Chase: (Contemporary Western Romance) (New Horizon Ranch Mule Hollow Book 3) Read online

  With the wedding that weekend it had just worked out for the best.

  But living here permanently wasn’t going to happen.

  Chapter Two

  Chase rode out toward open pasture and let Nugget gallop, needing to ease the tension coursing through him as much as the recovering horse needed the exercise. Amber Rivers had been something. Small with thick reddish brown hair that sparkled like fire in the sunlight.

  He pulled on the reins and slowed the buff gelding to a trot when they reached the hilltop. From that vantage point he watched Amber’s cherry red sports car stop at the ranch house in a haze of dust.

  She’s a socialite.

  He’d known Sadie’s best friend was coming in from the city for the wedding. He also knew that Sadie came from high society and her friend would be of the same circles. He reminded himself he wasn’t interested in society women—not any more. Though Sadie was a great gal and broke the preconceived ideas about high society women that didn’t alter the fact that he wasn’t lookin’ in the society pages for a date…much less a future bride.

  The free-spirited way Amber Rivers had raced her car against him and Nugget, her hair flying out behind her in the wind and the impish glint in her eye when she’d brought the car to a gravel spinning halt had taken his breath away.

  But that didn’t matter. Even if he didn’t already know she was from the same social circles as Sadie everything about her said high maintenance. Her sparkling BMW convertible sports car, the jewelry dangling from her ears and wrist winking at him in the sunlight…all of it said she was not his type.

  Not anymore anyway.

  Been there, done that and learned from the experience with no plans for a repeat.

  “Is your mother going to make it to my wedding?” Sadie asked later after she’d given Amber a tour of the house.

  “Yes, she wouldn’t miss it. And how about your mother?”

  “Coming. But heaven help me she’s driving me bonkers. I’ve had to put my foot down several times, and thank you very much for helping me have enough backbone to do that. I love my mom but you know what I’m talking about.”

  Amber laughed. “Oh believe me I do.” It was a known truth that Sadie’s mother was a little controlling and over the top on doing things for the sake of appearances. Amber’s mother was a caterer and Sadie’s mother and her social circle were some of her best clients. Amber had met Sadie when she’d gone to help her mother in the kitchen during one of those events and they’d become friends. Shy Sadie had been drawn to Amber’s boldness. Sadie was nothing like her demanding mother.

  “When I told her I was having a simple fall wedding in the little church here in Mule Hollow she literally acted as if I’d just torn her heart out. But I held my ground.”

  Amber was proud of her gentle-hearted friend. This was a big step for her. Running away had been good for her. Rafe had been good for her.

  “I do believe you may have finally let your true light out to shine for all of us to see.”

  Sadie blushed. “I’m more at peace here and more sure of myself here in these surroundings. And I’m having a small wedding in this quaint church with a cowboy preacher preforming the ceremony and that is final. Oh there’s Maddie. She’s come to meet you before she heads home to get ready for the BBQ tonight.”

  The glass door to the kitchen opened and a pretty young woman around their age entered. She had a mass of dark curls pulled into a ponytail and wore a hot pink tank top with jeans that were tucked into dust covered cowboy boots.

  “Hey there.” She greeted them and Sadie made introductions.

  Maddie would soon be Sadie’s sister-in-law since she was married to Rafe’s twin brother, Cliff. But she was also one of the five partners who had inherited the ranch from their former boss. Maddie oozed confidence. Amber had a feeling she knew how to take care of herself too. It was just something Amber noticed about women.

  “Maddie’s amazing,” Sadie bragged. “She can ride a horse like crazy. And you should see her work cattle. She can manhandle those cows like she had the strength of five men.”

  “Well maybe the strength of three men,” Maddie said, her eyes sparkling. “I’ve heard a lot about you too. Sadie says you’d make a great cowgirl.”

  Amber choked on her tea and looked at her friend in shock. “What? She’s kidding.”

  Sadie shook her head. “I’m not kidding. You’ve always been a little bit of a western heroine to me the way you always want to make things right when injustice is being done.”

  “All you need is a horse,” Maddie quipped.

  “And next I guess you’ll say I need a badge,” Amber grunted.

  Sadie grinned at her. “Nope, just a horse and a cowboy.”“You are really pushing it, girlfriend.”

  Both Maddie and Sadie laughed on that one just as Amber’s phone rang. Instantly her stomach clenched as she glanced over at her purse.

  “Aren’t you going to get that?” Sadie asked.

  She eyed her purse. “Nope. It’ll go to voice mail. We’re visiting right now.” She hated this. She wasn’t one to get frightened easily but after this last week…this guy had her worried. There was no denying it to herself any longer. “Are you okay? You’re pale.” Sadie looked at her in alarm.

  Thankfully the phone stopped ringing. She was going to have to put it on silence from here on out. If she didn’t want to answer her phone, she didn’t want to answer questions about why either.

  Maddie was studying her. “You are pale. What’s wrong?”

  “I’m fine. I didn’t sleep well last night and after the long drive it’s starting to get to me. Nothing to worry about.” This was not a lie, she hadn’t slept at all last night. “I’ll be fine after I get some sleep tonight.” She stood. “Now, stop worrying about me and let’s go see this house of yours.”

  Chapter Three

  Chase was helping Rafe grill steaks on the patio that evening and their other partners, Ty and Dalton, were all gathered around talking when Amber and Sadie came outside to join them. She wore white shorts an orange top and some strappy sandals. Chase’s pulse kick started the moment he spotted her.

  “I think you’ve met Amber,” Sadie said to him after she’d introduced Amber to Ty, Dalton and Rafe.

  “Nice to meet you again,” he said. “Raced any horses lately?”

  She laughed. “I haven’t had the chance but it was fun while I did.”

  Ty gave her a grin—and that was saying a lot from the quiet horse trainer. “I could put you on a real horse instead of that toy you call a car sitting out there.”

  “Now Ty, don’t insult the lady’s choice of transportation,” Chase warned with a chuckle.

  Dalton gave a skeptical look toward the car in question. “I’d hate to have to crawl in and out of that tiny thing more than once a month. But then, you’re a lot smaller than I am. And look a lot better getting in and out of it.”

  Chase watched his partners turn on the charm.

  She laughed. “Insults will get you nowhere boys. That’s my baby out there and I like the way it rides just fine.”

  “It looked good to me this afternoon,” he added picturing the playful gleam in her expression when he’d first looked over and connected with hers. She looked at him now and he felt the pull of attraction once more.

  Rafe held out a hand to her and gave her a warm smile. “It’s great to finally meet you, Sadie says you are the most amazing person on the planet and has been chomping at the bit for you to get here.”

  Amber looked skeptical. “And my friend is biased. Ever since we met she’s been blinded to my faults because she’s too nice to notice them.”

  “Not true,” Sadie said. “Well kind of true. Not long after we met some boys were picking on me at school and Amber stepped in between them and me, despite being a foot shorter than me, than most people, she took up for me. Ended up stomping one boy’s foot, kicking another in the knee and giving the meanest one a black eye. And she did it so fast she d
idn’t break a sweat.”

  Chase wasn’t the only one startled by the info. Amber was small, but she was also strong he could tell by the definition of her biceps and in those shorts she had really well defined legs. The lady was in shape and it sounded as though she had always been.

  She laughed then and looked a little embarrassed. “They were wimps. And I got a little carried away, because they made me so mad.”

  “Sounds like you addressed the problem,” Dalton drawled, respect in his gaze. Ty nodded agreement.

  Chase muttered that he agreed too, wishing he’d spoken sooner, said the words Dalton had said but he’d been too surprised by the story.

  Rafe pulled Sadie against his side in an affectionate hug and kissed the top of her head. “Thanks for taking up for Sadie. I figured you must be pretty special or Sadie wouldn’t think so highly of you.”

  “Like I said, she’s biased but so am I. Guess that’s what friends do, they overlook faults. So y’all are all partners? Cool.”

  Chase recognized her smooth change of subject, switching the conversation to them and off of her. Sadie clearly adored her friend but all that praise would have made him itch with uncomfortableness. He didn’t blame Amber for wanting to change the subject.

  “We overlook each other's faults too,” Ty said and gave her a wiry grin.

  “Hey, I don’t have any faults to overlook,” Dalton said, winking at Amber.

  Rafe chuckled. “And even though we don’t always agree on some things…like Dalton’s lack of faults—we’re making our partnership work by using each other’s strengths.”

  “So true,” Sadie agreed. “Each of you has a specialty. Ty with the horse training, Rafe and Dalton with the cattle. Maddie with the motherless calves. And then Chase with the books.”

  “That’s probably part of why your boss chose to leave his prized ranch to all of you. Team work.” Amber glanced at him.

  “Probably true. But any one of us could have inherited the ranch and had the skill to keep the ranch going…even thriving. CC saw something in each of us that had him placing our names on that deed. And, he liked us.”

  “True,” Ty said, shooting Dalton a skeptical look. “Not exactly sure why—” That got chuckles from everyone.

  Dalton gave Ty a humorous scowl then smiled at Amber. “We liked and respected him too.”

  Everyone agreed with nods or words.

  “You must be real special since you’re the only person other than her mother that Sadie has invited to the wedding,” Chase said, not letting the conversation stray away from her even though he could see that she wanted it to.

  “And I still haven’t figured out how that happened.”

  That made Chase smile as he turned to flip steaks. “Rafe, you better call your brother and tell him and Maddie that they need to get a move on or their steaks will be cold.”

  “No need, there come the love birds now,” Dalton said. “I’m not sure we’re ever going to get any work done around here with more newlyweds on our hands, they’re worthless.”

  Everyone laughed at that and were still grinning when Maddie and Cliff walked up arm in arm.

  “Y’all almost missed the steaks,” Chase admonished, taking the tongs and lifting the meat onto the platter beside the grill.

  Cliff had his arm draped around Maddie’s shoulders. “Hey, you boy’s see my wife during the day and I like spending time with her too—so deal with it.”

  Maddie smiled and kissed him on the cheek. “I agree completely.” She looked at Amber. “Sorry we’re late. This is my husband, Cliff—Rafe’s twin. As you can see they don’t look a lot alike.”

  “I’ll be able to tell them apart then.” Amber shook Cliff’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you. I see a resemblance though.”

  “I’m the sweet one,” Cliff teased.

  “Subjective—” Rafe grunted as he helped Chase pull steaks off the grill onto the platter.

  Chase listened to the exchange then carried the platter over to the patio table and set it down beside the warmer that held the baked potatoes. “Ok everyone, chow time.”

  Everyone sat down and busied themselves loading their plates. Chase took the empty chair beside Amber.

  “This looks delicious,” she said, leaning toward him slightly.

  Their shoulders touched and her soft, barely there scent of springtime wafted over him drawing him closer. “If it’s not good you can blame Rafe. He’s the one who put them on the pit. I just took them off.”

  She brushed her hair out of her face and his gaze locked on her soft lips. “I don’t think there will be a complaint.”

  She straightened, breaking the brief contact and took a bite of the steak. Immediately she shot him a thumbs up. “Perfect,” she murmured.

  Looking at her Chase couldn’t have agreed more—she was perfect in his book—and that was a major problem.

  Amber and Sadie headed over to the church the next morning to check on the wedding decorations. When she saw the church she understood immediately why it appealed to Sadie with its postcard perfect white wooden exterior, the tall white steeple and stained glass windows.

  It was simple, inviting and perfect for a small intimate wedding.

  Sadie paused outside the door. “Norma Sue, Esther Mae and Adela are here decorating. You’ll love them.”

  “Is that the posse?”

  Sadie’s expression turned mischievous. “It is. They love everything about weddings and I’m crazy about them, so when they offered to help decorate I couldn’t say no.”

  Amber knew about the three older ladies from articles that had been written in the Houston Tribune for several years by a local reporter about Mule Hollow, the small town that advertised for women to come and marry their cowboys. These three ladies had been the ones who’d sent out the invitation that had saved the town one wedding at a time, as women had begun to show up, fall in love and marry their cowboys. It was a great story but Amber wasn’t interested in being one of those women. She had not come here looking for a man but to get away from one.

  Sadie paused on the steps. “You, my single friend, need to watch your back. I think I saw a bullseye on it.”

  “Ha. Only if I say so. I’m only here for a month—at the most—and then I’m heading out,” she emphasized as they walked inside.

  “I’m still holding out for more.”

  Amber chuckled—she might find Chase Hartley extremely attractive but even that hadn’t swayed her to start dreaming about country life. “You are dreaming.”

  “I certainly can.”

  “You made it!” a red headed woman in her sixties called from the front of the sanctuary when they walked into the front door. Dressed in bright yellow sweat suit with sparkling stars all over it, she rushed off the podium and fast walked their way, elbows pumping as she came.

  “Amber, this is Esther May Wilcox.”

  The redhead surveyed Amber with bright green eyes full of speculation. “Nice to meet you.”

  “You too,” Amber replied, wary of that look. Feeling she might need to turn around and hit the road especially as the other two ladies in the room gathered around.

  “Norma Sue Jenkins and Adela Ledbetter Green,” Sadie introduced.

  Ranch woman Norma Sue Jenkins, a robust woman with kinky gray hair, stuffed her hands to her wide hips and grinned. “Glad you’ve made it.”

  “We certainly are. Sadie needs her best friend on this special weekend.” Adela, the third woman was dainty, with a cap of stylish white hair framing a face dominated by huge blue eyes, kind eyes…wise eyes. “I’m glad to be here with her,” Amber said. “Y’all are doing a beautiful job.”

  “So, you’re single too,” Esther May cooed, all of Amber’s warning bells now ringing when she looked at the redhead.

  “Happily so,” Amber told her firmly, which only made her chuckle and wave her hand as if swatting the notion aside like she’d swat at a fly.

  “You are going to love it here,” Esther May conti
nued at a fast clip. “We’ve married off our fair share of eligible cowboys but we have so many we’ve only seemed to make a dent in the situation.”

  “That’s right,” Norma Sue agreed, grinning from beneath the white Stetson that sat on her head of wiry, gray curls. “Look at your friends here, they’ve gotten two good ones in those twins. Why, those boys are hardworking, successful and know how to treat a lady. And…they look good in the saddle—being a ranch woman I tend to think that is a requirement.” She hooted with laughter.

  Amber laughed too as she met the robust woman’s twinkling eyes. She had to agree with the sentiment after seeing Chase riding that horse the day before. The man and the image he made riding that gorgeous horse just would not get out of her head.

  “Okay, so tonight we have the rehearsal dinner and tomorrow is the wedding,” Sadie said. “I’m still in shock that I almost made the mistake of my life just a month ago.”

  Amber agreed with that. “I’m glad you found out about the man before you married him. The rat-fink. He’s just lucky I wasn’t with you when you found him and his secretary all hugged up.”

  The posse’ frowned.

  Esther Mae placed a hand on Sadie’s arm. “I’m so glad you found the “rat-fink” out before you married him.” She grinned at Amber. “I like you. You’ve got gumption. Isn’t that right girls?”

  Adela nodded. “Gumption and cowboy’n go well together.”

  “Like Roy and Dale Evans,” Norma Sue quipped.

  And suddenly Amber’s back itched. That bullseye felt heavy between her shoulder blades.

  Chapter Four

  That evening at the rehearsal Amber’s back was still itching from the idea that the posse might have their sights on her as a target for some of their meddling. She’d witnessed the excited twinkle that lit their eyes earlier that afternoon. Clearly they were invigorated by the idea of marrying off young couples.