hanging on the peg and opened the door. He suddenly knew exactly what was wrong with Gus. Damned if the old fart wasn’t trying to play matchmaker.
As they left the house, Fee looked confused. “It’s not that late. Is Gus really going to bed this early?”
Chance shook his head. “No, but he’s got a set of priorities and in the summer it’s baseball. The Rockies are playing the Cardinals on one of the satellite TV channels tonight and he wouldn’t miss that for anything. He’s going to hole up in his room watching the game.”
They fell silent for a moment as they started across the yard toward the barn. “Do you mind if I ask you something, Chance?”
“Not at all. What do you want to know?” he asked, barely resisting the urge to put his arm around her.
To keep from acting on the impulse, he stuffed his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. She had only been on the ranch a couple of hours and he didn’t want her to feel as if he was rushing things.
“Earlier this afternoon, you said your mother didn’t have time to become an interior decorator because she was too busy chasing after a houseful of children.” She paused as if she wasn’t sure how to word her question. “I was under the impression that the only sibling you had was your sister.”
He nodded. “She is. But up until a couple of months ago, I thought I was an only child.”
Fee’s confusion was written all over her pretty face. “Am I missing something?”
“Hannah is the product of an affair my dad had when he was out on the rodeo circuit,” Chance admitted, still feeling a bit resentful. Although he loved and accepted his half sister, he still struggled with the fact that his father had cheated on his mother. “My mom, dad and uncle J.D. knew about her, but the rest of the family didn’t find out until a couple of months ago.”
“Okay,” Fee said slowly. “But if all your mother had was you, who were the other kids she was running after?”
“Working for Lassiter Media, you’ve probably heard that Uncle J.D.’s wife died within a few days of having Angelica.” When Fee nodded, he continued, “Uncle J.D. had his hands full trying to raise three little kids on his own. Mom helped out as much as she could, but she had me and Dad to take care of and was only able to do so much. Then after my dad got killed four years later, my uncle suggested that Mom and I move into the main house with him and his kids. By that time he had opened the Lassiter Media office in L.A. and traveled back and forth a lot. He needed someone he trusted to take care of his kids and my mom was the obvious choice. She knew and loved the kids and they all considered her a second mother anyway.”
“That makes sense,” she agreed. “Was your parents’ home nearby?”
“We lived here at the homestead.” He couldn’t help but feel a strong sense of pride that he was the third generation to own this section of the ranch. “My dad was more of a cowboy than Uncle J.D. ever thought about being and when he wasn’t riding the rough stock in a rodeo somewhere, Dad was working here at the ranch. After my uncle built the main house, Uncle J.D. gave this part of the Big Blue to us.”
“No wonder the family is extremely close,” Fee said thoughtfully. “Sage, Dylan and Angelica are more like your siblings than they are cousins.”
As they walked into the barn, Chance gave in to temptation and casually draped his arm across her slender shoulders. She gave him a sideways glance, but he took it as a good sign that she didn’t protest.
“The only time the four of us weren’t together was at night when we went to bed,” he explained. “Uncle J.D. gave my mom and me one wing of the house so that we would have our privacy, while he and his kids took the other wing.”
“You must have had a wonderful childhood with other children to play with,” Fee said, sounding wistful.
“I can’t complain,” he admitted. “What about your family? Do you have a brother or sister?”
She shook her head. “I was an only child.”
When she failed to elaborate, Chance decided to let the matter drop. It was clear she didn’t want to talk about it and he’d never been one to pry. If Fee wanted to tell him about her family, he would be more than happy to listen. If she didn’t, then that was her call.
Walking down the long aisle between the horse stalls, Chance pointed to a paint mare that had curiously poked her head over the bottom half of the stall door. “That’s the horse you’ll learn to ride tomorrow.”
Fee looked uncertain. “It looks so big. Do you have one in a smaller size?”
“You make it sound like you’re trying on a pair of shoes,” he said, laughing. “Rosy is about as small as we have around here.”
“I’m not so comfortable with large animals,” she said, shaking her head. “When I was little girl, my grandmother’s next door neighbor had an overly friendly Great Dane that knocked me down every time I was around him. I know he wasn’t trying to hurt me, but I ended up with stitches in my knee from his friendly gestures.” She eyed the mare suspiciously. “She’s bigger than he was.”
He guided Fee over to the stall. “I promise Rosy is the gentlest horse we have on the ranch and loves people.” Reaching out, he scratched the mare’s forehead. “She’ll be the perfect starter horse for you and she won’t knock you down.”
“Rosy likes that?” Fee asked.
He nodded. “You want to try it?” When she shook her head, he took her hand in his. “Just rub Rosy’s forehead like this,” he said, showing her how. “While you two get acquainted, I’ll go get a treat for you to feed her.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Chance.” He heard the hesitancy in her voice as he walked across the aisle into the feed room. “She looks like she might have pretty big teeth. Does she bite?”
He shook his head as he walked back to the stall with a cube of sugar. “Rosy might nip you unintentionally, but she’s never been one to bite.” He placed the cube on Fee’s palm. “Just keep your hand flat and Rosy will take care of the rest.”
When Fee tentatively put her hand out, the mare scooped up the sugar cube with her lips. “Oh my goodness!” Fee’s expression was filled with awe when she turned to look at him. “Her mouth is so soft. It feels just like velvet.”
Seeing the wonder in her eyes and her delighted smile, Chance didn’t think twice about closing the gap between them to take Fee in his arms. “Do you remember what I told you this afternoon?”
The glee in her vibrant blue eyes changed to the awareness he’d seen in them earlier in the day. “Y-yes.”
“Good.” He started to lower his head and was encouraged when she brought her arms up to encircle his neck. “I’m going to give you that kiss now that we’ve both been wanting.”
When he covered her mouth with his, Chance didn’t think he had ever tasted anything sweeter. He took his time to slowly, thoroughly explore her soft lips. They were perfect and clung to his as if she was eager for him to take the kiss to the next level. When she sighed and melted into him, he didn’t think twice about tightening his arms around her and deepening the caress.
The
