprising, really. How could he be expected to think of something so mundane after what had felt like his world quaking a nine on the Richter scale?

Shaking his head, Logan climbed into his pickup and started the engine.

Whatever time he planned to arrive at her house, one thing was clear. He was in for a long night waiting.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Nine in the morning! Allie could hardly believe the clock on her dresser. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept so late.

It shouldn’t be such a surprise, though, when she considered that it had to have been well after four before she was finally able to get to sleep. An evening alone with Logan O’Connor had proven to be a powerful stimulant.

“On multiple levels,” she muttered, kicking off her covers and stretching her arms above her head.

The man was like chocolate to a compulsive dieter.

Even in the bright light of day, she could still feel his touch if she closed her eyes and concentrated hard enough. It was almost as real as the embarrassment she felt at her own reaction to him.

Her eyes popped open at that thought and she sat up, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed to rest her feet on the cool wooden floorboards.

He must think her an absolute idiot. She had certainly done her best last night to prove that she was one.

Over the years, she’d imagined being in Logan’s arms countless times. She’d dreamed up hundreds of scenarios. That particular fantasy was the way she’d put herself to sleep at night. In those moments after her head hit the pillow, it had been images of him that had filled her thoughts and transported her into her dreams, like little stories she’d act out in her imagination.

In each of those imaginary encounters, they’d meshed wonderfully. They’d bantered so seductively, behaved so comfortably, it was almost as if those moments had really existed.

So when the time had actually presented itself, when fate had thrown them together and hoisted her into his embrace, what had she done?

She’d panicked like some silly schoolgirl.

No clever banter for this gal. No sir, not her. The best she could manage was some incoherent stuttering, a massive case of blushing and then, oh, best of all, then she’d topped everything off by nearly blinding the guy when she’d thought he was going to kiss her.

She groaned and scrubbed her hands over her face.

“As if,” she muttered.

And how desperate was that? Assuming he was going to kiss her just because it always worked out that way in her little imaginary scenarios.

Another groan and she made her way to the bathroom to stare at herself in the mirror. Mascara she hadn’t bothered to wash off before falling into bed ringed her eyes in raccoon-like fashion and her hair was a tangled mess of curls.

Yeah. Like Logan O’Connor would ever have any interest in trying to kiss that.

She turned on the shower and headed back into her bedroom to lay out her clothes for the day. It should be a busy one. She needed to get back over to the coffee shop to determine which pieces of furniture she’d need to drag downstairs and…

The jeans slid from her hand as she froze in the middle of the room.

Logan had said he was coming to pick her up this morning.

Damn.

As if acknowledging that memory had set the world in motion, Matt chose that moment to knock on her bedroom door

“You up and at ’em, Allie? You got company.”

And double damn.

“Be right out,” she called, bending down to retrieve the jeans before hurrying back to the bathroom.

He’d come, just like he’d said he would. Maybe this meant he wanted to see her again. Maybe he wanted to spend time with her as much as she’d wanted to spend time with him.

No time for a shower this morning. A quick scrub would have to do. She ran a brush through her hair and twisted her curls up into a ponytail before she grabbed for a washcloth. At least she could make the raccoon look go away, even if she didn’t have time for more makeup.

Faster than she could ever remember, she was dressed and headed down the hallway. Matt and Logan waited in the living room, near the front door.

“About time.” Matt stood barefoot and bare-chested, sipping from a steaming cup, his eyes tracking from her to Logan and back again. “I’d offer to come along but I doubt I’d be much help as a furniture mover.”

“No problem,” Logan said. “Katie’s waiting out in the truck. You remember my sister, right? She might be small, but she’s a powerhouse when it comes to getting things done.”

He’d brought his sister along? So much for the fantasy of him wanting to spend time alone with her. Likely as not, he’d forced Katie to come to protect him in case Allie got all weird again.

“Coffee?” Allie made the offer as she turned toward the kitchen. Whether her guest wanted some or not, she certainly needed caffeine. Almost as much as she needed a minute or two to disguise her disappointment.

“Not when I’m headed to the Hand.” Logan grinned in a way that made him look ten years younger. “No offense. It’s just that coffee doesn’t get any better than what Dulcie brews. You might want to reconsider that yourself.”

“Good point.”

It did seem rather silly to be bringing her own coffee, considering where she’d be in just a few minutes.

To her surprise, it wasn’t the aroma of coffee that captured her interest when they opened the door to The Hand of Chance Coffee Emporium and walked inside. It was whatever her cousin was baking this morning.

“What is that heavenly smell?” she asked, following her nose to the counter in the back.

Dulcie’s face lit up as if she’d just received the world’s best compliment.

“This week’s special. Caramel apple bread. Want a piece? It’s fresh out of the oven. I’ll toast some for you and bring it over.”

Did she ever want some! She wanted it every bit as much as the coffee Dulcie was pouring as she spoke, and coffee was like Allie’s lifeblood first thing in the morning.

She nodded gratefully and joined Katie and Logan at a table to wait for her toasted slice of heaven.

“Oh. My. God.” Katie closed her eyes and licked the fork she held after her first bite. “This is practically orgasmic.”

After her own first bite, Allie knew it had been well worth the wait. “Absolutely orgasmic,” she agreed.

Even if she hadn’t skipped dinner last night, this was still one of the best things she’d ever tasted.

“And you would know about that how?” Logan asked, setting his cup down to frown at his sister before turning his glare in Allie’s direction.