Lies of the Heart (18 page)

“Take this with you.” He nodded down at his feet. “Go on, get outta here.”

She heard the familiar clicking before she saw Max round the corner. Biting the insides of her cheeks, she suppressed a telltale smile. For some reason Max had grown fond of Walter and had decided to visit often. “Come on, boy, let’s go see Chance.”

At the sound of the name, Max’s head picked up and he moved a little faster. She did allow the smile to break through for that. It seemed Chance Deveraux had a way not only with women, but with animals as well.

A few minutes later, Tessa let Max outside and followed close behind. The hood of the truck was up and half of Chance was hunched over and nearly buried under it. Even from here she could hear him mumbling.

“Need help?” she asked as she walked toward him, the gravel crunching under her feet.

Picking up his head, he shot her a wide, cocky grin. “Hey, sunshine.” He glanced down near her side and saw her canine friend. "Hey, Max.” The dog barked in response, making Chance chuckle.

She thought he’d go right back to work, but he surprised her by watching her closely as she walked to him. His eyes lingered over her, sending tiny thrills down her spine.

“Watch that you don’t get too close. You wouldn’t want to ruin that pretty green sweater with grease now, would you?”

Finally, his gaze met hers, his gray and warm. Tessa thought that a bolt of energy surged through her. She trembled and was hard pressed to walk the last few yards without stumbling. Once she reached his truck, she gripped the side of it. The cold metal should have had her pulling away quickly, but she couldn’t afford to fall on her face in front of the man.

Chance cleared his throat, and then shook his head. “So what brings you two out here?” He stuck his head back under the hood. She heard cranking and metal hitting metal.

Tessa let out a shaky breath and was glad for the sudden reprieve. He was far more potent than years ago and being alone with him sometimes tested all her reserves. Remembering his question, she said, “Just visiting, that’s all.”

He snorted at that. “Liar.”

That took her by surprise. “What do you mean by that?”

Silence hung in the air as he peeked out from under the hood and stared at her for a long, telling moment. She swore she stopped breathing while her pulse raced through her veins. “Your granny,” he said, and then turned back to what he was doing.

“You heard.”

“Righto, sunshine. Well, at least I heard your side of the conversation.” More noise came from deep inside the engine, pings and his soft cursing. “I am not, repeat, I am not going to spend Thanksgiving with your granny, understand?”

Her middle dipped. Looking at the ground, she pushed around a rock with the toe of her boot, peeking at him occasionally under her lashes. “I guess you’ll be with your grandmother.” She couldn’t stop the mixture of hurt and sadness coloring her words.

He cursed under his breath again, and then stopped what he was doing. Grabbing a nearby rag, he started to wipe off his hands as he came around the truck to face her. “That was my plan. She’s already invited Walter and me.” He shrugged. “I thought you’d prefer it if we kept the peace and ate with our families.”

Blinking back a sudden well of tears at how divided they still were, she glanced at him and said, “We could always have it at our place and invite them here.” Before he had a chance to respond she hurried on. “I could invite Bree and Jewel and their families to act as buffers so everyone would be on their best behaviors. And maybe dinner would break the ice and we’d get them to end the feud.”

“Whoa, now.” He held up his hand. “You’re expecting miracles, Tessa. I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but it’s not going to happen.”

Sighing heavily, she knew deep down he was right. She always went overboard in the hope department; hadn’t she been trying for years to get granny to change? A wave of sadness enveloped her at that reality check. Had all of it been fruitless? Too overwhelmed with her thoughts, she turned away.

He came up behind her. His body heat seared the back of her. She shivered, and then wrapped her arms around herself. “God, I’m sorry.” His breath whispered by her ear. He was closer than she realized. “I wish I could touch you, hold you even, but I’ve got grease all over me.”

She sniffed. “That’s all right.” It came out dull and listless.

He blew out a hearty breath and that made her longing even worse. “No, it’s not all right.” His hands settled on her arms, and then twisted her around. He gathered her close. “The hell with it, I’ll buy you another sweater to go along with those jeans.”

She wrapped her arms around him, uncaring of the heavy scent of oil and grease that clung to him. Underneath it all she could detect the faint trace of his outdoorsy scent. His strength and warmth soon penetrated every fiber in her being. It was her turn to sigh.

Tentatively, he brushed back some of her hair. “Man, you’re going to be a mess when I’m through with you.”

She giggled at that. His chuckle followed. “We could always take a shower together,” she suggested, having heard one of her customers’ say it was an experience no one should ever do without.

His chuckle turned low and seductive. “I may take you up on that, sunshine.” He dropped a kiss on her temple. “Better?”

She nodded and murmured a yes.

Pulling away, he said, “I’ve got to get this thing back together.”

Reluctantly, she let him go, watching his broad back as he walked back around the truck. “So, about Thanksgiving…”

“I thought we settled that.” His muffled voice came from somewhere under the hood.

“Do you really want to spend it away from each other?” She held her breath; she hadn’t meant to give so much away in that question.

Heavy silence descended. “No,” he said, and then heaved a sigh. “I guess that means we have dinner here then with everyone.” Resignation rang in his voice.

“It shouldn’t be too bad. Well, not if everyone behaves themselves, that is.” She bit her lip, contemplating that.

He popped his head out, eyeing her. “You’re really expecting miracles if you think they’ll behave.”

She burst out laughing then. “You’re right, of course.” Staring at him for a moment, she noticed the invisible bond that was pulling them together more and more. “I’m game if you’re game, partner.”

He smiled cockily at that. “Us against the world, right?”

He’d remembered that phrase from growing up. “Yes,” she said hoarsely, hoping beyond hope that it would come true.

***

An hour later, she was still handing him tools as he asked for them. A warm glow had settled in her chest and had expanded as their camaraderie blossomed. Who would have thought that on a mild November day behind a bar and fixing a car that a Warfield and a Deveraux would form a kinship?

Their conversation had run the gamut from the dinner menu, to favorite songs, to sports, to motorcycles, and to her dancing.

The one thing they’d omitted was talk of their family and the ongoing feud, but Tessa knew it had to be brought up. Since the reading of the will, the more and more she thought about it, the more she knew Chance and she had to break down the walls of it before anyone else could be approached.

She gave him a sideways glance. He scowled deep in concentration as he tightened a bolt. Gathering her courage, she plunged ahead. “I’ve been thinking a lot lately.”

“Uh oh, I’m in trouble now.”

“Very funny,” she said, and then went on as if he’d never interrupted her. “I’ve been thinking about the feud. No matter if you leave or not, we’ll always have unfinished business between us if we don’t settle this thing once and for all. So, since we can’t find out when or how it started, why not begin to mend the rift backwards, starting with us.” Before he had a chance to comment, she rushed out the last, “You know, like your granddad must have figured because of his will and all.”

He continued to work, not saying a word. Was he so absorbed in fixing his truck that he hadn’t heard?

“Chance?”

“Yeah?”

“Did you hear me?”

“Yep.”

“Got anything to say about it?” She held her breath.

“Nope.”

She barely held onto her frustration and just came within an inch of punching him in the ribs for that one. Crossing her arms over her chest and tapping her foot on the ground, she asked, “Just when do you plan on getting started with that part of the will? You’ve jumped right in with the bar and came up with half a dozen ways to make more money to get it back in the black. So what’s the deal with the feud part?”

“I’m working on it.” He muttered under his breath when he couldn’t get the metal cover back in place. “Damn stubborn piece of-” he cut himself off.

Biting her cheek, she asked him, “Are you talking about the truck or yourself, Deveraux?”

He jerked his head around and she saw the banked up anger in his tight, grim features. “Tessa, don’t push me when I’m having a hard enough time with this.” His terse delivery should have warned her even if his words hadn’t.

“In other words, don’t go there,” she muttered. “That’s what you always say, Chance.”

He tossed down the wrench, the tool clanking when it hit the cover he’d been trying to replace. Picking up a rag, he began to wipe his hands on it. “You know, I tried to tell you, but you just wouldn’t listen.”

When he turned fully to her, she saw the fire shooting from his eyes. She backed up a step, and then another. “Ah… forget it.”

“Oh no, we’re not, sunshine,” he said the last nastily and she cringed. “You want a fight, you’re going to get one.”

“I didn’t want to argue, just hammer out a plan of action, that’s all.”

He snorted at that. “Now that’s funny. You’re so busy trying to get me to fix things that you refuse to fix your own life.”

“Mine?” She pressed a hand to her chest and frowned. “It’s not me who has the problem.”

He threw back his head and laughed at that. When he sobered, he glared at her. “Now that’s funny, since your problem has become mine.”

“Huh?” She truly had no idea what he was talking about.

“Your granny.”

The color drained from her face. She bit her lip and looked away.

“Yes, that problem. But, what you won’t face is that you can’t continue to hide from the way she manipulates your life so you’re living it her way, not yours.”

The truth hit with lethal intensity, cutting her to the quick. Reaching out she held onto the cold metal of his truck as she took in deep breaths. It hurt just to breathe; he’d found her weak spot as if it had been marked with an X. An ache swept her body as reality rained down on her.

“Tessa?” He reached out with a greasy hand, touching her arm lightly.

“You sure know how to bring me to my knees, don’t you?” Stunned, she realized she was more wounded by his doing that to her than by the actual truth. He’d hurt her by turning on her and striking out. Granny always did that, but Chance hadn’t ever done that, not deliberately hurt her.

“I’m sorry,” he said, the venom had vanished and in its place was sincerity.

“Too late,” she choked out. “The damage is done.”

He sucked in a sharp breath. “I don’t know what to say, Tessa. I spoke without thinking. Struck out without realizing how it came across.” He sighed heavily. “I used to do that a lot. Just ask my first wife.”

Tears smarted her eyes and she tried to shake her head, hoping they’d disappear. “I try, really try, to be do the things I chose to do, but, it’s like even when granny isn’t there her voice is in my head.” She shrugged uncomfortably. “Sometimes I do what the voice says and other times I don’t. Usual that’s when I have the most fun, but I always pay the price later on.”

“She finds out about it.”

Glancing quickly at him, she shot him a wry smile. “Oh and how.”

“Why do you put up with it, sunshine?” He raised his hands up and out. “You have so much talent. Dancing and hairdressing. You’re a partner in a business and making decent money. You could move out on your own and not be tied down to her anymore. I just don’t understand why you don’t leave.”

“Like you always do?”

He pressed a hand to his heart, saying, “Ouch!” There was a playfulness about his reply, but an underlying honesty couldn’t hide behind it. He gave her a wry grin. “You’re right.” He blew out a breath, shrugged boyishly, and then went on, “I bolt at the earliest signs of trouble. I hate conflict of any kind. I learned that little nugget of information in rehab. Too bad I didn’t know that long before then; it would have saved me and a whole lot of other people a lot of heartache along the way.”

“Your wife,” she said softly, catching glimpses of his life in the pain flashing in his troubled eyes. The gray shades spoke of a deep, everlasting regret at the young man he’d been and the hurt he’d heaped on others.

“Granddad before her.” The sudden huskiness of his voice told her so much more than his words had given away.

She sucked in a sharp breath. “Oh, Chance, you think he never forgave you for all those times?” She ached for him.

Shaking his head, his face seemed etched in stone. “Not him. Me. I know he did, but I still disappointed him and his idea of my potential. No, it’s me, I can’t forgive myself for letting him down time and time again.” He looked away, off into the distance for a long moment, and then turned back to her. Raw emotions chased across his features and a dagger of answering pain sliced through her heart. “I can never make up for that now. He’s gone and it’s too late.”

She blinked several times, trying to keep the moisture at bay. She failed miserably as large tears plopped down her cheeks. “But, don’t you see, that’s what I’m trying to do with granny. I can’t disappoint her or I won’t be able to live with myself.” Her voice caught on the last when she realized there was no hope for her having a life of her own if she were to continue to please her granny.

He must have sen the devastation she felt inside; he stepped nearer and pulled her to him. “Shh, now, don’t cry, sunshine, please don’t cry.”

The more he tried to soothe her the harder she wept. He pressed his lips to her temple, whispering hoarsely, “So, we’re really not that different after all, are we, sunshine?”