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

Chance turned away from her and her potent charms, and took stock of the house Georgia called a home. The pale yellow living room was the same as he remembered, large and open, with comfortable furniture and lots of pictures of the children, past and present, that came through the foster care and daycare. He glanced in the corner where the staircase began, remembering where Georgia had stood as a child when they had first met. His eyes then traveled to the left and the large archway that led to the kitchen and family rooms. He glimpsed the old apple tree through the large window in the back door, where he had led a weeping Georgia away from the mourning crowd, so she could grieve for a moment in private. Had he somehow known that the young girl trying to be so brave back then would one day come to mean so much to him?

Chance noticed Missy Dee as she came bustling out of the kitchen with a small smile on her face as he sat by Georgia on the sofa. He gave her a wink and a nod.

“Here you go, sugar.” She handed Georgia an ice pack.

Georgia missed the grin on the old woman’s face. She was too busy giving herself a mental kick in the butt and a firm lecture on how silly it was to crave the feel of Chance’s hands on her. It was downright sickening the way her body betrayed her at his merest touch. That’s what came from obsessing about him for years. He had awakened a primitive need. It now vibrated throughout her body. The trembling she was now experiencing had nothing to do with her ankle. She was burning with pent up desire. The Casanova of the County was working his magic again. Dammit!

Missy Dee propped up Georgia’s foot to ease off her tennis shoe. The ankle was swelling near the purplish bruise alongside her foot. “Definitely sprained, Peaches. Possibly broken,” Missy Dee declared. To confirm her diagnosis, she poked and prodded at the injury, making Georgia wince.

“We’re going to have to get an X-ray, then ice packs for the swelling, hopefully not a cast. Ibuprofen should help with the pain. Looks like you’re off your feet for a few days, sweetie.” She patted Georgia’s shoulder affectionately. “That’s all right. Lord knows you could use the rest.”

“I can’t stay in bed for a few days, Missy Dee. I’ve got this business to run. You’ll wear yourself out trying to do it all. And the parents, they depend on us. What are we going to do?” She wailed.

Georgia was surprised to feel the tears well up. Normally, she was a very restrained person. She looked at Chance. It must be him. Since his near brush with death, she was a basket case. She glared at him. If he hadn’t stopped by, she would not have been anxious to get to the house. If she hadn’t been running, she wouldn’t have fallen. Yes, it was definitely all his fault.

Chance saw the result of her injury as his golden opportunity and he grabbed it. It would be a while before the insurance company would allow the brothers to clean up the mess at the construction company. The doc insisted Chance take a few weeks off to recuperate, anyway. He would just take the advice he had given to his best friend, Angel, when she asked how to make his stubborn, older brother, Sam, notice her. He would hang around, show Georgia how nice it was to have a man around the place. He could be indispensable and charming. It couldn’t hurt. And it might make her fall in love with him.

Besides, how hard could it really be to watch a bunch of kids?

“Don’t worry, Peaches. I always come to the aid of damsels in distress. I’ll help Missy Dee out while you’re recovering, no problem. Doc says I’ve got to take it easy for a few days anyway.” Chance smiled his most confident, devastating smile. The children gathered around her returned his smile with gap toothed grins. Missy Dee laughed in delight and clapped her hands at his proclamation.

Georgia watched that devilish grin spread across his face. “Oh, Lord. Help me now.”

She buried her head in her hands and cried.

CHAPTER TWO

Chance sat on the front porch step of Georgia’s farm house, taking a much needed break. He reflected on his good mood from last night. He had bundled Georgia up into his truck and then to the hospital, keeping a running commentary on anything and everything to help ease her distress. With his typical arrogance, he promised her to be up and ready to go at first light. He had been. He couldn’t wait to get started on seducing the love of his life.

He had walked with a spring in his step toward his mother’s kitchen from the “bunkhouse”, a structure on the property that had once held migrant workers, but the family had rehabbed into two apartments. If anyone thought it strange that grown men lived next to their parents, well, they hadn’t tasted his mother’s cooking.

He sniffed the air as he got closer to the farmhouse. It smelled like she was baking a cake. Her cookbook was going to be a wonderful hit at the orchard store. He was sure of it. And
he
was smug in his belief that the next few days were going to be a piece of cake. He was going to seduce the girl of his dreams and win her heart. He had long ago figured out the way to Georgia’s heart was through those little ones she cared for, and he vowed to make himself as “kid friendly” as possible.

He should’ve known what was coming when his mother, Ginny, had handed him a brown paper bag. He simply laughed when he saw what she had put inside. “Peanut butter and jelly? My favorite! Mom, you shouldn’t have.” He hugged her.

“For energy, Chance. Believe me. You’re going to need it,” she told him solemnly. “And change those sandals and shirt. You’re not going on a date. T-shirt, shorts and tennis shoes are what’s called for, especially around Caleb Frazer and Tyler Johnson.”

He looked down at his pressed plaid shirt and golf shorts. “Okay.”

“And remember, patience and perseverance, that’s the key to success.”

He had laughed at her and her advice at the time. But he wasn’t laughing now. She had been right. It wasn’t even noon, and he was exhausted. Reaching inside the crumpled bag, he searched for the sandwich.

He was dirty and tired and ached from head to toe. Literally. One of Georgia’s little “angels” as she called them, had accidentally cracked him in the forehead with a ball bat. He had received a kick to his shins when he had tried to break up a fight between two redheaded twins. He was still amazed that two little girls could go at it like that.
They were girls, for Pete’s sake. Weren’t they supposed to be quiet, sweet, everything nice?

Chance reflected back to the conversation he had earlier at the kitchen table that morning with his mom. Then he recalled the smirks Missy Dee and Georgia had given him when he had shown up and commented on the beautiful day. Those looks should’ve alerted him to the conspiracy
. Keeping the true natures of the little beasts’ secret so he wouldn’t run for the hills.
Well, the cat was out of the bag, now.
Still, he didn’t think his mom would’ve sold him out like that, would she?

He munched on the sandwich and looked across the yard at the children playing in the field near Georgia’s home. Counting heads, he then turned to the youngsters gathered under the tree. The same tree he had sat under, holding Georgia’s hand, back when she was fourteen and her momma had passed. Now she sat there in a chaise lounge, with her bandaged foot propped up by two pillows. Georgia held everyone’s attention, reading a fairytale to her captive audience. Chance grimaced in self-disgust. How could she command such attention with an injured foot when he was almost back to perfect health and totally unable to take control of fifteen small children?

“And she looks so appealingly beautiful while doing it,” he mused as he watched her brush a strand of flame colored hair from her soft cheek. She glanced up and caught his gaze, blushing as she lowered her eyes.

Chance wondered if she would always blush so prettily, even after they had been married for fifty years. He laughed silently at his thoughts. Words like love, marriage and commitment usually sent him running for the nearest door, but Georgia’s soft smile and loving care of these children made him think of church weddings and bouncing babies. He wanted to see her radiant with the joy of impending motherhood. And the man responsible for getting her in the family way would have to be him. It had to be. Anything else was unacceptable. Now, the “Casanova of the County” had gone and fallen hard for this beautiful woman. The gossips were going to have a field day.

Chance sat up.
The gossips! The whole town had been in on getting Mac and Dixie together. Georgia was on so many committees in this town, it was a wonder she ever got any sleep…and Angel needed a way to get in Sam’s face….
Yes! Chance had an idea – a gloriously, genius idea on how to help both him and Angel. It’s was a damn shame Georgia couldn’t run around town with a swollen ankle. Angel was going to act on her behalf with the numerous committees Georgia was on. And since the Coalsons were on many of the same committees, the family would just make sure Sam had to attend.
Angel would be
everywhere Sam showed up!
Sam would have to talk to her, hopefully settle their differences. Grinning evilly, he reached for his phone. Why Angel loved his stubborn ass brother was beyond him, but she did. Sam loved her, too. He was just being, well, stubborn. Chance wondered how stubborn Georgia was going to be.

He’d only been working with Georgia for a day, but he had known her for years. She was the type of woman a man wanted to settle down with. Spirited, sexy, with a quiet dignity that was bone deep. These past few weeks since the fire, had only reaffirmed his feelings for her as a permanent ache that would not be assuaged until she was his, body and soul. He massaged his injured knee and wondered if he was going to live through the experience. He glanced at his love and knew it would be worth it.

Georgia was now holding two toddlers in her arms while two other youngsters were leaning against her legs, looking sleepy. She closed her eyes and lifted her head to the sun. She looked like a fertility goddess offering thanks. Chance’s heart skipped a beat, then swelled with emotion. Never had she looked more beautiful to him.

Now he knew exactly what Mac had gone through when he fell in love with Dixie. It was what Sam was fighting his own personal war against Angel. He could almost feel sorry for him, but Chance knew it was only Sam’s pride, not his heart, telling him that Angel couldn’t be trusted. But Angel was gonna win. And so was he.

“Patience and perseverance are the keys to success.” His mother’s insightful words rang inside his head. He thought she was only talking about the children, but he wondered now if she knew more than she was letting on.

“Hey Mister, Mister!” one of the young boys called from inside the house. Chance groaned. “Hey, Mister, you out there? I need help,” Jimmy…
or was it Timmy
that yelled to him as he put away his phone.

“I’m coming. I’m coming,” he muttered.

Chance made his way through the kitchen to the first floor bathroom. Knocking on the door, he asked warily, “What’s the matter, buddy?”

“I need some help, Mister.”

Chance sighed in resignation. “All right, I’m coming in.”

He opened the door then stepped back into the hall because he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Three-year-old Timmy, Jimmy, or whatever his name was, stood with his backside to him, underwear completely off, and his pink bottom thrust out.

He smiled at Chance with his head between his legs. “Hey, Mister, could you wipe me please?”

Oh God, what had he gotten himself into?

****

Georgia heard Timmy shout for assistance through the open window and bit back a smile. She knew exactly what he wanted and she had the feeling Chance was about to find out all he needed to know about three-year-olds and a bit more besides. He was finally realizing howmuch work was involved in watching several children at onc
e
.

She had almost felt sorry for him, almost, when had he sat down with a heavy sigh and took the glass of tea that Missy Dee had offered him at their morning break, guzzling it down all at once.

She gave Caleb Frazer a stern look from her position near the tree. He was trying to sneak onto the porch to put salt in Chance’s second glass of tea. She simply raised her eyebrows at him. He gave her a sheepish grin and headed back around the house, leaving the salt shaker sitting next to the tea.

Georgia adjusted the children sitting on her lap and decided that Chance might be as handsome as the devil, but he was a babe in the woods when it came to dealing with so many youngsters. Still, he was giving it a gallant effort. She knew from personal experience the blow to the head with a baseball bat must’ve given him a heck of a headache.

She wondered again why he was here. The only thing she could come up with was that it was his way of repaying her for saving his life. She knew he had a deeply ingrained sense of duty, just as his other brothers had. She’d been the recipient of his care and concern when her mother had died.

She shook her head to ward off the bad memories. She couldn’t allow him to continue with that line of thinking. She had only been doing her job. Sort of. Chance couldn’t feel indebted to her.

Georgia giggled softly as Chance’s muttered curses drifted out the open window.
On the other hand, he was definitely coming in handy to have around the house.

She allowed herself the luxury of fantasizing about having him around the house permanently. It would be heaven to have someone to share her opinions, her problems, not to mention, her bed, with. Someone who would be there for her when she needed help, or a shoulder to cry on, listen to her rant and rave about the injustices in the world. She closed her eyes and felt the heat of the sun as she let her mind drift….

Chance would take her in his big, strong arms and make her feel tiny and beautiful just by looking at her, even though she wasn’t tiny or beautiful. He would kiss her passionately, ravenously, like he couldn’t get enough of her. Like he would die if he didn’t have her…

Chance’s kiss
. It was always there, in the back of her mind, and it came upon her at the most awkward times. She could recall everything about that sweet kiss. The smell of the smoke, the chemicals, the faint scent of his aftershave. His face, dirty from the soot of the fire, but his eyes ablaze with an incredible light. And his lips, those lips, were warm and soft and tantalizingly sensual. She had melted for just a second. She had known what it was finally like to kiss Chance Coalson.

The banging of the screen door brought her daydreaming to an end. Chance stood on the steps of the porch, looking at her quizzically. Georgia felt the blush spread across her cheeks again-damn her fair skin-and lowered her lashes. But not before she noticed his sensual smile, lighting up his eyes and making her heart stop.
God, it was like he knew exactly what I had been thinking!

He walked over to her and took one of the sleeping babies. “You stay right there. I’ll be back for you,” he whispered.

Georgia shivered. His deep voice had made that sound like a promise of untold delights.
But he couldn’t have meant it that way, could he?  What on earth could he possibly want with her?

Suddenly, she wasn’t so afraid. She kind of wanted to find out what he had in store for her.

****

“I’ve had it!” Chance roared as he marched in the back door in search of Georgia, four days later. He found her sitting once again under the old apple tree. He held a wailing child tucked under his arm. “I’ve taken a lot this past week, Peaches, but dammit all, this is the last straw!”

He dumped the child in Georgia’s lap, past caring about her injury. He was incensed. He was furious. He paced back and forth, trying to get his temper under control, raking his hands through his short cropped black hair, before he confronted the woman he loved. How dare that sniveling, dirty faced, pants pooping, little beast in ponytails curse at him,
him
!

“What happened?” Georgia demanded as she tried to sooth Patsy Taylor. The little girl, finding a sympathetic ear, began to sob louder. Georgia glared at Chance as she asked in a near shout in order to be heard over the ruckus. “What did you do?”

“What did I do? WHAT DID I DO?! You’re lucky I don’t take her across my knee. That little rugrat-” he pointed an accusing finger at the whimpering little girl, causing her to snuggle closer to Georgia in protection from his wrath, “-cussed me out.”

He nodded emphatically at Georgia’s incredulous look, then turned a smug little smile at the child in her lap.

Georgia was astounded. Patsy Taylor was an angel. True, she did have a slight toilet training problem, but what two-year-old didn’t? She never threw tantrums, and she was more than happy to sit quietly and listen to a story. Her parents were pillars of the community. There was no way this child could have done what Chance was accusing her of. Yet Georgia could tell Chance was serious and believed Patsy had purposely slandered him. “Wait a minute. Tell me everything she said,” Georgia commanded.

“She called me a shitting asshole. Not once, but she kept repeating it over and over while she banged on the kitchen table. She was damn rude saying it and pounding on the table.” Chance huffed. “Now this week, I’ve had my shoestrings tied together, salt put in my iced tea, bubblegum on the seat of my pants, and cleaned up more messes of one kind or another than I care to recall, but I will not tolerate being cursed at by a child!”