Guilt welled, a hot brand in my stomach. I was with Chance, but I wasn’t. Even now, my mind was on Scarlett and me.
It could work. I just needed a chance.
Ironic that was my son’s name.
Next, my bobber disappeared.
Chance bounced up and down, pointing. “Dad! Dad!”
“Got it!” Irritated the fish was interrupting some perfectly good brooding, I reeled in another rainbow trout. This time, Chance took a picture of me and the fish.
I stuffed my thoughts away and concentrated on enjoying my day with my son. We caught two more fish, one for each of us, before packing it in. The meat would be enough for a meal and to freeze.
As we were loading our gear into the truck to head back to the house, I couldn’t let it go. I shut the tailgate. “Chance, bud. We’ve gotta talk.”
He turned wide eyes my way, then his shoulders hunched. “It’s about her.”
“Can we invite her over for supper? She’d love to hear about the fish you caught.”
The thought of boasting about his skills to a woman who’d applied constant pressure to live up to his potential must’ve done it. “Fine.Onedinner. Cook the smaller fish for her.”
The corner of my mouth kicked up. I wanted a shot. I wouldn’t chide him about being generous with guests this one time.
6
Scarlett
An hour ago,I’d received a text with a picture of a beaming Chance with a nice-sized rainbow trout and an invite to come for supper.
He’s giving us a shot; thatwas all the text had said as an explanation.
I had stared at that message for a good ten minutes, thrilled that Tate had lived up to his promise to get ahold of me again.
How hard had he worked to get Chance to agree? Knowing Chance, Tate had piggybacked off the endorphins of the successful catch. I’d done the same thing in the classroom to get Chance to finish assignments.
Once I ripped my gaze off Tate’s invite, I had a decision to make. Did I risk Chance’s deliberation?
He was a good kid. I was a good teacher. And I was no longer his teacher. He was worried about losing time with his dad. I wanted to spend time with his dad. Knowing Chance, his two major concerns would be Tate getting stolen from him and me being a domineering taskmaster. I could work with that. Both Tate and I would be considerate of his son as we navigated our own “maybe” relationship.
Could it work?
It had to. Both guys had to get to know me. I’d learn about them and maybe…we could be something. Maybe Tate wouldn’t be embarrassed by my needlework or think I was demented because I watched murder shows to relax. He hadn’t seemed to. Maybe Chance would trust I had his best interests at heart, even when making him finish book reports.
I’d go.
After Summer and Autumn had left, I’d taken a long bath. My hair was dried and back in a ponytail. I almost redid it, but I left it alone. Chance wasn’t impressed by appearances and I didn’t want him to think I was trying too hard for his dad. I left on my jean shorts, but I changed out of my Copper Summit Bourbon tee. I couldn’t look like a kiss-ass.
Safely tucked into my Montana State shirt, I followed Tate's directions to his place. I knew the area he lived in, and Autumn had brought me out to show me when it was being built, but I was grateful for the guidance, or I would’ve missed the turnoff from the winding gravel road.
I parked outside the three-car garage. The house had been built the summer before Tate had moved to Bourbon Canyon permanently. My place would fit into half the garage. Was Tate a car guy?
I didn’t know much about him, but I felt like I knew him. Was I setting myself up to get hurt?
I’d taken a chance by going through with what had turned out to be the best date of my life. I had to keep going. By the time I got out of the car to admire both the house and the view, Tate was on his large wraparound porch, his arms braced on the wooden railing. He wasn’t wearing a flannel, just a simple black shirt with his rugged jeans and cowboy boots.
Mountain men were so my type. One in particular.
The log cabin was two stories tall, with a large peak cresting over most of the structure. The main area had to be open concept and almost as stunning inside as it was outside, with the view of the valley and the mountains rimming the other side.
