Second Chance Cowboy (7 page)

Maybe Harry was right. Maybe Carly did
want to be home.

“
Is she really back?” Duke
asked.

Shit! On second thought, he wished
he’d kept quiet about Carly’s return. He wasn’t ready to answer
questions because he wasn’t sure how to answer them. He was as
confused as Carly, and he didn’t have the excuse of
amnesia.

Chance ran his palm down over his
gritty eyes and yawned. Exhaustion numbed the cells in his brain,
but that was what coffee was made for. He’d grab a cup or two--or a
whole pot--when he went back into the house.

“
Yeah, she’s
back.”

Chance got an affectionate slap on the
back. “I’ll be damned. Did she forget you’re an ass and decide
you’re worth another chance?” The joke fizzled. Chance grimaced.
“Hell, Chance, if she’s back why so unhappy?”

He drilled Duke with slanted eyes.
“Why am I the ass? If you remember, she left me, not the other way
around.” He didn’t have to defend himself, but wanted
to.

Duke took off his black Stetson and
hooked it across the fence. “Because, buddy old pal, any man
blessed with a woman like Carly shouldn’t have let her leave in the
first place.”

Chance went still. He usually didn’t
mind his friend’s no-restraints-approach to conversation, but this
was a sensitive subject and it deserved a gentle touch. “What
should I have done? Tied her up and kept her hidden in the
basement? You can’t hold on to someone who doesn’t want to be
held.”

“
Look, Chance, you know I’m
not one to sugarcoat the truth so you may not want my opinion.
We’ve been through this before. Everyone makes mistakes and some
are bigger than others.” Duke turned his face away from Chance,
scratching the neck of a chestnut in the stall. “You made a
few—”

“
I didn’t sleep with her,
Duke.” Chance’s voice leaned close to a low growl. His stomach
tightened and he clenched his hands into fists. “I would never have
slept around on Carly no matter how bad our marriage
got.”

“
I know you didn’t. You’re
a loyal son of a bitch, and I think Carly knew. She recognized
you’d never meander into another flower garden, no matter how
pretty the tulip.”

“
I never wanted another
woman. I held my marriage vows sacred.”

“
But friend, you made it
too easy for the shit to happen. A married man hanging out at a bar
leads to nothing but a kick in the backside and divorce
papers.”

Chance couldn’t argue against truth.
He had realized his mistakes, but by then, things had already taken
a bitter turn.

He hadn’t told Duke that he slept with
Carly two nights ago. Would it make him more or less of an ass in
his friend’s eyes?

“
Let me ask you a question,
Duke. If you lost your memory and forgot years of pain and anguish,
even if only for a short while, would you want someone to tell you
what you’ve forgotten?”

Looking off into the distance, Duke
scratched his chin. “Someone keeping the truth could be considered
cruel.” Chance winced. Duke’s intense gaze drilled him. “But you
know what I think would be worse?”

Chance sighed. “What’s
that?”

“
Someone snatching away
another person’s happiness would be worse. That’s for damn sure
crueler because telling the truth isn’t always what it’s cracked up
to be.”

“
There’s more to the story
with Carly.” Chance kicked the toe of his boot against the wood.
“Hang on to your hat for what I’m about to tell you.”

Chapter Six

CARLY AWOKE, STARTLED and confused.
She sat up in bed and swiped the sleep from her eyes. The cool air
of the room washed over her heated skin. Her heart beat fast
against her ribs. Her stomach churned and she glanced around the
darkened room. Fright burned its way through her body.

Where was she?

She reached over and clicked on the
lamp and the golden light filled the room. Her eyes focused on the
framed picture of her and Chance from their wedding day. Her
tension eased and relief spread over her. Home.

A nightmare had haunted her sleep. She
left the Swift Wind and never came back. Chance was lost to her and
their marriage doomed. Tears filled her eyes at the pain of the
thought. She buried her face into her palm and pushed back the
strong, terrifying emotion.

After several deep breaths, her heart
slowed.

Sliding out of bed, she stretched her
achy muscles, then padded barefoot across the plush carpet and into
the adjoining bathroom, switching on the light. The brightness
caused her to blink and it took a few seconds before her vision
cleared.

Reaching for her toothbrush, she
stopped when she caught a glimpse of herself in the large oval
mirror above the sink, horrified by her pale reflection. The
atrocious blueberry bruising around her eye and cheek appeared
hideous.

Fortunately, her wounds would heal.
She was alive and that’s what mattered.

After brushing her teeth and hair, she
patted on creamy concealer and followed it with a healthy dose of
face powder, only because she didn’t want to scare
anyone.

Going downstairs, she found the house
quiet and in the shadows as the sun started to lower. Making her
way into the kitchen, a bright flash distorted her vision. She
clutched the doorway, waiting until the feeling subsided and she
regained her equilibrium.

The feeling had caught her off guard,
and a bit frightened.

Taking a glass down from the pine
cabinet, she held tightly to the cool tumbler, afraid she’d drop it
from her trembling fingers. As she was pouring water from the sink
into the cup, she saw a note on the refrigerator. She took the
paper from the ceramic bear magnet and read Thelma’s hurried
penmanship.

“
Headed to a church
meeting. I’ll be out until late. Dinner is in the oven and I expect
to see no leftovers.”

Carly laughed and her stomach growled
at the thought of Thelma’s cooking.

The woman’s thoughtfulness always made
Carly feel better and she went in search of Chance to check if he’d
eaten. The light was on in his office, but it was empty.

She glanced across the mahogany desk
and the scattered papers with a disgruntled sigh. Apparently,
looking at the buried desktop, it’d be some time before he finished
business for the day. His cellphone sat on the corner and the
missed call light blinked rapidly.

Carly stepped further inside the
masculine room and glanced at the simple decor, inhaling the smell
of Chance’s cologne. Two black file cabinets stood against one wall
and an old cloth chair, which had belonged to his father, sat by
the window.
Chance’s thinking spot.
Images of him sitting
there and staring out the window pondering his serious thoughts
popped into her mind.

When she moved into the house, he gave
her free rein to redecorate any room of the farmhouse, except for
his office. Although she would have loved to hang a few paintings,
paint the wall a bright color and add additional furniture, she
respected his request.

In fact, she’d grown to love his
office. On late nights, when he was out on the ranch, she’d cuddle
up and wait for him there.

Her stomach rumbled, reminding her of
the dinner waiting.

Starting back through the door with
her mind on food, something struck her as odd. Carly turned,
glanced across the top of his desk and knew instantly what she’d
missed. Her heart sank.

The custom framed photograph of their
wedding day wasn’t there. It’d sat in the same position on the
corner of the desk since she gave it to him on their first
anniversary. She’d had it engraved with the word
Forever.

Carly scanned the room, but didn’t
find it displayed on the shelves or wall. She started to open the
top drawer to the desk.

“
You’re awake.”

Carly jerked at the sound of Chance’s
voice. She lifted her gaze and found him standing in the doorway.
His powerful body leaned against the frame like he found
entertainment in watching her.

His eyes dropped over her, visually
caressing her. A warm tingle slid down her spine in eagerness. “I
came looking for you,” she said.

“
I went out. We’re having
trouble with the new water irrigation system. One of the pipes is
broken and needs repairing. I had hoped I could fix the problem.”
He stayed near the door. “Anyway, are you feeling
better?”

She nodded and released the drawer
handle. “Much.”

“
Great. Thelma went to her
Monday night meeting at the church. She asked me, or rather warned
me, not to bother you while you rested.”

Carly sighed heavily. She swept around
the corner of the desk and leaned against the edge, bracing her
fingers on the glossy top.

“
Is there something on your
mind?” he asked.

“
No, not really.” She’d
hoped she had imagined the invisible fence between them, but it was
there, she could feel the distance. She hated it. “I guess there is
something wrong and we need to talk.” She pushed a tendril of hair
behind her ear and went to sit on the cushioned chair close to the
window. The inky darkness of the night allowed her to see the clear
sky and twinkling stars.

Chance’s frown lines resurfaced. “What
is it?”

She lurched forward in the chair, her
bare feet braced the floor. “Are you freaking out because of the
bruises or is there something you’re not telling me?” She ran her
clammy palms down her faded jeans.

Chance stepped into the office. His
brawniness made the room seem undersized. He’d always been a man
who towered over everyone else, in size and in
character.

“
I feel guilty,” he told
her.

“
Because?”

“
You and
I…well…”

“
Argued and I left for the
McAllister?”

“
If you hadn’t been there,
or if a lot of things, you wouldn’t have fallen.” His intense gaze
steadied on her. “Maybe a talk is exactly what we need. You left
me, Carly. Plain and simple.”

“
I did.” She swallowed the
dryness in her throat. “Why do I feel like a huge dark cloud has
descended upon us? I need you. I want your help in understanding
what I’m missing.” The sting of tears burned her eyes, but she
managed to blink them back.

He crossed the room, his boots thumped
against the pinewood floor and he leaned against the window,
staring out. He seemed far away. His long sigh echoed off the
walls. “Hell, Carly, I’m confused, too. You don’t remember
everything.”

Her eyes followed every masculine
curve, every line, every inch of his profile. The worried
expression made him appear older and she wanted to ease the
tension. His skin glowed with a healthy tan, but there was a lot to
his features that warned her he was hiding something. She couldn’t
force him into anything. “The curtains, you hung them.”

He gave a quick nod. “You were right.
They look good in the bedroom. What can I say besides I’m not
always right?”

She smiled, but it hurt. “What has
happened to us?”

“
What do you mean?” He kept
his gaze outside.

“
You’ve been working hard,
too many long days without a break, but we both know the argument
wasn’t about the curtains.”

He turned his gaze to her and one brow
popped up. “It wasn’t?”

Cocking her chin defiantly, she shook
her head. They needed to open a window to the truth. “No, it
wasn’t. You were jealous.”

He snorted. “Whoa. Me? Jealous?
No.
Maybe you’re not the only one with memory
loss.”

Carly tucked her bottom lip between
her teeth and pondered his words. “Are you going to deny
it?”

“
Hell yes.”

With a dramatic flip of her hair, she
wagged an accusing finger. “Chance, you want to forget, I’m sure,
but you blew up because you walked in while Duke had his arm around
my shoulder. You didn’t even allow me the opportunity to explain.
Do you distrust me so much?”

The self-assurance drained from his
face. “Why would Duke have his arm around you?”

“
Friends do that, Chance.
It was an innocent hug. You were tired and saw what you wanted to
see,” she blurted and pinched the bridge of her nose. “You should
know Duke is the most loyal friend, to you and me. And you could
never get rid of me, even if you tried.”

He frowned. “Sweetheart, I’m sorry.
Maybe I was tired and just needed to let some steam off. But please
know, I’ve never doubted your loyalty.”

“
I would have come back you
know. Eventually.”

“
I wonder.”

Carly stood up from the chair and
sauntered over to him, swaying her hips smoothly. Her toes met his
boots and her tongue darted out to moisten her bottom lip. “I
may
be able to forgive you for not coming sooner to get me.”
She kept her voice low and seductive. She knew he liked it, always
had. Her heart raced and her body temperature skyrocketed as she
hoped he’d show her his naughty side.