Crazy Love(53)

It was rare that the house was so quiet these days. But today, Haley was at the lake with Eddie and his daughter Emily. Jessie was in Chicago; she hadn’t said what she was doing, just that she’d be gone all day. And Becca was with her childhood friend, Brian, on an all-day hike.

When Krista had been woken from her nap by Bear kisses, she’d gone upstairs and taken a much-needed hot bath. Lying in the tub, she’d placed her iPod on the dock and was listening to music. Chase’s music.

She wished she had the willpower not to, but his voice was just so… The way it made her feel was indescribable. It wasn’t just her. Many a music journalist had tried to wax poetic on Chase’s lyrical stylings, but none had been able to accurately describe not only the tone but more importantly that special something that just made people feel. Some had tried to attribute it to the fact that he sang from the heart, describing him as soulful. It wasn’t that Krista disagreed with that description. It was just that she thought there was more to it than that. In all actuality, it was most likely a combination of factors. A smorgasbord of ingredients that mixed together and equaled perfection.

Bear ruffed at her as she was pulling up her sweats.

“You gotta go potty?” she asked in a high voice that was normally saved for infants. She just couldn’t help talking baby talk to him. He was so stinking cute.

In answer to her question, he ruffed again.

“Okay.” Standing, she grabbed the tank top she’d laid out on her bed and pulled it on, then gathered her hair up in a loose pile atop her head, wrapping a ponytail holder around it twice.

The bath seemed to have alleviated a lot of the aches and pains yesterday’s activities had produced. She was happy that she was no longer walking at a snail’s pace, hunched over and wincing in pain. Not that she had her normal pep in her step by any means, but it was a huge improvement.

Taking the stairs a little slower than usual, she made it down with fairly little discomfort, which was a win. Placing her earphones in her ears, she decided to be productive, and after she let Bear out to do his business, she would do the dishes while she waited for the large extra pepperoni-and-extra-cheese pizza she’d ordered when she’d gotten out of the bath.

Normally she wouldn’t be able to listen to music while she waited for a delivery, but Bear was like her built-in security system. He alerted her to anyone coming up to the door or walking on the sidewalk in front of the house, and he was especially good at making sure the entire house knew if a cat had dared to step even a paw on the grass.

He wagged his tail, heading happily through the kitchen on the way to the sliding door. Krista wrapped her hands around the handle and grunted as she leaned back with all her might. The door budged about an inch. She sighed then took in a fortifying breath as she began to give it the old college try once again. Bear was barking and running in circles around her feet.

“I know. You have to go. I’m trying,” Krista said a little louder than she probably would have if she hadn’t had earphones in and music playing in her ears.

Bear barked frantically and took off towards the front door. Krista followed him, assuming that either the pizza had arrived already or he had to do his business so badly he couldn’t wait for her weak self to get the door open.

“All right, all right.” Krista reached down and grabbed Bear’s collar in case the skinny surfer kid who was the only delivery person at Gino’s was in fact waiting on the other side of it. She didn’t want to give the poor kid a heart attack.

Collar securely in hand, she commanded, “Sit.”

Bear continued barking at the door and wiggling around excitedly.

She tried the command again. “Bear, sit.”

The second time did not reap any more success than the first.

“Oh screw it,” Krista said as she opened the door.

The bright midday sun blinded her as it poured in through the doorway. All she could see was a shadow of a figure that did not appear to be holding a large rectangular box of cheesy goodness in it. Bear was going crazy as Krista lifted her hand to shield her eyes, and the moment she did, she was able to make out the face of the visitor.

Chase.

“Hey.” His deep voice sent a tingle skittering down her spine.

“Hey,” she repeated.

This was it. She was living out the fantasy she’d had since the day his truck had screeched out of her parents’ driveway. Chase Malone was at her door.

Sure, it wasn’t playing out exactly how she’d fantasized about it. For one, she was fully aware that he was in town; in her fantasies, he’d always surprised her. Secondly, she’d never dreamt that she’d have a one-hundred-pound half Rottweiler half Golden Retriever that she’d be trying to keep from attacking him.