Page 100 of Spilling the Tea

“What do you mean?” he asked, knowing he needed to keep her talking to give Jake time to put his plan into action. “And you didn’t answer my question about why you’re here.”

“I came to take care of business,” she said.

“And what business could you possibly have here?”

“Don’t come any closer, Chance. Just so you know, I’ve doused kerosene all around this barn, and I plan to burn it down with them in it.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “Why would you want to do something like that?”

She threw her head back and laughed. “You’re a fool, Chance. I never loved you. Marrying you was all a part of the plan.” And then he stood there while she gleefully told him the same things she’d told Zoey earlier. He listened, hoping Jake, his brothers, and cousins were getting Zoey and Mama Laverne out of the barn.

***

“Chance is here,” Zoey whispered to Mama Laverne after placing her ear to the barn door. “Ravena is telling him whatshe said earlier about why she planned to marry him, and why she came back. That has to be hard for him to hear.”

Felicia Laverne stood. “Chancellor can handle it.” Checking her watch, she then said, “Jake should have arrived by now.”

No sooner had she said that, a portion of the barn’s back wall was removed, and Jake Madaris, bigger than life, stood there. Without saying anything, he rushed in with seven of his nephews. He swept his mother into his arms and instructed his nephews to bring out the Jet Skis, dirt bikes and anything else that might be filled with fuel.

Corbin took hold of Zoey’s hand. “Come on. I’m not sure how long Chance can keep Ravena talking before she torches this place.”

Everyone was a safe distance from the barn when the sound of sirens could be heard.

***

Ravena heard the sirens and glared at Chance. “You’re going to wish you hadn’t done that.” Before he could rush over to stop her, she lit a match and tossed it on the rags she had put near the barn’s entrance. Because of the amount of kerosene she had used, the structure quickly went up in flames. He grabbed for Ravena when she stumbled back too close to the fire and part of her shirt caught fire. Chance rolled her to the ground to keep her from burning. He was glad when the police officers arrived, along with the fire truck and paramedics.

While the officers handcuffed Ravena, Chance stood and searched the crowd for Zoey and his great-grandmother. Seeing his brother Emerson, he asked, “Where are they?”

“They’re near Jake’s truck, which is parked not far from yours.”

Chance took off running. His great-grandmother was sitting in Jake’s truck and Zoey was standing in a group surrounded by his cousins. Coming up behind her, he swept her off her feet and into his arms. “Excuse us for a minute,” he said to hiscousins. Then, with her in his arms, he walked over to his uncle’s truck. “You’re okay, Mama Laverne?” he asked.

“Yes, Chancellor, I’m fine. Glad to be alive.”

His gaze shifted to his uncle. “Thanks, Uncle Jake.”

“No thanks needed, Chance.”

He nodded, shifted his gaze back to Mama Laverne and said, “You were right.” He figured she knew what he was talking about. Mainly his true feelings for Zoey.

He carried Zoey a distance away from the crime scene before placing her on her feet. Before she could say anything, his mouth came down on hers.

***

Chance was kissing her hard, and Zoey kissed him back when it hit her just how close she’d come to dying—the second time in twenty years.

When Chance finally released her mouth, he wrapped his arms around her and whispered, “I thought I was going to lose you both.”

Zoey had thought the same and was grateful that she and Ms. Felicia Laverne had been rescued in the nick of time. Once the entire building had quickly gone up in flames, there was no way they would have survived.

She reached up and cupped Chance’s face. “And I thought I had lost you after last night. I’m so sorry for jumping to the wrong conclusions, Chance. I’m also sorry Ravena wasn’t who you thought she was. I can’t believe she and I are related.”

“I can’t believe what happened all those years ago…caused so much hate to fester. That is truly sad,” he said.

He leaned in and kissed her again until the sound of someone clearing their throat intruded. They broke off the kiss and saw Corbin. He was grinning. “The police want the two of you for statements. They are talking to Mama Laverne now. Dex called Trevor to tell him about the barn and that we got most of the stuff out in time. Did you know Trev intended tosell the cabin, and Mama Laverne told him to make sure you had first dibs?”

Chance chuckled. “No, I didn’t know. But then it makes sense for me to own it since it was originally a part of the Satterfield homestead. Where’s Ravena?”

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