Page 2 of Spilling the Tea

Alex Maxwell was married to their cousin Christy and was a well-known private investigator. Chance rolled his eyes. “You’re kidding, right?”

“No, I’m not kidding.”

Chance stared at his cousin in disbelief. “Do you feel such a thing is necessary?”

Corbin leaned forward in his seat. “Yes, I do. And as far as I’m concerned, you shouldn’t have an opinion about it since your name is far down on that blasted list. Quantum’s and Kane’s names appear on the hit list before yours.”

That information about his cousins surprised Chance. “Why would you think that when I’m older than they are?”

“Because you have issues.”

There was no comeback he could make because Corbin was right. Chance did have issues. His family members knew he wasn’t the easiest person to get along with, and they also knew why.

He joined the military right out of high school with the career goal of being an army ranger. After ten years as a ranger, he returned home after an injury in Iraq left him in a wheelchair with a medical prognosis that he would never walk again.

To make matters worse, the woman he’d loved and planned to marry, Ravena Boyle, broke off their engagement, refusing to be tied down to someone she considered half a man. She had moved from Houston to Nashville and, within less than a year, had married someone else. From what he’d heard, that marriage didn’t last long, and she’d gotten a divorce less than two years later.

Her rejection had made him wallow in self-pity, the one thing his great-grandmother wouldn’t tolerate when it came to a Madaris. To this day, Chance credited Mama Laverne with giving him the will to live again. She had refused to let him give up on life and gave him the determination to prove Ravena wrong. He wasn’t half a man but a whole man.

He recalled those days. They hadn’t been easy, and some had been extremely difficult, both physically and emotionally. His great-grandmother had been worse than any drill sergeant he’d encountered, but he had persevered, and she had proved the military doctors wrong. In less than two years, he was out of the wheelchair and back riding a horse again.

Although he had improved physically, mentally was a different matter. The once fun-loving, life-of-the-party guy had become antisocial, a loner, a man who preferred keeping to himself. That was the one thing his great-grandmother hadn’t been able to do: make him look at life and love the same way. He was not the same man who’d left home for the military at seventeen and doubted he would ever be that person again. He had seen too much, done too much, and felt too much. As far as he was concerned, heartbreak had been the worst.

His family had been there for him in his darkest times. They were all he needed then and all he needed now. Upon returning home and knowing his career in the military was over, he’d turned to his other love: ranching. He would never forget that day he received a call from his uncle Jake to let him know that a homestead within a few miles of his uncle Jake’s Whispering Pines ranch had come up for sale.

Uncle Jake was a dedicated rancher, a highly successful businessman, and a great financial adviser. Over the years, he made many wise investments for the Madaris family. As a result, Chance was able to buy the two-hundred-acre ranch, which he’d named Teakwood Ridge, without a mortgage. That meant he owned his spread free and clear. Like his uncle Jake, Chance raised some of the best cattle in Texas.

As far as women were concerned, whenever he had physical urges that needed to be taken care of, he had no problem doing so. He wasn’t into long-term affairs and only engaged in one-night stands. Nothing energized him more than a night of hot, mind-blowing, unemotional sex when needed. Hooking up with a woman who agreed with his terms had never proven difficult.

“I don’t envy the woman Mama Laverne picks out for you, Chance.”

Corbin’s words cut into Chance’s thoughts, and he couldn’t help but chuckle since he didn’t envy the woman either. If what Corbin suspected about his name being further down the list was true, he could see why Mama Laverne had placed it there. She knew the hurt, pain, and bitterness Ravena’s rejection had caused him. She was also aware of his vow never to fall in love again.

“I’m not concerned about my placement on her list,” Chance said.

His cousin shook his head. “When the time comes, just like Victoria, you’ll meekly take whomever she selects for you.”

It was a statement, not a question, so Chance addressed it. “And I have no problem doing so. Felicia Laverne Madaris is a miracle worker. For me to be able to walk around is living proof of that.”

He paused a moment and then added, “I will never question anything she decides to do regarding me. Who knows?Maybe by the time she gets to my name on her list, I will be a changed man.”

Now it was Corbin who chuckled. “Do you honestly believe that?”

“No.”

“Neither do I.”

Chance fought back a grin. He wanted to have kids one day. When he was ready to do so, he would marry but would consider such a union as a business arrangement, not a true marriage.

“I’m sure you didn’t drive out here to blow off steam about Mama Laverne’s matchmaking shenanigans when you aren’t next on her list, Corbin. Is there another reason for your visit?”

Chance kept to himself out on his ranch and received very few visitors, so he was usually the last to hear family news or gossip. “Yes, there is another reason I dropped by,” Corbin said, sitting up straight in his seat as if remembering.

“Let me guess,” Chance said. “Did Mama Laverne dream about fish?” Usually, whenever she did, someone in the family was pregnant.

“No, not that I heard of.”

He rubbed his chin and then asked. “Did Tanner call off his wedding?” Tanner Jamison was a family friend whose wedding was scheduled for next month.

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