Loving Lauren (5 page)

“What are you doing walking up and scaring me like that?” She pushed away from him and tried to look at her backside, almost walking in circles to see the tear in her jeans.

He almost laughed at the image she made, but then he saw the gash on the back of her thigh. He dropped down on his knees in front of her and took her hips in his hands to stop her movement. Then he turned her around. “Here, let me look at that.” He pulled her back a step so she was closer and then opened the rip in her jeans a little more with his fingertips. There was a nasty cut that crossed the back of her left thigh, causing her pale skin to pucker and turn a nasty color of red.

“What do you...” She started to pull away, but he held her hips in place and moved her back another step, towards him and the light.

“Shhh.” He leaned closer and opened the rip in her jeans even a little farther, trying to get a better look at the gash. He let out a breath of air when he realized she wouldn't need stitches. Looking over, he made sure that her right leg had gone unscathed. Her jeans were uncut and as far as he could tell, the damage had been limited to just the one leg. “If you think you can walk to my truck, I'll take care of this. Clean it up.” He stood and looked at her as she glanced over her shoulder at him. He nodded to where he'd parked his truck along the driveway.

She pulled out of his grip and walked a few steps. He could see that it pained her to do so, but she held her head up high and looked down at him. “I certainly don't need your help. I can take care of myself.”

He slowly crossed his arms over his chest. She was being ridiculous. “Really? I suppose you're going to ride back to the house like that, and tend to that cut all by yourself.” He smiled and waited as she looked off towards her horse, then off to the house in the distance.

“I'll walk.” Her chin came up and she crossed her arms over her chest, mimicking his stance.

“So it's come to this? You won’t even take help from me? Even when I'm partially at fault?”

“Partially?” She uncrossed her arms and took a step towards him and her eyes narrowed.

“Well, if you'd been listening, instead of talking to the dog about my love life, you would have heard my truck and known that I was coming up behind you. It took me at least a full minute to climb the hill there.” He pointed behind him.

Her chin dropped. “I wasn't...I didn't...” She stood there and glared at him. “I wasn't talking about your love life.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Really? I seem to remember you saying, and I quote, “For all I care, Alex can take Chase Graham.” I'd like to know exactly what you intend for me to do with your little sister?” He smiled at her, knowing he'd hit a sore spot. Her chin came up and she glared back at him.

“For all I care, you can go to hell and back with her.” She started marching towards her horse, and the flap in her jeans showed her exposed skin and the nasty cut.

Guilt hit him. “Lauren!” he called out, chasing after her. “Wait. I'm sorry. Really, let me fix you up. It's the least I can do.” He pulled her to a stop under the shade of the oak.

“Because you're partially to blame?” She crossed her arms again and tried to pull out of his light grip.

“Yes.” His smile was quick. He wanted to tell her that he just wanted another look at the milky white skin on the back of her thigh, but knew better than to push his luck.

She chewed her bottom lip and he watched the motion as if hypnotized.

“Fine,” she finally said and started walking more slowly towards his truck. He could see that the adrenalin had finally worn off and she was fully experiencing the pain.

He helped her walk to his truck, took out his medical bag, and then pulled down the tailgate. “You'd be better just leaning over.” He motioned for her. She looked at him, then looked up and down the dirt road, making sure the coast was clear.

“Fine, but make it quick.” She chewed her lip as she leaned over a little.

“You're going to have to bend over a lot more. Come on, Lauren, stick that beautiful bottom in the air.” He chuckled when she glared over her shoulder at him. “I'll behave.” He held back a laugh.

She closed her eyes, turned her head, then ducked down. He pulled out a cotton swab from his bag and started cleaning the cut.

“You're lucky. It doesn't look like you'll need stitches.” She hissed when the antiseptic touched the open skin. He quickly bent closer and blew on the cut, trying to ease the pain. She froze. He froze.

Then he said, “Sorry,” under his breath. It was like someone had kicked him in the chest, being this close to her, seeing the perfect skin that he'd exposed through the hole in her jeans.

Just then, a car horn honked, causing them both to jump. He'd been so busy, he hadn't heard someone drive up behind them. Lauren quickly straightened and turned around, putting her hands behind her back. Her face was bright red. Her hair was in a tangled mess, and wisps of dark curls were pulled out of her long braid, falling around her face. She looked as if she'd just been caught with her pants down. He chuckled. In a way, he supposed, she had.

He turned and watched Alexis step out of a small red sedan. “Well, well.” She closed her door with a flurry and started slowly walking towards them. “Look what the cat dragged in.”

Lauren's younger sister was nothing like her; in fact, they were complete opposites. Alex's bright blonde hair twinkled in the daylight, but he preferred seeing the darker highlights in Lauren's hair as the sun hit it. Alex was also the only sister with dark brown eyes and a much smaller stature. Not that Lauren and Haley were big, just better built in his opinion. Lauren had more of the curves that he admired most.

Alex was wearing her uniform from the diner. The blouse was opened dangerously low, and the skirt was a few inches higher than the one Lauren had worn the other day. Alex also wore heeled boots instead of black tennis shoes.

“Afternoon.” He nodded, then looked back at Lauren. He watched as her eyes darted around, avoiding his.

“Chase was just fixing me up. I fell into the fence.” She turned and showed her sister the rip in her jeans.

“Oh!” Alex rushed forward, showing true sisterly concern. “Are you hurt bad?”

“No, she'll live,” he jumped in, thankful that Lauren hadn't mentioned that he'd been to blame.

“That's good.” Alex relaxed a little.

Just then the dog came running up to Lauren, her hat in its mouth, and its tail wagging a million miles an hour.

“Thank you, Dingo. That was very kind of you.” He found it funny that she talked to the dog like a human. He watched her wince with pain as she bent over and took her hat from the dog’s mouth. Then the dog walked over and sat at Chase’s feet. He bent down and pet her. “Well, hello, Dingo. It's very nice to meet such a wonderful helper.” The dog rolled over and he started rubbing her belly.

“She's not that big of a helper since she didn't bark when you were sneaking up on me,” Lauren said.

“I didn't sneak.” He stood back up and crossed his arms over his chest, smiling at her.

“You most certainly did.” Lauren put her hands on her hips.

“Well.” Alex backed up a little. “I can see you two have everything under control here. I'll see you back at the house.” Alex walked back to her car quickly and drove away.

Chase didn't spare her another glance, but walked right up to Lauren. “Do you know that you are absolutely beautiful when you're mad?” He brushed a strand of her hair away from her face. He'd meant to throw her off balance, but hadn't counted on the desire that had bubbled up inside him.

Chapter Three

Lauren couldn't seem to breathe. She couldn't move either. She heard her sister's car drive away and her heart refused to slow down. How had she let it get this far? Finally, she blinked a few times then turned and started marching up the hill towards Tanner without glancing behind her. She heard him right behind her, but didn't stop to turn around since she didn't feel like arguing. All she wanted was to be left alone.

When she reached the shade of the tree, she turned on him and pointed at his chest. “Why are you here?”

“I told you that I would stop by and check up on the stock. Since I'm taking over for my—”

“No, why are you here?” She took a step closer to him and looked up into his eyes. “I've been paying you—”

“This has nothing to do with that.” He took her shoulders in his hands, gripping her tightly. She saw a flash of anger cross his face for a second, then it was gone. “I don't want your money.”

“Then what? Why? Are you planning on moving in?”

“Moving in?” He looked at her like she was crazy. “Why would I move in?”

“Because we're...” She just couldn't bring herself to say it. Closing her eyes, she held her breath.

“Married?” he suggested, and her eyes flew open.

“Technically, yes.” She tried to pull away.

He smiled. “I suppose I could call in the loan, so to speak. Move into the house and have you in my bed at night, but that would be going against my word.”

She let out a sigh of relief.

“But it has been a little cramped at my dad's place. Since you mention it, I suppose I could move into one of the hand's houses.”

She felt all the blood leave her head. She actually reached out to steady herself by holding onto Tanner's mane. The horse nuzzled his face into her chest, almost knocking her over. Chase reached over and took her shoulders to steady her.

“Is the possibility of me living on your land that scary?” He looked down into her eyes, waiting for an answer.

At least he'd said
her
land. She shook her head. How could she tell him that she didn't want anyone, mainly her sisters, to find out what she'd done seven years ago? What she'd had to do in order to save her land, her sisters, everything. It wasn't as if her decision had been a huge burden on her. At least it hadn't been up until now.

Seven years ago, it had been a different story. Chase had just received a scholarship to college in Dallas and was leaving Fairplay. There was a huge possibility that he wouldn't return for years, and at that point, she'd actually believed she could handle him when he did come home. Beside, she'd spent the last six years doing everything she could to pay him back, including working part time at the diner when she could pick up a shift. Now she only had a few more payments before she would have paid him off. Then she could have discreetly asked for a divorce, settling the matter once and for all. She hadn't planned on him coming home and moving into her ranch hand's house. On her land. Well, she thought, biting her lip, it is technically one-third his, still. It had been so since he'd used the inheritance he’d gotten from his grandmother to save her from her father's debt.

She had only agreed because he'd cornered her after the older men had left. His deal had sounded too good to pass up. He'd promised no interference with her methods of running the ranch, a promise she hadn’t gotten from his father and Mr. Holton. He'd also promised no interference with her personal life. Chase had made it all sound so easy. He’d said there was no need to pay him back, and she'd jumped at the chance to be free to run the ranch herself. But a year later, she'd had a change of heart and had started sending him checks to pay him back. He hadn't cashed them, so she'd started sending him money orders, which he had quickly returned. So she'd marched down to the local bank and had opened a joint checking and savings account. She only ever dealt with the bank manager, Mr. Billings, who promised to never mention a word to anyone about the account that was under the names Lauren A. and Johnathan Chase Graham II. She had started making monthly deposits and sent Chase receipts every month. She's been satisfied that she'd won the small battle as she marked off in her bank book how much she had left to pay back.