“I can’t let you out of my sight for an instant,” Chance said, trying for a gruff tone but failing miserably. He pulled Holly to him. His lips were on hers, hard, heavy and glorious. In spite of the dirt. In spite of the crowd of curiosity seekers standing around them.
It took her a few minutes to regain her senses. “What...what are you doing here?”
“I missed you, Muppet. I had to come back.” His eyes moved over her, top to bottom. “Although I didn’t expect to find you rolling around in the dirt with some scumbag.”
“That man is the one who ransacked the clinic.”
“I hoped he’d done something other than say hello. Let’s get you cleaned up.”
“The medic tent... I can’t leave—”
“Kevin has it all under control. Anyway, another half hour and this rodeo will be one for the history books. In more ways than one. Come on.”
The big shower of the en suite room she’d used before when she stayed in the mansion was just what she needed. But she didn’t stay under the soothing spray very long. Chance was downstairs. Waiting for her.
She stepped out and grabbed a large towel, wrapping it around her. A quick brush of her hair and she was out the door heading to the den. Chance was in the kitchen, looking into the refrigerator. “Are you hungry?” How had he known she was there?
“Lemonade?”
“Coming up.”
She looked at him and it was the most beautiful sight she’d ever seen. And this time she couldn’t wait patiently to be told what was happening. “Okay. Tell me why you’re here.”
He leaned against the kitchen bar, sipping his beer. “I’m here to get married if the beautiful lady I’m in love with still wants me.” He set the can down and grew serious. “I quit the SEALs, Holly. It came time to sign up for another three years and I couldn’t do it. I looked at the guys I’d served with and I saw your face. And I knew any one of them would call me everything but smart if I didn’t get my ass back here and ask you to marry me.”
“You’re really not going back?”
“Nope. And I’m okay with that. I’ve done my part.”
“What about Emma? You don’t like kids.”
“I love kids.” He was quiet for a moment. “Before we get married, if you agree to marry me, you need to know what kind of man you’ll be pledging your life to.”
Holly looked at his face. Did he feel as uncomfortable as he looked?
“There is more to it than what it seems. I was in a recon mission. We were provided intel that one of the leading terrorists was in the area hiding out in a small town nearby. We were set to go in, secure the town and capture the guy.”
Chance drew in a breath, obviously not wanting to go on. But she had a feeling it was something he needed to say. “At the height of the fighting, a child about Emma’s age walked around the corner of a building. She sat down and proceeded to play with this old doll. That’s when I saw the bomb coming in fast.”
He looked up at Holly, who was frozen in shock. “I hit the ground at a dead run, determined to save her.” He ran a hand over his lower face. “I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t get to her fast enough to save her. The brass wrote it off as collateral damage. But it was the life of a little girl who will never see her second birthday.”
“Chance. You can’t blame yourself.”
“I can and I do. It’s reality. It is what it is. I’m afraid of being near your baby because I know someday I might make another mistake. Wait too long. Run too slow. The next time, it might be Emma.”
“Chance Masters, you saved Emma. Had it not been for you...”
“I got lucky.”
“No. What I saw wasn’t luck. It was the superhuman effort of a man who cared, determined to save a baby’s life. There was no luck involved. And I have no doubt it was the same scene played out when you tried to save the other child.”
“You’ll have to excuse me if my opinion differs.”
Holly didn’t know what to say. How could Chance possibly think he was responsible for that baby? But Chance wasn’t the kind of man who accepted pity. Anything she said would sound like that to him. At least now she understood why he didn’t want to be around babies. She wasn’t worried. Emma would fix that.
Holly crossed the space between them, looked up into his face. His eyes said it all. She leaned toward him and placed her arms around his solid waist and her lips against his. He didn’t turn her away. Muscles as hard as iron lay beneath her arms. He cupped her face, his rough thumbs rubbing her cheeks. These were the same hands and strong arms that held a rifle with the intent of killing if necessary, if he was ordered to pull a trigger. Now they were so gentle, holding her as he would a baby kitten. He’d put his life on the line every day for his country and dealt with the horror he’d described, carrying it around in his mind. In his soul. It took a very special individual to do that and still go forward.
“I swear, Holly, I’ll be the best dad to Emma that I can be.”
“I have no doubt of that, Chance,” she said, holding him tight. “None.”
She felt him inhale as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
“There’s one other thing I feel you should know.”
Holly waited, not certain what was coming next.
“Wade sold the ranch,” he said. “Thought I’d better mention that, too.”
She was shocked, but it didn’t matter and she wasted no time telling him so. They would find a place of their own.
“I’m so sorry, because I know your love for the Circle M.”
Before Holly could wrap her head around that, Chance added, “He sold it to me. We made a deal. It represents my share of the family company. I’ll tell you about the particulars some time. But if you will marry me, this will be your home. And Emma’s.”
“She’s gonna love your plants.”
“Make love to me.” His heavy arms came around her and pulled her tightly against him. With a flick of his wrist, the towel that covered her fell to the floor.
A soft moan, the sexiest Chance had ever heard in his life, gave him her answer.
She pulled his head down to her, her lips on his, her tongue entering his mouth with a desperate need, giving him all she had to give. And he took it. His hands reached to cover her hips, kneading the firm flesh before he lifted her up and against his throbbing erection. Chance was on fire. The heat that tore through him was burning him alive, and every time she moved the slightest bit his internal thermometer inched up a notch. His hands went to his belt. He had it unbuckled, his jeans unsnapped and his zipper down in seconds. The fact that Holly watched his every movement had the fire once again running through his veins. His jeans fell to his feet. He stepped out of them, tore open the foil packet and put his hands around her waist. He lifted her, positioned his member against her and pushed inside. He was like a wild thing, taking the female he’d chosen as his mate.
Her silver-blond hair splayed out around her head and shoulders. Her eyes were closed, her lips open as she immersed herself in what he was doing. That look of fulfillment brought on the mindless insanity. He didn’t want to think. He only wanted to feel, and that feeling was incredible.
Holly’s face had always been pretty much an open book and now was no exception. As she opened her eyes, her honey-brown gaze focused on his mouth. It drove him crazy. If she wanted his kiss, he would gladly give her what she wanted. On every square inch of her luscious body.
She brought her silky-smooth legs around him and he began to move. The tension began to build and build until seconds later Holly cried out his name. But he wasn’t finished. Not by a mile. Her hands gripped his hair, and she kissed his lips, hungry for anything he could give. And he had plenty he wanted to give. Everything he had was hers.
She was so sensitive, reacting to every touch, every word spoken. How long had he wondered if such a woman existed? Something she said made him break out into a sweat. He felt the familiar tingling in his lower back as his own release overcame him. It seemed to go on and on, every time he heard her saying, “Yes.”
Finally, he withdrew from her. Sweeping her into his arms, he carried her to an upstairs bedroom, placed her on the bed and climbed in after her.
Wrapped in each other’s arms, they slept. Before morning broke, Holly kissed him awake. She didn’t have to tell him why. He grabbed another of the foil packets from the bedside table and took her to the heavens yet again.
Epilogue
Six months later
The small chapel was filled with friends and neighbors who smiled and whispered with hushed excitement about the wedding between two of their own. Who would have ever thought little Holly Anderson would be the one to tame the wild, charismatic, bad-boy billionaire, Chance Masters? Some were here to see it for themselves. Others had already decided they wouldn’t believe it regardless of whether they saw it with their own eyes. Some could not contain the pure jealousy evident in their faces. But most were here to see the joining of two people who had loved each other since forever.
The soft strains of a harp combined with the beautiful rhythms of a piano as the front doors opened to allow the bride and her detail to enter. First came two-year-old Emma with her basket of rose petals. Holding Amanda’s hand, she walked down the center aisle carefully holding the woven wood basket in front of her. Setting it on the floor, she reached inside and grabbed a handful of petals and dropped them to the floor. After saying hello to the people sitting on both sides, she dutifully picked up the basket, walked another three or four feet, set the basket on the floor and grabbed more petals.