“If I don’t see you again, thank you for making this Memorial Day weekend so memorable,” Jade said a bit shyly as she stood holding her sandals.
Before putting on his helmet, Chase tilted his head in surprise. “Why wouldn’t you see me again? Aren’t you going to Cash’s fireworks later?”
“I thought I’d be seeing them from the bed-and-breakfast.”
“You can. But just like we can’t see the Pikes Peak fireworks that will be set off tonight out here on our ranches nearly as well as you can see them in town, we can see Cash’s fireworks much better on his ranch.”
Jade’s smile warmed him, heart and soul. “You’re inviting me to see them with you?”
“Think you can find your way to my ranch when you’re done here at Chloe’s?”
“I found it once before, so yes.”
“Good. Drive your little red Bug to my house, and we’ll go for a ride on Valor and Jubilee. We can have supper at my house, and then we’ll take the Corvette to Cash’s ranch.”
“I could get used to this, cowboy.”
“So could I, buttercup.”
Chase dipped his fingers behind her Triple C belt buckle and tugged her to him for a kiss. Dropping her sandals, she wrapped both arms around his neck. Jade’s wild kisses made him yearn for things he’d never craved before. Reluctantly letting her go, he put on his helmet and started the engine. She stood there, all butter-blond hair, emerald-green eyes, and smiling red lips. Her nipples beaded against her tee shirt, her belly button peeked at him over the top of her buckle, and he didn’t want those sassy red boots to walk her away from him.
“Goodbye,” she said, picking up her sandals.
He winked. “Sooner than later.”
CHAPTERFOURTEEN
“Well, Scarlett O’Hara, goodbye is coming sooner than later,” Jade whispered to herself as Chase vanished down the road to his ranch. “And frankly, Rhett Butler won’t give a damn.”
Returning inside the bed-and-breakfast, Jade slowly strolled over the arched bridge above the goldfish pond. She could jump to the side of truth or fall into lies. Climbing the winding staircase brought with it the mountain of questions Chase wanted answered. She shouldn’t have to give those answers because she shouldn’t have gotten herself into such a mess in the first place. And with each rebuff to Franco over the past twelve months, she could feel that mess gradually worsening. Chase was a man who got what he wanted. She’d stalled in giving him the whole truth, and now her time was almost up with him. He had already gone to his ranch. She could run away, but he had enough information to find her. Would he even try? To what end?
Reaching the top of the stairs, Jade moseyed to her wonderful room at the end of the hall. Once there she laid out the red tube top with white stars and the short denim overalls she’d planned to wear to honor Memorial Day. Being red, white, and blue, the outfit would go with her boots. Taking her bag out of the closet, she wondered if she’d ever be at Chloe’s house again. Chloe already felt like a best friend, and Rachel like her own aunt. Jade took a hot shower and thought of nothing except the shower she’d taken with Chase. Would there ever be another one?
I flirted with him outrageously, she rebuked herself as she dried her hair. But she liked Chase so much that her replies and reactions to everything he said or did had just naturally spilled out of her. However, she had zero history of flirting and probably had been awful at it. She cringed at that stark revelation. Kendra and Allison had been much better at flirting with him. She figured Chase was used to it, maybe even bored by it, and at any rate, he was immune to her.
Jade sighed. She didn’t wear a lot of makeup, but a touch of eye shadow, eyeliner, and mascara never hurt. Her brows didn’t need anything, and neither did her cheeks since they were blushed from the sun. She’d be in trouble for that. Oh well.
“I’ll be in trouble for a lot more than that,” Jade said to the mirror. She applied her signature red lipstick to match her tube top and boots. Standing back from the bathroom counter, she placed her new cowboy hat on her head and whispered, “Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to meet a man who I’ll never be able to forget.”
Packing her bag, she realized she’d left her white bikini at Chase’s house. Apparently, she couldn’t even think straight around the man. Grabbing her purse and bag, she headed for the bedroom door. At the last moment, she remembered her phone was under her pillow. She went back for it and steeled herself before looking. She laughed. She hadn’t charged it for days and the battery was dead. Good! She left the bedroom, admired the lovely hallway one last time, and descended the stairs. Would she ever climb that magnificent staircase at Chase’s house again? The theater was the only room she’d been to on the second floor. She sighed, sad that she’d not been invited to see his indoor pool, gym, sauna, or hot tub in the basement. Not meant to be. Reaching the foyer, she blinked back a lump in her throat and found Chloe coming toward her in the hallway.
“Jade, you look absolutely darling,” Chloe said, all smiles. “Are you taking off to Chase’s ranch now?”
“Yes.” Jade nodded. “Chloe, I want to thank you, not only for my cowboy hat, but for an unforgettable stay at your beautiful bed-and-breakfast.”
“You’re very welcome. It was my pleasure. Truth be known, I have to give Chase some credit. You’re the first guest he’s ever helped me entertain.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really.” Chloe placed a hand on Jade’s arm and said, “Whatever happens between you and my brother, I want you to know I consider you my friend. I hope you’ll come back again, Jade.”
“I consider you my friend, too, Chloe.” Jade set her bag down, put her purse on top of it, and hugged Chloe. When Rachel joined them, she let go of Chloe and hugged Chase’s aunt. With a choke in her voice, Jade said, “I’ll miss you both more than you can imagine.”
“Please come back and see us again soon,” Rachel said warmly.
“I’d love to.” Jade nodded, wondering if that could possibly happen. “Thank you both so much,” she said, feeling tears sting her eyes and throat as she picked up her purse.
“In the meantime, we’ll see you at Cash’s when it’s darker, but well before the fireworks display on top of Pikes Peak.” Chloe picked up her bag before Jade could. “We can’t compete with Pikes Peak and never want our guests to miss it should they want to drive into the Springs.”
