Loving Lauren (12 page)

Chase's laughter dropped away as soon as Lauren drove away. Great! Just what he hadn't wanted to talk about today. He'd been happily surprised that she'd brought him food. She'd gotten him out of the mood he'd been in earlier. Now, as he looked over at her untouched plate, he wondered why she was being so difficult? Couldn't she see that the best solution for them both was this marriage? He looked up and saw the little terrier hobbling towards him. The dog was moving slowly, but looked like he was getting the hang of walking on three legs instead of four. When he made it to the table, he sat down. “You'll get the hang of it, buddy.” Chase tossed him a whole biscuit, knowing the bread would help soak up some of the acid in its small stomach.

By the time he was full and had cleaned up their little picnic, Chase was feeling guilty. He supposed he should have talked to her a long time ago about his plans, but he'd had his reasons not to.

Stuffing all the food back into the large basket, he carried it and the small dog back to the front porch. The dog curled up on the rug again as he carried the basket into the house. Putting the leftover food away, he decided a trip to his dad's might cheer him up.

When he and Buddy got there a half hour later, his shirt was dirty thanks to Buddy deciding to upchuck the biscuit all over him. He didn't mind; in fact, he was used to getting animal fluids on him. It was better than getting bit or kicked, which he'd had plenty of as well.

When he walked up to the porch carrying the small dog, his father opened the door before he could knock.

“What have you got there?” His father reached out and took the small thing from him. “Poor guy. Come on in. You too, son.”

Two hours later, he and Buddy left his dad's place, both with smiles on their faces. Buddy, for his part, had started feeling well enough to play with his dad's old Irish setter. The pair had quickly become best friends, and Chase had made up his mind to keep the three-legged dog. It was about time he settled down with a dog of his own. After all, people tended to trust a vet who had his own animals. At least that's what his father had told him several times during his visit.

By the time he drove up to the ranch house, he was exhausted. The last thing he needed was to see Lauren's sister standing on his porch with her arms crossed over her chest like she'd been waiting for him.

He got out of the car, carrying Buddy in his arms.

“What have you got there?” Alex stood on the deck and opened her arms. “Oh, you poor thing.” She snuggled with the small dog, then looked up at him. “And to think I'd come over here to tell you what a heartless slime you are.”

He laughed a little. “What did I do now?”

Alex walked over and sat down in the chair so she could enjoy the small dog. “I don't know. But whatever it is, you sure have Lauren in a mood. She's actually cleaning the house.”

He sat next to her. “That can't be that much of a shock. I've seen your place, and it's pretty clean.” Alex was Lauren's opposite. Where Lauren had long rich chestnut hair and sexy green eyes, Alexis had blonde hair and deep brown eyes. He'd been told that she looked a lot like their mother had, whereas Lauren and Haley took after their dad's side of the family.

“She's not just cleaning downstairs, but the whole house. The attic, too. We haven't stepped foot in there since dad passed.” She set the dog down when he started whining. Buddy went and jumped off the porch and walked over to the nearest tree and lifted his bad leg to relieve himself. Alex looked over at Chase. He couldn't see what was going on in her dark eyes, but he could tell she was trying to figure out her next move.

“I like you, Chase. I've always liked your family, but if you cross my sister in any way, I'll have to kill you.” She said it with such enthusiasm, he had to laugh.

“I like you, too. And your family. What's going on between me and your sister is private, but I appreciate you coming out here and having this talk with me. I'd do the same to anyone who messed around with someone in my family.”

“Fair enough. You've been warned. I also came by to say thank you for the roof. I know it was you who paid for it, don't ask me how. So, I have something for you.” She walked over to her car and leaned in the open window and pulled out a pie plate. “It was our ma's recipe.” She handed it to him. He peeled back the tin foil and the smell of apples and cinnamon hit him.

“Yum, my favorite.”

“Who doesn't love apple pie?” She smiled at him, then her smile fell away. “Thanks again. I don't know what you get out of it, but Haley and I wanted to say thank you. Okay, Haley baked the pie, but I'm delivering it.” She smiled again. She headed back to her car, but stopped before getting in. “Chase, I don't mind you sticking your nose in some places, but Lauren, well...She's different. She likes controlling things. We sort of let her, but it's nice to know that someone else is out there looking out for her. By the way, she'll be riding fences again this weekend. She plans on heading up to the hills, camping out all by herself with just her horse and the dog to keep her company. Haley and I hate it when she does that.” Alex frowned. “On a lighter side, if you ever want to just go for a ride, Buster's available for you. He's a big guy, but gentle enough. You're welcome to take him out whenever you want.” A small smile crept onto her lips and Chase laughed.

“Your message is received loud and clear. Tell Haley that if she could watch Buddy, here”—he nodded towards the small dog who was lying down at his feet now—“this weekend, I'd appreciate it. He's not up to going on rides, short or long, yet.”

She nodded her head and smiled. “Thanks. See you around.”

Chapter Seven

Lauren was off to an early start on Friday. She lived for weekends where she could take Tanner and Dingo up in the hills and disappear for a while. She had a few stops around the fields first, but by ten, they were on their way up the hills. Dingo jogged along for a while, then started whining. Lauren stopped Tanner and Dingo jumped up into her lap, using her boot as a step. It was a trick she'd taught the dog when she was younger, and it had paid off.

Her property was rich in grassy hills. The farther she went into them, the thicker the pines and brush got. There were about five hundred acres that lay between the house and the next development. If you chose the right pathways, you could go weeks without crossing roads or coming upon another ranch house. Lauren knew all the pathways to take for her weekend trip. Her saddlebag was packed with everything she’d need. Her cell phone was turned off and tucked into a pocket on her bag, just in case. She had her shotgun and her pistol, and a box of bullets for each within easy reach, something her Dad had taught her to do. You never knew when a wild boar would jump out at you or a snake would cross your path.

Thinking of snakes, she remembered the morning at the pump house with Chase, which got her thinking about water and seeing him near naked with water glistening off his chest and arms.

She shook her head clear of images of Chase. This was her time away from him, away from everything. There was no way she was going to think of Chase or what he did to her any more this weekend. This weekend she wanted to be selfish. She turned down the path that would lead her up to an old cabin her dad had built before she was born. She liked to stay at it during her weekend trips. She had to duck for a large branch that Tanner had walked under, and was surprised to hear a horse and rider behind her. Thinking it was one of her sisters, she looked over her shoulder and pulled Tanner to a stop to wait. Sometimes Haley liked to ride the trails. Hopefully, whoever it was wasn't coming along for the weekend.

When she saw Buster's head pop around a tree branch, she smiled and called out to her sister Alex.

“Alex, are you just...” Her words fell away as the rider came into view. Chase smiled at her from Buster’s back. His long legs hung over the horse’s large girth. His boots sat in the stirrups and he looked very comfortable in the saddle. He wore a light tan jacket and a Stetson that matched.

“Oh.” She tried to think of something to say. Just then, Dingo let out a happy bark. The dog always seemed to be late in warning her when it came to Chase.

“I hope you don't mind. We were just out for a ride. Alex said it would be okay if I took the old guy out for a while.” He sat forward and patted Buster's head.

Tanner gave a snort of welcome to his old friend who returned the greeting. Then the two horses quieted down again and Lauren was left not knowing what to say. She saw that his saddle was packed with a large bag, most likely full of items for a longer trip.

“Are you camping?” She squinted her eyes and looked at him cautiously as Dingo tried to jump into Chase's arms.

He patted his bag and smiled bigger, then caught Dingo as she landed softly in his lap. “I was thinking about it. I haven't taken any time to myself since I returned to town. If it's alright, I'll just tag along with you.”

“Did Alexis put you up to this? I know they don't like me going out by myself, but to ask you along...”

He held up his hand. “Whoa, no one forced me to come along. Honest, I just needed to get away for a while. I saw you back at the base of the trail and thought I'd follow you, since you know the area a lot better than I do. That is if you think you can stand my company.”

She knew he was just pushing her buttons, but she straightened her back and threw her chin up a little, taking the challenge. “Of course I can. If you can keep up with me, you're welcome to tag along.” She turned Tanner around and started back up the trail, trying not to let his laughter get on her nerves too much.

They rode in silence for almost an hour, enjoying the cool breeze blowing between the trees. Lauren always loved this part of the year. Even though she had to keep a can of bug spray on her, she didn't mind the heat and humidity. Of course, it meant that she had to stop and water the horse more often. When she made it to a clearing that had a small stream flowing through a green field, she stopped Tanner and looked behind to see Buster and Chase right behind her. Dingo lay comfortably in his lap, like she belonged there. She'd hoped that he'd fallen behind a little, or had decided to turn down a different path, but there he was, looking like he was enjoying the ride.

“We'll stop and water the horses and grab some lunch. Did you bring food? Because I only brought enough for one.”

He smiled and nodded. “I'm all set.”

She felt a little deflated, hoping he would have a reason to turn back. She watched as he smoothly tossed his leg over the horse and slid off in one quick motion. He set Dingo down and she quickly raced to the water's edge and start lapping up a drink. Then Chase walked over and took her hips and pulled her off Tanner.

“I can get off my...” Before she could finish, he was kissing her. His mouth was hot on hers, taking what he wanted. Her back was up against Tanner's side and Chase's hands were gripping her hips, pulling her closer to him until she felt all the wind knocked out of her. Then as quickly as he’d started, he pulled away, leaving her leaning on her horse and trying to catch her breath as he turned to grab Buster's reins.

It took almost a minute for her mind to click into gear again. Then she grabbed up Tanner's reins and walked over to where Chase had tied the other horse to a low branch so he could drink from the small brook. She threw Tanner's reins over the branch and watched as her horse started enjoying the cool water, then she turned on Chase.

“What the hell was that? Do you think you can just come up here and manhandle me?” She pointed her finger into his chest and glared at him. “I've got news for you buddy, I'm not...”