As odd as it seemed, she’d never consciously made that realization before. As a child, things had just been the way they were. She had never placed any significance on anyone’s wealth or standing within the community. People were people and you either liked them or you didn’t. Against the majestic background of the ranch and this great house on the hill, suddenly her small home and equally small clinic that she had worked hard to attain became as insignificant as one blade of grass on the ninety-two-thousand-acre ranch.
She heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Chance walked into the kitchen wearing only jeans, his broad shoulders and sculptured chest and abs standing out in stark relief. “Are you thirsty?” He didn’t stop until he stood in front of the fridge. “Want a beer? Coke? Lemonade?”
“Lemonade sounds great. Thanks.”
Chance popped the tab and handed her the ice-cold can, then grabbed a beer for himself.
“Let’s sit.” He nodded toward the round oak and black wrought iron table in the breakfast area.
Holly selected a chair and settled Emma on her lap. Chance pulled out a chair, scooting it some distance from where they sat before sitting down.
“You looked good on your gelding.” He took a sip of his beer. “How did you ever get started on the dressage thing?”
“I’ve always been curious about it. Last year I went with Amanda and one of her friends to a competition in Dallas. I was fascinated. Then I met Mark’s wife when she brought their dogs into the clinic and we talked. Found out he has been a major contender for years. He helped me get Sinbad.”
“And when you’re in that English saddle, you control all that power.” A sparkle of humor danced in Chance’s eyes. “And I would imagine taking him over the jumps flings you up then slams you down when he lands.”
“How did you ever know?” Obviously Chance had figured out what she was speaking of that night in the barn.
“And now you throw sin into the mix. A guy had better watch out for you.”
“You’ll never see me coming.”
Chance barked out a laugh and shook his head.
Emma began to whimper, wanting to get down. Holly placed her on the Spanish-tiled floor and away she went—directly to Chance.
“So what’s up?”
Chance’s eyes were glued to the baby, who held on to a fold in his jeans with one hand and patted his knee with the other. She was doing a little hop dance, wanting to be picked up. Either Chance didn’t understand or he was ignoring her. Emma was grinning, those two bottom teeth clearly in sight, so she wasn’t distressed either way.
“Cole and Wade are throwing some kind of party in Dallas. Saturday night. I can’t get out of it.” He looked from the baby to Holly. “I need a date. Would you consider?”
Chance was asking her on a date? She didn’t know whether to be elated or frightened. It was something, as a child, she’d thought about. But in a few weeks he would be gone. He was a soldier. His SEAL team was his family. And this was, after all, just one date.
This party would, presumably, have a lot of attendees. They would want to talk to Chance and find out what he could tell them of his success on the battlefield. Or if most were friends and associates of Wade and Cole, the talk would eventually turn to business. Either way, she would be a shadow in a corner somewhere, there only if Chance needed her.
But it was one date. One evening. She could do it. She would do it. How could she not?
“Sure. I would love to. How dressy will it be?”
“Haven’t a clue. And I don’t much care. We will probably stay overnight, so bring a change of clothes. Any way you want to dress will be fine.”
“Will I get a hot dog grilled by your chef?”
The light danced in his eyes. “I never figured that one out, either. But if that’s what you want, consider it done.”
By the end of the week, Holly was a nervous wreck. She’d be lying if she tried to convince herself otherwise. Amanda had joyfully agreed to keep Emma, saying she was proud of Holly for finally agreeing to go out on a date, comparing it in importance to buying a new house. Granted, she hadn’t accepted many invitations, because she hadn’t wanted to leave Emma. Not that she felt she’d given up all that much when she’d politely refused other offers. This time was different. This time it was Chance.
“Okay, have you got everything?” Amanda stood in the hall just outside Holly’s bedroom door.
“There really isn’t that much to take.” Shrugging her shoulders, she once again looked at her reflection in the mirror. The strapless black dress clung to every curve of her body, from her breasts to her hips. Just past her waist, varying tones of gray were layered to midthigh. Black heels capped it off.
“You look hot.” Amanda grinned. “A bit different from your customary jeans and boots. Chance’s eyes are probably going to bug out of his head when he sees you.”
“Yeah, right.” She swung Emma up in her arms and walked to the living room. “I appreciate the loan of the dress and the shoes, Mandy.”
“Not a problem. Has Chance ever seen you in a dress?”
Holly took a second to think about the question. “No. I don’t think he ever has.”
She put Emma in the playpen, making sure she had plenty of toys and her juice.
Amanda hurried over to her purse and withdrew a small bottle of perfume. “We almost forgot this.” Before Holly could say no, the fragrance floated in the air around her.
“I don’t wear perfume.”
“Tonight you do.” Amanda smiled in smug triumph.
There was a knock on the back door. Chance was here to pick her up. Grabbing the black clutch and a small overnight bag, she walked to the door.
“Hi.” She welcomed him in.
“Wow.” His eyes traveled over her from her head to her feet. “Actually, I’m here to pick up Holly... Is she here?”
“Very funny.”
He took her bag. “You look amazing. Thanks for doing this.”
“My pleasure. And you look amazing yourself.” He was wearing his full dress whites, with a number of medals pinned on his chest. Not surprising.
“Since this debacle is the work of my brothers, primarily Wade, in an attempt to lure future business associates into his web, he wants to trot out a SEAL. So I’ll give him the whole show. But this is it. Never again.”
Holly had anticipated that a drive into Dallas would take a couple of hours. When Chance turned left toward the barn, in the opposite direction from the main road, she sat up and took notice. Where was he going? Over one hill and up another and they were parking in front of the hangar at the ranch airport. Chance was out of the car in a heartbeat and had her door opened, offering his hand before she could come to grips with what this meant. They most likely were not driving to Dallas. The thought of flying there had never crossed her mind.
He held her hand as they crossed to the other side of the asphalt runway where two white-and-blue helicopters sat on their round concrete helipad.
“Are you kidding me?”
“Nope.”
She stopped but he didn’t let go of her hand. “I’m not getting into that.”
Chance tilted his head and pursed his lips. “Why not?”
“I’m not a bird. Do I look like I have feathers? If I die, I don’t want to be twenty thousand feet above the ground when it happens.”
“You won’t be that high, but if you’re dead, what difference will it make?”
Holly glared at him. “You know what I mean.”
“Come on. It’ll be all right.” She still wasn’t moving. He looked down into her eyes, then brought his hands to cup her face. Before she could grasp his intentions, his lips briefly touched hers. “I would never put you in a dangerous situation. Do you believe that?”
“Yes. I guess I do.” She looked up at him, frowning. “Although you are the one who said it would be safe to cross that new bull’s pasture to get to the river quicker. That sucker almost ate our lunch.”
Chance pulled a hand down over his mouth. She knew she had him there.
“But no one was hurt.”
“Only because old man Reichter saw what was happening and released those two heifers into the pasture to distract him.”
“Come on. This is not a bull.”
“And you’ve driven one of these before?”
He nodded, taking her hand. “A couple of times. Yeah. What is that perfume?” he asked as he settled her into her seat. “It’s amazing.”
“I don’t know. Amanda just grabbed the bottle and dabbed—”
“Find out the name.” His eyes sparkled dangerously. “It makes me hungry. Come on. You can do this.”
Chance made sure she was buckled in. Once inside, he handed her a headset with a mic before putting on his own.
“Ready?”
“No.”
He grinned. That charming, seductive, devil-may-care, bad-boy smile complete with dimples made it no contest. He would win this battle. The engine began turning the rotor blades, faster and faster until she felt the helicopter lift and move forward.
“Wait! Stop!”
Chance looked at her and lowered the chopper back onto the ground. “What’s the matter?”
“I wasn’t ready. You didn’t say we would take off so soon.”